by Joyce Lavene
“There were plates and food on the table. I touched the cornbread that was on the stove. It was still warm. The coffee pot was hot. I expected one of them to come downstairs or come in from outside at any minute. It just never happened.” She wiped tears from her eyes.
Peggy glanced into the living room through the open doorway. There was one piece of yellow crime scene tape across the door. “And this is where Mr. Burris was killed last night?”
Sarah took a deep breath. “Yes. I don’t think the sheriff is really serious about me as a suspect. Maybe I’m wrong. What do you think?”
Steve stood beside his wife and surveyed the living room from behind the crime scene tape. “I’d have to talk to the sheriff to answer that, and I can’t do that as a director for the FBI.”
“She’s not asking for your professional opinion.” Peggy nudged him. “We’re her friends. Should she get a lawyer?”
“If she’s not guilty, she has nothing to hide.”
She smiled at Sarah. “In other words, yes. Get a lawyer. Maybe you should call Hunter. I know that’s what you do too, but always better to have a second opinion.”
“Thanks. I guess you two have different ideas about how the law works, huh?”
“Even though my wife is surrounded by police officers that are her friends and family, she’s always skeptical,” Steve said.
“It’s who I am.” Peggy shrugged. “I think it may be part of being a scientist. We never trust anyone else’s opinion. We have to do the work and form our own.”
After their time in the house looking things over, Peggy and Steve headed back to their home in Charlotte. Sarah would have liked to have shown them the pumpkin patch and other parts of the farm that were visible. But neither one of them was dressed for a walk through the grass that lay fresh and wet on the ground. Sarah knew it stuck to everything until it dried.
Mr. Pope and his tractor were gone. She thought about going to his place and writing him a check, but she knew he wouldn’t take it. She’d have to think of some other way to thank him, even though Jack had promised to help with the barn-raising. That wasn’t her or a member of her family.
Exhausted and definitely feeling the need for a shower and clean clothes, Sarah headed back to her hotel. She’d only brought what she was wearing and the clothes she’d changed into. It was a long trip back to Richmond just to pick up other clothes. She opted to buy two new pairs of jeans and two tops. She washed what she’d been wearing that day and stopped to put her suit in at a local dry cleaner.
The look on the man’s face when he saw her torn and puckered navy suit was priceless.
“We could do some repair work on this, if you like,” he offered.
“That would be great, but I’m only in town for a few days.”
“Twenty-four hour service.” He pointed to his sign at the window. “Come back tomorrow. It’ll be done. Thank you for your business.”
She’d put off the phone calls until lunch. At that point, she used the phone in the hotel room to call her boss. Clare Rosemond had been in the state senate for more than twenty years. She was a good boss and a good friend. Sarah knew she’d understand her predicament.
“Just how serious is this local sheriff about you killing the man you were supposed to meet?” Clare asked. “I don’t mind you having a few extra days off, especially since you’re only a phone call away. But do you need help? I can have an excellent lawyer down there today.”
Sarah laughed. “So you’ve been talking to another lawyer while I’ve been gone? I thought I was the best lawyer you knew.”
“You’re so crazy. You can’t defend yourself properly. Really, do you need some help?”
“I’m fine right now. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”
“What about this mountain man living on your property? That sounds exciting. What does he look like?”
“He looks like the beast in Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah said. They’d gone to see the Broadway play together a few months before.
“We know how that turned out for Belle,” Clare reminded her. “What do you think about him? Do you think he killed this reporter to keep you from finding the truth about your grandparents?”
Sarah really didn’t think so, though it would’ve been easy to say yes. He might live somewhere on the property, and never changed clothes, but everyone loved him, including her grandparents. Maybe his personal issues had kept him from getting back out in the world. She already knew he’d had a troubled childhood. But that didn’t make him a killer.
She suspected that he knew something more about her grandparents’ disappearance than he was admitting, but she didn’t think he was responsible for it.
“I don’t know what to think about him,” she said. “But I don’t have to make that decision. I already have an offer on the farm. I wasn’t able to take advantage of it after everything that happened, but I’m meeting with the real estate agent and the buyer later today.”
“That sounds like good news anyway.”
“I think so.”
“You have some reservation about selling the property?” Clare asked. “What changed your mind? You were gung ho about it before you left here.”
“I don’t know.” Three new messages popped up on her cell phone as she was talking. “I have to go. I’ll call again later. If you need anything, you can call me.”
“Okay. Take care of yourself. Let me know if you need any help. See you later.”
Sarah returned Mace’s call. If she thought he seemed anxious earlier, he was almost distraught when he spoke to her.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you,” he said. “Where have you been? You know this deal won’t last forever, right?”
His level of panic took her by surprise. “I’m sorry, but I had some things I had to take care of.”
“Are you serious about selling the property or not?”
“Of course I’m serious,” she assured him.
“Because a buyer like this won’t come around again.”
She took a deep breath. With little sleep the night before, and too many questions on her mind, her reply was more impatient than it would have otherwise been. “Maybe we should move on to the next buyer, Mace. I’m not in a big rush to sell. When it happens, it happens.”
“What? You don’t know what you’re saying. This is the deal of the century. Another buyer, if we could find one, would never be this motivated.”
Sarah could imagine him with smoke coming out of his ears and his eyes bulging.
“Who’s the buyer?” she asked. “What makes him so motivated?”
“Come to my office at one. He’ll be there, and we can sign the papers. Okay?”
“All right. That’s fine. I’ll be there. Thanks.”
She put down the phone and wondered what could possibly be so important about signing the papers that day. There had been no movement with the land for sixteen years. She couldn’t wait to meet the buyer and ask a few questions.
Chapter Six
Sarah was ready early and decided to grab some food to go. She wanted to take it out to the farm and look around a bit now that the grass wasn’t such an obstacle. It might be the last time she could walk around the land while it was still hers.
The day was beautiful. There were farmers out working from Suffolk to Misty River. Some of the crops she could identify—corn, wheat, hay. Others she had no idea. But it was interesting watching as it was harvested. Huge pieces of machinery had replaced the old hand-cutting methods. She could remember her grandfather waving to her from his tractor as he went out to cut down the cornstalks.
Some of her friends from Richmond would be surprised to find out what a country girl she was at heart. Those years spending time with her grandparents had shaped her more than she’d thought. It wasn’t that she wanted to be a farmer exactly. It was more that she had a distinct appreciation for the land and the work that was done on it.
Her mother had never felt anything but stifled by
the place she was born. She’d obviously passed that on to Sarah’s brother, Dusty. Since their mother understood how terrible it was, she rarely made him visit. For Sarah, it had been like having her own grandparents that she didn’t have to share.
She parked the rental car at the end of the drive and grabbed the white bag with her sandwich, chips, and sweet tea before she started walking around the house.
It was easy to see the barn now. She found the old spring house and various other outbuildings where crops were stored or animals were kept. She sat in the sun near the pumpkin patch and the barn with the sweet smell of grass and the pleasant droning of bees around her.
There was a mother cat nursing her six black and white babies. She didn’t run off as Sarah had expected. Instead she licked her paws and cleaned her babies, at ease with a human so close. Maybe she belonged to Jack.
Sarah would never forget this place. The magic she’d felt as a child still lived in her when she looked at it. Some things never changed, even though her heart still ached with not being able to find her grandparents. The memories of so many happy times here would always be a part of her.
Because she was tired and a little depressed from not finding answers, she lay back on the sweet-smelling grass and closed her eyes. She knew she’d have grass in her hair and maybe some dirt on her jeans, but it was worth that moment of peace.
She smiled, remembering how she’d done the same thing as a child and then opened her eyes.
“I didn’t expect to find you here.” Jack was leaning over her.
She sat up quickly, feeling defensive after he’d found her relaxing in the sun by the cats. “It doesn’t surprise me to find you here at all.”
“You don’t sound too pleased by it.”
“Thanks for having the grass cut. But you don’t have to help put up the barn for Mr. Pope. I’ll pay him for his work.”
He sat beside her on the grass and stroked the black and white cat. His hands were big but gentle. It reminded Sarah of what Mr. Pope had said about helping with the foals.
“It’s always a big party—the barn-raising. Lots of potato salad, fried chicken, and banana pudding. I’d go whether he cut the grass or not. He knows it. We call that being good neighbors.”
“That’s fine.” She shifted away from him and the cats. “At least with the grass cut, I can figure out where you’ve been hiding.”
“There’s not much to figure. I’ve lived in the barn for years.”
“With the cat, I’m guessing.”
“For now.” He smiled as the cat arched her back under his caress.
“Why not the house?” she asked curiously. “You knew it was empty. You would’ve been more comfortable there.”
He played with a piece of long grass between his fingers. “I don’t know. It didn’t seem right. What would I have said if Tommy came home and I was living in his house?”
“You still think they’ll come home? It’s been a long time.”
“They never gave up on me. I won’t give up on them.”
She watched him closely. “I got a good offer to sell the farm. I’m meeting with the buyer at one.”
“Sounds great—if you’re sure that’s what you want.”
“What do you mean? It’s the only reason I came here. Of course I want to sell. My family is depending on me to take care of it.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Sarah. But you’re the only member of your family who ever wanted to spend time here.”
“My life is in Richmond,” she debated, though she knew she didn’t have to. She didn’t have to defend her decisions to him. “The sooner I get back where I belong, the better.”
“I guess you have it all worked out.” He got to his feet in a single lithe movement. “Have you been down by the river yet?”
“You should know. You follow me around.”
He held out his hand. “You remember swimming there when you were a kid?”
She smiled. “Yes. Is the old tree swing still there?”
“Let’s go see.”
Sarah gave him her hand, and he helped her to her feet. “Thanks.”
“Sure. Want to go by the barn and take a look at my place so you’ve seen it all?”
“No. I don’t think so. Just the river, please.” She remembered that sweet childish kiss they’d shared. It made her uncomfortable, though he’d probably forgotten it a long time ago. She put both her hands in her pockets. “I’d almost forgotten about the river.”
“That’s because you couldn’t find it until the grass was cut.” He led the way down a well-worn path.
“I think I could’ve found it. I was down there enough as a kid. Did you swim there?”
“Of course. There was nothing like it after a hot day working. Still isn’t.”
She followed him down the narrow trail that led through the trees to the edge of the river. The oaks were heavy with green leaves that were just starting to change to gold and red. The scent of the pines was pleasant in the hot sun. Large pine cones hung from their boughs.
“You know, this property has the longest river frontage in the county. People have started using the river for canoeing and other watersports the last few years.”
“What about all the rocks?” One of the things she’d loved about the river was the rocks that stuck out of the shallow water. She’d climbed across them, going from bank to bank many times. Sometimes in the spring there was flooding. Otherwise it was a perfect place to swim and play.
“They don’t seem to mind the rocks,” he said.
Sarah saw the river as they came around the last of the heavy forest that protected it. It was as she remembered—even the thick rope swing with two knots in it was still there.
“This is exactly like I remember.” She gave the rope a tug. “I don’t know how I ever managed to swing out on this and drop into the water without killing myself.”
“It’s the big pool in the middle.” He pointed toward the only deep water between the smooth gray rocks. “Did you know there’s a county marker in the middle of the river? It’s been there since the county was first mapped in the early 1800s.”
“No.” She couldn’t believe there was anything here she’d missed. “Where?”
“Follow me.” He grinned and started walking along the riverbank.
Sarah followed on the brown mud. Her new boots would never be the same, but she kept her jeans clean by rolling up the cuffs.
“How did you find it?” she asked.
“Surveyors. Everyone has been looking at the county boundaries to make sure they’re getting their fair share of taxes.”
“Which side are we on?”
“We’re still in the same county. Nothing in Misty River changed. The line moved between the counties a few miles down from here on the highway, but we weren’t involved.”
Jack pointed to a massive boulder in the middle of the river. Water tumbled around it creating mini falls on each side.
“It’s right there on the other side of the big rock,” he told her. “You have to go out there to see it.”
She frowned. “You could’ve mentioned that. Falling in the water trying to see the county marker wouldn’t be a good thing right now.”
“That’s probably true. I didn’t think about that part since I wasn’t worried about falling in.”
Sarah looked again, wanting to see the marker. She might never be here again. “Okay. I’m not as sure-footed as I used to be, but I can probably stay out of the water. You go first. If you fall in, I’ll go a different way.”
He agreed and started across the rocks that made a bridge to the boulder. His long legs made it look easy to jump from stone to stone, going around the side of the small waterfall.
“Come on,” he called. “Or did you just want me to take a picture for you?”
“No. I’m coming.” She started out on the first rock and reached the second easily enough to feel more confident in the adventure. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to see
an old county marker in the river, but it appealed to that little girl in her soul that had never turned down a challenge.
Sarah reached the spot where she had to jump across the waterfall beside the boulder. She managed to clear it, but getting around the massive rock was difficult.
“Here.” He put out his hand. “Let me help you.”
She grabbed his warm hand and got halfway across the gray rock before she lost her balance and dropped into the pool that was fed by the dual waterfalls. She came up sputtering, forgetting how cold the river was except in the heat of summer. It wasn’t deep—her feet touched the bottom. River water ran off her clothes.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” she warned him.
“What? You actually found the perfect spot to view the county marker. Look right here.”
There was a three-foot stone that stuck straight out of the dark water. A county name was etched into the sides that faced each river bank as well as the name of the original surveyor and the date.
“Wow. I can’t believe I missed that after all the times I walked up and down these banks.”
As she said it, her cell phone fell out of her pocket into the swirling water.
“Pick it up,” he said. “You can put it in rice and dry it out.”
She retrieved the phone even though she was doubtful about his idea. Shoving it in her pocket, she climbed back on the rocks to get out of the river. There was no way she was going to make her appointment with Mace and his buyer if she had to go back to the hotel and change. She knew before she made the call that her real estate agent might have a heart attack if she had to put it off again.
“Too bad about your appointment.” A smile played over his lips.
Sarah waited for him to join her on the bank. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? It’s your way of trying to stop the sale. I get it. You don’t want to leave.”
“I didn’t push you in the water.”
“Well, don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.” Her teeth were chattering even though the day was warm.
“Sounds like you need to get out of those clothes.” Even though he didn’t smile, his blue eyes were amused at her discomfort.