“I don’t know what to think except he needs to be behind bars.” I pointed at the pictures. “And now the police have something to help them identify him.”
—
Irene Ryland phoned me in the early afternoon to extend her thanks for the beautiful floral arrangement. “And Assistant Chief Lonsbury stopped by earlier,” she added.
“Did that go okay?” It had to have been better than the last time he’d been to her house and ended up arresting her.
“Yes, he tried to return the old photo of Troy, but I told him to keep it. Then he showed me what the computer came up with, aging Troy to look more like he’d look now.”
“And what’d you think, between the two images?”
“Judging from the last time I saw him, he looks a lot like the cleaner-living version, believe it or not.”
“That’s good information for the police. Irene, I have a favor to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“I was wondering if you’d send Troy that letter we talked about, maybe write ‘Urgent’ or ‘Important’ on the envelope. If we can get it in the mail today, it’ll be in St. Paul on Monday for sure. I know the P.O. number isn’t in his name, but the same person has had the box for years, so it must be Troy, don’t you think?”
“I would think so.”
“We have no way of knowing how often he picks up his mail, but if he’s on text alert, he’ll hopefully pick it up on Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday. It might be a long day waiting for him to show up, but I think it’s worth a try.”
Irene made a lip-smacking sound. “Shouldn’t the police be doing that?”
“Like I said before, this will save their resources. According to our police, they checked and there is no Troy Ryland who rents a mailbox at the downtown St. Paul Post Office. If we find out that he does, we will pass it along to them.”
“I’ll do it on one condition; that you take me with you. Yes, Troy knows me, but I can make myself look different. Molly bought me a wig a few years ago. She asked me to wear it when I went with her to a fancy party.”
“Irene, it could get to be a very long day.”
“I think we can narrow it down some.”
“How?”
“Troy’s father always said Troy would have to work an afternoon shift because he was such a night owl. I think we’d be safe if we got there by noon.”
A couple came in the front door. “I have to go, but we’ll talk later.”
“Okay, good-bye, Cami.”
—
The afternoon was surprisingly busy at both shops, but I found my mind often wandering back to thoughts of Molly. I hadn’t used the shop bathroom since she’d died there, and had not yet given it a good cleaning. When I was finally alone in the shop, I walked over to the bathroom door, opened it, stood on the threshold, and stared inside without reaching in to turn on the light. It was a normal little room where something very abnormal had occurred. The light flickered on and off, making my heart thump in my chest. “That did not happen,” I said and shut the door.
I went in the storeroom and leaned against the wall until my heart rate slowed down to normal. It was possible all the stress was getting to me and I was hallucinating.
“Cami, where are you?” Pinky called out.
I stepped out of the room. “Here.”
“Erin gave me the sheet on Troy Ryland a couple of hours ago, and I was wondering if that’s my copy.”
I smiled at the thought of what she wanted it for. “Not specifically. I may need it.”
“Whatever for?”
“Um, well, to compare it to someone else. So what do you think? Do either of the older versions look familiar to you, like the man that asked for the blonde that day?”
She shrugged. “I’ve looked at it like a hundred times, and all I can say is maybe. I’d need to see him in person.”
That could be happening sooner rather than later. “I know what you mean. He has pretty ordinary-looking features.” That reminded me of something else I planned to take care of. “I need to call my sister, unless you wanted something.”
“Not really. Erin and I are going to sit down for a while before I take off and hoped you would join us.”
“Sure, as soon as I make this short call.”
Pinky left when I picked up the shop phone and dialed my sister Susan’s number. She sounded out of breath when she answered, “H’lo?”
“Susan, are you running?”
“Just up the steps from the basement to get the phone. So how is everything going? Mom and Dad have been worried about you. We all have.”
“Thanks. It’s been an awful week, and we couldn’t feel worse about Molly, but we’re hanging in there as best we can.”
“You’re strong, Cami. A lot stronger than I’d be if that happened to me.”
“Don’t be too sure about that. Susan, I have a question that might seem strange. I’m wondering how you looked up the information on your house before you bought it. You know, like who owned it.”
“You’re thinking of buying a house?”
“Well, sometime maybe. Someone wanted to know.” Yes, that someone was me.
“Oh, well, it’s easy. Go to the county website and click the tab marked property search, type in the address, and it should give you the information you need.”
That was easy enough. I jotted the instructions on a piece of paper. “Thanks, Susan.”
“We’re looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner at Mom and Dad’s. See you then.”
My parents liked having all of us under their roof at least once a month, and for every holiday possible. “Yes, see you then.”
If I didn’t have a chance to look up Will’s friend at work, I’d do it when I got home. Pinky and Erin were sitting at a table in the back area of the coffee shop, and I joined them. There was so much to tell them, I didn’t know where to start. So I blurted out the juiciest bit first. “Clint kissed me.”
“Cami,” Erin squealed.
“Cami,” Pinky screeched even louder. Then they both grabbed my hands and squeezed until they turned blue.
“Ouch!” I said in protest, and they eased their grips.
“Tell us every single detail and leave nothing out,” Pinky said.
“There’s not all that much to tell. He stopped over when I was making dinner. He hadn’t eaten, so I invited him to join me, we ate, then he gave me a quick kiss good night, and left.”
“Pinky said not to leave anything out, and you are. Like did you kiss him back and how was it?” Erin gave my hand a tap.
“I had no clue he was going to do that, and I’m not sure if I kissed him back or not. It happened so fast. And I don’t think it should happen again.”
“What are you talking about?” Pinky said.
“Because what kind of life would we have together? We’d be fighting all the time.”
Erin held up a hand. “Whoa, Nellie. You are jumping from point A to point Z here. There are lots of things that happen between those two points.”
“Whatever.”
And that was as much as I could say on the subject, because the subject himself walked into Brew Ha-Ha, and he wouldn’t have been much of a detective if he couldn’t figure out what we were talking about. It was obvious from the way Pinky and Erin kept looking from Clint to me and back again that I had told them about our evening. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Camryn, do you have a minute?”
Great, those were eavesdropping words to Pinky. I nodded, stood up, and followed him into Curio Finds. “Something happen?”
“Why no, I stopped by to see if I could buy you dinner. I owe you one.” He had such a way with words.
“I don’t look at it that way.”
“Well, you have to eat.”
“Clint—”
He lifted
his hands like he was requesting a truce. “Let me start over. Camryn, it’s been a tough week, and I think it’s been especially hard on you. I thought going out for dinner might offer you a little distraction, help you relax.”
I didn’t know whether to be grateful or suspicious. “Oh, well, thank you.” Any kind of distraction sounded nice. “Where were you thinking of going?”
“Maybe the golf course restaurant, the Golfers Glen. Have you been there since they’ve remodeled?”
I shook my head. “Do I need to change clothes?”
He looked me over from my teal pullover sweater to my black pants. “No, you’re fine. You’ll be done with work at six?”
“Yes.”
“How about I pick you up at your house at six thirty?”
“Okay.” That’d give me a little time to freshen up.
“Okay,” he said with a nod then headed out the door.
Erin and Pinky stepped in from the other side of the archway. They had been listening, all right. “Cami’s got a date, Cami’s got a date,” Pinky said in a singsongy voice, sounding more like a six-year-old than a thirty-six-year-old.
“You two! I feel like we’re back in high school half the time. The only reason I said yes is because I was too tired to say no.”
“Uh-huh, and you have to eat,” Erin said.
I patted my hips and smiled. “Yes, I’d hate to waste away.”
—
Before I closed up for the day, I stuck my head in the shop bathroom and wiggled the light switch. “Okay now, no more monkey business. You’re off, and you need to stay that way.”
I hurried home, not planning to do more than freshen up, but I decided to jump in the shower instead. I let the hot water pound on my back for a minute as I soaped up then rinsed, wishing the cares of the week could wash away, too. Like that was remotely possible.
When I climbed out of the shower, there wasn’t much time to spare, so I dressed first, in case Clint was early. I put on a calf-length dark gray skirt and a light gray crewneck of the softest wool. It felt comforting when I stretched my arms into it then pulled it around my middle. I added a sterling three-chain necklace to dress it up a tad.
I brushed my shoulder-length hair, put on a little makeup, then went to the front closet for my boots and coat. I was ready and waiting when Clint pulled up and stopped in front of my house. I flipped on the outside light, turned the lock on the door, and was on the front stoop by the time he got out of his truck.
He walked to the passenger side and opened the door. A gust of wind hit me. “Brrr,” I said. Clint helped me in then got in himself and drove the couple of miles to the golf course west of town. The upper level lot, next to the main restaurant entrance, was full. “They’re busier than I would have expected this early. I’ll park in the back, and we’ll use that door.” As he drove to the lower lot, I realized that in his line of work, Clint would know all about back entrances.
As it turned out, it was the entrance the golfers used when they got off the course. We blew in the door with the wind and walked up the steps to the restaurant. The hostess recognized Clint. “Long time no see. Would you like to hang up your coats?” Clint helped me out of mine and disappeared into the coatroom with it for a minute.
When he returned, the hostess smiled and asked where we wanted to sit. “We’ve got a big anniversary party going on in the main dining room, so it’s a little noisy in there. But there are seats in either the sports bar or the smaller dining room.”
Clint looked at me. “The smaller dining room okay with you?”
“Sure.”
“Right this way.” The hostess led us to a room with double-wide glass doors that could be pulled shut for private gatherings. There were a few tables available, and she seated us near the back, on the other side of the area where the waitstaff had a counter for their supplies. She laid menus on the table. “Your server will be with you momentarily.”
I looked around at the woodsy décor. “It’s nice in here.”
“Even better, the food is great.” He picked up the menus and handed one to me. After I’d had a minute to study it, he said, “What looks good to you?”
Beef tenderloin, grilled jumbo shrimp, baby back ribs, pasta dishes. There was nothing on the menu that didn’t look good. My eating habits had been more miss than hit the past few days. “What are you going to have?”
“Prime rib.”
I took another look at the menu and debated for a minute. “I’ll go with the seafood platter.”
We talked about life in general as the server brought us wine, took our orders, and delivered our meal in courses. Clint was genial and did not make one aggravating comment throughout the entire evening. When we’d finished, the server scooped up our plates. “Can I offer you dessert, coffee?” she said.
Please say no to the coffee, Clint. “I don’t even have room for a sip of water. Thanks, though.” And Clint shook his head.
The server left, and I closed my eyes for a second, savoring my satisfaction with the delicious meal.
“Let’s get you home. We don’t want you falling asleep here, especially if you snore.” He sounded serious.
My eyes popped open and found Clint’s. I hoped to find a smile on his face, but it wasn’t there. The man was hands down the most exasperating person I’d ever spent both professional and personal time with. “You need to work on your bedside manner, Doc.”
His eyebrows rose, and he picked up the check the server had left on the table.
We were both quiet on the way to my house. He pulled into the alley in the back of my house and parked next to my garage. “It was a very nice dinner, Clint. Thank you.”
“Sure. I better walk you to the door. It’s way too dark in your backyard. When we talked about it, I thought you were getting a security light.”
“It’s on my list.” Well, it sort of was. I thought of it now and then.
We got out of the car, and Clint left it running, which eliminated the awkward moment of wondering whether to invite him in or not. We reached the back door—safely, I might add—and my keys were in my hand ready to unlock it. I turned around and faced Clint. “Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe we can do it again sometime.” He leaned in, and as his face came closer, it felt like everything was happening in slow motion. When his warm lips finally closed over mine, it took my breath away, and when the kiss ended, the most embarrassing gasping sound came out of me. It was so loud it even gave Clint a start. His body tensed, and his hands tightened on my arms. “Are you all right?”
I nodded, mortified beyond words, and went into my house, grateful there were no backyard beacons shining on my ruby red face.
13
The next morning I woke up early, trying to remember if I was supposed to work or not. Pinky and I took turns covering for each other on Sundays. Neither shop was overly busy, but they were profitable enough to warrant keeping them open. Brew Ha-Ha was busier in the morning, and Curio Finds had the bulk of the afternoon business. We also kept shorter hours, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., instead of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The upsetting week had thrown me off kilter, and it took me a minute to figure out it was Pinky’s Sunday. I stretched and smiled, thankful Molly’s ghost had not invaded my dreams. But then I remembered my awful-sounding gasp after Clint kissed me. Why had my body betrayed me like that? I had to think it was for the best, really. Just because Clint was the most talented kisser who’d ever shared that skill with me, that did not mean we should have a personal relationship.
The ringing phone surprised me, and I rolled over and picked it up from its holder. “Good morning.”
“Morning, Camryn, it’s Emmy.”
I sensed anxiety in her voice and sat up straight, waiting for the next shoe to drop. “Emmy, what is it?”
“Well, you know the police f
ound something here that they say is poison, so my neighbor Lester came over to help me try to figure out where it could have been hidden. I thought I’d see what things had been disturbed or were missing.”
“Did you find something?”
“Yes, I finally did. A box that had come from my husband’s shop is gone. It was on a shelf in the garage. I surely couldn’t understand why they would have taken that. And then I realized that must be where whoever is trying to frame me put the cyanide.”
Emmy believed someone was guilty of planting the evidence, but who in Brooks Landing knew of her past? And even if they did, they’d have a lot of dots to connect to come up with a scheme in a very short period of time.
“Emmy, how about I come over to your house and we talk about it?” I’d check with Mark to see if I could tell her what was in the box with the cyanide.
“That would be nice, Camryn. You and Lester are the two I trust the most here in Brooks Landing.”
“Thanks.”
When we hung up, I phoned Mark and asked him what Emmy was allowed to know. “It’s evidence that will be used in court. Her attorney will have access to all the information, so there should be no problem. Clint probably told her about it when he questioned her, but you can double-check with him.”
I would not be doing that. “Okay, I appreciate it. So, what are your plans for the day?”
“Working, but it’s my Friday so I have the next three off.”
“Sounds good, Mark. I’ll let you get back to it.”
I wanted to get to Emmy’s as soon as possible, so I condensed my morning routine to brushing my hair and teeth and pulling on jeans and a sweatshirt.
Emmy opened her front door before I rang the bell. Lester was standing beside her, and it struck me that they were a very nice-looking couple. They both had snow-colored hair and intelligent eyes. “Distinctive” was the word I’d have used to describe them. “Come in, Camryn. I didn’t expect you so soon. We’re having a cup of tea, if you’d like some.”
“Thanks.” We went into the kitchen where their cups were waiting. A decorative teapot from a bygone era was in the center of the table. Emmy got a cup out of the cupboard for me. We all sat down, and Emmy poured tea into my cup. It was an herbal blend, and I took a decent whiff but detected no smell of almonds. Not that I was paranoid; it was only a precaution.
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