We finished our soup and Charlotte ordered a main meal with flair. I didn’t know how she could think about her stomach at a time like this, but Lobster Thermidor was on the cards for our next meal, and no matter how upset she was about her sister’s death and the lover who could possibly have killed her… it hadn’t affected her appetite.

  Chapter 14

  Gossip was like a plant. If it wasn’t watered, it slowly died.

  The stories about my involved with the murder was just the same. For the next couple of days, business slowly picked up again, until the bakery was full and the lines as long as always.

  Ed McCoy was one of my last customers.

  “What a nice surprise,” I said with a smile. “I haven’t seen you here for a while. Your usual?”

  “That will be great,” Ed said. He shuffled his weight from one foot to the other. “Look, Francis… I’m sorry.”

  I frowned. “About what?” I took six cinnamon swirls out of the case, and added an extra for good measure. I never charged Ed for the extra.

  “About the rumors. And suggesting that you were involved in the murder. It wasn’t that I wanted to point fingers, I just had to cover all my bases. But then it all blew up and got out of hand.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s over, now.”

  Ed nodded. “I still feel bad about it.”

  “Have you made any headway on the investigation?”

  “We’ve found out a few things,” Ed said. “But nothing that points us in a clear direction. We have a log of all the visitors who came to see Nora that day, and there are so many of them. Almost all of them have alibis, too.”

  “Almost all?” I asked. “Who doesn’t?”

  “Tom Bennett,” Ed said simply. “And Vivian Foster, since they were both alone at the time it happened, so we can’t verify it with anyone else.”

  “Hmm,” I said, my mind spinning.

  I wanted to say something about the letters from Tom, and about the handkerchief, but I didn’t. I couldn’t just jump to conclusions. The last time I’d helped Ed figure out who might have been a killer, I’d pointed out certain people based on evidence I’d found, only to be wrong about them. I didn’t want to do it again. I ached to tell Ed about the letters, though.

  “I heard that Tom Bennett was quite…” I searched for the right word. “Attached to Nora.”

  “Yes, I heard this too,” Ed said. “But why would someone who loved someone else have a physical fight so serious that it ended in death?”

  That was a good point.

  “Unless he was upset she might have found another,” I said carefully.

  Ed’s brows knitted together. “That’s a very specific statement. What do you know?”

  I hesitated. “I don’t know much all. Really, it’s only speculation.”

  “Well, there was another male caller that day,” Ed said.

  I blinked at him. “Really? Who?”

  Ed opened his mouth and nearly told me, but the door jingled and Isaac appeared.

  “Hello, Detective,” he said and shook Ed’s hand. “Hello, Francis.” He took my hand and kissed my knuckles.

  “That will be all, thank you,” Ed said to me.

  I looked at him, willing to give me more. I was so curious, now.

  But he only shook his head, so imperceptibly that Isaac didn’t notice, and paid for the swirls. When he left, the bell jingled again.

  “It’s nice to see you,” I said to Isaac and I meant it. I wished he’d have arrived just a moment later, though.

  “Are you busy tonight?” Isaac asked.

  “No, I don’t have any plans.”

  “Good,” Isaac said. “I’m taking you out on the town.”

  I laughed. “What?”

  “I’ve reserved a table for us. A date, my darling, because we haven’t spent enough time together. There’s still some time to close up the bakery and get dressed. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” I said with a smile, and Isaac nodded, looking pleased with himself. “I’ll be back later,” he said, and the jingle of the bell signaled his departure.

  “That sounds fun,” Sarah said, coming from where she’d been wiping down the tables. “A date night is so romantic and so close to Valentine’s Day, too. And he’s taking you to the ball… it’s a double treat.”

  I chuckled, trying to be nonchalant about it but warmth filled me and I was flattered. It was so spontaneous and so sweet.

  I did as Isaac had said. I closed up the bakery, sending Sarah and Dottie home, and I got dressed into something a little more romantic. I’d found a dress in a catalog that looked more fashionable than what I usually wore, and a woolen coat with a high neck that matched it. I tried styling my hair in a twist that was a lot more like the chignon I saw some women wear.

  “What do you think?” I asked Mittens when I looked in the mirror.

  Mittens meowed.

  “Not too much?”

  She didn’t answer me.

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t think so, either.”

  I turned this way and that one more time, checked the new shade of lipstick on my lips, and then I wrapped a scarf around my neck before I left the house.

  Isaac waited for me at the bottom of the stairs, having arrived exactly on time.

  “You look fantastic,” he said with a surprised smile. “Just beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” I said and blushed.

  Isaac kissed me, pulling me closer so that I was a little breathless and unstable on my legs when he let me go.

  “Come,” he said and took my hand, leading me to his car.

  Isaac had bought himself a brand new Rambler American and it was his pride. He’d worked hard and I was glad he’d spoiled himself.

  The car, with its clean, boxy silhouette stood in the snow. It was painted a seafoam green and it fit in perfectly with the overall style in Harmony Bay.

  Isaac opened the door for me and I slid into the bench fabric seat. Isaac walked around the car and got behind the wheel.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Thyme & Again,” Isaac said with a grin. “It’s recently opened up in town and I hear only good things about it.”

  I laughed. “I just love the name.”

  “It’s so clever! I love it.”

  “The whole town used to do that, you know,” Isaac said.

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “I remember how it was when I was a child. A lot of the businesses had such clever names, all play on words. It was something they did because of a lot of the names they wanted to register for businesses were already taken, so they got creative. I don’t know what happened to it. I would like to see more of that again.”

  “Maybe it’s something we can petition,” I agreed. “I’d like to see more businesses that really embrace what we used to be and it’s something special, you know? And this town really is something so very special.”

  Isaac took my hand and squeezed it, smiling at me.

  We drove the short distance through town and Isaac parked around the curb outside the new restaurant.

  Thyme & Gain was nestled gracefully along the coastline, with a quaint charm that with in with the rugged beauty of the winter seascape. The world outside was blanketed in snow, and the dark, icy waves created a beautiful contrast.

  As soon as we stepped inside, the seating hostess greeted us with a smile.

  “Welcome to Thyme & Again, where you’ll be enchanted, time and again.”

  I chuckled and Isaac gave his name for the reservation. We were lled through the dining room.

  Large bay windows offered a panoramic view of the Atlantic. Everything was decorated in rich, dark wood paneling with two cozy fireplaces bracketing the dining room and casting dancing shadows over the crips white table cloths.

  “Thank you,” I said when Isaac pulled out a chair for me before sitting down himself.

  The table had a small vase with a single red rose on it, the very symbol of love in celebration of Valentine’s Day that was coming up.

  “I really like this place,” I said. “It’s such a warm, romantic atmosphere.”

  “I hoped you’d like it,” Isaac said. “I just wanted to do something special. We haven’t spent as much time together as I wanted to, lately. Everything has been getting away from me.”

  I appreciated that he was making an effort, and it really was an incredibly sweet gesture.

  “How are things at school?” I asked.

  “Better now that tests are over and done with,” Isaac said. “I still have some grading to do, but the worst is over. And silly season is passing then, too.”

  I nodded. I’d heard Isaac talk about Silly Season before. It was when the students got so stressed about tests, they started taking it out on each other. Fights often happened then, and it was a more difficult class to handle. Not overly so, but enough that the teachers had dubbed it as such.

  “I’m so glad,” I said. “It feels like it might be passing at the bakery, too.”

  “I hard,” Isaac said and he looked worried. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there through all of that.”

  “There wasn’t much to be there for,” I admitted. “It was just a dwindling stream of customers until it dried up almost completely. But we’re back to normal for the most part now, and that’s really all that counts. It’s good to be reminded now and then that after a difficult time, things do get better.”

  Our server brought as a bottle of wine and poured us each a glass. Isaac and lifted our glasses.

  “To us,” Isaac said. “And to all the years to come.”

  “To us,” I said and clinked our glasses together and took a sip of our wine.

  “Oh, I like this,” I said.

  “French Chablis,” Isaac said. “It goes well with the starter, which is shrimp cocktail.”

  Just as he said it, the server arrived with child shrimp in a cocktail sauce and it looked divine.

  “Oh, what a treat!” I said and Isaac smiled, happy that I was enjoying it so far. I popped a shrimp in my mouth and groaned.

  “I work with food all day—although I guess baking is different from cooking—but I’ll never, ever get enough of it.”

  Isaac chuckled. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  We ate in silence for a moment, the wine pairing beautifully with the shrimp.

  “You know I mean it when I say that, don’t you?”

  “What?”

  “To all the years to come. I don’t mean for this to be a fleeting relationship. I’m in it for the long haul, if you are.”

  “I don’t want this to be fleeting, either,” I said. “I was worried for a while, but I know what we have in each other. I supposed I was just being insecure.”

  “You have nothing to worry about,” he said and reached for my hand. “I know that we’ve been through a difficult time.” He hesitated. “I should rather say I’ve been going through a difficult time. I know it hasn’t been easy… but I appreciate how patient you’re being.”

  I felt a twinge of guilt. I hadn’t exactly been patient, had I? I’d been jealous and bitter. I’d fluctuated between wanting to be hostile, or wanting to withdraw completely, rather than standing by Isaac’s side.

  Well, that would change from now on. Being reminded of his late wife in the way that Evelyn had brought about couldn’t be easy. I hadn’t dealt with loss like that and I told myself I would be more accepting and more understanding.

  We made small-talk, catching up on the happenings in town during the past few days. I told him what I’d found out when I was with Charlotte, going through Nora’s things, and then what Ed had been about to tell me just before he’d arrived.

  “Oh!” Isaac cried out as they removed our empty plates. “I wish I’d come later so we could know!”

  “Maybe we’ll find out later,” I said. “I want to go back and see if I can find out more. Or maybe even ask Ed, now that he clearly doesn’t think I’m a suspect anymore.”

  “I hope you can,” Isaac said. “I’m so curious.”

  “It’s a flaw I have,” I admitted with a smile. “I’m too curious for your own good.”

  “Oh, but it’s for the good of the town!” Isaac exclaimed. “We’ve learned that by now.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. It was so pleasant being with the Isaac I knew and love. He was completely himself and it only strengthened my resolve to be more open-minded about Evelyn being back in town for a while.

  After all, if we could spend time alone like this, that was all that mattered.

  The main course arrived—Chicken à la King for me, and Beef Wellington for Isaac and he ordered a Bordeaux red which was again an excellent pairing. I didn’t usually drink wine, but the flavors together were pure poetry and it was a special occasion.

  “I can’t wait for the ball,” I said.

  “Me either. I hear it’s going to be very extravagant. They had a meeting at the town hall with the council and I happened to stop by with paperwork to file for the exams coming up, so I overheard. They’re not cutting any corners.”

  A thrill ran down my spine. I’d already ordered a few catalogues to peruse so that I could find the perfect dress, and I had my eye on two options that I wanted to have them send from Portland. Unless, of course, I could make some time to go there myself.

  “I’m just excited to share it with you,” I said.

  Isaac grinned at me.

  The rest of the evening was just as wonderful. The dark waves outside crashed on the frozen shore, and the wind howled around the corners but inside we were huddled in the lap of warmth and the conversation and laughter only added to that.

  Dessert was a baked Alaska, and Isaac ordered a Late Harvest Riesling. I didn’t know the wine, but again the pairing was amazing.

  “How do you know this much about wines?” I asked. I swirled the wine in my glass.

  “His father grew up on a vineyard,” a voice said behind us, and Evelyn appeared.

  She wore a coat with a fur lapel and a matching hat, and snow clung to it but it made her look almost fantastical rather than wet and bedraggled.

  “Evelyn,” Isaac said. “What are you doing here?”

  “I just finished dinner,” she said. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

  “We’re spending some time together,” I said, forcing a police smile.

  “Is that a Riesling?” she asked and reached for Isaac’s glass. “May I?”

  She lifted the glass and took a sip before he could answer.

  “Ah, this takes me back so many years. Do you remember?”

  Isaac glanced at me, looking uncomfortable. “Yes, I remember.”

  Evelyn smiled brightly. “I can’t believe how long ago that was, and it just feels like yesterday. I thought your dad was going to murder us for taking such a special bottle.” Her laugh was filled with humor.

  I gave Isaac a pointed look.

  “I was the one who got the brunt of that in the end,” he muttered.

  “He’s always been such a gentleman,” Evelyn chuckled. “Some things never change, do they, Isaac?”

  Isaac didn’t answer. He glanced at me and the atmosphere was clearly strained.

  “We’ll, I’ll leave you to it,” Evelyn said. “I’ll see you at home later, won’t I?” She glanced at a delicate wristwatch. “There are buses this time of night, aren’t there?”

  “No,” Isaac said. “There aren’t. The last one would have stopped two hours ago.”

  “Oh, I’m such a fool,” Evelyn said, shaking her head. “I didn’t even think about it.” She glanced out of the window. I looked at her boots—they weren’t the kind of boots made to trek through the snow on a cold winter’s night.

  Isaac hesitated and I knew what he was going to say before he said it. My stomach twisted and I felt a little sick. I put down my wine glass, not even taking that first stip to know what a Late Harvest Riesling tasted like.

  “We’re almost done,” Isaac said, his tone exasperated. “We’ll take you home.”

  “What did I say,” Evelyn said with a smile, looking at me again, talking about Isaac as if he wasn’t there. “An absolute gentleman.”

  “Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “Isn’t he?”

  “Thank you,” Evelyn said. “I’ll wait in the foyer and see you when you’re ready.”

  She walked away, swinging her hips from side to side, and I was immediately angry.

  “I can’t very well let her walk home,” Isaac said in a low voice, looking down at his melting baked Alaska.

  “No, you can’t,” I said tightly.

  “We’ll spend as much time as we want, she can wait.”

  I only nodded. It wasn’t a moment ago that I’d told myself I would be more understanding, but I was struggling not be furious, now.

  I was upset with Isaac for not standing up and putting his foot down. But, of course, what was the alternative? That she walk home?

  I wouldn’t have allowed that either. In fact, had it been any other woman, I would have been the one to suggest it, first.

  My emotions warred with each other as I tried to reason with myself. But Isaac had become quiet and withdrawn again.

  We finished our desserts in silence. The sweetness paired with the wine was divine but the atmosphere was strained. Evelyn’s appearance had put a damper on what should have been a perfect evening where we connected with each other again.

  Isaac paid the check and then we left.

  Evelyn waited in the foyer, bright-eyed and upbeat as she always was. She chattered in the back of the car the whole way to the bakery, where Isaac stopped to drop me off.

  When we got out of the car, he shut the door so that we had some privacy and Evelyn couldn’t listen in.

  “Thank you for tonight,” I said. “I had a great time.” At least, until toward the end.

  “I want you to know how much you mean to me,” Isaac said. “This whole thing… won’t be a thing forever.”

  I nodded.

  “I love you, Francis.”

  Our eyes locked on each other and in Isaac’s gaze there was sincerity. He really did mean it.

  “You mean the world to me, Isaac,” I said, just as sincere. “But I want her gone.”

 

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