“Honestly, I don’t know that,” Willow said. Wednesday joined Willow at her side.
“Look, we cared for one another, but we weren’t good for each other. That’s why we were off and on so much. We had chemistry but no compatibility. And she was impossible to live with.”
“Oh, really?” Wednesday asked, crossing her arms. “Because she was pregnant?”
“Because she was a hoarder,” Jack said, throwing his arms up in the air. “You don’t know what it’s like to stay with someone like that. I have a great sense of style. But my things were getting covered with old newspapers and garbage. But that wasn’t the worst of it.”
“I’d love to hear it,” Willow said. “Even though this is making it sound like you have a motive.”
“We had a cat. A cute little thing with white paws. And it died because it ate rotting cheese that Kaitlin left out. Even after that, she didn’t show any signs of improving her home,” Jack said.
Wednesday covered her mouth with her hand. Willow knew she must be thinking of Rover.
“That does sound like someone difficult to live with,” she admitted.
“I know it sounds terrible to say out loud, but in some ways, losing the baby was the best thing that could have happened. It forced us to face the issues in our relationship and finally end it.”
“That does sound pretty harsh,” Willow said.
“Even though we weren’t together romantically, it didn’t mean that we didn’t check in with one another every so often. We did care.”
She observed him. He appeared earnest. It didn’t seem like there was any bad blood between him and Kaitlin anymore.
“Thank you for telling us this,” Willow said.
Jack nodded. He wasn’t looking as cheerful anymore, but he poured out another glass of champagne and took a drink.
“We should probably get going,” Willow said.
“That’s right,” Wednesday said. “I’ll make sure these photos are tagged correctly, and then I need to plan my next event.”
“And maybe go to your job?” Willow suggested,
Wednesday brushed away the suggestion. “Stop nagging. I know what I’m doing.”
The sisters headed towards the door. Jack followed them. He accepted one of Wednesday’s excellent hugs. Willow allowed herself to be hugged one more time. Jack nodded as if it had improved.
Then, he asked, “Your date you might see again is Griffin Maynard, right? The one your sister mentioned?”
“I am going to see him again,” Willow said confidently.
“Could you do me a favor? Could you try and gauge his feelings about the luxury retreat I pitched to him last week?”
“You want Griffin to go away on a retreat?”
“No,” Jack said, with a laugh. “I want him to build my luxury retreat. I could give seminars on how to be more successful in dating and then my guests can mingle with one another. I found the perfect location just outside of town. It could be peaceful amongst all those trees, and I know he’d make something amazing. He’s the most sought-after contractor in town..”
“You asked Griffin about this a week ago?”
“That’s right. Tell him to let me know when he’s going to say yes.”
Willow nodded and walked out the door with Wednesday beside her.
“What’s wrong?” her sister asked. “Was it because I let it slip about you knowing Terry? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’ve been distracted lately.”
“No. It’s all right,” Willow said. “That ended up convincing Jack to talk to us. He wanted us to know his version of the story.”
“And do you think he did it?”
“I don’t know,” Willow said. “His motive seems weaker after talking to him.”
Wednesday nodded. She was obviously distracted by her next project for her feature, but Willow did get her to mention that she planned to write the bio for their father.
After that, Willow was happy to let her focus on her own tasks. She had her own thoughts to deal with as they walked.
Jack said that he had asked Griffin to take on a luxury project a week ago. That was before Griffin pulled out of her renovation project for the dog spa, but it might have lined up with when he first advised her against doing it.
Why hadn’t he mentioned this project before? Why was it a secret? Was it possible when he realized she wanted to start dating, he used that so he could move onto another job? Was it possible that Griffin tricked her too?
17
The next morning, the coffee was hot, but Willow was feeling steamed enough without drinking it. She hadn’t slept well. She kept thinking about how Terry was going to be wrongfully arrested for murder if Willow didn’t find some new clues. Griffin was also on her mind. She alternated between being afraid that Griffin wanted to jump into a serious relationship, which would jeopardize the friendship they had, and fearing that his idea that they start dating was more about escaping a contract than any real feelings of affection.
Telescope looked tired too. He must have been kept awake by her tossing and turning. He barely barked at all when Griffin arrived, and after saying a brief hello, he headed to his dog bed for a nap.
Willow admitted that she was glad Telescope wasn’t going to be in the room. She had a feeling that the dog wouldn’t like some of the things she might end up saying. If Tele was there, it might feel like fighting in front of the children.
She resented how cheerful Griffin looked when he joined her in the kitchen. He had a bounce in his step and a grin on his face.
“The flowers look nice,” he said, after seeing them on her kitchen counter.
“Yes,” she said, looking at them too. “Why did you get them for me again?”
Griffin looked puzzled. “I thought you’d like them. Did I get the wrong type?”
“So, you just got them for me for no reason at all?” she pressed.
“I thought it was a nice way to start a date,” he said slowly. “Why do I feel like I’m walking into a trap? Does this have something to do with the case you’re working on?”
“I’m not working on a case,” Willow snapped. “I’m just helping a friend.”
“And I admire that,” Griffin said loudly. “What’s going on today?”
Willow took a deep breath, trying to contain her emotions. She needed to be clear when she presented evidence of his possible deception. She didn’t want him to know how much this might hurt her.
“I spoke to Jack Grim yesterday,” she said.
“Is he the killer?”
“No. I mean, probably not,” Willow said. “But I did learn something from him.”
“About dating?” Griffin asked, looking unsure.
“About a luxury retreat he wants you to build.”
“Oh, yeah, that,” Griffin said with a chuckle. “He already mentioned how he’d want to have lots of hidden areas where couples could be alone in the building.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“Are you upset?”
“This was about a week ago?” Willow asked, hoping that she didn’t sound upset.
“I guess so,” Griffin said with a slight shrug.
“So, it was right before you decided to pull out of my spa renovations?”
Griffin laid a fist on the counter. “I didn’t pull out of the renovations. I tried to have a conversation with you about whether the spa was the best choice for you.”
“And now I think you had a conflict of interest in that debate.”
“I already told you that I was interested in Benny’s project.”
“And now Jack’s too?” she accused, moving towards him.
“Maybe,” he said, stepping back. “Is that a crime?”
“It is if you’re trying to break a contract.”
He began walking around the kitchen. “I don’t know what’s going on right now. How am I breaking a contract?”
“The contract for the dog gym would grandfather in the spa, but you didn�
��t want to do it. You wanted to do Benny’s exciting hotel job. And now maybe Jack’s too,” Willow said. “That’s why you wanted to date, isn’t it?”
“Because of Jack’s resort?” Griffin asked.
“Please stop pretending that you don’t understand what I’m saying,” Willow said, trying to stay calm. “The reason you wanted to start dating is because you knew that I’d let you out of your contract if we did.”
Griffin opened his mouth and then closed it. He shook his head. “I can’t stop pretending that I don’t understand. Because I don’t understand. Do you realize how crazy you sound right now?”
“Now you’re calling me crazy?” Willow had to admit that she was feeling crazy at the moment, but she was being pushed towards it. “If you weren’t trying to keep Jack’s renovations a secret from me, then why didn’t you mention them when Terry brought him up?”
“Because I didn’t think I had anything helpful to add. I only spoke to him for a few minutes on the phone. That didn’t make me qualified to judge whether he was a killer or not.”
“Or you didn’t want me to know that you were trying to take on other projects.”
Griffin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to date you to get out of your renovations. I’m trying to date you because I like you. Even when you’re like this.”
“I don’t want to be used again,” Willow said.
“When have I done that?” he asked.
Willow frowned. Her ex-husband had been an excellent manipulator. It wasn’t until they had been married for several years that she realized it. She had trusted him, and he had betrayed her. He had taken care of all the paperwork that assured that he got to keep her original business in the divorce proceedings.
He had used her to get what he wanted. She had promised herself that it would never happen again. Maybe there was a chance that she would scare a nice man off. But, maybe there was a chance she could protect herself from a man who planned on breaking her heart as soon as he broke her contract.
“Benjamin used to—”
“I’m not your ex-husband,” Griffin said, cutting her off. “I’m me.”
“But you didn’t want my extra renovations,” Willow said. “And dating me would guarantee that you didn’t have to do them.”
“But that’s your rule. Not mine,” Griffin said angrily. “You’re the one with the rule about not mixing your personal life and business. I would have been fine with working for you and dating you.”
“Still, it’s just a coincidence that you wanted to start dating right after you had offers for these other renovation projects?” Willow challenged.
“I’ve wanted to date you for a long time,” he said.
“Sure,” Willow said, crossing her arms.
Griffin didn’t say anything. Instead, he marched out of the house. Willow stood in her kitchen, watching him go. Sorrow welled inside her, but she tried to ignore it.
She walked to the front door, ready to slam it closed. However, Griffin wasn’t climbing into his truck to leave. He had something in his hand that he must have taken from the cab. He let the car door close with a thud and stormed back towards the house.
“Why did you come back?”
“I want you to read something.”
“Our contract?” she asked. “Did you find a loophole?”
“Read it,” he said.
Willow took the letter and unfolded it. She was confused.
“What is this?”
“This is the letter I wrote to you in high school. The one where I confessed that I had feelings for you and that I wanted to date.”
“You wrote this in high school?” she asked.
“I stuffed it in your locker, but you never said anything. I guessed you didn’t feel the same way. I found it by the lockers and brought it home. I found it again right around the time you moved back to Pineview, and, well, parts of it still echoed with me. I thought showing it to you on one of our dates would be cute. We could laugh about it,” Griffin said. “But now I just want you to notice the date. Because it was well before I had this renovation offer.”
Willow looked up from the letter. “I never saw this.”
“It had been years since I thought of it too,” he said as his tone softened. “Until I found it while cleaning.”
“No,” Willow said gently. “I didn’t forget about this. I never saw it.”
“Never?”
“No.”
“It fell out of your locker? Or got stuck somewhere?”
“I guess so,” Willow said, holding firm to the letter. “I would have remembered this.”
Griffin moved closer. Part of Willow was moved by what he had written, describing how seeing her in the hallway and joking about the bad cafeteria food was the highlight of his day. However, part of her was still scared of being tricked. This letter was the past, and she needed to understand what was happening in the present.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she said. “You could have brought this here just to convince me that you like me.”
“Exactly.”
“So that I would let you out of the contract,” Willow finished.
“I give up,” Griffin said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what else I can say. I can tell you that I care about you. I can show you that I’ve felt that way for a while. If you don’t believe me, you don’t believe me. But I don’t really think that’s the case.”
“What?”
“I think you’re scared. And I wouldn’t have thought it after seeing the brave stuff you did while trying to catch a killer or how fiercely you fought for your business. But you are. You’re scared of living your life fully in case something goes wrong again.”
“Thanks, Dr. Freud.”
“I’m going to go. You can stay here. You can play detective and hide with the dogs if that’s what makes you feel safe,” Griffin said. “However, if you feel like wanting to live your life fully, and you want me to be a part of it, you’re welcome to find me. But I’m not going to be party to these delusions and accusations anymore.”
Willow didn’t have a good response, so she blew a raspberry at him.
“Bye, Willow,” he said.
He headed to his truck, leaving her holding the high school love note and trying to keep her head high.
18
Wednesday sat at her computer desk at the police station. True, there was a pile of paperwork that was growing on it. However, she could still handle it. She would snap one picture of her looking distraught at the stack with a caption such as “Office Work and No Play” or “PaperWorking It!” Then, she would start attacking it all.
Wednesday was pleased with the picture. That should satisfy her fans for a little while.
Smiling at the thought of having adoring fans, she tried to decide what to work on first. Then, she realized it was obvious. Her dad was worried about his bio that she had to do. She might as well write that first and put his mind at ease.
She moved the mouse on her desktop so the screensaver of a cat in a policeman’s hat disappeared. She brought up a blank document and wrote “Chief Franklin Wells” at the top of it.
However, before she could write anything else, her phone let out a ding. Recognizing that chime to mean she had gotten a new email, she reached for her cell.
The email was from Clickable ConTENt. Wednesday bit her lip. Was there a problem with her story? She thought that she was doing great. People seemed to love all her posts, from Pilates to baking pizza with her cat. She had been making sure that her week was full of exciting things to share.
Maybe it was good news? Could they want to do more with her? Did they ever do “A Month in My Life?”
Actually, that might be too daunting. She wasn’t sure she could keep up this pace that much longer. After all, she currently had only written three words in her father’s bio.
“Stop wondering and open it,” she muttered.
She clicked on the message and began to read
. It started out well enough, praising her feature. However, then it went on to tell her that they needed to bump the finale of her “Week in My Life.” They wanted to focus on a different story that day, one that would get more traffic. She skimmed through the part about her replacement, something about a B&B, and got to the end. The editor wanted to know if Wednesday wanted to finish her “week” a day early or if she wanted to do one final post two days after the original final day.
“Neither,” Wednesday grumbled. “It’s not a real week if you do either of them.”
The final line complimented her again and then told her to respond with her decision.
This was so unfair. Wednesday had worked hard on this feature. She had been sacrificing time she should have spent on her job or helping Willow clear Terry. She thought that getting this feature meant that the online world was taking her seriously. What did they think was so important that it warranted moving her finale to another day?
After taking a deep breath, she reread the section about the story that they wanted to do instead. She was glad she did. Now she realized that the B&B they were referring to was the one that Kaitlin Janes owned and where she had been poisoned.
Clickable ConTENt was planning to do a big piece on the murder. Kaitlin Janes had apparently written an article about the “Best Tips for Traveling with Pets” last month. However, now a reporter had found out that Kaitlin had been personally responsible for multiple dogs’ deaths.
Wednesday frowned. She hated to admit it, but this did sound like a good story. This story had a great overarching mystery about the killer not being caught yet. Beyond that, this was a huge scandal. The owner of one of the most pet-friendly bed-and-breakfasts, and a self-proclaimed dog expert, had been responsible for doggie deaths. It was shocking and intriguing. It was something that Wednesday herself would click on.
It did seem like great content. However, how true was it? If Kaitlin had been killing dogs, how could Wednesday not have heard about it before? She was the police secretary and usually knew all the happenings in town.
Bark Up and Smell the Coffee Page 13