I was sitting in the shade of a red maple tree in the backyard when someone’s footfalls roused me from my meditation. It was Jeanette. She smiled and offered me a bottle of water.
“Thanks.” I removed the cap. “Glad you got my text.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t know anything about that. After our chat, I had a feeling you were going to come back here.”
“Go figure.” I shook my head. On one hand, technology in the form of the dictation app had saved the day. On the other hand, apparently my texts had failed to go through. “Thank goodness for friends like you.”
“Don’t mention it. The chief and I listened to the recording while Gabe kept an eye on Mr. Michaels.” She stared at her notebook.
“And?” I was tired all the way down to the marrow of my bones. More worn out and used up than ever before. In both mind and body. Between the bike riding, hiding, and the confrontation, I ached from head to toe. There was no energy to say or do anything more.
“He’s in custody. Gabe’s taking him to the station for processing. The chief’s about ready to go inside to get the murder weapon. We’ll check the guitar case for gunshot residue, too. I’m going to need to hold on to your phone for a while.”
“I need it back tomorrow.”
“I’ll do what I can, but—”
“No buts. I caught your murderer. I think that’s the least you all can do.” It was a snippy thing to say, but I didn’t care. Not with what I’d just been through.
“Look, if this is about earlier, I’m sorry. I have rules I have to follow. It’s not that I didn’t believe you.”
“I know.” I patted the grass beside me. When she sat, I bumped my shoulder against hers. “I wanted so badly to get this case solved before the wedding. I’m getting married in a couple of days. Did you know that?”
“I may have heard a rumor.” We shared a laugh then enjoyed a quiet moment while I drank the water.
The cold liquid revived me a bit. I let the plastic bottle fall to the ground when it was empty. “This is what I do to people who try to mess with my hometown.”
“The Kickboxing Crusader strikes again.” She let out a long breath. “Are you okay? You know, with everything that came out on the recording. That’s a lot to take in.”
It was a good question. A fair one, too. One I didn’t have an answer to at the moment. And might never have. That was okay. If needed, I could always give my therapist, Nessie Bogan, a call.
“That it is, my friend. You know what’s weird?”
Jeanette shook her head. God love her, she could have gone in any number of directions with a question like that. Instead, she held her tongue, sensing I needed to get something off my chest.
“From the moment I told Sloane I’d look into her dad’s murder, I always insisted my sleuthing was never about me. I believed it, too. It was about making sure someone was there to speak for those who couldn’t speak for themselves.”
“And you’ve performed that task admirably, if not in an orthodox fashion.”
“True dat.” I rubbed a blade of grass between my thumb and forefinger. The simple back-and-forth motion was soothing. A little reminder of the small things that can bring one peace.
Like having a friend close at hand who was a good listener.
“This time around, though, it seems this whole godawful mess was about me. Brent almost died. Ollie did. All because of decisions I made. A man’s dead because of me.”
My vision became blurry with tears as my throat closed up.
Jeanette pulled me close to her. As the tears burst forth, she held me, giving my shoulder soothing rubs like my dad did when I needed consoling.
Eventually, the river ran dry. As I wiped the tears away with my hands, Jeanette cleared her throat.
“I’m going to tell you something and I need you to listen. You are not, in any way, responsible for Jax Michaels’s actions. He made the decision to steal from Mr. Winchester. Nobody forced him. And he made the decision to fire that gun. That’s on him. The reasons, real or imagined, don’t matter. What he did was wrong. And he’ll pay the price.”
“Nice speech.” I looked her in the eye. “I hope you have something as nice ready for the wedding reception.”
She laughed. After a second, I joined her. We were still chuckling when Matt joined us.
“Things okay here?” One of his eyebrows was raised. He probably thought I was on the verge of a complete meltdown.
“No.” I got to my feet and dusted myself off. “But they will be. Can someone take me home? I’ve done enough bike riding today, I think.”
• • •
A little bit later, I was safe and sound back in the apartment. Ursi was on my lap, purring loud enough to rival a lawn mower engine. Sloane was next to us on the couch. Calypso was busy in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee and assembling some snacks.
“You sure you don’t want an adult beverage, Allie?” she asked. “Something to help with the nerves? Kim Frye from the Beacon will be here in an hour.”
“I’m good, thanks.” There was a knock on the door. “You could get that, though, so I don’t have to bother Ursi.”
“Any other day, I’d refuse. Today, you get a pass.” She placed a bowl of tortilla chips and salsa on the coffee table on her way to greet the visitor.
It was Brent. He made a beeline in my direction. Ursi leapt from my lap to Sloane’s as he picked me up and gave me the tightest hug he’d ever given me.
“I just heard.” He choked the words out. “Thank the spirits above you’re okay. It is true? I mean, about . . .” He shook his head, unable to go on.
“Depends on what you heard. If it’s that Officer Watson’s murderer has been caught, then yes, it’s true.”
“What about the other part?”
“What other part is there?” Sure, there were lots of other parts, but being the object of a murder plot would be horrifying. I didn’t want to put that on Brent right now. We’d deal with it later. Together.
“That you floored him with one of your kickboxing moves and took his gun away. Maybelle rushed into the library to tell me, but you know how she can be.”
I smiled. “As a matter of fact, that is true.” I pointed my finger at Calypso. “That’s the latest example of why exercise is good for you.”
“Truth,” Sloane said. She winked at me. As the only person in the room who’d been with me through all of my investigations, she knew better than ever what I meant.
The rest of the day, Brent never let me out of his sight, except for when I went to the bathroom. It was reassuring to have him at my side as family and friends came by to check on me. By the time Luke showed up with pizzas from Marinara’s, word had gotten out that Brent had, in fact, been the intended target.
The news left Brent ashen in complexion and speechless. When I confirmed the rumor, Mom took Brent into my office for a private word. I was confident her years as a family practitioner would help him process the horrifying information.
An hour later, they emerged. He had an arm around Mom and a smile on his face. Janice Cobb had performed her doctor magic once again. Or maybe it was mother magic. Whichever it was, I wasn’t going to question it.
“Your mom said I could stay here tonight, if you want.” He wiped his glasses with his shirt. This was big. I’d promised Mom we wouldn’t cohabitate in my apartment until we were spouses. It was a big gesture.
“That would be nice. For both of us.”
Sloane volunteered Luke to look after Brent’s dog, Sammy, which brought the matter to a close.
Over the course of the evening, folks drifted away until it was only Sloane, Brent, and me. We were reminiscing about the times since I’d returned to my hometown from New York City. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It had been an eventful few years.
No doubt about that.
We were having a chuckle about one of my ill-advised choices made in the pursuit of justice when Sloane let out a long laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Brent asked.
“Allie talking about the duct tape affair got me thinking about a song by Needtobreathe—”
“My bestie’s favorite band.” I lifted my spiked seltzer to her. She’d turned me into a fan of the South Carolina rockers, though not nearly as dedicated as her.
“Anyway, before K.C. interrupted me”—she nodded in my direction and grinned—“the words from the song ‘Riding High’ started running through my noggin. It’s the one that talks about bad decisions not feeling like they’re bad at the time.”
“Holy cats.” I burst out laughing. “That is so true. When I was at Jax’s house, I thought I had everything perfectly thought out.”
“Seriously?” Brent gave me a friendly elbow bump from his spot on the couch next to me. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, but it seems like you were flying by the seat of your pants after your talk with Jeanette in front of the police station.”
“Okay, the first time, then.” He had a point. Oh, well, as the saying went, a leopard can’t change its spots.
“Yes, my dear. Even with the benefit of hindsight, in the heat of the moment, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” I gave him a kiss. “I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how that song ends, though. I believe it talks about going out on a high note. Does it not?”
“Riding high, baby!” Sloane raised her drink. “To more adventures, only ones that are a whole lot safer.”
We clinked glasses. That was something I’d totally drink to.
• • •
The next two days went by in a whirlwind of police interviews and wedding prep. Thursday morning was spent with Jeanette at good old Rushing Creek PD giving my official statement. When I was finished, I put my hand out.
She looked at it, then at me. Her face was as unreadable as a blank piece of paper. “What?”
“My phone? I believe I told you yesterday that I needed it back.”
“Right.” She scratched her ear with one hand as she opened a desk drawer with the other. “There’s a little problem with that. You see, we need to keep it. It’s evidence. If the case goes to trial, we’ll need you to authenticate the phone as yours and confirm it hasn’t been altered since the recording was made.”
My heart sank in disappointment more than anything. I was too preoccupied with the wedding to get angry. Such was the criminal justice system.
“Fine. I’ll figure something out. I think I’ve got everything backed up to the cloud and can borrow my mom’s car to make a run into Columbus to get a new phone.”
“Yeah, about that new phone thing.” She withdrew her hand from the drawer. She was holding a small rectangular box. “A group of us were totally stumped trying to figure out what to get you for your wedding. When the phone issue came up, our problem was solved. So, surprise. Congratulations two days early!”
“Wow.” Once again, my eyes got blurry from tears. The latest model of the phone I’d been using was in the box along with a card signed by the gift givers. “This is amazing. Y’all shouldn’t have. Thank you.”
“Eh.” She shrugged. “It’s from a big group so none of us had to pitch in much. We figured it was better than listening to you whine about having to get a new phone right before you go on your honeymoon.”
I laughed as I wiped a tear away. Despite the joking nature of the comment, the effort to get this phone in front of me in fewer than twenty-four hours wasn’t lost on me. I was one fortunate woman to be surrounded by so many kind and caring people.
“Before you go, I’ve got one more question for you.” She drummed her fingers on the desktop. “The pictures you showed me, the ones you claimed came from an anonymous source?”
“Yes.” I looked her straight in the eye. “What about them?”
“Any chance of you revealing the identity of your source?” She returned my stare. “You know, in case we have questions for that person.”
“I would if I could. I’m afraid I don’t have that information.”
“Uh-huh. I figured as much but had to ask.” She flicked her fingers in the direction of the entrance. “Get out of here. Go get married.”
• • •
With my statement complete and Jax behind bars, I was finally ready to turn my full attention to the wedding.
The wedding rehearsal Friday evening should have taken thirty minutes at the most. Angela had an emergency mayoral task that delayed her arrival. The wait did give Brent a chance to tell me his passport had arrived the day before. It was another stressor off my place. Life was getting better all the time.
Then a gaggle of reporters showed up right behind the mayor.
“Sorry, Allie. I may have accidently let slip that I was needed at the Kickboxing Crusader’s wedding rehearsal.” She gave me a hug. “This is for all the gray hairs you’ve given me over the years, young lady.”
I laughed. “I guess that’s fair.”
By the time Angela got herself organized, the wedding party knew what to do, and the reporters were in their positions with their cameras at the ready. We’d been hanging out under the hot July sun for almost an hour.
Rachel sidled up to me while Brent’s younger brother Chris was going through his reading. “Lucky you’ve got connections where we’re having the rehearsal dinner. Would hate to cram everyone into your apartment because you blew your reservation.”
I tried to keep a straight face. Instead, I failed and snorted so loud everyone looked in my direction.
“Sorry. Tried to hold in a sneeze.” My cheeks got hot, but Rachel’s big grin made it all worthwhile. From not speaking to each other to becoming business partners and having her in my wedding party, we’d come a long way.
As the co-ring bearers, Ursi and Sammy were a hit with the crowd. It also made it easy to see who knew us well and who didn’t. Close friends and family were unimpressed with our pets’ excellent behavior. Brent’s family and others from out of town acted like we’d woven some kind of enchantment on the canine and feline.
They were our fur babies. They were family. There was never a doubt in my mind they’d be anything other than fabulous.
After a half dozen fits and starts, we finally got through the rehearsal to Angela’s satisfaction. The moment she dismissed us, Luke dashed to his car, shouting over his shoulder about taking advantage of the free adult beverages.
“Still a kid at heart,” Sloane said. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“In that case, if he makes a spectacle of himself tonight, he’s your husband, not my brother. Deal?” We sealed the agreement with a laugh and a pinkie promise.
The rehearsal dinner was held in the banquet room of the Rushing Creek Pub. Rachel had insisted. I dined on finger food and limited myself to one glass of champagne. It had been a whale of a week, but Everything in moderation was the mantra I was following. Until we got on the cruise ship. Then it was going to be let the good times roll.
And no murders allowed.