Eleven
As I drove toward Justin’s house, my thoughts wandered back to Natalie. As far as I knew, Justin and Natalie hadn’t been in touch since their divorce over a year ago. An avid skier, she’d moved to Vermont with her boyfriend—the man with whom she’d had an affair. Was this why Justin had been so distracted at dinner the other night?
There had been a time when Justin, Natalie, Dylan, and I had gotten together almost every weekend, or whenever Justin’s work schedule allowed. Natalie and I were on friendly enough terms, but our relationship was nothing like our husbands’ rapport. Dylan had never cared for Natalie and told me so several times. Perhaps that had put me on my guard as well. Dylan felt Natalie took advantage of Justin—that she was too spoiled and pampered. When Justin broke the news that he’d caught her cheating with another man, Dylan had been livid. He’d told his friend that he was better off without her, and Justin had not taken the advice well. It was the only time I remembered them not speaking for a given amount of time.
Justin’s house was a small white ranch that Natalie had left him to pay for after she’d breezed out of town with her boyfriend. Questions crowded my brain. Did she think she could just waltz in and get back together with him, as if nothing had ever happened? Hadn’t she messed with his head enough? And lastly, why was I starting to obsess about this? I had no claim to Justin. Besides, I’d told him that I wasn’t ready for a relationship—with anyone.
Loving someone often came with the risks of disappointment and heartache. I’d experienced both. Once upon a time, I thought Dylan and I had the perfect marriage. After he died, I’d discovered some terrible secrets he’d kept from me and dishonest things he’d done, which had led to his murder. In his own mind, he’d felt justified in doing them, but that still didn’t make it right. However, Dylan always had my best interest at heart and was never unfaithful to me. That was the one thing I couldn’t have handled.
When I finally parked and rang the bell, a smell of burned meat permeated the air. My mood boosted, and I bit into my lower lip to keep from laughing. Justin opened the door immediately, a potholder in one hand and a can of air freshener in the other.
“Uh, there’s been a little change of plans,” he said, looking sheepish. “I called and ordered a pizza.”
I walked into the kitchen and stared at the blackened mess in the loaf pan on top of the stove. Justin had several windows open, but the smell was still strong, and I coughed. “What was it?”
He gave me a wry smile. “Meat loaf.”
I burst out laughing, and after a few seconds Justin joined me. “This is silly. I would have been happy to make dinner.” I waved a hand at the acrid air. “Plus, I would have enjoyed it. Something tells me you didn’t have a great time creating this—masterpiece.”
“No, I hate to cook. But I wanted to treat you to a night off.” He got down two mismatched glasses from the cupboard next to the stove. Justin wasn’t much of a housekeeper, but then again he was rarely home. There were dirty dishes in the sink, and when Justin opened the fridge to grab a bottle of wine, only condiments and beer decorated the shelves. It was much like the inside of the dorm fridge he and Dylan had shared many years ago. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Half a glass, please.”
He poured some Chianti for me, filled his glass, and then drank most of it in one gulp. Something in his demeanor was off, and I wondered if it had to do with Natalie’s earlier visit. “What did you do on your day off?”
He shook his head and poured himself more wine. “Nothing special. I spent some time making dinner—not that you can tell now. And I watched television. It was nice to have a day to myself and not have to think.”
“We all need that occasionally. You work too hard. How is work, by the way? I’ll bet they’re glad to have you back.”
A shadow passed over his face. “There’s good days and there’s bad days. The good days are when you’re able to save lives.” His grayish-blue eyes became stricken. “It was horrible to get the news about Dad back in February, but I wasn’t that sorry to leave my job for a while. I was burned out. No pun intended.” He smiled ruefully.
“Everyone has to have a break at some point,” I said. “You’re an amazing fireman.” He’d received several awards and recognition during the eight years he’d served in the department. “Are you thinking about a new career?” Frankly, I couldn’t picture it.
He gave me a wistful smile. “I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else. Probably like you can’t imagine not cooking. It’s always been my dream to be a fireman, since I was five years old. But this isn’t all shiny red fire trucks and cute spotted dogs. The work is stressful, intense, and I always have to have my wits about me. We’re talking about people’s lives here, and I can’t afford to screw up.” He paused and drew a deep breath. “But it’s also difficult to have any type of life for myself some days and not fair to those who are close to me. Does that make sense?”
“Of course.” He sounded guilt ridden, and I wasn’t sure why.
“Tess,” Justin said quietly, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
I hated it when people used that expression. Sure, I always tried to be optimistic, but that phrase usually meant something bad would follow. I had a suspicion as to what was coming. “It’s about Natalie, isn’t it?”
He stared at me, thunderstruck. “How’d you know?”
“I was at Java Time earlier. Archie said that he saw her tonight.” I left out the part about spying them together on the front porch.
He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin. “I forgot. Nothing is a secret in this town.” His tone was matter-of-fact, as if it didn’t really bother him, and then he lapsed into silence.
“What did she want?” I asked with interest.
Justin blew out a long breath and stared down at the table. “She asked me if we could get back together.”
Yes, I’d suspected as much, but it was still a surprise. “I see.”
He looked into my eyes. “Do you? Because I don’t. I’ve never been so confused in my entire life.”
“If you still love her,” I said slowly and carefully, “then the decision is easy.”
“I did love Natalie once. I wouldn’t have married her if I didn’t.” He hesitated for a moment and then poured himself another glass of wine. “I don’t know. My life feels like it’s spiraling out of control these days. Natalie kept begging me for another chance. She said she was lonely during our marriage, and that I was always working. She said that she turned to another man out of fear for me.”
“What?” This statement made no sense.
Justin smiled wryly. “Yeah. She said she worried that one night I wouldn’t come home to her.”
I said nothing. Justin didn’t need my judgment, but Natalie’s excuse sounded bogus. Justin had always been a workaholic, and she knew what she was getting into when she married him. I suspected he felt guilty for not being around much while he tried to work his way up the ladder. Dylan and I had talked about it a few times, and he felt that Justin indulged her every whim because of the guilt. Still, I couldn’t come right out and tell Justin what I thought. This was his life and his decision to make, not mine.
We both stood there with our drinks in companionable silence, lost in our own heads. The doorbell rang, and Justin went to answer it. He came back a minute later with a pizza box that he laid on the stove and grabbed two plates from the cupboard. Half of the pizza was plain, and the other side covered with sausage and peppers. He smiled sheepishly as he handed me a slice of plain. “Yours is ten times better than this.”
I bit into the slice. The pizza was hot, flavorful, and gooey. “It tastes pretty good to me. Mine isn’t the best in the world.”
“It has to be in the top ten,” he insisted as we sat down at the table. Justin opened a beer and held it out in question to me, but I sho
ok my head. He was drinking more than usual—another sign that he was upset. “Enough heavy talk. Tell me about Anything’s Pastable. Is everything ready to go? I’ve requested the night off from work, but you know that something might come up.”
I did know. There was always a chance Justin would be called in if a fire broke out and more hands were needed. He’d been ready to resign from the station back in February if they hadn’t granted his leave of absence. Fortunately, the fire department had agreed because they knew they couldn’t afford to lose him permanently.
“There’ve been challenges I didn’t expect,” I admitted. “More repairs than I’d planned on, and additional expenses. I think everything is finally under control, and my staff’s almost in place. I’m waiting to hear back from one woman I interviewed the other day. There are always going to be unexpected things that come up, but I can handle it.”
He smiled into my eyes with genuine affection. “You definitely can. I’m so proud of you, Tess. Dylan would have been, too.”
“Thanks.” No matter what happened between Justin and me, we’d always have a bond because of Dylan. Personally, I didn’t know if true love was in the cards for me again. Maybe you were only allowed one per lifetime. Besides, I wasn’t sure if I could ever love anyone as much as Dylan.
I reached for another slice of pizza. The sauce, cheese, and spices blended together perfectly. I had to remember to put more oregano in mine.
Justin broke into my thoughts. “By the way, I forgot to thank you for taking care of the house while I was away.”
“It was no trouble. You would have done the same thing if I needed it. Which reminds me, I still have your house key.” I wiped my hands on a napkin and went over to the front door where I’d hung my purse on a hook. As I reached inside, I happened to glance out the front window and spotted a BMW that looked like Sylvia Rigotta’s on the opposite side of the road, under a street light. Startled, I opened the front door. The car roared to life and zoomed past Justin’s house. The windows were tinted so I couldn’t see the driver, but I did glimpse the vanity plate—SpiceItUp. A cold, clammy sensation ran through me. Sylvia was following me. But why?
* * *
I left Justin’s about a half hour later. It had been a long day, and I wanted to try to get some sleep before meeting Gabby tomorrow morning. After that, I needed to experiment with some new dishes at the restaurant. As I got into the car, my phone buzzed. Gabby.
“Hey.” She sounded depressed. “Want to stop over for a girls’ night?”
I glanced at the clock. It was nine fifteen. “What happened to Lou? Is your date over already?”
“He got called into work.” She sighed. “Cops. What can I tell you? You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them.”
Her comment made me want to laugh, but I stopped myself in time. Someone desperately needed some cheering up tonight. “Did Lou give you any new details about Daphne’s murder?”
“No. Like Gino, he only said that the autopsy was expected back tomorrow.” Her tone became indignant. “Of course, it depends on whether good old Paddy is willing to share any details. So, will you come over?”
I really wanted my bed but hated to disappoint her. “Okay, I’ll swing by for a little while but no wine for me. I already had a glass.”
“That’s okay, I can think of something even better. I just thawed out a cheesecake.” She chuckled into the phone. “Hey, I know the frozen ones from the supermarket aren’t as terrific as the ones you make from scratch—”
“That sounds pretty good to me. I’m on my way.”
I pulled into her driveway about five minutes later, after glancing in my rearview mirror repeatedly along the way and scanning the street to make sure no one was around. The idea of Sylvia Rigotta lurking in the darkness, following my every move, was not a pleasant one.
Gabby was waiting at the door. “What’s wrong?”
I told her about seeing Sylvia’s car at Justin’s and she gasped. “She was following you? Did you call my brother?”
“I left Gino a voicemail but haven’t heard back yet. I’m guessing he’ll say there’s nothing the police can do. It’s not like she threatened me or anything.”
Gabby shook her head in disgust. “Once Detective Paddy McJerk finds out, he’ll look for a way to blame you instead. Mark my words.”
“Let’s not talk about him tonight,” I suggested and flopped down onto her couch with a yawn. Gabby went into the kitchen and returned a minute later with the cheesecake, two plates, napkins, and silverware that she set on her rustic coffee table. Despite the pizza I’d eaten, I was still hungry. “Looks good.”
Gabby sliced two huge pieces, handed me one on a glass plate, and then clicked the remote to a rerun of The Office. “I need to laugh tonight.”
We settled ourselves against the overstuffed pillows of her couch positioned in front of the slider window. Gabby reached up behind us to draw the curtains partway and then began to eat. “Okay, I don’t think it’s completely thawed, but it still tastes good.”
“No complaints here.” I took a bite and then wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Let’s see, that makes pizza, hot chocolate, wine, and now cheesecake, and that’s only for tonight.”
“Sounds like a reasonable diet to me.” Gabby scraped her fork against the plate and moaned with satisfaction. “I think I’m going to need another piece.”
I took another large bite. “Hey, do you have any whipped cream?”
She grinned. “That’s like asking if I have wine.” Gabby rose from the couch and walked into her adjoining kitchen. I moved over to her spot on the couch to grab a pillow, as a loud crash sounded behind me. Gabby let out a shriek while I dove under the coffee table, sending the cheesecake and Gabby’s glass of wine flying. From my position on the floor, I turned around to see a large, round hole in her window.
“Oh, my God!” she screamed and hurried to my side. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head and shakily raised myself up on my elbows. “What the heck was that?”
Gabby ran to the front door and flung it open, peering out into the darkness. “Maybe a prank? There’s a family down the street with six kids who I swear have no curfew. They’re always lurking around on the street till all hours.” She shut the door and came back over to me. “At least it’s not a bullet hole.” Gabby went into the kitchen and came back with a towel to blot the wine. She then pressed a button on her phone. “I’m going to see if Lou can swing by.”
On my hands and knees, I peered underneath the easy chair across from the couch and spotted a large rock, about six inches wide. A piece of paper was attached to it, held in place by a rubber band. My heart knocked against the wall of my chest as I held a napkin in my hand and gingerly picked up the rock.
“Babe, it’s me. Call me back as soon as possible. It’s important.” Gabby clicked off and then sank down on her knees next to me. “A rock? What’s that attached to it?”
“My guess is a note of some kind.” My hands shook as I opened the paper with the napkin, careful not to touch it in case of fingerprints. The paper turned out to be a piece of personal stationery. “This wasn’t a prank done by kids.”
Gabby stared over my shoulder at the words printed in black marker, “BACK OFF OR DIE.” On top of the paper, in raised gold letters, were an S and R, intertwined. Fear registered in her dark eyes as they met mine.
“Looks like Sylvia’s had a busy night,” she whispered.
Twelve
“Okay, don’t keep me in suspense, Gabs. What happened after I left last night?” It was ten o’clock on Tuesday morning, and we were headed down the Thruway in the direction of Gourmet Goodies. I’d gone home shortly after Lou had arrived the evening before. Gabby had refused the offer to stay at my house.
Gabby yawned and leaned her head back against the seat. She looked tired. “Lou got someone to fi
ll in for him and stayed on the couch all night. He didn’t want me to be alone.”
“That was sweet. Did they bring Sylvia in for questioning?” I asked.
She shook her head. “He said he’d pass the information along to Paddy, but there was no proof that the stationery belonged to Sylvia. Blah blah. I told him about her following you, but he said Paddy was handling it. I got annoyed with him and went upstairs to bed.”
“I wonder how Paddy does plan to handle it.”
Gabby’s lips formed into a pout. “Exactly. Sure, there’s no proof that she was following you, but why else would she be on Justin’s street? If you’d been outside her house, I bet Paddy wouldn’t hesitate to slap a pair of handcuffs on your wrists.”
“What did Gino say when you told him?”
Gabby stared out the window. “I didn’t tell him—yet.”
I almost veered off the road. “What? Why the heck not?”
She jutted her chin out in defiance. “Because he’ll just say the same thing that Lou did. It won’t do any good.”
“Lou will tell him then.”
Gabby folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t care. Lou’s out of town the next two days for a friend’s wedding. He won’t speak to Gino until he gets back. Let him find out then. I can do without another ‘Let Paddy handle it’ from him.” She mimicked her brother’s tone.
I struggled not to roll my eyes. “For heaven’s sake. You’re being ridiculous. This isn’t Gino’s fault.”
“Gino doesn’t understand that my business is about to go up in flames. I don’t need another lecture from him to stay out of police business. Someone obviously feels threatened by our snooping, so maybe we’re on to something.”
“He needs to know. Does Lou have the rock?”
She nodded. “He took it for evidence. Maybe I’ll tell Gino about it before Lou gets back.”
“Right.” Gabby wasn’t fooling me. I knew that tone and doubted she’d follow through. It was difficult to say who was more stubborn, her or Gino.
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