by Rose Pressey
I traced the edge of my wine glass with my index finger as I watched Kent.
When he realized I was staring at him he asked, “What? Do I have marinara sauce on my chin?”
I chuckled. “No, you’re good. I was just wondering what you can tell me about the investigation.”
He set his fork down. “Rae, you know I can’t share details about the case with you.”
Sure, I knew that, but it wasn’t going to stop me from asking or trying to get info from him. There had to be a few tidbits he could share.
Okay, there had to be a way to get him to talk. I tapped my fingers against the table. “How about if you didn’t actually tell me anything. I could kind of guess.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up on one side. “How would you guess?”
“What if I asked questions and you can give me a hint. Like if you took one sip of your wine for yes and two sips for no.”
He chuckled. “You’re something else, you know that?”
I shrugged. “I try. So what do you say?”
He took a drink from his glass and winked.
Now maybe I was getting somewhere.
“Do you have one person of interest?”
Kent two sips from his glass.
“Really?” I said. “Okay. What about several people?”
He took one drink from the glass. So just like me, the police suspected several people. How would I narrow it down to one person if he couldn’t do it? Kent was trained for this kind of stuff. If I wasn’t careful he wouldn’t be able to answer anything because of too much wine. He was halfway through his glass already. I had to make my questions count.
“Do you have any clues?” I asked.
He took another drink from his glass. I couldn’t ask yes or no questions to find out what the clues were. It would take too long.
Kent set his glass down. “You’re going to get me in trouble.”
“You’re right.” I picked at my pasta with my fork. “I’ve asked enough questions.”
“Maybe you should come work with the police department,” Kent said.
“You’re just making fun of me now.” I laughed.
“I’m serious. You have a natural talent and you’re very observant.”
“You’re too kind, Sheriff Kent,” I said.
Kent finished the last of his wine.
“That’s not fair, now I can’t ask any questions. Okay, I will stop asking questions. I guess I’ll have to wait until you all figure this out.”
Kent leaned closer across the table and touched my hand. “I am confident that we will find the killer soon.”
As I studied his face I knew that he truly believed what he said. For his sake, I hoped that he did find the killer soon. Kent didn’t want to have Ross and me at the top of his suspect list.
The waitress brought more wine. Kent stared at me with his gorgeous eyes and a smile spread across his face.
“You’re being quiet. What’s on your mind?” he asked.
What was on my mind the most was that I’d seen Julian and Connie talking. I couldn’t tell him about seeing them though. For tonight it would be my little secret.
“I’m thinking how great this wine tastes.” I held up my glass.
He took a drink and then said, “Do you want to know what I was thinking?”
I smiled. “Sure. As long as it’s good.”
“I’ve been thinking about how pretty you look tonight.”
He really knew how to make me melt.
Kent and I discussed Honeysuckle and the good parts of living in town. How much it had grown in just the past year. Plus he talked about the old buildings he’d recently purchased. A gas station company had wanted to tear them down and that wasn’t all. There had been talk of many uses for the land. I was glad that Kent had swooped on them and intended on bringing them back to life.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. The place was crowded so it was probably just me feeling claustrophobic. At least that was what I thought until I looked toward the back of the restaurant and spotted Connie staring right at me. If it wasn’t Doreen stalking me, it was Connie. This was beyond weird. I had told her I was going out to dinner. This was the nicest place in town so she could have guessed where I was going.
Was she that interested in what Kent might tell me? Or had Julian and Connie planned something more sinister? I tried to ignore the fact that she was watching every bite I took. That wasn’t easy either.
Placing my fork down on my plate, I said, “If you’ll excuse me I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
Kent helped me from the table even though I hadn’t needed any help and I made my way to the back of the restaurant. I didn’t look over at Connie and instead pretended like I hadn’t seen her. I prayed that she didn’t come to the restroom.
I’d barely gotten into the tiny stall when the door opened. Footsteps sounded across the tile floor. I peeked down at her black flats as she stopped in front of the door. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to leave the safety of the stall.
When I opened the door I came face to face with Connie. A slow smile spread across her face. Her eyes were a little wild. Maybe she’d had a few too many glasses of wine.
“I thought that was you. Fancy seeing you here,” she said.
This woman was truly off her rocker.
“It’s a small town so it’s not that big of a coincidence.” I turned off the water.
She moved over in front of the long mirror. “I suppose not.”
She pulled out red lipstick from her purse as I washed my hands. What did this woman want? She didn’t speak as she covered her lips with the bright lipstick. Goosebumps broke out on my arms. I knew she was watching me out of the corner of her eye. I had to break the silence so that I could get out of the tiny room.
I grabbed a paper towel. “So you asked about Julian. Do you know her?”
Connie smiled, but didn’t look at me. “I’ve heard about her.”
Okay, so she wasn’t answering my question. I knew she was lying to me now.
Why was Connie acting so funny about knowing Julian? That made me suspicious. I felt like they weren’t being truthful with any of us. But why would either Connie or Julian want Luke and Darcy dead?
I tossed the paper towel in the trash. “Well, I’d better get back to my date.”
I tried to sound casual as if I wasn’t wondering if she could be a murderer. Being in this enclosed space with her was making me uneasy. I’d been gone from Kent long enough.
Connie turned to face me. “Did you learn anything else about the murders?”
She really wasn’t going to let that question go. I refused to answer that though. “It was nice to see you again, Connie.” Even I knew that I hadn’t sounded sincere.
“You look really pretty tonight,” she said as I was walking toward the door.
Connie knew how to get me to stop and talk to her again. I couldn’t be rude and ignore the compliment.
“Thank you,” I said as I glanced over my shoulder.
“Where did you get that dress?”
I released a deep breath and stopped. I turned to face her again. “It was a gift from my mother for my birthday. I’m not sure where she got it.”
“Well, if you happen to find out, do let me know. I would love to have one like it,” she said.
“I’ll make sure to let you know.”
I turned to leave again when she said, “I think Julian did it because Darcy was secretly dating Luke.”
I froze on the spot. What would make her say that? I turned to face her again.
“Darcy was dating Luke? I thought they were competitors?” I asked with shock in my voice.
“They were at first, but I guess their rivalry turned to love—or lust. Whatever you want to call it,” she said with a wink.
I couldn’t believe what she’d just said. How would I find out if it was true? If it was then this would definitely give Julian a r
eason to want both Luke and Darcy dead. I hadn’t been sure how Darcy had ever thought she could compete with Luke Lexington anyway. Maybe that was why she’d started dating him, because he would be less competition that way.
I should probably tell Kent about this latest news. He was probably getting ready to come look for me anyway. But before I left I had to ask Connie just a few more questions. Kent would have to wait just a little while longer. I wasn’t sure if Connie would share any more details, but I had to ask anyway. She seemed erratic with what she wanted to talk about.
“So you do know Julian?” I asked.
Connie shrugged. “I don’t really know her.”
I wanted so badly to tell her that I’d seen her at the distillery, but I knew it would be the wrong thing to do.
“How do you know Darcy Parish was seeing Luke?” I asked.
“Julian told me. I ran into her earlier,” she said.
I stared at Connie. I sensed that she knew I knew she was lying. There was no way I’d be able to get the truth out of her though. I’d have to find another way. That wouldn’t be easy.
“It was nice talking to you, Connie, but I have to get back to my date. He’ll be looking for me.”
She smiled widely. “Have a nice evening. Be careful out there.”
That made a chill run down my spine. Was that a warning or was I just jumping to conclusions? Maybe I was being paranoid. I hurried out of the bathroom and didn’t look back to see if she was following me.
When I reached the table, Kent said, “I was getting worried about you.”
“I ran into someone I knew,” I said.
That was the truth.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
I nodded. “Definitely.”
Kent left cash on the table and then we headed for the door. I wasn’t ready for the date to end, but I was ready to get away from Connie.
Kent and I strolled down the sidewalk until we reached his car. The evening was beautiful with endless twinkling stars in the pitch-black sky. A breeze had finally stirred the hot air, making being outside not so uncomfortable.
“It’s a beautiful night, how about we walk back to your place?” Kent asked.
I nodded. “That sounds great.”
His hand had brushed my arm and my skin felt as if it was on fire. Kent’s spicy masculine scent made my skin tingle.
Fireflies glowed in the night, putting on a pretty little light show. I was glad that on the walk home Kent didn’t ask about Connie. I worried that he’d seen her staring at us. Luckily, we just discussed movies that we’d recently seen.
When we reached the house, Kent walked me to the door. Was tonight the time when he’d ask to come inside? I wanted to take things slowly with him. There was a lot of history between him and Ross, and I didn’t want another relationship like the one I’d had with Ross. Not that Kent was anything like my ex, but I didn’t want to take any chances. We stepped up to the door and I turned to face him.
Without saying a word, he leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. His touch warmed my body and I could easily become lost in his arms. After a few seconds longer, he leaned back and a sweet smile slipped over his lips.
“I guess I’d better go. I have to be up early in the morning. I’ll call you.” He touched his index finger to my lips.
I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. “I’ll talk you soon.”
“Sweet dreams,” he said.
I unlocked the door, but didn’t walk inside. I was surprised that he hadn’t insisted on making sure I was securely inside before he left. Maybe the kiss had had the same effect on him.
After watching Kent walk away, I turned back toward the door.
“You are so easily fooled,” the shrill voice said from over my shoulder.
I screamed and spun around. Doreen stood too close behind me. Her dark eyes were narrowed into a scowl. Her hair was a little frazzled with wisps pushed forward on her forehead.
“Where the hell did you come from?” I demanded.
“I’ve been sitting on that porch chair watching you and your boyfriend. Some sheriff he is that he didn’t even notice me. No wonder he made the mistake of arresting my poor son.”
Oh, here we went. I didn’t want to listen to her irrational rant. “You have no right to watch us like that. You are trespassing and you need to leave,” I said.
“I came to ask you something. Why don’t you just calm down?”
I glared at her. “You’re stalking me and you want me to calm down? What do you want, Doreen?”
“I want to know where Ross and Charity went.” She tapped her foot against the ground.
“How the heck am I supposed to know? I don’t talk to him and I don’t want to talk with him.”
Doreen pointed at me. “I haven’t seen them and I’m worried. He hasn’t called me.”
“He’ll be back around when he wants something. Trust me, he always comes back when he wants something.” I stepped inside the door.
“I should have known I couldn’t get a straight answer out of you.” She stomped down the steps and down the sidewalk.
Yeah, I wished she would have realized that I wasn’t the one to ask the whereabouts of her good-for-nothing son.
I had to get Doreen to leave me alone. Obviously she didn’t realize that what she was doing was wrong. Why would I know where Ross was? We were no longer married and Doreen couldn’t use me as his babysitter. He’d taken off with one woman before, I was sure he had done it again. Charity would soon regret her decision. Once a slimeball, always a slimeball, that was Ross. Now every time I came out onto the porch at night I would expect to find Doreen lurking in the shadows like some deranged killer.
Chapter Nineteen
The next day, I met Claire Ann at the supermarket. She had just gotten off work. We stood outside next to her car.
“How about we drive over to Belleville and do some shopping?” She leaned against her car.
Employees parked behind the store next to the trash cans. Most of the time I’d walked to work when I was an employee there. I missed working with Claire Ann, but I didn’t miss working at the store.
“Sure, I guess we can do that. I want to get away for a while anyway. I can’t go anywhere in this town without thinking about the investigation,” I said.
The blue sky was sprinkled with giant cotton ball white clouds and the wind carried the scent of the various kinds of flowers. I tried to ignore the smell coming from the nearby trash cans though because that wasn’t nearly as pleasant.
“Let me just grab my purse from inside. I forgot it under the counter.” Claire Ann took off for the supermarket’s back door.
“You were in too much of a hurry to get out of there.” I smiled.
I leaned against the car and closed my eyes while I waited for Claire Ann. The sound of footsteps came from around the building.
“That was fast,” I said.
Claire Ann didn’t answer. When I opened my eyes I realized she wasn’t there. Instead it was Julian. She was beside a parked car at the side of the supermarket. She didn’t realize that I was back there. I watched as she pulled the phone from her pocket and dialed.
“What did you want? I don’t think I have time,” she said into the phone.
I felt bad for listening to her conversation, but not bad enough to stop eavesdropping.
“Okay, I can meet you at the distillery again.”
Ah-ha. She must be talking with Connie. I had to know why they were meeting this time. Why was Julian meeting Connie when Connie acted like they didn’t know each other? Maybe it wasn’t Connie.
Julian climbed into her car and backed out. Just then Claire Ann returned with her purse. I rushed over to her.
“You’re not going to believe this,” I said.
She touched my arms. “Calm down. What happened?”
“I just overheard a conversation. Julian is going to meet Connie at the distillery again. We have to go there.”
Claire Ann grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s get there now.”
“I hope we can find out what they’re doing this time,” I said as I climbed into the passenger seat.
After pulling out onto the street, we were only a few cars behind Julian. Claire Ann gave her a couple seconds once we reached the distillery before she pulled onto the road leading back to the buildings. When we reached that area, I spotted Connie’s car. She was parked in a different location this time. Julian pulled her car up next to Connie’s and got out.
Claire Ann parked a little bit toward the back, hoping that the women wouldn’t notice her car. We got out of the car at the same time and rushed toward the location where Julian had disappeared. I maneuvered around the uneven pavement again, hoping neither one of us fell this time. Weeds had claimed the area as their own now. It was nothing but a ghost town.
Claire Ann and I reached one of the short metal buildings and we spotted Julian and Connie. The women stood next to each other. They didn’t seem to be arguing, which I thought might be the case by the way Julian had talked to Connie over the phone. We were closer this time, so I thought we stood a better chance of hearing their conversation. Unfortunately though, we weren’t close enough yet. I looked at Claire Ann and she motioned for me to move closer. I shook my head.
“I don’t think we can go without being noticed,” I whispered.
“We have to try or we won’t hear them,” Claire Ann said.
She was right. If we didn’t move closer there was no way we would hear what they were saying. My heart thumped as I prepared to head across the lot toward the women. There was a couple small buildings between us and our best bet would be to get to one of those.
“I so want to know what they are talking about,” Claire Ann whispered.
“Yeah, me too,” I said as we inched along.
We couldn’t see the women right now because we were too close to the buildings. From where we stood, I peeked out and saw Connie and Julian go inside one of the buildings.