“You and your friends certainly have had an eventful week,” a loving voice told Danielle.
Danielle opened her eyes and found herself sitting on the rocking chair in the nursery. Her mother sat nearby, on the toy box positioned between the rocking chair and crib.
“Mom?” Danielle jumped up from her chair and gave her mother a hug. Her mother, still sitting on the toy box, laughed happily and embraced Danielle. When the hug ended, Danielle sat back down on the rocking chair.
Danielle grinned. “This is a dream hop, isn’t it?”
Her mother reached over and patted Danielle’s right hand, which rested on the arm of the rocking chair. “You know the answer to that.”
“I’m so glad to see you. Is there any special reason for your visit?”
“I know you’ve been worried about labor. The first time can be frightening, especially in your situation, with twins. But I want to assure you, everything is going to be fine. And don’t worry, you won’t need a C-section. These babies are going to come quickly. You won’t be in labor long.”
Danielle smiled. “Really?”
“Oh yes. Those two are quite eager to begin their new adventure with you and their father.”
“You’ve met them?”
Danielle’s mother laughed. “Of course I have. And I will warn you, they are going to be a handful.”
“So that’s why you’re here, to tell me not to worry?”
“That, and to suggest you might want to finish getting this room ready. You’re going to need it sooner than you think.”
Danielle opened her eyes, sat up in bed, looked around, and saw that she was alone in the bedroom. Even Max, whom she normally found sleeping on the foot of the mattress each morning, was not there. She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was a few minutes past nine a.m. She had slept in. Then she remembered Hunny, who had been shot the previous day and slept downstairs. Danielle threw back the covers and climbed out of bed.
* * *
When Danielle made it downstairs fifteen minutes later, dressed for the day in stretch pants and a long T-shirt, the door to the downstairs bedroom was open. She peeked inside and found Hunny on the center of the bed, with Sadie curled up on her right side, and Bella curled up on her left side, and Max at the foot of the bed. They all seemed to be sleeping.
Turning from the room, she walked to the kitchen, where she discovered a bustle of activity. Walt stood at the stove, cooking bacon; Chris poured batter into the waffle maker; Heather washed dishes while Ian dried; Connor sat in the highchair, eating loose Cheerios from the highchair tray; and Lily sat at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper.
Danielle walked all the way into the kitchen. “Good morning.”
Walt looked at his wife. “Morning, sleepyhead.” The others glanced at Danielle, each offering a greeting.
Danielle walked to the refrigerator, opened its door, and pulled out the pitcher of juice. She shut the refrigerator door and headed to the counter. But before she reached it, Ian snatched the pitcher from her hands, poured her a glass of juice in a glass he had just dried, and then handed the full glass to her as she said, “Thank you.” She walked toward the table with the glass of juice and said, “I see they’re having a slumber party in the downstairs bedroom.”
Folding the newspaper, Lily looked over at Danielle. “When we got up this morning, there was a message from Marie on the board in Connor’s room, letting us know Sadie was anxious to see Hunny this morning.” Lily set the folded newspaper on the table.
Danielle sat down next to Lily and looked over at Chris. “How did she do last night?”
“Slept through the night. I think it was the pain meds. Walt came in and took her out about six.”
“Sadie wasn’t the only one eager to see Hunny,” Heather said from the sink. “From the time she got up this morning, Bella started meowing and pawing at the kitchen door. She doesn’t normally do that, so I figured it must be about Hunny.”
“Any news about Bowman?” Danielle asked.
Heather shook her head. “No. I haven’t talked to Brian this morning.”
“Well, I got some news this morning.” Danielle sipped her juice.
Heather glanced from the sink to Danielle. “Did you talk to the chief?”
“No. It wasn’t about Bowman. It was about the twins. Mom claims they’re coming early,” Danielle announced. “Walt, she said we might want to finish the nursery.”
Danielle’s announcement incited a flurry of questions, with Lily wondering how early since Danielle’s baby shower was on Saturday. After breakfast, Walt and Danielle went shopping to purchase what they needed to complete the nursery. They left their friends at Marlow House.
Lily had asked to hang out in Marlow House’s living room with Connor, since the construction crew would arrive at her house within the hour. Ian headed back across the street, leaving Sadie with Hunny, while Chris used the parlor desk for his makeshift office so he could monitor Hunny, with Heather as his assistant.
* * *
After Walt and Danielle finished their shopping, they stopped at Pier Café for lunch. When they stepped in the restaurant, it reminded them it was spring break, considering all the full tables. Not wanting to wait for a table, they turned around and were about to leave when someone called their names. Turning back around, Walt spied Joe and Kelly sitting in a booth by a window. Joe waved them over, asking them to join them.
“We just got here ourselves,” Kelly explained when Walt and Danielle sat down. “We haven’t even ordered yet.” Kelly handed them each a menu.
“Thanks.” Danielle flashed Kelly a smile. “I can’t believe how busy it is.”
“It is spring break.” Kelly shrugged and opened her menu.
“How are you feeling?” Joe asked Danielle.
“Fat?” Danielle grinned.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “You are not fat. Yes, you’re wearing what looks like a basketball in front, but the rest of you looks trim.”
“Thanks.” Danielle closed her menu and set it on the table.
“Any news on Bowman?” Walt asked Joe.
“Oh yes,” Kelly said, looking over at Joe to explain.
Joe flashed a brief reprimanding glance to Kelly and then looked back at Walt. “Let’s not mention this to Carla when she comes to take our order. But, considering what the chief confides to your wife, I don’t think he’ll mind if I tell you.”
“What?” Danielle asked.
“That notebook Clay gave Heather to write her suicide letter on?” Kelly answered before Joe had a chance. “They’re pretty sure it came from Clay’s house.”
“I thought I was supposed to tell this?” Joe asked.
Kelly shrugged. “Sorry.”
“The chief got a search warrant last night for Lyons’s guest house,” Joe explained. “The notebook Heather said Bowman gave her to write the suicide note on. It apparently came from a package of notebooks found in a trunk where Debbie Bowman kept her homeschool supplies. Same brand, same covers. They don’t sell them in Oregon. She brought them with her.”
“Why would Clay use a notebook they could trace?” Danielle asked.
“I assume he intended to take the notebook, leave the paper. The paper looks like regular lined notebook paper. It’s the cover that’s unique. But Hunny stopped his plans.”
“How is Hunny?” Kelly asked.
Danielle looked at Kelly. “She’s doing good.”
Kelly smiled. “Hunny saved Heather’s life. That’s amazing.”
“So what does this mean now? Does the notebook prove Heather’s version over Bowman’s?” Walt asked.
“Considering the amount of glowing character references that have been flooding our email since late yesterday afternoon for Heather, compared to the not-so-flattering feedback the chief got from Bowman’s last employer when he called them this morning, I’d say the notebook is the icing on his indictment,” Joe said.
“Character references from who? And how did they know to send them?” Danielle asked.
Joe took a sip of his water before explaining, “Apparently, the people who work at the vet office where Hunny was taken are fans of the Glandon Foundation—Heather in particular—because of all she’s done for animals in our community and beyond. They apparently got on the phone, started calling fellow animal lovers. And the fact Bowman shot Hunny really made those people angry. Many of them know Hunny. I guess she’s become something of a mascot for the Glandon Foundation. Bowman’s just lucky they were only asked to write emails. I imagine they might have been willing to take up pitchforks if asked.” Joe chuckled.