Deadly Vows

by Jody Holford

  The police station was several blocks from Main Street, not too far from the high school and city hall. Several shops lined the street—a laundromat, convenience store, another bakery not nearly as good as Bella’s, a thrift store and a few others. With its brick front, save the double glass doors, the police station blended well with the other buildings in the area. Like much of Britton Bay, it carried history in the weathering of the reddish brick, but the planters lining the steps and thirsty flowers spoke of recent care and attention to detail. Like much of the area, thickly treed areas surrounded them. She loved the fact that all of the buildings seemed to sort of grow out of the natural setting. Someone had worked hard to preserve the beauty of the landscape long ago and that tradition had stuck.

  Pulling open one of the doors, she made her way into the reception area. She’d been here a few times before and the sensation of being back made her stomach tilt uncomfortably.

  Molly recognized Priscilla, the front desk clerk. That was narrowing her job description quite a bit. Molly had learned that despite Britton Bay’s growing population, staffing at the police department hadn’t grown. While larger towns might have evidence rooms and labs, this one was basic. Behind the high counter, several desks were set together in twos, facing each other. It was quiet, with one officer leaning on the edge of a desk that butted up to another—a second officer was leaned back in a chair chatting with him.

  “Hey Molly,” Priscilla greeted. Her long, dark hair was tucked into a neat side braid and her clothing style was business casual.

  “Hi Priscilla. How are you?” She rested her forearms on the counter, barely. It was a great divider between the front lobby and the police area.

  “I’m good. Tired. We’ve all been pulling overtime. Between the murder and extra security for the wedding and the tourist season wrapping up, the paperwork is bananas.”

  Molly smiled, even though she felt bad for the woman. Who said bananas other than Gwen Stefani? “That’s actually why I’m here. I need to speak to Officer Beatty.”

  Priscilla held her finger up when the phone rang. Molly waited for her to explain that to file a complaint, the caller needed to come down to the station. When she hung up the phone, she leaned over the desk and lowered her voice.

  “Poor Corky is getting complaints all over the place. He’s in a real state. I feel bad for him. He’s harmless and he’s one of our own, so why do people feel the need to call the police?”

  Molly remembered how tortured Corky had seemed when she last saw him. “He’s been through a lot. Have the police tried to speak to him about what he saw?”

  Priscilla shook her head. The cop behind her gave a loud bark of laughter and then pushed off the desk, walking toward the other end of the room, away from them.

  They didn’t seem all that busy. Priscilla looked in the direction of the officer. “Mike is supposed to head out and bring him in. I guess he’ll get to it when he does.” There was a slight trace of rancor in her tone.

  A thought struck Molly. “If you’re putting in extra hours, do they have you covering extra duties as well?”

  “Always. Busy or not, I run the front desk, help with evidence, process fines, file complaints.” Priscilla pasted a smile on her face, but Molly saw past it to the fatigue.

  “Wow. I guess it makes the day go by fast if you’re so busy. Are you processing evidence for the Friessen case?” It was probably too much to hope for a little peek at what was included.

  Priscilla straightened, as though Molly’s question had reminded her that she was on the clock and a public official, of sorts. “Yes. You wanted to speak to Officer Beatty about the case? He’s not here right now. He’s been on the go all day. I can leave him a message to get in touch with you.”

  Recognizing the barrier that had just sprung up between them, Molly tried not to push her luck. She didn’t need to alienate anyone with her nosiness. Curiosity. Nosey sounded too… busybody.

  “That would be great. I have some information about Blake, the groom. I’m heading over to Sam’s in a bit, but he can reach me on my cell.”

  The receptionist’s face softened. “How’s that going?”

  Molly lowered her arms to her sides. “Great. Things are really good.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Knowing when to retreat, Molly smiled. “I should get going. Thanks for passing on the message to Officer Beatty.”

  “No problem. Just one of my many jobs.”

  As Molly headed back out into the heat, she thought about Priscilla’s many hats. If one of them was processing evidence, perhaps she’d have some insight into what was collected at the scene. What could have possibly poisoned Skyler? Molly couldn’t wrap her head around the idea that Bella had added something to the latte she’d delivered. Yes, she’d seemed almost more withdrawn after talking to Molly than when she’d arrived, but it was harder to believe Bella would hurt someone than it was Corky. It just didn’t fit. Priscilla made it clear that she wouldn’t share information though. Or, maybe, she didn’t want to talk at work, which made sense.

  Like many other Britton Bay natives, Priscilla was probably no stranger to sharing a little insider knowledge in the right setting. What was the right setting? She thought of Calli’s easy ability to get people to unload all of their secrets and an idea formed. If she could get Bella, Priscilla, Calli, and maybe a few others together for a girls’ night, it would seem friendly, normal, and might fill in some of the gaping holes in Molly’s knowledge. Even if it didn’t provide answers, it would be fun. And the whole town could use a little fun right now.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Molly stood outside Sam’s apartment building a full hour early. By the time you actually ring him, you’ll be right on time. She didn’t know why she was frozen in front of the double glass doors. Her reflection showed a normal, fairly attractive woman approaching thirty. Normal. Ha! Nothing inside of her felt normal. At this point, she was beginning to wonder if she knew what normal was.

  She was worrying and stressing about crossing a threshold with her extremely kind, funny, charming, and very sexy boyfriend whom she’d been dating for over two months. She’d been in adult relationships before and knew the natural progression of them. Heck, this was the longest she’d ever held back on…progressing. But that freaked her out even more because she knew there were two reasons. One, she was scared she’d end up hurt and two, she knew Sam mattered more than any of the others had. He was what people meant when they said you’ll just know. If she let herself indulge in thoughts of him, she knew she’d have to face the fact that she was more than a little enamored with him. It felt too quick, but it also felt right.

  Stop. Stop. Live right now. This minute. Some people didn’t get to do even that and just thinking that terrible thought set her in motion. She buzzed his number.

  “Hello?” His voice made her smile.

  “Hey. I’m early.” Duh. Nice start Captain Obvious. She gripped the strap of her overnight bag a little tighter.

  “Molly?”

  Who else? Had his voice squeaked? “Um, yes.”

  “You’re early.” The speaker crackled.

  Nerves pounded on her rib cage. No gentle fluttering or awakening, they were jumping up and down. It took effort to keep her breathing even. “I am. Is that…all right?”

  There was a pause. A notable pause. “Why don’t I come down?”

  Why would he come down? She buzzed back to ask but he didn’t answer. He didn’t want her in his apartment. Nausea slid along the lining of her stomach, a snake slithering and burrowing into a nest of panic. She’d told herself not to fall. Hadn’t she held back just a little for this exact reason? In seconds, Sam was coming toward the glass doors, a nervous smile on his handsome face.

  He pushed open the door, but Molly stayed rooted to the spot. She couldn’t move.

  His grin was lopsided. “
Hi. I wasn’t expecting you for a bit.”

  She stared at him. Little pieces of her—pockets she’d tucked away—had known when her ex was cheating. She didn’t face it until she’d had no choice, but after the fact, she knew that she knew. Why she’d ignored her instincts, she couldn’t say. But Molly didn’t sense that with Sam. He was loyal. Genuine. Real. He loved his mother. He worked hard and was well loved by the people of Britton Bay. He took care of her dog without her even asking. He was a good man. Like his father had been before him. And clearly, he was hiding something.

  “What’s going on?” She put her hand on the door, something to hold onto as she breathed through the pain in her chest.

  “What do you mean?” Again with the break in his voice. His brows went up too far when he asked.

  Weren’t people supposed to learn from their mistakes? Why couldn’t she? You have faulty judgment. You always have.

  “Molly?”

  Tears burned and that made her mad. She shook her head, started to back away. “I can’t do this.”

  Turning, she walked back toward her Jeep, her steps too slow to match the pace of her heart. Sam was beside her in an instant and then in front of her, walking backwards so he was facing her.

  “Hey. Wait, what’s going on? Where are you going?” He held her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. Her eyes burned. Her stomach burned and she couldn’t look at him. She stiffened her body, like somehow that would block the blow of anything he said.

  Sam lifted her chin. The spot where his fingers touched her skin blazed. Allowing herself to blink once, Molly then worked to keep her eyes as wide as possible. That way tears wouldn’t fall.

  “Molly,” Sam said. His voice was hushed and rough. He bent his knees to search her eyes. She looked away with just her eyes.

  “I’m early. I’ve clearly interrupted something.” She was grateful that her voice was steady.

  He knew her history. That’s how relationships worked. Go on a couple of dates, fall a little, share your skeletons, maybe some more falling. He didn’t have the same scars as her, but he knew hers.

  Sam put both hands back on her shoulders, squeezing, almost reassuring. He waited until she was looking at him—really seeing him before he spoke. “Not that. Never that. I’m not your past, Molly. I’m right here and now and when you’re ready, when you stop being so scared, I fully plan on being your future. You should know that. You’re all I see. All I want. I wouldn’t jeopardize that for anything.”

  Molly shook her head, afraid to believe him. He had her pegged there. “You don’t want me to come in. Obviously, there’s a reason.”

  He nodded. “There is. A few actually. And not one of them is what you immediately thought. That’ll never happen. I know it’s hard for you to trust that, but I swear to you, it’ll never be something you have to worry about.”

  Molly saw and heard the hurt behind the statement. It was unfair to paint him with a brush that so clearly didn’t suit him. She knew that. She felt it all the way through, had from the first time she’d met him, that she could trust him. It was herself she didn’t trust.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Sam leaned in, kissed her forehead. “I know.”

  Her fingers felt frozen at her sides and her mind and heart didn’t quite know what to do, what to think.

  “I wanted to surprise you by giving Tigger a bath and a trim. I figured, how hard could it be. He and I were going to show you how nicely we cleaned up,” Sam said, a hint of a smile landing on his lips.

  Air whooshed out of her lungs in a sort of laugh. “You and Tigger?”

  Nodding, he gentled his fingers, turning her so they were headed back toward his apartment. His arm around her shoulder, her body tight to his side, she felt surrounded. Protected and cared for.

  “Things didn’t go as planned. As you know, Tigger is a bit…bouncy. Let’s just say he more bathed me than I did him. My place was a mess, I had your wet dog who still needed a trim and the rest of the soap scrubbed out of his ears. I wanted to cook for you and everything was falling apart.”

  They stopped in front of the building and he turned her to face him again. Her heart was growing in her chest, puffing up like a balloon.

  “That all sounds very sweet.” Her voice wobbled.

  He shrugged, then winced. “It might have been. But, in the end, I called Jill. She took Tigger to the groomer for me. I figured food was more important so I got started on dinner—after I cleaned myself up. But, well, my apartment is still kind of…damp.”

  Molly laughed. “Damp?”

  Sam groaned. “Tigger is pretty slippery when he’s wet. He managed to pounce on my couch and all over my floors pretty good before I got him wrapped in a towel.”

  More laughter bubbled up as she pictured Sam trying to wrangle her wet, soapy dog.

  “So, you don’t want me to come up because your place isn’t clean? And the reason it isn’t clean is because of my dog?”

  A soft pink darkened Sam’s cheeks and Molly pressed her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks like he often did hers. Before he could answer, she went up on tiptoes to kiss him.

  Against his mouth, she pulled back only enough to whisper, “That might be the sweetest thing ever.”

  Sam chuckled and one of his hands wove into her hair. “I’m glad you think so because now that you’re here early, you get to help with either clean up or cooking. Jill should be back with Tigger in a couple of hours. There’s a groomer about twenty minutes from here and she was able to sweet-talk her way into an appointment, but apparently it takes a bit. Now I sort of see why.”

  Molly’s heart raced and melted at the same time. In a world full of crazy, he was her calm. Maybe she was scared, but she’d rather be scared with him than without.

  Leaning in, she kissed him once more, taking her time. He’d clearly showered—again. The scent of his soap and aftershave tangled with her senses making her crave a closeness she’d denied herself as a way to protect her heart. But it was too late. He already possessed it.

  One of Sam’s hands went to her hips, squeezed there and pulled her closer. She sighed into his mouth, trying to tell him, show him, what she felt. Not that she could put it into words just yet or label it. But it was big and intense and a bit terrifying. The flip side of those feelings were exhilarating. And incredibly freeing.

  “Molly,” Sam whispered, his breath ragged as he pressed his forehead to hers.

  “Sam.” They stared at each other and she wondered if it was just her heart beating fast.

  “We can go in.”

  She nodded, her forehead still against his. She smiled at him, anticipation thrumming through her blood. “We should.”

  “You want clean up or food?” They still didn’t move.

  “Neither,” she whispered. “I think they can both wait.”

  His eyes widened and she ran a hand down his arm, found his fingers and locked her own inside of his strong ones. Sam dug his keys out of his pocket with his free hand and opened the door. They walked to the elevator in silence. When the doors slid shut, she smiled again before she moved into him. He was ready. Waiting. His arms went around her waist, hers around his neck and he lifted her just a little as his mouth covered hers.

  Molly leaned her head back, loving the sound of Sam’s uneven breath. “One question.”

  “Hmm?” He nuzzled the side of her neck, sending shivers over her skin.

  “Did Tigger jump on your bed after his bath?”

  Sam looked at her, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Nope. He steered clear of the bed.”

  Molly kissed him again. “Good dog.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Molly smiled the whole time she diced vegetables for the salad they’d have with Sam’s BBQ burgers. There was a sweet, gentle hum in the air, making her feel warm and incredibly cared f
or. Sam chatted about his upcoming jobs and the car show he was working to sponsor. He had a thing for classic cars and knew several clients in many counties that owned them. She thought again of the tin signs and wondered about having one made for him. They were unique and special. Like him.

  They avoided conversation about the wedding and the murder. It was light and fun with a side of romantic, moving around his kitchen and feeling so welcome in his space. His life. And she knew, as a shiver ran down her body, in his heart.

  They were setting the table when the door chimer buzzed. Sam pressed the button and Jill’s voice rang through.

  “Delivery. Adorable, bouncy, and clean dog.”

  Sam smiled, buzzed her in and turned back to Molly. “I can finish up the salad. You’ve already had to do too much. Next time, I won’t try to multitask and I’ll make the whole dinner myself.”

  She loved that he wanted to do that for her. She also liked putting together a meal with him. “I could also cook for you, but I think our relationship needs more time before we deal with that hurdle.”

  Sam’s laughter was deep and infectious. “Come on, give yourself a break. You’ve made me food. There was those grilled cheese sandwiches.”

  Molly set the knife down. “I burnt them.”

  “A little. But what about the soup and biscuits. That was good.”

  She grinned. “You’re being very sweet, but canned soup and biscuits from Bella don’t count.”

  He nodded gravely. “You’re right. We’ll take it slow.”

  He was still by the door when Jill knocked and the second he opened it, Tigger burst through. Molly came around the counter that separated the living and kitchen areas and knelt down to greet him. He smelled great, which he obviously wanted her to know because he practically climbed into her nose.

  “Okay, okay. I’m happy to see you, too. Oh, my goodness.” Laughing, she fell back onto her butt and rubbed him, earning furious tail wags. He whimpered, like he couldn’t contain all the joy inside of him.