“Pretty night.” A voice called out from the darkness. I placed my hand over my eyebrows and squinted to get a better look but I couldn’t see anything. Had I imagined that voice? Or was it…
Wayne emerged from the darkness wearing civilian clothes. Dark blue jeans and a navy blue sweater with a collared shirt poking up from underneath. His hair was combed and his face was freshly shaved. I stepped toward him.
“Wayne. I thought that was you. But I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined you.”
Wayne approached and stood close. I could smell his aftershave and the hint of fabric softener on his clothes. “You didn’t imagine me. I may be the man of your dreams, but you’re wide awake and I’m real as can be.”
I chuckled. “You’re so corny.”
“Sometimes I can’t help it.”
“Why do you look so nice, anyway?” I said.
“Suddenly I need a reason to shower and put on clean clothes?” Wayne teased.
“No, that’s not… You just seem especially fresh.”
“Well, the truth is…I was hoping we could go on a little date. I know, I didn’t call first or anything. But I felt like being spontaneous. If you’re busy, I understand. We can wait for our movie matinee on Friday. I’m not trying to be rude. I just—”
“It’s not rude. It’s…nice. I like spontaneous. Usually. Unless it’s a spontaneous murder.”
“I get that,” Wayne said.
“So where we going?” I said.
Wayne reached out and took my hand. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Imperial Wok was the best Chinese restaurant in the county. The building mimicked a traditional pagoda with curved, projecting rooftops. Out front, there was a small water feature that gurgled over into a charming koi pond. And the pond was packed with lily pads and bright, beautiful fish.
The restaurant served traditional Chinese food, yet the fare was more refined than most takeout places. Wayne and I got a romantic table by the window, overlooking the garden. I ordered vegetarian dumplings as an appetizer, which I planned to split with Wayne. For dinner, I got vegetable chow fun.
I also ordered chicken with broccoli to bring home to Miss May, at her request. I got a pint of egg drop soup for her, too, just because I knew she liked it.
Wayne ordered some kind of spicy chicken dish. Then, when the waiter had left our table, Wayne turned to me. “You’re a good niece, getting Miss May food like that.”
I shrugged. “Anyone would do the same.”
“Well I think it’s cute how you and Miss May and Teeny are so close. That’s all I’m saying. You’re lucky to have them, and they’re lucky to have you. I don’t have anyone who wants to bring food home for me from the restaurant.”
“You have me,” I said.
I said it without thinking, and I felt my cheeks redden. I had known Wayne for quite a while but we had still shared relatively few romantic moments. So that night at the Chinese restaurant felt special, like it was still an early chapter in our fairytale. Not that I thought we were definitely going to live happily ever after, or anything like that. It just felt…a little magic.
“I’m glad you were able to come out with me,” said Wayne. “I’ve been feeling bad about how our last date went down.”
“You mean you didn’t plan on a dead body being part of our cute ice cream date?”
“I did not. And although I may not have much game in the romantic department, I am aware that dead bodies are not considered hot these days. I wanted that date to be…memorable. But not memorable in that way, you know?”
“Of course,” I said. “It was a little fun though. When we were investigating the crime scene together it almost felt like we were both amateur sleuths working on the same case.”
“Hey. I’m no amateur.”
“You know what I mean.”
Wayne laughed. “I know. To be honest, I had the same thought. I felt like I was Miss May and you were well, I guess, you. I think it’s great that you can all work together and still hang out all the time.”
“Thanks.”
One of my favorite things about hanging out with Wayne was that I never felt like the silences between us were awkward. Neither of us felt pressure to make chitchat every second when we were together. Instead, we could sit with the silences and I think we both valued the comfort we felt in those moments.
“Nice how it doesn’t feel awkward to be quiet,” I said, then immediately regretted. “Well, at least until I just made it awkward by saying it.”
Wayne laughed. “No. I get what you mean.”
Thankfully, I was bailed out by the arrival of our food.
I smiled. “Chow fun is my favorite.”
“Is that what those big noodles are? I’ve always wondered. It looks good.”
I leaned forward, incredulous. “You’ve never had chow fun? You have to be kidding me.” I held my dish out for Wayne to get a closer look. “There are delicious, crisp snow peas and there’s this flavorful garlic broccoli and there are carrots and it’s all so hot and oily and delicious. The noodles have an incredible consistency, perfectly chewy. The whole dish is so flavorful. You have to try it.”
Wayne grabbed a bite with his chopsticks and popped it in his mouth. “Wow. That is good. Real good. I should get that next time.”
I placed the dish down in front of me. “You’re just saying that.”
“No way. This is awesome. Thanks for showing me the ropes. Or, the noodles, I guess.”
“Maybe after this I can show you how to solve a murder,” I said.
Wayne shook his head with a small laugh. “You are always busting my chops. You know, maybe I would solve murders more quickly if you and Miss May weren’t always underfoot. It’s a little hard to follow proper police procedure when there are amateur sleuths running all over town doing whatever they want. Did you ever think of that ?”
“Honestly? No.”
Wayne and I shared a big laugh. It felt good to clear the air about my detective work with Miss May. I was glad he had a sense of humor about it.
After dinner, Wayne and I strolled through the moonlit garden outside the restaurant. Koi moved like glimmers of orange light through the shallow pond. We followed a little stone walkway that led from one feature to the next. We stopped under an old oak tree, and I pressed my hand into its rugged, bumpy bark. I looked up through the branches, and again saw those little green sprouts that promised spring. I tried to climb up onto a low hanging branch but I slid off the trunk and landed on my butt, laughing. Wayne gave me a hand up and when I got to my feet I found that my chest was pressing against his torso. Our faces were just inches apart.
I could feel what was about to happen. Wayne was going to kiss me. And I was going to kiss him back. In the split second before he leaned down, a flood of unbidden thoughts entered my brain. I secretly hoped I didn’t have Chinese food breath. I tried to remember if I’d used chapstick earlier that day, or if my lips were going to be rough and scratchy. I thought about whose lip would go on top and who was going to leave the kiss first, and for an instant I got so nervous that I almost turned and ran.
But then Wayne leaned in and kissed me, and all my overthinking disappeared. Poof! Like magic.
As Wayne and I kissed, all sense of time and reality melted into the singular feeling of rightness. It wasn’t quite happiness, or joy, it was just a transcendence, a kind of understanding that we humans rarely glimpse. Sounds a little grandiose for a kiss, but…that was how it felt.
I thought maybe the moment would never end, then Wayne’s phone rang. He silenced and kept kissing me. It rang again and again and again. And again.
Wayne groaned and stopped kissing me. “I’m sorry. Something must be going on. I need to take this.”
“Official police duty. I understand.”
Wayne answered his phone and stepped away a few feet. He tried to speak quietly but I could make out most of what he said.
“Hey Chief. OK. OK. A breakthrough? I can be there
. Sure. Ten minutes, tops. OK. Don’t make any moves until I get there. Thanks for the heads up.”
Wayne turned back to me. “Sorry. I need to run.”
“Was there a breakthrough in the investigation of Todd’s murder?” I asked. Cuz, duh, he just said it.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Wayne smirked.
“Yeah, I would,” I said, playfully crossing my arms.
“Can’t say. Sorry. I’ll drop you off at the farm on my way back into town?”
I sighed. “When are you going to start sharing information with me freely?”
Wayne shrugged and threw me a sideways grin. “As soon as you join the force.”
34
Zach Tracks
We picked up Amy bright and early the next morning along the side of the road near Turkey Mountain. She climbed into my light blue pickup and I turned back and handed her a hot cup of coffee from the Brown Cow. Amy took a sip and smiled. “Black. Just how I like it. How did you know?”
“I have a feeling you don’t require many creature comforts,” I said.
“You’re right. I’d rather comfort creatures, if you know what I mean. Shampooing, hair brushing, that kind of thing.”
I chuckled. “I got it. Dog grooming humor is right up my alley.”
Teeny slid over and made room for Amy. “Get comfortable, girl. And break out those snacks you promised. I’ve been thinking about those treats all night. Snacks are one of my major passions.”
Miss May turned back and smiled at Amy. “She’s not kidding. The woman lives for snacks. And sprinkles are the fastest way to the center of her heart.”
“I’m not just about sprinkles,” said Teeny. “I’m more cultured than that. Don’t listen to them, Amy. Show me what you’ve got.”
Amy removed a waterproof pouch from her backpack and handed it to Teeny. “Go ahead. Look inside.”
Teeny opened the pouch, reached inside and pulled out a handful of…“Walnuts. Lots of…raw…walnuts.”
Amy smiled. “They’re delicious. I’ve been collecting them from the forest. You should all try one!”
“You don’t need to tell me twice, sweetheart. I love fresh walnuts.” Miss May grabbed a walnut from the pouch and popped one in her mouth. “These are amazing.”
Teeny nodded. “They’re really…good. So…earthy. Not what I was expecting, but good. They would be great candied. Think of it now…candied walnuts fresh from the forest. That’s a local treat. Miss May, you should make those in the orchard bakeshop. It’s a perfect orchard bakeshop item.”
“Not a bad idea.” Miss May ate another. “Or I’ll sell them raw like this.”
“These are great,” I said to Amy. “And I’ve heard nuts are good snacks for hiking because they pack in the calories but don’t take up much room in your bag.”
Amy grinned. “And you claimed you didn’t know anything about surviving in the wilderness.”
“That’s my one fact,” I said.
An hour later, we were deep into the forest at Harriman State Park. Harriman was much larger and topographically varied than the parks in Pine Grove. There were lakes and ponds and meadows, all packed into one park. And the walking was gorgeous. Harriman was impressive, but not as impressive as Amy. She followed Zach’s trail like some kind of expert bounty hunter.
As soon as we got to the edge of the forest she squatted down to look at footprints in the mud. “These are Zach’s hiking boot prints. I can tell because of the wear pattern. We need to go right.”
Later, she read the patterns in a beaten-down patch of bushes to follow Zach off the trail and down into a meadow. Once in the meadow she found a granola bar wrapper, picked it up and shook her head. “This is Zach’s favorite brand. He was here. I’m so frustrated. As soon as I’m not around the guy starts to litter? I thought I had taught him to be a responsible person. When we met he was such a slob. But I hadn’t seen him litter for years until right now.”
Teeny rolled her eyes. “It’s hard to change a man. Trust me, I’ve tried. So many times.”
Amy gathered herself and tucked the granola bar wrapper into her pocket. “It’s not a big deal. He’s his own person and you can’t expect to control anything other than your own words and actions. Right, ladies?”
We all mumbled in agreement, unfamiliar with such a relentless positive force in our investigations. I would have spent five minutes straight complaining about that single granola wrapper, but Amy moved on quickly and without bitterness.
Amy pointed into the distance. “His trail goes across the meadow and back into the forest. Follow me.”
“How can you see that from here?” Miss May asked. “I’m sorry. I’m not doubting you. But that is incredible. All I see is grass and mud and trees. You see an entire story laid out in front of you.”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem that impressive to me. Growing up, lots of members of my family had these skills. My grandma, she was more of the indoor cat variety. Spent most of her time playing cards and watching her shows. But everyone else… I don’t know. It came natural. Like it was in our blood somehow.”
I popped a walnut into my mouth. “Very cool. And useful skills on an investigation.” I turned to Teeny and Miss May. “Maybe we should become survivalists, too.”
Teeny shook her head. “I can’t live in the forest. Not enough sprinkles. Not enough Jenna and Mr. Flowers. And I’d get sick of these walnuts after a day or two. No offense.”
“I’m not offended,” Amy said. “It’s not like I’m a walnut tree.”
“Alright. Let’s keep going,” said Miss May. “Amy. Lead the way.”
Amy gave Miss May a big thumbs up. “Of course.”
Two or three miles later, Miss May brought up my most dreaded topic… “Chelsea. I’ve been so caught up in this manhunt I completely forgot to ask you about your date with Wayne.”
Amy smiled. “You went on a date? Fun. How was it?”
“Was it romantic?” said Teeny. “Did he hold your hand? Did you smooch? How was it?”
I groaned. “I was hoping this topic wouldn’t come up.”
“You don’t like talking about Wayne?” Amy joked.
“It’s fine. But Teeny and Miss May are relentless.”
“Answer my questions and this will be over before you know it,” said Teeny.
“Fine. Yes, he was kind of romantic. Yes, there was hand-to-hand contact. It was nice.”
“Enough with the mushy stuff,” said Miss May. “Did you use your feminine wiles to learn anything new about Todd’s death?”
My eyes widened. I had totally forgotten about Wayne’s call with Flanagan. “As a matter of fact, at the end of the night—”
Amy suddenly stopped walking and covered her mouth. “Oh my goodness.” She took two steps backwards and pointed down the hill in front of us.
“What’s wrong?” Teeny asked. “Is it Zach? Is he dead?”
Amy shook her head. “He’s with a woman.”
35
Ex-Zach-ting Revenge
Amy charged down the hill toward Zach and the woman. Miss May, Teeny and I scrambled to keep up. I nearly slipped on a patch of wet leaves. Miss May steadied me. Up ahead, Amy clenched her fists and I wished I was closer so I could steady her.
“What’s going on here?” Her voice trembled with anger and confusion. I could hear that she wanted Zach to have a good explanation. She was mad, sure. But I knew how she felt. Even when Mike had left me standing in front of a church full of people, I’d still wanted there to be a good reason. I had loved the guy, and when you love someone, you want to believe in them. It was hard for me to hate Mike, for awhile. Then it got easier. And easier. Maybe a little too easy. It took community and family and Pine Grove for me to find a happy medium where he just didn’t matter to me anymore.
Amy was definitely early in the whole love-hate process.
And Zach was much better looking than Mike. Amy’s boyfriend was over six feet tall and muscular. He had dark featur
es and prominent eyebrows and his hair was back in a ponytail. I didn’t usually like men and ponytails but he was rocking it. He was the kind of guy who did yoga but was actually good at it.
Zach’s female companion looked like the type of girl who did yoga and was actually good at it. She was slight and in shape, with wavy hair and gentle eyes. She furrowed her brow as Amy charged toward them, and I got the impression that the unsuspecting other woman might not have known Amy existed.
Amy stopped a few feet from Zach, digging her heels into the ground. “Don’t just stand there. Say something. Explain this.”
Amy locked eyes with Zach and didn’t look away. I admired her strength and determination in that moment. Maybe I even envied Amy’s boldness in the face of betrayal. My reaction to heartbreak had been a lot of crying into my Chinese food, but Amy seemed much more confrontational. In everyday life, Amy was perky and cute but at that moment, she didn’t back down. “Talk. Now.”
The woman with the gentle eyes stepped forward. “I’m sorry. This is all confusing me. Who are you? And how did you find us all the way out here?”
Zach rubbed his temples. “She grew up tracking animals. How could I forget she grew up tracking animals?”
“How could you take our RV and go live with some other girl in the forest? Why are you in the forest, anyway? Why did you need the RV for this?”
“I’m not some other girl. I’m his ex, Heaven. Well, former ex? I don’t know. I guess it’s been an on-again, off-again thing for awhile now. But we’ve been on-again lately. On and on and on…”
Amy threw back her head and laughed. “Zach. You are unbelievable. You are a no good, dirty dog. And you know I don’t put up with dirty dogs.” Amy looked over at the girl. “Listen, I’m mad. But I’m not mad at you. You didn’t know I existed, did you?”
No Cone Unturned (Apple Orchard Cozy Mystery Book 12) Page 16