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With another busy week ahead, I had already decided to head to the park first thing Saturday morning for an extended walk. The morning air was crisp and cool, so I donned a lightweight fleece jacket and walked the few blocks to the park.
Getting out and enjoying the sunshine was always good for the body and soul. The new Ellis Avenue Park had been open only a few months, and already it was a hit with the locals—pet owners walking their dogs, parents strolling toddlers, and ordinary walkers like me.
The centerpiece of the park was a small brick fountain where visitors loved to toss coins and make a wish. City officials had decided the coins would be collected all year long then used to purchase gifts for the needy at Christmas. I loved living in a town so full of givers.
Deciding it couldn’t hurt to toss a spare coin into the fountain and make a wish, I reached into my pocket and fished out a quarter. Without thinking twice, I wished that the police—or someone—would get a lead in finding Tina’s killer. The murder was more than a week old, and that had sucked up most of my creative energy over the past week. It weighed on my mind, and it was clearly affecting my work.
When I’d tallied my online jewelry sales for the week, I found that I had far fewer packages than usual going out in the mail. That was probably because I had listed only a few of those great pieces from last Friday’s stumbled-upon garage sale. While I did end up selling the Juliana bracelet for five hundred and ten dollars, which was a terrific price, I’d found it impossible to fully focus on my work with a killer on the loose and a friend who’d just been buried. It wasn’t right.
I’d never been that close to someone who’d been murdered, and it felt very different from losing someone to sickness or a car accident. The tragedy of a murder—the injustice of it—was eating at me. As I walked through the park at a fast clip, I clenched my fists and pumped my arms. If the murderer had accosted me right then, I would have knocked his lights out.
That was probably why I didn’t immediately notice when Holly Harris walked by pushing a stroller with her twin toddler boys, who appeared to be contentedly sleeping. She was talking loudly on her cell phone. “Dad doesn’t care about the antique mall. He says to do whatever you want with it. Yes, I know what this means, and no, I’m not worried. Listen, I’m at the park with the boys right now, so we’ll see you tonight, okay?”
I couldn’t help glancing in her direction, but I was self-conscious about what I’d overheard and quickly turned away. To my surprise, Holly pushed her stroller over to where I sat on a bench by the fountain, where I’d stopped to retie a shoelace.
“You’re Emma, right?”
I did my best to present my most innocent face. “Yes, I am. And you’re Holly, the Harrises’ daughter. How are you?” I didn’t know her well, but we’d certainly crossed paths enough over the years that I didn’t want to act as though she were a stranger.
“I don’t know how much you overheard of my call with my mom, but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t say anything about that. I know you work at the newspaper and—”
“Actually, I haven’t worked there in more than two years. And please don’t worry. I wasn’t paying attention to your phone call, so there’s nothing to be concerned about.” I had my hands in my jacket pocket, and I was glad she couldn’t see that my fingers were crossed. I had been paying attention, but I was telling the truth when I said she had nothing to worry about.
“My parents are divorcing, and they’re driving me crazy,” Holly said, flinging a hand in the air. “But I don’t want everyone in town to know. They’ve threatened to divorce before and worked things out, so hopefully that’ll happen again. I need to remember to stop blabbing about it everywhere I go.”
I recalled Gus saying that Holly was talking about her parents’ bickering when she was at the Cupcake Café the day before, but I quickly decided not to mention that. “I can see why you’d be so upset. But surely this is all just talk. Hubert and Harriet have been together so long, I feel sure they’ll work things out.”
Holly offered a slight smile. “I hope you’re right. I love both my folks, and I hate being in the middle of all their fighting. You know, last week was so awful. That lady who worked at the Silver Squirrel got killed, and then my parents got into a huge fight about what to do with the things she’d left in the house.”
“Really?” Perhaps I’m interested in the Harris family squabbles after all. “Tina was a friend of mine. Not close, but I knew her from my years of shopping at the Silver Squirrel.”
Holly bit her lip, as though she were unsure whether to tell me more. “Then I’m sure you knew she was having cash flow issues and decided to sell her house. Dad had just gotten a decent offer on it, but before they could do anything about it, she was dead. He wanted to put her belongings in storage to make showing the house easier the next time, regardless of whether he or another Realtor ended up showing it. He said Tina’s mother obviously wasn’t going to be moving back there, and whoever inherited Tina’s estate would likely end up with her things. My mom said that was cold and that it was disrespectful to move her belongings so soon.”
That was surprising. Harriet had never struck me as someone who was concerned about social niceties. “So this is why your parents are arguing?”
“Partly. Mom said if Dad hadn’t gotten involved with Tina, maybe she would still be here. The listing of her house sure has been a bone of contention.”
“Let’s hope it all gets resolved soon,” I said.
Holly’s phone rang, and she answered it and waved goodbye to me before quickly pushing the stroller with her sleeping little boys. I was relieved when she left. I was starting to feel uncomfortable hearing about the Harrises’ marital problems, even if it did seem that they were somehow related to Tina’s death.
But how? That was the question.
* * *
AFTER A QUICK SHOWER and an abnormal amount of fretting over what to wear, I got ready to meet Justin. I’d agreed to join him for a light lunch before he headed up to Asheville for the weekend. He’d been asked to participate in a new gallery opening there on Saturday evening and didn’t feel he could pass up the opportunity. I was happy for him and had a feeling he could expect an excellent show.
Justin had asked whether I would be up for trying out the new sandwich and sub place with him before he left, and I’d said sure. I was always game to visit a new restaurant, and friends had been posting photos of their mouthwatering sandwiches on Facebook.
I decided to wear my newest jeans along with a turquoise top I’d recently bought online. The top had the same bright turquoise shade as a rhinestone necklace that had been in my mega-find jewelry tin. I had so many turquoise and aqua pieces in my wardrobe these days, I knew the turquoise rhinestone necklace would get a lot of wear. And the great thing about wearing vintage jewelry was that when I got tired of a piece, I could either sell it online or work it into one of my upcycled creations.
As I looked in the mirror, I toyed once again with the idea of lightening my hair. It was currently a honey-blond shade, but I’d been thinking of going blonder. On the other hand, I knew I would probably have to spend time maintaining that lighter shade of blond. These days, time was at a premium.
At the last minute, I decided to pull my hair back into a sleek ponytail at the nape of my neck. I liked the way the style emphasized my blue eyes, probably one of my best features, and having my hair off my face also emphasized my new necklace and the large gold hoop earrings I chose to wear with it. Justin probably wouldn’t notice my jewelry, but if I ran into any women friends—or potential customers—they might.
Once I slipped on my watch and said goodbye to Miriam, I headed to town and found a great parking spot just a few spaces down from Fellini’s Sandwiches and Subs.
I walked in, and Justin glanced up from his iPhone, clicked off of whatever he’d been looking at, and slipped the phone into his pocket.
“Great to see you again, Emma.” He stood and gave me a quick hug that felt comfortable and warm. I liked that he made me feel so at ease.
“You too,” I said. “Ready to go wow the art lovers in Asheville?”
He grinned. “Ready as I’ll ever be. And listen, you can sit here while I go order for us. Do you know what you want?”
“The turkey sub would be great. And bottled water to drink.” After my morning of exercise at the park, I was feeling virtuous and didn’t want to blow it. I was also trying to cool it after that humongous slice of cheesecake I’d eaten at Jen’s the previous night.
“You got it.” Justin smiled and headed to the counter.
I glanced at the back of the shop. The middle-aged man and woman tending the counter seemed super busy. They were making all the sandwiches themselves, and between ringing up customers and packing up takeout orders, they were hopping.
A whoosh of air entered the small space as the door opened, and like a bad penny that kept turning up, Tony LeMann walked in, this time with an attractive brunette by his side. A different woman from the Gallery Stroll the other night? I was fascinated. He might have been a jerk, but the guy sure got around.
Justin returned with our subs and drinks. He’d seen Tony too and said, “Don’t look now, but your favorite customer from the other night just walked in.”
I smiled. “Yes, and with another lady friend.” While I managed to keep an eye on Tony and his latest companion, I was more interested in focusing on my lunch date.
Clearly, Justin was excited about getting his work into one of the more prestigious galleries in Asheville. He explained how he networked with other artists and how that benefited his career. In the fall, he planned to start offering a few painting classes in Roseland and see whether he enjoyed teaching.
I’d been thinking that when I had more experience under my belt, I might like to teach some jewelry techniques—but on a small scale. I wasn’t sure Justin was interested in doing anything on a small scale, and I loved his passion and ambition.
All too soon, it was time for him to pull out and head to North Carolina.
“Do you mind if I call you when I get back tomorrow?” he asked.
“I’d mind if you didn’t.” I smiled.
I wished him good luck, and after another hug and a quick goodbye, he was on his way. Justin Hayes was quickly growing on me.