Mystic Falls

by Vickie McKeehan

  As she started to slide out of the booth, Lando blocked her exit. He wasn’t buying into the lie. “How long has this been going on?”

  Leia did her best to act casual. Determined to downplay the whole thing, she lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Zeb and I are old friends. We’ve known each other for as long as you and Gemma have. What’s the big deal?”

  “You tell me. Why try to hide it then?” Lando accused, sharpening his gaze. “I know you, Leia. How long have you been seeing him behind our backs?”

  Leia stiffened her spine at the accusation and stared down her brother. “First of all, it’s none of your business who I text or who texts me or anything else about my personal life. You don’t get to tell me what to do. I don’t go butting into your relationships, do I? So back off.”

  “Are you kidding? You stick your nose into my stuff all the time,” Lando replied before scanning the faces around the booth. “Did you guys know about this? You did.”

  Luke was as laid-back as Lando was upset. “What’s the big deal? Zeb’s a good guy. And Leia’s right. It’s none of our business who she sees.”

  Lando looked perturbed. “I might have known you wouldn’t back me up on this.” He shifted in his seat to glower at Leia again. “So you’re saying you and Zeb are together…like a couple? You know his parents will never approve, not in a million years.”

  Gemma huffed and crossed her arms on the table. “I’m with Leia on this. It’s none of anyone’s business who she wants to be with. What difference does it make whether Zeb is from a Hokan speaking tribe or Yuki? The two tribes have coexisted in this town for a hundred years without bitterness or animosity. If Zeb makes her happy who are you to give her a hard time about it? Love is hard enough to come by without support from your family. I ought to know.”

  “Thanks for that.” Leia reached out to Gemma, placing a hand over hers. To her mother, she added, “Mom, how do you feel about Zeb?”

  “If he treats you well…that’s all I care about. Besides, I stopped trying to tell any of you how to live your lives a long time ago. Waste of breath. Another thing Marissa and I had in common. Kids do what they want to do and there’s not a darn thing we can do to stop them.”

  Gemma ate her meal in relative silence after that as she recalled how many times over the years she’d disappointed her grandmother. There had to be a way she could make amends. She looked over at Lando and found him staring at her.

  “Where were you just now?” he wanted to know.

  “Sorry, I was thinking about Gram and all those times I let her down. I guess you certainly relate to that. I seem to have a history of doing it.”

  “At some point, you should probably try to forgive yourself. Your grandmother would. She understood that people have to make their own way in life, which sometimes means missteps happen.”

  “So you subscribe to that?”

  He leaned into her ear and whispered, “I’m beginning to. What do you say we get out of here and go back to my place?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  After excusing themselves from the group, Lando headed for his seaside cottage. The house surprised her. She remembered the craftsman in its original green and gold colors. Now the attractive cream paint and the aqua trim caught her eye. “You, sneaky so-and-so. Why didn’t you tell me you bought the old Medford place?”

  “Walter’s only son put the house on the market after his father died in jail. It sat here unoccupied for six months. I’d always loved the location right across from the beach and decided to make him an offer. Walter’s son jumped at it. I’ve been here ever since.”

  She ran her hand across the swing on the front porch. “Such an upstanding member of society now, a good taxpaying citizen who finally bought his own place. You always said you’d love living at the beach. And now, here you are.”

  “I did? I don’t remember being that vocal about it.”

  “You were. Did you ever think that my leaving you might’ve been the best thing for both of us? After all, you left to study criminal justice and came back in a better place, able to get the job you’d always wanted. You got the house you wanted. I’d say, you did something right after I walked out.”

  “That’s a new angle, justifying what you did.”

  “Uh oh. I’ve dared to tread where Lando doesn’t want to go---that by walking out, I might’ve spurred you on to bigger and better things, allowing you to follow your dreams.”

  Lando let out a weary sigh. “We were young. I sure wasn’t happy working two jobs. The restaurant wasn’t for me and stocking shelves at the grocery store for minimum wage sucked.”

  She draped her arms around his shoulders. “I don’t want to fight with you about it anymore. My leaving, that is. Couldn’t you just lock away your bitterness and stop bringing it up at every opportunity?”

  “Like at the restaurant?”

  “Yes.”

  He placed a light kiss on her lips. “I could. I should. I promise to try harder.”

  Gemma tugged on his arm. “Show me what you’ve done with the place.”

  “Sure. Let’s start with the bedroom.”

  Gemma stayed the night. But she was unable to drift off to sleep. Instead, she propped herself up on one elbow to watch Lando. He looked so peaceful it made her realize things weren’t always what they seemed. He had a rage just under the surface that didn’t seem to fit and certainly didn’t want to fade away.

  Kicking her legs out from under the cover, she wrapped up in the comforter from the bed and tiptoed out into the living room. She didn’t feel like turning on the TV or sitting inside so she kept going until she’d reached the front porch and the old swing, the same swing where the Medfords used to put their giant stuffed Santa Claus on display every November through January.

  Barefoot, the air was brisk off the ocean. She bundled the bedspread around her body, tucking the tail end under her feet and toes. From that cozy spot, she could hear the waves crashing onto shore.

  She thought back to the scene at the restaurant and wondered if she and Lando would ever be able to completely put their rocky past behind them. Maybe there just wasn’t enough love for each other to close the giant fissure that seemed to exist between them every time they tried to do anything normal. Eating out with family shouldn’t require a hostile confrontation, and yet Lando just couldn’t be in public with her and act as though he cared about her. It was different when they were alone.

  When they were by themselves, he seemed like the boy she grew up with, a different person who was tender and thoughtful. Their lovemaking proved that. He was always attentive in bed, saying and doing all the right things. But it seemed the minute they got around other people, he changed. He couldn’t wait to remind everyone about their divorce or their brittle past.

  Right this minute, she was tired of taking the blame and constantly being on the defensive over a stupid decision she’d made back when she was nineteen years old. Either Lando accepted that it was something a young girl had done under duress from a parent or he didn’t. If they couldn’t move forward as a couple and forget the past for good, then she felt their relationship---no matter how much they cared for each other---was doomed.

  As she took a big gulp of ocean air, she had to prepare for that outcome because she had a deep suspicion Lando would never truly be able to let anything go.

  20

  The book club turned out to be a fascinating glimpse into the town’s wide-ranging and varied residents. Each woman who showed up possessed an innate quirky side to her personality, even if it was nothing more than the way she dressed.

  Mallory and Holly came through the door together looking more like sisters than birth mother and daughter. They sashayed around the shop in outfits that could’ve been found on the pages of a fashion magazine. Platinum blonde Mallory wore a short black, fluttery slip dress, something you might see at a nightclub instead of an afternoon tea party. Slightly more conservative, Holl
y was dressed in a mini double-breasted tan coatdress, sporting a bright teal shirt for added color. She’d opened the blouse at just the right spot to show off a healthy cleavage.

  Gemma glanced out the window at the car they’d hopped out of---and sighed. It wasn’t white or blue or even a sedan. Holly had driven up in a silver SUV, a splashy late model Lexus.

  While Mallory and Holly got comfortable at one of the tables, Ginny Sue Maples arrived. On her lunch break working as Luke’s nurse at the clinic, Ginny Sue was just as cheery as Gemma remembered.

  With a big smile on her face, Ginny Sue looked at Gemma and cracked, “Glad to see you’re still dishing out plenty of truffles. I could use a bagful filled with caramel. Forget Grisham’s novel. I’m here for the chocolate.”

  Gemma grinned and joked back. “Glad to see Luke let you out of the salt mine long enough to get your fix.”

  “Luke insisted. I’ve been going nuts worried about all these murders. I’ve been going straight home every night after work, sitting in my living room with every light on in the house. When it’s bedtime, I grab the baseball bat my lousy ex-husband left behind when he ran off with that no-good, trashy stripper from Reno, and prepare to defend myself. I get so worked up about these murders that Luke thought coming here would get my mind off it for a little while.”

  By the time Paloma’s pals, Natalie Henwick and Lucinda Fenton, joined the party, it had turned into a bitchfest with Mallory chiding everyone for meeting on such short notice.

  “I thought we agreed to put a halt to these kinds of get-togethers until Chief Bonner caught the killer. Which at the rate he’s going will probably be never.”

  Gemma bit her lip and waded into the discussion. “I asked you here because I thought maybe each of you might want to talk about Marnie and Collette, maybe even my grandmother. After all, the women who died were members of the group. We shouldn’t ignore that. It might help with the loss if we do this.”

  “You mean like a support group?” Holly asked. “That’s not a bad plan if you were a real member of our group.”

  “But you aren’t,” Mallory charged.

  “No, but I am offering up the shop as a place to meet and I’m providing the refreshments. There’s cocoa, tea, and coffee. Your choice. And of course, all the chocolate you can eat.”

  “So, you’re like the waitress,” Mallory asserted with a wave of her hand. “Fine. I’ll take a mocha espresso, no whipped cream.”

  Gemma took the rest of their drink orders in goodhearted fashion and got busy. She was still working the coffee machine when Elnora Kidman showed up out of breath.

  “Sorry I’m late, but I just got off the phone with Vince Ballard. He says Chief Bonner is demanding that he come in for a fourth interview.”

  The gasps from Paloma and the other women echoed out into the room. It was Paloma who let her opinion be known out loud. “Bonner really must think Vince killed Collette and Marnie, otherwise he’d move on to other suspects.”

  “I’m not sure he has any other suspects,” declared Lucinda. “But I just don’t see Vince doing something like that. He really cared about Marissa, and I know he adored Collette and Marnie.”

  “Oh, come on,” Natalie interjected. “Vince is a serial dater. Everyone knows it. Vince even took out Mallory a time or two.”

  All eyes turned and landed on the platinum blonde.

  “Do not look at me like that,” Mallory stated. “Pickens are slim around here when it comes to eligible men under fifty. Vince and I went out like six times.”

  “Tell them what he did to you,” Holly urged. “Go ahead.”

  “I’d rather not. It’s embarrassing.”

  “What did Vince do?” Gemma asked, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

  “He stood me up so that he could take Collette to a fancy B&B near Spirit Lake. That was last Christmas. That’s when I told him what he could do with his so-called good looks and charm.”

  Gemma chewed her lip. “How’d he take it?”

  Mallory shrugged. “How does any narcissist asshole take it when you tell him to hit the road? He couldn’t believe it. I don’t think he clearly got the message because he kept calling me right up to the time Collette went missing. That was March, so three months of me not returning any of his calls.”

  Knowing Mallory had a temper when pushed, Gemma thought she needed to ask. “Did you feel that Collette might be your competition?”

  Mallory took exception to the question. Turning to Holly, she rolled her eyes. “This sounds more like an inquisition than a meeting of the Happy Bookers. Come on, Holly. I’m out of here. But I’m taking my coffee with me.”

  Gemma watched as Mallory dragged Holly out the door. She put her hands on her hips. “Well, that was certainly counterproductive. There’s no question we diverged slightly from our goal here. The thing is, I actually thought we might be able to sit down and talk to each other like normal adults without getting out panties in a twist.”

  Elnora plopped down in a chair. “I’m sorry. I should’ve kept the conversation with Vince to myself.”

  Gemma laid a hand on the librarian’s shoulder. “No, it’s not your fault. I got the impression Mallory was looking for an excuse to take off anyway. She came in with an attitude. Is she always like that? I mean…I know she used to be, but I thought maybe she’d changed.”

  Paloma tapped her cane hard on the floor. “No chance of that. Mallory’s as spoiled rotten as they come. I’m not sure I believe her when she says she told Vince to hit the road. That woman’s been frantic to get a man to put a ring on her finger since she turned eighteen. Man crazy is what she is. My guess is Vince found out she wanted more than a fling and ran the other way. At least he did if he had any sense.”

  Natalie nodded in agreement. “Lordy, isn’t that the truth. Would you want to wake up every morning to a self-absorbed beast like Mallory? Not me. I learned my lesson a long time ago with men like that. But some women never do.”

  Lucinda clucked her tongue. “Let’s face it, neither Mallory nor Vince would make much of a prize in the spouse department. Marissa used to remind Vince he was up to no good, playing around so much and refusing to take these women seriously would one day be his downfall. Everybody knows Vince has relished being the local bad boy, playboy type, ever since he got old enough to date. Since Marissa couldn’t talk any sense into his head it was bound to catch up to him sooner or later. God knows, she tried. What do you think, Gemma? Do you think Ballard killed them?”

  Gemma drummed her fingers on the table. “Honestly? I think someone wants to make it look like Vince killed these women and make sure everyone in town thinks so, too. Maybe that includes something Gram discovered.”

  “Killing Collette and Marnie is bad enough, but murdering an older woman like Marissa is downright diabolical,” Paloma groused.

  “It’s despicable,” Natalie said in agreement. She turned to trade long stares with Lucinda, but it was Natalie who spoke with a tremble in her voice. “For what it’s worth, Lucinda and I never did think she fell. Marissa worked every single day at the shop and had more energy than most people half her age.”

  Lucinda’s mouth quivered. “Not just that, but when I found her, my first impression was that she looked like she’d been in a fight for her life.”

  Gemma’s brow creased in puzzlement. “Did you tell Lando that?”

  Lucinda grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser and dabbed at her eyes. “I ran out of that garage so fast I don’t remember what I said.”

  Natalie patted her friend’s hand. “You shouldn’t fret, honey. It must’ve been a horrible thing to see.”

  But Gemma was running out of patience on that score. As soon as the book club broke up, she phoned the county coroner’s office and asked to speak to Tuttle.

  “Did you have a chance to get the test results back on what was found under my grandmother’s fingernails? I know you didn’t do an autopsy, but you did take clippings from her nails. That must’ve been eno
ugh of an issue for you. I read Lando’s police report.”

  “Got that back first thing this morning. I already called Chief Bonner. Turns out, you were right. The lab found foreign DNA under the nails. She probably scratched her assailant. The lab plans to run it through CODIS.”

  “Is that enough to change her cause of death?” Gemma wanted to know, holding her breath waiting for his response.

  “As I told Chief Bonner, I’m in the process of changing it to read homicide.”

  Even though that’s what she’d wanted, the news was like a punch to the gut. Someone had murdered her Gram, someone had hidden and waited for the perfect moment to strike, to bring down an old lady that never did anything to anyone.

  The idea that her poor grandmother had suffered made her sick at her stomach. But the feeling soon turned into anger. It made her more determined than ever to catch the people responsible.

  21

  That evening, Gemma settled into a comfy chair, opened up Marissa’s journal, and picked up where she’d left off the night before.

  Determined to read every single line, she was tempted to skip over the more mundane entries, especially those about dinner parties Gram had either given or attended. But if Gemma wanted to learn everything about her grandmother’s activities over the past year, she had to digest everything that had gone on in her life. She read until her eyes bugged out. She was about to get up and go to bed when the doorbell rang.

  Cautious, she looked at her phone to see if she’d missed a text from Lando. Maybe he planned to drop by. But there was no message stating that.

  Peering through the peephole, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Leia and Lianne on the porch.

  “Look who I ran into while closing up tonight,” Leia said as she charged through the doorway.

  Gemma’s eyes landed on Lianne. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Portland?”