11

“Jacob!”

He didn’t acknowledge my shout, which, admittedly, wasn’t all that loud to begin with. I was torn between getting him to stop and seeing where he’d go. Had he been watching me, plotting a way to get me alone to enact his foiled murder plot? Or had Jacob merely been considering whether to stop in for a quick cup of coffee?

He was moving at a quick pace, but not at a run. If I’d really wanted to, I could have caught up to him, yet I found myself walking at the same speed as he was. My nose was running and my cheeks were starting to turn a vibrant red from the cold. Clouds had moved in, and I hoped that if they did decide to drop snow on us, they’d wait until I was someplace with a roof.

As Jacob approached Andrew’s Gifts, he slowed until he was standing in front of it, hands shoved into his pockets, breath pluming from his nose and mouth. He stared at the front door for a long time, long enough that the cold started to seep in through my coat, all the way into my bones. And then, with a shrug, he turned away and started walking again.

There weren’t very many people on the sidewalks of downtown Pine Hills, not in this weather. Most everyone was driving anywhere they needed to go, even if it was only a block away. That meant that if Jacob were to glance behind him, I’d have nowhere to hide, no groups to blend into.

But so far, he seemed to have a singular purpose, though I had no idea what that purpose might be.

He’s probably just out for a walk. Which meant I was freezing my butt off for no reason.

I was considering calling off my tail, when Jacob came to an abrupt halt. It took me a moment to realize he was standing outside Heavenly Gate. Even from as far away as I was, I could see the calculation on his face as he scanned the front window.

“What are you up to?” I muttered, moving up next to a place called Fern’s Perms. Inside, women, and one man, were getting their hair done. Two of them were watching me, curious as to why I was loitering. If Jacob were to glance my way, I could duck inside, and hey, maybe getting my hair done before dinner tonight wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

But he didn’t look my way. Instead, Jacob heaved a sigh, wiped a hand across his nose, and then entered Heavenly Gate.

I lingered outside Fern’s as I debated on what to do. As far as I knew, Jacob’s parents worked at Heavenly Gate, which would explain why a black-clad guy into loud, heavy music would go inside a place that sold religious items. On the other hand, Jacob had also stopped outside of Andrew’s Gifts, a place where he’d gotten into a fight before the owner had been murdered. He’d been near my house on the day the gift had arrived for Jules. And now he was here, at another local business.

Coincidence?

There was only one way to find out.

I started forward, mind working overtime. If Jacob was related to, or friends with, the owners of Heavenly Gate, it didn’t help him all that much considering what Erin had told me about Andrew’s trouble with someone from the store. They could have sent Jacob to take care of Andrew like he was a hitman out of a crime movie.

Or I’m overthinking it. Not that I’d ever do that. I could almost see Paul’s eyeroll.

Just as I reached the front of the religious craft shop, the door opened and Jacob came hurtling back out, arms pinwheeling as he fought to keep from falling face-first into the street.

“Stay out of here you little punk!”

A man with hairy, overly large forearms stood in the doorway, tiny glasses perched at the end of a rather round nose. His face was cherry red, though I couldn’t tell if that was because he was angry, or if it was from the cold.

“I didn’t do anything!” Jacob said, righting himself.

“You sort of people don’t have to.”

“Yeah? And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Look at you!” The man jabbed a thick finger into Jacob’s chest, knocking him back a step. “Look at that.”

Jacob glanced down at his shirt and the indecipherable lettering that made up what I assumed was a band name. “What about it?”

“You’re promoting evil and you come into my store? I don’t think so.”

“It’s not evil.” Though Jacob did cross his arms over his chest, covering the band name. “It’s called music. Entertainment. You know, just like horror movies and scary books?”

The man laughed. “And you think that helps your case?” He shook his head, and in doing so, noticed me standing a few feet away. He straightened his back, his condescending smile vanishing like smoke. “Just stay out of here. You’re not welcome in my shop.”

And with that, the big man turned and walked back into Heavenly Gate.

Jacob looked like he might march right back in after him, but he too saw me standing there and said instead, “Can you believe this sh—” He paused, cleared his throat and finished with a lame, “crap?” He shot a side-eyed look at a handmade wooden cross in the window.

“Why’d you even go in there?” I asked, genuinely curious. I mean, I wasn’t one to judge anyone for their appearance, but Jacob’s outfit didn’t scream crosses and angels.

“My mom.” He sighed and shoved his hands back into his pockets, giving him a hunched, almost aw-shucks appearance. “She’s into this sort of thing. You know, religious stuff? I thought I might get her something for Christmas, but that guy . . .” He made a frustrated sound.

“This seems to happen to you a lot.”

“No sh—” He cut off again and amended it to, “No kidding. I haven’t done anything to any of these people, yet they treat me like I’m some sort of delinquent. Aren’t we not supposed to judge people by their appearance? Just because I listen to this sort of music, doesn’t mean I’m a criminal or out looking to burn down churches or something. I mean, I heard Tom Araya is Catholic!”

I had no idea who that was and didn’t ask. “So, you came here to shop? Like you did at Andrew’s Gifts the other day?”

Jacob’s wind-chapped, scarlet cheeks reddened further. “Yeah.” He sniffed and wiped at his nose. “I’m not trying to start anything. But I guess I do tend to goad these people a little bit when they start in on me like that.” He flung a hand toward Heavenly Gate, which caused my attention to shift to what was going on inside the store.

The owner was standing near the counter, which was situated at the back of the store, talking to a woman. A woman I recognized.

Agnes, one of Doris’s outraged crew, said something to the man, touched him on a hairy arm, and then walked through a door behind the counter. I caught a glimpse of wooden shapes lying next to sharp-looking tools on a long, metal table, and then the door closed, cutting her, and the equipment, from view.

Why would one of Doris’s friends be here? I wondered. Could she be the wife Erin had mentioned?

“What am I supposed to do?” Jacob complained, drawing my attention back to him. “Dress up and pretend I’m someone else just so I can shop without being harassed? It’s not fair.”

No, it wasn’t. Despite my concern that Jacob might be the killer, I found I was sympathetic toward him. No one should be treated like an outcast because of how they looked or what kind of music they listened to.

Still, sympathetic or not, I wasn’t going to let him entirely off the hook. “What does Boo think?” I asked, watching his face to see what kind of reaction I’d get.

He simply raised an eyebrow at me. “Caitlin talked to you about her?”

I didn’t want to get Caitlin into trouble, but I didn’t know how else to explain how I knew Boo’s name. “She mentioned Boo when I asked her why you were at her house yesterday. Did you and Boo have a fight?”

Jacob scratched his cheek. “No, it’s nothing like that.” He looked away when he said it.

The wind picked up, causing my eyes to water. If I stayed standing out there for much longer, I’d freeze to the spot. “Do you want to head back to Death by Coffee and get a hot drink?” I asked. “We could talk about it if you want to.” Not that I knew what “it” was.

Jacob glanced at me, a slight frown on his face as if he wasn’t sure he should trust me. “Actually, I’d best get going.”

“Meeting Boo?” When he flinched, I added, “Teek?”

“See you around. Krissy, right?” He looked me up and down and I got the distinct impression he was passing some sort of judgment on me. Good or bad? I had no idea. “Maybe I’ll see you at Caitlin’s.” And with that, he spun on his heel and walked away.

Chilled to the bone, I decided to warm up by entering Heavenly Gate. From what I’d seen and heard, I was leaning toward Jacob’s side of the story when it came to how he was being treated, but it couldn’t hurt to get another perspective.

Besides, if I could learn something about Andrew and his alleged problem with the people here, it would go a long way in helping me make up my mind on whether I should be concerned for Jules or if it was an intra-shop squabble that had turned deadly.

As I entered, the shop owner snapped, “You with him?” jerking his chin toward Jacob’s retreating back.

“No, I’m not, but he’s a friend of my neighbor’s,” I said. “Did he do something to earn that tongue-lashing, Mr. . . . ?”

“Komph. Lee Komph. And, yes, he did. He disturbed the peace.”

I glanced around the shop. Other than Agnes, who was still in the back, we were the only two people inside Heavenly Gate. Almost everything on the shelves looked handcrafted and had a religious bent, jibing with what I’d seen from the window.

“Did you make all of these?” I asked, hoping to bring down the hostility levels. “They are impressive.”

Lee eyed me a moment before nodding. “I did. It’s a lot of hard work.”

I picked up a woodcarving of the nativity scene. It was surprisingly detailed with faces not just being intricately painted, but with eye sockets carved out, with tiny little mouths cut into the wood. It had to have taken a steady hand and a whole lot of patience.

“These are very good,” I said, returning the carving to its place.

“Thank you.” Lee’s tone suggested he wasn’t entirely mollified, but was getting there. “It’s why I can’t have people like that in here. They ruin the atmosphere bringing their hostility in with them. It breaks my concentration.”

“He was shopping for his mom.”

Lee snorted and shook his head. “Is that what he told you? People like that never buy anything. They lie, cheat, and steal. No exceptions.”

“Andrew Carver thought the same way about Jacob.”

Lee’s entire body went rigid, eyes cold as the wind outside. “Andrew Carver and I had nothing in common.”

“You both owned shops on the same street here in Pine Hills,” I pointed out.

Lee ground his teeth briefly before turning away. “Look, I’ve got work to do. If you’re not buying anything, then I’d appreciate it if you left.”

I remained right where I was. “I heard your wife and Andrew didn’t get along. Do you know anything about that?”

Lee spun back around and took two large strides toward me. He stopped directly in front of me, so close I could feel his breath on my cheek. Our noses were inches apart, eyes locked so that I could see the tiny red veins in them.

“Agnes had nothing to do with that man. He was a scourge on our town and if she spoke to him, it was to tell him so.”

Every instinct screamed at me to take a step back, but I held my ground. Lee Komph appeared to be a volatile man who wanted to dominate every situation. It seemed a strange contrast to a guy who spent hours carving and painting peaceful trinkets in such beautiful detail.

“I saw her with Doris,” I said, not sure where I was going with this. “Do you know Doris Appleton?”

“Of course, I do.” Lee was near shouting now. “I don’t see how any of this has to do with that punk who’d come in here to disrupt my work.” Thankfully, he took a step back then, giving me space to breathe. “I think you should go.”

Me being me, I really wanted to press him about Andrew, about Doris and Agnes and Jacob.

But what would that accomplish other than getting me bodily thrown out of Heavenly Gate like Jacob before me? Lee was angry, and I supposed it was understandable since I’d implied that he or his wife could have had something to do with Andrew Carver, and quite possibly his death.

“I’m sorry if I bothered you,” I said, ducking my head in a way I hoped he took as subservient. If he was Andrew’s killer, I didn’t want him targeting me next. “I wasn’t trying to start anything. With everything that’s happened . . .” I let him fill in the rest on his own.

Lee’s jaw worked silently before he said, “Well, if you keep hanging around people like that—” That phrase again. It was really getting on my nerves, and I think Lee could tell because he smiled. “—you’ll end up like Andrew and his ilk.”

A threat? Or just Lee being a jerk because that was who he was?

“I guess I’ll take my chances,” I said, and then I turned and walked out of the gift shop.

The cold met me like a slap, but I barely felt it. My skin was hot with my own rage, and it was all I could do to keep from marching back inside and giving Lee Komph and his wife a piece of my mind.

Jacob might be a little strange, might like his entertainment and clothing dark, but that didn’t mean he was a bad person. If he killed Andrew and had planned to do the same to Jules or me, then, well, yeah, he was. But clothing and music didn’t make someone evil, no matter what Lee Komph thought.

And to look down upon me, just because Jacob and I had talked? I supposed that meant Lee was a proponent of guilty by association. Was that why he was so adamant that his wife had nothing to do with Andrew Carver? If she’d talked to him in a way that wasn’t antagonistic that meant . . . what? That she was on his side? That she would help Andrew smear Lee’s name because she didn’t treat him like the enemy?

To Lee Komph, that very well might have been the case.

And an angry man like that might take it upon himself to do something about it.