by Jessica Beck
“See you in the morning,” Emma said, and she and her mother headed for the door.
“Would you like to sleep in?”
“Do you mean all day?” she asked me.
“I was thinking more like an extra hour,” I replied.
“Sold,” she said. “See you then.”
After they were gone, I decided to have that cup of coffee and curl up on the sofa by the fire. Paris had been lovely, but in the end, there was no place like home, and I had someone to share it with now that I loved more than anyone else in the world.
Ten minutes later, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearing time to eat. Was there a chance that Jake would make it back to join me? There was only one way to find out.
I grabbed my cellphone and called him.
“Hey, I miss you,” I said when he answered, though I hadn’t known that I was going to say that until I’d blurted it out.
“I miss you, too. Paris seems pretty far away right now, doesn’t it?”
“We could always go back,” I said with a grin.
“We could, but it wouldn’t be the same,” Jake replied.
“Why, because I wouldn’t have my inheritance from my aunt to blow on the trip?” I asked him with a laugh.
“No, it’s because it wouldn’t be our honeymoon the next time,” Jake said simply.
It was quite a romantic thing to say, even if it had been delivered matter-of-factly.
“Agreed. Is there any chance you’ll make it back to the cottage for dinner? I’m here, and I’m getting a little hungry.”
“Are you and Grace back in town already? How did it go in Granite Meadows?”
“It’s too involved to go into over the phone,” I said. “What about dinner?”
“I’m starving,” he admitted. “Whatever leftovers you can find in the fridge will be good enough for me. I’m not all that picky.”
“You know that I can’t resist a man who has a low bar,” I said. “Let me see what I can whip up.”
“See you soon,” he said, and then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” I said, warm from the recitation.
I poked my head into the fridge and was happy to find that Momma had used her key while we’d been gone, leaving us her famous ground chicken casserole. I heated the oven and popped it in, and just as the timer went off signaling that it was ready to eat, Jake walked in.
“Perfect timing,” I said as I kissed my new husband.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” he said, and then he took a deep breath and smiled. “Did your mother stop by?”
“Not recently. She must have loaded our fridge while we were gone.”
“It appears that I’ve won the lottery for mothers-in-law,” Jake said with a smile, and then he wrapped me up in his arms. “I didn’t do too badly in the wife one, either.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” I said with a grin, and then I pulled dinner out of the oven and served it. “Should we talk about the case while we eat, or would you rather postpone it until later?”
“It’s your call,” Jake said. We were still trying to find our way as a married couple, and because of that, we were both tiptoeing around each other as though we were a pair of delicate flowers.
“Let’s go on and share,” I said. “Do you want to go first, or should I?”
“You go. That way I can start eating right away,” he replied happily.
I took a bite, and then I began to bring him up to speed on what I’d been up to since I’d seen him last. After I’d clued him in on our conversations with Maisie, Shannon, and Deke, he whistled softly. “You accomplished quite a bit before you came back home.”
“Not as much as we’d hoped. Jake, I might need your help interviewing Craig Durant and Chief Willson.”
“Do you think the police chief might have had something to do with what happened to Alex?”
“Not really, but he might know someone who could have had a grudge against Alex. After all, wouldn’t his boss know something like that?”
“Not necessarily. You’d be surprised by just how much my former supervisor was in the dark about what I did on a daily basis. He always claimed it was intentional so he wouldn’t be involved directly in my investigations in order to serve as a buffer if I ever got into trouble, but I have a hunch it was out of sheer laziness.”
“Will you speak with the two officers in Granite Meadows with us?”
Jake frowned a moment before he spoke. “Suzanne, we’re dancing near that line again.”
“Which line is that?”
“The one where I act in my official capacity in April Springs while you and Grace work behind the scenes. George hired me to investigate the murder, but my old nemesis from the state police is keeping a pretty close eye on me. If Simpson sees something that he doesn’t like, he can strong-arm George into shutting me down completely, and neither one of us wants that, do we?”
“No, having you on the inside is our best chance of solving this murder,” I said. “I suppose Grace and I will have to tackle those two ourselves.”
“Give me some time to think about it before you do anything else,” Jake said, and I knew that he’d be playing with possible ways to help me throughout the rest of the evening. It was wonderful having him in my corner, and I knew better than to rush him.
“Now, tell me about your day,” I said as I took a bite. No surprise, it was absolutely delicious. But then what did I expect from my mother?
“Well, I spent most of it butting heads with Manfred Simpson,” he said as he frowned. “He came a day early! I thought I’d at least have until tomorrow morning, but he thought he’d get a jump on things. He set up shop in the chief’s old office; can you imagine that? Poor Grant has to run the department from his old desk on the floor. I have to tell you, it wasn’t all that pleasant being on the other end of the conversation with Simpson this afternoon. I was above him in seniority when I was with the state police, but he didn’t hesitate to let me know that I was under his thumb now.”
“Is his first name really Manfred? Why on earth doesn’t the man have a nickname? Or does he actually like it?”
“It’s a point of pride with him. His great-grandfather was named Manfred, and evidently the man was some kind of hero. Some of the guys tried calling him Manny once, but he got so angry that no one ever did it again, at least not to his face. Simpson just seemed easier after that, though we called him a lot worse than Manny behind his back.”
“So now he’s getting even with you,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle him. The problem is that since he’s restricted me to April Springs, I can’t contact anyone from Granite Meadows directly. That’s why I’m not sure that I can help you and Grace with your investigation.”
“How does he expect you to solve Alex Tyler’s murder if he’s not willing to let you investigate wherever your leads take you?”
“Are you kidding? He’d love nothing more than me failing,” Jake said. “If he can solve the case himself, I’d never hear the end of it.”
“It’s not like you two still work together,” I said.
“Doesn’t matter. He’s a small and petty man. He’ll find a way to stick it to me every chance he gets.”
I reached across the table and patted his hand. “Then we’ll just have to solve the murder ourselves.”
“Thanks, Suzanne. It’s good to have you on my side.”
It was a big admission for him to make, especially given how he’d once felt about my amateur sleuthing. Over the last several months, he’d been starting to see the value I brought to the table with my detective work, but it was still nice hearing it from him.
Once we finished with the main course, Jake pushed his plate away. “That was excellent. I’m stuffed.”
“Does that mean that you don’t have any room for dessert at all?” I asked him teasingly.
“Well, I might have a bite or t
wo of whatever we’ve got. Otherwise it would just be rude to your mother after she went to all of the trouble of making us something. What are we having?”
I laughed as I stood. “I have no idea if she brought us any treats or not, but I’ll look.”
“But you offered,” he said, sounding a little hurt.
“I just wanted to see what you’d say,” I replied.
“Suzanne, that’s just cruel. Never offer a man dessert when there isn’t any.”
His tone was more serious than the conversation merited, and I could see that he wasn’t entirely kidding. “Point taken. I’m sorry. If there isn’t anything available, I’ll whip something up.”
“No need to do that. Apology accepted.” Thankfully, that had mollified him, but I still kept my fingers crossed as I dove back into the fridge hoping that there was a treat there I could offer Jake.
Unfortunately, there was not.
Now I was in serious trouble.
Chapter 8
I was about to confess to Jake that we didn’t have dessert when the doorbell rang. “Were you expecting someone?” I asked him as I moved to answer it.
“No, how about you?”
“Not a soul, but we’ll know soon enough, won’t we?”
I opened the door and found my mother standing on the front porch, a crumb-topped apple pie held reverently in her hands. “Am I interrupting anything?” she asked as she thrust the pie forward. “I thought you might like dessert.”
“Is that pie I smell?” Jake asked from behind me. I hadn’t even heard him leave the kitchen table.
“I thought you were full,” I reminded him as I stepped aside and Momma came in.
“That was the main course. There’s always room for some of your mother’s pie.” He looked at Momma and grinned. “Dot, you’re bound and determined to keep me from ever making a mother-in-law joke, aren’t you?”
“Feel free to tease me all you’d like to,” Momma said with a warm smile that suddenly narrowed. “Just be aware that there’s a point where it steps over the line. Cross that, and that’s when the pies stop coming.”
“Believe me, I won’t even get close to it,” he said as he kissed her cheek.
“I know you won’t,” Momma said as she put the pie down on the dining room table. “I see you found the ground chicken casserole I left you,” she said with obvious approval.
“Thanks for doing that, Momma,” I said as I kissed her cheek as well. “It was wonderful finding it there after our long trip.”
“I was hoping that you’d enjoy it.” Her smile faded as she added, “Actually, I had another reason to come by besides my pie delivery.”
Jake piped in, “That’s reason enough on its own any time, Dot. I’m going to get three plates. Are there any objections?”
“I made another pie just like this one for Phillip, so you two can share this one,” Momma said.
“If you’re sure,” he said with a wicked grin. The man certainly loved pie, especially the treats my mother made. Mine were good enough, but I’d have to take another lesson from Momma to bring my skills closer to her level.
“I’m positive. It does me a world of good seeing how much you enjoy my little offerings,” Momma said.
“Then far be it from me to disappoint you,” Jake said as he stepped out of the dining room and into the kitchen to retrieve two plates, two forks, and a knife.
“You said earlier that there was another reason you came by?” I reminded Momma once Jake was out of the room.
“Yes. I need to give you this, Suzanne,” she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out two keys on a small silver ring.
I was about to ask what locks the keys worked for when I realized that they were both to the cottage. “Momma, this place is yours. You should always have your own set of keys.”
“That’s the second order of business,” my mother said as she reached into another pocket and pulled out a sheaf of papers.
“I don’t understand,” I said as I took them from her.
“It’s all fairly self-explanatory. This cottage is my wedding present to the two of you.”
“Jake, get in here right now,” I called out.
There must have been something in my tone of voice, because he came immediately, even without the plates and utensils. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Momma’s trying to give us this cottage,” I said, barely able to get the words out.
“That’s too generous of you, Dot,” Jake said in protest.
“Nonsense. Besides Phillip, you two are all that’s left of my immediate family. I want you to have it.”
“But this place has always belonged to you,” I protested.
“We both know that’s not true. When your father and I married, his mother signed the deed to this cottage over to us, and now it’s your turn. Besides, I already have a place to live.”
“I’m not trying to talk you out of letting us live here, but that doesn’t mean that we have to own it ourselves,” I said.
“Suzanne, do you honestly think that you have a prayer of winning this argument with me?” As she asked her question, I saw the line of resolve in her face, and I suddenly knew that there was no point fighting her on it anymore. Besides, did I really want to win this particular argument? It was the perfect beginning to my new life with Jake, and I knew that my mother could easily afford the gesture. She was probably the richest woman in April Springs, and this wouldn’t even touch her major holdings. Still, it was the most precious gift she could have given me, besides the love she gave me every day.
“Are you absolutely sure about this?” I asked one last time.
“I’m positive,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
I hugged her, and even though I towered over her, I felt like a little girl again in her arms. “Thank you, Momma. I love you,” I whispered.
“I know you do, and I love you at least as much right back,” Momma said.
Then I felt Jake’s arms enfold us both. “Wow, you surely just won the contest of best wedding present ever,” he said with a laugh.
“Good. I always enjoy coming in first place,” Momma said as she extracted herself from our embraces. “Now, I really must be going. I don’t trust Phillip alone in the house with that pie, and we haven’t had our dinner yet.”
“If it were me, it would already be a lost cause,” Jake said with a smile. “Thanks again, Dot. For everything.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said as she started for the door.
“Hang on a second,” I said as I grabbed my coat. “I’ll walk you out.”
“That’s not necessary, Suzanne,” Momma said.
“No, but I want to do it anyway,” I replied. Did she look a little pleased that I’d forced the issue? Once we were both outside and were walking to her car, I said, “That was truly a spectacular gesture, Momma.”
She looked up at me and grinned. “Did you honestly expect anything less from me?”
I had to laugh. “From you? Not a chance. I can’t thank you enough for this. It means everything to me. Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
After my mother was gone, I glanced at the land that was now mine—mine and my husband’s, I corrected myself—and then I looked at the cottage. It was the only place in the world where I’d ever truly felt at home, and now I owned it. The emotions were so powerful that I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to come to grips with them. This, above all else, was my mother’s ultimate seal of approval. After all, she hadn’t made the gesture, or even hinted at it, when I’d married Max. She knew as well as I did that this time it was different.
This time I’d done it right.
“That was absolutely delicious,” Jake said as he pushed his dessert plate away from him. “Your mother is the supreme pie maker in the universe.”
“Don’t I know it,” I said as I started to gather up the dirty dishes. Despite my best intentions, I’d broken down and had a piece myself. There wa
s no way that I was going to be able to sit there and watch Jake enjoying some without joining him. Maybe I’d start walking to work again. That might help me keep my weight down. I knew that wasn’t the ultimate solution, though. We’d both walked plenty on our honeymoon, but I’d still managed to gain three pounds while we’d been away. At least I didn’t have any chocolate croissants to tempt me in April Springs.
“Do you need any help with the dishes? The reason I ask is that I’d like to make a few phone calls on behalf of your investigation if you don’t.”
I grinned at him. “Wow, what a tricky way of getting out of a chore.”
“Hey, I can go either way. It’s your call,” he said, answering my smile with one of his own.
“Go on and make your phone calls. I’ll take care of these tonight.” His look of satisfaction plummeted when I added, “You can do them tomorrow night.”
“Fair enough,” he said a little ruefully. “I think I’ll step out onto the porch, if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll be here when you’re through,” I said. I didn’t even feel bad about assigning the dishes to him tomorrow. I knew that I’d probably do them then as well, but he didn’t have to know that.
As I was putting the last plate on the drying rack, Jake walked back in with a frown on his face.
“Is something wrong?” I asked him.
“That didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped,” he said.
“Who exactly did you call?”
“I pulled a few strings that Simpson doesn’t know about,” Jake answered.
“Was that wise? You don’t want to go out of your way to aggravate him.”
“Oh, I don’t have to make any special effort to do that. It just seems to come naturally.”
“What did you find out?” I asked him as I drained the water in the sink.
“It appears that there’s been more going on in Granite Meadows than first meets the eye. My former boss recently assigned a team to investigate the police force there for corruption.”