Walker Texas Wife (The Book Cellar Mysteries 1)

by Melissa Storm

  Annabeth was practically paralyzed by the implications. All she could do was nod like some dummy. Did she and Fin hook up? Or... crap, what if they had gotten to her already? Even when she doubted every other aspect of her life, she’d always been confident in her abilities as an investigator—failing wasn't allowed.

  Ever since Marcus had slept with Beth, the bartender, everything had gone to crap. She had been stupid to trust him—let him in. Now once more she’d allowed herself to lose focus on what was really important—saving the girls. If she’d been paying attention to the girl instead of her own problems, this wouldn’t have happened.

  It’s like the incident all over again.

  Annabeth tried to push all of that out of her mind as she turned and made her way out of the building. She thought back to the night before and tried to home in on any other details she knew about the girl.

  Wait! What if...

  Annabeth's mind pinged on a memory of a story she had read about the rise in sexual assaults for women using those paid driver services. Just like the one Fernando had called to take Amy home. What better way to lure unsuspecting college girls into a car? They could have dozens of rotating drivers picking up the girls.

  I need to tell Marcus!

  She stopped herself just before she pressed send.

  Marcus can’t help me...I’m on my own.

  The thought sent a chill down her spine. Alone. The one word echoed in her mind. She straightened her spine. Well, at least she wouldn’t have him distracting her from the task at hand. She pushed down the ache she felt in her chest, compartmentalizing her unspent emotions. A familiar numbness settled inside her. Ever onward.

  Annabeth shot off a quick text message to Fin asking him the name of the driving service he had used. She didn't tell him that Amy was missing. She would keep that information to herself. Just as she was jamming her phone back into her pocket, it buzzed with an incoming text message. But instead of Fin it was from Brooke.

  I had Marcus moved to Herald Springs Memorial. No need to thank me. It’s the least I could do. We are doing event set-up tomorrow, but I understand if you can’t make it. I’m sure we can find someone to fill in for you. Ta!

  Annabeth felt her face get hot.

  What the actual heck! Are you kidding me?

  The people of Herald Springs had gotten on her very last nerve.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Vi

  After Vi fought with Annabeth she went straight to church for Tuesday morning Mass and Confession. She was grateful for the partition that saved her from seeing the look of disappointment on the priest’s face as she told him about her breaking into her neighbor’s home. Five “Our Fathers” and two “Hail Marys” later, she still felt miserable. She wouldn’t feel better until Annabeth forgave her, and maybe not even then.

  She spent the rest of the day at the shelter, but she was too distracted to get much done. The fight with Annabeth weighed heavily on her. When she got home she did the only thing she could think to do—cook. Thankfully, no calls came in through the hotline. By two a.m. she had a week's worth of meals packaged up and ready to deliver to the Kings. It would mean that Vi had to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a week, but if it helped repair her relationship with Annabeth, then it would be worth it.

  Anna was her first real new friend in years.

  Sure, she had Brooke and Jesse, but they were always so wrapped up in their own drama that she often felt invisible in their company. Anna had been such a comfort at the rodeo when she broke things off with Ricky. She hadn’t made it all about her like Brooke would have done, or blown it off like it was nothing in true Jesse fashion. She had just listened and offered sympathies. Yes, Anna was the kind of friend she so desperately needed.

  Bright and early the next morning, she knocked on Annabeth’s backdoor, praying she’d hear her out. No one answered, and the house was pitch black. The car wasn’t in the drive, either. Not home.

  Of course, she’s probably at the hospital with Marcus. Poor thing.

  Just as she turned around to go home, Vi remembered that even though it was Wednesday—her day off—she was supposed to help Brooke out that morning. Brooke had emailed all of the volunteers with a list of roles and responsibilities for the event.

  I’m surprised she didn't make a PowerPoint presentation.

  She didn’t know why, but Brooke had been irritating her more and more lately.

  Just like last year, she had been assigned to help with set-up. This year was extra challenging since they had moved the venue at the last minute to the Book Cellar. Life would be so much better when this stupid gala was over with. It wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t take up so much of her time, especially since she was on call all week at the shelter.

  Late hours taking care of victims and long hours each day getting the event ready was taking its toll on her—especially since Brooke assigned her the same boring task each year, pointing out bidders to the auctioneer.

  No one ever trusts me to do anything that actually requires thought. A monkey could do this job!

  She stopped just short of wondering if Brooke thought she was too stupid to help with anything important. After all, if Annabeth refused to forgive her, Brooke would still be the best friend she had, and, annoyed or not, she didn’t need to ruin that.

  Vi put away all of the food in her garage standing freezer and put a note on the Kings’ door.

  Dear Anna,

  I know this doesn’t make up for what I did, but I put together some meals for you. I know you have a lot going on with your work and Marcus in the hospital. I’m hoping that this helps take something off your plate.

  Sincerely,

  Vi

  She placed a quick call to the hospital only to find that Marcus had been transferred to Herald Springs Memorial. She made a note to herself to call the florist later and have a planter sent to his room.

  She wished she could go visit with him, but between Brooke, Joy, the gala, and her work, that just wouldn’t be possible.

  Beep-beep-beep.

  Vi’s phone reminded her that she was scheduled to assist Brooke with event set-up. She had signed on for two full days, and today was just the beginning. Ugh. She really needed to learn to say no to things.

  For a brief moment, she allowed herself the luxury to imagine what it would be like to have a partner, someone to help lighten her load. But she shook the thought away—scattering it into the wind and letting it blow away.

  No sense going down that road. There was zero time in her schedule for a pity party. She snatched her keys and a bottle of water, then ran out the door. Always running…

  The morning sped by in a rush of activity. Brooke was in full form, which meant she had been shouting orders at everyone all morning.

  “Vi, not there! I told you to put that table by the beam!”

  To cope, Vi fantasized about putting the table tape around her bossy BFF’s mouth. The thought made her giggle a little on the inside, but she instantly felt guilty for mentally turning on Brooke in her hour of need. She made a quick sign of the cross and asked the Virgin Mary for forgiveness for the umpteenth time that day. The poor Virgin was working overtime for her this week.

  Brooke smacked a piece of paper down in front of her. “Just follow the CAD design! Jeez, this isn’t rocket science, Vi. We have to get the tables set up today so that we can stay on schedule!”

  Why does she have to be so mean?

  Things had been tense between them ever since the Kings had moved in. She had always been bossy, but she had had never been mean, not like this. At least never to her supposed best friend. Vi looked away just in time to catch a shock of red bobbing toward her.

  Sure enough, Annabeth had shuffled inside with her assignment sheet in her good hand. Her injured arm hung in a splint—it looked swollen. She wasn’t using the sling. Vi’s inner nurturer wanted to run to her and beg her forgiveness again, but Anna flashed her a look that said “stay away.” />
  Brooke turned and charged toward her poor neighbor with a manic bravado that worried her. Something was wrong—and it wasn’t just this whole gala mess. She was amped up to an eleven these days, which was frightening to witness. Brooke half-hugged Anna, who stiffened in Brooke’s embrace. It was painful to watch.

  “Oh good, you made it.”

  Annabeth nodded. Her eyes looked puffy, her face drawn like she hadn’t gotten much sleep. Vi wondered how much rest she’d had since the night before.

  Little Miss Queen B didn’t seem to notice, which wasn’t all that surprising.

  “How’s Marcus?” Brooke crooned, placing a hand on Anna’s shoulder in what Vi assumed was meant to be a comforting gesture—though close contact with Brooke like that tended to unnerve even the most stoic of persons. “I was so sorry to hear what had happened to him. I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. If that had been my husband, I would be a total mess.” Her words ran into one another in an anxious way that was unlike her.

  Vi had a fleeting thought that maybe Brooke was on anti-anxiety meds or perhaps she’d had one too many mimosas with her breakfast that morning.

  Annabeth let out a tired sigh; Brooke had a way of wearing people out. She shifted her weight from one foot to another. “He’s unchanged unfortunately. Um, yeah, about your having him moved—”

  Brooke simply beamed, not even letting Annabeth finish her sentence. “Oh, no need to thank me. It was nothing!”

  Annabeth squared her shoulders and a look of irritation flashed across her face. “I wasn’t—”

  Brooke flapped her hand as if to dismiss Annabeth. “Never you mind. Anyway, I am so glad you are here, because Violeta here is in desperate need of your help. Do you have the CAD design I attached in the email?”

  She held up a crumpled paper. “Yeah, I have it. I can do this myself if you need Vi to work on something else.”

  Vi’s heart sank.

  But Brooke’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh, aren’t you the eager beaver? While I do love your enthusiasm, with that arm of yours, I highly doubt going solo would be such a good idea. It’s on the schedule that you two are going to work together. That’s not going to be a problem... Is it?” she asked with a quirk of her brow.

  Annabeth grumbled under her breath, causing Vi’s guilt to weigh like the whole of the earth on her shoulders.

  She walked over to them with her head hung low. “Anna—”

  Annabeth held up her bad hand to stop her, wincing from the pain of the sudden movement. “Don’t. I’m just here to help out your sister and the rest of the residents. Let’s just get this over with.”

  Vi bit her lip to keep from crying. Looking down, she nodded in passive agreement. And, despite the tension between them, they worked well together. They even finished their assigned tasks ahead of schedule.

  Brooke beamed at their progress. “Well, look at my busy bees! Gold stars for both of you.”

  Annabeth checked her watch. “Do you need anything else? I really want to get back to the hospital this afternoon before I go back to the University tonight.”

  Brooke regarded her with a solemn look of understanding. “Of course, you do. You’ve been such a trooper helping us out as much as you have. Vi can do the rest, don’t you worry. Right, Vi?”

  She nodded. “Of course. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything covered here.”

  “Good!” Brooke took off, yelling corrections to the team who was working on getting all of the sound equipment set up.

  She used the moment to reach across and touch Annabeth’s hand. “I really am sorry. I hope in time you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

  Annabeth removed her hand from underneath hers and walked away without saying a word. Vi slumped down into one of the chairs and buried her face in her hands.

  Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of...

  “No time for dilly-dallying, Vi!” Brooke shouted from across the room.

  She crossed herself and slid out of the chair. A pile of boxed up linen waited for her. She took a pair of box cutters out of Brooke’s overly organized supply box. She’d even used a label maker to identify each tool. The girl sure did love her label makers—all three of them.

  Vi couldn’t help but chuckle as she sliced open the boxes of white linens that had arrived that morning from the cleaners. The lingering chemical smell of industrial laundering wafted up to her nose as she fluffed one out onto the table. She couldn't help but wonder how Brooke got the company to hand deliver them to the venue. Maybe she didn’t want to know.

  “I think the eighties part of this theme may be missing,” the centerpiece volunteer whispered to her partner.

  “You don’t actually expect Brooke to go full on eighties, do you? That would be way too cheesy,” the other volunteer responded with a smirk as they unboxed the centerpieces.

  Everything had to be just so, she thought as she tugged at the corners of the linens that dressed the head table. The volunteers were right. Of course, Brooke didn’t want it to be any old 80’s theme. No, it had to be GLAM. Glitter was everywhere and the color scheme of silver and gold made it look more like an after party for a Hollywood awards show.

  From the corner of her eye, she watched as Brooke ran the volunteers like a well-oiled machine. She was in her element bossing everyone around. The volunteers grumbled but they all gave their best, because they all knew how well Brooke rewarded all her volunteers—handsomely.

  She found ways to cut and skimp on the event so that there was always enough left over in the budget for a volunteer blowout afterward, designer goodie bags and all. Everyone wanted to be a Volunteer Bee, which is what Brooke called her makeshift team. She even had a logo made up with a little buzzing bee.

  Just as she was placing the last of the linens down, her phone rang.

  Joy.

  “Hi, Joy. What’s up?”

  “Vi, I’m hungry.”

  Vi looked up at the clock on the wall. One thirty.

  Vi sat down with a sigh. She was kind of hungry, too. “Then eat something, Joy.”

  Joy grumbled. “I want a pizza, and you said to call if I wanted a pizza. Everyone got mad last time. Remember?”

  The lack of sleep was starting to take its toll. She rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Joy, I’m busy. I can’t make you a pizza right now. Don’t you have to go to work this afternoon?”

  Joy bagged groceries at the store by the home and normally loved her job. “Yes, but I’m really hungry.”

  “Go to work, Joy. Eat a snack there, or buy one of their pizza slices.”

  “I can’t buy pizza!” her voice rose to a near shrill.

  “Why not?”

  “You need money to buy pizza!”

  Her blood pressure began to rise. “Did you spend all of your allowance already?”

  Her sister’s voice rose higher. She was heading into a meltdown. “I’m HUNGRY, Vi!”

  She checked her watch. “I’ll meet you at the grocery store and get you a slice of pizza, okay?”

  And grab myself some lunch, too.

  Her sister’s breath came out in short pants that bristled Vi to the core.

  “Joy, I will get you pizza if you go to work.”

  “Okay,” she said as she hung up the phone.

  Vi waved to Brooke. “I’ll be right back.”

  Brooke’s eyebrows formed an angry “V” but she thankfully didn’t say anything. She knew she needed to be more firm with Joy, but was just too tired to parent her these days.

  Jesse came bounding up the walk just as she walked out the café entrance. “Hey, gorgeous. Why the frown?”

  Vi hugged him hard, and, after a short pause, he hugged her back. “Hey, toots, what’s wrong?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Oh, nothing. I’ve gotta run.”
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  He gave her a tight squeeze before letting her go. “All right. Go off and save the day, Super Vi.” He shot her a teasing smile.

  Despite her grumpiness, she smiled back. “Later, Jess!”

  He stood on the walk outside the café watching her get in her car and waving goodbye.

  She wished she was a super hero. Instead, she felt more like the bumbling fool, failing at everything and disappointing everyone. At least the pizza was an easy fix. If only all of her problems were that simple to mend. The ache in her heart turned to a pang.

  Maybe I’ll have a heart attack. Then my problems wouldn’t matter.

  Joy... she reminded herself. She needed to be there for Joy.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Brooke

  Ugh, Brooke’s week just kept getting worse and worse. Even Tiara’s shiny fur seemed to have lost a bit of its luster as the result of the constant string of disappointments that kept coming their way. They both needed a pick-me-up in order to work well into the night, thus pulling this poop storm together with one beautiful, sparkling bow. Besides Brooke still wasn’t feeling like herself, and the pom had noticed.

  When Brooke settled the dog into her car basket, Tiara let out the most pathetic whimper and hid her tail between her legs.

  “Aww, Ti-Ti......” She reached out to stroke the little dog’s fur and noticed her manicure had chipped in several places. She’d even—gasp—taken to chewing on her French tips in moments of extreme and utter disaster. Well, that just wouldn’t do.

  “You want to go see KiKi?” She made her voice high-pitched and cheery to excite her melancholy pooch.

  Immediately, Tiara’s tail began to waggle and she let out an excited yip. Brooke laughed just thinking about how good a mani-pedi would feel.

  Maybe she should schedule a spa day for all the girls in lieu of a larger volunteer after-party for the gala. A party after a party would be far too exhausting. Yes, a follow-up spa day would be just the ticket.