“Anybody who wants to stay to dinner is welcome,” Meg announced.
Marcus replied first, surprisingly warmly. “Thanks for the invitation, but I’ve got to get back to Northampton and start the paperwork. Rain check?”
“I’d like that, Detective. Just let me know when.”
After he had gone, only the four of them were left, and Lydia and Larry had remained silent for most of the big reveal.
“Well,” Lydia said, and stopped.
“My sentiments exactly,” Meg replied. “Are you staying?”
“Why not? Christopher has a meeting this evening, although he’ll want the full details later.”
“Larry, what about you?”
“Okay. If you want me here.”
“Of course we do. It probably hasn’t sunk in yet, but you played a big part in sorting this out. You kept your promise to Jenn, but you trusted us to do the right thing with the information. I hope Marcus is impressed—if he isn’t, I’ll beat some sense into him.”
Larry finally smiled. “Don’t get yourself in trouble with him, Meg. Quit while you’re ahead.”
Chapter 28
Once Meg had dished up the stew, everyone sat and started talking all at once. “So, Marcus arrested the right people,” Seth began. “And I’m pretty sure he’ll get a chunk of the credit for it, not just the narcotics people.”
“I hate to say it, because it sounds kind of petty, but I’m really glad he arrested Justin. Justin didn’t seem to realize he was playing with other people’s lives, even after Jenn died. Completely self-centered. I hope he does some jail time.”
“No, you’re not vindictive, not at all,” Seth remarked.
“Hey, I saw through him before you did,” Meg shot back. “You know, we kind of skipped over some of the details, in the excitement of the arrest. What was the story with the original shooting?”
“As I understand it, it was kind of stupid, or the guys were getting a lot sloppier. They didn’t think they had anything to worry about from the neighbors—that would be us—and they really believed they’d gotten away with murder,” Seth said.
“So they shot Jenn and planted her where she would probably be found, as a warning to the competition?”
“Something like that.”
“They weren’t very smart. Whose gun was it?”
“Ed’s. Unregistered, of course,” Seth said.
“Did we get any parts of the story right?”
“We did. At least the basic outlines. There’ll be more to come when Marcus and the narcotics guys track down some of the license plates, which should give some hint of where the drugs are coming from and who’s buying them.”
“So everything—everyone—really is all right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Try not to do that again, okay, Seth? I know why you wanted to be part of the confrontation, but maybe we could find a way to live a slightly more peaceful life?”
He smiled. “I would like that. But remember: this kind of trouble seems to keep finding us. It’s not like we go looking for it. And if this mess has been of any use at all, it’s proved that we can’t simply ignore trouble because we don’t want to see it or do anything about it.”
“I do realize that. Why do you think we have a pair of goats? I didn’t want them to be turned into somebody’s dinner just because they were inconvenient.”
“Exactly.”
Larry seemed to have retreated into himself again, so Meg asked, “Larry, are you okay?”
“I think I will be. I’m not good at this kind of thing, but I want to say something. First, thank you for believing in me. I wasn’t sure the police would, but you made a difference. Second, it really mattered to me that Jenn trusted me too. I know it might look like I was the only person she thought she could count on up at the house, which wasn’t exactly a compliment, but she believed I’d do the right thing.”
“Good.” Meg felt a tangled knot deep inside her unravel. It really was over? Maybe Granford would never look quite the same in her eyes, but the good guys had won, and life would go on. And people might just pay a little more attention to what was going on in their peaceful town.
• • •
“It really looks great,” Meg said to Larry as she admired the tiny house, now close to finished. “And it came together so quickly! Are you happy with the results?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Larry said, more or less smiling. “I know I could stay on at Seth’s house, but after what happened, I’m just not comfortable there, and I don’t want to keep hiding out in my room or looking over my shoulder all the time.”
“I understand. You’re a private person, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This is yours, for as long as you want it, and if Seth wants to show it off to potential clients, he’ll have to get your permission first.”
“Good to know. But . . . after what happened with Jenn, I found out that I need some space for other things. We weren’t exactly, well, physical, but I wouldn’t have felt right with all those other people coming and going all the time, even if it had happened.”
“I understand, Larry. I’m glad you and Jenn hit it off, and that she felt she could trust you.”
“Yeah, that mattered. I know it wouldn’t have lasted, because she had a job in Boston, but I’m glad I met her. What’s happening with her article?”
“You mean, now that Justin’s lost his job and is waiting for his trial? I’m hoping Toby will have a chance to step up and take over. He knew Jenn, and he’s been at the paper for a while. I think he could do a good job. It should happen soon, anyway, and I’m pretty sure his name will be somewhere on it.”
“Good to know. You ready to get back to the orchard?”
“I thought you’d never ask. Here’s hoping we have a good year!”
Books by Sheila Connolly
Orchard Mysteries
One Bad Apple
Rotten to the Core
Red Delicious Death
A Killer Crop
Bitter Harvest
Sour Apples
“Called Home”
Golden Malicious
Picked to Die
A Gala Event
Seeds of Deception
A Late Frost
Nipped in the Bud
Museum Mysteries
Fundraising the Dead
Let’s Play Dead
Fire Engine Dead
“Dead Letters”
Monument to the Dead
Razing the Dead
Privy to the Dead
Dead End Street
Victorian Village Mysteries
Murder at the Mansion
County Cork Mysteries
Buried in a Bog
Scandal in Skibbereen
An Early Wake
A Turn for the Bad
Cruel Winter
Many a Twist
Relatively Dead Mysteries
Relatively Dead
Seeing the Dead
Defending the Dead
Watch for the Dead
Search for the Dead
Revealing the Dead
Glassblowing Mysteries
(Writing as Sarah Atwell)
Through a Glass, Deadly
Pane of Death
Snake in the Glass
Also Available
Reunion with Death
Once She Knew
About the Author
After collecting too many degrees and exploring careers ranging from art historian to investment banker to professional genealogist, Sheila Connolly began writing mysteries in 2001 and is now a full-time writer.
She wrote her first mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime under the name Sarah Atwell, and the first book, Through a Glass, Deadly, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.
Under her own name, her Orchard Mystery Series debuted with One Bad Apple and has been followed by twelve more books in the series.
Her Museum Mysteries, set in the Philadelphi
a museum community, opened with Fundraising the Dead and continued with seven more books.
Her County Cork Mysteries debuted with Buried in a Bog, followed by five more novels.
She has also published numerous original ebooks with Beyond the Page: Sour Apples, Once She Knew, The Rising of the Moon, Reunion with Death, Under the Hill, Relatively Dead, Seeing the Dead, Defending the Dead, Watch for the Dead, Search for the Dead, and Revealing the Dead.
Sheila is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America. She is a former President of Sisters in Crime New England, and was cochair for the 2011 New England Crime Bake conference.
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