by Debbie Mason
“What have you got there, boy?” She bent to retrieve the piece of cloth he’d dropped at her feet.
“Looks like he might have caught up with whoever left Payton’s place in a hurry. It’s the same color and fabric as the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department’s uniforms.” Nate put out his hand for the piece of cloth. “I’ll send it to my brother-in-law. See if they can get a hit in the DNA database.”
“Aren’t you glad he came with us now?” Sadie asked, giving Finn a hug.
“Yeah, yeah.” Nate grudgingly patted the dog’s head. “Good boy.” He opened the back door, ushering Finn inside. “Now stay on your own side, and don’t even think about stealing my keys or my shades.”
As Sadie drove back to the store, her grandmother texted Payton. Seconds later, her cell phone pinged. “She says she’s sorry she wasn’t there. She had a doctor’s appointment. I’ll tell her we’ll drop by tomorrow if that works for her.”
They were still waiting for Payton’s response when Sadie pulled into a parking spot in front of the store.
“I think we need an extra incentive,” her grandmother said, head bent over her phone. She typed out her message with one finger, grinning at the whoosh of her text being sent.
It was a grin that made Sadie nervous. “Granny, what did you do?”
“I told her you want to set up a generous education fund for the bairn.”
Nate laughed. “Mrs. M, you missed your calling. You would have made a great agent.”
Her grandmother smirked. “Colin tells me that all the time.”
An hour later, Sadie walked across the road with Abby to Spill the Tea.
Abby nodded at Sadie’s bag from Penelope’s Pet Emporium. “Finn is going to be a happy doggy.”
Sadie smiled at the couple walking by on the sidewalk, waiting for them to pass to respond. “He deserves a reward. This morning’s visit to Payton would have been a bust if not for him.”
“This thing with your grandmother and Mr. Murphy is so freaking lit. Can’t you just picture the two of them skulking around looking for clues?”
“Yes, and unlike you, I don’t think it’s cool. I think it’s dangerous.” But while on one hand she was worried about her grandmother’s nighttime escapades, on the other hand, she was relieved. Now that she didn’t have to keep Nate and Chase’s identity from Agnes a secret, she could find out if her grandmother had any clue who might have taken Sadie’s gun back in February.
As they reached Spill the Tea, Sadie said, “No more talking about my grandmother and Mr. Murphy until we’ve left here.”
Abby waggled her eyebrows and opened the door. “No problem. I’m more interested in why you blushed when I asked you how your night went.”
“I didn’t blush.” Sadie’s cheeks heated.
Abby laughed. “You’re doing it again. Come on, spill the tea to your bestie.”
Knowing Abby wouldn’t let up, Sadie shared her embarrassing tiramisu moment with her and then opened the door.
“So you, like, licked his finger, or did you suck on it?” Abby asked, following her inside.
Sadie cast a nervous glance at the lunch crowd gathered at the tea shop. “If you ask a little louder, maybe everyone will hear you.”
“Sorry.” She lowered her voice, sidling in beside Sadie. “So which was it?”
“Licked it like it was my favorite chocolate popsicle.”
“What were you licking?” Brooklyn’s voice came from behind the small reservation stand. She stood up with a smile and menus in her hand.
Beside her, Abby was having a hard time containing her laughter.
Sadie scowled at her, then smiled at Brooklyn. “It was nothing. Just something stupid.”
“Whatever it was, it sounded like you enjoyed yourself,” Brooklyn said. “Do you want a booth at the back or do you want to sit at the tea bar?”
Sadie looked to where Babs Sutherland was holding court at the tea bar. “A booth would be—”
Babs pinned her with a bright-eyed stare from under her thick, frosted-blue eyeshadow. “Sadie Gray, don’t you dare try to sneak away. We’ve all heard your big news. Come over here and spill the tea. We want the inside scoop.”
She might as well get it over with. It was why they were here. “Abby’s putting together an amazing unicorn event in June. She’ll be sending around advertising options to all the shops on Main Street later in the week. There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to participate.”
Sadie’s enthusiastic smile faltered when the women swiveled on their barstools to stare at her. “You guys could create a unicorn tea. Something pink and sparkly would probably work.” She was losing them. The women were leaning into each other, whispering behind their hands. “Or you could add those little gold edible things.” She cast a dear Lord, help me look at Abby.
“Trust me, it’ll boost everyone’s business, not just I Believe in Unicorns. But let’s be honest, it’s our civic duty to support Granny MacLeod. This is what small towns are all about, being there for each other in times of trouble. And let’s face it, Agnes and her family are in big trouble. They need our help.” She made an apologetic face at Sadie.
The last thing Sadie and her grandmother wanted was to be seen as the town’s charity case, but right now, she’d agree to just about anything Abby said to take the attention off her. Except Abby’s spiel didn’t seem like it had gone over any better than hers.
“I’m sure the unicorn event will be a big crowd-pleaser, but that’s not what we wanted to hear about. I knew she wasn’t much of a romantic,” Babs confided to the women at the tea bar. Then she said to Sadie, “The ring, darlin’. We want to see the ring.”
“What ring?”
“Your engagement ring, of course!” Babs gave the other women a see what I mean look.
“Drew and I aren’t together. We—”
“Not him!” Babs waved an impatient hand, her thick, bejeweled bracelets clinking. “We’re talking about Park Ranger Michael. Your knight in shining armor. The man you’re living with, you sly devil, you. Getting your hooks into him before my Brooklyn had a chance.”
Brooklyn groaned. “Momma.”
“What? You’re as gaga over him as half the other single girls in town. Although a few of them dropped out of the running after the bear episode.” Babs motioned Sadie closer with her long, bright-pink fingernails. “Tea’s spilled. Now show us the ring. And don’t try and deny it. That sweet boy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department told us you were engaged when he dropped in yesterday afternoon.”
Abby glanced at Sadie, who was standing there in stunned silence, and asked, “What sweet boy would that be?”
“Deputy Dwight, that’s who. You wouldn’t know him. He grew up here but he lives over in Jackson County now.”
At the mention of Dwight, Sadie pushed all thoughts of her supposed engagement aside. This conversation was too important to miss even a single word.
“What a brat, sharing your secret like that,” Abby said to Sadie before turning back to Babs. “Did he happen to share any more of my bestie’s secrets? If he did, I’m going to have to have a word with him.”
“Now that I think about it, he was more interested in what I knew about Sadie’s new fiancé. I shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone has been coming to me, asking what I know about him. Help a gal out. Tell me everything.” Babs propped her elbows on the sleek, white bar and cupped her face in her hands.
“Oh, Momma, stop. They came in to eat. Sadie, Abby, follow me. Sorry about that. You know how she hates to be the last to know.” Brooklyn ushered them to a quiet booth at the back of the room. “And about me being gaga over your fiancé, I’m really not.”
Sadie ignored Abby waggling her eyebrows at her as Brooklyn continued. “He’s just hot, and I’m looking, and he checks all the boxes, if you know what I mean. Except maybe the steady income box. Momma says his boss at the forest service is thinking about firing him. If you ask me, he’s lucky he broke hi
s leg.” She smiled, placing the menus in front of them. “I’ll give you a minute.”
“Should I know who Deputy Dwight is?” Sadie asked Brooklyn, hoping to find out what the other woman knew about Dwight and Payton. “Did he date someone we know or—”
Brooklyn gracefully lowered herself into a crouch beside the table. “I hate to tell tales out of school, but I think Payton might be stepping out on your brother.”
“Oh, really. With Dwight?”
“Mm-hmm, but I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s probably just a passing fling on account your brother is on the run from the law. It has to be hard for Payton knowing she’ll be raising the baby on her own. I overheard Dwight tell Momma that Elijah would never see the light of day with the evidence they have against him. Momma said, for Payton’s sake, you understand, she’d be better off if your brother died. On account of his life insurance and all.”
“My brother has life insurance?” Sadie blurted without thinking. But honestly, it was a little shocking to hear Brooklyn talking about Elijah’s death like it was already a done deal. Maybe in Dwight’s eyes it was, which meant Brooklyn had just revealed another motive. Chase was right. She had to convince her brother to turn himself in.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. But you asked, and I—”
“It’s okay. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. Buying life insurance isn’t exactly an Elijah thing to do.”
“I know what you mean. It’s the responsible thing to do, and Elijah was always quick to duck out of any and all responsibility. I guess becoming a parent changes how you look at things. But Payton’s a smart girl. She’d want to take care of her baby’s future in case anything happened to one of them.”
“I’m glad Elijah stepped up. It’s just too bad he wouldn’t be able to afford a large policy to give Payton peace of mind. If something happened to him, I mean. Which it won’t. My brother always lands on his feet.”
“Oh no, she’d be very comfortable. The policy is for a quarter of a million dollars.” Brooklyn waved a hand and stood up. “But you’re right. Elijah has gotten out of more scrapes than anyone I know. Although that was because you and Agnes always stepped in. You wouldn’t step in this time, would you, Sadie?”
“No. I’m done with my brother.”
Brooklyn pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m so glad to hear that. Dwight was saying to Momma how you’d be in big trouble if they found out that you knew where your brother was or were helping him in any way.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chase followed Sadie and the white horse she led along a narrow trail up Blue Mountain. She walked the path with sure, confident strides in her well-worn hiking boots, clearly in her element. So was the horse. Chase, not so much, although he felt better with Sadie leading the way than going it on his own, much like he had with Hunter.
She dropped the horse’s reins to walk to the side of the trail, checking inside a hollowed-out stump. She’d stopped to check for a note from her brother at a couple of places along the way up the mountain. He didn’t remind her again that they’d come early for a reason. She’d gone quiet when he’d first told her that he intended to bring Elijah in tonight. She’d wanted to retrieve her brother’s note and leave one in its place, asking him to turn himself in.
She glanced at Chase as she returned to pick up the horse’s reins. “You okay back there?”
As unhappy as she might be about his plan to apprehend her brother, he was relieved that it hadn’t created a rift between them. “Yeah, just trying to keep my distance from the horse. I don’t think she likes me.”
“It’s not you. Granny boards her horses and goat at the mayor’s farm. Agnes hasn’t been spending as much time with them as she normally does. Myrtle and Millie don’t seem to mind, but Lula Belle is younger and loves attention. Don’t you, girl?” She patted the horse.
“Is that why you brought her?” He’d been surprised when Agnes and Nate rolled up behind Sadie’s SUV with a trailer hitched to Nate’s truck. But between getting Michaela settled with her babysitter—specifically his partner, who hadn’t been thrilled to be on babysitting duty—and searching for the right way and best time to tell Sadie that her plan and his for this evening were at cross-purposes, Chase had forgotten to ask.
Admittedly, he’d been preoccupied since learning what Agnes had been up to. Sadie too. They were too involved with the case and were putting themselves at risk.
“No. Lula Belle has the starring role in Abby’s unicorn weekend. She’s our elusive and beautiful unicorn, aren’t you, girl?” Sadie gestured at the pack attached to the horse’s saddle. “I won’t put on her golden horn and the circlet of flowers until I’m ready to do the photo shoot. I’ll video her, take some photos, and then Abby will use them to promote the event on her YouTube channel. I thought now was as good a time as any. If anyone sees us, we have a cover story.”
“I remember the part about the cover story. I guess I didn’t put it together.”
Lula Belle nuzzled Sadie’s neck, and she nuzzled her back. “Abby started pimping the event on her channel while we were out for lunch. She says her subscribers seem super excited, so maybe she’s right. Maybe you will make Granny rich, Lula Belle.” Sadie glanced at Chase from under her lashes. She seemed nervous.
Probably because of her brother. Then again, maybe she was beginning to read him as easily as he read her. He couldn’t put it off any longer. “About your visit to Spill the Tea. We didn’t get a lot of time to talk about it, but we need to.”
She nodded. “It would have been helpful to know we were engaged before I had to face Babs and her friends.”
“Like I told you, I wanted them to know you were important to me. That they’d have to go through me to get to you. I thought a fiancé carried more weight than a boyfriend.”
“I get it, especially when it comes to me. My boyfriends haven’t exactly been stand-up guys.”
She deserved a stand-up guy, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it. After last night, he’d been more than a little tempted to offer himself for the position. To turn his lie into the truth. This morning, he’d had second thoughts. Especially after learning what Agnes and Sadie had been up to. He had to stay focused on the case. Not on a woman who made his heart race and turned his brain to mush.
“At the time I said it, I didn’t think Dwight had a connection to the town or to you. The last thing I expected was for him to go to Spill the Tea.” The trail widened, and Chase skirted the back end of the horse, looping his fingers through its bridle to bring their walk to a stop. He wanted to see Sadie’s face. “I’m worried about you, you and your grandmother. You need to back off and let Nate and me handle it from here on out.”
“If it weren’t for me and my grandmother, you wouldn’t know about Payton and Dwight or the life insurance policy.”
“You’re right, and I’m not denying the information that you obtained provided us with the biggest break in the case. But you’re also smart enough to realize the danger you’re in.”
“I’m more worried about my brother. It’s bad enough that the sheriff and his deputies are trying to pin Brodie’s death on him, but to think that they ultimately want to see him dead. Or at the very least, Dwight might…” She trailed off and looked away.
“That has always been their endgame, Sadie. Your brother knows too much. That’s why it’s imperative I take him into protective custody until we get everything straightened out.”
“I know that now. Convincing Elijah will be the hard part. He doesn’t trust law enforcement.” She clicked her tongue to get the horse to walk. “My father made sure of that.”
Except Elijah had trusted Brodie. Then again, maybe he hadn’t. Maybe the deputy had been a means to an end. “Elijah was, what, nine when your father went away?”
“Closer to ten. It took almost a year before they caught up to my father.” She glanced at him. “But you knew that, didn’t you? You’ve known all along the part I playe
d in his escape.”
“I’ve known since the day that I met you. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.” He cleared his throat at what sounded like an admission that he was falling in love with her. At least in his mind it did. Maybe because he was. “I mean, I don’t judge you for what you did. You were young, and he was your father. From what I’ve read about him, he was a brilliant, charismatic man, who manipulated people much older than you. People who were trained to know better.”
Two guards had unwittingly aided in Jeremiah’s escape from federal prison. Sadie’s mother had been waiting for him a mile away. They’d been in a motor vehicle accident just hours after his escape. The couple had been pronounced dead at the scene.
“It wasn’t my father,” she said quietly. “I did it because of my mother. She begged me to lie for him and to lead the law enforcement officers far from the cottage so he could get away. I didn’t know she’d planned to go with him. I should have known though. Granny used to say my mother wasn’t just in love with my father, she was consumed by him. She loved him to distraction. I guess she didn’t have enough love left over for us.”
“My mother was the same,” he surprised himself by saying. He only spoke about his mother to his brother and the judge, and it was rare that they spoke about her at all. But he wanted Sadie to know she wasn’t alone, so he continued. “Even when my grandfather warned her that he’d petition for custody of me and my brother if she didn’t leave the man she was involved with at the time, she chose him. Happily, I might add.”
“I’m so sorry. That must have been horrible for you and your brother.”
“No more horrible than it was for you and Elijah.”
“What about your father?”
“He’d never been in the picture. My grandfather hadn’t been either until we moved closer to DC, and then he stepped into the role of father figure.” He smiled. “We were lucky he did. I don’t like to think where either of us would be right now if he hadn’t.”