Chapter Twenty-Two

“Miss McCall. A moment of your time.” A loud booming voice should have stopped me in my tracks. Not this time. I kept hotfooting it along the corridor, headed for freedom.

I didn’t make it. An abrupt end came to my march mid-strike when the big hand of the law planted itself on my shoulder. Happy chills I decided to ignore raced through my system. I had no time for this—a murderer was still on the loose.

“Why are you running away from me?” he asked. His tone held a twinge of hurt.

I rolled my eyes. Like you don’t know. “Just got somewhere I need to be.”

He gave an even bigger sigh. “I do believe that’s my job, Miss McCall, keeping the citizens of Snowy Lake safe.”

“How can I make it up to her? I’m so sorry I said anything to Jennifer.”

“My trust is not easily given, Sheriff.” I shrugged. “It has to be earned back.”

“I must find a way. She means so much to me. And I don’t want to see her hurt trying to help others with her talents and gifts. She’s one in a million.”

“What can I do?” He pulled off his Stetson, ran a hand over his hair, then dropped the hat back into place.

“I mean a lot to you?” I said, surprised he’d just come out with it. “One in a million?”

“Yes, of course. But how did you know?”

“You just said so!”

I looked him in the eye. His eyes widened, confusion followed.

“I didn’t say that out loud.”

“You did. Just now.” I stood in shock, staring at him.

“What’s going on here? Did you just read my mind?” His expression shifted to horrified. Uh-oh.

“Think something else, something I could never know.”

He remained silent, waiting for me to pick up on his thoughts.

A vague impression was all that came, try as I might. “Something about Shakespeare’s family?”

“A quote. A touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

“Hmm, nice. But I didn’t get all that.” I experienced a touch of disappointment, one I ignored. I had a sudden inspiration. “But if you do want to help me, go clear out the mob at Tea & Tarot.” Okay, I was exaggerating a tad, but two birds with one stone was hard to pass up.

“What’s going on at the café?”

“Everyone seems to need something from me today. Tell them to take a number. Or better yet, make an appointment. They have my solemn promise I will get to every one of them as soon as I can.” Then I remembered his warning and concern for my well-being. But it wasn’t me who’d started this problem, made it public. Oh goddess, another thought crept in, scaring the stuffing right out of me. But I had to ask.

“Ah, can you hear me if I don’t say it aloud?” The last thing I wanted was someone to hear my private thoughts. Ling Ling, okay—we had a decent mental connection that I made more of than actually existed, but that seemed rather normal. She’d be described as my familiar in old-fashioned terms in another time, another place.

“Not sure. Think something.” I had his full attention now, his brown eyes liquid pools of intensity.

“Oh boy. What to think? Ah, sure is a weird freakin’ day, eh.”

“Sorry. Not getting a thing.”

Thank you, goddess.

He scrubbed his hand down his face, his chest rising and falling with his deep breaths. I swore I could hear a bell tolling somewhere. Soft voices spoke near my ear. I cocked my head to listen, but they were too faint to understand. Maybe a radio or television was playing somewhere? We were in a hospital.

“Telepathy’s mentioned in Real Magic, that book I gave you. And I’ve heard of people knowing something just before it happens, like going to the phone before it rings or avoiding a plane or car trip when sensing danger. But I’m grateful that we don’t fully share it.”

“Me too.”

“I think we need to talk more, though,” he said. A muscle jumped in his cheek.

“Just check out the café, please. Catch you later, Sheriff.” Then I got the heck out of Dodge, one twitchy step at a time.

“That’s a promise you’d better keep.”

I ignored the parting shot and kept moving. I sensed him watching me all the way to the end of the corridor before I turned left and walked out of the hospital. When I made the street, I took a moment to get my thoughts in order. I needed to pick up Thor and head to the movie set.

Not thinking it wise to be seen until I had the crime completely solved, I took an old shortcut between some houses and businesses, skirting Main Street then slinking out of the back of the café to hurry into Thor. Turning the key, I started his motor and we set off.

Excited, knowing this could prove useful or a complete disaster, I parked and scurried into the camp. Distant sounds alerted me to the production steaming ahead again even in the aftermath of the men being rescued. Time’s money, right?

The camp remained eerily quiet while I made my way toward the catering area. I soon discovered that Tulip, hopefully with some help, had packed up all the remaining food and drink and gone home. Good. This whole thing with the movie people had consumed far too much of our time and energy. I sighed, wishing the film was in the can.

Okay. Might as well go for broke. Squaring my shoulders, I knocked on Mimi’s RV, the metal door rattling under my rapping fingers. I waited, listening for any sounds from inside. Hmm, nothing. I knocked louder a second time, bruising my knuckles in the process. I shook off the pain just as the door opened.

Felicity stood in the doorway, her sleepy face explaining the slowness to answer.

“Wh-what do you w-want?” she asked, her tone quiet and meek.

“I was wanting to have a word, if you have a few minutes?” I snuck a glance behind her but saw no one else.

“Now?” She yawned.

“If you could. Is your mother in?” Mimi had money invested in the movie, which gave her a motive as well.

“No, she’s fil-filming. They are be-hind.”

I nodded. “Yes, crazy doings lately. But thank goodness the men were found safe and sound. Can I come in?”

She reluctantly moved aside, and I squeezed past her through the narrow doorway.

“I h-heard you helped th-em.” She plonked down on the sofa. I sat down next to her, my thoughts racing.

“Yes, fortunately, I found them.”

“How d-did you kn-ow wh-where to look?”

“I followed you.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?” Her innocent look appeared real, not put on. Were my suspicions off base?

“Yes, I found the hat. The New York Rangers hat.” I didn’t make the usual raspberry salute. It seemed wrong under the circumstances, with what I suspected to be true. “I saw you speaking with a tall man. You exchanged something.”

Her eyes narrowed with the intel. “You go wh-where you sh-shouldn’t go. Not nice.”

“Well, it did save the two men’s lives,” I reminded her. “And now the murderer has been found out. The PA, Bryce Stanford.”

“W-why are y-you here then?” she asked.

“I thought you might know something. Something you’re not aware of. I thought perhaps I could take a reading on you.”

“But you al-already kn-know who did it.”

“Just wanted to tie up some loose ends. Like who returned Rosalie’s earring.”

She looked confused and innocent again. “If you th-think it h-helps.”

“Oh, it will.”

She let me take her hands and I went to work, but nothing was revealed, just a foggy mist that swirled and didn’t amount to anything. I needed to be more direct. “It wasn’t just Bryce who murdered Howard. Someone else bashed his head in. In a way, he was murdered twice. A dead man walking. A shortened version of Christie’s brilliant Murder on the Orient Express.”

The woman startled, tried to pull her hands away, but I held on. “Please, it might help,” I murmured.

“I think you’ve done quite enough already, Miss McCall.”

Now we were getting somewhere.