Maybe it was time to start tying them off…Maybe, this time when she left La Pierre, she could walk away with a little less baggage, a little more clarity, and a clear conscience.
"Lena?"
She looked up to find Kate standing in the now open doorway, her face a strange mix of happiness and concern.
"I don't want to bother you while you're working, but the Sheriff is here."
"The Sheriff." Not, "Joe”. Her sister's choice of words and the expression on her face led Lena to believe this was an official visit as opposed to a personal one.
Not good.
"Sure thing, I'll be right out."
"No need, I won't derail you from your work for long." Joe's long, lean frame filled the remaining space in the doorway and Lena's heart gave a jiggle.
"Oh, hi, Joe. Please, come on in!" As he entered the study with her sisters trailing behind, she forced herself not to glance down at the envelope directly in front of her out of some reflexive impulse. She was still grappling with her complex feelings about its contents, and had no intention of sharing it with her sisters or Joe.
Not now.
Not ever.
Joe took the seat across from her as Maggie and Sasha sat side by side on the couch, and Kate took the large leather chair next to Joe.
"So what's happening? Is this about the lead you mentioned the other day?" Lena asked, trying to act casual.
"It is," Joe said with a nod, dropping his hat onto his knee as he leaned in. "We have our man."
"Really?" Kate asked, frowning. "That's very interesting. Who was it?"
"Timothy Lischio."
Lena ran the name through her mental rolodex and came up empty. She was about to say so when Sasha sat up, bolt-straight.
"Tim? The kid who lives over on LaFayette Street with his meth-head girlfriend?"
Sheriff Joe shot her a quick nod. "One in the same."
Maggie gasped and Lena flicked a glance to Kate, who was also nodding her head, a grim smile on her face. "Makes sense."
"Okay, someone fill in the blanks. Who is Timothy Lischio?" Lena demanded.
Kate shifted in her chair and held Lena's gaze. "Serina McFadden's nephew. Clyde's grandson."
Lena tried her best to keep her face neutral, but her brain was on fire, churning up all the ramifications of this bombshell.
"We were actually waiting until you came out to tell you, but this fits in very neatly with what happened to Maggie just a little while ago," Kate added, turning toward Joe. "She was walking down Main Street and a woman said hello to her. It took a few minutes, but Maggie finally placed her face."
"Serina McFadden," Lena breathed, her pulse thumping so loud now, she wondered if the others could hear it. “She's in town?"
"She is," Joe confirmed, his firm mouth screwed into a frown. "For the first time in more than a decade. The question is, why?"
"Well, you said it was Tim, but what proof do you have that he’s actually the one behind this? He never even knew his grandfather. Seems like if someone was holding a grudge about an old rumor, it would be Clyde’s daughter, no?" Sasha said.
Lena thought back and remembered Serina as a wholly unpleasant little girl who stayed with them for a couple summers when Maeve and Clyde had first gotten married. She was a year or so younger than Kate, but she’d already had the disposition of a surly teenager. By the time summer was over, they couldn’t wait for her to go back to her mother’s in Missouri, and dreaded her return. If her constant whining and complaining was any indication, she was no happier to be there than they were to have her. The thought of her coming to La Pierre to rustle up trouble for them seemed in line with the Serina she’d known.
“He actually confessed,” Joe said, scratching at the five o’clock shadow on his chin. “After I took a look around outside the other night, I saw some strange tracks on the outskirts of the property heading toward Butler Road. Footprints, but the left one was dragging, like. I remembered seeing Tim at Crawdad’s not a week ago and he was limping. Said he fell off his dirt bike and pulled some ligaments. I took a chance, went by the house that night, and nobody was home. But when I finally caught him there a couple days later, I had a chance to talk to him and the girlfriend. She was twitchy as all get out. The second I started asking about that night, she was giving him looks. I made an observation about the dried mud on his shoes and that was that. He started squealing like a stuck pig. Took him down to lockup. He got bailed out this morning.”
“Did he say why he did it?” Lena asked.
“He said he heard the story about Clyde getting killed in a mugging gone wrong when he was younger and his family never bought it. They just felt like Maeve’s pockets were too deep and her influence in La Pierre was too great to overcome that they’d never get a fair trial. So they let it go. When he heard about her death, he got riled up about it, and that was that.”
“Sorry, I don’t buy it. There’s just no way he thought this up himself after all these years. Serina is behind it, I guarantee,” Sasha said again, refusing to budge.
“When I heard she was the one who bailed him out, I made that connection, as well. Brought him back in along with his new public defender and he staunchly denied his aunt had anything to do with it. Swore up and down it was all his idea and she’d only come into town to get him out of jail and help handle the situation.”
“You believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you,” Sasha said with a sniff.
Lena cast her memory back and tried to recall the girl’s relationship with her father. “Thing is, I don’t recall her having any great affection for Clyde. I think it’s possible that Maeve’s death stirred up some old rumors and maybe got young Tim riled up. He probably had a few too many and decided to be a nuisance. End of story.”
She didn’t believe that at all, but the sooner they put this whole ugliness to bed, the sooner they could focus on what was important. Getting Maeve’s affairs in order and making it through the next three months without killing one another. If Serina McFadden was after something, they’d know it soon enough. Lena would much rather have her come ask for it when the good Sheriff wasn’t here for a visit, so they could deal with it quietly.
“When I spoke to Tim, he agreed to pay for the damages, so that’s something.”
“So long as he knows he’s done wrong, that’s good enough for me,” Lena replied, shooting a quelling look to an already balking Sasha. To Lena’s surprise, her younger sister stopped short of an outright protest, but she did stand.
“Okay, well, since the mystery is apparently solved, I’m going to go back to cleaning out the back bedroom. Joe, always a pleasure,” she said, holding out a hand as if hoping he might kiss it. He gave it a firm shake instead, which had Lena biting back a chuckle.
“Good seeing you again, Sasha.”
She frowned and then headed out of the room as Kate stood, as well. “I’m in the middle of something myself,” Kate chimed in. Lena’s cheeks heated when Kate sent Maggie a telling look that had their youngest sister following suit.
“Yeah, me too. I mean, I’m not in the middle of something, but I should be. See ya, Joe.”
A moment later, Lena and Joe were alone. She debated pretending like that all hadn’t just happened, and then thought better of it when she caught the flash of Joe’s single dimple.
“Ugh, sorry about that,” she muttered miserably as she swiped at some imaginary dust on the surface of the massive, walnut desk. “Kate has this notion that the two of us are some sort of star-crossed lovers with a history and a shot at a second chance or something. She reads a lot of romance novels. I hope she didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m completely comfortable, actually,” Joe drawled as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. “I’m looking at you, though, and you seem a little flustered. Feeling all right?”
If he hadn’t been flirting with her the day they ran into him at Beignet Parfait, he was definitely flirting with her now. Usually, her reserve
d expression and no-nonsense style kept most men firmly at arm’s length. Then again, Joe Fletcher wasn’t most men. Even when he was a boy, he was special. Kind. Strong, both mentally and physically. Mature beyond his years.
And a dang good kisser.
“I feel just fine,” she answered finally.
“Good, I’m glad. I wouldn’t want things to be awkward between us. Especially seeing as how I’d like to take you out for a meal tonight…catch up some.”
Lena blinked, unsure of what to say. She was surprised to find she actually wanted to go. Surely, it was a bad idea, for a dozen different reasons, not the least of which was that he was the law and her mother had been the quintessential rebel. This house was brimming with proof of every shady dealing Maeve had been involved in over the past fifty-plus years, from old pink slips for cars she’d won in illegal craps games to ledgers from running moonshine. But that was all a long time ago. The Maeve of the past couple years had been tame enough. And, Lord, did she need a break from all the heaviness in the house. Every new secret they unearthed was like another shot to the heart. A meal with an old friend was just what the doctor ordered.
“Sure, I’d like that. What time?”
“I’m off at six, so how’s seven thirty?”
They exchanged cell phone numbers and made plans to meet at a restaurant one town over. A couple minutes later, she walked him out and closed the door behind him, before she could change her mind. It was fine. They’d have some laughs and call it good. No big deal.
Besides, what had their mother always told them?
Keep your friends close, and local law enforcement closer.
She just had to make sure she didn’t get too close, which would be no problem.
No problem at all…
Sasha
Sasha swiped a hand over her sweaty forehead and rolled back on her haunches. She’d started out just planning to clean the master bathroom but she’d had a lot of rage-y energy to work off and wound up making an executive decision to strip down the God-awful floral wallpaper. The Sheriff’s visit had been doubly confounding, and between the news about Serina McFadden being back in town, and his upcoming date with Lena, she’d been fit to be tied. Not that she even wanted him, per se. But she wasn’t used to men not wanting her and, for whatever reason, Sheriff Joe seemed entirely indifferent. The endless scraping and tearing was exhausting work, and had taken the edge off her anger, it had also wound up being a very worthwhile endeavor.
As she admired her handiwork, she had to admit, it was already looking a lot better. The massive, claw-foot tub was a showstopper and if she painted the walls china blue and picked up espresso-colored accent pieces, it would look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens.
Every day, this place felt more like a part of her. Granted, she’d spent a lot of time here at Blanchard Manor. Both when Maeve had first purchased it when Sasha was young, and for the past two years as her mother struggled with cancer. All that time, it had felt like Mama’s house, full of Maeve’s flashy style and influence. But now, as they peeled back the layers to the bones underneath, she was already feeling more at home here than she ever had at her own little house in Rawlings, one town over. Between that and memories they’d made here and the sense of history, she never wanted to leave.
How could she let it just get sold off to the highest bidder? Seemed like a crime. The problem was that her sisters all had an equal claim on the house and she didn’t have nearly enough money to buy them out.
So what to do?
Kate had scheduled a walk-through with a realtor early next week so he could come appraise the house and suggest what other improvements needed doing before they put it on the market. If Sasha was going to make a move, it had to be soon.
“But first, I’m going to get me a glass of lemonade,” she murmured to herself as she rolled to her feet. She washed her hands and then jogged down the stairs, ignoring the ache in her lower back. Like Mama had always said, hard work was good for the body and the soul.
Sasha slowed in front of the window overlooking the massive barn in the backyard, shaking her head sadly. It was really no wonder that families got torn to pieces so often with the death of a loved one. Sasha promised herself that she wouldn’t let herself be the cause of that happening to theirs. If they didn’t agree to try and figure a way to keep the house in the family, so be it. She would sell without fighting too hard, even if the thought of doing it made her sick. She didn’t have much of a choice.
But she sure as shooting was going to ask. She just had to work up the courage.
She stared at the barn in the distance, already imagining what it could be. Surely, the distillation equipment would need to be updated. It had been years since Maeve had made any moonshine, even for herself. But Sasha knew deep in her bones that nothing would’ve made their mother happier than seeing her home be used to combine two of her favorite things; liquor and family.
Now if they could just get a poker game running, they’d be cooking with gas.
“What’s up, Sash, just tired from cleaning all day or is something wrong?” Kate said from behind her. Despite Maggie being MIA for most of the morning and Lena working much of the day in the office, the sisters had made it a fairly productive afternoon. The place was really shaping up.
She headed into the kitchen and poured two ice-cold glasses of lemonade before bringing one into the living room for her sister. Kate accepted the glass with a smile.
“You done here for the day?” Sasha asked, gesturing to the bookshelves Kate had been cleaning.
“My brain says I can go awhile longer, but my shoulders are telling me otherwise. Why?”
“Come with me, I want to show you something,” Sasha said, beckoning to Kate and walking out the back door. She took a long pull of the sweet-tart drink to buy time so she could psyche herself up. Then, she bit the bullet as she and Kate stepped into the balmy evening air. “I haven’t told the others yet, because I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I quit my job. That’s part of why I was so anxious when Lena walked out of Alistair’s office. If we didn’t inherit the house, there was no plan b for me.”
“Why’d you quit?” Kate gasped, her steps slowing as they approached the barn.
“I hated working at that place anyways, so no big loss. The owner was a jerk and the clientele were a bunch of cheap skates. I have to be honest, I’m happy I did it,” Sasha said, feeling her ears flush as she said the words.
“Sasha…” Kate said, trailing off briefly before continuing with a shrug. “You know what? I’m not going to lecture you. It was impulsive, but you’re grown. And, honestly? I’ve always respected that about you. I’ve never been able to take that kind of a leap of faith, even if things aren’t going well. But sometimes you just have to restart and hope the universe will guide you onto the right path. What are you planning to do once we’re done here?”
“I didn’t have a plan…at first. I just figured I’d work it out one way or the other. Worst case, I could live off the sale of my share of Mama’s jewelry and such while we waited for the house to sell. But that was before we knew the content guidelines of Mama’s will.” She wet her lips and tucked a loose strand of hair behind one ear, forcing the words out in a rush. “I almost asked for my job back, but I stopped myself and I wasn’t sure why. Yesterday it hit me, though. I was never meant to live outside La Pierre. Rawlings was fine, but this is where I’m happiest. So I had this idea…” Sasha said, gesturing to the barn twenty yards away. “Imagine what Mama would think if we kept the house and turned the estate into an actual bona fide distillery. Not a few moonshining stills and some mason jars, but barrels, moonshine, rye, the whole nine. She’d have loved that,” she said breathlessly, eyes glued to her older sister’s face, trying to gauge her kneejerk reaction.
“No doubt that Maeve would love it, but are you saying you don’t think we should sell the house?” Kate said, looking around thoughtfully.
“I want it,” Sasha said, feel
ing more comfortable because it was Kate. Reliable, gentle, non-judgmental Kate.
Kate paused for a long moment before saying, “We’d need to ask the other girls before we can make a decision like that. I, personally, don’t mind it, though I’d like to get a piece of the distillery business if I’m to give up my share of the home.”
“Of course,” Sasha said, surprised that even Kate had taken it so easily. She really was asking a lot from her older sister. “You’d all get a piece of it and you could keep your quarter in case we ever decide to sell the house.”
“Where would everything go? Would you sell the liquor directly out of the front of the house or would we find a distributor?”
“I was thinking that I could convert the garage into a little storefront for locals to buy, for starters. I think the barn is big enough for all the equipment we’d need and I have a little experience with the equipment from helping Mama when she was making it just for family and friends a few years back. I was thinking it’d be cool to make some of that peach moonshine like she used to bootleg back in the day, but this time with the proper permits and all, since liquor’s legal in La Pierre now.”
Kate studied her face. “You’ve really thought this all out, huh?”
“I have.”
“I can’t speak for the others, but I’m definitely willing to talk about some way to make this work for you. A distillery, huh?” Kate nodded slowly. “All right, let’s try to think of a name for it, then.”
Sasha sat for a moment, contemplating what to call it, then said, “Maybe we could call it, ‘Maeve’s Distillery’ after Mama.”
“I think we can get a bit more creative than that,” Kate laughed. “Something like ‘Miss Maeve’s Marvelous Distillery’.”
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