by Kathi Daley
“You picked a good time of year to fill in.”
“That’s exactly what Hap and I discussed yesterday. It’s a gorgeous day, and I’m happy to have an excuse to be out in it.”
“I was just thinking this morning that I might talk to Hap about a picnic down by the lake this weekend. I drove by a few days ago, and it looks as if the geese are back and looking for handouts.”
“Be careful about feeding them. Those little buggers are cute, but they can be aggressive as well.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “The cookie was delicious, and I appreciate the coffee and Tilly’s treat, but I should get going so I don’t get behind again. Do you have any outgoing mail?”
“Actually, I don’t have any today. If you want to start your route here tomorrow and you come by a few minutes early, so you don’t feel hurried, I’ll have one of my hot, just out of the oven, cinnamon rolls, and a large cup of coffee waiting for you.”
“You have a deal,” I agreed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
After I left the bakeshop, I continued down the street. The man who owned the five and dime was happy to see me but didn’t seem inclined to chat, and the woman who was covering the sales floor at the furniture store was new, so I hadn’t met her when I’d regularly worked this route. I noticed that Mike’s truck was parked in front of the police station and considered crossing the street and stopping in, but then my mom saw me standing on the sidewalk trying to decide where to head next and waved me over.
“Morning, Mom,” I said, handing her a stack of mail after kissing her on the cheek.
“Morning, honey. Isn’t it a gorgeous day?”
“It is. I’m surprised you’re standing out here on the sidewalk. Aren’t you busy this morning?”
“Actually, no. It’s been slow on the weekdays lately for some reason. We only have two tables with customers at the moment, and Ruthie volunteered to keep an eye on both so I could come outside for some fresh air.”
Mom’s statement seemed totally rational since it was a nice morning, but it still had me frowning. It wasn’t like her to simply come outside and stand around in front of the restaurant. There had to be more going on than she’d indicated. If we didn’t have a secret baby at the house, I’d invite her to dinner this week so we could really talk, but with the way things were right now, it seemed the best idea was to avoid the subject altogether.
“Are you looking for something?” I asked after noticing her looking over my shoulder.
She returned her gaze to me. “No. Not really. I thought Theo might come by this morning.”
Ah. Now I understood why Mom was loitering on the sidewalk like a lovesick teenager.
“It’s early yet,” I said. “I suppose Theo might be by later.”
She smiled, but I could see that it was forced. “I’m sure he will be. If not, I’ll see him later. When we last spoke, he said something about launching the boat this afternoon. I’m sure he won’t want to miss that. He’s been excited about the boat ever since the subject first came up.”
I tried not to look as concerned as I felt. “No, I guess Theo wouldn’t want to miss that.” I glanced at the mailbag that was still on my shoulder and then at Tilly, who had been patiently sitting at my feet waiting for us to continue our route. “Tilly and I should get going. If you do get the boat launched, maybe we can all go out sometime soon.”
“I’m not sure Bree should be on a boat at this point in her pregnancy, but I’m sure Theo would be happy to take you and Tony out.”
“You won’t be coming along?”
She shook her head. “You know I’m not really a fan of the water. Theo and I have talked about having meals on the boat while it’s docked in the marina, but I’m not sure I’m ready to get out on the open water.”
“We live on a lake and not an ocean,” I pointed out. “With the exception of days with a wind and small craft advisory, the surface of the lake is actually pretty calm.”
“Yes. I guess it is. But I can’t swim well, so water makes me nervous.”
I was about to point out that it was ridiculous for her to have spent so much money on a boat when she didn’t even like the water but decided to let it go. Mom had a way of getting totally wrapped up in whatever guy she was dating. I’d seen it happen before. The men Mom seemed to be most interested in were all much younger than she was, and I always felt like the relationships were doomed before they even got started.
I glanced down the street, trying to decide if I should head over to the police station to talk to Mike or simply visit the merchants in order. Deciding on the latter, I headed toward the candy store. By the time I’d made it to Bree’s bookstore, she was open, so I headed inside.
“Morning, Bree.”
“Tess, Tilly. I’m glad you made it before I left for my doctor’s appointment. I wanted to ask how Secret did last night.”
I slipped my mailbag off my shoulder. “Secret did great. It seems that Tony and Secret have worked out a rhythm that seems to be working for both man and baby.”
Bree smiled. “I’d like to come by and see her when I get off if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely. In fact, why don’t you and Mike come for dinner again and we can chat. I think it’s important that we stay on the same page until we figure out exactly what’s going on.”
“I can bring dinner,” Bree offered.
“There’s no need. We have some steaks in the freezer. I’ll call Tony and have him defrost them. We can make a salad to go with them.”
“That sounds good. I’m only working a half-day today, so we can head over to your place as soon as Mike gets off.”
“Great.”
“Do you need us to bring anything for the baby?” Bree asked. “Maybe some clothes. I know there were a couple onesies in the diaper bag, but babies tend to go through several outfits a day.”
“I guess some clothes would be helpful. If you have anything that you want to share.”
“I got a ton of outfits in all sizes at the baby shower you and your mom threw. More than Ella will ever be able to wear before she grows out of them. I’ll go through them and bring over a few for Secret. We can wash them when she’s back with her mother, and I can still use them for Ella.”
“Thank you, Bree. I’m sure it would be nice to have additional outfits for the baby to wear.”
After I left the bookstore, I called Tony and gave him a heads up about Mike and Bree coming for dinner that night. I wanted to talk to Tony about the call from my dad before Mike and Bree got there. I figured that if I really hurried today, I might be able to get off early enough to beat Mike and Bree out to the house. If not for the baby, I’d just have Tony meet me for lunch, and we could talk then, but since he couldn’t bring the baby into town, perhaps I’d just skip lunch and try to finish my route all that much earlier.
By the time I made it back to Mike’s office, his truck was gone. When I entered the lobby, I found Frank sitting at his desk. “Hey, Frank,” I greeted.
“Hey, Tess, Tilly. I heard you were back on the route.”
“Temporarily.”
Tilly trotted over to greet Frank, who always had a cookie for her.
“It looks like Mike left,” I said. His truck was gone, but I supposed he might have moved it around back.
“Yeah, he went out on a call. He should be back in an hour or so if you want to come back.”
“That’s okay. I’ll just catch up with Mike later.” I figured it was actually a good thing that he wasn’t here since I wasn’t ready to tell him about the call from Dad until I talked to Tony, and if I didn’t see him, I wouldn’t have to withhold anything. I set the mail on Frank’s desk. “I’m trying to get off early, so I should get going. It was nice chatting with you.”
“Yeah. You too.”
Luckily, the mail to be delivered today was light, and most of the merchants were busy when I stopped in, which prevented long conversations. I finished my route by four o’clock, so once I’d dropped the out
going mail at the post office, I headed home. The drive from town up the mountain to the lakeside estate where Tony and I lived could be hazardous in the winter, but during the summer, it was a beautiful and peaceful drive that I rather enjoyed.
“I want to talk to you about a call I got last night when you went to get the crib,” I said to Tony as soon as I walked in, greeted the animals, and kissed Tony hello.
“Last night?” he asked.
I nodded. “From my dad. I want to discuss it before Mike and Bree get here, so can you follow me upstairs while I change?”
“Yeah. No problem.” He got up and followed me down the hallway. “Your dad called last night?”
“He did.” I nodded. “I was going to tell you right away, but I was still trying to process things when you got home, and then you were busy with the crib. I’m sorry I didn’t say something right away.”
“It’s okay. I know that things with your dad tend to be emotional. What did he say? Did he give you more information about Secret?”
“Actually, no. Dad called to ask a couple questions about my mom’s boyfriend.”
“Theo?”
I nodded as I peeled off my uniform. “Dad said he saw Mom talking to him when he was in town to deliver Secret to Mike. He thought he recognized the guy, so he asked some questions. Once I told him about Theo’s accent and tattoo, he said ‘damn,’ and then he hung up.”
“We should tell Mike.”
“I plan to, but Dad did say something about not doing anything to tip Theo off that he’d been recognized. You know how Mike is. I’m afraid he’ll go charging over to Mom’s and blow the secret. What should I do?”
Tony frowned. “Did your dad say anything else?”
“No. The entire conversation was less than a minute. Dad hung up before I could hardly respond.”
“Are you sure it was your dad on the phone and not someone pretending to be your dad? It isn’t like him to just call you like that.”
“It was him.”
Tony paused as I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. “You and Mike are a team,” he finally said. “The last thing you want to do is anything that will threaten that. You remember what happened the last time you kept a secret from Mike.”
“I do. It wasn’t good.”
“Which is why I think you should tell him about the call the minute you see him.”
“Okay.” I pulled Tony in for a hug. “We’ll tell him over dinner.”
Chapter 4
Wednesday, May 19
As it turned out, Mike, Bree, Tony, and I hadn’t gotten together for dinner last night as we’d planned since Mike had to work late due to a murder that had been called in late in the day. I didn’t have all the details, but I’d heard that the murder victim was a dark-haired male in his late fifties or early sixties who’d been found on the edge of the lake’s waterline.
Theo was only in his forties, so this man was older if the estimate was correct. Still, I had to wonder if when Dad said he’d take care of things, what he really meant was that he’d take care of things.
I supposed the only thing I could do was head over to Mike’s office later and try to get additional information. I’d promised Hattie I would stop by her place first, which I intended to do. When I arrived at the bakeshop, I discovered that she’d brought her dog, Bruiser, in with her today, which was nice since Tilly would have company while she waited.
“I guess you heard that Dixie Wild is pregnant,” Hattie said, making casual conversation.
“Really?” I took a sip of my coffee. “I hadn’t heard. I hate to sound insensitive, but isn’t Dixie sort of old to be having a baby?”
“Dixie is forty-eight, and this will be her first child. According to Wilma, the whole thing was very unexpected. In fact, from what I hear, Dixie had gone to see her doctor in the first place since she was sure she was experiencing menopause symptoms and wondered if she should look into some sort of hormone replacement. When she found out she was expecting, I guess she passed out right there in the doctor’s office.”
I wrinkled my brow. “So is Dixie happy? Terrified? Devastated? Is she planning to continue with the pregnancy?”
“I think terrified best describes things at this point, but she is going to continue with the pregnancy. I guess she sat down with her doctor, and they came up with a plan that includes weekly visits to check things like blood pressure and the stress the baby is putting on Dixie’s body and extra testing as the pregnancy develops. When I spoke to Wilma, she said that Dixie is taking a positive and proactive approach to the whole thing. She’s eating right, getting exercise, taking her prenatal vitamins, and doing everything else the doctor tells her to do.”
“I don’t know Dixie well, but I am wondering why she never had children. I mean before this. She’s been married to the same man for as long as I can remember.”
“Dixie had big plans for her life. After college, she got her law degree and then opened her own law practice here in White Eagle when she was fresh out of law school. I think Don and Dixie always planned to have children someday, but then his advertising career took off, and I think her law practice grew more rapidly than she expected it would, and somehow, someday never arrived. A few years ago, Dixie mentioned that she’d missed her shot at parenthood since both she and Don were too old to raise children at this point. I guess Mother Nature had other plans for the couple.”
“Well, I hope it all works out for them. Is Dixie still working?”
Hattie shook her head. “She decided to take a step back, and I suspect she will eventually sell out to her partners. Don has decided to retire. I think the couple knows that even if they get through this pregnancy with everyone’s health intact, it’s going to take both of them working together to raise the child.”
I had to admit that Dixie’s story had me thinking. I was only thirty-three, so I was considered to be young enough not to have a pregnancy labeled as high risk, but it did seem as if the clock was ticking. I supposed that if Tony and I planned to have more than one child, we really should begin talking about that.
I thanked Hattie for the cinnamon roll and coffee and said my goodbyes. It was always nice catching up with Hattie, and she always seemed to have all the latest gossip, but after the conversation I had with Tony last night, I was anxious to get going so I’d have time to stop at Sisters’ Diner and have a chat with my mom before I got too far behind, as it seemed I’d been prone to do every day this week.
When I arrived, I found her sitting alone in an empty booth, staring out the window. “Hey, Mom,” I said, sliding into the booth across from her.
She glanced in my direction. “Tess.”
“Is something wrong?” I asked, noticing her look of complete dejection.
She slipped a piece of paper across the table to me without answering. I looked at the paper, which appeared to be a note from Theo telling her that he was heading out of town and would look her up the next time he got out this way.
“That’s it?” I asked. “He didn’t take the time to stop by and tell you his plans in person?”
She shook her head. “I suppose it’s my fault. I always do this. I meet a guy who’s much younger than I am, and then I convince myself that he’s as much in love with me as I am with him. When it turns out he was just looking for a good time, which I really should have known all along, I end up getting hurt and licking my wounds.”
I placed my hand over Mom’s. “It’s not your fault. Not really. Yes, it is true that Theo was quite a bit younger than you. And yes, younger men tend to be less likely to settle down and plant roots, which I suppose should be anticipated, although Theo was in his forties, so he wasn’t exactly a spring chicken either.” Okay, now I was rambling. “The thing is, the guy asked you to buy him a boat. I would think there would be some sort of implied commitment there.”
She looked directly at me. “Theo really did seem excited about the boat. He’s been talking about getting out there on the lake ever since I met him. When
he asked me about buying a boat, I guess I thought he’d stick around longer if I did.” She took a breath. “We had plans to launch it yesterday afternoon, and then we were going to have a romantic meal in the marina. I know he was looking forward to it. He mentioned that he couldn’t wait to get out on the water on several occasions, but he never showed up yesterday.”
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
She smiled weakly in my direction. “I know. And I appreciate that. I guess I have some decisions to make.”
“Like what to do with the boat?”
She nodded. “Exactly. And what to do with his stuff.”
“His stuff?” I asked.
“Theo had some stuff he left at my house. Clothes. A few books and some other little odds and ends. He left without even bothering to come by and pick everything up. I don’t want his stuff around to remind me how angry I am and what a fool I was to fall for a guy like him again, but I don’t think I should throw his stuff away.”
Okay, the fact that this man had left all this stuff behind suddenly had me worried. “Box everything up, and I’ll pick it up before I head home,” I offered. “You know how good Tony is about tracking people down. Even people who move around a lot have some sort of mailing address. Maybe a P.O. Box. Tony will find out what address Theo uses, and we’ll mail his stuff to him.”
Mom looked relieved. “Thank you, sweetheart. It means a lot that you’d go to so much trouble.”
Okay, now I was really freaking out. I supposed that the fact that Mom’s boyfriend had left town the day after Dad called to inquire about him, and a body generally matching his description had been found later that same day, didn’t mean anything. At least that was what I’d been trying to tell myself as I rushed down the street to the police station.
“Is Mike in his office?” I asked Frank, who was sitting at his desk.
“He is. I’m sure you can go on back.” Frank said as Leonard trotted down the hallway to greet us. I set the mail for the police station on Frank’s desk and then headed down the hallway with Tilly and Leonard trailing behind me.