I hesitated for a heartbeat, trying to determine if I was betraying Barry’s confidence, but figured it was more important trying to find out any other details which could exonerate him than to keep his secrets. Even so, I glanced behind me as if there were customers in the store. “Did Mom tell you why they’re keeping him?”
Percival and Gary exchanged glances, and then Percival pinched his forefinger and thumb together and held them up to his lips while making an exaggerated sucking sound.
It was my turn to roll my eyes. “Yes. Something like that.”
“I do hate how your mother found out like she did. She’s a gracious woman, but she’s never been the most open-minded about substances. Of course being married to your father didn’t help the situation, I suppose. I always worried what she would think if she found out about Barry.”
“You knew already?” It wasn’t like Percival and my mother to keep secrets from each other.
My uncles exchanged glances once more. “Darling, it wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret that Opal could get a guy what he needed, at least for those of us who needed it. Granted, we didn’t know where she was making them, not that it would’ve mattered.”
“Or that she had a small fortune of pot growing in the basement.” Gary let out a low whistle.
I nearly asked if there had been confirmation on the amount of marijuana she’d been growing, but then realized the implication of their words. “Wait a minute. You guys too?”
Gary had the decency to look a little embarrassed. “It’s legal now.”
Percival let out a snort. “Oh yes, we waited until it was legal.” He squeezed my hand before letting it go. “Darling Fred, not everyone grew up in a police state household. Some of us were children of the sixties and seventies. And trust me, edibles barely register. Yesterday’s pot is today’s kale. Now, if you really wanna have a good time—”
I held up my hand. “Unless you think this can help Barry, please, spare me the details.”
“Exactly.” Gary glared at his husband for a second, then looked back at me. “Besides, Barry quit going to Opal quite a while ago. True, at the time we didn’t know it was because Opal was threatening to spill the beans to Phyllis. Barry just told us he liked the product in Lyons better.”
Percival waved him off. “So fill us in. What have you discovered so far?”
“Not much. In fact, outside of stopping for coffee, the only place I’ve been is Cabin and Hearth.”
Gary let out an uncharacteristically loud whoop and slapped his knee. “You started with Anna and Carl? Girl, you hit the ground running!”
Percival rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Chances are whatever they said was a bunch of hogwash, but I’m sure it was delicious. What did they tell you?”
Again I hesitated, feeling like if I really was going to look for clues, I needed to keep things to myself. But they were family, and who knew, maybe what I’d heard would trigger something one of them knew but hadn’t thought was important. “Well, have either of you heard the rumors of Opal being a black widow?”
“Black widow?” Percival’s face fell. “That’s all you got out of the Hansons? Sweetie I could’ve told you that. Everybody talks about her being responsible for killing all those men. Of course nobody’s offered a shred of proof. Lord knows, she was mean enough to do it.”
“Nah.” Gary grimaced. “She wasn’t the nicest woman around, but she wasn’t a murderer. And I always got the impression she loved every one of her husbands. At least as much as Opal could love anyone outside of Lois. She wasn’t a killer.”
I glanced at Percival for confirmation. He shrugged as if the admission cost him. “Yeah. I have to say I agree.”
Like in the cabin furniture store, we were interrupted by a gust of cold air, and the four of us looked over at the tiny woman who entered the shop.
I did a double take when I recognized Lois Garble underneath the black veil of her hat. It took her longer to recognize me, but when she did, she halted for a heartbeat and then hurried toward me. “Oh, Fred.” She shocked me by throwing her arms around me, at least as far as she could reach. “I was planning on trying to find you today. You were so sweet to me when I was such a mess yesterday. It was the worst moment of my life, but I’m so glad I had you and Katie there to hold me together.”
I patted her back and glanced at my uncles, wanting salvation. She really had been hysterical, but Katie had been the one to hold and soothe her. I’d been utterly clueless on what to do and only mumbled some nonsense as I patted her shoulder.
After a second, Lois pulled back and noticed Watson. “Oh, and you, sweet baby. I don’t have any of my bones with me. I’m so sorry.” She rifled through the basket in her hands, then pulled out what looked like a gingerbread man and looked at me. “Not exactly a dog treat, but it’s all natural. No chocolate or anything. Do you mind?”
Watson left out a chuff which clearly meant I’d better not screw this up for him. “Of course. That’s very kind of you, Lois.”
She handed him the cookie, and Watson took it, then began to prance away. He glared back at the end of his leash. I dropped it so he could wander behind the counter and eat his treasure in peace. Lois pushed the basket toward Percival and Gary. “I’ve been baking up a storm. That’s how I cope. If I stop for even a second, I just end up sobbing. But now I don’t know what to do with all the things I’ve made. I can’t bring myself to open the store. I just don’t have it in me. Even the thought of going by the shops makes me want to die. It just makes me want to die.”
Percival slid the basket of baked goods on the counter with a distasteful look on his face before he and Gary gathered around Lois, comforting her like the wounded little bird she was. “You’re not alone in this, Lois. You’ve got the whole town behind you.”
“Percival’s right, sweetie. We’re all your family now. All of us.”
“You are both wonderful.” She sniffed, and through the veil, a tear glinted on her cheek. Lois turned to me. “I’m so sorry, how rude. You were here, and I just walked in and interrupted. Please don’t let me keep you if you’re shopping or need help. I know you have a new house to furnish. I’m sure you need some beautiful antiques. You couldn’t find better than Percival and Gary here.”
“Oh no, Lois, you’re not interrupting at all.” Despite myself, I was tempted to pat her on the shoulder again. Lord knew what good that would do.
“Fred is our niece. Her mom is Percival’s sister.” Gary’s smooth voice somehow made such an innocuous statement sound comforting. A skill I most definitely didn’t have.
It took her a second, but then Lois let out a little chirp. “Well, that shows you what a mess I’m in. Of course she is. We talked about that when we met the other night. You’re Phyllis and Barry’s daughter.” Another chirp and she left the embrace of my uncles and grabbed both of my hands in hers. “Oh, Fred. I wasn’t even thinking.” She sniffed. “I heard about poor Barry. Of course I called them instantly and let them know they had the wrong person. Barry’s the sweetest man. There’s no way he would ever do anything like that to Opal.”
I’d already liked Lois, but she stole my heart in that moment. “You did? You called the police station?”
“Well, of course I did. I want justice for Opal, but not at the price of an innocent man.”
“Thank you.” It was all I could say before my throat constricted.
She squeezed my fingers before letting go, looking back at my uncles. “And actually, I have to thank you for receiving me so kindly. I’ve taken a couple of baskets to a few of the other proprietors downtown. Not everyone has been so welcoming. It’s so embarrassing I almost just went home. But I can’t stand to be by myself right now.”
Gary’s muscular chest puffed up. “Who’s not been welcoming to you, Lois? I can’t even imagine.”
Lois sighed, the noise making her sound sickly. “I can. I understand it completely. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.” She sniffed again. “O
ne minute I’m a sobbing wreck because I don’t know how to get through a moment without my sister, and the next I’m just so mad I’m shaking. So humiliating. To find out that some people knew. This whole time, they’ve probably been looking at me, thinking I knew about what Opal was doing. About the”—she dropped her voice so it was barely audible—“drugs.”
Not having any of Gary’s skills at comfort either, Percival nearly squawked. “What! You mean you didn’t know?”
Lois started to cry.
I stood several paces away while Gary and Percival tried to put Lois back together again. Right when it sounded like her breathing was becoming close to normal, my cell vibrated in my pocket. It was Mom. I hit Accept and held it to my ear. “Are you okay?”
“Yes!” Her voice was a million times brighter than when I left her that morning. “They just called. They’re releasing Barry on bail. But I’m too worked up to drive. Will you please come get me, Fred? We can pick him up together.”
“Those cots at the jail are surprisingly comfortable. The food left a lot to be desired, but it was a great night’s sleep.” Barry grinned happily at me in the reflection of the rearview mirror.
He and Mom wanted to sit together, so they were crammed into the back of my Mini Cooper. Watson had his typical place beside me in the passenger seat. I’d expected to pick up a frazzled, haggard-looking Barry. Instead, he was chipper, obviously well rested, and bright-eyed.
“Oh, and you’ll never guess who my cellmate was last night.” Barry clapped his hands together once. “But try. Guess.”
Mom giggled and seemed to give it some actual thought. “The first person I can picture in jail would be Mark Green, but I don’t think you’d seem so pleased by it if it was him.”
He shuddered. “Dear Lord no. I would’ve had to sleep with one eye open.”
I glanced at the rearview once more. “Who’s Mark Green?”
“He owns the magic shop.” Mom’s tone took on an apologetic tone. “I know it’s ungracious of me to say, but he’s not the nicest of men.”
Green. Of course. I should’ve realized. Officer Green’s brother. It seemed the dislike went both ways.
Before I could ask for more details on that, Barry nudged my shoulder from the back seat. “Your turn, Fred. Take a guess.”
“Seriously, Barry? You just got out of jail and are playing guessing games?”
He humphed. “Fine. I’ll just tell you.” He turned his attention to Mom, since she was actually interested. “Simon Faulk.”
“Who…?” Before Barry had a chance to reply, Mom sucked in a surprised breath. “Oh, Simon! The new manager of Day of Lace. I’ve only met him a couple of times. But he seemed like a nice young man.”
“Very! I was charmed by him. I must say, it was a pleasant way to spend the evening. It seemed he and Rion got into it about a new shipment of wedding dresses, and Simon punched him. Which, honestly, I can’t see him doing. He really is a gentle soul.” Barry let out a long-suffering sigh. “He got out before me this morning. I must say, the few hours after he left simply dragged by. I never would’ve guessed there was so much behind-the-scenes drama in the wedding dress business.”
Mom made a knowing cluck. “Capitalism, dear. Not good for the soul.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter, and dared to glance into the back seat. “You do realize you two own at least a fourth of the properties downtown, right?”
Mom furrowed her brows. “I don’t see your point, dear.”
I knew better than to wade into that murky pool. Though I turned back to the road, I addressed Barry. “And I’m glad you felt like it was a vacation, while Mom and I were worried sick about you last night.”
“No need to worry. I have to say, Sergeant Wexler obviously thought I was up to no good, but he was kind with me. I hated he wasn’t there when I left. Maybe I’ll bring him back a thank-you card or something.”
“Don’t you dare! I don’t care if Opal was trying to blackmail you. And I don’t care if Branson was right to hold you on suspicion. We do not give thank-you cards for someone putting us in jail.”
“He let me out again, Fred. That counts for something.”
I glared at him in the mirror. “Because he was pushing the twenty-four-hour mark, Barry. You’re not cleared of anything yet.” I loved them both, but sometimes their easy-breezy nature rubbed me the wrong way. “And while we’re at it, why didn’t you guys fill me in on the rumors about Opal? Maybe this whole thing has nothing to do with her making edibles or growing pot. With three dead husbands, surely there’s some angry extended family out there who blame her and want their revenge.”
Mom chuckled. “That’s just silly, darling. This isn’t a Lifetime movie. And those are just rumors. I won’t say Opal was my favorite woman in the world, by any means, but she wasn’t a killer.”
I nearly asked what kind of movies she’d been watching on Lifetime, but decided it was beside the point. “Just because you think so, doesn’t mean someone who cared about one of those husbands feels the same. Even if we can’t figure out who it is, it’s a completely different direction on this case, one that would prove it has absolutely nothing to do with Barry.” I turned off Elkhorn Avenue and onto the road leading to their house.
“Oh, Fred.” Mom reached up and squeezed my arm. “Please be careful.”
I glanced back at her again, startled. “What do you mean?”
“You just referred to this as a case. You sound just like your father. I’d like to tell you to leave it alone. Let the police handle it. Barry’s innocent, it will come through. Whatever’s happening, someone killed Opal. And if you’re treating this like a case, it means someone’s not going to like that you’re snooping around.” She sighed. “But I also know you are your father’s daughter. It wouldn’t do any good to ask you to stop, or even beg. So be careful. I can’t lose you. I won’t.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. My heart warmed at being compared to my father, which I knew was silly as I was constantly being compared to my father by anyone who knew him, but it still made me feel like he was near every time it happened. I hadn’t thought I’d been putting myself in danger. Maybe that was silly too. Asking questions about a murder? Obviously it wouldn’t be appreciated by the actual murderer. I ignored that thought as I pulled up in front of their house.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe it has nothing to do with Opal being a black widow. But I’d like you guys to think about those husbands, if you knew them. If they have any family in town. Maybe you might find an option of someone who is capable of killing someone with a rolling pin.” After I put the car in Park, I swiveled back to look Barry in the face. “What’s the name of your dispensary in Lyons? Or is there just the one?”
He cast a guilty glance toward Mom but answered, “Green Munchies.”
Mom rolled her eyes.
Barry refocused on me. “You’re going there? I’ll come with you.”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Mom clamped a hand on Barry’s thigh. “The last thing we need right now is you being caught buying more edibles.”
The insulted expression that crossed Barry’s face was nearly funny. “I’m not going there to make a purchase. You just got done telling Fred to be careful. I’m going as backup.” He scrunched up his nose and lowered his voice to mutter. “And if I did buy something, it’s legal there.”
I pointed my finger at them. “Number one, this isn’t a case, no matter what I said. Therefore, I don’t need backup. I’m just going to check it out and ask questions. Number two, and most importantly”—I gave an unwavering stare at Barry—“you’re not going.”
“But—”
“You’re not going!” Mom and I chimed in unison, and then chuckled at each other.
It began to snow in earnest over the half-hour drive to Lyons. I’d wondered if I’d have to get a new car, considering winter in the mountains. But so far, the front-wheel-drive seemed to be cutting it. I found Green Munchies easily enough. I’d never
been in a dispensary before, and had expected to pull up to a dilapidated building that was probably close to being condemned. Instead, the new construction was a modern square of concrete, glass, and lightly colored wood.
During the drive, I convinced myself that my growing nerves were more about the snow and possible slick roads than where I was headed. But the self-deception faded along with my nerves as I looked at the place. It didn’t feel like walking into a dangerous drug den at all.
As we weren’t in a crowded area, I didn’t bother with the leash, letting Watson keep pace beside me as we exited the car and walked up the pristine sidewalk.
I was unable to stop myself from gawking when we entered the store. It was like Whole Foods and Apple had a night of passion and produced a drug-wielding baby. Like the outside, the space was sleek and shiny. The open concept was minimalistic yet had high-end finishes. The cases however, were space-age, massive plastic white ovals which glowed softly. No wonder Barry said things had been more expensive here.
Watson and I slowly passed the first couple of cases. An endless array of what I supposed were pot leaves were labeled with names I would expect at a high-end coffee shop. And on the other side, the baked goods put the stunning display I’d seen in Sinful Bites to shame. I addressed Watson even though I didn’t take my gaze from a red-velvet brownie. “Don’t even think about getting a snack here. If you keep going as you are, you’re going to be so fat you’ll be nothing but a ginger-furred log.” Not to mention I couldn’t imagine how expensive a dog treat in this place would be.
A soft chuckle from behind caused me to jump, and I whirled around. I blinked at the handsome man behind the counter. At least I thought he was handsome, behind the costume. I had to remind myself that Halloween had been a couple of weeks ago.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The man smiled gently. “I didn’t hear you all come in. Do you often have conversations with your dog?”
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