“I’m not just doing it to be nosy, Lane!” Evanee practically dropped Prim as she took a step towards Lane, her hand gesturing out wide. “I told you the other day that I felt the need to solve this case for your family.”
“And I told you that it was none of your business,” he growled back.
“Well, it’s not up to you. And besides, your mother’s parents want my help.”
Lane was silent for a second while he thought about that little tidbit. Then he held up a hand, and with a snarled lip, he wagged his finger in her direction. “Are you telling me that you spoke to my grandparents?”
“I did. Earlier today. And they gave me their blessing to look into this.”
Lane threw his arms up. “Oh! Good Lord. I cannot believe you! You’re talking to my grandparents now? First you harass my dad, then you take advantage of my sweet old unwitting grandparents. And now you’re out here desecrating the last place my mother ever walked this earth? When will this nonsense end with you?”
Evanee blinked back tears. She didn’t understand why Lane had to be so mean to her. “I’m not trying to cause problems,” she whispered hoarsely. “I’m trying to help.”
Lane sighed. “What don’t you understand? Dad and I don’t want your help.”
“Lane, I spoke to Priscilla again today. That dress I showed you last night, the one that she made for your mother—that dress was supposed to have burned in the fire.”
Lane was quiet. Listening.
“But it didn’t burn in the fire. Doesn’t that make you curious? Your mother was here in this very spot thirty-five years ago to get dressed for the Renaissance Festival parade, but she had no dress to wear. Did you know that?”
His mouth opened. He made a sound like he might speak, but he didn’t. Instead he merely shook his head. His hands fell by his side helplessly.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you did. Because even Priscilla and your grandparents didn’t know that she didn’t have her dress.” Evanee shook her head. “Won’t you at least let me tell you what I know?”
Lane sighed. He was quiet for a really long time before he finally said, “That wind’s really kicking up. It’s kinda chilly out.”
“Yeah,” Evanee agreed. “It is kind of chilly out.”
“Is that a cat in your sweater there?”
Evanee looked down at Prim and sighed. “Yes. I brought my cats.” She pointed over at Esmerelda, who sat quietly, watching Lane and Evanee speak. Whitley still stood behind Evanee.
“Why did you bring your cats out here with you?”
She shrugged. She wasn’t about to be made to feel embarrassed about bringing her cats. “I don’t know. I love my cats. Prim goes everywhere with me, and I just got Esmerelda the other day. I didn’t want to leave her home alone this soon.”
Lane nodded. “Alright. Well, there’s no sense in standing out here in the dark talking. Come on, we’ll talk in my truck.” He began to walk back towards his truck, which was parked along the curb.
Evanee wasn’t sure what to think. The night before, he’d really scared her. Did she really want to be alone with Lane Dawson in his truck?
“I don’t know, Ev,” whispered Whitley. “That guy seems like a loose cannon to me.”
When Lane realized that Evanee wasn’t following him, he stopped walking and turned around to face her. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, I’m not sure that I feel safe alone with you in your truck. Honestly, you scared me last night.”
He dropped his head as if he felt bad about that. Then he held his hands up. “I’m sorry about that. But I promise, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll keep my hands to myself and I won’t raise my voice at all, I swear.”
“Can my cats sit in your truck with us?”
Lane glanced over at his truck, parked along the curb and nodded. “Yeah, I think I can fit two cats in there just fine.”
Evanee gave him a nervous smile. While she didn’t feel completely comfortable with the idea, she knew she needed him to start working with her if she was going to get anywhere on the case. “Alright, then. Let’s go. It’s really getting cold out here.”
“Yeah, it is,” said Lane. He looked up at the sky. “Cold front’s blowing in. Feels like we might have an early winter this year. It’s way too early for these kinds of temperatures.” He walked her to his truck and opened his passenger door. This wasn’t the old clunker he and Steve had used to make their deliveries in. Instead, it was the same truck he’d driven the night before when he’d come to pound on her door.
“Thanks,” she said. She leaned over and put Prim inside and then, while he held the door open, she took a few seconds longer than necessary to chase after Esmerelda so Whitley could get in the truck too. Once inside, he slammed her door and then walked around to the other side of the vehicle.
As soon as he was in the truck, he turned on the ignition. The truck roared to life, and a country song Evanee had never heard before blared on the radio. Lane turned the volume down and rotated sideways in his seat so he could see her better.
“Alright. I’m ready to listen.”
Evanee nodded. She swiveled slightly in her seat too so she was facing him. The dash panel illuminated his face, so she could see him better. Beneath his greasy baseball cap, she was reminded of what a handsome man he was. If only he wasn’t such a jerk, she might’ve gotten along with him alright.
“Okay. Well, you knew your mother worked part-time for Priscilla Pankhurst, right?”
Lane lifted a shoulder. “I mean, yeah. I guess I knew that.”
Evanee pursed her lips. She wondered how much Lane really knew about his mother. How much had Steve bothered to tell his son about the events leading up to Rachel’s death?
“Well, she did. She worked part-time for Priscilla Pankhurst, trying to save up enough money to have Priscilla make her a big fancy dress for the Renaissance Festival. It was her first year getting to be a part of the event.”
“Okay?” Lane rolled his hand in the air, prompting her to continue.
“So, Rachel worked all the way up until it was time to get ready for the parade. Priscilla said it was very busy that day. She was doing alterations the entire day, and when it was time for Rachel to leave, she had her try on the dress one more time and they realized that the hem had come loose. But your mom really wanted to get going. She had to drop you off at your grandparents’ house, so instead of Rachel waiting around for Priscilla to finish the hem, Priscilla volunteered to bring the dress into town for Rachel and drop it off over at the fire hall.”
“So if she never got around to bringing the dress to my mom, then why did it come as a surprise to her that the dress hadn’t burned to the ground?”
“Well, that’s the thing. Priscilla thought that the dress had gotten to your mother.”
Lane shook his head. “I’m confused.”
“I know. I was too.” Prim clawed at Evanee’s chest. She opened up her sweater and lowered the cat to the floor, hoping she’d behave. “Here’s my understanding of what happened. Shortly after Priscilla finished Rachel’s hem, Irma Cromwell came in. Did you know Irma Cromwell?”
“Yeah. I mean, sorta, I guess. I knew my mother worked for her. But she was one of the ones spearheading the assassination of my father’s character, so we never got on real well. She died sometime back.”
Evanee nodded grimly. “Yes. I knew she’d died. I’m sorry that she attacked your father’s character. You know that’s not what I’m trying to do, right? I’m trying to just get to the truth.”
“That remains to be seen,” said Lane bitterly. He leaned an elbow on the edge of his window and turned to face her slightly. “So, finish the story.”
“Right. Well, anyway, Irma came in needing her dress fixed. She’d torn a big hole in hers and needed an emergency repair. Priscilla told her she had to go deliver Rachel’s dress to her, and Irma said she’d have her daughter deliver the dress if Priscilla could get started on repairing her dress.”
<
br /> “Irma’s daughter? You mean Maddie? Maddie Carlson?”
Evanee shot a glance over at Whitley, who was sitting between the two, holding her breath and trying not to move. “You know her?”
“Well, I mean, yeah. Everyone knows everyone in this town, Ms. Woods. Maddie Carlson’s husband is Doc Carlson. Maddie would’ve been about the same age as my mother, maybe a few years younger. I’m not real sure.”
“Okay, well, apparently Maddie was along, and Irma volunteered her to run Rachel’s dress into town for Priscilla. And as we know, the dress must not have made it to your mother because, well… I wound up with it.”
He looked at Evanee with narrowed eyes. “And you’re a hundred percent certain that was the dress?”
“Yes. One hundred percent certain.”
“Huh. Weird.”
“I know.”
“I mean, it’s crazy to think about it all happening now. You know, tomorrow would’ve been her sixtieth birthday,” said Lane, a bit of melancholy in his voice.
“And the thirty-fifth anniversary of her death,” Evanee whispered.
He broke eye contact with her and looked off into the darkness. “Yeah.”
“Is that why you’re here?”
He nodded. “I always try and come out here on her birthday, but tomorrow’s Sunday. I’ve got a ton of harvesting to do, and I’m gonna go have supper with my grandparents tomorrow. I thought I’d come visit a day early.”
“I’m really sorry about everything, Lane. I really hope you know I’m not trying to be nosy or a pest. I’m just trying to help.”
He ignored her sentiment. “So, you think Maddie might have seen something that day?”
Evanee lifted a shoulder. “Maybe. But I’m certainly curious how the dress never managed to get delivered. That had to be a pretty tight timeline between the time that Priscilla gave her the dress and the time that the fire started.”
“Are you saying that you think she was involved?”
Evanee held up her hands defensively. “Oh, don’t go putting words in my mouth. I’m not accusing anyone until I feel certain I have facts to back it up. I just know the dress never made it to the fire station, and since no one seems to know that, I feel like the police were never given that information.”
“Yeah, that’s a good point. Why didn’t Maddie mention it to anyone? At the very least, you’d think she’d return the dress to Priscilla, or to my father or grandparents.”
“I don’t know why any of that never happened,” sighed Evanee. “But I plan to figure that out. I’m gonna go pay Maddie a visit tomorrow.”
“Alone?”
“I might bring Prim and Essy,” said Evanee with a soft smile.
Lane lifted his brows. “Do you bring your cats everywhere you go?”
“Sometimes.”
“Well, I guess I might be interested in hearing what Maddie has to say about the whole thing. Mind if I tag along?”
“To go interview Maddie?” Evanee swallowed hard. She hadn’t planned to have a partner. “I mean…”
“She was my mom. I think I have a right to know why that fact was never disclosed to the police or to my family.”
“He’s right, Ev,” whispered Whitley. “He does have a right to know. I think you should let him.”
“Plus he’s hot,” said Esmerelda from the backseat.
“Essy!” hissed Whitley.
Evanee pursed her lips. “Well, I suppose, you could probably…”
Lane nodded. “Great. When did you want to visit her?”
“I was planning to see if she was home tomorrow after church. Maybe around noon.”
“I’m farming tomorrow around noon. How about I pick you up around five? I have to be over at my grandparents’ house for supper by six.”
“Oh, five?” Evanee had to think about it for a second. Suddenly it felt like he was trying to run the show. Did that bother her? She wasn’t sure. “Yeah, I guess five will do. I’ll pick you up.”
“I’d prefer to drive since I gotta go to supper after. You’re in town. I’ll just pick you up.”
Evanee frowned. Now he really was calling the shots. She sighed. She had no real reason not to let him pick her up other than her pride. She tried to just let it go. At least he was trying to work with her.
“Oh, fine. I’ll be ready at five.”
Lane nodded. “Deal. But maybe you should leave your cats at home.”
“Uh!” she gasped. “That’s rude.”
“Nah, it’s not rude. You don’t know Maddie Carlson. I don’t think she’s gonna want a couple of felines wandering around in her mansion.”
Evanee hadn’t given it any thought. But maybe he was right. Maybe bringing the kids along wasn’t such a good idea. “Fine, I’ll leave the girls at home.”
He nodded. “Good deal. Well, thanks for the information. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at five.” He stared at her then, like he was silently telling her to remove herself from his vehicle.
“Oh, you want me to go?”
“Well, I’m gonna get out and go have a talk with my mom now. I suppose I’d prefer to be alone for that.”
Evanee pursed her lips. “Yeah, I understand. Alright. We’ll see you tomorrow at five.”
19
“Who is he to tell you that we can’t go?” said Esmerelda from the side of the bed the next evening, her little gray face twisted up into a pout.
Evanee finished zipping up her boots and stood up. “Sorry, Es. He’s right. It would be wrong of me to take my two cats into someone else’s house. I realize you’re not really a cat, but Maddie doesn’t know that. To be honest, it would be a little weird to bring you along.” She glanced over at Whitley. “And sorry, Whit, but I think you should stay here too.”
Whitley’s brows shot up. “Uh! You don’t want me to go either?”
“Someone has to keep Prim away from Essy.”
“But I wanna know what Maddie has to say!”
Evanee walked across the room, grabbed her brown leather handbag off the little hall table she’d refinished and slung it over her shoulder. “I won’t be gone long, I swear. And I’ll tell you everything that happens when I get back.”
Whitley pouted out her bottom lip. “Well, that’s no fun.”
“Maybe when we get back tonight, we’ll start another fire. That’ll be fun, right?” Evanee knew Whitley really seemed to enjoy those a lot.
Whitley sighed. “Sure.”
“Okay. Thanks, Whit.” Evanee walked over to the side of her bed and gave Prim a little scratch on the head. “Bye, princess. Be good while Mommy’s gone.”
Esmerelda rolled her eyes.
“Bye, girls. I’ll be back as soon as I can!”
With that, Evanee bounded down the stairs and slipped out her back door, making sure to lock it behind her. She ran around to the front of the building to find Lane Dawson’s truck there waiting for her. She gave him a little nervous wave and then opened the door and climbed in.
“Hey,” he said, giving her a tip of the head.
“Hey.” She slammed her door behind her and gave him a once-over.
Tonight, Lane was dressed nicely. His jeans were newer and more stylish than the rugged work jeans she’d always seen him in up until now. He had a short-sleeved navy button-down shirt on and instead of his greasy ball cap, he was hatless. His blond curls were still slightly damp from a shower and curled up around the back of his neck and ears.
“You clean up well,” she said to him.
His cheeks pinkened. “Oh,” he stuttered, clearing his throat before shifting the truck into reverse. “Thanks. Uh—you do too.”
Evanee tugged on the hem of her cream sweater dress that ended just above the knee. It was her favorite sweater dress. It cinched below her breasts, flared slightly at her hips, and had little pockets on the front. She’d paired it with brown leggings and her tall brown boots. It was one of her favorite fall looks.
“Thanks.”
Country m
usic warbled quietly in the background, too low for Evanee to make out a tune, but she appreciated that it wasn’t completely silent. She felt a little awkward sitting next to him. It felt different than it had last night. Last night, she’d felt like she was hidden in the darkness or something. Maybe it had been a bad idea to have had Lane pick her up. Now that she really thought about it, she could have easily just met him there. But now they had to sit in awkward silence on the ride over to the Carlson place. At least Stoney Brook’s small, so the ride won’t be long, she told herself.
Suddenly, Lane reached over and shut off the radio.
Evanee’s brow furrowed and her eyes flitted over to look at Lane curiously. Why had he just taken away her tiny bit of comfort in the uncomfortable vehicle?
“Uh, say, Ms. Woods…”
“Evanee is fine.”
“Evanee.” He nodded and swallowed hard like his mouth was full of nails. His eyes flitted from the road to her and back to the road as he readjusted himself in his seat. “I just wanted to apologize again for my behavior the other night at your place. I’m really not like that usually. I was just fired up after I thought you were cracking on my dad. I get tired of people giving him a hard time, and I guess over the years I’ve learned to protect him. I saw red when he told me you’d spoken to him, and I left the house without really thinking it through. I know I scared you, and really and truly, from the bottom of my heart, I wanna apologize to you. I didn’t mean to come at you like I was threatening. I’m honestly not that kind of guy.”
Evanee pressed her lips together and gave him a tight smile. He’d apologized before, but she was glad he’d given her more of a heartfelt apology because she still didn’t feel very comfortable around him. Not that an apology made the whole incident disappear or anything. But if they were going to be working together, the least they could do was to be amicable.
She gave him a curt nod. “I appreciate the apology.”
“It’s sincere,” he added, looking at her, his big blue eyes wide.
“I believe you.”
“Good,” he added. He turned to face the road again. He shifted in his seat like he was nervous or something. “I’m also real sorry for calling you nosy. I mean, I suppose by nature women just are a little more curious. But I don’t care for it when people talk just to talk. Especially if they don’t know any facts. People are real good at making assumptions, and I sorta thought that was what you were all about. You know, you running a coffee shop and having all those old ladies in every morning and all. I know what goes on at those coffee shops.”
Snow Way Out: A Mystic Snow Globe Romantic Mystery (The Mystic Snow Globe Mystery Series Book 2) Page 13