He shrugged and motioned toward the phone. “Keep scrolling.”
As I did, he polished off his quiche and reached out for a plate of coffee cake. After his first bite, he moaned lightly with pleasure.
Crystal’s parents were in one picture and DeWayne’s in another. Surprisingly elegant wedding pictures were followed by those of the honeymoon. The happy couple on the Las Vegas strip. By the volcano. The pyramid. In front of a wheel of fortune game and a skimpily clad waitress. In front of a framed “Big Winner” picture. The last was the two of them by the pool.
“Well?” Paul said.
“I didn’t know DeWayne looked that good in swim trunks. He must be a closet weight lifter.”
Paul snorted in disgust. “That’s all you have to say about these?”
“Definitely not.” I snorted right back. “I agree with you. We can’t let Liz see these.”
“See what?” my sister said, pushing through the saloon doors.
I jumped and exchanged a panicked look with my brother, who slipped his phone into his pocket. “Nothing, sis.”
She held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
He smiled. “It’s a birthday surprise.”
“And since my birthday is the same day as Vicki’s, and since that’s not until spring, that’s totally bogus.”
“I didn’t mean your birthday,” he said, sounding lamer by the minute.
“Show me what’s on your phone,” Liz said, her voice sounding sharper.
They stared at each other and, for a moment, I thought Paul would hang tough. But he pulled his phone out, turned on the pictures, and set it on the counter.
Liz picked it up and gasped, placing the tips of her shaking fingers to her lips.
Paul said, “I’m sorry, Liz. I didn’t want you to see them.”
She waved away his words. “I’d have to see them eventually. They’ll be showing up on his Facebook page soon, or hers. I’d rather see them now so they won’t catch me by surprise.”
She scrolled through and studied them. Finally, she set the phone back down on the counter. Keeping her face neutral, she turned to Paul and me as if it didn’t matter. “They make a lovely couple.”
And she walked out.
~ ~ ~
David’s parents sought me out at the check-in desk and asked if they could visit with me for a few minutes. They hadn’t eaten lunch and it was noon, so I invited them into the dining room and served up sandwiches and more peaches-and-cream coffee cake for dessert.
There was a good feeling about Bob and Molly Weston, even though I got nervous whenever I talked with them. After all, they were David’s parents. But, thirty minutes later, my awkwardness had nearly vanished.
I could see that David had learned how to tease from his parents. They were fun to be around.
Molly was very interested in how David and I met.
“It was during my grand opening weekend,” I said. “There was a murder here at the Inn during a blizzard and a friend and I snowmobiled into town to my brother’s house. My brother, Paul, is the police chief. Anyway, I told my brother what happened, and then your son frightened me.”
“He frightened you?” His mother sounded surprised. “How?”
“He was hidden behind my brother’s desk and I didn’t know he was even in the room until he leaned forward and spoke. It gave me quite a start. However, he saved me by cooking for the Inn when my original cook broke her leg and had to move in with her parents in Salt Lake City for awhile.”
His father said, “May I have another piece of cake? It’s delicious.”
“Sure.” Happily, I served him another slice. I liked to see people enjoying the cooking David was helping me improve. “So tell me a little about yourselves. You live in California.”
“Right. Oxnard. And we own a Dodge dealership.”
Remembering David’s brand new Dodge Charger, I laughed. “He told me he got a good deal on his new car. I didn’t realize it was a family discount.”
“He practically stole it.” Bob Weston chuckled.
His wife smiled. “You made him earn that discount.”
“By the way, happy anniversary,” I said. “Today is the day, right?”
Molly nodded. “Twenty-eight happy years.”
“Twenty-four. I wasn’t very happy while I was going to school,” Bob teased.
“But you made up for it with the next four years surfing the big waves in competitions.”
“That’s true. It evened out.” He finished his second piece of cake and pushed the plate away from him. “Now I’m going to need a nap to rest up for our evening out on the town.”
Molly confided, “David is going out with us tonight. He’s taking us into Park City.”
“That will be fun for you,” I said. “Park City is a fascinating town.”
They excused themselves and went up to their room.
Around three o’clock, Lonny’s pickup pulled up in the back parking lot.
I opened the back door of the Inn with a smile, delighted to see all three of my guys. Zach raced ahead and hugged me. “It was so much fun, Mom.”
I rubbed his hair. “I’m glad, squirt.”
He babbled on excitedly about the badges he’d earned and the food he had helped cook, and the s’mores, and the tinfoil dinners, and how cold it was because it was a winter camp, and how they stayed warm in their sleeping bags. I smiled as I listened to him rattle on excitedly.
David and Lonny unloaded tents, sleeping bags, and coolers from the back of the truck.
Zach glanced at the men and said, “I’ve got to get my stuff,” as he headed back to the truck.
Lonny and David came toward me, each hefting a heavy-looking piece of camping equipment. I smiled at them both. “You didn’t kill each other. I’m so proud of you.”
“Nope,” Lonny said. “We had a great time.”
David chuckled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone winter camping. It was pretty cold for this California boy.”
“Downstairs in your storage room?” Lonny shifted the load he carried.
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“Is it okay if we set it all in the back lobby first?” Lonny asked.
“Sure.”
I held the door open while they carried in their loads and set them by the check-in desk. Zach and I grabbed a bag of food and Zach’s backpack and carried them inside. The men carried in another load.
I closed the door on the cold air and told them, “I have some hot chocolate ready after you carry everything downstairs.”
Zach tugged on my sleeve. “Mom, you told me I should always keep my promises.”
I looked at him seriously. “Yes. That’s right. You should always keep your promises.”
“And you promised I could have a dog.”
“Yes.” I sighed, stung. He was right. I hadn’t kept it. I meant to, but I kept putting it off. “Yes. I did promise.”
“Then I want you to keep your promise.”
I glanced at the two men who had doubtlessly put my son up to this. They smiled innocently. I sighed again. I still meant to keep my promise. But keeping Liz out of jail seemed more important right now. “As soon as the murder is solved, I’ll get you a dog.”
Zach moaned. “But that will take forever.”
“Not forever,” I said, remembering Paul saying Liz might be arrested soon. “Very soon, I think. But I’m too worried about your Aunt Liz to consider a new dog right now. Will it be okay if we wait until the police arrest someone?” Arrest someone other than Liz, of course.
He pouted and looked at the guys. “I told you she wouldn’t.”
David laughed. “She will. Just give her a few more days.”
Lonny distracted my son with, “Let’s go put your camping stuff in the storage room.”
The three of them busied themselves carrying gear downstairs.
Lonny came back up first.
“So how was it?” I asked with a smile, pouring the hot wat
er into mugs and stirring in hot cocoa mix. “Really?”
“David is a great guy. Who knew?”
I didn’t expect that. I thought they were both jealous of each other. It was kind of flattering, but unnerving, too.
“Not as great as I am, of course,” he continued. “So what do you think? Are you still ready to go out to dinner next week?”
With a dry mouth, I said, “Yes.”
His smile lit up the room. “Great. Next Saturday?”
“Can we have the same proviso I just gave Zach? After someone besides Liz has been arrested for the murder?”
His eyes widened. “Is there a danger of Liz being arrested?”
Oops. I let that slip out. “You are sworn to secrecy, Lonny. Yes, there is a danger. I’m not handling it well.”
He said, “What if we go out, unless she gets arrested?”
I paused. I couldn’t live my entire life afraid, and as long as Liz was still free, I would be okay. “All right. Next Saturday. Unless Liz gets arrested.”
“I can live with that,” he said.
Zach came running up. “Mom, I just remembered I have to go to Cameron’s birthday party now.”
Great. Another reminder of why I needed to buy toys on sale and stash them in one of the closets so I could pull one out at the last minute. Now I had to go buy something. “Okay. Let me grab a present and I’ll drive you there. You can call me when the party’s over.”
Lonny said, “I’ll drive him over.”
I instantly decided cash would make a great gift. “Hold on while I find a card. Thanks for taking him.”
“My pleasure.” He gave the words extra emphasis. I looked up in surprise to see David walking in. Lonny grinned at me.
David looked at us suspiciously and frowned.
I was beginning to think two men at the same time was one too many.
~ ~ ~
David and his parents were sitting at my kitchen table. His mother was cutting lettuce for a dinner salad, and his father was leaning back on his chair.
The conversation revolved around beaches and surfing and I realized why David seemed so much like a surfer. Because he was one. Apparently, he’d even picked up some awards along the way.
“I’m impressed,” I said.
He chuckled. “I told you I was pretty cool. You just didn’t believe me.”
I nodded. “Pretty cool. Duly noted.”
David glanced at his watch. “What time was Zach’s party over?”
I looked at my watch. “He should have called by now, I think.” I checked my phone, but no calls or texts had come in. “I’d better call.”
“He said he was going to walk home, about thirty minutes ago,” the mother hosting the birthday party said when I reached her. “A couple of the boys were walking together. I’m sorry. I thought it would be okay. I’ll check to see if he’s still here.”
A mother’s panic nipped at me and I tried to keep it in check. “I’ll go see if I can find him.”
“Please call me,” she said. “Now I’m getting worried, too.”
When I hung up and told them where I was going, David offered to come with me.
Walking out the back door, David pointed. “Isn’t that Zach?”
As I looked, relief flooded me. “It is.” I pulled out my cell phone and called the other mother back to tell her he was safely home.
Before I hung up, David started chuckling.
“What’s so funny?”
“Your little boy has a dog with him.”
I looked more closely and, sure enough, there was a dog. When we walked out to meet Zach, I saw it wasn’t a puppy, but nearly a full-grown dog. Probably about a year or so, because it still had big, puppyish-looking paws.
“I guess he got tired of waiting,” David said. “He’s been pretty patient so far.”
“You and your darn visualizations.”
“They work every time.”
“Put your power to better use and visualize me up some minions.”
“Ha! We’re your minions.”
“Mom, look!” Zach called out, pointing to the dog. “It’s a girl dog. A grown dog.”
“Where’d you get her?” I asked, kneeling to pet the dog as it ran up to David and me.
Her coat was dirty and she looked like she wasn’t getting enough to eat, which triggered my awww reflex. I couldn’t tell what breed she might be. She kind of looked like several breeds had a party. Her body was a little longish, like a beagle or dachshund, her nose long and colored black and white like a border collie, a white chest, and different shades of brown and beige splotched her back, though that could have been mud.
I felt sorry for the poor dog.
“She followed me home!”
“With him feeding her bread crumbs all the way,” David whispered.
I nodded.
Zach stopped in front of us, and the dog danced around a moment until Zach knelt down and patted its ears. Then it licked his face.
When he threw his arms around the dog’s neck, I knew what was coming next. I decided to change the subject. “Why didn’t you call so I could pick you up? I’ve been worried, and so was your friend’s mom.”
“Sorry, Mom. But the other guys were walking home. And then I found Penny.”
“Why are you calling her Penny?”
“Because she’s like my lucky Penny.”
Zach looked up at me, joy and hope shining in his beautiful face that reminded me so much of my beloved late husband, Robert. “Can we keep her, Mom?”
How could I say no to that? This actually felt like giving in to the inevitable, as if it was meant to be somehow. I said, “Maybe. We’ll have to see if she belongs to anyone else first.”
“Awww, Mom.”
“I know that disappoints you, but there may be another little boy who lost her and feels sad because his dog is missing. We have to at least check.”
“Okay,” Zach said. “Now I can use the water bowl and food bowl David got for me to visualize with.”
“Yeah, I’ll have to thank him for those.” I was only being partially sarcastic.
“I already did, Mom.”
Chapter Fifteen
“YOU GOT A NEW DOG?” Grandma asked, her tone incredulous.
“Not exactly. A dog followed Zach home.”
“Same difference.”
“I’m going to see if we can find the owner.”
She smiled at me as she climbed out of my Jeep. “Come take my arm, oh deluded one. The sidewalks are icy today.”
She called shortly after Zach introduced me to Penny, to say her car was in the shop and could I drive her over to talk with Matt Borman? Since it was a Saturday, his offices weren’t open, but he had agreed to come in for Grandma. I just bet he had. Grandma had a gazillion dollars to invest and he was no fool. She asked Paul to meet us here as well, because she trusted his judgment.
I just wanted to sneak in a few questions for Matt. I was desperate to prove that someone—anyone besides my sister—could have done Gene in.
Grandma took my arm and spryly walked toward the door of Matt Borman’s investment office.
“So he’s got a new development coming in?”
“Lucille over at the Chamber of Commerce called and told me about it. He’s hoping to get a fancy-schmancy hotel built that caters to the ski and snowboarding crowd.”
“That shouldn’t hurt my business,” I said. “People who stay at bed-and-breakfasts are generally looking for a different experience.”
“Especially bed-and-breakfasts with murder mysteries.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?” My Inn was proving to be quite popular. Thank goodness.
Paul hit the lights on his cruiser and whooped the siren as he pulled up to the curb. “Hey, Grandma, Vicki.”
Grandma held out her other arm and he took it.
Matt opened the door to his business and invited us in. “Please come in, Mrs. Ross.”
He got us settled in chairs, offered
us our choice of water or soda, then took a seat next to my grandmother. “You said you’d like to ask me some questions about the Miner’s Gulch Development. Go ahead.”
That was the fancy-schmancy ski hotel, but I was more interested in the Silver Creek Development that Gene had so recently bought the land for.
Grandma started throwing out terms that impressed me. She sounded like an investment broker, herself. Paul caught my eye and I shrugged. Who knew?
Matt said, “I think it’s going to be an excellent investment opportunity.”
I took a chance and asked, “How about the Silver Creek project?”
Grandma looked at me and seemed to pick up that I needed more information. She obliged. “Yes. What can you tell us about that one?”
Matt’s face darkened. He smiled, but it was obviously forced. “Unfortunately, that project has been placed on the back burner.”
Paul said, “I understand Gene and Lamont bought that property from your father.”
Matt paused as if he didn’t want to say whatever was going to come next. “We were in the process of restructuring and getting all the property put under the trust, but that one hadn’t been done yet. Unfortunately, my father’s not as mentally agile as he used to be, and he was taken advantage of.”
“Really?” Grandma said. “By whom?”
Matt paused again. “I really shouldn’t say.”
“Oh, sweetie, you can tell us,” Grandma said. “Really.”
He sighed again. “Gene waited until I left town for a week, then he came up here and spoke with my father and brought papers for him to sign. By the time I returned, the deal was done and it was too many days after the fact to cancel legally. Gene got my father to sign away that property for a pittance. He robbed us. And I can’t get it back.”
He sounded bitter. Bitter enough to kill Gene? I wondered.
“Did you go to Gene’s house?” Paul asked. I knew Paul already knew this, so I figured he just wanted to see if he could get more information out of Matt in a more casual situation.
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