Fiddling with her napkin gave Abby something to look at besides the sympathy in her friend’s eyes. “Actually, she’s his ex-wife. They’ve been divorced for a long time, and he swears he had no idea that she was going to show up at the auction and bid on him. I believe him.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. I didn’t want to think he let you be blindsided like that.” Then she frowned. “So if he’s going to have to take his ex to the dance, who will you be going with?”
Another sore subject. “I have to be there extra early to make sure everything is ready to go. Going by myself will simplify that. If I had an escort, either he’d have to meet me there or else stand around for hours with nothing to do.”
Bridey no doubt recognized that explanation for the rationalization it was. “I’m sure Seth’s brother would be glad to fill in for you. Even if you have to be at the hall early, he can come later with the two of us. He’s a really nice guy, and I promise I’m not playing matchmaker. I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to go alone if you don’t want to.”
The idea was mildly tempting, but Abby finally shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but it’s probably better that I go alone. Since I’m in charge, I’ll probably have to spend much of the evening working behind the scenes.”
“Well, let me know if you change your mind. On a different subject . . . well, sort of, anyway. Have you heard if Gage has made any progress on the murder investigation?”
Before Abby could respond, the bell over the shop door jingled. Both women turned to see who had come in. Great, it was as if just mentioning Gage’s name had conjured up the man himself. He looked around the shop as he took off his sunglasses and stuck them in his shirt pocket. As soon as he spotted the two of them, he headed their way, pausing only long enough to tell Bridey’s assistant that he’d have his usual drink and a piece of the coffee cake.
“Mind if I join you? I won’t be staying long. I’m meeting with the mayor in an hour.”
Abby couldn’t resist the urge to tease him a bit. “To coordinate what you’re going to wear to the dance?”
It was fun to see the big man’s face flush a bit red. “Very funny, Abby. Rosalyn was just showing her support for a good cause, so don’t read anything into it.”
Bridey wasn’t having it. “She could’ve simply made a cash donation, Gage, or maybe put together a basket so the group could sell chances on it. That’s what Seth and I did.”
He glowered at both of them. “Maybe I should get my order to go.”
“No, please stay.” Bridey held up her hands in surrender and then caught her barista’s eye. “Gage’s order is on the house today, and please bring Abby another latte.”
Turning her attention back to Gage, she added, “We promise we’ll behave.”
When he settled back in his chair, Abby couldn’t resist stirring the pot a little. “Speak for yourself, woman. For one thing, I want to know why Gage blushed when we brought up the subject of his hot date with the mayor. I think there’s an interesting story behind it.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “There’s no story, and I did not blush.”
When they both snickered, he drew a deep breath and let it out. “Seriously, have you two regressed back to a middle school mentality?”
Abby didn’t bother to deny the allegation. “Probably. After we get done with you, we might just hunt down Pastor Jack and tease him a little, too.”
Gage finally chuckled. “Go easy on him. Don’t spread it around, but right before he went out onstage, he admitted to me he was afraid no one would bid on him at all.”
That had Abby grinning as she remembered the look on Jack’s face when they’d talked after the auction ended. “Connie sure proved him wrong, not to mention those other very determined ladies she managed to outbid.”
Her smile faded when she noticed the calculating look on Gage’s face. He sat up straighter to look at her more directly. “I’ve been wondering about something, Abby. Bridey here is married, so I get why she couldn’t volunteer to be up there on the stage.”
Okay, she really didn’t like where this was headed. “None of the auctionees were married.”
He nodded. “That’s true, but you’re not married. So why weren’t you up there strutting your stuff like the rest of us suckers?”
Abby choked on the bite of coffee cake she’d just eaten. Ever helpful, Gage reached over to pound her on the back several times. As soon as he stopped, she reached for her drink and took several small sips. When she could talk, she gave him the only answer she could. “It never even occurred to me.”
That wasn’t exactly true. The idea had crossed her mind, but only very briefly. She still didn’t know all that many people in Snowberry Creek, and she couldn’t imagine any of them paying cash to spend an evening with her. She’d assuaged her conscience with the knowledge that she needed to keep herself available to handle any problems that arose that evening. That was her story, and she was sticking to it.
But now that Gage had brought it up, what if she’d volunteered to be the one up onstage instead of forcing Tripp to be her sacrificial lamb? Would he have bid for her company? And would Valerie have still shown up at the auction?
The bell over the door jingled again as several customers walked in together. Bridey picked up her cup. “If you two will excuse me, I’d better get back to work. Abby, let me know if I can do anything to help with the last-minute stuff for the dance.”
“I will. Thanks, Bridey.”
When she was out of hearing distance, Gage lowered his voice and said, “I was going to check in with you this afternoon to see how things are going with Valerie staying at your place. Any problems I should know about?”
Rather than gloss things over, she gave him a partial truth. “Things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing, but nothing I can’t handle.”
He definitely had his cop face on now. “Like what, for instance?”
Telling him that Valerie had removed Abby’s setting from the table seemed petty and a little too much like snitching. “We’re not particularly comfortable around each other, but that’s understandable. We’re complete strangers sharing the same house. The only thing we have in common is Tripp, and I suspect he feels like he’s caught in the middle.”
Gage looked disgusted. “That’s his own stupid fault.”
“True enough. It also didn’t help that Glenda, Louise, and Jean were over earlier today. Valerie left before they got there and said she wouldn’t be back until after dinner, so I didn’t warn them she was staying there. When she waltzed back in hours too early, they wanted me to call nine-one-one and have her arrested for unlawful entry. After she left the room, they asked how I could sleep nights knowing a murderess was living under my roof.”
By that point, Gage was pinching the bridge of his nose as if the conversation was giving him a headache. “Seriously, are you really all right with her being there, or are you just being polite? I can have another talk with her as well as Tripp about the subject if you want.”
“No, I told Tripp she could stay there. Unless she causes me any real problems, I won’t renege on the deal. Hopefully, she won’t be there all that long.”
She gave Gage a questioning look, hoping he’d update her on the status of his investigation. He didn’t speak for several seconds, but then he finally nodded just a little. “Things are moving along, but that’s all I can tell you. We’re still following some leads and interviewing everyone who was at the auction. We hoped to be finished with that last part in the next day or so.”
Maybe this was a good time to let him know what she’d learned since the last time they’d spoken. “I was going to call you later. I figured out that one of the two men I saw Bryce talking to was Denny Moller.”
Gage had been about to take a drink of his coffee, but he froze midmotion. “Abby, what have I told you about messing in police matters?”
She held up her hands in surrender. “I know, I know. You want me to stay out of you
r business.”
“And yet you clearly don’t seem to understand what that means.” He set his coffee cup back down on the table with unnecessary force. “Do I really need to toss you in Tripp’s old cell to get the idea across?”
He wouldn’t do that, would he? “On what charges?”
“Protective custody because of chronic stupidity.”
Whoa, he really was mad. “Before you go to that extreme, can you at least let me explain?”
She held her breath until he finally jerked his head in a quick nod. “I’m listening.”
“I was afraid you might not be able to figure out who the guy was based on the vague description I gave you. He looked to be about the same age as Bryce, so I thought maybe they went to high school together. I went to the library and looked through the yearbooks until I found their pictures. They were on the football team together their junior year, but Denny Moller wasn’t in the team picture when they were seniors.”
Gage relaxed back in his chair. “Guess I need to talk to Denny myself.”
Maybe she wasn’t going to end up behind bars after all. That was a relief even though she was pretty sure he’d been kidding about that. Probably, anyway. On the other hand, she hadn’t told him about the Pratt brothers.
“Come on, Abby. You’re already in trouble. You might as well confess. It’s good for the soul even if it’s bad for my blood pressure.”
Darn it, she was really going to have to work on her poker face. “How did you know there was something else?”
“I didn’t.” Gage was looking pretty smug about then. “Not for sure, anyway. I’ve learned never to underestimate your total inability to stay out of trouble, but also every guilty thought you have flashes across your face like it’s a billboard.”
She was mildly offended by that assertion. “That’s not true.”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Tripp the next time you see him. Now tell me what else you’ve been up to, or I can call over to the jail to make sure your room is ready when we get there.”
“Well, at least if I’m staying in your fine accommodations I won’t have to be rooming with Valerie.”
He laughed at that. “Come on, Abby, tell me.”
It was tempting to make a break for the door, but she’d never outdistance Gage. “Fine.”
Oddly enough, confessing to Gage was thirsty work. She took a long drink of her latte before launching into the second part of her tale. “I asked some, um, friends if they had any idea who the other guy I saw Bryce talking to might be.”
“Translation, that’s why Glenda, Louise, and Jean were at your house earlier. You invited them to a gossip session.”
The man was a mind reader. No wonder he had such a good reputation as a cop. “Please don’t be angry with them, Gage. They didn’t know what I wanted until they came over.”
“Don’t worry about them, Abby. It’s not their fault that you suck them into your misadventures.”
“You’re right, of course. Regardless, I told them that I wanted to give you the most accurate information I could, but I haven’t lived in Snowberry Creek long enough to know as many people as they do. I also said there was no reason to believe that the man I’d seen had done anything other than talk to Bryce, so they couldn’t tell anyone I was trying to identify him. Basically, I swore them to secrecy before I gave them any kind of description of the man. They won’t say anything to anyone else.”
Gage looked pretty skeptical. “Go on.”
“They think the man might be one of the Pratt brothers, but I can’t say if it was Gary or Gil without actually seeing them first.”
“And how were you going to do that?”
Now she was treading on pretty thin ice. “One of the ladies pointed out their house for me, which is right next door to where Bryce Cadigan’s family used to live. She also mentioned the Pratts own a motorcycle shop somewhere in the area.”
“So you did a drive-by.”
“I did, but just the house. I don’t know where the shop is.”
“And what did you learn?”
“Nothing, because no one was outside. I still have no idea which brother I saw at the auction. Heck, I don’t even know for sure it was either of them.”
Gage was back to pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let’s agree that you’ve done your due diligence, Abby. I’ll check in with the Pratt brothers myself. Hear me when I say I don’t want you anywhere near that pair or their shop. Gary and Gil don’t often cause me any serious problems themselves, but some pretty rough characters hang out at their garage sometimes. Believe me when I say you do not want to end up in their crosshairs.”
She shivered even though the coffee shop wasn’t actually chilly. “Fine. I won’t go near them.”
“Good.” He finished his drink and stood up. “It’s time for my meeting. Where are you off to next?”
“That depends.” She decided to tease him a little. “Do I need to go home and pack a bag for an extended stay at your fine establishment?”
He glowered at her. “I’ll put your reservation on hold for now. But one hint that you’re up to your old tricks again, all bets are off. And for the record, if I do toss you in jail, I won’t be letting Tripp sneak you cookies or burgers from Gary’s Drive-In.”
“Now that’s just mean.”
“Consider it tough love.”
He waved at Bridey on his way out. After he was gone, Abby headed back over to the counter to buy a piece of the coffee cake for Tripp. She considered buying one for Valerie, too, but didn’t. There was only so far she was willing to go to make the woman feel welcome.
As she waited for Bridey’s assistant to pack up the coffee cake, she considered her options for the rest of the day. When she got home, she’d take Zeke for an extra-long walk. By the time they got back, it would be time to start dinner. When she dropped off Tripp’s treat, she’d invite him over to join her and Valerie again. If he hesitated, she’d remind him the woman was really his guest, not hers. It was his duty to referee.
Once they all got through what could be another stressful meal, she’d catch up on e-mail and a few other things. And maybe, just maybe, she’d do a little more poking around online, this time to see what she could learn about Valerie Brunn. Despite the woman’s protests to the contrary, there was a connection between her and Bryce Cadigan. There’d been too much anger, too much emotion in their confrontation at the auction.
The only question at this point was whether that connection was worth killing over.
Chapter Twelve
A short time later, Abby let herself back into her house. She stood just inside the kitchen door and listened. The place was eerily silent except for the normal creaks and groans of a grand old dame of a house. Even if Valerie had disappeared again, where was Zeke? She immediately glanced at the row of coat hooks on the wall next to the door and noted his leash was missing. Interesting.
Abby checked her phone to see if she’d missed any messages. Sure enough there was a recent text from Tripp saying Zeke was keeping him company while he did his homework. That didn’t explain the missing leash. It wasn’t as if Tripp would’ve needed it to coax the dog to come over to his place. Zeke loved hanging out over there.
Maybe Valerie had needed to go somewhere and dropped Zeke off with Tripp rather than leaving the dog all alone in the house. It could’ve been her way to check up on her ex-husband, especially if she was hoping he’d blow off his classwork to spend time with her.
Abby gave herself a stern reminder that it was not really any of her business what Valerie was up to even if it involved both Abby’s dog and her tenant. Besides, she had no room to talk. Even if Valerie had used Zeke as an excuse to approach Tripp, Abby had bought peach coffee cake for that exact same purpose.
Only one way to find out what was going on. She even had a legitimate excuse to reclaim her pet. She really did want to fit in their daily walk before it was time to get back and start cooking. She stuck two bottles of water and Zeke’
s collapsible bowl into her pack, grabbed her keys, and headed out the back door and across the yard.
Tripp opened his door before she even had a chance to knock. Zeke stuck his head out through the opening, his tail wagging happily. She held up the bag containing the coffee cake with one hand and gave the dog a good scratching with the other.
“I’ve come to get Zeke. It’s time for our walk.”
Usually any mention of an outing was enough to have the dog ready to charge off on an adventure with her. Right now, though, his entire attention was riveted on the bag she was still holding. So was Tripp’s, for that matter.
She handed it to him. “I stopped by Bridey’s shop earlier and thought you might like to try her new peach coffee cake.”
He peeked inside the bag and drew a deep breath. “That smells delicious. I’d say you shouldn’t have, but I’m not a fool. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I was wondering if you happened to have Zeke’s leash. It’s not on the hook where I usually keep it.”
“Yeah, I do. Valerie brought Zeke over this afternoon before she left.” He opened the door wider. “I’ll get it for you.”
He wasn’t gone long. “By the way, she said not to hold dinner for her. She called Uber for a ride to the closest car rental agency. She figured she might as well rent one to use as long as she’s going to be here for a few days. She planned to head up to Seattle from there. If I understood her right, she needed to check in with the local Suits-Herself store about some shipment. Val is friends with the manager there, so they planned to have dinner together.”
That bit of news improved Abby’s mood considerably. “So what are your plans for dinner? I thawed a chicken to cook, but it’s too much for just one person.”
Tripp frowned and glanced back at the papers he had spread out on the table he used for a desk. “I really need to work tonight, but a man’s still got to eat. What do you say we hit Gary’s Drive-In? That way neither one of us has to cook or clean up, and Zeke can come, too.”
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