by S F Bose
I threaded my way through tables, saying “Hi” to the people that I knew, until I was at Grandma’s table.
Nana Anna saw me first. “Lizzie!” she said and waved. I smiled and waved back. Raven turned and watched me approach. I hugged Grandma, circled around Raven, and hugged Nana Anna. I smiled at Nancy and David.
“How is everyone?” I asked. I glanced at the table and saw a variety of desserts in front of them. My mouth watered.
“We’re good,” Nancy said, looking at her husband.
David smiled and nodded in agreement. “Still married,” he said and Nancy jabbed him in the shoulder. We all chuckled.
“Dan was telling us about your work in Virginia,” Grandma said, stirring her coffee.
“Dan?” I asked.
Raven cleared his throat. “That would be me,” he said with a smile.
“Oh right! I keep forgetting your real name,” I replied.
Raven’s face reddened. “At Worldhead, I was known by my nickname, Raven,” he explained to the Blackwells.
“Where did you get that nickname?” Nancy asked, fixing him with her steely gaze.
Raven’s smile dimmed a bit. “Where?” he repeated and paused. “It’s from…childhood. I always liked ravens. Very majestic bird, you know.” His voice faded. Nana Anna and David nodded, but Nancy continued to regard Raven with suspicion. Grandma frowned too.
“Well, I’m starving. Should we grab a table?” I asked Raven. Relief flooded his face.
“Sure, I already have one over there.” He waved vaguely behind him.
“Enjoy your desserts,” I said brightly and ignored Grandma and Nancy’s frowns, as I turned to Raven. I followed him to a four-person table across the room. After putting my parka on one of the extra chairs, I turned to find him standing by my chair.
“What are you doing?” I asked sharply.
“Waiting to help you with your chair.”
“Seriously? I think I can handle the chair. It’s not like it’s going to move on its own or anything.” Raven backed away, but remained standing until I sat down.
“Note to self: manners are not required in Mystic Grove,” he said with his melodic brogue, as he sat down.
“Oh please,” I snorted. “So Raven is a childhood name?”
“No. It’s a computer-generated code name I got at Worldhead.” We both chuckled.
I glanced at him as he read the small menu. He was wearing a gray suit, white shirt, and red-striped tie. Raven was a handsome man. His curly red hair was short but still a bit wild. He had thick, ginger eyebrows, close-set eyes, a strong nose, and thin mouth. The neatly trimmed beard and mustache made him look older.
“I feel underdressed,” I said and his blue eyes met mine.
Raven smiled. “You look fine. What are you having for dinner?”
I looked at the menu. The B&B usually limited their dinner choices to three entrees. On Saturdays, it was a meat dish, chicken dish, or pasta.
“Meat loaf. Definitely meat loaf. You?”
“Ravioli. Your Aunt Grace’s pasta is the best I’ve had. I think she could make cardboard taste good.”
“She’s the best cook around. Have you met Millie Todd or Tillie Green? They’re sisters who also cook for the B&B. They have some great recipes.”
Raven’s forehead wrinkled a bit as he thought. “No, the names aren’t familiar.”
Lisa, one of the weekend servers, brought us water and took our orders.
“Why don’t you use your real name at Worldhead?” I asked.
He shrugged. “An overabundance of caution, I guess. I’m a very private man. Worldhead gave me the option for anonymity and I took it.”
I thought about all of the risky missions we completed over the years. Some shady people would probably love to know the personal details of a man in Raven’s position. “I can understand that.”
“Liz, I hate to broach a topic that will probably end in an argument, but we really need you back in Virginia,” Raven said, leaning forward and locking in with his eyes.
I shook my head. “I can’t, Raven.”
“Because of Nate’s death?”
I sat back and looked at him. “That’s a part of it, but there’s more. I’m tired of all the secrecy at Worldhead and lying to everyone about my work. I can’t share a single thing I did there with my family and friends. It’s not healthy. Nobody knows who I really am.”
“I know who you are and what you’ve accomplished.”
I snorted. “That’s great, But after four years of working with you, I only learned your real name a day or so ago. That is not normal, Raven.”
He pursed his lips. ‘Okay, I agree. We’re a secretive organization. But Liz, you do have a contract.”
I shrugged. “I can’t go back. Sue me.”
Lisa brought our meal. She included a cup of strong, hot coffee for me, and a cup of tea for Raven. He smiled and thanked her.
After Lisa moved away, Raven spread a napkin on his lap. “We could do something like that. Not a lawsuit per se. However, one remedy for early release is the total repayment of all earnings and bonuses in the last year of employment.”
My head snapped up and shock raised my voice. “What? You can’t be serious!” Worldhead had paid me a lot of money.
Raven looked at me and scowled. “Did you seriously never read your annual contract?”
“No! We were like family. You’re serious about the repayment?”
Raven nodded. “I’m dead serious. It’s an option. However, we have flexibility. Let’s enjoy our meal and then talk.”
My right eye twitched. I replied calmly, “Oh sure. Threaten to impoverish me and then tell me to enjoy my meal. My answer won’t change, Raven.” He just nodded his head and stirred his tea.
We abandoned conversation and concentrated on eating. After watching Sam eat entire meals consisting only of baked potatoes, it was nice to see Raven dig into his meat ravioli, side salad, and Italian bread with obvious delight. I was so hungry I made short work of my family-style meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and sweet corn. After ten minutes of focused eating, we both sat back and sighed.
“I may have to move here. Grace’s food is too good,” Raven said, stretching.
I laughed. “Country life would bore you to death.”
“Don’t be so sure. Rural life has its attractions. I lived in the country for a while as a lad.” Then he sipped his tea.
“In Ireland?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about your childhood.”
He laughed. “Fat chance. Then I’d have to kill you. I need you back in Virginia but not with inside information about me.”
“I already know your real name,” I shot back.
“Do you really?” Raven asked with a smile.
My mouth dropped open in shock. “You lied again?” I squeaked.
“Lie is such a harsh word.”
I gave him a hard look. Then the light bulb turned on. “Unless you’re lying to me now.” He didn’t respond.
Lisa cleared our dishes and refilled our drinks.
“Dessert?” she asked with a smile. We both shook our heads.
“Sadly, no,” said Raven. Lisa giggled and hurried away.
I sipped my coffee and took a deep breath. “Just to bring this to closure, I can’t go back to Worldhead. If I have to pay them back, then I will. However, I’ll need a very lengthy repayment plan. Ten years would be good.” Raven laughed so hard, nearby diners looked our way. Seeing him laugh set me off. Soon we were both doubled over at the table laughing like idiots.
“I’m serious,” I gasped and we laughed even more. Finally, we both ran out of breath.
“Oh goodness, I needed that,” he said, looking me in the eyes and smiling. Then he leaned forward. “Tell me about this private investigating you’re doing.”
“Are you done threatening me with poverty?”
Raven gave me a bored look and waved his hand.
I took a deep breath. M
y pulse had quickened for some reason. “Well, I work for Sam Nolan. The first case I helped with was to get the goods on a cheating wife. We found she was indeed cheating on her husband with an Irishman.”
Raven sipped more tea. “A real Irishman?”
“He has a brogue and all.”
“Really? Well we are irresistible. What’s his name?”
I shook my head. “I can’t say, Raven.”
“Fair enough. But that case sounds a bit…sleazy.”
“It was,” I agreed. “But then there was a murder in town. The police think Ben, my mother’s boyfriend, is a good suspect. We’re trying to find the real killer to clear his name. That’s what I’m working on now.”
“That’s more like it! Have you made any progress?” Raven’s eyes widened.
“Well we have several different people who could have done it. What we don’t have is hard evidence. The killer shot the victim. Because Ben and the victim have had several arguments, the police took some of Ben’s guns in for ballistics testing. I’m pretty sure the tests will show that his guns weren’t used in the murder. Nevertheless, my mother wants him cleared sooner than later
Raven sat back with a far-away look on his face. “But the tests won’t matter if he hid the actual gun he used.”
I gave Raven a hard look. ”That’s true. However, when you look at motives, one suspect was losing a lot of potential money because of the victim. It’s also possible the victim was a gambler in trouble with his bookie. All Ben did was argue with the victim about land development.”
The corner of Raven’s mouth quirked. “People have killed for much less.”
I gave him my death stare. “You’re a real buzz kill, Raven.”
His eyebrows shot up and he laughed softly. “I’ve heard that before. It does sound like an interesting case.”
“It is,” I agreed.
“I love a good murder mystery. I always look at motives and alibis. The psychology of murder is fascinating,” Raven said.
“In books, you mean?”
Raven shrugged. “In books and in real life too. A person has a motive and the pressure builds. He either plans the murder or it’s spur of the moment. Either way, when he finally acts, he pushes beyond reason to do the unthinkable. He kills someone. Then he has to come up with a plausible alibi that police can confirm and that he can sell in a believable way. That’s where things fall apart quickly.”
I thought about that. “What do you mean?”
Raven leaned forward. “It’s hard to create a credible alibi and remember facts that didn’t happen. You’re remembering a story you memorized, not actual events. It’s even worse if you use someone else for your alibi.”
“That’s true. You never know if they’ll lie and back you up.” I thought briefly about Mark Sweet.
“It’s fascinating stuff. You’ll have to tell me how the case turns out. What I don’t understand is how you’ll be using your language skills in your new job.” I didn’t hear any sarcasm in his voice so I smiled.
“You can never tell.” However, I knew it was unlikely that I’d be able to use Arabic, Kurdish, Dari, or Pashto as a PI. There was hope for French and I could also brush up on my Spanish.
“Are you sure investigating is what you want to do?”
“I won’t know until I do it for a while. I’m not really an office person, so it’s a good fit there,” I replied. When Raven frowned, I focused on my coffee.
Over dessert, we talked a bit more about boxing and running. Afterwards, I had a feeling of time running out.
“Am I free, Raven?” I asked.
His thick eyebrows shot up. “Free from what?”
“My commitment to Worldhead.”
“Ah! I never thought of you as a captive,” he replied with a smile. Then his look turned serious. “I’ll have to think about it, Liz. We won’t look for reimbursement from you, so don’t worry about that. However, we’ve made a huge investment in you. It’s not only your language skills we need. It’s your people skills and ability to work on teams. There’s also been talk from higher ups about grooming you for an executive position.”
I nearly spit my coffee out. “What?”
He nodded. “Nothing specific yet. However, you caught the attention of some important people. Depending on the role, your salary could be as much as five times your last rate.”
My head was spinning. I sat back and stared at him. “Is this some BS to get me to come back?”
“It’s not BS. I swear it’s not. We’d need you to come back with a passion and commitment to the work. You’re not ready yet and I understand that. Nate was a huge loss. So we’ll give it some time. I’m going to keep you on leave of absence status until April. We can revisit things then.”
I leaned in toward Raven. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, but I don’t think I’m going to change my mind.”
“I know you believe that now. But there’s no harm in keeping you on the roster for a while longer.”
I ran a hand over the table. “I wanted to cut the cord.”
“Let’s just give it a bit more time. We don’t need a hard stop yet.” Raven looked at me so intently I could feel my face warm up. I broke the gaze and looked down at my coffee.
His voice was even lower. “Liz, if I terminate you now, you can’t come back.”
I looked up. “Ever?”
Raven shook his head and had a sad look on his face. “Never. It’s a long-standing rule.”
I was surprised at the panic that flashed through me. On the one hand, I was afraid that Raven would one day reel me back to Virginia if we didn’t have a clean break. On the other hand, the idea of never having the option to go back in the future was disturbing. I waited to see if my spidey sense weighed in and there was nothing. No buzzing. No tingling. Damn you, Spidey, I thought.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Okay, let’s leave things the way they are for a while.” What could it hurt?
Raven smiled. “All right, then.”
We relaxed and chatted for a while. Raven brought me up-to-date on some of my former co-workers. He told me how much he wanted to explore the northeast forest. I advised coming back in spring for that. We talked a bit about Thorn, our gentle bush, and Irish folklore. Raven revealed he’d been born in Tipperary but his family moved around a lot. So I learned a bit more about his personal life.
Raven asked if I had read Nate’s letter yet. I said I hadn’t. He just nodded.
“I will,” I said and hated the defensive tone in my voice.
He nodded. “I know you will.”
When I looked around, the dining room was empty. I checked my watch and it was 10:15 p.m. When I stood up to leave, Raven insisted on walking me back to the coach house. He went upstairs and got his coat. When he returned, he also wore a stylish fedora. Who is this guy? The Raven I knew never paid much attention to clothing.
We cut through the kitchen. Grandma, Nana, Grace, and Millie Todd sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee and talking. Lisa was emptying clean plates and cups from the commercial dishwasher. Tillie Green was taking clean glasses out of the large glasswasher.
We said goodnight to everyone and went out the back kitchen door. The temperature was below freezing, but without any wind, it felt surprisingly warm. It was dark but the yard and path lights lit the way. We walked in silence up the path, past the barren garden, to the darkened coach house. Chloe was on a date with Neville, her boyfriend. Olivia had gone to Madison to have dinner with some of her old college friends.
“How long will you be here?” I asked when we stopped in front of the coach house.
“Another week. I hope we can have dinner again.”
“Me too,” I agreed. Now that I didn’t work for him, Raven was an entirely different and interesting person.
“I plan to charm your Aunt Grace’s manicotti recipe out of her before I leave,” he said and chuckled.
I laughed. “Good luck with that.”
After a
pause, Raven cleared his throat. “This Sam Nolan fellow…do you trust him?”
Without hesitation I replied, “I do.”
Raven lowered his voice and I leaned forward to hear him better. “Liz, murder is either cold and callous or angry and passionate. Once done, the killer will do anything to avoid apprehension. Be careful. You’re on a small team of two. I worry about that.”
I wanted to reassure him. While Mark Sweet didn’t scare me, the possible gambling and mafia connections did worry me. “I’ll be okay, Raven. I got great training at Worldhead. We’re also sharing almost everything with the local police, so we’ll have backup there, if we need it.”
“That’s good. Promise me you’ll come to me for help if you need it. You still have my private number?”
“I do. If I need anything I’ll call you,” I agreed.
“That’s good. Can I have a hug, then?”
I laughed and opened my arms. We hugged. He smelled like earth and wood fire. Bolts of electricity flashed in my mind. Surprised by the reaction, I patted his back and pulled away. I could see his smile and it warmed me. Then I immediately felt guilty because of Nate.
“Goodnight, Liz,” he said.
“Goodnight, Raven.”
He walked back down the path and I watched until he reached the B&B. Then I turned and entered the coach house, feeling sad. All I wanted to do was to sleep for the rest of the weekend.
Chapter 33
Monday was cold and clear when Sam and I left the office parking lot in his Jeep. We were running a little late for our appointment with Eddie Klein at his house near Fitchburg. I had a travel mug of Farmhouse Café coffee and Sam drank herbal tea from his mug. After unzipping my parka, I flicked some cat hair off my red Henley sweater. I had dressed down in jeans for the day.
“How was the gig with you family over the weekend?”
Sam’s eyes lit up and he smiled. “It went great! Mom was there and sang with Ethan. Pops and Grandpop rocked out. I got on mic and sang a little. It was a lot of fun.”
“Awesome. That sounds like fun.” I smiled at his obvious happiness.