by Jill Winters
But wait! She had to tell him about Seth; it might change his mind about getting back together.
Taking her hands in his, he said, "Can we go back to the way we were? Can we just forget the stupid way I acted, and start seeing each other again?"
Can we? After she'd been so passionately in the arms of another man? Could she simply blot out the image of Seth naked and tender and rumpled and gentle? After a long pause, she told Mark that she needed to think about it.
"Okay, totally understandable," he said, nodding. "Take whatever time you need." Jeez, why was he so open with his feelings now? So freaking approachable and devoted to their relationship? What was up with men and their bad timing, anyway? "Let's eat!" he said, as he enthusiastically lifted his fat, juicy double Whopper to his mouth.
When Billy picked up her broiled, slightly limp chicken sandwich, a big leaf of mayonnaise-y lettuce slid out from the bun and landed on her jeans with a greasy splat. Dabbing it with a napkin, she reached for a drink, only to notice that there wasn't one.
"Oh, duh, I forgot the drinks!" Mark exclaimed, and hopped to his feet. "Here, I'll run across the street and get us something."
As she watched him jog across Boylston, Billy recounted all his wonderful attributes. Mark was kind, affable, and considerate. Okay, his idea of a "special surprise" could use an upgrade, but still... fundamentally, he was a nice guy.
When he returned, however, he had only one cup in hand. "We can share this," he said, handing the small cup to Billy first. "It's more romantic that way!"
After one sip, she was pursing her lips. It was regular Coke, which, to a Diet Coke fan, tasted beyond putrid. When she handed the cup off to him, he took a long, thorough gulp, followed by a protracted, "Aaahhh."
Just then a ketchup packet blew off in a sweep of wind, and Mark jumped to his feet and tried to save it. "Mark... Mark, don't worry about it," Billy called as he lurched for it. The wind kicked up and blew their napkins all around.
"It's good ketchup," he called back. "It's free—we shouldn't waste it!" He lunged down to the ground, releasing a sigh of relief as he swiped the ketchup packet up and dropped it into his pocket. When he turned back to Billy, his mouth spread wide with unabashed glee.
Feebly, Billy smiled back. Try as she might to understand Mark, he still managed to elude her.
* * *
Later that night Billy punched out and left the bakery, expecting to find Corryn waiting for her. She'd insisted on making sure Billy got home safely in light of all the creepy things that had been happening lately. But it wasn't Corryn waiting outside Bella Donna. It was Seth.
As their eyes met, Billy felt an immediate surge of excitement. "Hi, there. What are you doing here?"
"I came to make sure you got home okay," Seth said, coming closer.
"You didn't have to do that," she said.
He ignored the comment. "Listen, I talked to Sally today. First of all, she told me that Greg Dappaport is from a prominent Connecticut family she's known for years and years. Apparently she became friendly with Greg's sister, Bethany, all the way back when they were in private school together, so she's known Greg practically all his life—though they didn't become particularly friendly until he moved to Churchill three years ago. Anyway, it sounds like everything with him is on the up-and-up."
"Oh, good," Billy said with a sigh of relief, and Seth went on to repeat what Sally had told him about Greg's educational and professional history. Afterward Billy said, "So what's second of all?"
"Based on Sally's description, I think the head librarian at the Churchill Public Library, Claudia Dibbs, might be the woman we're looking for. Uptight, prissy, rich. Plus, she's not married. A widow."
"Interesting," Billy said, chewing her lip. "But you never met her?"
"No. Apparently she moved to town not too long ago."
"Oh, my gosh, we have a real lead; this is great! When should we talk to her? How about tomorrow? I have to be in Churchill working on the streetscape, anyway."
"Okay. But maybe you should leave the talking to me."
"Why?"
"Because... you know, I live in town. I know Sally—-"
"And you think you're smoother than me, is that it?" she said, grinning.
His mouth curved teasingly. "Well..."
"Just because you schmoozed our waitress at the Rusty Canoe?" Seth just smiled. "We can work out the details tomorrow, how about that?"
"Billy!"
She looked over and saw her sister rushing through the mall, with her dark hair flying loosely around her face. "Hi, I'm so sorry I'm late—Seth," she said suddenly, just registering him. "Hi."
"Hey, Corryn. It's good to see you again. How've you been?"
"I'm fine, and you?"
After they exchanged pleasantries, Seth said, "Well, I can see you're in good hands here, Billy. But let me give you two a lift so you don't have to take the subway."
"Seth!"
They all turned around and saw Joe heading over. Okay—this was getting weird now. "Oh, my God, Joe!" Billy said, smiling. "How are you? What are you doing here?"
"Hey, kid, what's up?" he said, tapping her shoulder affectionately. Then, abruptly, his attention was diverted by Corryn. "Oh, hello," he said, and cleared his throat. "Small world, huh?"
"Yeah," she replied, "claustrophobically, freakishly small." Billy could tell she was only kidding, but Joe cinched his brows, as though he didn't know how to take that. Jeez, did her sister always have to be so sarcastic?
Again Billy asked, "Joe, what are you doing here?" Then it hit her. "Did you find out something about Ted Schneider's murder?"
"Murder?" he said, looking thoroughly confused, and glanced at Seth.
"Yeah, I didn't tell you the whole story," Seth said after a pause.
"Oh." Another brief pause. "Well, Seth mentioned you were getting out around eight. I finished my paperwork early, so I thought I'd swing by and check on you," Joe said to Billy.
Billy let out a laugh. She couldn't believe all these people had cared enough to come just to check on her. "That's so sweet," Billy said, very subtly nudging her sister's side. Corryn shot her a warning glance, and Billy added, "Really—thanks, you guys."
"Hey, why don't we all go somewhere?" Seth suggested. "Maybe get something to eat."
Even though Billy had eaten most of that BK Broiler a couple of hours ago, she was getting hungry again. "Sure," she said, and turned to Corryn. "Want to?"
Corryn hesitated, glancing at Joe, who looked intently at her.
Billy sensed a kind of electricity between them, something palpable, and when Corryn finally agreed, Joe did, too.
* * *
They were all seated at Uno's on Boylston, much more relaxed now that Billy and Corryn had raspberry crushes in front of them, and Joe and Seth had ordered beers. The only problem was that the burn from the vodka was making Billy too acutely sensitive to every move Seth made. Every brush of his leg against hers in the tight-fitting booth, every shuffle of his feet under the table. Memories flashed through her head like a dirty slide show: his naked, muscled legs, his thick, hard penis, the mushroom-headed tip when it was wet and scorching....
Billy sat across from Corryn, who sat next to Joe, who kept shooting glances her way. They were so damn adorable together, if only her sister would give Joe a chance.
Seth had told Joe their suspicions, but, predictably, Joe wasn't buying any of it. As a cop, he was a stickler for evidence and "facts." Jeez.
Now, while they waited for their pizza, Joe told them what he'd learned about the late Ted Schneider. "Born and raised in New Bedford," he said.
"Not far from Churchill," Seth remarked, sliding his gaze to Billy, who nodded.
"Graduated from high school in 1959. Joined the army but went AWOL. According to the marriage records, he was married once to a woman named Gertrude Swain. They divorced. I called the Swain family of Michigan and asked a few questions."
"And they just answered you?" Corryn s
aid, surprised.
Joe shrugged. "They assumed that since I was a cop, I was after Ted for something, and they were all too happy to talk then. Apparently they think the guy was a real bastard, and they had no clue that he died. Or at least that was how they acted."
"Why was he a bastard?" Billy said, leaning forward with interest. Finally she might get some real information about the kind of man Ted was—information that might actually shed some light on why he'd left Aunt Pen.
"According to Babs Swain, the matriarch of the family, Ted married their daughter Gertrude thirty years ago, but the marriage lasted less than a year. Apparently the Swains were a high-society family who viewed Schneider as a fortune-hunting lothario. That's a quote, by the way. Anyway, they offered him a payoff to leave Gertrude, nothing messy, just sign the divorce papers and disappear." With a shrug, Joe finished, "He took it."
"Oh, my God, what a dick!" Corryn blurted—obviously forgetting herself. (And did she have to say dick when Billy had just gotten the image of Seth's out of her mind?)
Seth said, "It sounds like the family did their daughter a favor, then. Obviously Ted didn't really love her if he took a payoff."
"Yeah, but the thing is, it backfired," Joe went on. "When Gertrude found out what had happened, instead of thanking the family for helping her see the light—Babs honestly seemed to expect that, by the way—she took off. Up and disappeared. They never heard from her again. Ted, either."
"Jeez," Billy said, sitting back against the booth upholstery. "First Gertrude disappears into thin air; then Ted disappears into thin air. A lot of disappearing going on; meanwhile I can't even hide from the company who gave me a college loan nine years ago, much less my family."
"Hey," Corryn said, scrunching her face.
"Oh, not you," Billy said, smiling at her. "Or Dad."
"Yeah, but who's to say Gertrude and Ted didn't disappear together?" Joe said.
True... Billy hadn't even thought of that. Maybe Ted and Gertrude had gotten the payoff and each other. But even so, where did Aunt Penelope fit into Ted's life?
"Wait, Joe," Corryn said. "You must know something about what this guy's been up to for the past thirty years. I mean, where has he been living? What does he do for work?"
"According to the IRS, he's filed as doing odd jobs, mostly working as a contract fisherman, drifting from town to town."
"So obviously whatever payoff the Swains gave him, he blew a long time ago," Seth remarked, which made Billy wonder if Ted might have been after Penelope only for her money. Aunt Pen wasn't especially wealthy, but she did have a successful business, and that beautiful old colonial she'd inherited from her parents. And what about what Ted's Dear John letter saying that someone from his past was after him? Was it something as simple as a spurned lover—someone he'd screwed over while he was drifting from town to town? Or could it have been the Swains in search of their daughter? And were they just conveniently feigning ignorance of Ted Schneider's death?
Just then the waitress came bearing pizza and refills of beer. "Another drink, ladies?" she said.
"No, thanks," Billy replied. Another drink would only fuel her hormones, which were already raging, especially with Seth's solid thigh pressed against her. Corryn passed, too, and Billy wondered if she had similar reasons, sitting next to Joe.
"Now, Billy, I want to know more about these threats," Joe said with concern. "Seth told me you've gotten some weird calls and that someone smeared tomatoes on your window."
"Yeah, I think it has to do with the case," she said.
Joe leveled an impatient look at her. "The case? Billy, there is no case. Ted Schneider died from an allergic reaction to nuts at an event where there was a shitload of food. Oh, sorry." He must've felt like a gutter-mouth in front of Corryn. "Anyway, he ate something he shouldn't have and suffered a fatal reaction. It happens all the time."
"But what you said about Ted's background—"
He held up his hand before she could finish. "Look, Seth asked me to find out about the guy, so I did. He never said anything about you two conducting a murder investigation." Now Seth got a look from Joe, one that very clearly said, What the fuck?
"We really haven't done too much," Seth said in their defense.
"What, exactly, have you done?" Joe asked warily.
Seth gave him the very abridged version, and Billy said, "See? We've hardly rocked the boat."
"No, but you broke into one," Joe said, sounding frustrated. "That's a crime."
Billy was debating whether or not to feign ignorance on that one when Corryn jumped in. "Forget about this guy's death—who cares? What the hell are we gonna do about the threats?"
"Exactly," Joe said with a nod. "It's been a few calls and some vandalism, is that right?"
"Well, I also had a hang-up call that was kind of creepy the week before the jubilee," Billy said. "And I got the feeling someone was outside my building one night. But then again, my mind might have been playing tricks on me."
Joe nodded and said, "The fact that those incidents precede the jubilee only proves my point that none of this related to this guy Ted's death."
"Murder," Billy insisted.
"You have no evidence," Joe said, unrelenting and once again throwing around the E-word. "Now let's get back to reality. Do you have any idea who might want to threaten you or even just scare you? Anyone at all who might be angry with you? Or who even might think you'd actually find this funny?"
"No," Billy said. "To be honest, I really don't even know that many people."
"What about someone you work with?"
"No, I can't imagine—"
"Do any of your coworkers have issues with you? Think, Billy. Most of the time, in cases like this, it's someone you know. Could someone at the bakery have a problem with you?"
"Not that I know of," Billy said.
"And the messages haven't given any clue as to what the caller might want from you?" Joe asked, staring her down with intensity.
"No—whoever's behind this hasn't mentioned that at all. Just cryptic things like, 'Go away.' "
"That's not too cryptic," Corryn said sarcastically.
"Seth, is there any chance this could be connected to you?" Joe said.
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe someone might be jealous, or have a grudge against your"—he stopped just short of saying "girlfriend"—"against Billy for spending time with you." Suddenly Sally Sugarton's niece, Pam, popped into Billy's mind. No, she was harmless—even if she did seem to have designs on Seth. Anyway, how would Pam possibly know Billy's cell number and address?
"I can't think of anyone," Seth said now. "No one who'd have a grudge, and no one who'd even know we're spending time together."
"Maybe Sally mentioned something around town, or—"
Seth shook his head adamantly. "No way. I haven't mentioned Billy much to Sally." Inexplicably, the words stung, and Seth must've realized, because he looked over at Billy and grinned. "I mean I love Sally to death, but she might as well hang a sign around her neck that says, 'Town Crier.' Anyway, Billy asked me to keep this quiet."
That was true.
God, he was cute.
She wanted to kiss him so much right now.
"Okay, this is how it's gonna be." Joe was in dictatorial mode; suddenly Billy was remembering more about his authoritative demeanor. "I want you two to drop this whole investigation. That's it; you're done. I don't want to find out you've been snooping around Churchill and asking questions."
Billy paused, waiting for the rest, but so far she wasn't too impressed with Joe's vision for how things were gonna be.
"Now, I do not believe there is a connection between Ted Schneider's death and the threats Billy's been getting—and I don't believe Ted's death was murder, either—but if there is a connection, I'll find it. Do you understand?"
Seth released a small sigh, but didn't agree or disagree. Billy tried to follow his lead, but her face must've given her away, because when Corryn spoke
she sounded worried. "Billy. Come on, just forget it. Who cares if Penelope dated this guy a decade ago? It's history. Jesus, I don't want you getting killed over it!"
"But if you don't think the murder and the threats are related, what's the difference if I snoop around a little?" Billy asked.
Corryn sighed with exasperation. "I just don't want you making yourself any more vulnerable to whoever is leaving you these messages." She turned to Joe and said, "Isn't there something you can do? Like put her under house arrest or something?"
"Hey!"
With a short, dry laugh, Joe slanted his gaze at Corryn, about to respond when, for a moment, their eyes seemed to lock. His mouth parted a little, and for a few crackling seconds the air felt charged with tension.
Seth spoke up. "All right, we'll drop the whole thing."
"But—" Billy began to protest when Seth lightly squeezed her thigh under the table. Her breath caught, and almost instinctively she stilled.
"Joe, please just find whoever's behind the calls," he said, sounding gravely serious. Almost commanding. Billy swallowed hard at the thick, masculine power in Seth's voice. Could he be more fucking sexy?
Chapter 22
Seth drove Billy home, because he wanted to make sure she got there safely, and Joe drove Corryn home for that same reason—not that Corryn was being threatened, but Billy wasn't about to argue.
"I'll be fine now," she said, turning the lock of her brownstone. "You can go."
"I think I'll wait until you get inside."
They headed up the stairs to Billy's apartment, and came to a jarring halt at the top of the stairs. "Oh, my God—what's that?"
"What the hell...?" Seth stepped forward and snatched the sheet of paper that was taped to Billy's door. In big, blocky letters it read, I hate your fat face—go away, you bitch! "Christ," he muttered angrily, and reached back to grab her hand. "C'mon, sweetheart." The endearment soothed her, even though it sank in only blurrily as her mind raced frantically with fear. Gently Seth guided her into her apartment, with his hand on her back, and as soon as he locked the door behind them Pike Bishop bounded over.
He attacked Seth first, jumping up on him, sniffing him, snarling at him, and barking, of course, but Seth dropped down to pet him. "Hey, boy," he said, rubbing his neck until the dog warmed up to him. Next Pike went to Billy, who petted him and let him lick her hand. "Hi, baby," Billy said, fighting the choking fear climbing up her throat.