CHAPTER 9
Before Brigid knew it, the day of Rachele’s visit had arrived. As the silver four-door rental car pulled into her driveway, Brigid stepped out the front door and waved to her guest. Rachele shut the engine off and climbed out, “Oh, it’s so great to see you again, Brigid. Thank you so much for letting me stay with you.” She hugged Brigid and looked around the outside of the house and at the landscaping. “This place is gorgeous. Maybe I need to give up writing and take up editing instead.”
Brigid laughed. “No, you definitely don’t want to do that. You’re a very gifted author. Stay with that. Come on in. I’ll help you with your bags.” Rachele opened the trunk of her car and took out her suitcase and computer bag. Brigid led her to the guest room and then gave her a tour of the house. “Jett’s my dog. He’s outside getting some exercise right now, but I’ll introduce you to him when he comes in later.”
Rachele looked out the window where Jett was rolling around in the back yard. “I love dogs,” she said. “One of my friends in Los Angeles has a newfie. It’s a great breed.”
“He’s actually my first dog,” Brigid said as they sat down in the great room. “Jett belonged to the previous owners of the house, but they couldn’t keep him in the condominium they bought in Denver. They felt he needed a place with a yard, so when they offered him to me, I decided I’d take him. He’s been really great company. I’m still learning his little quirks, but he’s very easy to get along with.”
“That’s great. I bet it’s reassuring to have a big dog like him since you’re kind of isolated out here all by yourself,” Rachele said offhandedly.
“I have a neighbor nearby. You can’t see his house from here, but he’s just up the road. Actually, we’re going out to dinner in a couple of hours. You don’t mind, do you?” Brigid asked.
“Of course not! Go out and have fun. I didn’t come here expecting you to babysit me. I’ll try to get something written.”
“Thanks, and don’t worry about letting Jett in. I don’t want him getting confused while I’m gone, and you’re here. I know he came from a trainer, so who knows what he might think. Anyway, I’d rather introduce you two when I get back.” Brigid didn’t think Jett would do anything, however finding a stranger in his home and his owner gone might upset him.
“Totally understandable.”
“Rachele, I have plenty of food and drinks in the fridge. Please help yourself, and I want you to make yourself at home. If you get too bored, there’s a small park just past my neighbor’s house. It’s a trailhead for a few local walking trails. If you really need some fresh air or something, you can always check one of them out. They wind around for a mile or so and then lead back to the trailhead.” Brigid was quiet for a moment. “I think that’s everything. Excuse me. I need to change clothes and get ready to go to dinner.”
“Go, go. I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about me,” Rachele said as she stood up. “Anyway, I need to unpack and dig out my computer. I may drive around later to get a feel for the town.”
“Sounds like a good idea. You’ll have to tell me what you think about Cottonwood Springs,” Brigid said.
“I will,” Rachele said as she headed to the guest room while Brigid went to her bedroom.
Brigid closed the door to her bedroom and decided having a house guest wasn’t such a bad thing. Even though she’d been apprehensive, it looked like it would work out just fine. It seemed that all Rachele wanted was somewhere quiet where she could focus and hopefully break through her writer’s block.
She took her favorite black slacks, a peach silk shirt and a matching cardigan sweater out of her closet, put them on the bed, and went into the bathroom to shower. As she was getting ready, Brigid thought about their plans for the night. Linc was driving her to a small but well-known steak house a couple of towns away that had opened while she was in Los Angeles. It had been a long time since she’d been on an official date. It seemed that going to a restaurant certainly qualified as one.
For some reason she was really nervous about the evening. Come on Brigid, she thought to herself, it will be the same as when he ate over here the other night, the only difference being you’ll be out in public. You can manage that, can’t you? She certainly hoped so.
While Brigid was getting ready, Rachele was in her room doing a few local searches on her computer. She looked up the directions to the B & B that Lucy owned. It had been quite a few years since Rachele had been in Cottonwood Springs. She was determined to make Lucy pay for ruining her life, and she needed a plan in order to do that. She heard Brigid answer the door and she stepped out into the hall.
“Oh good,” Brigid said when she turned around and saw her. “Rachele, this is Linc, my neighbor. Linc, this is Rachele. She’s one of the writers I work with. She’s been having a problem with writer’s block, so I invited her to come visit me here in Cottonwood Springs to get a fresh perspective and hopefully be inspired to write something new.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Linc said, holding out his hand to Rachele who shook it.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. You two have a good time,” Rachele said as they heard a scratch at the back door.
“Sounds like Jett doesn’t want to stay outside,” Brigid said. She turned the knob and Jett ran in the house. He’d heard Linc’s voice and wanted to greet him.
“Hey, buddy, how have you been?” Linc said as he ruffled the dog’s fur. Jett licked his hand and brushed against his leg. He turned, saw Rachele, and began backing up until he was next to Brigid.
“Hello Jett. I’ve heard so much about you,” Rachele said as she leaned over and offered Jett the back of her hand. Jett began to growl.
“Jett! What’s wrong with you? I’ve never seen you do that,” Brigid said.
Rachele leaned back, clearly hurt. “It’s okay, it will probably just take a little time.” She smiled at him. “I’ll bet we’re fast friends by the time you two are back.” Jett growled again.
“Jett! That’s enough. Go lie down, now!” Brigid scolded. Jett slunk off to flop onto his loveseat. “I’m so sorry, Rachele. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. Would you rather I put him back outside?”
“No, no. I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ll just go out for a little while. Like I said, I’d like to see the town. Don’t worry about it,” she insisted.
“Okay. I’ll see you when I get back, and if you’re asleep, see you in the morning.” Brigid and Linc waved as they walked out the front door.
“Have fun you two!” Rachele called as she shut the door. She sat down in the great room, waiting for Linc’s car to pull away. Once she was certain they were gone, she headed to her room to grab her purse. When she re-entered the great room, Jett began to growl.
“Shhh, you’ll have the house all to yourself in just a little bit. Don’t be so testy,” she told the dog. As she left the house, she started to feel nervous. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to go through with killing Lucy. Even though her arrest and conviction had happened a long time ago, when she drove through town, it felt as though it had happened yesterday. Most of the buildings looked exactly as they had all those years ago. Some had different businesses in them, but little else had changed.
When she turned down Grove Street, Rachele caught sight of the B & B. It was starting to get dark, and the lights in the house had been turned on. She pulled into a public parking lot across the street from the B & B. There was only one other car parked in it, a black luxury sedan with dark tinted windows. It was hard to tell if anyone was sitting in the car or if it was empty. Rachele decided it didn’t matter. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, just parking and taking in the small-town life.
There were a couple of cars in the parking lot at the B & B and while she was looking at it she saw a figure moving in front of one of the windows. A light flipped on in the back of the B & B. As Rachele watched, she realized the person walking around the B & B was Lucy. She could tell from across the street it was her. Anger began to sp
read throughout her chest, up her spine, and into her head. She felt a sudden pounding in her head. All she could think of was the time she’d spent in prison because of that woman, Lucy Bertrand.
Rachele clenched her jaw. She remembered the beatings and fights she’d had when she was locked up. Her family had hardly ever visited her, then they stopped showing up at all, leaving her totally alone. She’d never seen any of them since then. Nobody cared about her, and it was all Lucy’s fault. Rachele started the car and left the parking lot, knowing she needed to put as much space as she could between Lucy and her before she did something foolish, something she’d regret. She needed to think this through before she made a stupid mistake.
When she returned to Brigid’s home, she went directly to her room. She felt like something had broken loose in her. She opened her laptop and clicked on the word processing document she’d saved her book on. Her fingers began to move over the keys with ease and she began writing once again. She didn’t stop until her eyes were bleary, and she’d written two chapters. Grateful to be free of writer’s block, she went to bed, and slept the best she had in a long time.
The following morning Rachele woke up to the smell of coffee and toasted bagels. She pulled on her cream-colored robe and stepped quietly out into the hall. Jett saw her coming down the hall and went over to Brigid where he flopped down on the floor and watched Rachele.
“Good morning,” Rachele said, eyeing the dog.
“Good morning. I hope you slept well,” Brigid said as she turned around. “Would you like some coffee and a bagel?”
“That sounds wonderful. Thank you,” Rachele said, yawning.
As Brigid handed Rachele a plate with a toasted bagel on it she tripped over Jett. “Good grief, Jett. Why are you under my feet this morning?” she asked. Jett didn’t move. “I swear it’s like he’s a huge boulder that just moves around the house. If he decides he’s going to park himself somewhere, there’s no choice but to walk around him,” she said with a laugh.
“I can well imagine. He’s a big boy. How old is he?” Rachele asked.
Brigid thought for a moment. “His owners said he was just a little over two years old. At least he’s finished growing.” She chuckled. “I’m not sure I could handle him getting any bigger.”
“I can understand that,” Rachele said as she spread cream cheese on her bagel. “Your home and this area seems to agree with me. After I returned from my drive last night, I was able to write two chapters.”
“That’s great. Where all did you go?” Brigid asked.
“Oh, I just drove around a bit. Nowhere special,” she said dismissively. “I only stopped writing because I was so tired I couldn’t see the screen. I plan on starting again after my shower.”
“Good,” Brigid said. “I have quite a bit of work to do today, so I’ll be fairly busy, but there’s a book club meeting tonight at my sister’s book store at 6:30. I’d love for you to come as my guest. Maybe you could get some new readers. I can introduce you as an author who has another book coming out soon.”
Rachele thought that was extremely nice of Brigid, but she was afraid that someone might recognize her. She couldn’t exactly ask Brigid who would be attending the book club meeting. That would look suspicious. As much as she would have liked to go, she knew it was too risky. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stay here and write.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know,” Brigid said as she picked up her cup of coffee. Jett, sensing Brigid was getting ready to leave, stood up. “I’m going to head off and get to work. Let me know if you need anything. Come on, Jett.”
It wasn’t until 4:00 that afternoon that Brigid saw Rachele again. She was in the kitchen and the refrigerator door was open.
“How’s the writing coming along?” Brigid asked.
“Really good,” she said closing the door. “I’m kind of in a flow right now. I just stopped to make a sandwich. I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the book club meeting with me? I’ll be leaving now as I have a dental appointment and after that I have a couple of errands I need to run. When I’m finished with those, I could swing by the house, pick you up, and take you to the book club meeting,” Brigid said.
“Thanks again for the offer, but I think I better ride this creativity wave while I’m on it. Enjoy yourself and let me know how it went.”
“I will. I’m going to leave Jett outside. I think maybe he needs some fresh air. He’s been underfoot all day. See you later,” she said as she headed out the front door.
CHAPTER 10
After her visit to the dentist and completing a couple of errands, Brigid made her way to her sister’s book store. Arriving a few minutes before the book club meeting was scheduled to start at 6:30, she opened the door to the book store and was promptly greeted by her sister.
“I’m so glad you said you’d help me. I need to straighten up the books. Would you arrange the chairs so they’re all somewhat facing each other?” Fiona asked.
“Sure, do you have any snacks?” Brigid asked. “I can head to the store and get some if you don’t.”
“Thanks, but I talked to Lucy earlier today. She’s going to bring her special chocolate peanut butter cookies tonight. I need to get tea made once everything’s cleaned up and clear a space for the refreshments.” Fiona rushed around, returning books to their places. “I meant to get to this earlier, but the store was busier than normal. Now that the weather is starting to cool off people are reading more.”
“That’s good for business,” Brigid said as she moved some of the chairs around. They worked together and soon had the space cleared that was needed for the book club meeting. When they were finished, they sat down to relax while they waited for the members to arrive. “How many people do you expect tonight?” Brigid asked.
“Twelve if I counted right. That’s usually how many come to the meetings. Brandon should be here any minute.” Just then, the door chime signaled that someone had entered the shop. “Speak of the devil,” Fiona said.
Brandon walked in and smiled at his wife and sister-in-law. “How are you ladies?” he asked as he leaned over and kissed Fiona.
“Good, just waiting for everyone to get here,” Brigid said.
“So nobody else is here right now?” he asked.
“No, why?” Fiona asked.
Brandon ran his fingers through his light brown hair and sighed. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but I had to call Rich yesterday about Mike Loomis.”
“What? What happened?” asked Fiona.
“Several guests told me he was selling meth out at the ski resort. He’s really looking rough, and I noticed he was talking to himself a lot, too. I think the stuff has fried his brain. Who knows what he’ll do next? I can’t have that kind of thing around the resort, you know. It’s bad for business, plus it’s against the law, so that’s why I called Rich.”
“I agree with both. And you know how many people look at the reviews before they book something. One bad review…” Brigid let the thought trail off.
“I know. I feel bad since we’ve all pretty much grown up together but I didn’t feel like I had any other choice.” He sighed, obviously affected by his decision.
“Don’t let it get to you, Brandon. Mike should have respected you and the resort more than that. You did the right thing. You weren’t the one selling meth to the guests,” Brigid said with a smile.
The door jingled again, signaling another arrival. Missy and her husband Jordan entered and waved. “Hey guys, how are you all doing?” Jordan asked.
“It was a long day but we’re here now,” said Fiona.
“I hear that and completely understand what you’re saying,” Missy said.
While they were talking, Margaret and Betty arrived. They were the oldest two members of the club, 78 and 81 respectively, but they were still spry and attended every book club meeting. They loved getting out and spending time with everyone in the
group. When the weather was nice, they could often be found in the park, reading whatever book the club was reading that month.
“Evening, ladies,” Brandon said to them.
“Good evening, everyone.” They both waved before taking their usual spots in the most comfortable chairs the book store offered.
The next person to join them was someone Brigid didn’t know, a man named Zach Thompson. He was a bit younger than the others, in his early thirties with dark blond hair that curled around his ears. He was tan and both of his ears were pierced. He smiled warmly at everyone and Brigid returned the smile. She’d heard from Fiona that he’d moved to Cottonwood Springs a few years after she had moved away. He was one of those charismatic people everyone enjoyed being around.
Three more showed up. Ben and Regina Carpenter were old friends of Brigid from school, and Margo Phillips, who was roughly Brigid’s age, but was from a nearby town.
“Is Lucy not here yet?” Missy asked.
Everyone looked around but apparently Lucy hadn’t arrived yet.
“Well, I wish she’d hurry up,” she said. “I stopped by and talked to Lucy while I was out for a walk early this afternoon. She was just starting to make her special chocolate peanut butter cookies. Oh, my gosh,” she said placing her hand on her chest. “She gave me one when I left. I have to tell you it was simply divine. I’ve been dreaming of having another one ever since I finished it.”
A few minutes later Fiona came over to where Brigid was seated and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “I’m worried. Would you call Lucy? It’s completely unlike her to be late to anything, much less when she’s in charge of refreshments. Here,” she said, slipping her cell phone into Brigid’s hand. “Her number is in my contacts.”
Brigid nodded and stood up. While everyone was catching up with each other while they waited for Lucy, she slipped into the back room and scrolled through Fiona’s contacts list until she found Lucy’s number. She pressed it and held the phone to her ear. She counted the rings until Lucy’s voicemail picked up.
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