by R. D. Brady
“Daddy let me watch TV.”
Julie raised an eyebrow. “How much TV?”
Bess took a step back, her eyes darting back into the kitchen. “Um, not much.” She ran out of the room to avoid further interrogation.
Julie shook her head. They had rules about TV watching. But she supposed it was understandable with the snow and all. After hanging up her coat and slipping off her boots, she slid her feet into her slippers before padding into the kitchen.
Steve had a phone to his ear, giving her a distracted smile. “Yes, I understand. Yes, I’ll make myself available.”
Julie half listened as she headed to the fridge, pulling out cold cuts and cheese to make sandwiches for lunch. She grinned as she caught sight of the banana bread. Placing the refrigerated items on the counter next to the bread, she leaned down and sniffed deeply. Maybe I’ll skip the sandwich and go straight for the banana bread.
Steve ended his call. He sat staring at the wall. Julie walked over, draping her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek. “So, our little girl seems very happy at the amount of TV she’s been able to watch so far today.”
Steve started. “Hm? What was that?”
Julie gestured to the family room. “TV? Daughter?”
Steve winced. “Yeah, sorry about that. But I had to get some work done, and then I was on the phone, and so…” He shrugged.
Julie frowned, studying his face. The crease in between his eyebrows had appeared. It only appeared when he was stressed about something. “What’s going on? Who was on the phone?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just a work order that’s been pushed back because of the snowstorm. I promised that I’d make myself available to meet with them as soon as they were able to get here.”
She knew he wasn’t lying, but there was something he wasn’t telling her. She took a seat next to him, pulling her chair close. “Spill it.”
He met her gaze and then quickly looked away. “What?”
“What’s going on?”
Steve sighed. “Did you hear about Miss Minnie?”
Julie frowned. “What about her?”
“She was killed last night over at the library. Nevaeh found her this morning.”
Julie gasped. “What? How? Who?”
“Nevaeh doesn’t know yet. She asked Declan to help her with the scene.”
Julie was stunned. She’d yet to hear about any violence in Dover beyond an occasional fistfight between some drunk idiots over the summer. Crime was incredibly low. “Are they sure it’s murder? I mean, even a fall could be deadly for someone her age.”
“I’m not sure what the scene looks like, but from what Declan said, it’s definitely murder.” He paused. “Something about it reminds him of Millners Kill.”
The news of Miss Minnie was disturbing to say the least, but right now she was more worried about Steve. She studied her husband’s face. They’d come so far. The detectives’ visit had stripped Steve of some of the joy he’d been able to find these last seven years. She knew this murder would do the same. And she had to admit it shook her, more than a little bit.
But she couldn’t let Steve see that. Steve had already lost so much of his life to Jack. She wouldn’t let him go into that dark place when there was no reason to think this was related. Horrible as Jack was, he wasn’t omnipotent. He wasn’t responsible for every tragedy. They’d gotten so used to thinking of him as the boogeyman that they associated him with every bad thing that happened. “Well, sure, I mean it’s a murder close to home. It’s normal for that to bring up bad memories.”
Steve shook his head. “No, I think it’s more than that.”
Julie’s heart ached as she looked at him. He’d been through so much. He didn’t talk much about what happened to him in prison, but she knew it hadn’t always been easy. After he’d gotten out, it hadn’t been much easier. It was only when they had finally changed his name and moved here that he’d actually started to seem to be at peace.
But now with this murder, she worried that it was going to bring up a bunch of stuff that was probably better left buried. At the same time, she felt guilty for even thinking about that. Poor Miss Minnie. She hadn’t had any family in town. She’d been a spinster. But she’d also been a fixture in the town. And Bess had really liked her.
“You’ve been sitting here all morning thinking about it, haven’t you?”
Steve sighed. “It’s hard not to.”
Julie could understand that. Being trapped inside with only Bess wouldn’t do much to distract you from something as serious as this. She put her hand over his. “Look, I’m going to go to the clinic just to stock up this afternoon. Why don’t we have some lunch here, then I’ll take Bess with me? You can go to work and just see if there’s something there you can do to distract yourself, okay?”
Steve shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I know you need to get stuff done at the clinic and—”
“Steve, go talk to Reggie. Get yourself out of the house. What happened to Minnie is horrible, and it’s an absolute tragedy, and I hope to hell they catch the guy and string him up. But it’s not the same as what happened in Millners Kill, okay? And dwelling on it is just going to make it worse. So get out of the house.”
A small smile lurked at the edges of his mouth. “You’re kicking me out of the house?”
“Yup. After you eat, you are officially banished for at least two hours, hopefully more.”
Steve gripped her hand and then pulled her into his lap. “Does that mean you don’t love me anymore?” He nuzzled her neck.
The good type of chills crawled up Julie’s spine. She wrapped her arms around him. “Nope. It means absence makes the heart grow fonder. And when you come back, I’ll show you just how fond of you I am.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Julie was as good as her word and had hustled Steve out the door right after lunch. He didn’t put up much of a fight though. With his thoughts shifting from his past to his present, he didn’t want to expose Bess or Julie to that kind of negativity, so he’d headed for the lumberyard, hoping for a distraction.
Something about Miss Minnie’s death reminded Declan of Millners Kill. And that thought plagued Steve as he drove to the lumberyard. He couldn’t help feeling that a storm was about to break, just like it had seven years ago in Millners Kill. But at the same time, he knew that life went on. And every bad thing that happened in this world wasn’t related to him.
He pulled into the lumberyard. The snow had let up a little bit about fifteen minutes ago. There was a good foot now on top of the previous foot of snow. If the meteorologists were correct, there was at least another two coming within the next twenty-four hours. The lumber mill was going to be shut down, but he knew that Reggie would be here finishing things up. They had a big order that they were supposed to be shipping out next week, and he wanted to see what he could do to help.
But instead of hurrying into the main office, he sat outside, staring at the clouds above.
Despite what he’d told Julie, he hadn’t been able to focus on much after Declan’s call. In his mind, he kept seeing Mel’s Diner, with Mel splayed out behind the counter. He’d spent ten years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and yet he’d seen more violence on the outside than he ever did on the inside. He and Julie had moved to Maine in the hopes that they could leave all of that ugliness behind. And although he knew it was unlikely that any of the stuff happening right now was related to him, he couldn’t help but feel like somehow he’d brought the evil with him.
Millners Kill had been quiet for the ten years he’d been locked up. Once he returned, the killings had begun. Of course, Jack had waited all that time for him. When Jack had traveled, he’d taken lives, but he kept any death from touching Millners Kill until Steve returned, wanting to make sure that Steve was the one held responsible for it.
So Steve couldn’t help but wonder if he’d somehow let another animal out of the cage by his very presence. He shook his head as if he co
uld dislodge the thoughts. Jack’s locked up. It’s not the same.
He sat with his hands clenched around the steering wheel, scanning the lumberyard. Normally he felt a sense of contentment when he saw this place. They often had people come in and request unique counters and cabinets.
Reggie was known throughout the region for his top-quality woodsmanship. Steve was known as well, at least by the people who hired them. Steve didn’t want his name on any advertisements or even the company website. He was more than happy to play his role behind the scenes while Reggie stood out front.
Six years ago, Steve had been lost, not sure what the future held. And then Reggie called to offer him and Julie a lifeline. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to repay him. He’d tried to explain to him once how thankful he was, but Reggie had cut him off before he could even finish.
“You saved my nephew’s life. Micah means the world to me, and he’s alive because of you. So don’t thank me, because I owe you a debt I will never be able to repay.”
Micah stayed with Reggie for two months every summer. He was a freshman in high school now. He was a good kid and slowly turning into a good man. And Jack had nearly robbed the world of him.
Reggie appeared in the window of the office, peering out into the parking lot. Steve turned off the engine and headed inside, ducking his head low against the cold.
He pushed through the door, closing it quickly behind him and taking a minute to enjoy the warmth as it crept over his body. Beyond the reception desk, the doors to the showroom were open. Steve glanced in at the displays of some of the cabinets that they designed along with the banisters, railings, and fences, as well as smaller pieces like dowels and bookshelves. Steve breathed in deep, taking in the scent of fresh wood. He loved that smell. There was something about it that just said hard work to him.
Steve turned his head as Reggie stepped out of the office, a smile on his face even as he quirked his eyebrow. Reggie was six foot six and a testament to his daily workout regime. Steve hadn’t met him until after his Marine and UFC career, but he had to think that in both those previous lives, no one could have been happy to have Reggie as an opponent.
“Wasn’t expecting you today,” Reggie said.
Steve stomped the snow off of his boots. “Needed to get out of the house. Figure I’ll be stuck in it for the next couple of days.”
“Well, come on back.” Reggie disappeared back through the doorway.
Steve followed him a few seconds later after removing the rest of the snow and hanging up his jacket. As he dropped his bag on his desk, he shot a glance at the coffee station. It was empty.
Thankfully, Reggie picked up a thermos on his desk. “Cocoa?”
Steve grinned. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Reggie poured him a mug from one of the mugs sitting on the coffee stand and handed it over. “Sorry, finished all the marshmallows.”
Steve took it with a nod of thanks, wrapping his hands around the warm mug. He took a seat in front of Reggie’s desk as Reggie seated himself back behind it. Reggie studied him. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just a little bit off today.”
“Guess you heard about Miss Minnie?”
Steve nodded.
Reggie sighed, pushing back in his chair. “Don’t know what this world is coming to. Miss Minnie, she was a character, but she certainly didn’t deserve that. Defenseless old lady. I’d like to get my hands on the guy who thought that was all right. It’s a messed-up world.”
“Yes, it is.” Steve took a sip of the cocoa and blanched. “What’s with this cocoa?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s got no sugar, and I used dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.”
Steve winced, placing it on the desk. “Yeah, you really need to give somebody a heads-up about that.”
Reggie chuckled. “What? It’s good for you.”
“It might be good for me, but it certainly doesn’t taste good.”
Reggie just chuckled again, taking a sip of his own. “I hear Declan is helping Nevaeh out.”
“Yeah, he gave me a call earlier.”
Reggie eyed him. “It’s got nothing to do with you, Steve. Whatever happened’s not about you.”
“Guess it’s just my huge ego thinking everything’s about me,” he said lightly.
“Hey, you saved Micah’s life. And he’s starting on the soccer team, that’s about you. And he made the honor roll, that’s about you too. This other stuff is horrible, but it’s not about you.”
“How’s he doing?”
Reggie grinned. “Good. Michone took them down to Florida for a few days. Apparently sunny Florida is more alluring in the wintertime than cold and snowy New Jersey. Go figure.”
“Speaking of which.” Steve nodded toward the window where he could see a long-bed truck slowly pulling into the parking lot.
Reggie stood up, going to the window. “Huh. I didn’t think they’d make it.” He grinned at Steve. “Rock, paper, scissors to see who has to go deal with it?”
“You’re on.”
Two minutes later, Steve was pulling his jacket back on. Reggie clapped him on the shoulder. “Paper always beats rock. And you need to stop being so predictable.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Steve grumbled as he braced himself for the cold. Well, he’d wanted something to distract him. This was turning out to be a perfect case of being careful what you wished for.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Julie opened her eyes slowly. She was in the living room on the couch, Bess tucked in next to her. The last thing she remembered was Bess asking if she would curl up with her while she took her nap. Julie had planned on humoring her and then getting up, doing a little paperwork, and getting together the snacks they’d need for the trip to the clinic.
I guess I was more tired than I realized. She ran a hand along Bess’s back. Bess simply snuggled in closer. Julie smiled. She loved these moments, when the world seemed to be held at bay while she was tucked into a little cocoon with her daughter.
The wind rattled the windows, sounding like someone knocking. Julie shivered. Someone had walked into the library and killed Miss Minnie. She’d lain there all night alone. Outside, it was brutal with the wind blowing the snow against the windows. Yet here, she was perfectly content, cuddled up with one of the two most important people in the world to her.
Jack’s face flashed across her mind. Her heart began to beat rapidly as she pictured running down the dock, felt the bullet enter her back, the cold slap of the water as she fell.
No, this is different. This is nothing to do with us.
But she crawled out from underneath Bess’s embrace, not wanting to have her fear infect her daughter. She sat on the other side of the couch, getting her breathing under control. She’d been in the hospital for a week after the incident in Millners Kill. And then it had taken another month before she was back to more or less normal activity.
But the nightmares. The nightmares had stayed with her for a full year. And it was worse somehow than the nightmares about her sister. She couldn’t close her eyes without picturing Jack in the corner of the room. She’d slept with the light on for months. She hadn’t told her parents the extent of the trauma she’d experienced because she didn’t want them to know. They’d already been through so much.
But Steve knew. He’d lived it with her, and he’d been there. He’d held her on the nights when she woke up screaming, and she’d held him when he’d woken up bathed in sweat. They’d been two broken people, somehow helping the other one stand. That brought them closer together. It had cemented their bond.
And now they had Bess as the symbol of that connection. Bess knew nothing about the events in Millners Kill. She didn’t know that either Steve or Julie had a sibling. One day they would tell her, but she didn’t need to know any of that darkness for a long time.
Julie placed her hand on her stomach. But soon Bess would have her own sibling to focus on. Julie hadn’t told Steve yet, and she hadn’t taken a test, but
she knew. She was going to grab a pregnancy test from the clinic when she went in today. Although with Miss Minnie’s murder, she wasn’t sure it would be the right time to tell Steve.
She pictured Miss Minnie with her perfectly pulled back white hair. She was a throwback with her tweed suits and her little pillbox hats. But as strict as she was in the library, Julie couldn’t think of anyone who had a serious grudge against her. Was it possible she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Maybe some sort of drug-induced violence?
They didn’t have a huge drug problem in Dover, but like every town there were a few people here and there. They didn’t have a lot of people passing through either. But Dover was about fifty miles from the Canadian border. It was the last town on the way there, in fact. Was it possible it was just someone passing through?
God forgive her, Julie prayed that was the case. That it was a stranger who had already left town. It would leave Miss Minnie’s death unsolved, but Julie preferred that to the idea that it was someone they knew. Dover simply wasn’t that big a town.
And she didn’t think she could go through that again.
The windows rattled again as a gust of wind blew hard against them, shaking her from her thoughts. Finding the killer wasn’t her job. Getting the clinic stocked, that was her job. And the sooner she did it, the better. The weather was only going to get worse. If all went well, she would only be an hour or two, and then she and Bess would be back home.
Julie headed into the kitchen and quickly put together a bag of pretzels for Bess and a little banana bread for her and Laura. She’d just zipped up the snack bag when Bess appeared in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. “Mama?”
“I was just coming to get you. Go use the bathroom, and then we’re going to go to the clinic.”
“Will Laura be there?”
Julie smiled. “Yes, she will.”
“What about Boots?”
Boots was Laura’s cat. He was all black except for one spot on his nose and four white paws. Laura often brought her, especially if she knew it was going to be a slow day. “I’m sure Boots is there. So go get ready.”