By the time the movie finished and I left Lisa’s house, I was more than ready for bed. I’d stayed up later than usual, and I knew five A.M. would come around quickly. The rain had stopped and there were a few patches of sky visible between the parting clouds, though the moon was still hidden from sight. I wanted to talk to Brett before I went to sleep, but I knew it might be too late for that. He didn’t start work quite as early as I did each morning, but he was usually up by six o’clock.
Remembering that he was going to talk to his uncle about the phone call I’d overheard, I dug my phone out of my bag as soon as I pulled up in front of my house. I shut and locked the car door, checking my text messages as I walked slowly up the steps to the front porch. I’d just tapped on a message from Brett when a shadow on the porch suddenly shifted.
Startled, I stumbled backward and lost my footing on the stairs. I tried to grab the railing, but it was out of reach, and I went tumbling down the steps. When I hit the ground, I jumped back to my feet, but I wavered, off balance.
The shadow on the porch moved again, morphing into the shape of a person.
“Sorry for startling you,” a woman’s voice said.
A break in the clouds let some moonlight shine through and I got my first real look at the woman.
“Mrs. Paulson?”
“That’s right. I stopped by to have a word with you. When I realized you weren’t home, I decided to wait a while. I must have dozed off there on the porch.”
Still recovering from my surprise, I brushed damp dirt from my shorts. The moonlight grew brighter for a moment and I noticed what I’d missed upon my arrival—a dark-colored car parked off to the side of the house.
“What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked, wary of her intentions. I hadn’t forgotten the venomous look she’d sent my way in the bank.
“Shall we sit?” She gestured to the two chairs on the porch.
She claimed one seat without waiting for my response, but I went first to the door, unlocking it and reaching inside to switch on the porch light.
“How did you know where to find me?” I asked as I sat down in the second chair. “I didn’t think you even knew my name.”
“It only takes a bit of asking around to find someone in a town like Wildwood Cove.”
She said those words with a pleasant enough smile on her face, but I couldn’t help but feel uneasy in her presence.
“What can I do for you?” I asked, wanting to know the reason for her late-night visit.
“I was hoping for some understanding and discretion. You see, my husband and I have reputations to protect. He’s running for mayor in the next election, and I don’t want his chances of winning to be ruined by idle gossip.”
I bristled at her last word, but tried to keep my annoyance out of my voice. “Does this have something to do with your conversation at the church? Because I didn’t hear much, and that was completely accidental.”
“I saw you watching me and Rex too. Why are you so interested in my private business?”
“I’m not, unless it has to do with Ida Winkler’s murder.”
That seemed to catch her off guard. “The murder? Why would you think I had any connection to that woman’s death?”
“That day at the church, you said everything would be fine with ‘that woman gone,’ ” I reminded her. “And since Ida Winkler had just died, I figured you might have been referring to her.”
“I was, but that doesn’t mean I had anything to do with her murder.”
“If you thought she was blackmailing you, you had a motive to kill her.”
Her eyes widened. “How did you find out about the blackmail?”
“You weren’t the only victim.”
It took a second for her to absorb my words. “I’m a suspect?”
“Your husband is on the sheriff’s radar. That much I know.”
“Mitch? Why?”
“He has the same motive as you do, and I saw someone matching his description climbing over Ida’s fence a few nights ago.”
Deanna shook her head. “No, no, no. Mitch didn’t kill anyone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure! He was at work when that woman was killed.”
“Then why was he creeping around Ida’s house at night?” I asked.
Part of me expected her to deny that he’d done so, but she didn’t.
“He wanted to see if he could get into her house. We thought maybe she’d kept a record of who she was blackmailing and what information she had about them. We didn’t want any evidence of that type coming to light.”
“Did he get in?”
“It was locked up tight and he didn’t have the nerve to break in.” She shook her head again. “What a mess.”
A second of silence ticked by before she gathered herself together.
She sat up straighter and locked her eyes on me. “Who have you shared this with?”
“Sheriff Georgeson.”
“I wish you hadn’t done that.”
“There’s a murder investigation going on,” I reminded her.
“And I’m trying to protect my family. Mitch and I have worked hard to attain our high standing in the community, and my son will one day be an esteemed doctor. If your interference ruins any of that…” She flashed me a fake smile. “I’m sure you can understand my concerns.”
“I can,” I said.
“Good.” She stood up and brushed off the skirt of her dress. “Then I hope I can count on you to spread word of my private life no further.”
“I do know how to be discreet,” I said, not willing to give her any direct assurances.
That was apparently enough to appease her though.
“I’m glad we had this chat then. Good night, Ms. McKinney.”
“Good night.”
I stayed where I was until she’d climbed into her car and driven off. When I entered the house, Flapjack was waiting for me in the foyer, and he greeted me by winding around my legs, purring. I kicked off my sneakers and gathered the tabby into my arms, burying my face in his orange fur.
“Deanna Paulson nearly gave me a heart attack when I got home,” I told Flapjack.
He purred and snuggled up against me.
“I’m glad you’re not stressed out.”
I kissed the top of his head and set him down on the floor. With my phone in hand, I headed upstairs to my bedroom, Flapjack padding along behind me. I changed into pajamas and flopped down on the edge of my bed to finally read the text message Brett had sent me.
Ray said if he can spare someone to keep an eye on Jake tomorrow night, he will.
But if he couldn’t spare someone, then the opportunity to catch the culprits in the act of illegal dumping would slip by. That left me frustrated, but I moved on to the rest of Brett’s message.
Hope you had fun with Lisa. Can I stop by The Flip Side to see you tomorrow?
I checked the time on the message. Brett had sent it more than an hour earlier. The time had edged past eleven o’clock and exhaustion was quickly catching up with me. So instead of phoning Brett, I sent him a quick text message in reply.
Please do stop by! Good night!
I followed that up with an emoticon blowing a kiss before muting my phone and setting it on the bedside table. As soon as I’d brushed my teeth, I climbed into bed, Flapjack settling at my feet. While I’d felt wary in Deanna’s presence, I now doubted that she was a killer. She’d seemed genuinely surprised that her name had come up in relation to a murder investigation. Maybe her husband still belonged on the suspect list, but my mind was far too foggy to draw any conclusions in that regard, and I decided that would have to wait until morning.
Although it felt like my alarm went off mere minutes after I’d fallen asleep, I managed to drag myself out of bed and get through my morning routine. Before The Flip Side opened, I called Ray and left a message for him, briefly outlining my conversation with Deanna Paulson and the things I’d overheard her say to her husband and Rex Orman. Then I allowed myself to get lost first in business tasks and later in serving customers during the breakfast rush.
The crowd of diners had just started to thin out when Deputy Devereaux came in through the front door and caught my eye.
“Will you two be all right without me for a bit?” I asked Leigh as I untied my apron.
“Sure.” She glanced toward the deputy. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, I just have a few things to report.” When she raised her eyebrows, I added, “I’ll tell you more later.”
Leaving Leigh and Sienna to look after the diners, I led Deputy Devereaux to the office.
“I understand you have some information to share regarding Mr. and Mrs. Paulson,” Devereaux said once we were alone.
“I do,” I confirmed.
I went on to tell him everything in detail.
“Did she threaten you?” he asked once I’d finished.
“No, she didn’t.” I remembered what she’d said about her husband being at work when Ida was killed. “Do you know if Mitch Paulson has an alibi for the time of Ida’s death?”
“He does,” Devereaux said as he wrote something in his notebook. “Sheriff Georgeson had me look into that after you reported the prowler matching his description.”
I slumped back in my chair. “So it could be that they’re simply worried about their reputations?”
“Looks that way.”
At least that narrowed down my suspect list.
Devereaux cleared his throat. “Sheriff Georgeson asked me to remind you that investigating should be left to the professionals.”
I tried to curb my annoyance. “The reminder’s been noted.”
The deputy left then, and I was relieved he hadn’t given me a full lecture on keeping my nose out of the case. Brett was right. Even if my intentions were good, some people only saw my actions as meddling. But I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. Maybe I wasn’t a serious suspect, but I didn’t want to leave doubt of my innocence in anyone’s mind, and I still had Chloe to protect. She was more than my boyfriend’s sister. She was also my friend, and I wanted the killer caught before her name ended up on the official suspect list.
I was still slumped in the chair behind the desk when someone tapped on the doorframe. As soon as I saw Brett standing there, a smile replaced the small frown that had taken shape on my face. Brett, however, looked far more concerned than happy.
“Morning.” I got up to greet him, but his concerned expression didn’t fade when I kissed him.
“I saw Deputy Devereaux on my way in. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” I quickly told him what I’d shared with Devereaux.
“Did Mrs. Paulson threaten you?” he asked, just as the deputy had.
“She made me feel uneasy, but she didn’t make any threats.”
His blue eyes seemed to grow darker. “I don’t like anyone making you feel unsafe.”
I leaned into him and rested my head against his chest. “I’m fine. I promise.”
Brett put his arms around me, but his body remained tense. “If she’s the killer…”
“I don’t think she killed Ida.” I told him about her surprise when I’d brought up the murder investigation. “Besides, she had the opportunity to hurt me last night, and she didn’t. If she’d killed Ida, thinking that would preserve her and her husband’s reputations, why didn’t she kill me too? She didn’t want me spreading the news around about her affair, and she easily could have shut me up for good.”
Brett’s arms tightened around me and I realized I hadn’t exactly reassured him.
I stepped back, taking both his hands in mine. “Really, Brett, I’m okay.”
He relaxed, the storminess fading from his eyes. “I wish you’d called me.”
“It was late.”
“That wouldn’t have mattered.”
I squeezed his hands and decided it was time to switch to a more pleasant topic. “How was Bentley’s first night at your place?”
The last of Brett’s tension slipped away. “Good. He really seems to be settling in well. Chloe’s at home this morning and I’ll check in on him between jobs this afternoon. I’m hoping that once he’s all healed up, I’ll be able to take him along with me on some of my jobs.”
“That would be nice.” I remembered the text message he’d sent me the night before. “I hope Ray or one of his deputies will be able to keep an eye on Jake tonight. Otherwise, we might lose our chance to catch him and whoever else is responsible for the illegal dumping.”
“Hopefully it’ll work out.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed.” I glanced at the clock. “Do you have time for a coffee?”
“Unfortunately, no. I’ve got to get back to work.”
I made a sound of disappointment and hugged him. “Will I see you later?”
“You can count on it. But in the meantime…” He brushed my curls away from my face and kissed me.
With his lips against mine, I forgot all about crimes and suspects. I even forgot where I was. When he pulled back, his irresistible grin made me want to kiss him again.
“I’ll leave you with that,” he said, stepping back out of my embrace.
After he left, it took me a moment to gather my wits about me.
“Holey buckets, that man can kiss,” I said out loud.
Leigh appeared in the open doorway, smiling. “So that’s what’s been going on back here.”
“We were talking,” I said quickly. “Mostly.”
Leigh laughed and my cheeks flushed.
“Is it getting busy out there?” I asked, eager to change the topic.
“Yep. Lots of hungry tourists.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” I grabbed my apron and followed her out of the office.
In the kitchen and at the front of the house, we were all kept busy. Although the crowd of diners thinned slightly after one o’clock, business remained steady until closing time. When I finally said goodbye to the last stragglers and locked the door behind them, I flopped down into the nearest chair, wearier than usual for the end of a workday.
“I need to get more sleep,” I said, stifling a yawn.
Leigh grinned as she untied her apron. “You and Brett have been doing a lot of talking lately, huh?”
“What? No.” I could feel my cheeks heating up again.
Leigh and Sienna both laughed.
“I was alone last night, thank you very much,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to sound miffed. “Well, I was alone after I had an unexpected visitor.”
“Who?” Sienna asked as she stacked up dirty plates on a nearby table.
“Deanna Paulson.”
“Deanna?” Leigh echoed. “Was that why Deputy Devereaux was here?”
“Yes.”
Tommy poked his head out through the kitchen door. “There’s a deputy here?”
“Was,” Sienna corrected. “This morning. He came to talk to Marley.”
Tommy came all the way out of the kitchen and Ivan appeared in his wake.
“What happened?” the chef asked.
I told them about my conversation with Deanna Paulson in general terms, not mentioning her affair.
“I’m pretty sure she isn’t the killer,” I said to wrap up. I gave them the same reasons for that conclusion as I’d given Brett.
“So who is the killer then?” Tommy asked.
“I wish I knew. But I might have an idea who’s behind the illegal dumping.”
I told them about the phone call I’d overheard at the general store, and what Ray had said when Brett talked to him about it.
“We should be there too,” Tommy said.
Ivan shook his head. “Bad idea.”
His assistant was undeterred. “Why? What’s one deputy or sheriff going to do? There will be at least two guys, if not more.”
Ivan folded his arms across his chest. “As long as whoever’s there gets the license plate…”
“But we could catch them on camera,” Tommy said. “One of my buddies has a night vision camera. I bet we could borrow it.”
“I don’t know, Tommy…” Leigh said.
“Bad idea,” Ivan repeated.
I liked Tommy’s idea, but I knew Ivan and Leigh were likely right to be hesitant. “We should probably leave it to the sheriff.”
Tommy looked disappointed, but he didn’t press the matter further. He and Ivan returned to the kitchen and soon after, Leigh and Sienna left for the day. I got to work cleaning up the restaurant, but as busy as I was, I couldn’t stop thinking about that night vision camera.