“I hope that wasn’t a waste of energy,” Dinah said when we were alone at the table. She held up her wrist to admire her newly made bracelet. “At least we finally all tried the Make-and-Take project.” She started to help me gather up the snippets of cord and a few beads that had broken loose. “What if Rory thinks she learned enough already and doesn’t show up until the taping?”
“I hope not. But never fear, our secret weapon is on the case.”
Dinah looked at me with a quizzical expression, and I smiled. “I guess you didn’t see Adele rush off and grab her cell phone. I’m sure she’s calling Rory right now.”
I was going to suggest that Dinah and I get dinner, since I was free to leave, but I saw Commander come in the door then. His face lit up when he saw Dinah.
“I called a conference with him,” Dinah said. “We’re going out to dinner, just the two of us. I haven’t really said anything to him about the problem with Cassandra until now, and I’m not sure how he’s going to take it.”
I gave her a good-luck hug, and she left. I left shortly after, feeling at loose ends. The situation with Rory had me worried. And I had an uneasy feeling about Marianne after our visit. What if Detective Heather was right and Marianne was responsible for Connie’s death?
My house was dark when I got home, but the moon was bright enough to cast shadows across the flagstone patio as I walked across it to the kitchen door. I could see my waiting committee through the glass door. I let Felix and Cosmo run out as I went in. I was reaching for the light switch when I saw a red light flashing on my phone, indicating a message.
I hadn’t heard from Barry since he and Dinah had been at my place together. The message must be from him. I punched in the code to retrieve it, expecting to hear his voice. At first there was just silence, and I was going to hit the button to erase it, but then I began to hear breathing. Loud creepy breathing that reminded me of Darth Vader. Operating on reflex, I hung up the phone with a shudder.
I stared at the cordless lying on the counter for a few minutes. It must have been just a disgruntled salesperson annoyed that no one had answered. What else could it have been?
Chapter Seventeen
Once I got over the creepiness of the Darth Vader breathing, I was annoyed that it wasn’t a message from Barry. He’d been keeping in touch pretty regularly since he’d given me my undercover job, and now suddenly there was silence. He was supposed to be the one to make contact, but I punched in his cell number anyway.
“Greenberg,” he said in his flat detective tone when he answered.
“It’s me, Molly Pink,” I said, saying my name very crisply. I heard something on the other end that sounded like a laugh.
“You’ve made your point. In case you hadn’t noticed, I tried being more casual the other night and it backfired.”
“I realized I hadn’t heard from you—”
“About that,” he said, interrupting. “What happened the other night made me rethink the plan. I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.”
“What? Just like that you cut me off from my undercover job?” I said. I didn’t mean to sound so emotional, but the words just fell out of my mouth.
“I can’t really go into that now,” he said, returning to his cop tone. Of course, I had no idea where he was, and who knew who was standing next to him. “We could take up this matter later,” he said, still keeping his professional voice.
“Fine,” I said, trying to sound cool about the whole situation.
“It’s not what you think,” he said just before clicking off.
I looked around then, surprised that I hadn’t turned the lights on. But then, the moonlight coming in the two large windows had been enough to illuminate the phone. I could see the dogs running around when they came out of the shadows of the orange trees. It almost seemed a shame to flip on the floodlight and turn on the ones in the kitchen.
There was no note from Samuel, so I assumed the dogs hadn’t been fed or Blondie given her walk. My younger son seemed to be gone more than usual, which I took to mean that he’d met someone new. I made sure the cats’ bowl had plenty of dry food and gave them each a dab of chicken puree. I put dog food in each of the three bowls and made sure the water was filled to the top.
Cosmo and Felix were at the door when I opened it and rushed in, going straight to their bowls. I had to go across the house to get Blondie out of her chair to come and eat.
Dogs certainly didn’t savor their food. The bowls were empty in a flash. Cosmo and Felix retired to the living room for an after-dinner nap while I got the leash for Blondie. I had started the habit of walking her when I’d first adopted her. It seemed to be the only time she perked up. Cosmo and Felix didn’t seem to mind being left out, though the two cats always followed us to the door as if they hoped to go with us.
There was something eerie about being able to see Blondie’s shadow as we began our trek. We always took the same route, and she made the same sniff spots. Other than being on the lookout for coyotes, it was a good time to get lost in thought. My mind flitted from wondering about Rory and if she’d be able to get it together to thinking of Marianne in the house on the hill. I was so lost in thought I almost didn’t notice something in the shadows of the trees skittering alongside us. The shadows ended and moonlight drenched the dog-sized creature. It was bony thin, and there was something sinister in its step.
Blondie was looking straight ahead as if she didn’t know the coyote was there, or maybe it was wishful thinking. I’d forgotten the walking stick I usually carried when I was alone. I tried yelling at it to go home. Which was ridiculous anyway. If it had had some warm snuggly place with a bowl full of food, would it really have been out looking for dinner?
Would it attack Blondie even though they were a match in size? I didn’t know and I didn’t want to find out the hard way, so I picked Blondie up against her wishes and lugged her home. I looked back when we’d gone up the driveway and saw the coyote standing in the street. The light caught its eyes as it offered a last menacing stare.
Unfazed, Blondie plodded back across the house and climbed into her chair. I let out a breath of relief as I put away her leash.
Barry hadn’t given any indication when later would be. But knowing that he was coming gave me a chance to prepare. I’d make some food to soften him up. And I’d offer him some information without a hassle. I wanted him to change his mind. I didn’t want to give up my undercover job. It was too much fun.
I realized the food couldn’t be too elaborate or he’d figure out what I was doing and it would seem too desperate. I was still regretting that I’d been so straightforward on the phone. I looked around the refrigerator and began pulling out the fixings for mushroom stroganoff. I boiled the pasta and cooked the sauce. I ate some before packing it up and putting it in the refrigerator so it would look like leftovers.
The hours began to tick by. I tried to occupy myself by crocheting another Gratitude Circle. I was trying to figure out what about it made you feel grateful. I finally got it—it was just about the name and the wearer’s expectations—in other words, marketing. Couple a great name with a super-easy project and it seemed to have success written all over it.
I thought about Rory. If we could just get her to master the most basic skills, she’d be able to pull it off. It had gotten quite late by then, and I began to think that Barry wasn’t going to come, but then the phone rang.
“It’s Green—I mean Barry. I’m out front.” I was already at the door and pulled it open before he clicked off.
He was standard late-night Barry. Suit and tie without a wrinkle but shadows under his eyes that showed his fatigue. I was probably too quick to offer him food, but I think saying it was just leftovers made it a little less obvious.
He followed me into the kitchen just as Felix and Cosmo showed up for their treat. I intended to be quiet and let him talk, but before I could stop myself, I blurted out that it wasn’t fair for him to give me the job and then take it away w
ithout even saying anything.
“Wow, you’re really wearing your heart on your sleeve about it, aren’t you?” he said with a smile. “I told you it’s not what you think,” he said. “I was actually thinking more about you. You heard Dinah. She didn’t buy that I was here for dog care. She had to think there was something else going on that you hadn’t told her about. I realized I’d put you in a terrible position with your best friend. I was going to talk to you about it, but I didn’t know quite what to say.” He leaned against the counter, and his face broke into a half smile. “But it looks like I just did.”
“Oh,” I said, suddenly feeling like a jerk. I should have learned by now not to assume. It had almost permanently wrecked things with Mason when I’d assumed he was back with his ex-wife. “It’s okay with Dinah. I can convince her that you were just here for Cosmo.” I wondered if I should add the rest, that Dinah believed his trips for dog care were just an excuse to see me. I decided to leave that out. I was surprised at his reason for backing away, though. Barry usually had tunnel vision when it came to his work. But it seemed he’d put concern for me ahead of his desire for information.
“Well, if you’re sure it isn’t too uncomfortable for you to keep something from your best friend,” Barry said, studying my face for a reaction.
“I don’t like doing it, but she’d understand if she knew,” I said.
I dished him up a plate of the noodles and creamy sauce with some chopped salad I’d just thrown together on the side, and he took it to the dining room. “You’re not eating?” he said, seeing I was empty-handed.
“I already ate. Remember, I said it was just leftovers.” We sat down facing each other.
“So then should we pick up where we left off?” he said.
“I kind of remember last time you said you had something to tell me, and then you saw Dinah,” I said.
“Isn’t it always ladies first?” he said.
I shrugged and agreed. “Well, I talked to the gardeners.” Before I could continue, he looked up from his food with a surprised expression.
“Why talk to them? We already questioned them.”
“Because I thought they might tell me something different,” I said.
“So, did they?” he asked, almost as a dare.
“Not exactly, though they did seem pretty nervous when I asked them about music. I did find out that someone tampered with the sprinklers so they ran for a much longer time. But there’s something you might not have noticed. The gardeners were all dressed in the same nondescript outfit. Anyone dressed similarly could have come onto the property, and if anyone noticed them, they would just think it was one of the gardeners.”
“Okay, that could have happened,” he said, but then his brow furrowed. “Why were you even talking to the gardeners? That sounds like investigating to me, which you weren’t supposed to be doing.”
I changed the subject by offering him seconds.
“There’s still more left? You must have made an awful lot of it to have so much left over.” He leveled his eyes at me, and I was sure he was measuring my response. Had he figured out what I had done?
I took his plate without a comment and got him a refill. “Well, I told you mine. Now it’s your turn.”
“Oh, right,” he said. “It’s related to something you told me.”
“Really?” I said, perking up. “Something I told you was important?”
He looked at me with an understanding smile. “I get it. You’re trying to remind me of your value.” He seemed to be taking his time and started to load some of the creamy noodle dish on his fork.
“So what is it?” I asked.
He chuckled at my impatience and put down the fork. “Maybe this is a mistake and we should leave things as they are. You tell me, but I don’t tell you.” His tone didn’t sound completely serious.
“No fair. You can’t almost tell me and then not,” I said. I saw him smile. “You’re playing with me, aren’t you?”
He half shrugged. “Maybe I am. Kind of payback for all the times you answered my questions with questions,” he said with a wry smile. “No more games. Here it is. I paid attention when you said that Marianne might have been the intended victim. I found out that Errol Freeman has been talking to developers about taking that property, getting rid of the house, and dividing it up and building multimillion-dollar homes—”
“But Marianne told me she controls the house and land,” I said, interrupting.
“Exactly,” Barry said.
“She said that Errol was trying to get her to sell the place. He thinks she ought to go to some assisted-living place. His wife mentioned it, too. Marianne said that even Connie had suggested she ought to sell the place. But Marianne told me she wanted to stay there. I get it. And Errol didn’t like her decision and decided to get her out of the picture. Then he set up the whole thing.” I stopped to take a breath. “Then why aren’t you arresting him?”
“Hang on, Sherlock,” Barry said with a laugh. “That’s all conjecture. There has to be real evidence—”
“Maybe I can find some,” I said, jumping in. “Marianne talks to me. She thinks of me as a friend. Well, I really do like her.” I was about to say more, but Barry’s expression darkened.
“But be careful. There has to be a reason she’s on all those drugs. Who knows what behavior they’re keeping in check. She could be dangerous.”
I shook my head at the warning. “I don’t think so—”
Barry interrupted before I could finish. “Just keep it to talk. No more investigating on your own, right?”
“Sure,” I said with a smile.
“C’mon, Molly, I know that look. You’re just telling me what I want to hear while you’re probably already making other plans.”
“No,” I said innocently. “I get it, you’re the boss on this.”
Barry blew out his breath and shook his head. “Maybe I should really take you off the case.” He smiled, and I realized he was playing with me again.
“You’re not going to do that,” I said. “You know that you need me.”
I was going to add a breezy comment, but our gazes caught and then seemed locked. I felt my face start to flush, as if someone had turned up the thermostat. I heard Barry swallow hard. Then he abruptly pushed away from the table, muttering that he had to go. A moment later I heard the door shut. I never got a chance to offer him dessert.
Chapter Eighteen
“Adele,” I called as my coworker rushed across the bookstore toward the kids’ section. I was sure she heard me, but she didn’t turn. I had to practically jog to catch up with her. Finally I grabbed her arm, and she came to a stop.
“I know you’re trying to avoid me,” I said.
She fidgeted with her costume of the day. She was dressed as some girl wizard, and I’d seen the sign that they were reading a chapter from Veronica Lightning Bolt.
“You never told me if you reached Rory and if you did what she said.” Adele was trying to squirm from my grasp, but I held on to her arm. “It’s not going to help anything if you avoid it.”
“Okay, Pink, here’s the scoop. I talked to her and she said she’d be back for tonight’s happy hour.”
“Did you tell her it’s really important that she take it seriously?” I asked.
“Sort of,” my coworker said.
“What exactly did you say?” With Adele, sort of could mean anything.
“That she was doing great with the crochet and I’d be there as her backup.”
Adele tried to pull away again, this time successfully, and she disappeared into her domain. I would have followed her in, but I was suddenly surrounded by kids and their parents gathering at the entrance. Adele reappeared with her clipboard and greeted the assembled group. The kids got all excited when they saw her, and I heard some wows about her cape.
I wasn’t about to interfere with any more questions. Difficult as she was, it somehow worked with the kids. They honestly seemed to love her. And she m
anaged to bring a lot of business to the bookstore.
I made a grrr sound in frustration. What could I say to make Adele understand that she wasn’t going to somehow end up in the spotlight doing the actual crochet work? It had actually gotten worse. This morning I’d heard from Ethan, the director, that not only did they want to see the group make the bracelets, but they’d like us to bring in some customers to see how it went with strangers, and that they planned to have Rory act as the host of it all.
I cringed just thinking about her calling for her crochet double, not realizing I had an audience.
“You look troubled. Maybe this will help,” a voice said, startling me. I glanced up from my work in the information booth to see Mason standing there with a carrier holding two cups of coffee. “It seems like forever since I’ve seen you,” he said.
He set the carrier down and took the lid off one of the paper cups and handed it to me. He knew I didn’t like drinking through the lid because I always burned my mouth. He’d been tied up all week, and when he’d had time, I hadn’t.
“I think this is just what I needed.” I looked at him with a warm smile. “Both the red eye and seeing you.”
“Ditto. I was on my way in to the office,” he said, taking his coffee out of the holder and drinking it with the lid on. “I think we have to make some changes so we can spend more time together. We can’t even depend on the weekend anymore.”
It was true. Weekends were busy at the bookstore, and we were thinking about having events on Sunday afternoons now too. Mason took another sip of his coffee, and I saw him looking at his watch.
“What if we planned something for a couple of weekdays?” he said.
“Can you do that?” I asked, surprised.
“I never would have before, but my priorities are changing.” He reached over the counter and touched my arm. “We could go someplace and get away from it all.”
I couldn’t believe what I was about to say. “That sounds wonderful. But…” I looked at him with a rueful smile. “I can’t even think about it right now. Maybe after they tape Creating With Crochet, I can arrange something.” I explained the current problem with Rory and her hook work.
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