by January Bain
“Is that all, Constable?” Bryce looked prepared to launch into a hissy fit, his expression full of annoyance at being held up from doing his job. I got it.
“Yes, for now.” Ace gave him a firm look and the assistant began to study the ground with interest.
I followed Ace when he walked away from the group. I’d share what I’d learned soon as we got out of earshot.
Halfway back down the trail on my way to Thor, I slowed, turning to Ace. His hair shone dark and glossy in the bright sunlight, this healthy strong alpha male striding at my side. My oh my.
“Ace, got a couple of readings. Ready?”
“Always ready, darlin’.”
My equilibrium took a tumble, my mouth going dry. I filled him in on what I’d learned, watching him digest my words. Regret about Saturday rose up again, near choking me. I was definitely going to lose out on that one, with Jennifer at the dinner instead of me, darn it.
“Say, would your parents still be around on Sunday morning?”
“Yes. Not heading back until later in the day, last we talked. Why?”
“I make a mean brunch, if you think they’d be interested?”
“That’s your one day off. I don’t want you cooking. How about we take you out to brunch?”
Nice. “Okay, you’re on.” I had another thought. “It will be just the four of us, right?” The thought of being a fifth wheel to a family friend—ugh.
“I guess, yeah. But Jennifer could use a friend. She’s all alone here in Snowy Lake. She still hopes to spend some time with you while she’s around.”
Great. Now I looked less than stellar. And just when things were looking up. I had to make this right. I spoke up, hoping I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my life.
“Do you think she has any interest in coming to one of our Northern Lights Coven meetings? There’s one tonight.” Who knows, maybe I read her all wrong? There’s always a first time for everything. Yeah, and the sun won’t rise tomorrow.
“The same coven that burned me in effigy on the front lawn of the detachment?”
“Uh, yeah, but that was a one-off. They’re really just a sweet group of awesome women.”
“Sure, if you say so, darlin’.” He gave me a quick grin. “Give me your phone and I’ll add her number.”
I fished it out of my pocket, handed it over then watched him type in a phone number with his large hands that made me long for them to go other places. Preferably around my body, pulling me in for another one of his awesome kisses.
“Thanks, I’ll call her when I get back to the café. Better reception.”
“That’s good of you.” We’d come full circle now and I was back staring at Thor.
“Well, I guess I’ll catch you later. Try not to get into more trouble, please,” Ace said, rubbing the back of his neck while giving me a direct look.
“You confiscated my badge, remember, Sheriff?”
“Like that’s ever going to stop you.”
I reached for Thor’s door handle, hoping Ace would stop me, twirl me around and give me a swoon-worthy kiss. No such luck, though he politely shut the driver’s door for me after I climbed in. Impulsively, I rolled the window all the way down and reached out, grabbing his warm hand and drawing him closer. When he leaned down, I pressed my lips to his. Electricity sparked between us. Sweet. Even my toes curled up from the lovely sensation that danced through me. My, oh my, how that man could kiss.
All the way back to town I hummed a song as I bounced along, working had to steer Thor over the ruts. “Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I’ve got a wonderful feeling, everything’s goin’ my way!”
Just before I made the turn onto Main Street, a person jogging along the side of the road windmilled their arms at me, trying to flag me down. I took my foot off the gas pedal, pulled to the side of the road and braked to a stop just ahead of the figure. A female, by the looks of it, I noted in the rear mirror, waiting for her to join me. Very common to find hitchhikers in our part of the world. Less common to find them so close to town.
But imagine my surprise when Jennifer Morgan jumped into the passenger seat beside me.
“Thank god you stopped!” she said, her voice strained. She gave me a look filled with anguish, her tan face pale.
“What’s the matter? What’s happened?” I asked, worried for her well-being. We might have been rivals, but that was as far as it went. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I guess, sort of.” She raised a trembling hand to her head, brushing back strands of hair that had loosened from her ponytail. She turned to me. “Do you know where Ace is at? I need to see him and I can’t reach him on my phone. Lousy service in this backwoods part of the world.”
I excused her dig at our town. She was upset. “I just left him at Spirit Springs, but I can take you there right now, if you like? Are you sure you’re okay?”
She narrowed her eyes at me, her expression becoming more pinched than it already was. “Yes, right now would be good.”
I made a quick U-turn in the Jeep, spinning the steering wheel all the way around with my wrist, then heading back the way I’d just come. What on earth had happened? We drove along for five minutes in complete silence except for her heavy breathing, though I kept a close watch on her, wondering if she was in shock.
Parking near the movie set, I turned and announced, “Wait here. I’ll find him for you.”
She nodded once, her eyes dead serious.
“You sure you’ll be okay?” I pressed, reluctant to leave her alone.
“Just find him already,” she barked, her lips twitching.
O—kay, roger that. I scrambled out of Thor and began running into the camp past the rows of trailers, spinning my head around, trying to catch sight of Ace while my mind wrestled with Jennifer’s verbal assault. Then I excused it. She’d obviously been through something traumatic.
I spotted the Mountie talking with Felicity Higgins near Howard’s RV. He always stood out, head and shoulders above everyone else, his sense of purpose making him shine. When had that begun to happen, him seeming to have a glow around him? Maybe I was coming down with Tulip’s gift of seeing auras? Except, his was the only one so far.
I made quick work of running over to where he stood with Felicity. He smiled when he spotted me coming at him, his brown eyes giving me an appraisal that flattered and warmed me to the core.
“And why do I have the pleasure of your company so soon, Miss McCall? Miss me already?” he asked. Was that a wink? My pulse skipped a beat. I wished I was there with better news.
“It’s your friend, Jennifer. She needs your help. Right now.”
“What? Where is she?” His usual serious Mountie demeanor took over, his plush mouth with the well-formed lips that tasted even better than they looked firming into a straight line.
“Back at my Jeep. I picked her up on the road a few minutes ago when she flagged me down.”
“Excuse me,” he said to Felicity and, without waiting for an answer, took off running. I chased after him.
When we reached Thor, he went right around to the passenger door and opened it. Jennifer tumbled out and right into his arms, breaking into tears.
Helpless, I chewed on a nonexistent fingernail, working it down to the quick. Stay or go?
“Is there anything I can do?” I asked. It was as though one of my sisters was in pain. I so wanted to help. I couldn’t imagine what was wrong, and every scenario my fertile imagination came up with looked worse.
Ace turned and looked at me, his expression grim. He shook his head. “No. Probably best for you to just go. Thanks for bringing her to me. I’ll take it from here.” He led Jennifer across the parking lot to his police cruiser, his big arms supporting her all the way. I sighed, left in the dark.
On the way back to town, I didn’t have the energy to sing anything this time. All the shine had vanished from the day.
I parked behind the Tea & Tarot. What I needed most was to ge
t down to some serious cooking and baking to take my mind off things. But when I opened the door and walked into the kitchen, my army of helpers had things well in hand. Maybe having that many hands was going to backfire? They hardly needed me, by the looks of things. They had a splendid assembly line going on, and even managed to look like they were really enjoying themselves.
“Rosalie’s waiting out front for you. She’s missing an earring her dad gave her and she’s beyond upset,” Suzanna said, gesturing with a nod toward the public part of our business. I got that. Rosalie had lost her father a year ago to cancer and she had adored him. I needed to take care of this right now.
“I’ll be out front if anyone needs me.”
A teary-eyed Rosalie got up from sitting slumped over in a booth when I rushed into the front café, my running shoes squeaking fuzzily on the newly waxed floor courtesy of yours truly. I gave her a quick hug, then sat down across from her. The café was empty. Where the heck was Tulip?
“Sorry about your loss,” I said, taking Rosalie’s trembling hands in mine. Even with her eyes reddened from crying, she looked pretty, with her pixie cap of glossy dark hair and bright blue eyes. “I know what they mean to you.” She gave me a wobbly smile. “Just think about the last time you put your earrings on. That would be a great place to start.”
“I’ve looked everywhere, Charm! I’ve searched the house top to bottom. I can’t find it!” A fresh outbreak of tears followed her confession.
“Don’t cry, please. We’ll find it, I promise. The culprit’s got no place to hide from me. You can take that to the bank.”
She pressed her lips together to keep the sobs inside, hope gleaming in her beautiful eyes.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
We both closed our eyes and a vision of her putting the emerald studs with the gold filigree setting into her pierced ears flowed between us. She walked from her bedroom into the bathroom, brushing her hair before the mirror. Aha, the hairbrush caught at her earring, tugging at the fastener in the back, allowing the earring to dangle in a precarious position. But when had it come off? And where? I watched her leave the house and get into her car. Drive to the local hardware, the earring still hanging in there. She parked her car and hurried inside. Why was this taking longer than usual? Normally, I just got an image of where the item had landed—I didn’t see a movie of its entire life history.
‘Ace, are you intending to spend the best years of your life in this quaint part of the world, for heaven’s sake? Without a female to keep you warm on cold winter nights? You know it gets colder here than in Winnipeg, right? Snowy Lake’s on the fifty-eight parallel.’
Aha. I knew that voice. Jennifer Morgan moved directly into Rosalie’s sight line and into the vision we were sharing. Her face was filled with disgust. Figures. Then I felt bad, remembering the events of the day, hoping she was doing okay with Ace’s help.
Another person strode into plain view right behind her. Howard Smith. That was a surprise. This had to be just minutes before he’d headed over to the Tea & Tarot to get us to cater the movie. So, I was meant to see this. My breath hitched at what had happened to the poor man just hours after this imprint of his life had been captured for posterity. I rested my case on time loops and everything in nature having a distinct pattern. I was right now experiencing the proof of it. Now, if only I could see the actual alteration hours later between him and the killer, this murder investigation would be finished almost before it started. But I could only share the video of what Rosalie and her earring were subject to, and no more. The thread existed between her and the jewelry due to its emotional importance in her life. She’d loved her father and the earrings had embraced that positive vibration.
I saw Howard lean over then clutch at his stomach while Rosalie hovered near by. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked him, obviously concerned for his well-being.
He straightened up, a grimace of pain contorting his face. ‘Just a cramp.’ He swiped a hand over his mouth. ‘Must have eaten something off.’
He moved out of sight and Rosalie continued, the earring still clinging to her earlobe. The jewelry finally let go, and I watched it turn over and over in a bright sunbeam, shining green and gold, then falling to the tiled floor of the hardware store right behind her. A hand reached down and picked it up. Whose was it? My pulse sped up, anticipating the big reveal. The hand slipped the earring into a pants pocket. Howard Smith’s pocket. Oh dear, this was good and bad. I knew who’d last had it in their possession, but not if he’d left it there, in his pocket, or had time to hide it somewhere else. The trail went cold and I opened my eyes.
“So, do you know now, Charm, where it is?” Rosalie asked eagerly. The hope and desperation in her eyes touched me.
“I know where it last was. And I think we can get it back. I just need to go back to the movie set.”
She frowned. “Who took it?”
I filled her in on what I knew.
Rosalie drew circles on the laminate tabletop with her forefinger, listening. “I’m going out there, right now, and demand it back!” she said, her eyes brimming with self-righteous indignation. “I don’t care if he’s dead. He had no call to steal the earring my daddy gave me.”
She slumped, looking unhappy. “I shouldn’t have said that. Sorry. Maybe he turned it in at the counter? Didn’t take it with him?” She jumped up, full of enthusiasm.
I really thought that a long shot, but all avenues of exploration had to be pursued, of course. “Okay. You check there and let me know. If it’s not there, I’ll head out to the movie set.”
“I want to go with you.”
“No, that’s not a good idea.” I shook my head. “I’ll have a better chance at finding it alone.”
Rosalie made a face, but didn’t contradict me. Then she took off, running at full speed out of the café, headed for Snowy Lake Hardware, the angel wind chimes above the door shouting with maniacal glee. Oh boy, it looked like it would be a futile errand. Well, it did give me time to think.
The time to think was immediately interrupted by Auntie T.J. strolling in, the angels this time announcing her presence with a cautious song.
“Charm! Thank goodness I’ve found you! Have I got the scoop for you, baby girl,” she said, her face alive with information she could scarce contain.
Chapter Twelve
She skipped like she was sweet sixteen again across the floor. Auntie T.J. was a decade younger than her sister and our beloved granny, but the newest intel must be spectacular if she had to see me in person to dish it up hot. I winced, wishing I had not given her such free rein yesterday morning when I was desperate to know the facts about the new girl in town. I generally turn a blind eye to gossip, finding it so often inaccurate. Of course, that wasn’t the case with my aunt. She was deadly in the investigating department. Maybe I should thank her for my inquisitive gene?
“Did you hear what happened to that new girl, Jennifer Morgan?” she asked, huffing and puffing as she sat down in Rosalie’s abandoned seat across from me, the excitement already having taken its toll. Now she looked her real age, though I wouldn’t dream of saying so. I want to keep my head on my shoulders, after all.
“Actually, I just saw Jennifer. Picked her up at the edge of town, then drove her back to find Constable Collins. She was upset, but I didn’t presume to ask why,” I said pointedly. “None of my business.”
She raised two horrified eyebrows. “Baby doll, of course it’s your business! Ace Collins is your Mountie.”
I sputtered. “He’s not my Mountie!”
“Well, you’d better look out for your man, mark my words. Jennifer’s saying she was just dumped by her long-time boyfriend, Arthur T. Jamison, after turning down a marriage proposal.”
“Wait! You mean she was running to Ace because of a breakup?” And here I thought it was because of something happening at the dig on the south side of town in Snowy Creek. The person I’d suspect of seeding it with gold nuggets sat across from me at this exa
ct moment—I was ninety-nine percent certain. Auntie loved a good mystery, plus she wanted more tourists to bring in extra income for the town and café in about equal measure. Not that she would ever, ever admit it. The women in the McCall family had more than their fair share of pride.
“Yes siree, Bob. That’s exactly it. Now, that puts a whole different complexion on things.”
I frowned, confused. “How so?”
“Well, turns out the reason he was long term was because she won’t commit to marriage though he asked her three times. I guess this last time finished it.”
“Really, who on earth told you that?”
“I have my sources. And everyone thinks she staged it now because she’s after the bigger prize. Your Mountie!”
I didn’t bother to correct her this time. I knew Jennifer was after Ace. But she wouldn’t be stringing one man along to get another, right? It must have been a coincidence, the broken engagement.
“She’s had a crush on him since childhood, you know.” She punctuated her remark with a drill of her red-nailed forefinger on the tabletop.
“It’s probably all just coincidence,” I said, dismissing the charge against the young woman. Sure, she wanted Ace, but who didn’t? Half the women in town were enamored at the moment. I could hardly blame her for that. But, to take a law officer away from his sworn duty over a breakup? That didn’t sit right.
“And the moon is made of green cheese, baby doll.” Some of my auntie’s references didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I’d gotten used to such lofty pronouncements.
“Well, I’ve got to go. Rosalie needs me to find something for her.”