by Cindy Bell
“Oh, Ally, I’m sure she’ll be fine. It’s not like she hasn’t gone exploring before and she always comes back.”
“She usually only goes out for an hour or two, but I think she’s been out on her own for almost an entire day. How am I going to find her?”
“It’s good weather, and she knows her way home, Ally. I know why you’re worried, but she will come home.”
Ally looked out the window at the fading sunlight. Her eyes squinted into the growing shadows.
“I hope she comes home before it’s too dark.”
“Let’s have some dinner, then we can go out looking if she hasn’t come home.”
“Okay.” Ally sighed. She assisted her grandmother in preparing a meal, but her heart ached with worry. She wanted Peaches back with her, where she knew that she was safe. When she saw Luke’s car pull up out front she hoped that he might have Peaches. After all, just that morning he had brought Arnold home. However, when he stepped out of the car he walked straight to the door with no cat in his hands. She waited for him to knock then she opened the door.
“Luke?”
“Hi, I wanted to be the first to tell you the good news.”
Ally was so worried about Peaches that it was hard for her to believe that there was anything that could be good news.
“What is it?”
“You and your grandmother can reopen the shop.”
“Really?” Ally’s eyes widened. “That is good news. But why?”
“We found nothing incriminating at the shop and we have a main suspect, thanks to you.”
“Do you mean, Nate?”
“Yes, I looked through the delivery records and there wasn’t a delivery to Freely Lakes on the day of Myrtle’s murder, but Nate used his credit card to order a box of chocolates and have them delivered to his house from your shop the day before Myrtle’s murder.” Suddenly Ally remembered why Nate’s address was familiar to her, she had seen it entered in the GPS in the van. “He came home early from his work trip so his alibi wasn’t a hundred percent solid. We served a search warrant on his house. We found the evidence that you photographed now we are just waiting for his arrest warrant to come through. ”
“That’s great.” Ally sighed.
“You don’t seem too happy.”
“I am happy.” Ally smiled. “I can’t wait to tell Mee-Maw.”
“What’s wrong?” Luke caught her elbow. “Talk to me, Ally. Did something happen?”
Ally tried not to let her worry show, but it was impossible to hide the crease in her brow. “Peaches got out this morning I guess. I don’t know where she is.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Ally. I’ll keep an eye out for her, okay?”
Ally nodded. “Thanks, Luke. And I am really happy about the store reopening.”
“I know you are. Just do me a favor and take it easy, all right?”
“Take it easy?”
“I mean, there’s going to be a lot of heat on the shop still. Just be careful until we get all of this settled.”
“I will. Do you want to come in and tell Mee-Maw yourself?”
“No, I think I’d better go. I don’t know when the arrest warrant will be signed.”
“I hope it’s soon. Myrtle’s funeral is tomorrow.”
“I know.” Luke frowned gravely. “I want all of this to be settled before then, trust me.”
“If there’s anything I can do…”
“You’ve done plenty, Ally. Really you have.”
“And so have you, Luke. I appreciate what you’ve done.”
“I’ve done what I could, and will continue to do so. Just remember things can change. Don’t let your guard down.” He met her eyes. “Keep a low profile until an official arrest has been made.”
“I can do that,” Ally said. “I am going to be spending my time looking for Peaches anyway.”
“All right.” He grasped her hand briefly, then released it. “Good night, Ally.”
“Night, Luke.” Despite her concern for Peaches she couldn’t help but smile. As soon as he was back in his car Ally stepped into the cottage. “Mee-Maw, guess what?”
“What?” Charlotte wiped her hands on her apron as she met Ally in the hall.
“Luke said we can reopen the shop.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! We’ll open tomorrow! Oh no, wait.” She shook her head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“No?”
“Well, the funeral is tomorrow, I think it might be disrespectful to do that.”
“You’re right, we can wait to open.”
“At least we got the green light.”
“I wish I could go to the funeral to pay my respects.”
“Me too,” Charlotte said. “But I don’t think we should, seeing as common belief is that our chocolates killed Myrtle.”
“I know,” Ally agreed. “What about Peaches? I think I should go look for her.”
“I think you should wait till tomorrow. Put a dish of her food outside. I’m sure that she will be back by the morning. You know that she likes to wander sometimes. Try not to worry.”
“I’m trying not to worry.” Ally put some food in a dish and placed it outside. The entire time she hoped that Peaches would come running up to her. However, there was no cat to be seen. Ally went to bed that night with her heart aching. Though she tried to sleep, she could barely close her eyes without thinking of Peaches and where she might be. It wasn’t normal to lose two pets in such a short span of time, but she had. She should have felt relieved that the shop was going to be reopened, but instead she was faced with the horrible thought of what might have happened to Peaches.
Chapter Fifteen
Ally woke with a start the next morning. She jumped out of bed, raced down the hall, and out onto the front porch. There sat Peaches’ bowl, with her food untouched. Tears rushed to Ally’s eyes.
“Ally sweetheart, it’s going to be okay.” Charlotte walked up behind her and put an arm around her shoulders. “She will come home, and she will be fine. We’ll go looking for her, okay?”
“Yes. I want to go right now.” She hurried back into the house, changed as fast as she could and was ready to walk right back out the door.
“Wait a minute.” Her grandmother stood between her and the door. “You need to have some coffee first, and something to eat. It’s only going to make it more difficult to find Peaches on an empty stomach.”
“No way. How can I eat when I don’t even know if she has food?”
“Ally, Peaches always finds her way to food. People in town know to look out for her. It’s going to be okay. But if you try to go out looking for her now you’re just going to get tired in a few minutes. It’s really important that you keep your strength.”
“I know you’re right, I just feel so awful about it.”
“Come and sit with me. It feels like months since we’ve been able to relax about the shop, even though it’s only been a few days. I really want us to be able to reopen the shop on a positive note.”
“Me too.” Ally slumped down into one of the kitchen chairs. “I just don’t know how quickly the community is going to be able to forget our involvement, even with a suspect in custody.”
“It will take some time, I know that.” Charlotte set coffee down for both of them along with some pastries. “I have to say I’m really impressed with how you figured it all out.”
“I’m not sure that I did figure it all out.”
“Isn’t Luke arresting Nate?”
“Yes, I think he is. But the problem is I’m not convinced it was Nate.”
“Love can make you do the wildest things.” Charlotte took a long swallow of her coffee. “The question is, was it love? Was it hate? Was it purely financial? It could have been a wide variety of things.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Ally agreed. “I can’t even think clearly with Peaches missing.”
“Well, finish up and we’ll go out and look together.”
“No Mee-
Maw, I know that you have your packing to do. I can go look by myself. It will be okay,” Ally said. “Besides, if you’re here you can call me if Peaches comes home.”
“If you insist that’s fine. Your instincts are probably better for finding her, anyway.” She polished off her pastry. “Maybe Luke could take you for a ride around town.”
“I don’t think so. I imagine he’s very busy.”
“I doubt that he would be too busy for you, if you asked.”
Ally lowered her eyes and nodded a little. “You might be right.”
“But you don’t like that?”
“I do, it’s just on the one hand there’s this huge sensation between us, almost like a pull, but on the other hand it feels like there is always this barrier.”
“It must be hard to even consider trusting again, Ally.” Charlotte looked at her with warmth and understanding.
“It is.” Ally took the last bite of her pastry.
“It’s important to remember that just because one man wasn’t worthy of your trust, that doesn’t mean that none of them will be.”
“I know you’re right, Mee-Maw, but I just can’t seem to convince my heart of that. Every time I start to feel something, I just pull back. I’m not sure what Luke is thinking either. He just may not want to risk getting involved with me.”
“Why do you think it would be a risk?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
“Because, I’m always getting in the middle of things. Maybe I’m too involved in the community. Maybe he just wants to focus on his career.” Ally shrugged. “I can’t sort it out right now.”
“If not now, then when?” Charlotte met her eyes. “I think it’s time that you stopped avoiding what you really want. If it’s not Luke, that’s fine, but you need to figure it out. I’ve never seen a man more head-over-heels.”
“Mee-Maw, I think you’re exaggerating.” Ally stood up to clear the dishes. Her grandmother’s soft voice wafted towards her.
“Ally, he has a heart, too, you know.” Ally froze in front of the sink. Of course she knew that Luke had feelings, but she hadn’t really considered whether she might be hurting him. Her main concern had been about protecting herself from harm. Yet, she had encouraged his attention every step of the way without much thought to the consequences that he might face as a result. She bit into her bottom lip as she turned to face her grandmother.
“Do you see? What am I going to do with myself without you here to guide me?”
“I’ll only be a few minutes away, Ally, remember?”
Ally nodded. “I’m going to go look for Peaches.”
“Okay, sweetie. Good luck.”
“Thanks.” Ally was determined not to return to the cottage without Peaches.
***
Ally decided to walk, since that would be the best way to spot Peaches. As she walked along the sidewalk into town she noticed that there were very few people outside. She looked up at the sky. Thick, black clouds billowed above her. Right away she regretted making the decision to walk. But instead of turning back she continued forward. She didn’t want Peaches to be stuck out in the rain. The closer to town she got, the heavier the clouds became.
Ally checked the deli where Peaches would sometimes find some scraps when she got out. She wanted to ask the owner if she had seen her, but the deli was closed. There was a small sign on the door that listed an opening time of one in the afternoon. Ally assumed that the owner planned to attend the funeral.
As she expected, the convenience store was closed. There weren’t many places that were open. Above her the sky rumbled. Ally sighed as she leaned against the wall of the pharmacy. The rain began to spatter against the sidewalk. Ally hoped that maybe the rain would drive Peaches back to the cottage. As she started to walk back towards the cottage, a car pulled up beside her. Ally couldn’t recognize it through the much heavier rain that had begun to fall.
“Ally, what are you doing out in this mess?” Luke leaned out of the window to look at her. “Get in the car.”
Ally walked around to the passenger side and slid inside. “Sorry, I think I got your seat wet.”
“I’m not worried about that. Why are you out here?”
“I was looking for Peaches.”
“She hasn’t come home yet?” Luke looked over at her. “You must be worried sick.”
“I am.” Ally was glad that her cheeks were already damp from the rain as a few tears escaped. She had never been so worried about Peaches before. The cat was her best friend and the one good thing that had come out of her marriage.
“Hey, we’re going to find her.” Luke reached over and rubbed his hand over the back of hers. She shivered a little from the touch. “Are you cold? Of course you are. You’re soaked from the rain.” He shuffled out of his jacket. Once it was off he draped it around her shoulders. Then he reached for his radio. As Ally listened, a detective, who had many more important cases, asked all patrol officers to be on the lookout for Peaches.
“Thank you so much.” Ally smiled at him. “That means a lot to me.”
“I know how much you care about your cat. I’ve seen how much you love her, Ally. I want to make sure she is safe, too.” He reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The moment he did a wave of tears washed over her. She turned into his shoulder and rested her head against him. His fingertips trailed down through her hair. The motion calmed her to the very core. “She’s going to come home to you, Ally, she loves you, too.” His voice caught in his throat as if he might have something else to say. The car filled with silence until he offered Ally a tissue. Ally accepted it and pulled away from him. Her cheeks burned as she looked out the window. Had she really just flung herself against Luke? She didn’t dare look in his direction. The engine roared to life and Luke began to drive slowly down the road.
“She probably found shelter in all of this. Don’t worry, the storm is going to pass quickly.”
Ally did her best to change the subject. “Did you arrest Nate yet?”
“No, still waiting on a signature.” Luke shook his head. “Sometimes I have no idea what the powers that be are up to.”
Ally nodded. “It must be tough to have your every move questioned.”
“Tougher when you’re the one asking the questions.” Luke flashed a grin at her. Ally managed a smile in return.
“I’m not that bad.”
“Oh?” He leaned a little closer to her, but kept his eyes on the road. “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree because you certainly keep me honest. I appreciate that about you, Ally, that you’re not afraid to say what you’re thinking, and demand honesty from others. That’s a really good quality and hard to find.”
“Oh Luke, I do believe you’re flattering me.” She cast him a wink.
“It’s the truth, Ally.” He stopped the car in the driveway of the cottage. She started to open the door, but he caught her hand before she could. “I don’t know if I’ve made it clear enough to you, Ally, but I care about you. If you need help looking for Peaches when the rain clears, call me. I’ll help you. All right?”
Ally met his eyes as her cheeks heated up once more. “Thanks Luke,” she said as she handed him back his jacket.
He gave her hand a squeeze and then released it. Ally opened the car door and ran through the rain to the front door of the cottage. Her heart jumped into her throat as she hoped that maybe Peaches had returned home because of the rain.
“Mee-Maw, is she home?”
Charlotte stepped into the kitchen and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ally. Not yet.”
Ally’s heart sunk. “I’m going to get changed and go check around town again. The funeral should be over soon so I can maybe ask at some of the shops.”
“All right, sweetheart.” Ally noticed that for the first time Charlotte wore a worried frown.
Chapter Sixteen
Ally decided to drive into town. The rain had cleared up, but the sky was still heavy and gray. The grass was slick as Ally walked across
it to her car. When she reached the center of town Ally parked her car and got out. There was a large crowd clustered together at the end of the street, all in dark clothing, some with umbrellas hoisted above their heads. She presumed that the funeral had just finished.
She turned to walk down the street. She saw some patrol cars drive past her and she turned to see them pull up at the parking area she was walking away from. When she saw Luke, along with a few other officers, get out of the cars and turn in her direction she ducked behind a tree. Were they there to arrest her? Had Luke’s influence finally run out? Ally’s heart raced as they walked closer and closer to her. She clenched her jaw and gripped the tree. It flashed through her mind that maybe if she held on tight enough they wouldn’t be able to arrest her. As she waited for the arrival of the officers she was stunned when they continued past her, further into the group.
“Excuse me.” Luke paused at the back of the crowd.
The crowd began to murmur and they parted to allow the officers past. For the first time Ally saw that Nate was at the back of the crowd. She hadn’t even noticed him there. Stephanie along with Nate’s two children stood close to him. Ally watched Luke’s broad shoulders straighten as he walked up to Nate. Nate looked back at him with annoyance.
“Is this really necessary? We’ve just been at a funeral.”
“It is very necessary. You’re under arrest for the murder of your ex-wife, Myrtle Dents. We can do this quietly, or we can forcibly detain you.”
“What?” Nate stared at him with wide eyes. “This can’t be happening.” He looked over at his children who stood close to Stephanie. “It’s not true, I promise you it’s not true. I would never hurt your mother.” Neither of them said a word. Stephanie hugged them both.
“Don’t worry, Nate. This is just a bunch of lies,” Stephanie said.
Luke grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him away from the crowd. Nate didn’t fight back. As Luke escorted him past Ally, she could see the dazed look on Nate’s face. She assumed he was shocked to be caught. Nate’s arrest left a flurry of whispers and gasps in his wake. Ally continued to keep herself concealed. She was relieved that she was not the one the police were there for, but her stomach twisted with guilt. Despite the evidence she had found in Nate’s garage, that the police had confirmed, tearing Nate away from his family so publicly seemed wrong.