Snow Way Out: A Mystic Snow Globe Romantic Mystery (The Mystic Snow Globe Mystery Series Book 2)
Page 19
Lane shook his head as his smile faded slightly. “No. It’s not time for a new truck. This is my dad’s truck. I just need to help him take better care of it.”
Evanee thought she detected a sour note in his tone but decided to ignore it. She handed him the handle. “Here you go.”
Lane tucked the handle into the center console. “Thanks.”
“Evanee! You made it!” sang Bluebell Adams minutes later as Evanee climbed out of Lane’s truck in front of Stoney Brook’s city hall building.
Evanee shot her a smile. “Are you kidding? I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of the festival.”
Bluebell smiled before ducking her head back into the trunk of her SUV. She reemerged, carrying a casserole dish. “Well, go on in and make yourself a plate. No sense in letting all the food get cold.”
Evanee slammed Lane’s truck door and rushed towards the back of the vehicle. “Oh, Bluebell, let me help you with that.”
“Oh, no, no, dear. Ace is helping me take it all in. You just go on in and have a seat.”
Evanee waved a hello towards Bluebell’s husband as he emerged from the building still dressed from work in a suit and tie. “Hey, Ace.”
“Hello, Evanee, so glad you could join us.”
“Thanks.” As he went to help Bluebell carry in the rest of the food they’d brought, Evanee poked her head back into Lane’s truck window. “Alright, well, I’m gonna go in. Thanks for the ride.”
Lane gave a nod of the head. “Anytime. In fact, I’m expecting a call when this whole shindig is over. I’ll come pick you up and take you home to make sure you get there safely.”
Evanee smiled, but shook her head. “That’s not necessary, Lane. I’ll catch a ride from someone, or I’ll walk. I promise to be careful.”
He sighed. “If you can’t promise me you’ll catch a ride, I’ll have to just sit out here and wait until you get done with your meeting.”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Omigosh, you’re too much. Fine! I’ll catch a ride after.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, promise.”
He nodded. “Good. Now, if you change your mind, I don’t have anything going on tonight and don’t mind making another drive into town to pick you up.”
“Thanks, Lane. I appreciate it, but really, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, alrighty then, I guess I’ll see you after work tomorrow?”
Evanee nodded. They’d agreed to pay Calvin Lancaster a visit on Tuesday after work. It was time to see if he had an alibi for the time when the fire had started. “Yes. Tomorrow at six. Thanks again, Lane.”
His truck rumbled as it pulled out of the parking lot, making everyone who was pulling in stop and take a look. Bluebell looked over at Evanee. “Was that Lane Dawson in there?”
“Yeah.” Evanee walked over and tried to take two shopping bags of chips from Ace. “Please let me help you with something.”
“Be my guest,” said Ace, handing her the bags so he could scoop up a pair of pies. “What’s Lane up to these days? We hardly ever see him in town.”
Evanee shrugged. “I guess it’s harvest time right now. He’s been pretty busy with that.”
Bluebell put a hand on her hip and stared at Evanee. “Are you two dating?”
What is with the people in this town! Evanee wondered. Could she seriously not have a conversation with a man without someone thinking they were dating? “No, we aren’t dating. We’re just working on a project together.”
Ace looked at Evanee curiously. “Oh, well, that’s exciting. What kind of project? A joint business venture?”
Bluebell looked at Evanee curiously too. “Who cares about that! Do you know if he’s dating anyone?”
The fact that the husband-and-wife team had two very different reactions to her relationship with Lane made Evanee smile. “No, not a joint business venture. I’m just helping him out with a personal matter. And, no, I have no idea if he’s dating, but I kind of think not.”
Bluebell’s face lit up. “Because we just picked Gracie up from the airport this weekend and she’s trying like mad to drum up a last-minute date for her sister’s wedding. Do you think Lane might be interested in going with her?”
Evanee quirked a grin. She could almost promise that he wouldn’t be interested in going, as Lane just didn’t seem like the type of guy who wanted to get all fancied up to go to a wedding. But who was she to answer for him? “I honestly have no idea, Bluebell. If you want, I could mention it to him. We have plans for tomorrow evening.”
Bluebell clapped her hands together excitedly. “Oh, that would be just perfection! Right, Ace?”
Ace looked at Evanee curiously. Almost like he was trying to get a read on the real nature of her and Lane’s relationship. “Oh, I don’t know. I think Lane might be a little old for our Gracie.”
“Puh,” she breathed. “He can’t be but—”
“I think he’s thirty-five,” said Evanee. “How old are the twins?”
“They just turned twenty-five,” said Ace.
“See? That’s not that big of an age difference,” Bluebell pouted.
Ace lifted a brow as he looked Evanee up and down. “Sweetheart, I think he may already be spoken for.” He cocked a head in Evanee’s direction.
Bluebell turned to face her husband. “Ace, what are you talking about? The woman just said he was single.”
Both of them turned their eyes back on Evanee again. She smiled awkwardly as she held up a pair of flattened palms in protest. “I swear. He and I are not a thing. You’re welcome to set him and Gracie up on a date for the wedding.”
“See!” said Bluebell triumphantly to her husband.
“Whatever,” he said under his breath, striding towards the city hall with a pie in each hand. “Don’t mind me, Evanee. I’m just here to carry the pies.”
As soon as Ace was gone, Bluebell leaned in closer to Evanee. “You really think he might be interested in going with Gracie?”
Evanee smiled at the persistent woman. “I didn’t say I thought he’d be interested. I just said he’s single, but I certainly don’t mind mentioning the wedding to him. I’ll put a bug in his ear.”
Bluebell smiled at her. “Oh, that’s just perfect. You put the bug in his ear and then I’ll mention it to Gracie and maybe I’ll have her accidentally bump into him at the festival this weekend. It’ll be perfect.”
Evanee nodded. Something about setting Lane up on a date with another woman felt a little weird to her, but she tried to dismiss the feeling. She gave Bluebell a bright smile. “Yes. Perfect indeed.”
26
As promised, Lane Dawson came bounding into the Woods Rustic Wares parking lot at six o’clock the next evening. This time he drove his good truck. The temperature was perfect, and there was a gentle breeze blowing through the trees, making the leaves rustle softly.
Despite the anxiety that twisted and turned her stomach, Evanee climbed into the cab and gave him a tight smile. “Hey.”
“You alright?” he asked, turning to look at her with eyes full of concern and a lip full of tobacco.
Evanee nodded. She couldn’t help but to feel nervous about paying Calvin Lancaster a visit. After all, Lane’s father seemed more than confident that he was Rachel’s killer, and Evanee was afraid of what it would be like setting eyes on a killer. She also worried that after all the years that had gone by since the fire, they might not be able to find the linchpin piece of evidence they needed to clinch the case, and he’d be able to continue walking around as a free man
“I’m fine. Just nervous.”
“I don’t want you to worry about Lancaster, alright? I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Evanee gave him a tight smile. “Thanks. How are you feeling about going to see him?”
Lane put the car into reverse and backed out of her parking lot. “Honestly, I’m anxious to finally get a chance to come face-to-face with the jerk.”
“Temper?” Lane frowned, sending a deep furrow across his forehead. He spat out the open window. “Who told you I had a temper?”
Evanee’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
He nodded.
“You came to my place less than a week ago pounding on my door! If that’s not a temper, then I don’t know what is.”
He sighed, leaning back in his seat. “I thought you’d forgiven me for that.”
“I did forgive you for that, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten. You have a temper, Lane. I think your dad has one too.”
Lane shrugged. “What do you want me to say? I’m a guy. Sometimes guys have tempers.”
“And that’s fine, but I’m concerned about your temper coming out in front of Calvin Lancaster.”
“The man deserves whatever’s coming his way,” said Lane, shooting another stream of spit out the window and then staring ahead at the road.
Evanee’s throat constricted. She felt like she suddenly couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.
“Lane,” she said softly. The idea of him and Calvin getting into a physical altercation worried her, but she didn’t know how to communicate her fears to Lane. He wasn’t her boyfriend or her husband. She didn’t have any right to tell him what to do, but she also didn’t want him getting hurt.
He turned to face her. “Yeah?”
“I…” But the words were dammed in the back of her throat. She couldn’t say she was scared he’d get hurt.
He looked at her curiously.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her feel uneasy and tense.
“What’s up?”
Evanee swallowed hard, trying to force open the back of her throat so she could speak. “I…” She sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t use tobacco,” she finally managed to mutter.
He spat out the window again. “Sorry. I don’t chew very often. Only when I’m tense. It’s a stress reliever.”
She nodded. She suddenly wished she had a giant glass of wine in her hand. That was her stress reliever. “Okay,” she merely whispered.
Lane put the truck into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. They crossed the covered bridge and headed back towards town. When they’d driven in silence for the next several minutes, Lane finally leaned his head back against the seatback.
“I’ll try hard not to lose my temper on Calvin. I know our endgame is to put him behind bars, not me.”
Evanee smiled at him. It was as if he’d been reading her thoughts. “Thank you.”
“Plus, I don’t want something happening to you while we’re there,” he said, looking across the truck at her, his blue eyes shining with sincerity.
Evanee didn’t know what to say to that. He was actually worried about her safety. Just like he’d been worried about her safety the night before, when he’d picked her up while she was out for a jog. Why had she been unable to tell him that she was just as worried about his safety? Evanee didn’t know the answer to that. With her hands clasping each other tightly in her lap, she gave him a tight smile.
“Where does Calvin live?”
“’Cross town, on the outskirts,” he said without taking his eyes off the road.
“You been there before?”
He shook his head. “Naw. I’ve driven past it a few times. His place is down the road from one of my customers’, but it’s covered with weeds and overgrown trees and bushes. Can’t hardly see it from the road anymore.”
“Lane, what are we supposed to do if it’s him?” asked Evanee nervously. Her voice trembled slightly, but she was pretty sure she was able to hide it from him.
Lane reached over and patted her knee. “It’ll be alright. We’ll find the evidence we need, and we’ll put him away forever. Alright?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t go there alone,” she whispered. It had actually been Whitley’s suggestion that they call the police and have them meet the pair there.
Lane lifted his shirt to reveal a holstered gun tucked into his waistband. “We aren’t going there alone, Evanee. I wouldn’t put you in that kind of situation. Hell, I wouldn’t put myself into that kind of situation. We’re gonna be alright. Trust me.”
The fact that Lane was carrying a gun made the whole situation that much more real and scary to Evanee. She nodded obediently, but inside she felt conflicted. While it felt good to have a protector next to her, she was still scared to meet Calvin Lancaster. In her mind, she’d built him up to be the Big Bad Wolf, and she felt like a timid sheep.
After passing through the blink-or-you’ll-miss-it town, Lane turned down a country road. Seconds later, he pointed up ahead. “That’s his place.”
Evanee followed his finger and saw exactly what Lane had described. Overgrown foliage covered up a house. Fear of the unknown had her stomach doing somersaults.
“You ready?” he asked as he turned down the driveway.
Evanee’s head bobbed up and down in more of a tremble than a nod. “Mm-hmm,” she murmured, though for the first time since this whole thing had begun, she didn’t feel ready. She felt afraid, and usually, Evanee wasn’t afraid of anything.
The east side of the driveway was lined with a row of broken-down junker cars in various stages of disassembly. And at the end of the driveway, they came to a halt in front of a dilapidated old shack. A fallen tree rested on one side of the roof, and Evanee could see where it had broken through the shingles and torn a hole into the roof. The siding was little more than grayed wooden planks, and parts of the foundation and the porch had been devoured by dry rot. So much so that when Evanee climbed out of the truck and approached the stairs, Lane wouldn’t let her climb them.
“Not there,” he said, holding a hand out to prevent her from climbing them. He pointed at the wood. “I don’t trust it.”
They both looked at the shack. The door was slung wide open, hanging precariously off the hinges. But otherwise, it was dark inside. Evanee wondered how the man could possibly live in such conditions. It didn’t even look like he had electricity inside. It looked abandoned.
Lane cupped his hands to his mouth and hollered towards the building. “Calvin Lancaster, we’d like to have a word with you.”
“Lane, I don’t think he lives here anymore. It looks like no one lives here,” she whispered.
Lane held a hand out to silence her.
They both stared at the shack.
“Calvin Lancaster,” Lane said again, using his hands like a megaphone to yell at the building.
They waited several more long, quiet seconds before Evanee tried to talk sense into Lane again. “Lane, I—”
“What’n I do for ya?” said a voice behind them.
“Ahh!” screamed Evanee. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest.
Lane grabbed her arm to steady her, and the two of them turned around together. In front of them stood a man with bushy black hair, a full grizzly beard, and dark, hollowed-out eyes. He wore a shredded black flannel shirt and beat-up work jeans with unlaced boots. In one hand, he carried a glass bottle tucked into a brown paper sack.
“Calvin,” said Lane, giving the man a nod. “Do you know who I am?”
The man squinted as if he was having trouble seeing Lane. “Can’t say’t I do.”
“My name is Lane Dawson, this is my friend Evanee. I was wondering if we might have a word with you.”
When Calvin turned his eyes on Evanee, she could see the disorientation in them clearly. He was three sheets to the wind. “Lane, I think he’s drunk,” she whispered, holding on to his arm.
Lane turned his head slightly to whisper back. “I know. Stay back, okay?”
Evanee nodded, happy to let Lane take the lead.
He took a few cautious steps towards Calvin. “How about we have a seat over there?” He pointed towards a couple of old metal chairs sitting beneath a grove of birch trees.
“A’rig
ht,” said Calvin. He turned towards the chairs and staggered along, practically falling into one of them. When he got himself comfortable, he looked up at Lane, who had followed him to the chairs with Evanee trailing slowly behind. “Wha’s this abou’?” He took a swig from whatever was in his bottle and then set it on the little metal table between the chairs.
Lane pulled a chair out of the tall weeds and yanked it back so it he could sit across from Calvin. “Sir, I’m the son of Steve Dawson. Do you remember Steve Dawson? I think you went to high school with him.”
“Sure do. I played foo’ball with Steve,” said Calvin with a bit of a smile.
When his cheeks moved, it was then that Evanee noticed the scarring on either cheek. The smooth, raised ridges started at the crest of his cheekbones and disappeared down into his grizzly beard. Her heart pounded rapidly as she recalled the fact that Calvin had been found the night of the fire with scratches down his face.
“Yeah, you two played football together, exactly,” said Lane, treating him now with kid gloves.
“So yer his boy?” asked Calvin, now suddenly looking at Lane with new eyes.
Lane nodded.
Calvin sat back in his chair. “Yer daddy an’ I had a lotta fun playin’ out on tha’ field.”
“That’s what he said,” lied Lane.
That made Calvin smile. “He said that, did he?”
“Mm-hmm.” Lane nodded. “He also said the two of you fought over the same girl back then.”
Calvin’s smile vanished. His eyes widened like he was looking at a ghost.
“You remember that?” asked Lane.
Calvin’s head bobbed. Then he said in a hushed voice, “Can ya keep a secret?”
“Of course I can,” said Lane, sending a furtive glance in Evanee’s direction.
“I told yer daddy a lie abou’ her.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of lie?”
“He wan’d to date that girl,” slurred Calvin. “But I said I’s already taken her out. But I wasn’t.”