The next morning, I slept late. I dashed down to Udderly, but Willow was already there with three interns. She’d drawn a ripe golden peach and the words “It’s Here!” on the flavors chalkboards.
A half hour before opening, a line formed outside the shop. Word spread fast in Penniman.
My cell rang. “Riley!” Caroline spoke in a strained whisper. “I just heard about the fire on the news! Are you okay? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I’ve been so busy. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Aaron’s in the hospital but I think he’s okay. I’m going to go see him. I have a lot to tell you.”
We promised to talk later and I hung up.
Three interns took the morning shift at the shop. Pru had been out late delivering a baby and was sleeping. I did a quick inventory. With Chef Zach’s help, I had enough peach ice cream to last the week.
At lunchtime, Pru came over and shooed me out the door. I was glad to have her relieve me because I had to make a bank deposit. I’d taken to Buzzy’s not-very-secure method of locking cash in the bottom drawer of her desk. I stuffed stacks of wrinkled bills in a grocery tote and prayed it didn’t look like I was carrying several thousand dollars in cash.
After stopping at the bank, I drove to the hospital. The same receptionist from yesterday was at the Information Desk. Before I could speak, she announced to her coworkers, “This is the woman I was telling you about. She ran into the flames and saved Aaron Tuthill’s dog from the fire!”
They applauded and I felt a blush warm my cheeks.
The receptionist told Aaron I’d stopped by yesterday and he’d left instructions that I could visit. She gave me directions and I headed up the elevator.
Aaron had been moved out of ICU to a single room in the step-down unit. I followed the sound of a talk show blaring at an alarming volume. In the sunny hospital room, Aaron lay against the bright white sheets, his metal glasses slightly askew, his gray hair wild.
I took a deep breath and spoke as loudly as I could. “Hi, Aaron. How are you feeling?”
Aaron fumbled for the remote and turned off the TV. He sat up, wheezed, and took my hand in his. “I feel fine. Wish I was out of here,” he rasped, then his eyes reddened. “You saved McGillicuddy! Thank you, Riley. How is he?”
I raised my voice. Thank goodness that other bed was empty. “I’m glad I could help. McGillicuddy’s fine. Doctor Pryce even made a house call to see him.”
“Doctor Pryce.” He sighed with relief and sank back on his pillows. “He’s a good man.”
“Yes, he is.” On that we could agree.
Aaron said he felt fine, but his skin was gray against the hospital sheets and his breath came in short gasps. I knew I had to talk quickly. “Aaron, did you put something on McGillicuddy’s collar before you dropped him out the window? A flash drive?”
His bushy gray eyebrows flew up. “Do you have it?”
Bingo. “No. I saw it when I caught McGillicuddy.”
“So you don’t have it?” He struggled upright. “How could it fall off?”
“I checked your yard and I’ll check Dandy’s, er, Mrs. Danforth’s—”
“Donna Danforth?” His voice rasped. “What about her?”
“She’s watching McGillicuddy.”
He inhaled with a sharp gasping sound. “I thought you were watching McGillicuddy?”
“No, she is.”
He shut his eyes and his head fell back against the pillow. He took several gasping breaths, and the panel on the wall over his head lit up and started beeping.
“What’s wrong?” Panic rose in my chest, and I turned, frantic, as a nurse strode in.
“Sorry, you’ll have to leave now,” she said.
Well, I almost killed him. My heart hammering, I waited by the door for the nurse. When she emerged, she patted my arm. “He’ll be fine, he just got overtired. He needs rest.”
On the drive back to the shop, I took several deep breaths, trying to calm my jittering nerves. I’d saved McGillicuddy but almost killed Aaron.
But I was filled with a sense of determination. I was right—he did put something on McGillicuddy’s collar.
I drove down Farm Lane past Dandy’s house and noted that her blue van was parked in the driveway. Aaron’s reaction when he learned that Dandy had McGillicuddy was so extreme it made me certain that I didn’t want Dandy present when I searched for the flash drive.
Ice cream opens doors. I ran into Udderly’s kitchen where Pru stood at the sink washing scoops. “You wouldn’t believe how many people have been asking for a flavor called Sugar High,” she said.
I stopped short. “Brandon’s flavor? Are you kidding?”
“It’s popular with teenagers. I think it’s a dare to eat it.” She turned off the water and faced me. “Riley, seriously, what are you doing here? The interns and I are doing fine. I heard you were up all night making ice cream with Stretch.”
“Remind me to tell you about Stretch.” I grabbed a to-go cup and packed it with peach ice cream. “Pru, I’m going to check on McGillicuddy at Mrs. Danforth’s.”
“Really?” Pru folded her arms.
I winced. The woman could read me like a book. “Yes, I have ulterior motives.” I just didn’t have time to tell her all of them.
I had to search for that flash drive and … how did I tell Pru that ever since I heard that Brooke had been pregnant, I had to know for certain who the father was, that I feared it was Mike? As I walked back up the lane, I remembered Brooke’s bedroom, the diary on the nightstand. No girl ever left her diary on her nightstand for her family to find. Dandy must have found it and read it after Brooke’s death. All her daughter’s secrets laid bare. What if Brooke had named Mike as the father of her child?
Wait a minute, Riley. Dandy had access to that diary ever since Brooke died seventeen years ago. If she’d wanted to confront the father of Brooke’s baby, she would’ve done it years ago. If she’d thought it was Mike, surely Buzzy or Caroline would’ve known and told me about it.
I shook my head. Maybe there were clues in the diary that a mother wouldn’t understand. I needed to read it myself. What I planned was a violation of privacy, no doubt, but I needed answers and this was the only way I could think to get them.