Maggie and the Mourning Beads

by Barbara Cool Lee

  Maggie left, figuring she'd better call her dad back and find out exactly how hard it was to make his chile verde in the Instant Pot.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next morning Maggie sat on her front porch drinking her coffee with Jasper snoring by her side.

  "What's wrong?"

  She looked up and saw Reese had pulled into the driveway in his Spyder without her even noticing. He had gotten out of the car and come over to stand at the bottom of the stairs, in an uncomfortable echo of the last time they'd talked, when she'd told him firmly that she didn't want to date him.

  He was dressed the same way as before, too. Or undressed, so to speak, in jogging shorts, shoes, and nothing else.

  He held a T-shirt in his hand, though, and quickly slipped it on when she glanced his way. He was so tall that they were eye-to-eye with her sitting and him standing on the ground below.

  He raised an eyebrow, and she realized she hadn't responded to his question.

  "I have a problem," she said. "And I'm not sure what to do about it."

  "What's the problem?" He leaned against the stair railing. "Tell me about it."

  "I think Abby's ex-girlfriend might have killed Alexis Norris."

  "Really?" he said, again with that raised eyebrow. "Wouldn't she get her white clothes messed up if she stabbed somebody?"

  "Not funny, Reese."

  "I know. But I don't get it. What's her motive?"

  Maggie put a hand on Jasper side, and he grunted happily in his sleep.

  "Harper had been friends with Alexis, until the woman slashed her tires."

  "That sounds crazy."

  Maggie shrugged. "I think Alexis was crazy, at least somewhat. She picked fights with everyone and was totally irrational about it. So it's possible Harper just snapped or something. I don't know."

  Reese sat down on the bottom step, a good three steps away from her, keeping his distance. "So what's the problem? If you think she did it, why don't you tell that cop friend of yours?"

  "I did. And he told me Harper has no alibi for the time of the murder. But I was really hoping I was wrong."

  He nodded. "Because of Abby."

  "Yeah. They broke up, but Abby is still very worried about her, and I know this will break her heart. Now I have to go into work and face her and tell her about it."

  "Well there's nothing you can do about that. It's not your fault."

  "But I feel responsible. Abby told me about the slashed tires, and I told Lieutenant Ibarra, and now Harper could go to prison. I feel like I betrayed a confidence."

  "Isn't murder more important than keeping a confidence?" he asked.

  "You're right." She stood up, and Jasper woke up then. The dog got to his feet, sleepy-eyed but with a wagging tail.

  Reese stood up, too.

  "Thanks for listening," Maggie said. She hesitated, then asked, "want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

  But he shook his head, again keeping that new wall up between them. "Gotta go in and shower. I just drove up to Lost Beach for a jog and I'm all sweaty."

  "Why would you do that? You've got the best beach in the area right out your back door."

  He shook his head. "Yup. Carita Cove is the best beach, with soft sand, clear water, and a paparazzo who takes pics of me every single time I go out there. It's like a game with that guy. I have never been able to spot him, and yet he's shooting me every single time. I've been looking for drones, cell phones, any kind of way he could be getting his shots, and I just can't spot the jerk. I come to Carita to get some privacy, and I'm sick of seeing my pictures in the tabloids all the time."

  "I see. So you drove five miles out of town to find a private place to jog."

  "Yup. Been doing it all week." Then he paused. "What time was that murder, anyway?"

  "The police estimate she died at around 2:00 PM," she answered, wondering about the sudden change of subject.

  "But that was Tuesday," he said. "The day before we went to pick up Shane."

  "I know that," Maggie said. Jasper bumped her side, wondering why they were just standing there and not going into the tiny house. "What difference does it make?"

  "I was jogging at 2:00 PM on Tuesday," he said.

  "At Lost Beach," she said. "So what?"

  "So I passed Harper sitting there on the rocks both going out and coming back."

  Maggie gripped the porch railing. "On Tuesday?" she repeated. "At 2:00 PM?"

  "Yeah. What did she say her alibi was?"

  "That she was alone on the beach but no one saw her," Maggie said. "Ibarra didn't say which beach, though."

  "Well it was Lost Beach. And it was five miles from town, and it was at the exact time the murder took place."

  "Then why didn't she tell the police you saw her?" Maggie asked.

  He shrugged those magnificent shoulders of his. "She didn't pay any attention to me. I never saw her look up. She had earbuds in, and was listening to some music and looking all depressed. I almost stopped to ask her if anything was wrong, but it's not like I know her that well. And she seemed to want her privacy, so I left her alone."

  "Are you sure? Really sure?"

  "Of course I'm really sure, Mags. It stuck in my mind because she didn't even notice me."

  She didn't have to ask him what he meant. Of course that would stick in his mind. Everyone noticed him.

  But he made his point clear by adding, "I even had my shirt off." He lifted his hands up in a helpless gesture. "I mean, come on. That doesn't happen."

  Maggie laughed. "She does bat for the other team, Reese."

  "But still, it was strange." He had a genuinely confused expression on his face. It really was outside of his normal experience to go unnoticed.

  "Don't like being ignored?" she teased.

  But he responded seriously, not in a teasing mood with her. "I'm not saying I hated it. I'm just saying it was unusual."

  "Sure, Ego Boy. Sure." Then she frowned, realizing what this news meant.

  "Yeah," he said, picking up on her look. "This means the kids go back to being the prime suspects, doesn't it?"

  "According to Ibarra, they always were. But I still don't think they did it." She sighed. "I'm glad that I won't have a conflict with Abby about it, and that Harper isn't a killer. It's not like I wanted her to be guilty."

  "You just don't want Willow and Grey to be guilty."

  She nodded. "And I don't have any other suspect left."

  "Paige still doesn't have an alibi," he mused. Then he shook his head. "What am I saying? She's practically my sister-in-law. She couldn't have done it."

  "Yeah," Maggie agreed. "I'm positive someone close by committed the murder, and that hurts. No matter how awful Alexis was, that still hurts."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Harper came storming in to Carita Beads a couple of hours later.

  Abby was checking out a customer, and she looked up, all expectant, but Harper made a beeline for Maggie.

  "You!" she said, so loudly that Jasper stood up from his cushion under the work table to growl at her, but instead bumped his head on the table.

  He let out a yelp of surprise and Maggie bent down to comfort him.

  Jasper came out from under the table and leaned against her side, glaring protectively at the young woman, dressed all in white, who had stopped in shock at the dog's pained cry.

  "Is he okay?" she said, much more softly.

  Maggie stood up. "He'll be all right." She patted Jasper's head gently. "You just startled him."

  Harper backed off a step. "Well, I didn't mean to do that. I just…." She glanced back at the customer and Abby.

  The two were staring at the commotion, but Maggie waved to them and they finished the transaction and the customer left the shop, looking back the whole time.

  Abby stood behind the counter with her arms crossed and watched.

  "I didn't meant to hurt the dog, of course," Harper said, starting the conversation over.

  "Of course not," Mag
gie agreed. "It wasn't your fault. And I understand why you're mad. I don't blame you. But it was something I had to do. Lives are at stake."

  That took the wind out of her sails. Clearly she had expected Maggie to deny any blame. "Well, I guess that's true. But I didn't do anything wrong, and that Lieutenant Ibarra grilled me like a sea bass."

  "I'm very sorry. I wasn't trying to cause you trouble. I was just trying to find out the truth."

  Harper turned her glare on Abby. "But I know where you got your story, so I don't totally blame you."

  "What's going on?" Abby asked.

  "Don't you know?"

  Maggie stepped between them. "No. She doesn't. I hadn't confessed to her yet. So now that I have you both here, let's get it out of the way." She threw her shoulders back and addressed both of them. "Abby told me that Alexis had slashed your tires. I told the police about it because I felt they needed to know all the different people Alexis had hurt." She paused. "And because yes, I was a bit suspicious of you since your only alibi was that you were sitting alone on a beach listening to music."

  "Maggie, you know she couldn't have committed murder!" Abby said, acting hurt.

  "I couldn't?" Harper said, looking at her.

  "Of course not."

  "And of course you didn't do anything," Maggie said. "The police know that now. But, in my defense, if I hadn't heard about your weak alibi of being all alone on the beach, I wouldn't have found out Reese could verify it and clear you of any wrongdoing."

  She smiled sheepishly from one to the other. "So, in a way, I cleared your name."

  "That's hardly an excuse," Abby said stiffly.

  "You don't have to defend me," Harper said, just as stiffly.

  "Of course I have to," Abby said. "I care what happens to you."

  Harper took a step closer to her. "You do?"

  "Of course I do," Abby said. "I told you that before, but you never listen to me."

  Then Abby stopped. "You were on the beach listening to music?" she asked, as if that were something significant.

  Harper nodded sheepishly.

  "Listening to any particular music?" she asked, and Harper nodded again.

  "To our playlist, of course," Harper said. "I know you don't care, but thanks for defending me anyway."

  Abby came out from behind the counter and stood there, all awkward and wringing her hands. "Of course I'm defending you. I always defend you."

  Harper stood there just as awkwardly. "You do, don't you?"

  "Yeah, you idiot."

  Maggie started to intervene, to keep them from fighting, but Harper said, "I am an idiot, aren't I?"

  She took a step closer.

  Abby took a step closer. "Yes," she said, sounding exasperated. "You are. If you can't see I care about you when I'm standing right here…."

  "Then I'm an idiot. I'm sorry," she said, all her bluster gone in an instant and looking sheepish.

  "Me, too. It was a stupid fight."

  They hugged, and then Harper noticed the black-and-white bracelet Abby was wearing.

  "Yeah," Abby said. "I made that in Maggie's mourning beads class."

  "You were mourning? Mourning us being over?" Harper asked in wonder.

  "Of course, you idiot."

  "I am an idiot," Harper agreed.

  Jasper looked from one of them to the other, and then up at Maggie, as if he thought this was the strangest conversation he'd ever heard.

  She shrugged at him.

  "I've got an idea," Maggie said. "Why don't you take the afternoon off? With full pay."

  "Yeah?" Abby said.

  "Yes. Think of it as my way of apologizing for causing trouble for you two."

  Abby grinned. "If you really want to apologize, you could give me a raise."

  "Don't push it, kid."

  Abby and Harper laughed and then left, arm-in-arm.

  "Are you sure about this, Dad?" Maggie was saying on the phone soon after she got off work.

  She stood in front of Casablanca's big red front door, juggling the Instant Pot in its box, the bag of groceries she'd hastily picked up at the market, and Jasper's leash.

  After one more reassurance from her father that she could do this, she hung up the phone, then rang the doorbell again.

  The door finally opened and it wasn't Reese standing there as expected. It was Shane. He motioned for her to come in.

  She handed him the heavy box, then came inside.

  Her beautiful beach house usually smelled like a combination of the fresh ocean air, the carefully tended rose bushes in pots on the back patio, and the housekeeper's lemon-scented cleaner.

  Now it smelled like burnt spaghetti.

  "Have you got all the windows open?" Maggie asked Shane, and he nodded.

  "The doors, windows, everything," he said.

  "Thank you for coming," Reese said quietly when she and Shane entered the kitchen.

  The boy dumped the Instant Pot on the counter, then immediately turned to the dog. Maggie unhooked Jasper's leash, and the boy and dog started to leave the kitchen.

  "Hey," Reese said. "You should help us cook."

  "I helped before, and the spaghetti looks like charcoal," Shane pointed out.

  "The blind leading the blind," Maggie said. "Why don't you go play with the dog for a bit. We'll try to come up with something edible. Just don't let him hurt himself," she called after as the two happily headed out to the yard.

  "That's more than he's said to me all day," Reese said morosely. "He acts like I'm a stranger."

  "You are. Give it time."

  "And then I messed up dinner and we're starving."

  "And choking," she said, waving her hand in the air to dissipate the burnt smell.

  He didn't laugh.

  "You could have just gotten takeout. Or even better, asked Patricia to send you a chef," she pointed out, but he shook his head.

  "Don't you get it? I wanted to make a homemade dinner for my son. Be normal. For once. Like a real father."

  "Burning the spaghetti is a good start on normalcy."

  He didn't smile.

  She opened up the grocery bag and started handing him tomatoes.

  He looked at them as if they were aliens.

  "Get a knife and start chopping," she said.

  He did that.

  "You need to relax, Stanley. You aren't supposed to be perfect. You're just supposed to be here." She patted him on the back.

  He leaned toward her, as if he was going to hug her, but then quickly pulled back and took a step away from her.

  They stood there awkwardly saying nothing for a moment, then Maggie broke the ice. "You haven't flirted with me in a while."

  "I'm trying to be considerate."

  She looked down at the tomato in front of her. "Maybe don't try quite so hard." She glanced at him.

  He raised an eyebrow. "You said you didn't want me."

  "That's how it sounded, wasn't it?"

  "Isn't that what you meant?"

  Maggie emptied the rest of the grocery bag, putting ground turkey, tomato sauce, and fresh oregano on the counter. Then she called up the recipe her dad had texted her and set the phone on the counter so they could get started.

  "I'm not playing games," she finally said as they worked. "I really don't know what I want. I think I don't want you, because you represent everything I hate about my old life. But then we're here, and it's so good, and so real, and I just… I don't know."

  He grinned, in that way he did that made her forget her own name and how to stand up straight without her knees buckling.

  "Yeah?" he asked, his voice low and seductive. He took a step toward her.

  She put her hand on his chest to stop him. "I didn't say yes," she said quickly, taking a step back. "I'm just saying, maybe my no wasn't as final as I thought it was."

  He laughed. "But you're not playing games."

  "I'm not. I'm just… confused."

  "Join the club."

  "I'm sorry," she said
. "I am being unfair to you."

  "No. You're being honest. You're telling me you're clueless."

  "Now it was her turn to laugh. "Yup. That's pretty much what I'm saying."

  "So when you said you weren't attracted to me, that was a lie?"

  "I didn't exactly say that. What I meant was, I'm determined to separate my hormones from my rational brain."

  "I see." He smiled gently. "So you feel irrational urges around me?"

  "I think I've made that clear every time I tell you to put on a shirt when you're walking around looking all… like you look."

  He laughed. "Yeah. You've made that clear." He came closer, into her personal space, and she had to tilt her head back to gaze up into his eyes.

  "Hey, Maggie," he whispered. "The feeling's mutual."

  She backed away again. "I'm not saying yes, Stanley."

  "But you're not saying no."

  She sighed. "Pretty much."

  He leaned down as if he was about to kiss her, and she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing….

  "Do you two need to get a room?"

  It was Shane, standing there with his arms crossed, looking like a schoolteacher who caught a couple of teens kissing under the bleachers. He laughed when they both jumped about a foot.

  "No," they both said quickly.

  "We're just talking," Maggie said.

  "Yeah," Reese said. "Just having a little conversation about… tomatoes."

  Shane's raised eyebrow made him look pretty much exactly like his father. "Right," he said skeptically. "I didn't know you were a couple. You told me you were friends."

  "No, really," Maggie said quickly. "We're not a couple. Not at all. Just friends."

  "Just friends," Reese echoed, maybe a bit too quickly.

  Jasper came into the kitchen and sat down next to Shane. The boy and the dog looked at each other, and Maggie was pretty sure they were both rolling their eyes.

  Chapter Eighteen

  They went to the coffee shop after supper to get some brownies and hot chocolate for dessert.

  Unfortunately, when they got there Maggie saw a familiar face.