“I don’t have a signal. I think the tower might’ve blown down.”
“Why didn’t you go into work?”
Warren gestured to the other end of the driveway, where the fender of his police car was barely visible under the enormous trunk of another fallen tree. “The car is temporarily out of service. That happened yesterday afternoon. I stopped back here after dropping off a suspect. The wind was pretty crazy. I half expected to wake up in Munchkinland.”
“When I saw the tree,” Lindsay began, her eyes welling up with tears, “I thought you got squished.”
“I nearly did. The trailer was shaking like a sinner in church all day and night. I spent most of the night hunkered down in the bathtub in there because I thought I’d be safer.” He gestured to the tobacco barn behind him.
“There’s a bathtub in there?”
“Two. I’ll show you.” Warren held Lindsay’s hand and led her toward the building. Somehow, holding hands felt perfectly natural, as if this was the way things had always been between them. Lindsay now saw that the barn, which she had originally thought was derelict, was in fact a building site—windows had been installed and a new roof put on. Warren opened the solid oak front door to reveal the half-finished interior. He explained that he was living in the trailer while in the process of converting the barn into a house. Right now, he was adding a second story where the former loft of the barn had been. Through the open studwork interior walls, Lindsay see could the entire back wall of the building had been replaced with enormous windows, that revealed a breath-taking view of the rolling hills beyond. The finished house wouldn’t be large, but it would be comfortable and beautifully in harmony with the surrounding land.
Warren gestured to the space that was laid out as the ground-floor bathroom. Sofa cushions and a down comforter filled the bathtub. “That’s where I hunkered down last night. I tried to stay as far away from the windows as I could. They’re insulated triple-thick glass, but I don’t think that would have made much difference if a tree made its mind up to come inside. I guess I’ll have to step up the pace of the work now that the trailer is gone.”
“I love fixing up old buildings,” Lindsay said.
“Is that an offer? Because I will put you to work.”
“Well, I owe you. I can’t thank you enough for what you did for Sara…” Lindsay corrected herself, “for my mother.”
Warren sighed. “I’m not sure I did you or her any favors by letting her walk, you know.”
“I know she’s not going to change. But it makes me feel better to know that she’s free, doing her thing. And I’m guessing that that suspect you brought over to the lock-up in Mount Moriah was Leander Swoopes?” Warren nodded. “Fleet also told me that you ‘fessed up about me helping with the case.”
“Since when do you and Fleet chitchat about me?” Warren said with a smile.
“Oh, we’re best friends now. We braid each other’s hair and do each other’s nails.”
“Maybe he can be maid of honor at our wedding,” Warren said.
“Aren’t you jumping the gun a little bit? You should probably divorce your Vegas wife first.”
“I suppose. And we should probably go out on a date or two. What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Shopping for a new car.”
“I know where you can get a New Albany police cruiser for real cheap. It needs a little body work, but it comes with a free tree.”
Lindsay smiled at him. “I really do appreciate you looking out for me, you know.”
“Least I could do.”
“Aren’t you afraid of getting into trouble for lying to Fleet and then basically threatening to kill him at the hospital?”
“No. Fleet gets all the credit for solving the Young case. I also gave him Swoopes. Taking scalps is what he cares about, not whether some little no-account Barney Fife from the middle of nowhere gets his mistress to help him solve a murder case.”
“I don’t think you’re Barney Fife,” Lindsay said, putting her hand on his cheek. “Remember? You’re Shaggy from Scooby Doo.”
“I don’t want to be Shaggy or Barney Fife or anybody. Let’s just be Warren and Lindsay.”
Lindsay nodded and smiled. “You’re right. I think I’m ready for us to be Warren and Lindsay.”
“Hey, I have a big surprise for you,” Warren grew suddenly animated. “You’re really going to like this.” He led her outside to a little shed alongside the barn. “Sarabelle and Swoopes still had it hitched up to the back of their pickup.” He flung open the door of the shed to reveal Lindsay’s erstwhile jet ski, its metallic paint shining like a diamond in the sun.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
A Murder in Mount Moriah Page 27