Gemma looked on as Lando devoured everything on his plate as though he hadn’t eaten for days. “I see your appetite’s back.”
“These are the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever tasted. And the pancakes are good, too. What made you decide to cook such a spread?”
Guilt.
But she kept that big dose of emotion to herself. “You certainly didn’t have trouble sleeping last night.”
“Nope. Slept like a rock.” Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he pushed back his chair and carried his plate over to the sink. “I hate to eat and run, but I need to track down Judge Hartwell before he leaves for court to get the ball rolling on that warrant.”
“Louise finds out and you’ll be toast.”
“Unless Hartwell and Louise run in the same circle, discretion is a judge’s mainstay. He’s supposed to keep his mouth shut.”
“If you say so, but Louise has her long tentacles in everything around here. Keep me posted. Promise me you’ll at least give me a head’s up if she decides to go vigilante.”
“Will do.” He placed a kiss on her mouth, and left whistling his way out the door.
She slumped against the counter, her hands hiding her face. “Oh. My. God. I cannot keep doing this. Sneaky is not my strong suit. I should never have gone over to Mallory’s house and taken that…”
She dashed off to the utility room to retrieve the reason for her guilt. She ran her hand behind the dryer and yanked up the backpack. Digging into its depths, she pulled out the makeup bag. She wasn’t sure how this worked. Was she supposed to open it or just hold it in her hand? To hell with this, she thought, unzipping the bag.
“Oh, my God. It’s all hundred-dollar bills.” She dumped the contents out onto the dryer and began to stack them as she counted out one hundred and eight hundred-dollar bills for a final tally of ten thousand eight hundred dollars---stuffed in a makeup bag left on Mallory’s toilet.
And not a single vision had popped into her head during the count. So much for Kamena’s directive.
“Now what?” she muttered out loud, glancing over at Rufus, who wagged his tail from the doorway. “Yeah. Yeah. I know. No way I can keep this from Lando now. I’ll have to hand this over as evidence. I know. I know. I was a fool for getting involved. Stop looking at me like that.”
She scrubbed both hands over her face. “What have I done? When he hears about this I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t run me out of town.”
Slipping back and forth into panic-mode, Gemma went to work,. The secret she harbored couldn’t be shared with anyone until she talked to Lando. Which meant the heavy heart and guilty conscience weren’t going away anytime soon on their own.
Knowing Lando was at Judge Hartwell’s getting a warrant, she couldn’t very well barge into the judge’s house and hand over the evidence she’d obtained…illegally. She’d have to wait for Lando to get done at the bank and get back to his office before unloading the cash on an unsuspecting cop who just happened to be her lover. Her explanation had to be stellar. Which meant she had maybe two hours at most to work on her story.
Her mind wasn’t on making sea salt and caramel truffles but on coming up with a good excuse as to why she’d felt the need to break into the victim’s house after being told to stay away. It was way too late for regrets. She already knew she should’ve listened to him when he refused her request.
The more she thought about her predicament, the more furiously she ground the cacao beans into powder. Somewhere between the whir of blending butter and sugar, doubt crept in and lodged in her chest. Could her troubled soul and guilty conscience cause a heart attack? Because her chest kept tightening until it was difficult to breathe.
When Lianne stuck a sharp nail into Gemma’s ribs to get her attention, Gemma practically jumped through the plate-glass window next to the kitchen prep area.
“Don’t do that!” she shouted. “Never do that when a person is deep in thought.”
“We have visitors,” Lianne explained, jerking her head toward the front door.
Gemma turned her head to see a trio---Elnora Kidman, Natalie Henwick, and Ginny Sue Maples---making their way to the counter. She cut her eyes toward Lianne and wiped her hands on her apron. In a low voice, she warned Lianne, “If Louise sent the librarian to warn me about the lynch mob she rounded up, run out the back door and save yourself. Don’t go down with the ship.”
“They do look serious,” Lianne remarked in a whisper.
“Let’s see what’s on their minds.” Gemma turned her attention to the ladies. She tried to make her voice as upbeat as possible. “Haven’t seen you guys in here in a while. What can I get you today? Paloma swears the Mayan truffles are first-rate.”
“A bag of those would be great,” Elnora said. “But we aren’t here for the chocolate. The Happy Bookers held a meeting last night---minus Holly Dowell, of course, who tells us she’s dropping out. Anyway, those of us who are left voted to open the door to new members.”
“People keep dying,” Ginny Sue added in a flat tone. “We’ve dwindled down to an embarrassing few. Before anyone else croaks we’d like to get our membership up.”
Elnora frowned at Ginny Sue’s presentation. “While I might not have put it quite that way…” the librarian continued, “we want you and Lianne to join our little book club. Leia, too, if you can talk her into it.”
“And anyone else you can persuade,” Ginny Sue finished. “I’m working on a few people myself, but it seems no one has time to read anymore, which is just sad.”
Natalie cleared her throat. “Reading is so much more enjoyable than sitting around and watching those ridiculous reality TV shows that are so popular these days. To get our membership up, we need fresh faces, people who will actually read the material and be able to contribute to the discussion.”
Elnora nodded. “Marissa used to be the driving force for all of us. She’d send reminders as the meeting drew closer. And we could always count on Collette to keep us organized. Marnie, bless her heart, would suggest the best reading material she’d hear about from the faculty at school. But after losing those three, we’re on the brink of disbanding.”
“We don’t want to do that,” Ginny Sue lamented. “Every community should have a vital and active book club. It’s what separates us from chaos and lawlessness. If this town can’t muster up the membership for a little ol’ book club, then we’re doomed as a society.”
“You’re not doomed. I’d be honored to be a part of it,” Gemma said when she could finally get a word in. “Leia’s super busy, but I’m sure she’d be happy to contribute. She loves to read.”
Lianne piped up, “And as a newcomer, it’d be a great way for me to meet more people. Thanks for including me.”
Elnora’s face lit up, beaming along with the other two women. “Then it’s settled. Our first meeting is next Thursday evening at my house. At that time, I’ll get your email addresses and pertinent information for future meetings. Ten days should give you plenty of time to read our next selection, Morning Splendor by Lorna Garrison, four hundred and fifty pages of vivid descriptions from the Great Depression. As a former schoolteacher, Lorna has a way with words. She wrote a number of period pieces, delightful books that make for perfect escapism from what we’re dealing with now. No murder in any of her books at all.”
Ginny Sue put her elbows on the counter and leaned over the edge. “As much as Elnora adores the storyline, I’m on the fence so far, but then I’ve only read five chapters. The setting is Alabama right before World War II. To be honest, I find the story a bit dry and dull. The only redeeming value for me is the old southern recipes the author peppered throughout the pages that might actually be a kick to try sometime.”
Natalie scooted onto a stool. “Well, I think it’s a perfect choice. Since we’ve been dealing with all this murder lately, Elnora and I agreed we should try something a little less…stressful. Lorna’s story isn’t just charming, it’s uplifting. Something we could all use around here in spades
.”
“Sounds fascinating. I can’t wait to get started,” Gemma said, sounding not the least bit convincing since it wasn’t her kind of book. “Anyone need chocolate to help with all that stress?”
Natalie all but swooned. “You read my mind. While I’m here, bag up a half a pound of those strawberry-filled white chocolate things I saw on your website.”
“I’ll take the same,” Ginny Sue said. “But throw in some of those dark chocolate vanilla crèmes. My sister’s down from Medford, Oregon, and she’s eating me out of house and home.”
Gemma chuckled as she and Lianne bagged up the orders.
After the women left, Lianne turned to her employer. “Do you suppose that it was Mallory all this time who’s been preventing the others from asking you to join? Especially in light of the fact that it was your grandmother’s club to begin with. For some reason, Mallory didn’t want you taking Marissa’s place.”
“Could be. Did you notice Elnora is wearing her hair different? New haircut and she got rid of all that gray.”
“I heard that it’s because she’s dating Ansel Conover.”
“The widower who always carries that metal detector around wherever he goes?”
“That’s him.”
“I think he used to be a professor at UC Davis. I’m sure I had him for a basic science course freshman year. Something about archaeology, I think.”
“He does love to dig in the ground. I saw him the other day on the same beach where Mallory died.”
Gemma made a face. “Lando won’t be happy to hear that. In fact…” She wanted to tell Lianne about the makeup bag, but Lando needed to hear it first. Just as she’d decided to head to the police station, Paloma came through the door dragging her cane on the floor.
“So did the Happy Bookers make you guys an offer?”
“They did, and we accepted.”
“Good. Now that that’s settled, I want to apologize for my grandson’s behavior Saturday night. Van is a hothead these days. Nova and I can’t for the life of us figure out why he’s so angry all the time.”
“Would a chocolate soda help?” Gemma asked with a wink.
Paloma grinned. “It couldn’t hurt. You don’t seem to be too upset by the nasty scene Van caused.”
“My mind’s been on other things.”
Lianne wiped down the counter more out of habit than necessity. “Gemma’s been toying with the idea of taking music lessons.”
Gemma sent her friend a knowing look. Bless her heart, Lianne was changing the subject at just the right moment. She slid the soda in front of Paloma. “Here you go. I considered the piano for about two seconds until I decided it might be too difficult and switched to learning how to play the guitar. Standing on stage strumming I should be able to handle. Although now that I think about it, we have way too many guitar players in the band.”
Sipping on her drink, Paloma leaned back in her chair, enjoying the flavor of the chocolate. “There’s nothing quite like an old-fashioned soda on a warm summer day. You know, Silby’s piano is just sitting there gathering dust. You might as well have it.”
Gemma stared at Paloma. “I couldn’t possibly take your daughter’s piano.”
“Why not?”
“Because it wouldn’t be right.”
“Silby would’ve loved knowing her half-sister got some use out of it.”
“Really? You think so?”
“I knew my granddaughter. She was a generous soul with an amazing talent. I’ve no doubt that had she lived she would’ve been a first-rate concert pianist. All these years, it’s been a constant reminder of what I lost. Take the piano, Gemma. You’ll be doing me a favor.”
“I’ll think about it. I’m not even sure I have an ounce of talent.”
“Well, you have a wonderful voice. Let me know what you decide.”
It was already noon by the time Paloma left, and Gemma realized she hadn’t called Willow about Bandit and Gypsy. While taking out her phone, the makeup bag tumbled out of her purse, dropping to the floor.
Lianne bent down to pick it up. “Nice bag. Really nice. Huh. This looks just like the one I saw Holly Dowell fidgeting with during the Sun Bringer Festival.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. It was right here in the shop. Holly came in to get two chocolate crème sodas and while she waited she redid her makeup, right over there at the corner table. It kinda annoyed me because I thought she should’ve gone in the restroom to fix her face.”
“There’s probably a dozen of these bags floating around town.”
“Are you kidding me? Don’t you know what you have there? That’s no ordinary bag. It’s a four-hundred-dollar Fendi cosmetic bag, probably from a line they carried a couple of years ago.”
Gemma rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “How do you know this stuff and I don’t?”
“I used to wait tables at a trendy restaurant, remember? I saw all different kinds of women parading their handbags around for everyone to see, showing off high-dollar Hermès’ bags or Gucci.”
“I should’ve known if it belonged to a Rawlins it’d end up being much more than just an ordinary makeup pouch sold at a superstore.”
“The question is, how did you end up with Holly’s cosmetic bag?”
Gemma grimaced and sucked air between her teeth. “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. Sorry. I’m in enough trouble with Lando already.”
“Say no more. I don’t want to know the dirty details.”
Gemma started off toward the office in the back. “I need to put this in a safer place than under the counter. Look, I need to call Willow about Bandit and Gypsy. Lando and I’ve decided to buy them.”
“That’s so cool. Now we’ll all be able to ride any time we want.”
“Yeah, well, when Lando finds out what I’ve done, I might be riding alone.”
The police station had been a hotbed of activity all morning long. Payce had been poring over all the evidence and logging it into Mallory’s case file while Lando spent hours at the bank obtaining copies of Mallory’s account activity.
Jimmy, the only man on patrol, had radioed in several times, commenting about the small turnout at Mallory’s funeral. He was standing at the cemetery giving Dale the play-by-play. “I bet there’s not even fifty people here.”
“That really isn’t surprising considering Mallory wasn’t all that popular.”
“Why aren’t you home in bed? Why are you still hanging around the station after your shift ended?” Jimmy asked, still eyeing the people who’d showed up at the gravesite. “You were up all night.”
Dale’s heart raced with worry. “Does Lando know you sent me over there? To Mallory’s?”
“I texted him Sunday afternoon about it but didn’t hear back until later. He may want to switch us around.”
“That’s what I thought. I need to speak to him about something important.”
“You didn’t mess up, did you?” Jimmy chided. “I mean, all you had to do last night was watch a house. Even Payce couldn’t screw that up.”
It was something Dale didn’t need to hear right now. He was very much afraid he’d already let down the entire department. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he wouldn’t get fired over it. He glanced through the photos he’d taken with his camera phone this morning and wondered what it meant. If he’d missed something vital last night it would be the end of his career as a cop.
Nervous, Dale ended the call with Jimmy and paced the lobby until he finally got his chance to speak to Lando when the chief stepped through the double doors and headed to his office.
“What’s up? Shouldn’t you be home in bed?”
Dale trailed after Lando, following him all the way to his desk. “That’s just it. I need to speak to you. Right away. Now. It can’t wait.”
“Okay. If you’re planning on telling me that you and Mallory were a thing…a hot item…I’ll need a written statement to that effect and you’d have to...”
“
No, nothing like that.” Sheepish and nervous, Dale handed the boss his cell phone with the pictures he’d taken that morning.
Dale began to ramble as Lando stared at the images. “I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know how to explain it. But when I did a walk-through of Mallory’s house before clocking out this morning, I found the bathroom window broken and the shower curtain bunched up in the tub. I know it wasn’t like that when I started my shift. I know that’s why Jimmy sent me over there to make sure nothing like this happened. Honest to God, I don’t know how it got that way, Chief. Honest I don’t. I swear I didn’t see a single soul there all night.”
Lando turned a visible shade of gray before anger took over. “It isn’t possible,” he uttered under his breath as he dug through the photos Payce had taken a week earlier at Mallory’s house. Every room had been accounted for, every angle covered outside, every window and door captured in still photographs like a pro. He’d done everything by the book. Payce had done a thorough job making sure every inch of Mallory’s house had been represented in the crime scene photos, locked in and preserved for all time.
Lando skimmed through the pictures until he found the ones from the bathroom, a pristine bathroom window. Not even a crack in sight. “I think I can explain it. Go home, Dale. Get some sleep.”
“Do you want me back over there tonight?”
Without answering, Lando left Dale standing in his office as he stormed out and headed to the chocolate shop. He’d built up a solid head of steam when he opened the door and spotted Gemma talking to Lianne. Grabbing her by the arm, he yanked her into the small room she used for an office.
“What the hell were you thinking? I can’t believe you broke into a victim’s house like that. Do you realize you could jeopardize my entire case over this little stunt?”
“I know you’re angry, but…if you’ll just…listen…”
“I passed angry ten minutes ago. I’m more like livid now. What is it with you? I tell you about procedure and you just ignore any semblance of due process. You cannot go around doing that just because you feel like it, just because you think you’ll get some stupid vision out of it.”
Shadow Canyon (A Coyote Wells Mystery Book 2) Page 13