by PJ Fernor
“He’s… he’s not here…”
I squeezed Ben’s hand. “Just let me try, okay?”
Ben nodded.
Lizzy walked up the porch steps as I walked to the front door.
“I’m sorry,” Lizzy said to Ben.
“Yeah, I am too,” he said.
“My grandmother went through it. I was her caretaker the entire time. Beginning to end. It started with her forgetting to plug in a toaster of all things. We laughed at her too. We made fun of her for it. She even laughed at herself.”
I saw Ben nod at Lizzy.
I waved for Lizzy to follow me inside.
Ben needed time to himself.
Inside the house, Ben’s father sat at the kitchen table with Lo.
A cup of tea in front of the old man, his face looking strong yet angry.
“Lo,” I said.
She stood up. “We should talk.”
“Where are you going, Debbie?” Ben’s father asked Lo.
“I need to get a drink. I’ll be right back. Okay?”
Lo got close to me. “He’s really not here.”
“Thanks, Lo,” I said. “Go relax. Go be a teenager. Go text your boyfriend.”
Lizzy and I sat down at the table.
Ben’s father looked at me. “Allie. Hey.”
He’s here again.
“Ben,” I said. “This is my friend, Lizzy.”
“Hello, Lizzy,” Ben Sr. said.
“Nice to meet you,” Lizzy said. “Busy night for you, huh?”
“I’m not letting that happen again. Not my house and my family.”
“What-”
Lizzy touched my arm and patted it a few times.
I shut my mouth.
“You saw someone outside?” Lizzy asked.
“That’s right. Front yard. Dressed in all black. Looking for Allie and Lo. Not on my watch.”
“I bet,” Lizzy said. “You have to protect your house.”
“I’ve got tools. An entire garage of tools.”
“Ben, did you recognize the person?”
“Yeah I did,” he said. “It was Marty.”
Lizzy glanced at me.
I shook my head.
“Who’s Marty again?” Lizzy asked.
“You know Marty,” Ben Sr. said. “He got into trouble for dealing illegal car parts. Remember that? I told him he was skating on thin ice. He didn’t listen. Poor guy. I knew he had it tough… he couldn’t get away from the bottle…”
“So Marty was in the front yard?” Lizzy asked.
Ben’s father looked around. Then at Lizzy. “What did you say?”
“Marty was in the yard?”
“Marty?” Ben Sr. laughed. “I haven’t seen him in decades. Where did that name come from? Are you the waitress here?”
“I am,” Lizzy said. She stood up. “How’s your tea?”
“It’s perfect,” Ben Sr. said.
“Did you see someone outside earlier?” Lizzy asked.
“I did.”
“Can you tell me who?”
“It was a woman in a light blue dress,” Ben Sr. said. “I fell in love with her.”
“Good for you,” Lizzy said.
She looked at me and nodded.
“Ben,” I said. “You told your son you saw a man in all black in the front yard.”
“I did,” Ben Sr. said.
“Did you see anything else?”
“I was too busy working,” he said. “Sorry about that. I promised Suzanne I’d get her car done by tomorrow. She’s got to take her son to the ear doctor. Poor kid is always sick.”
A sense of defeat rippled through me.
I stood up from the table and started to walk through the house only to meet Ben near the entrance to the living room.
“He’s confused,” Ben said.
“Yeah.”
“He’s rattled. The nurse said he was really upset. He demanded to call the police. The thing is… there was nobody out there when the nurse looked.”
“Doesn’t mean there wasn’t when he was there,” I said.
“I know,” Ben said. “I already called Muldavey. He’s going to sit outside all night. Just to be safe.”
“I can’t believe this,” I said. “So now this killer is after me? After Lo?”
“Don’t say that,” Ben said. “Let’s just be safe.”
“Excuse me…,” Lizzy said. “Ben, your father is asking for you.”
Ben kissed my forehead and went into the kitchen.
Lizzy and I were alone and she motioned me to the front door.
Out on the porch, she hugged herself.
“Cool nights here,” I said.
“These are cold for me.”
“Hey, I’m sorry about your grandmother.”
“Thanks,” she said. “That was a while ago. I just understand what it’s like. It’s sad for the person living it and everyone around that person too.”
“Lizzy, the killer was here,” I said.
“I know,” she said.
“Muldavey is going to watch the house,” I said. “I would prefer if you spent the night too. Just to keep everyone together and to be safe.”
“You want me here?”
“I have a feeling the killer knows you’re here,” I said. “The killer knows we’re going to solve this.”
“That’s not a good feeling,” Lizzy said.
“Not at all. Please stay tonight. I’d like to have everyone together.”
“I can do that,” Lizzy said. “I’ll stay.”
“Thank you.”
Lizzy looked off the porch. She took a deep breath. “I guess this is how it goes, right?”
“What?”
“As you get closer to solving a case… it gets more and more dangerous.”
“Yeah. I normally don’t mind that part so much. But once my family is involved, I get a little irritated.”
“I would too,” Lizzy said. “I say we make some coffee and go through those files again.”
Muldavey pulled up to the house a few seconds later.
I quickly got Lizzy into the house before Muldavey saw her and started to flirt with her.
A short while later, Ben’s father was in bed, Lo was in her room, Ben was in the shower, and Lizzy and I sat with fresh cups of coffee and we went to work.
Every few seconds though, I caught myself looking out the window, wondering if someone was watching us.
Chapter Sixty-Six
BEN
I made the first pot of coffee before sunrise.
I couldn’t sleep.
All I did was pace the house, checking from room to room, making sure everyone was safe.
Allie and Lizzy slept in the living room.
Lizzy was on the big couch, Allie on the love seat.
I made sure they were both covered up.
In the dining room I had found their work. Coffee, empty sugar packets, and paperwork. Files, old notes, and new notes that they were making.
I checked on Dad too.
He was fast asleep.
Sometimes I wondered what he thought about when he was sleeping. If his dreams were different than mine or Allie’s. Sometimes if I thought about it too much I would catch myself ready to cry.
I didn’t want to cry over my father, yet.
I wanted to enjoy every moment I possibly could with him.
My time would come after he was gone.
I did manage to get a two-hour nap in at some point.
But then before I knew it I was in the kitchen, watching the coffee drip.
Allie woke up after I did, shuffling into the kitchen.
I hugged her and we shared a good morning kiss.
There were tender moments in the morning like that. The pre-dawn feeling of the world being quiet, resting, where nothing bad could possibly happen.
Even though both Allie and I knew that wasn’t the case at all.
The world never slept. The bad guys were always out there, lurking.
&
nbsp; Before Allie and I could get a word in, Lizzy came into the kitchen.
“Oops, sorry,” she said.
“You’re fine,” I called out.
“We’re used to a busy house,” Allie said.
“How did your night go?” I asked.
“Not all that great,” Allie said.
“We did okay,” Lizzy said. “This little town certainly didn’t handle its notes very well. Especially with a case like this.”
“Lenny had no desire to work on this case,” Allie said.
“That doesn’t shock me,” I said. “I heard rumors that Lenny was as lazy as a cat after a big meal.”
“Add to that the murder of someone who wasn’t from his town,” Allie said.
“You get a perfect storm of ignorance,” I said.
“It doesn’t help that Maryse’s family never cared about her either,” Lizzy said. “But I’m keeping Paige on the back burner. There’s got to be a connection somewhere. We’re missing something.”
“You’ll find it,” Ben said. “How about some coffee?”
“That sounds good,” Allie said.
The house went into full swing. The murder talk ended when Lo came into the kitchen. Then came Dad. He was alert and smiling at Lizzy. Lizzy leaned right into his old man flirting as I always called it.
I made everyone breakfast.
There was a second or two when it all felt normal.
Minus the fact that Allie was raising her niece and that my father had Alzheimer’s and that Lizzy was a detective helping on a cold case.
That moment came to a sudden halt when Johnny Barby called me.
I excused myself from the kitchen and went outside.
The crisp air hit me and I shivered like it was the dead of winter.
“Did I wake you?” Johnny asked.
“No.”
“I wouldn’t be sleeping much either if I was near Allie.”
I gritted my teeth. “What do you want?”
“I have everything set up. For Allie. And Calvin.”
I shut my eyes. I sighed. “Okay.”
“She’s got to do this now if she wants to,” Johnny said. “I know the timing isn’t great. I know you have another detective helping on the cold case.”
“I get it,” I said. “I appreciate the call.”
“Hey, question,” Johnny said. “What does Allie wear to bed?”
I hung up on Johnny.
Back inside, I tried to peel Allie away to talk to her alone.
She and Lizzy were attached at the hip. Back in the dining room, reviewing their work from last night.
“We really need to talk,” I said to Allie for the tenth time.
“Just say it, Ben,” Allie said. “I don’t have time.”
I looked between her and Lizzy.
I nodded.
“Johnny called to tell me there’s a chance for you to meet up with Calvin,” I said. “But it has to happen like right now.”
Allie swallowed hard. “Oh. Okay.”
“Who’s Calvin?” Lizzy asked.
“The guy who killed my sister,” Allie said.
“Hit and run,” I said. “It took a while to track him down. He’s facing trial for another vehicular manslaughter charge.”
“I want to face him,” Allie said. “I want to look him in the eyes and know he’s going to die behind bars.”
“Maybe I should go get another coffee,” Lizzy said.
“No,” Allie said. “Stay. I’m going to check on… things. Check on Lo. I’ll be right back.”
Allie walked out of the room.
I sighed and put my hands on the table.
“That’s heavy,” Lizzy said.
“Very heavy. I can’t imagine what she’s feeling.”
“You know, she’s lucky to have you,” Lizzy said. “I can read people pretty well. It’s always been a trait of mine. Funny enough, I can read when a guy is going to be a jerk but if he’s good looking enough, I pretend I don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe that’s the detective in me. Wanting to get to the bottom of why a guy is a jerk so I can fix him. But when I see you, Ben, I see a really good guy. Allie is really lucky to have you through all of this. I have no idea why I’m saying this right now. I feel like a cheap character in some romantic movie right now.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m the lucky one to have her. I just want her to feel at peace. Which I can’t tell her to do. Only she can find her peace.”
“She will,” Lizzy said. “I’m really sorry how busy life is for you both.”
“We have each other though,” I said. “I’m going to go check on her.”
“I’ll be here,” Lizzy said.
As I walked away, I paused and looked back. “Hey, Detective Cold?”
“Yeah?” Lizzy asked.
“Solve this case,” I said. “I know Allie takes a lot of pride in doing things herself, but this is one of those times… just get it done. Figure this out. You have to figure this out.”
Lizzy blinked a few times. “Trust me, Ben, I will figure out who did this.”
Chapter Sixty-Seven
I paced my office.
I told myself I would stay on track with both the current and cold case. Especially with the added help from Lizzy. Yet no matter what we talked about, all I heard was the name Calvin echoing in my mind.
Then to make matters worse, Mayor Jim showed up.
“Forgive me,” he said. “I just have to keep to my word.”
He balanced a box of baked goods and coffees and walked to my desk.
“No sandwiches?” Lizzy asked.
“Do you want some?” Mayor Jim asked. “There are a few great little places in town. I can make a quick call…”
“I was joking,” Lizzy said. “But now I’m not so sure.”
“Just name it. It’s yours.”
“Why are you being so nice and clingy?” Lizzy asked.
“One word,” I said. “Parade.”
Mayor Jim laughed and clapped his hands together. “This is fun. Everyone feels relaxed.”
“Far from it,” Lizzy said. “Allie has to go face the man who killed her sister.”
Thanks for that, Lizzy.
Mayor Jim looked at me. “Is this true?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about it. I can’t help myself. I think I need to just go up there and finish this.”
“Then go,” Mayor Jim said. “Oh, Allie, I am so sorry. There’s been so much going on around here…” He sighed. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, Jim.”
“Can I go with you?”
“What?”
“Moral support,” he said. “I mean it. As a friend. Not as the mayor. Forget all of this.”
“I don’t think I can handle any more alone time with you,” I said.
“Okay. That’s fair.”
“Thank you though,” I said.
Mayor Jim sighed. “Wow, what a crazy time around here, huh? And we’re supposed to be excited. Happy. Full of hope and joy. Remember being a kid around this time of year? I remember leaving school and kicking leaves around, getting those butterflies in my stomach as I thought about Christmas.”
“Halloween is far better than Christmas,” Lizzy said.
I laughed. “Are you two going to debate holidays right now?”
“Maybe we’re just trying to lighten the mood,” Lizzy said.
“I don’t want the mood to be lightened,” I said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. A lot of reality to face.”
“Starting with you, Allie,” Mayor Jim said. “I’m sure Detective Cold can handle herself here. Right?”
“I’m fine here,” Lizzy said. “I’ve got Ben and Muldavey.”
“Stay away from Muldavey,” I said. “I don’t need his brain scrambled.”
“Oh, is there some juicy love gossip I don’t know about?” Mayor Jim asked.
I looked a
t him and tilted my head. “What has gotten into you?”
“The truth?” Mayor Jim asked. He sat down in a chair. “We’re getting closer to the parade.”
“And you’re having second thoughts like you should be?” Lizzy asked.
“No,” Mayor Jim said. “The parade is happening. I’m just fighting off some feelings about it. I want this case solved. I thought maybe if I wasn’t so overbearing, things would progress a little. But they’re not.”
“Are you trying to blame me for something right now, Jim?” I asked.
“No,” Mayor Jim said.
“It sounded like you were,” Lizzy added.
Mayor Jim stood up. “Well, I can see no matter what I do or say here I’ll get an answer from each of you.”
“Feel free to leave us alone then,” Lizzy said.
“Enjoy the coffee and baked goods,” Mayor Jim said. He took a step and paused next to me. “Good luck today, Allie. I mean that as a friend. As a mayor, I really need you to figure this out.”
“Thanks, Jim,” I said.
As soon as Mayor Jim left the office, I reached for a folder.
Lizzy’s hand clamped down on my wrist.
She shook her head.
“Don’t,” I said.
“I am. You need to go.”
“I know I do.”
“Then go.”
I nodded and grabbed my keys to leave.
I sent a text to Johnny that I was going to go up to the prison to see Calvin.
Outside the station, I sent a text to Ben to meet me at my SUV.
When he did, he knew what I was going to tell him.
“And you don’t want me to go,” he said.
“I need to do this alone,” I said. “I’m not going to attack him or anything, Ben. I just need to see him. I just need to know.”
“Okay,” Ben said. “I’ll see you later then, Allie Down. I hope you know how much I love you.”
“I know,” I said. “It makes me so happy, Ben. Believe me. I love you too. Just the same.”
Ben hugged me and then stepped back so I could get into my SUV and leave.
I thought about the first night Alex wanted to have a drink after having Lo. She had been so adamant with how to take care of Lo but she needed a break.
I let her drink while I secretly dumped my wine and drank water.
Alex had gotten silly drunk and fell asleep on the couch.
I remembered covering her up and smiling at her.