Chapter 13

 

I considered it a minor miracle that we got to Luke’s house by seven ten. I found a brush and a lipstick in the console to do a super-quick touch-up while parked in front of the house. I was eager to vent my frustration about the ongoing bad luck cat legend. Why couldn’t people keep their darn opinions to themselves? I looked over at my sidekick on the passenger seat looking as harmless as, well, a cat. Because cats are harmless, wonderful creatures.

“I’m so sorry you have to be subjected to such verbal abuse. I mean, seriously, what person in their right mind would believe you purposely stepped on the sidewalk cracks?”

Hitchcock looked at me with his kitty smirk and didn’t respond.

“Maybe you did, but I don’t even care. I wish I could let everything roll off my back the way you do.” I picked up his harness from the floorboard, and he cooperated with my putting it on him. I attached his leash and grabbed the end—to be on the safe side, in case he and Angie started out being too rowdy. I knew the dog and cat would settle down and exist peacefully in the same space after the breaking-in period. They always did. I grabbed my phone from the cup holder and stuffed it in my jeans pocket.

When we got out of the car, the tantalizing scent of grilling meat lightened my mood a bit. The smell hadn’t escaped Hitchcock’s notice, and he walked beside me with his nose held high. I heard voices and took the sidewalk around to the back of the house.

Luke had found a gem in this place—a one-story brick ranch on five acres with pecan and oak trees and a pond that his Lab enjoyed more often than he wanted her to. As I rounded the corner, eager to see Luke, I expected to find him on the phone. When I saw a pickup that wasn’t his parked out back, I realized he had company. Luke and another man were stooped over and measuring around the concrete slab that held a smoking gas grill, the source of the delicious aroma permeating the air.

Luke saw me coming and stood, leaving the other man to retract the tape measure. He greeted me with a quick kiss. “Hey, good to see you two.” He stooped to pat Hitchcock’s head, but the cat barely paid attention. He’d spotted Angie as the dog trotted toward us. I picked Hitchcock up to facilitate a calm meet-and-greet between the animals.

Angie came over to me, and I scratched behind her ears as she stretched up to sniff at Hitchcock.

“Mrreow,” Hitchcock said in greeting.

Angie made an excited noise in her throat that was neither a bark nor a growl.

The man with the tape measure approached us. “Don’t let me horn in on y’all’s plans,” he said. “I can draw something up, Luke. Get back with you in a day or so.”

“Sounds good,” Luke said. “Sabrina, you remember Keith?”

It took me a moment to place the man. “Yes, from the library the other night.”

“Heck of a thing over there,” Keith said. “That building had me booked for the next couple of months at least. Now we’re playing a waitin’ game. Good news is, I have time to help Luke out with his deck.”

“And here I thought you were done with the reno,” I teased.

Angie rested calmly near my feet, so I put Hitchcock on the ground while keeping hold of his leash.

Luke grinned. “I keep getting more ideas. That’s the story of home ownership.”

I turned my attention back to Keith. “When do you think you’ll be able to continue work on the library?”

He shrugged. “If Ms. Krenek had her way, I’d be over there working by moonlight tonight. She’s hell-bent to get that gazebo finished if nothing else.”

“I wondered about the gazebo,” I said. “What’s the rush?”

“Only things outside on the original plans were the sidewalk, some shrubs, and two flagpoles,” he said. “Then she got a wild hair and all of a sudden there has to be a gazebo. Wants to use it for weddings, or something.”

“Huh,” I said. Sounded like a problem waiting to happen since events held on the public library property would be open to the public. Maybe the mayor’s wife had overlooked that little issue.

Keith ran a hand through his hair. “From what I hear she has a niece who wanted to get married like last week. Guess that’s why Krenek’s in such a goldarned hurry for the thing to be built. But that’s between her and the sheriff. I’m not gonna cross him, and the word now is to keep out.”

My brain had gone back to my conversation with Ali at the Emerald Springs library. “How’s your boss taking the delay? I hear he has a short fuse.”

Luke gave me a quizzical look, but Keith didn’t seem to think anything of my question.

“Yeah, Shane goes off on us all the time. Likes to stay on a strict schedule, but that’s out the window now. Jane could set him off, too, with all her talking.” He gave us a wry grin. “The woman sure could talk, rest her soul.”

Surely, no one would kill a woman because she talked a lot, even if many a husband had considered the idea. I wondered how short Shane’s fuse was.

“I’m sure Cody’s extra upset about Jane’s death,” I said, fishing some more.

Keith looked at me, and his brow wrinkled. “You talkin’ about Flores? I don’t know if that boy stays sober long enough to know what’s goin’ on half the time.” He checked his watch. “Look, y’all, I gotta run.”

“Thanks for coming over.” Luke walked with Keith toward the other man’s truck.

Hitchcock and I went to the patio, and I took a seat in a cushioned chair. Angie hovered, keeping a safe distance as the cat wound in and out of the chair legs until his leash was hopelessly tangled. In a minute, I heard Keith’s truck pull away from the house and felt Luke’s gaze on me. I turned to watch him cross the lawn.

“What was the third degree all about?” he said.

“Sorry. My brain goes off like it does when I’m plotting a story, and I can’t seem to stop myself.”

He watched me for a moment, as if assessing my answer. “You stepped way out there, talking to Keith about his coworkers that way. You have reason to think one of them committed murder?”

“Anything’s possible,” I said. “It could have been an accident, but now the guy’s afraid to confess. The longer he waits, the trickier the situation becomes. He’s getting more and more agitated. No telling what he’ll do as the pressure continues to build.”

Luke shook his head. “That’s pure fiction plotting I’m hearing.”

“Maybe, maybe not. We don’t know.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that. How about some wine? Maybe give your brain a rest.”

I grinned, but it felt half-hearted. “Worth a try.”

“We have baby back ribs topped with the Griffin family secret sauce,” he said. “Hope you like ’em.”

“Sounds yummy.” I pulled out my buzzing phone as he went after the wine.

I had a new text message from Aunt Rowe.

Hope you and Hitchcock are okay, hon.

Luke emerged from the house with two glasses and an open wine bottle as I tapped in a response.

We’re fine. At Luke’s for dinner.

Tell that boy I said hello.

“Aunt Rowe says hi.”

“Hi back.” Luke put the glasses down on the patio table and poured. “I sure like your aunt. You get that imaginative streak from her?”

“I don’t think so. Aunt Rowe’s more of a just-the-facts person.”

“She sure is an interesting lady.”

“To say the least.”

Luke picked up one of the glasses and handed it to me. “While I check the meat, why don’t you tell me why you look so stressed. Seems like there’s more than the murder on your mind tonight.”

I tipped my head. “It’s that obvious?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He lifted the grill’s top and grabbed his tongs. “I don’t want anything messing with the nice, intimate dinner I planned. Why don’t you go ahead and vent? Let it all out.”

Luke could read me so well. I sighed. “There was a scene at Aunt Rowe’s house. One of the guests made a crack about Hitchcock and how he’s bad luck. When that happened, I left without doing what I had planned to do before coming over here.”

“And what was that?” he said.

I looked down at my T-shirt and jeans. “For one, change into something nicer for this special occasion.”

“Oh.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “You look great. What led up to this obnoxious person’s comment?”

“It’s so ridiculous, you won’t believe it.” I told him about the woman who fell on the lawn and spouted off about Hitchcock stepping on the sidewalk cracks.

Luke turned the ribs over the fire. “She’s lucky you didn’t punch her lights out.”

His comment made me smile. “There were too many witnesses.” I took a sip of the wine.

“How’d she get up from the wet grass?” he said. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t help. Think she’s still sitting there?”

I giggled. “No. Marge Boyd helped her up.”

“That name sounds familiar.” He mopped the meat with sauce from a side dish.

“She owns that craft shop in town.”

He nodded. “Right, and she once called me for help to move a family of raccoons out of the shop’s attic.”

“Did you take care of the problem?”

“I did. Trapped the little fellas, then released them out in the wild.”

I smiled again. “You’re such a good guy.”

“I’m glad you think so.” He closed the grill and picked up his wineglass, then pulled his chair closer to mine and sat. We enjoyed our wine in silence for a minute.

Angie pranced over to Luke with a stick in her mouth, and he tossed it for her to fetch. I unlatched Hitchcock’s leash so he could move around a bit and untangled it from the chair. The cat rolled in the grass, enjoying the freedom.

I sighed. “When are people going to give up on the whole bad luck cat thing?”

“Maybe they won’t,” he said.

“Jane was going to help me start a new legend about Hitchcock.”

“Like a belief that he causes good luck?”

“Maybe. She never got the chance to share her idea with me. Probably some kind of social media campaign. I can’t see any way that would turn everything around.”

“You have to learn to let it go.”

“I’m not sure I can. He’s such a sweet cat, and anyone who doesn’t—”

Luke leaned in and placed his index finger over my lips. “Take a breath, babe. You need to relax. Like they do.”

I followed his gaze over to Angie and Hitchcock lying close together under a nearby pecan tree. For a moment, we grinned like parents who were pleased their toddlers got along so well.

“Sorry,” I said. “You must think I’m a drama queen.”

He shook his head. “I’ve known a couple of them in my time. You are a caring and loving human being. Always looking out for the underdog.” He leaned closer still and kissed me, then popped up to go back to the grill.

“Guess that’s why I can’t stop wondering about Jane. I know you’d rather I put her out of my mind.”

“I understand that’s not gonna happen. Your imagination is going to wander to Timbuktu and back no matter what I say. I don’t want you to get into any trouble.”

“I didn’t. I mean, I won’t.”

He gave me a knowing look. “Want to tell me about it?”

I chewed my lower lip for a second and decided to leave out the part about Mr. X. “I talked to some people today in Emerald Springs. Visited the library. Met a lady who lives in a house owned by Jane. None of them knows anything about her history or family members.”

“Did Sheriff Crawford send you out on that mission?”

Luke knew better. I shook my head.

“That’s because it’s his job to dig up clues, like writing is yours.”

The comment annoyed me. I couldn’t deny he made a valid point, though. Rather than respond, I sipped my wine.

Luke pulled a platter on the patio table closer to the grill. “About ten more minutes before we eat.”

He turned the meat, then came back to me with the wine bottle and topped off my glass before sitting. “I guess Jane was one of those people who liked keeping her personal life to herself,” he said. “As a rule, I do the same thing.”

“Maybe, but Jane was so outgoing. Ethan over at the bookstore tried to find clues about her family on social media sites and came up empty.”

“Did you put him up to that?” Luke said.

“No, but I’m glad he did the research because now I’m sure there’s no need for me to try. If there was any information to find, he’d have found it.”

“Isn’t he the same boy that used to nudge you about your writing?”

I paused. “Yeah.”

“If he’s preoccupied, guess I need to step up and take a turn. So, Sabrina, tell me. How’s your book coming?”

“Smart aleck.” I shrugged. “Slow. I have some plot issues to work through.”

“Bet that’s tough when you keep thinking about murder.”

“Of course it is. If you know of a remedy, tell me and I’ll try it. I don’t like having a brain that keeps running in circles.”

He reached over again and placed his fingertips on my chin. Turned me to face him.

“Be calm,” he said. “I think you’re forgetting to breathe.”

“I do that sometimes. I try to remind myself, but then I get caught up, and I don’t realize I’m not breathing like I should, and then I start breathing too fast. Know what I mean?”

He nodded. “I think it’s about time we take a break.”

My heart stuttered.

“A break? From each other?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t want—” I paused when I realized he had a goofy grin on his face. “What?”

“I meant we should take a trip,” he said. “Get away for a few days. Together. A break away from here.”

I felt my forehead wrinkle. “You and me?”

“I’d like some alone time with you,” he said. “If that’s possible.”

He had taken me completely by surprise, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. I felt a flush creeping up my cheeks. “What did you have in mind?”

“The possibilities are endless,” he said. “For one, I’m going to a conference in Santa Fe beginning of May. I’ll be out of pocket a few hours a day, but there’s this top-notch spa at the hotel you could check out. Or, you could make the rounds at local bookstores to promote your upcoming book release.”

I hadn’t realized Luke was attuned to my book schedule at all, and the thought touched me.

“Whatever you want,” he went on. “Maybe you’d rather go somewhere closer before the book release. What do you think?”

I smiled at him. “You’re so sweet to think of this. I’d love to take a trip with you.”

His shoulders visibly relaxed. “Great. Wonderful.”

“I’ll have to arrange for someone to keep an eye on that one over there.” I pointed to Hitchcock, who was sharpening his claws on a tree.

“Angie, too,” Luke said. “If we’re lucky, the sheriff will have this whole case solved way before then, so your mind can be free of worry.”

“Me? Free of worry?”

“I know. It’s a lot to expect.” He glanced toward the grill and stood. “Better get that meat off the fire.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Nope. I want you to sit back and relax.”

“Sorry I didn’t make something special for dessert.” The thought hadn’t even occurred to me until now. That was odd in itself.

“No worries,” he said. “I made your peanut butter cake. First time, so don’t hold your breath.”

“Bet you nailed it,” I said. “I’ll save room.”

We took the animals inside and fed them their dinner before we sat down to dine ourselves. Luke had fixed twice-baked potatoes and fresh green beans. He sliced a warm loaf of bread he’d picked up at the bakery in town. The ribs were to die for. A cozy and intimate dinner, as he’d planned.

Throughout the meal, we discussed places we’d like to visit and movies we might enjoy seeing. Over cake, which was delicious, we segued into talking about family—living and dead. All the folks who held an important place in our hearts.

“I wonder if Jane Alcott ever had this conversation with someone close to her,” I said.

“Don’t suppose we’ll ever know,” Luke said.

“I hate to think there could be someone out there missing her who doesn’t know what happened. Or who wouldn’t even know where to begin looking if they tried.”

“That very thought crossed my mind.” Luke wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on his empty plate.

“Really?”

He nodded. “You got me thinking now, and I may have come up with one good answer for why nobody can place this lady’s family.”

“What is it?” I said.

“Maybe Jane Alcott was in the witness protection program.”