by Sarah Fox
Once I was safely seated on the bench, I took off my helmet.
Cordelia shifted down the bench toward me. “Are you okay, Sadie? I’m so sorry!”
“Why? What happened?” Now that I was upright, I could see that there definitely weren’t any semis on the ice.
“I couldn’t stop. I crashed into Jason and he crashed into you.”
Jason. No wonder I felt like I’d been flattened by a Mack truck.
I patted Cordelia’s arm, but then halted the movement as I winced with pain. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”
Grayson was still hovering nearby, along with my teammates.
“You should probably call it a day,” he said.
“No way,” I protested. “There’s still a third of the game to go.”
“And you just got over a concussion a few weeks ago.”
“I didn’t hit my head this time.” At least, I didn’t think I had. It felt fine. It was my back and ribs that were unhappy.
“He’s right, Sadie,” Mel spoke up. “You took a hard hit. Better safe than sorry.”
I wanted to argue further, but my aches and pains kept me quiet. I probably wouldn’t have been of much use out there anyway.
Jason made his way through the small crowd gathered around me. “I’m really sorry about that, Sadie. If I could have avoided hitting you, I would have.”
“I know. Don’t worry. Either of you,” I said, looking between Cordelia and Jason. “I’m okay.”
Next to hurry over to check on me was Shontelle. I told her I was okay as well. She offered to drive me home, but I wanted to stay and watch the rest of the game. Finally, everyone seemed reassured that I wasn’t seriously hurt and the game got back underway.
As I watched the start of the third and final period, I became aware of people chatting on a bench a few feet behind me. My attention shifted from the game to the spectators’ conversation.
“I thought Penny was coming to watch,” a woman said.
“She was planning to.” I recognized Sibyl Hawkes’s voice. “Something must have come up.”
Clearly they hadn’t heard about Penny’s arrest.
“I brought her the merino-alpaca blend she wanted to buy off me.”
“Oh, that’s gorgeous,” Sibyl said. I tried to glance over my shoulder, but my back muscles shouted at me to stop. “What’s she planning to make with it?”
“Some gloves for Bobby.”
“I thought she already made gloves for Bobby.”
“She did, but that man is always losing things.”
“You spun that yarn yourself, right?” Sibyl asked.
“I did.”
“Do you have more? I’d love to make Eli some gloves out of that.”
“Sure. I’ll bring a couple of skeins by the shop later this week.”
“Speaking of Eli,” Sybil said, “I need to get home. He’s been feeling down since Freddy got killed, so I’m making him his favorite dinner tonight—shepherd’s pie with rice pudding for dessert. It might not be much, but I’m hoping it’ll cheer him up a little bit.”
“I really envy you and Eli. You’d do anything for each other, wouldn’t you?”
“We would.” I could hear the smile in Sibyl’s voice.
“The only thing my one-time husband did for me was give me my beautiful daughter,” Sibyl’s companion went on. “Then he took off for Tallahassee with some floozy.”
I stopped listening to the women and refocused on the game as Jason shot the puck at the Inkwell’s net. Fortunately, Bobby blocked it.
That was the only highlight for our team during the last part of the game.
Cordelia didn’t want to get back on the ice—she was convinced she’d end up killing someone—and with me sidelined that meant that Damien, Mel, Teagan, and Joey were the only players left, aside from Bobby in goal. They hardly got any chance to rest during the third period, and the brewery’s team easily outplayed them, scoring another two goals to win the game five-two.
With my back stiffening up, it wasn’t easy to get all my gear off. Mel helped me with my skates and I managed the rest, slowly. Jason came over to apologize again, and I assured him he didn’t need to feel bad.
Damien was taking all the borrowed gear back home, so all I had to carry was my skate bag. Still, I accepted gladly when Mel offered me a ride home in her truck. Shontelle had already left to get back to her store.
Once I was in my cozy apartment with Wimsey, I went straight to the bathroom, never before so grateful for the deep clawfoot tub. A nice long soak in hot water was what my back needed. If I was lucky, maybe it would relax my mind as well as my muscles and bring some clarity to the mystery of who had killed Freddy Mancini.
Chapter 18
I took it easy for the rest of the day. I really didn’t feel bad, thanks to my long, hot bath and a couple of ibuprofen, and I figured I’d be fully recovered by the time of the snowshoe race later in the week. Nevertheless, I wasn’t about to pass up an excuse to spend an entire afternoon reading. That was something I rarely had the chance to do anymore, since the Inkwell kept me busy most days of the week. I’d recently started a book by an author I loved, Louise Penny, and I was looking forward to getting back to the story. I lounged on the couch with Wimsey, immersed in the fictional town of Three Pines, while a toasty fire crackled in the wood stove to keep me warm.
By early evening, however, I’d finished the book. I couldn’t start another one right away, not when I had a book hangover from the one I’d just read, so when I received a text message from Shontelle, asking if I planned to go to the bonfire that night, I decided I would.
The bonfire was part of the Winter Carnival. There was one every night for the duration of the festivities, at the same park where the outdoor rink was located. I hadn’t attended one yet, but I’d been hoping to do so. I made sure to bundle up in several layers, knowing it would be even colder out now that the sun had set.
When I stepped outside, I almost changed my mind and went back indoors. The wind had died down since I was last out, but the temperature had plummeted. I hesitated on the footpath, but then pressed onward. There would be hot chocolate and apple cider at the bonfire, and that knowledge gave me the motivation I needed to keep going.
Plenty of people had arrived at the park ahead of me. I estimated that there were two dozen adults milling about with several children running around, chasing each other and playing in the snow. I traced a circle around the fire, searching for Shontelle. The leaping orange flames highlighted people’s faces, but my friend’s wasn’t among them.
I found myself a spot to stand close enough to the fire to feel its warmth, and checked my phone. Shontelle had sent me a second message, apologizing and saying she wasn’t coming after all. Kiandra had fallen fast asleep on the couch and Shontelle didn’t want to wake her.
I sent her a quick note in reply, and then checked my other messages.
My younger brother, Taylor, had sent me a video of a lion at a zoo, casually walking along and accidentally falling into a pool of water, startling himself and his companion.
It’s a reenactment of the time you fell into the river at Volunteer Landing! his accompanying message read.
Very funny, I wrote in reply, following it up with an emoji with its tongue sticking out.
Where are you off to this year? I asked in another message.
Costa Rica, he wrote back. Surfing holiday!
Awesome! was my response, even though a heavy weight had settled in my chest.
It was a reminder that I’d be alone for the holidays.
My sinking spirits brought to mind my missing books. They hadn’t reappeared, not that I’d really expected them to.
I stuffed my phone deep into my pocket and sat on one of the rough-hewn benches set around the fire. I stared into the flames, watching them dance and flicker. They mesmerized me, and slowly the rest of the world seemed to fade away. I’d almost forgotten where I was when someone sat down next to me, b
reaking the spell.
“Hot chocolate?” Grayson offered me one of the two cups he held.
I accepted it without hesitation. “Thank you.” I felt the warmth of the cup through my gloves and it helped to chase away some of the chill of the night air.
“Are you disappointed about the game?” he asked.
“The game? No. Why would you think that?”
“You look a bit . . . melancholy. Or is it your injuries?”
The dancing flames were reflected in his eyes. I had to avert my gaze from his before I became entranced.
“I’m not really injured,” I said. “Just a few sore muscles.” I took a sip of hot chocolate, savoring the flavor and the warmth. “The game was fun. Up to a point, anyway.” I softened my last words with a hint of a smile.
“Having been body-checked by Jason several times in my life, I know it’s like getting hit by a truck.”
“That’s what I thought had happened at first.” I shook my head. “Poor Cordelia. I don’t think we’ll ever get her back out on the ice.”
“That might be for the best,” Grayson said with a grin.
I elbowed him in the ribs, almost causing him to spill his hot chocolate. “She didn’t mean any harm.”
“I know,” he said, recovering quickly. “But if she does get back on the ice, maybe she should have a few skating lessons before trying to play another hockey game.”
“That would be a good idea,” I agreed.
I stared into the fire again, wrestling with my low spirits, trying to raise them, but without success.
“So if it’s not the game or injuries that have you feeling down, what is it?”
I glanced his way, about to deny that I was anything but happy. The genuine concern in his eyes threw me off. I hesitated, but then I answered truthfully.
“Christmas. And stolen books.”
“You don’t like Christmas?”
“I love it. But this year I don’t have anyone to spend it with. Aunt Gilda goes to Savannah for the holidays each year, my mom’s going to celebrate with my older brother and his wife in Knoxville, and my younger brother will be in Costa Rica. I could visit my older brother along with my mom, but I don’t want to close the Inkwell for more than a day.”
“What about Shontelle? The two of you are close, aren’t you?”
“Yes. And I know she’d invite me over if I told her I’d be on my own, but she’s got her mom and Kiandra, and one of her aunts is coming to visit. I don’t want to intrude.” I forced a smile. “I’ll be okay, though. I’ll just have a quiet holiday. Maybe I’ll make some headway through my teetering to-be-read pile.”
Grayson was the one staring into the fire now.
I realized I didn’t know anything about his family. “What about you? What do you do for the holidays?”
“Some years I spend a couple of days in Syracuse with Jason and his folks, but this year I thought I’d stay in Shady Creek. It’ll be a quiet holiday for me too.”
“You don’t have any family to celebrate with?”
“I don’t have any family left, aside from a few cousins I hardly know. I was raised by my mom and grandmother, but they’ve both been gone for years now.”
My heart ached with a pang of sympathy. “And here I am complaining. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Of course you’re sad you’ll be on your own.”
We both fell silent, the conversations going on around us blurring together in the background. I wondered if I should suggest that we spend the holidays together, but I couldn’t get the words out. I didn’t know him well enough for that, did I? I didn’t want to be lonely, and I didn’t want him to be either, but what if asking made things awkward between us? He probably wouldn’t want to spend Christmas with me, anyway. Would he?
I took a sip of hot chocolate, confusion and indecision making me restless.
“What about the stolen books?” Grayson asked.
With my thoughts about Christmas going in circles in my head, it took me a second to process his question.
“Two books disappeared off one of the shelves in the Inkwell. And not just any books.” I explained about the gifts from my dad, the inscriptions he’d written inside each one.
“Maybe someone borrowed them and will bring them back eventually.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t holding out much hope.
Silence overtook us again. I’d finished my hot chocolate by the time Grayson next spoke.
“So you’re going snowmobiling?” he asked.
“You mean with Joey?”
Grayson nodded before downing the last of his hot chocolate.
“I haven’t said yes yet.”
“Are you going to?”
I studied his face, trying to gauge why he was asking. He kept his eyes on the snapping and crackling flames.
“I don’t know. When I go out in nature I like to enjoy the peace and quiet. I’m not sure zooming around on a noisy machine is for me. Don’t tell him I said that, though. It was nice of him to ask.”
Grayson finally turned his gaze on me. “You know why he asked, right?”
“Yes.” I reached for his cup. “Are you done?”
He handed me the cup and I got up and tossed it into the bin set out for that purpose, adding my own along with it.
I’d made a quick getaway, and I doubted that had escaped Grayson’s notice. I did know why Joey had invited me snowmobiling. I’d suspected for a few weeks now that he had some feelings for me, but I didn’t want to talk about it, especially not with Grayson.
I returned to the bench but didn’t sit down. My back muscles were aching again and my toes were numb, despite the warmth from the bonfire.
“I think I might head home now,” I said.
Grayson stood up. “I’ll walk with you, if that’s all right.”
“I’d like that.”
We skirted around the crowd enjoying the bonfire and left the chatter and laughter behind us. The noise died away until all I could hear was the sound of us crunching through the snow. An icy crust had formed over it and the tiny crystals sparkled in the moonlight.
As we passed by a group of three large evergreens, I noticed a flicker of movement between the trunks. Almost at the same moment, I heard a hushed voice speaking in an urgent tone.
I stopped in my tracks and Grayson halted next to me. Before he had a chance to ask why I’d stopped, I grabbed his arm and pointed toward a shadowy figure.
Leo Mancini had stepped into the light from a nearby streetlamp, his face illuminated briefly before he paced back into the shadows. I wouldn’t have paid much attention if I hadn’t heard what he was saying into his cell phone as the shadows swallowed him up.
“But if the cops search my place, I’m done for.”
I glanced at Grayson and could tell he’d heard Leo’s words too. He was listening as intently as I was now.
“We need to . . . tonight . . .” The sound of snow crunching beneath Leo’s boots drowned out some of what he was saying.
“Fine,” he said after a pause, not sounding the least bit happy. “Tomorrow night. You’d better be there. I’ve had the cops breathing down my neck lately. Even dead, Freddy hasn’t stopped messing up my life.”
We didn’t hear anything further. Leo stomped off toward the bonfire without ever noticing us. We remained motionless until he was well out of earshot.
I realized I was still holding on to Grayson’s arm and quickly released it.
“You know what this means, right?” I said.
“Leo’s got something to hide.”
“Yes, but not just that.”
Even in the dim light from the streetlamp I could see suspicion growing in Grayson’s eyes.
“What else?” he asked.
I thought it was obvious. “We don’t have much time to find out what it is.”
Chapter 19
Grayson easily kept pace at my side as I hurried along the street.
“Why do we need to find out what i
t is?” he asked.
“Who else is going to look into it?”
“The police. It’s their job to investigate crime.”
“You’re not the police. That hasn’t stopped you from digging for clues.” I waited for a car to pass by before crossing the road. “Besides, the cops arrested Penny for Freddy’s murder. They’re not looking for his killer anymore.”
“So why would Leo be worried about the cops finding evidence at his place that would tie him to the murder? It seems to me he should be relaxed now.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Good point.” I started walking again, just as Grayson had stopped beside me. “But maybe he thinks the case against Penny will fall apart because he knows she’s not guilty. Maybe he thinks her arrest has simply bought him a bit more time.”
“Okay, let’s say for argument’s sake that Leo killed Freddy. What kind of evidence would he be hiding? The murder weapon was found at the scene.”
We shared a glance.
“Bloodstained clothes,” I said, knowing Grayson was thinking the same thing. I picked up my pace. “But why wouldn’t he have washed or burned any bloody clothes by now?”
“He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. But why would he have to wait for someone to help him? It doesn’t add up.”
“Maybe not,” I conceded, “but he’s definitely hiding something.”
We’d reached the corner of Sycamore Street and Creekside Road. I stopped beneath one of the old-fashioned streetlamps and pulled out my phone, wincing as I tugged off one glove so I could use the touch screen.
Grayson peered over my shoulder “What are you doing?”
“Trying to find out where Leo lives.”
“I think he’s out on Hartley Road somewhere.”
I found his name in an online directory. “Got it. You’re right. It won’t take long to get there.”
I struck off along the edge of Creekside Road.
Grayson jogged to catch up with me and took my arm, pulling me to a halt. “Hold on. You’re not planning to go out there now, are you?”
“Would you rather I wait until he’s home?” I tugged my arm free and got moving again.