“Why do you have such a hard time being yourself with your family?”
She held out her slender arms. “What makes you think this isn’t being myself?”
“Are you ashamed of what you do for a living?” Her bare extended arms looked silky smooth. He returned his gaze to her eyes. Had she done, did, things that society would frown upon? “You family loves you,” he added. “No matter what you’ve done, that won’t change.”
She dropped her arms but one of her hands came to rest on his tie and she fiddled with the knot. Morgan’s breath constricted and he removed her hold but couldn’t seem to let her go. She had long fingers with delicate oval nails neatly trimmed to the quick and covered in clear nail polish. Her fingers weren’t callused, but not soft either. A capable hand attached to the no-nonsense arm of a strong, confident woman. “Phoebe, what do you do for a living?”
Images of her scaling a building, listening to the prick of a safe opening, and wrapping glittering jewels around her fingers flooded his thoughts.
“Nothing for which I need a lawyer,” she said.
“Then why not share a little with your family?”
She pulled away. “At the police station, you said it’s better if I didn’t stay in town. So, why do you now want me to muddy the waters by cozying up to my family?”
He heard pain in her taunting words. His guess at the jail had been correct. Phoebe Clay cared deeply about her family. “You don’t mean that, do you?” he asked. “You really love them.”
Her gaze dropped, as if she worried she’d revealed too much. He tipped her head up but her dark eyes were blank.
“The moonlight is tricky,” she said. “It can make you imagine the most absurd things.”
His gaze was drawn to her full red mouth as she spoke. Of its own accord, his head dipped, as if wanting a taste of those tempting lips.
“Phoebe, Morgan,” Helen Clay called. “Are you there?”
He stepped back, grateful for the interruption. He’d almost kissed her. What could he have been thinking?
A teasing smile played around Phoebe’s lips and her mischievous gaze said she knew exactly what he’d almost done. “I’m here, Aunt Helen.”
The older lady approached the long way around, on the brick-laid pathway.
“Hello, Morgan,” Helen said when she reached their side. “Mind if I steal my niece away? I have a little business to discuss with her.”
“Not cat business, I hope?” he asked.
“Of course not,” she said. “I’ve learned my lesson. We both have, haven’t we, Phoebe?”
Phoebe nodded solemnly, but that devilish light was still in her eyes.
He shook his head. “Why do I even bother? Remember, the court date is on Thursday and any trouble either of you gets into between now and then could cost you dearly.”
“Yes, we know,” Helen said. “Thank you for bailing us out. Sweet of you. I hope your grandfather wasn’t too bothered by our little shenanigan?”
Morgan rolled his eyes and muttering about irresponsible women, he returned to the house. He was now seriously concerned that Janet’s estimation about the Clays’ bent for criminal behavior was about to be proven correct.
PHOEBE WATCHED HIM leave, drawn to his lean lithe stride. He had a purpose to his walk, as if he always knew what he should do.
“He’s a nice guy, under his starched collar,” her aunt said.
“Didn’t seem starched to me,” Phoebe replied.
Aunt Helen turned to her with interest. “He kissed you!” she said. “The rascal. I’m proud of him.”
“He didn’t. He might have wanted to though.”
In comfortable silence, they roamed the garden. Phoebe gave her aunt a glance under her lashes. “Why are you not warning me to stay away from him like my brothers?”
“Why would I do that, dear?”
“The general consensus seems to be that I only intend to toy with him.”
“I think Morgan could use a bit of toying with. He’s grown stiff and proper like his grandfather. The army did that to Tucker. In Morgan, it stems from a lack of daring.”
“Harsh, Aunt,” she said. “Don’t you like him?”
“I love him, which is why I know that Morgan needs shaking up. I want what’s best for him, Phoebe, not what’s easiest.”
Phoebe sighed. Getting involved with her certainly wouldn’t be the smoothest course to take. “Being a volunteer firefighter can’t be an easy hobby. He looks fit and having a girlfriend who is a cop should keep him on his toes.”
“He needs someone who will test his complacency,” her aunt said. “Janet caters to him.”
“She won’t have any competition from me, Aunt. I have to get back to work soon.”
“You don’t plan to leave before we find my fur baby, do you?” Aunt Helen asked, sounding alarmed.
The cat! Phoebe had forgotten all about her. “Have you put out any ads in the neighborhood about a missing cat?”
“Yes,” Aunt Helen said, “they’re on every post in the neighborhood and all the shelters in HB have been notified to keep an eye out for a black-and-white stray cat.”
Phoebe put a comforting arm around her aunt. “We’ll find her. I promise.”
“Good. Because I have a new plan.”
Phoebe dropped her arm.
Chapter 4
Phoebe spent most of Sunday translating the ‘boot’ note, barely stopping for lunch. Going from Tamil to English was a hard slog but she kept at it until she hit a phrase she couldn’t decipher. She stopped, a headache coming on. Time to call for help. She texted a trusted professor from her university days who was native to Sri Lanka. Receiving an affirmative response to her request for translation, she sent a snapshot of the entire letter, not just the difficult passage, hoping for a second opinion on the bits she’d already worked on. He promised to get back within a day.
She was now ready for a mental distraction. She roamed the house looking for company. Grandfather Walter was having a nap. Aunt Helen was away, likely plotting her next cat-rescue scheme. That didn’t bear thinking about. Her mother was out, too, probably at church. Her dad was trimming his rose bushes, getting ready for a plant show. She was about to offer to assist him when she received a text.
Her cousin Lenny sounded frantic. Busy. Help. #BW.
This was the first time he’d reached out to her since her return. A warm rush of pleasure swept through her at the possibility that she hadn’t destroyed their relationship after all.
During dinner last night, he’d mentioned he was working today at a café called Rosemary and Rue. If this was an SOS, did he want help with customers? What did BW mean? Bring water? Black and white? Ah, a uniform!
The idea of spending time with him appealed more than gardening. She texted back, BTS, for Be There Soon, and raced up to her room to change. She needed to catch up on how Lenny was faring. This would also give her time to consider her next steps as far as her work with Conroy was concerned. Was she truly ready to give up on her exciting life and move back here? What would she do? The only serious work she’d ever really done was espionage. Yet, now she was home, she was reluctant to return to her assignment.
When she was a teen, she, her best friend, Johnny, and Lenny had been inseparable. Memories of her joyful, carefree childhood, however, had been too painful after Johnny's death. Back then, she hadn’t been able to bear the thought of being around Lenny or back home. Oddly, she no longer cringed from spending time with Lenny, or from being back in this town. Perhaps it was a sign she was ready to come home. For good.
Lenny was a few years her elder and had family issues. He used to say he didn’t get along with his dad but never elaborated why. As children, he missed two years of school because he dropped out for a while. Once he returned to high school, he ended up in most of Phoebe’s classes and drawn her and Johnny into one scrape or another. They’d gone skinny-dipping at the local pond and got rashes from poison ivy. The police took them home for
throwing rotten eggs at cruisers. He’d even talked them into shoplifting.
She and Lenny discovered they had a natural knack for the art. Not so poor Johnny. She smiled remembering the day store security held Johnny by the back of his collar and shook him until pens and candy fell out of his clothing.
Phoebe Googled directions to Rosemary and Rue and arrived there at what seemed to be a late-afternoon rush.
“You made it,” Lenny gave her a heartfelt hug. “Thanks, Cuz. You’re a life saver.”
She quickly learned that his boss, Rose Devlin, was off with her new hubby, sailing along the Pacific Coast on their honeymoon. Her partner, Sage Tanton, had left town on short notice for a buying trip. She’d asked Lenny to run the café and kitty-sit Rose’s hefty black cat, Mataba, who was on a strict diet.
Lenny handed Phoebe an apron with the store logo and introduced her to Julie. The teenager was baking cookies and brewing teas in a series of teapots in the kitchen-cum-dining room of this house turned store.
She’d been the waitress until Phoebe agreed to sub. “Restroom’s on your right, if you need it,” the girl said.
“Thanks.”
Phoebe and Lenny went back out front. The place was filling up with customers either shopping for herbs lining the shelves on the left or claiming spare seats around small round tables to the right.
Noting Lenny’s harried look as he helped a customer, Phoebe took menus off the counter and, slipping past a full-length skeleton hanging from the ceiling, she dropped the cards at occupied tables.
Lenny had a hollow look about him. It was also strange seeing him doing legitimate work and being earnest about it. He must really want to please the owners.
On her return, her cousin handed her a tray with a tea pot and cups and pointed to a couple seated by the window. “Glad you’re back?”
She nodded absently and took the order over.
Phoebe navigated around the tables heading for the window. Her customers were a vacationing couple from Seattle. She served their tea and was about to leave when the front door chimed.
Morgan and Janet entered the Rosemary and Rue.
He wore a dark suit that hung well on his tall frame. No stubble in view and moist ends of his hair curled over his collar. Beside him, Janet looked lovely in a burgundy shirtdress that accentuated her cleavage. Must be on a date. The two looked the perfect couple, yet something was not right. Hands didn’t touch, bodies didn’t lean toward each other. To her critical eye, they appeared uncomfortable.
As Morgan’s gaze shifted in her direction, she headed for the kitchen, keeping her back to him. Almost kissing her last night and back to dating his girlfriend the next day didn’t sit well with Phoebe. Why did they have to come here? Today?
It didn’t matter. She barged into the kitchen and got in Julie’s way until the teen told her to get back out front.
Morgan and Janet were sitting next to the Seattle couple. She snatched two menus off the counter, pulled out her order pad and pencil, and approached. “Welcome to Rosemary and Rue. What would you like to drink?”
For a split second, his interest spiked, unhidden as they stared at each other. Then he looked away, appearing perfectly composed. Had she imagined his raw desire? No.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Janet murmured.
Phoebe slowly turned to study the detective. “Perhaps some fresh milk?”
Janet’s eye’s narrowed. “I’ll have black tea, straight. Morgan, what are you having?”
“Would you like to check our tea selection, sir?” Phoebe placed the menus on the table.
He flicked through one of the cards. “I’ll have chai.”
“Excellent choice.” She noted on her pad and left. The skeleton rattled as she brushed by on her way to the kitchen.
Lenny was there, leaning against the kitchen table. He rolled his eyes. “I see the law’s arrived.”
“You hiding out?” she asked. “Like old times? Thought you’d changed.”
Lenny shrugged. “Ever since the detective learned Morgan was defending me, she’s been on my case.”
“Why?”
“Possessive. He’s pretty attached to the Clays, and by extension, me.”
Phoebe’s eyebrow rose in surprise. Did Morgan care for her family more than for Janet? Interesting. She took the tray Julie handed her with every intention of serving and leaving. Janet wasn’t worth getting Lenny into trouble.
The tension at their table had escalated in her absence.
“Morgan, darling, this is where you talked the parole board into placing Lenny, isn’t it? I wonder where he is.”
“It was his choice of arrangement,” Morgan explained, glancing up at Phoebe. “I acted as a go-between. Rose and Sage saved Molly’s life last year. They’ve all grown close since.”
Phoebe nodded, making a mental note to ask Lenny about that later. Good to hear he had made new friends. She took Janet’s menu and the woman slammed her hand over it, startling the nearby Seattle couple.
“Criminal behavior must run your family, huh?”
Releasing the menu, Phoebe straightened. The detective was looking for a fight. That was bad for business and not good for Lenny.
“Janet,” Morgan said in a quieter tone than his date, “if you prefer, we can go elsewhere.”
“No, I want to stay,” Janet said. “I’m enjoying myself. You promised I could pick where we ate. Besides, this is exactly where I want to be, with reformed Lenny making my snack and sweet innocent Phoebe serving.” Janet handed her the menu. “I’ll have a croissant.”
Morgan expelled a heavy sigh. “I’ll have a chocolate chip cookie.” He handed over his menu.
Phoebe left with their orders, fuming. The detective must be good in bed for him to put up with that kind of behavior.
“What’s going on out there?” Lenny whispered past a barely open back door.
Phoebe pushed in, past him. “Apparently, detective Janet doesn’t like either of us.” She handed Julie the order.
He nodded, understanding. A bell tingled. “Someone’s at the register.” With a groan, he went back out front.
“Slow service today, Morgan,” Janet said as Phoebe set their orders down. “You should speak to the management.”
“Sorry for the wait,” Phoebe said.
“We were talking about your mother,” Janet said. “She’s a favorite with Morgan, did you know?”
About to leave, Phoebe hesitated. A mistake, but she couldn't help it.
“I did some checking a while back," Janet continued. "We’d received a call about missing funds at a local charity Brenda managed.”
“Unnecessary.” Morgan’s quiet tone belied his anger.
How could Janet not sense his fury? Because her zealous gaze was fixed on Phoebe.
“Brenda would never be involved in anything underhanded," Morgan finished.
Phoebe wanted to kiss him, right in front of his date.
“Aren’t either of you curious about what I discovered?” Janet asked.
“You discovered nothing,” Phoebe said.
“Exactly,” she replied. “Nothing before she came to HB and married Dr. David Clay. No school records, no income taxes filed, no driver’s license, no change of address, nothing.”
The first thought that crossed Phoebe’s mind was, witness protection. Irrelevant. “What are you implying?”
The detective bit into her croissant and chewed, flinging Phoebe a coy glance. After she swallowed, she said, “I wonder how many unsolved cases can be attributed to the Clay line.”
Phoebe’s eyes narrowed but other than that, she kept her face expressionless. Never reveal your emotions to the enemy. Conroy had been a good teacher. She kept her hands relaxed at her sides. “I’ll leave you to finish your meal.”
Lenny hauled her into the kitchen and then out the back door to a porch overlooking a garden. Dusk was approaching and the grass was wet after a recent shower. A big fat black cat turned startled, a recent kil
l in her mouth. Mataba? Before the door closed, the feline scampered in with her prize.
“We’ll have to clean up after her,” Phoebe said.
“I’d been wondering what she was supplementing her diet with,” Lenny said. “She’s not been losing weight.”
After the recent cleansing rain, the air smelled of fresh grass and summer blossoms. Phoebe leaned against the railing and glanced up at the tree cover.
Lenny assembled his e-cig. He took a long drag and blew vapor rings through his nose, making Phoebe chuckle. He offered it to her.
Phoebe didn’t smoke anymore. To her mind, the jury was still out on whether the electronic version was any safer. She took his offering, inhaling deeply and exhaling a cloud of vapor. The motion was pleasurable. If she was serious about returning home, though, there had to be changes. She was no longer an impressionable teenager.
When they were young, Lenny had been the trailblazer, leading them into one scrape after another. Phoebe was now ready to take the lead. She disassembled the e-cig, returning it to its case and then tossing it to him.
Grinning, he caught the packet and tucked it into his pocket. “Not like old times, Cuz?”
Phoebe smiled. “Better.”
“You thinking of staying?” He laughed at his question but she heard the hurt beneath his sarcastic words. “I was mad that you hadn’t taken me with you. First Johnny died. Then you left. Life almost hadn’t been worth living.”
“Couldn’t.” She left it at that. How could she explain her need to escape? Wanting to forget not only Johnny but everything and person connected to him. Fighting back tears the memory brought, she glanced toward a patch of green cordoned off into rows of growing herbs. One day, she would make it up to Lenny. To her family. “We should get back in,”
He pointed down the pathway where Morgan approached in long easy strides.
“I’ll cover for you,” Lenny said and disappeared inside.
MORGAN SPIED PHOEBE relaxing on the porch railing at the back of the café. She was still here. Profound relief washed over him. After he put Janet into a cab, he had returned to the café to apologize and found Phoebe gone. His first thought was, permanently?
Missing You Page 4