by Nora LeDuc
His forehead wrinkled in uncertainty. “Go ahead.”
“Then you crashed the funeral. You rode in on your truck and offered us lunch. I didn’t want to go.”
“Are you sure I shouldn’t sit?”
She swallowed to clear her tightening throat. “I’ll skip the rest and get to the point. Here goes. I figured out your wish at the castle.”
“All right.”
“And mine was the same.” She searched his face.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“You wished we’d be together, always.”
“I did.”
She wasn’t wrong. “Will you, Liam McAllister, my unexpected business partner, do me the honor of—?”
“Wait.” He pulled her to his chest and kissed her until her legs threatened to give out. “Don’t upstage me, Luce,” he said, releasing her. “I’ve thought a lot about us since you returned, and I know what I want to say.”
“Wouldn’t dream of stealing your lines. Seize the day, McAllister.” Was this it? Her body shook. She was about to learn the truth about their relationship.
He dropped to one knee and held her hand. Her heart did cartwheels in her chest.
“Lucy Watson, I’ve made mistakes and learned there might not be do-overs, but there are new opportunities. Today, I’m grabbing my chance before it’s too late. Will you, the woman I’ve loved forever, make me the happiest man in the universe and marry me?”
Her feet were floating off the floor. She cleared her throat, which was thick with emotion. “I definitely will.”
He slid his hand into his pocket and held up a ring. “It belonged to my grandmother. I thought you’d like something that’s been in the family. If you want a new one, we can drive south and shop.”
“No way, McAllister. Make the proposal official.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger.
Claps came across the room. Liam rose and turned to their audience.
Sadie, Chip, Gage, and Flo piled into the room.
“Show us the diamond,” Sadie yelled.
Lucy raised her hand to gushes of delight. Was she dreaming? She and Liam were getting married?
“Sorry to interrupt,” Sadie said. “We were near the bar and saw Lucy enter the office. You looked like you were going to deliver bad news. So we listened at the door.”
“We’ve been waiting for you two to come to your senses since Lucy showed up in town,” Flo said.
“Especially after you spent the night together,” Gage said.
Flo elbowed him and shook her head.
Sadie approached them. “Before you get angry, I want to congratulate you both and Liam, we’ve already collected a thousand dollars in raffle tickets for the Mad Moose.”
He raised a brow. “What are you talking about?”
“We were trying to get over how bad we felt about Hank and Bella and all,” Flo said. “We heard you had financial problems and discussed how to save the bar. The four of us decided to hold a raffle. That’s why Gage and I were here. We were reporting our sales.”
“Yup,” Sadie said, “the prize is a weekly free lunch for a year. We printed the tickets and have been selling them. We figured if it didn’t work, we’d be out of a job and if it did, you couldn’t be mad at us.”
“Everyone is buying them,” Chip said.
“They’re hot sellers at the salon,” Flo added.
Gage nodded. “Some of my customers get one with each fill-up.”
Liam stood staring at his crew. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I do,” Sadie said. “Set the date. We have a wedding to plan for the Moose. Spring is best.”
The group broke into arguments over the season for the ceremony.
Liam pulled Lucy to his side. “Maybe we should elope.”
“I don’t think they’d let us.” She nodded to their arguing friends.
He slipped his arms around her shoulders and searched her face. “What about work and going home?”
“I’m already home, Liam. I love you.”
“Welcome, home, Luce.”
Epilogue
One Month Later
Lucy perched on the hard seat and picked up the wall phone to speak to Matt Hastings. Her diamond caught a shaft of light from the barred window and sparkled in the dim visitors’ room of the prison. Two other people sat in the lineup of chairs, speaking to inmates behind the glass.
“You look well, Lucy,” Matt said in a calm voice. “Thank you for agreeing to visit me. Congratulations on your engagement.”
Discussing her personal life was not why she’d come. In fact, avoiding him was what she wanted to do. But she could do this. Talk to him for the missing girls who were out there somewhere. The ones in his picture album found hidden at the Hawick Falls rectory. She swallowed hard and lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
He nodded to her hand. “Your ring looks antique. Is it a family heirloom?”
Except for the fading bruises on his face, he looked like her former priest. His silver hair gave him a distinguished appearance in his orange jumpsuit. His polite, gentle persona had returned. The weight had magically disappeared from his form. He’d turned into the Matt who had counseled her with patience and tender words and had professed to love her. He was also the man who lured people into trusting and believing in him and then tortured and killed them.
“What did you want to tell me that was urgent?” she asked, avoiding his last question. “I only have a few minutes.”
“Then what happens? McAllister runs in and drags you away?” Matt leaned closer to the window between them, and a chill rippled up her spine.
His eyes narrowed in speculation. “He is here, isn’t he?”
Should she answer? The police had encouraged her to come when he’d requested that she visit, saying, “Get him to talk. It’ll take time, but build a rapport during your visits. Get information about the other girls we suspect he killed.”
But her fear was winning. She sank back. “Liam’s in the waiting room. How are you?”
Matt frowned. “Tired. My attorney has little hope we’ll win my case. He tells me that they might transfer me out of state if we lose. I will request a prison that needs a chaplain.”
He still used the priesthood to hide. “What do you have to tell me?” Maybe he was going to ask her to be a defense witness or some other bizarre demand. She shot a glance at the exit, her safety.
“Thank you again for coming. I know you don’t trust me, Lucy, but I was always honest with you.”
Except when you tried to kill me. Her stomach fluttered with nerves.
“How’s Teagan?”
Teagan? “She’s well.”
He nodded. “I have information for her, but first I need help, a favor.”
Her hand hurt from clenching the phone receiver. “What do you want?”
“Don’t worry, Lucy, it’s easy. Meet with my lawyer. He’s interested in how I performed my daily community duties. You can relay how capable I was. How I started the food kitchens, helped the homeless find shelter, and counseled the lost souls of our parish.” He leaned toward her. “Lucy, I never meant to hurt you. You’ve allowed law enforcement to brainwash you.”
Was the man on drugs? “Are you going to testify in your own defense?”
“My attorney recommends against my taking the stand. Now, after you speak with him, you’ll agree to visit me every week until I’m transferred or freed. In return for your promise, I’ll tell you something that will help Teagan. We can aid each other.”
What was he talking about? She glanced at her watch. Liam would be pacing the waiting room. She’d promised to keep the visitation short. His parents were flying in today, and they were meeting them at the airport.
Her head ached from Matt’s evasions and hints about their past. He’d lured her here with vague promises of a disclosure. She’d nothing to fear. He was the one in prison, not her.
“What is it, Matt? What do I tell Teag
an? Our five minutes is almost up.” Liam was probably talking to the guards about checking on her.
“You used to be more patient. Never mind. I’ll get to the point. As you remember, I joined the committee on homelessness and toured the shelters throughout the state.” He pressed closer to the glass. “I saw her. I can locate her.”
What was he talking about? Locating the body of a victim?
Matt continued. “You’re a woman of your word. I know that about you.”
“What do I tell Teagan? I need to go.”
He locked onto her gaze. “I know where to find Teagan’s missing mother.”
Her mother, who had dropped off the earth over twenty years ago? Lucy angled her head, trying to assess his honesty, and bent toward him.
“Where is she?”
– THE END –
The Devil Wore Sneakers is Nora’s second book in the series— Love and Mystery in the 6-oh-3. Book three is in progress. She lives in New England where she binges on Investigation Discovery, true crime shows, and stories of romance. If you enjoyed The Devil Wore Sneakers, please leave a review at Goodreads.com, Amazon.com, or your favorite online retailer. Nora would love to hear what you liked best in this story so she can continue to write the type of books you love to read. Drop her a email at Nora [email protected]. And be sure to check Nora’s website: NoraLeDuc.com
Table of Contents
Praise for Nora LeDuc
Dedication
Chapter 1 - March 11
Chapter 2 – March 14
Chapter 3 – March 17
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7 – March 18
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13 – March 20
Chapter 14
Chapter 15— March 23
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19— March 24
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Epilogue
About the Author