“It’s too cold,” Bud said, at full alert, his gaze sweeping the parking area.
“It’s never too cold for ice cream.” I slipped into the passenger side of his cruiser and waited until he’d sat and started the engine. “Let’s go to Buck’s Candy Store and Ice Creamery over on Oakwood.”
Bud sighed but drove in that direction. “Why?”
“I need to interview a possible witness.” I watched a couple of young women shovel the sidewalk fronting the justice building.
“Great,” Bud said, driving slowly. We finally made it to Oakwood, and he parked right in front of the candy store. “You’re buying,” he muttered. “Stay in the car until I open your door.” Apparently he wasn’t taking any more chances.
I didn’t bother arguing that nobody knew we were headed to the candy store and that the attacker earlier had waited for us outside my place of business. The guy had been tased, so I might as well humor him.
He looked around and then opened my door, keeping his body between me and the street.
I slid across the snowy sidewalk into the door and kept going, pushing it open. The smell of butterscotch instantly hit me, and I inhaled deeply, smiling because it’s impossible not to smile when surrounded by butterscotch. Then I looked over at Bud and revised that thought. He was not smiling.
The candy displays, loose in glass barrels and already wrapped in bags with holiday ribbons had been placed to the left. To the right was the ice cream counter with all of the toppings in a separate case. A forty-something woman with curly black hair and light blue eyes was behind the counter, shoving scoops into the ice cream buckets. A red apron with a snowman across the top protected her white blouse and dark jeans. She looked up and smiled. “Hi. Can I help you?”
“Yes.” I moved toward the counter to see if they had huckleberry ice cream. It was often seasonal, and we were way out of season. “I’m looking for Lucy Gardiner?”
Her gaze took in Bud, who was still in his uniform. “Am I in trouble?”
“No,” I hastened to say. “He’s here for me.”
Her dark eyebrows rose. “Are you in trouble?”
“Always,” Bud muttered.
I kept my smile in place. “I was hoping you’d talk to me about Hoyt Forrest.”
She grasped a torn towel and started rubbing down the glass. “What has he done now?” Her voice was more resigned than anything else.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “We’re investigating his father’s death, and I wanted to ask you about Hoyt since you dated for….”
“Six months.” She rubbed harder and showed cut muscles in her upper arms. “Hoyt is a good guy with a demon on his back.” She stopped cleaning and straightened, stretching her shoulders. “If he didn’t gamble, he’d be the perfect guy. Instead, he’s a nice guy who turns into an ass and steals your grandma’s jewelry to pawn so he can gamble some more.” She waved the towel and then tossed it toward the sink. “Of course, he’s sorry, and he plans to pay you back.”
I winced. “That sucks.”
“Yeah. I had to dip into savings to get the jewelry from the pawn shop,” she said, her eyes sparking. “But at least I got it all back. I ended things with him the next day, and since we were about to be evicted from the cutest cabin you could imagine, it was easy to part ways.”
“Sorry,” I said, meaning it. She seemed like a nice person. “Do you think he could’ve hurt his father for money? I mean, if his gambling debts got bad enough that he was in danger?”
She rubbed her chin. “No. He loved his dad and wouldn’t have hurt him. Well, he would’ve stolen from his dad, but he wouldn’t have killed him.”
At this point, I wasn’t sure about that. “Did you know about his father setting up Bernie McLintock with a fake lover?”
Now her brows drew down. “What?”
Guess not. “Any insight into Hoyt you can give us?” I asked.
“The usual, I guess. At the beginning, it was wonderful between us, but he was winning poker tournaments then. It wasn’t until he started losing that things went south.” She eyed the ice cream toppings. “I don’t know much more to tell you.”
I wasn’t sure what else to ask. “Did Hoyt ever exhibit any stalker-type tendencies?” It was a long shot, but maybe Hoyt was my crazy admirer.
She snorted. “That would take too much effort, I’m afraid. And if the tendencies included actually buying gifts, then no way. Not a chance. All of his money, and anybody else’s he could get his hands on, went into poker games.”
That figured. Once again, I hadn’t found out anything to help Bernie.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“When was the last time you talked to him?” I asked.
She blushed a light pink.
So it was like that?
She shifted her feet and rolled her eyes. “I know. I really do. He’s bad news, and he’s bad for me, but at his core, he’s a decent guy. He stayed over last night.”
If there was a way to help her, I would. “Do you know where he was the night of the murder?”
“No, but there’s no way he’d kill his own dad.” She looked around and then seemed to settle. “I think that’s it. Can I get you something to eat?”
I stepped closer. “Yeah. I’ll have a double scoop with huckleberry and coffee-mocha with a waffle cone.”
“Ditto,” Bud said from behind me. “Mine with sprinkles on top, please.”
I spent a couple of hours at my office managing paperwork and tried to pretend my life was normal.
“Anna!” Oliver yelled, running down to my office. “You have another box.”
Bud hurried to the reception area, beating both Clark and me. He looked at the box and then bent over to read. “Anna Albertini, this firm, from Hewsom Enterprises in New York.”
“Oh.” Relief batted through me. “That’s mine.” I fetched the box, my heart still skipping beats. I’d found an early copy of Catcher in the Rye for Pauley for Christmas to go with the socks I bought him every year. Pierce would definitely like the tie, and I was now almost done shopping. “I’m ready to get out of here,” I told Bud, realizing he’d been off the clock for almost an hour.
“Great,” he said.
We headed through the door, and he covered me the entire way to the car, almost looking like he wished the attacker would return.
I had Bud drop me off at my sister’s house, where Aiden said he’d pick me up after he finished work. If my stalker wanted to make a move, he’d be a moron to do it with the three Albertini sisters banded together.
Donna’s neighborhood was as decorated as the retirement community but in a sedated and more color-coordinated way. Her Christmas lights were a light blue fluorescent that glowed prettily. I walked inside, instantly inhaling the scent of pork chops. “Hey.” I kicked out of my boots and hung my coat in the closet before walking the long hallway to the kitchen in the back.
“Hi.” Tessa sat on a bar stool swinging one foot with a glass of wine in front of her.
Donna turned around from stirring something on the stove, a ladle in her hand. “Hi. You okay?”
I nodded and put the box on the counter, quickly ripping it open. While I had ordered the present for my cousin, I probably should’ve double-checked it before leaving the office. Relief, pure and simple, poured through me when I took out the perfectly wrapped book. “It’s for Pauley.”
“The book?” Donna’s brown gaze swept across me. When I nodded, she leaned over and poured red wine into another glass. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.” I accepted the glass and took a healthy drink. My sister always had the good stuff. My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see a text from Aiden, saying he was going to have to work really late. I figured he was trying to clear his schedule just like I was so we could regroup with this whole dead body and Jareth Davey situation—and maybe even take a vacation. It was starting to seem like it’d be a good idea. I glanced at Donna. “Do you mind if I stay here tonight
?”
“Fine by me,” she said. “I have a good alarm system as well as a LadySmith.”
Tessa poured more wine into her glass. “I’ll stay, too. We can have a slumber party and X-box marathon.” She topped off my glass. “Before I forget, do you have extra wrapping paper, D?”
“You know I do,” Donna said, reaching for plates. “You ask every year.”
Tessa grinned.
I texted Aiden back that I’d stay with Donna that night and not to worry about me. Then my phone buzzed, and I answered the call. “Albertini.”
“Hey. It’s Pierce. Don’t have news from the coroner yet, but considering Crackle had a hole in his head, I’m not expecting any surprises. For now, I’ve been tracking down Hoyt Forrest’s loan sharks, and so far, he didn’t owe any of them enough to have put his father in danger. I don’t see that as a motive, although Hoyt might still look good for it. I have to say, Bernie is still the strongest suspect.”
“I feel like Bernie didn’t kill Lawrence,” I said, hoping it was true. I just couldn’t imagine the sweet old Santa killing anybody. “Anything else?”
“Yeah. Prints and blood came back on the knife. The only blood is Lawrence’s, and the only prints are Bernie’s. In addition, it’s a hunting knife commonly sold everywhere, including at Forrest’s Bait and Tackle. It could’ve been Lawrence’s knife, or it could’ve been anybody’s, to be honest.”
I swallowed. “You’re being awfully generous with the information.” Pierce had a good gut, and he must be telling me that Bernie wasn’t a killer.
“It’s Christmas.” Pierce clicked off.
I set my phone aside. “All right. Who wants to take me on in the new velociraptor game?”
“After dinner,” Donna said, bending and taking a pan out of the oven.
Definitely after dinner.
Chapter 34
My phone woke me from my sprawl on Donna’s sofa. Tess had grabbed the guest room, and I’d planned to share the bed with one of them but had fallen asleep in front of the TV. I tugged on my ripped T-shirt and shivered in the boxer shorts I’d borrowed. Groaning, I noted it was only five in the morning. What the heck? “What?” I mumbled sleepily into the phone.
“Hey, it’s Bosco. I need a favor.”
“Sure.” I pushed my hair out of my face and sat up, trying to get my bearings. “What’s up?”
Movement sounded across the phone. “I’ve been called in but have Fabio here. Any chance you could come get him until Knox can grab him later today?”
“Sure.” I yawned. It was nice of Bosco to watch Fabio for Knox, and I always wanted to help. “I’ll drive over to collect him now.”
“Thanks.” Bosco ended the call.
I blinked several times. Then I wrote my sisters a note and put on jeans, boots and coat, borrowing Tessa’s car. It was doubtful my stalker knew where I was, but even so, I kept an eye on my surroundings and the handle of my gun within reach. I wasn’t going to change my life or hide from this jerk, but I wasn’t going to be stupid, either.
I drove through town, reaching Bosco’s place. He lived in an apartment in a converted turn-of-the-century house that had two other apartments in it, and I’d always felt like he’d found the perfect place for himself. I carefully viewed my surroundings, didn’t see anything interesting, and ran up the stairs into the house, falling once and getting my jeans wet.
My key opened his door, and I was nearly bowled over by an energetic and massively big dog. I dropped to scratch his ears. “Hi, Fabio.”
Fabio was a mutt, plain and simple. His fur was a mixture of brown, black and white, and his teeth were sharp. He was so ugly that he became adorable.
I locked the door behind myself and looked around Bosco’s place. It was dusty and needed a good clean, and often I helped him out. Right now my brain was foggy, so I ditched my coat and boots, wandering to his sofa. Then I tugged off the jeans to hang over the sofa so they could dry. “How about a quick nap, and then we’ll go to Donna’s?” I asked Fabio. My head really hurt.
He wagged his tail happily and then lay down at the end.
I was asleep within minutes, waking sometime later when Fabio was barking at me. I opened one eye. “Fine. I’ll take you out.”
Somebody knocked on the door.
Sleepily, not thinking, I stumbled and opened the door. A pretty brunette stood there, her eyes wide. “Morning?” I asked.
She stepped back. “Sorry, I….’’
Fabio shoved by me and nearly bulldozed the woman, panting happily. My vision cleared. Who was this?
She scratched the dog’s ears. “Sorry. I heard him bark and thought he was alone.” She tried to back away, but Fabio stopped her.
My brain finally cleared. “Oh. You’re Marlie.” I liked her instantly. There was something sweet and smart about her. “Inside Fabio. Now.”
The dog trotted happily inside.
I held out my hand to introduce myself and make sure she knew I was Bosco’s cousin and not some hookup, especially since my jeans were still hanging over the sofa. Hadn’t Rory said Bos was quickly and unexpectedly getting serious without knowing it?
Just then, the outside door opened and Aiden stomped inside, his anger pulsating through the atmosphere and kicking my heart rate into the ‘I’ve been running’ range.
“What the holy hell are you thinking, Angel?” he snapped, reaching me.
I sighed and nicely reminded him that I had a gun in my bag and that I was safe.
He leaned down and nicely told me that my gun had better be in my bag. “For all that’s holy, you are not safe. In fact, I know you’re not safe because your ass isn’t at your sister’s house, where it should be right now.” He was going to scare Marlie off, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I forced a smile. “Aiden, I am not giving up this case.”
“I’m not asking you to give it up,” he snarled. “What I am doing is asking you to be smart and hightailing your very nice butt across town to babysit a dog is not doing that.”
I couldn’t stop the eye roll I gave him, and then I reminded him that I was okay.
He ducked, the world tilted, and I was once again over his shoulder. I sighed and called for the dog to come along as we headed back into the apartment.
Fabio stepped right up into the action, following us. I slapped a hand to Aiden’s back and levered up, hoping somehow to save this first meeting with Bosco’s love. “Sorry about this, Marlie. It has to seem weird.” Yep. The woman looked like she wanted to make a run for it.
Then, she impressed the heck out of me by running in front of Aiden and trying to stop him. Man, she was perfect for Bosco. I laughed, so happy he’d found somebody.
Aiden tossed a blanket over me, grabbed my jeans off the sofa and my bag off the floor. Then he marched toward the hallway.
Marlie jumped in front of him again. “Should I call in a kidnapping?”
Amusement took me. I loved her. Really loved her.
“I’m thinking the Albertini family might be a little odd,” Marlie muttered.
That stopped Aiden cold. He hitched me into better position. “They are. Get out now, if you can. Trust me. Run fast and run far.”
I laughed and squirmed.
Marlie swallowed. “We’re just friends. I mean Bosco and me. Just friends.”
“Ha,” Aiden said, sidestepping her easily and shutting the apartment door behind us. “That’s how they get you, darlin’. I’ve already heard about you, which means the family has heard, and you’re as good as in. I hope you like big weddings.” He kept walking.
I whistled. “Fabio, come!”
The dog panted after us. My phone rang, and Aiden dug it out of my bag to hand to me. I answered, not surprised that Bosco was on the other end. Bos yelled at me because he’d heard about the dead body, and then he and Aiden exchanged some guy talk. Whatever. Aiden kept walking outside the exit and the wintery cold hit my bare legs.
Just as he was tossing me into his rig, M
arlie ran out with my wallet, which must’ve fallen. I grinned at her. Oh, she fit in perfectly. I needed to take her to lunch and figure out more about her. “Thanks.” I smiled. “Welcome to chaos, my new friend.”
“I am not amused,” Aiden said, not sounding amused in the slightest.
I shimmied into my jeans and then boots, finger combing my hair into some semblance of curly order. “I was safe.” Before he could argue, I held up a hand. “Do you mind if we pop by the hospital on the way? I still haven’t talked to Doc Springfield about my case, and he’s the last Kringle on my list.”
“Sure. Have Bud meet you there,” Aiden said, gritting his teeth.
I texted Bud. The poor guy was on Anna-duty for another day? Even I could feel a little sorry for him. We reached the hospital and waited in Aiden’s truck for Bud. I started. “Crap. What about Tessa’s Rogue?”
“Donna said she’d drop Tessa off to get it on the way to work,” Aiden said, his gaze scanning the parking lot of the hospital.
Oh. It was nice that my sister had ratted me out. I’d give her a hard time later, although I didn’t want her lying to Aiden, and I didn’t lie to Aiden, so I guess she hadn’t had a choice.
Bud drove up.
Aiden grasped the back of my neck and dragged me in for a deep kiss, taking me under. There was a hint of passion and a bucket-load of frustration in his kiss, topped off with a slice of anger. Even so, my body warmed and my breathing quickened. He leaned back, his hand remaining at my nape. “Stay with Bud. All day. Got it?”
Numbly, I nodded. My jeans felt too tight all of a sudden. “Bye.” I zipped my jacket to hide the ripped T-shirt and jumped out of the truck, smiling at Bud.
He handed over a latte, and I almost hugged him.
“Thanks,” I said. “Let’s go talk to the doctor.”
The interview didn’t take long. Doc Springfield looked more like Santa than the other men, and he had the jolly laugh to prove it. In addition, he only gambled for charity, had no clue the other members had stolen minerals as seed money, and truly didn’t believe Bernie had killed Lawrence. He also couldn’t imagine anybody else committing murder.
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