“Not anymore,” Amanda announced.
Sarah drew in a deep, brave breath. “Brad, whatever you have to say to me will be said in front of Amanda. If you can't agree to that, then get back in your vehicle and leave.”
“Sarah,” Brad asked in a voice that came out more like a growl than a request, “be reasonable. We're adults.”
Sarah sensed something in her ex-husband—a change of some sort that she couldn't place her finger on. The man didn't appear to be prepared to romance her. Instead, he seemed uptight, angry, irritated and...and what, Sarah asked herself, staring into Brad's eyes that watered a little as he faced the fierce wind. The word scared screamed into her mind. Yes, she thought, her ex-husband seemed scared. But of what?
“Brad, I know what you told me on the phone, but I have concluded that it's best if whatever is said is spoken in front of a witness.” Sarah waited until a powerful gust of wind passed. “Amanda is my best friend. She has saved my life more than once. I trust her more than I trust anyone. You need to understand this from the start, it’s non-negotiable.”
Brad shifted his eyes to Amanda. Amanda stood her ground. He pulled the collar of his coat tighter around his neck and leaned closer to Sarah. “Sarah, I left Los Angeles with the hopes that you and I could talk about possibly reconciling our broken marriage. That will be impossible if your friend is constantly present.”
“Then leave,” Sarah informed Brad in a stern voice, even though her heart was breaking. Seeing her ex-husband standing before her again made her want to cry. Endless memories flooded into her mind...some good...some very painful.
“Better hurry,” Amanda added. “Mr. Richmond just plowed the main street. He won't be back through for a few hours. The snow will be very high by then.”
Brad shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Can we go inside and have a cup of coffee?” he asked in an irritated voice. “I am very tired, Sarah. I took the first flight out of Los Angeles to Anchorage after I called you. I've been driving for many hours to reach your town. I'm very tired.”
Sarah bit down on her lower lip and glanced at Amanda. “I suppose one cup of coffee wouldn't hurt,” she agreed and pointed toward her coffee shop. “This way,” she said.
Brad nodded his head and followed Sarah and Amanda into the newly-renovated coffee shop that now resembled a cozy 1940's diner. Sarah waited until Brad walked inside and then quickly closed the front door and locked it. She and Amanda had prepared for this eventuality, but now that he was in the coffee shop, she found herself nervous and unable to meet his eyes. She was grateful for Amanda’s reassuring presence, glaring at Brad.
Brad glanced around the room. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn he stepped back through time. Of course, he wouldn't dare toss a compliment into the air. “Is there coffee?” he asked, hearing 1940's jazz music floating down from overhead speakers.
“Sit down,” Sarah said and removed her coat, revealing her pink dress. Brad spotted the pink dress and quickly looked away. He had to admit that his ex-wife appeared very beautiful, healthy and stable. Alaska life agreed with her.
“Coffee will be ready in a minute,” Amanda said, removing her coat and hanging it on a wooden coat stand beside the front door. She then took Sarah's coat and hung it up. “Join me in the kitchen?”
Sarah nodded her head and walked Amanda into the kitchen, leaving Brad alone. “I don't know, June Bug,” she said in a worried voice.
“I know what you mean,” Amanda said in a confused tone. “You gave me the impression that bloke was going to arrive with roses and champagne.”
“That's the impression Brad gave me over the telephone,” Sarah confessed and hurried to make three cups of coffee. Amanda leaned against the kitchen sink. The front room had been renovated but the kitchen and small office were still the same. “I see fear in his eyes,” Sarah said, pouring coffee into the three brown mugs.
Amanda listened to the winds howling outside. Yes, she thought, it was going to be a very long winter indeed. “That rat isn't here to romance you, love. That's clear to see.”
“I know,” Sarah replied, unable to hide her disappointment. “The question is…why is he here at all?”
Amanda spotted a red serving tray and slowly carried it to Sarah. “Love, let's go find out why that man is here and then send him on his way,” she said.
Sarah carefully placed the three mugs of coffee down onto the tray and nodded her head. “The sooner the better,” she agreed and together they walked back into the front of the shop. She found Brad sitting at a back table, near an antique chessboard resting on an old coffee table. The chessboard was meant for decorative purposes only, though a few customers had moved pieces forward to start what looked to be a very brilliant game. Brad didn't seem interested in the chess board, even though Sarah knew the man had always enjoyed the game. He was simply staring at the table in front of his eyes, pensive. “Coffee?” she said, interrupting his reverie.
Brad removed his black gloves and placed them into the right pocket of his gray overcoat. He watched Sarah set the serving tray down on the table. When Sarah sat down with her friend and didn't hand him his coffee he decided to take a mug for himself. “You seem to be doing very well for yourself,” he said, without allowing his tone to hint at being complimentary.
“I'm doing well,” Sarah said and picked up a mug of coffee, handed it to Amanda and then retrieved the last mug for herself.
“I see that your books are still selling,” Brad said and took a sip of coffee and then winced. “You still make a very strong pot of coffee.”
“My books have attracted a positive fan group, yes,” Sarah admitted, ignoring the remark about her coffee.
Brad nodded his head and glanced around the front room. “I never would have marked you for a woman who would end up running a coffee shop in a small Alaskan town,” he said. “You're a city woman, Sarah. The city is in your blood.”
Sarah took a sip of her coffee sedately. “People change, Brad. My life in Snow Falls is one that I'm very proud of. I have left Los Angeles behind and made a new life for myself. I have new friends.”
Amanda studied Brad over her the rim of her coffee mug. The man appeared to hide a hint of menace instead of charm. “One friend in particular,” Amanda smiled. “Detective Conrad Spencer and Sarah have become good friends. Very, very good friends.” She looked at Brad meaningfully. “Detective Spencer should be returning from New York very soon. Maybe you will be here to meet him?”
Brad looked at Sarah. “Detective Spencer?” he asked, shocked that his ex-wife might be involved in a romance. After her anguish over their divorce, he would have expected her to be the type to yearn after him with a broken heart for the rest of her life.
“Conrad is a good man,” Sarah told Brad, dropping the Detective title and speaking of Conrad on a personal level. “He and I have been through quite a bit together.” Sarah thought of Conrad. Conrad had never once let her down and had even saved her life. “Conrad is in New York helping a widow and her son relocate at the moment.”
“I see,” Brad said and unclenched his jaw long enough to take another sip of his coffee. “When is he due to return?”
“Very soon,” Amanda beamed. She turned in her seat and looked at Sarah. “Love, I sorta called Conrad yesterday and mentioned your…visitor…to him.”
Brad’s face darkened at this.
Instead of becoming upset with Amanda’s action, Sarah simply nodded her head. “When is Conrad due to arrive?”
“By tonight,” Amanda smiled, seeing relief replace the worry in Sarah's eyes. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Sarah and said, “He wanted to be present for this, too.”
“That's good news,” Sarah said in a conversational tone, smiling and focusing back on Brad. “Brad, you will like Conrad. He's a brilliant detective.”
Brad's face glowed with displeasure. “Sarah, I was really hoping to have some time alone. But it seems your little town is becoming positively crowded w
ith your…friends. Perhaps I was wrong to think you were ready to hear what I have to say. I really don't see any point in staying,” he said smoothly, attempting to back Sarah into a corner. In the past, he had always managed to get his way, twisting Sarah's arm with these subtle nuances.
“Have a safe trip,” Sarah replied and nodded toward the front door. “The roads are icy. Drive carefully.”
Amanda watched Brad's face grow red. “I would get a head start,” she added.
Brad hesitated. It was clear that Sarah had changed. He would have to play her very carefully and be very clever. His life depended on being able to control and manipulate Sarah. “There is no chance we can speak alone?” he asked.
“No, Brad,” Sarah answered. She put down her mug of coffee and folded her arms. “Why are you here?” she asked.
“I told you over the phone that I was hoping we could—”
“No, Brad,” Sarah interrupted, “I don't believe that. Perhaps I did yesterday, but now that we're face to face, I see a man who has no desire to reconcile a broken marriage.”
“Oh stop it,” Brad scoffed. “You were never able to play detective with me, Sarah. You may have been able to make others believe you were a woman of skill and confidence, but I always knew the real Sarah, didn't I?”
“Yes, Brad, you did,” Sarah answered quietly, without becoming upset. “You knew the woman behind the badge. You knew my fears and my weaknesses and always used them against me. And that made you a coward.”
“A coward?” Brad asked in an angry voice. “How dare you!”
“Watch it, pal,” Amanda warned Brad. “My girl is carrying and so am I. One wrong move and you'll be counting bullet holes.”
Sarah fought back a grin. “Uh, June Bug, let's keep it peaceful.”
Amanda folded her arms. “Sure,” she said through gritted teeth.
Brad glared at Sarah. “I travel all this way to receive death threats? Very nice, Sarah. I'm really impressed with your peaceful country life,” he snapped. “I should have known better than to think you would actually receive me in a mature manner. Is it any wonder I divorced you?”
“Your demeaning insults may have worked in the past, Brad. But not anymore. I was a very successful detective in Los Angeles. I can go back to my old job any time I desire, too,” Sarah pointed out. “Pete is very anxious to have me return to my old job. He’s got my old desk still waiting. Instead, I'm choosing to remain in Alaska. You see, Brad, I'm enjoying my new life and I'm very grateful for it. It’s peaceful, too, as long as snakes don’t come crawling into town. I have a successful writing career and a wonderful little coffee shop. And as you can see for yourself, I have some very wonderful friends that I love and cherish very much.” Brad began to speak but Sarah held up her right hand. “The divorce did hurt, I will not deny that it didn't. And I will not deny that I still have questions about what happened. But a person heals and moves on, Brad. I have healed and moved on. A healed bone only grows stronger. I'm not the same woman you once knew. So be careful how you speak to me.”
“How I speak to you? Well my intentions were to speak to you alone and discuss the possibility of repairing our broken marriage,” Brad spat in annoyance. “You were never an easy woman to speak with, Sarah. You always forced me to compete with your job, the media attention, and other distracting roadblocks. You always pushed me out and never let me in—”
“The blame game no longer works, Brad,” Sarah said and pointed at the front door again. “Have a safe trip back to Los Angeles.”
Brad stared at Sarah. As he did, someone knocked on the front door. He jerked around in his seat and watched Amanda stride to the front door and unlock it. “Wait,” he called out.
Amanda didn't answer. She pulled the front door open. A snow-dusted figure appeared and stepped through the front door. “Conrad,” Amanda exclaimed and hugged him.
“Hey,” Conrad said and hugged Amanda back. He spotted Sarah as she stood up and he waved a tired hand at her. “I smell coffee.”
“I'll go make you a cup,” Sarah smiled. “Hungry?”
“I could use a hot cinnamon roll,” Conrad smiled back and began shaking snow off his black leather coat. He looked at Brad and then back at Sarah. “We can grab a bite to eat at the diner in a few minutes, if you ladies want?”
“Sounds great,” Amanda told Conrad and walked him over to the table Brad was sitting at. “Conrad, this is Brad, Sarah's ex-husband.”
Brad looked up at Conrad and immediately sensed that the man wasn't the type of person he wanted to tangle with. “You must be Detective Conrad Spencer.”
Conrad nodded his head and grabbed a chair. “And you must be the jerk who didn't have enough sense to stay married to an angel,” he said and looked over at Sarah. Sarah blushed and walked off into the kitchen. Amanda quickly followed her, hiding a smile.
Out in the snow, a dark shadow slithered out of Brad's SUV and vanished into the whirling snow.
Chapter Two
Brad sat down at a table located at the back of the diner near an old jukebox. Even though he was hungry and the air smelled of delicious coffee, wonderful food, and mouth-watering desserts, he wore a mask of boredom and impatience. The truth was, he didn't have much of an appetite. Betraying your ex-wife was a tough and emotional job. But what choice did he have? If he wanted to live, Sarah had to die. “Sarah, I would really like to speak alone,” he said, taking off his gray overcoat.
“I've already made it clear that we will not speak alone,” Sarah informed Brad, taking off her white coat and sitting down. She was worried that Brad had not taken the hint that he was not welcome to join them at the diner, though she liked how Conrad’s calm demeanor seemed to irritate Brad more and more by the minute.
Brad tossed his overcoat over his lap and stared at Sarah angrily. But when Conrad walked up to the table he looked away. “Snow is getting worse,” Conrad said shaking snow off his leather jacket. “The wind feels like razor blades, too.”
“A person from New York should be used to the snow,” Brad huffed.
“I can handle New York snow,” Conrad said, unruffled. “Alaska snow is a lot different.” Conrad deliberately sat down next to Sarah. He looked toward the front counter and spotted Amanda talking on the phone. “Poor girl,” he said, “I know she was expecting her husband home this week.”
“I know,” Sarah sighed. “Amanda enjoys staying at my cabin but I think she's ready to sleep in her own house again.”
“You friend's husband is...out of town?” Brad asked in a cold voice.
Sarah nodded her head. “Amanda's husband had to stay in London after his father took a turn for the worse,” she explained, more for Conrad’s benefit.
“From the look on Amanda's face it doesn't seem like he's going to be home anytime soon,” Conrad pointed out. “I just hope he takes it easy on his leg.”
“Me, too,” Sarah agreed, gazing at Amanda's face. Amanda's face was very upset. “Poor dear.”
Brad removed his gloves and began rubbing his hands together. “I assume there is a hotel in this town?” he asked. “I thought to ask you to offer me a room at your cabin, but I assume I can dismiss that notion out of hand.”
“Indeed you can,” Sarah told Brad and took off her own gloves and forced patience to restrain her tongue. It was clear that Brad was scared. Something was wrong and Sarah was determined to find out what. However, because she knew her ex-husband extremely well, she understood the man wasn't about to simply spill the beans. Sarah had to be smart and clever if she was going to extract the answers she needed from his ironclad mouth, but she was not going to give in to his demands for a private conversation if she could help it. “I will give you directions to the local hotel after we eat.”
Conrad studied Brad's face. The man's face was twisted with impatience and lines of a frown gathered around his mouth. “Why are you here?” he asked Brad.
“I came to speak to my ex-wife,” Brad told Conrad in a calm but arrogant voice.
“What about?” Conrad pressed.
“That is personal, Detective Spencer.” The two men seemed to exchange a war of glares, neither blinking for a long moment.
Conrad finally looked uneasily at Sarah. “Sarah,” he said, “for the time being I think I'm going to claim your couch as my new bed, if that's okay.”
Sarah felt relief touch her worried nerves. The idea of Conrad becoming a temporary resident at her cabin made her feel safe. “My couch is yours. But I have to warn you that Amanda snores.”
“So do I,” Conrad tried to joke but failed. He watched Amanda end her call and slowly walk back to the table, about ready to burst into tears. “Bad?” he asked.
“My hubby is going to be delayed for another two weeks,” Amanda sighed and wiped at a few tears that began to fall. She sat down in the fourth chair and shook her head. “Los Angeles, love, you're stuck with me for two more weeks. I can’t bear being in my empty house.”
Sarah reached out and hugged Amanda's shoulder. “I love being stuck with you, June Bug.”
Brad didn't like the fact that the woman he had divorced had these people crowding her life with these inconvenient demands. He didn't like that the woman he divorced had people she cared for and whom she cared about, in turn. It had only been a few short years since their divorce. He expected to find Sarah isolated in Alaska, mending perhaps, but depressed—an easy target to manipulate. Instead, he encountered an entirely happy woman who appeared to be very strong. He looked into Sarah’s eyes for a long moment. “You've changed,” he admitted.
“What did you expect, Brad?” Sarah asked. “You divorced me. I won't lie and claim that the divorce didn't hurt, because it did. I won't lie and claim that it didn't take me time to heal, because it did. I won't lie and claim that I don't miss Los Angeles, because I do. However,” Sarah continued in a clear, firm voice, “the life I have in Snow Falls is one that I am very grateful for and one I intend to keep. I have no intention of ever returning to my old life. Alaska is my home now and the people you see sitting at this table are my family.”
Snowy Misery (Alaska Cozy Mystery Book 7) Page 2