Bound for Murder, page 26
“True.” I laid my head on Richard’s shoulder. Releasing a deep sigh, I reveled in the comfort of his presence, despite the wooden arms of our chairs pressing into my waist.
Richard kissed my temple before releasing my hand and sliding his arm around my shoulders. “Anyway, I’m just glad things turned out well for everyone.”
“Not poor Ruth Lee,” I murmured. “Or Stanley Owens. Or even Dan, I suppose.”
“He made bad choices. I understand a compulsion to protect a family member, but murder is never the way to go about it.”
“Of course not. But I don’t think he set out to become a cold-blooded murderer. It wasn’t like he was killing for gain, like some others we’ve run across.”
“I’ll give him that. But after he killed the first time, it seems like he threw all morality to the winds.”
I caressed the hand Richard had placed on my left shoulder. “Funny. Kurt mentioned something about that to me recently. How having killed once, it’s much easier to do it again.”
“He wasn’t speaking from experience, I hope.”
“Who knows? I did ask him that question, but as usual he didn’t respond.” I lifted my head. “He was conducting a little side investigation of his own, you know. But surprisingly, he missed the mark on this one. He truly believed that the killer, or at least the killer’s accomplice, was a drug dealer who had ties to Jeremy Adams in the past.”
“I suppose even Kurt Kendrick can’t be right all the time.” Richard smiled. “Lydia will be pleased to hear that.”
“You think? They seem to be getting along better these days.” I sat up without dislodging Richard’s draped arm.
“Maybe so, but I bet she’ll enjoy hearing that he doesn’t always know quite as much as he thinks he does. I expect Lydia won’t mind seeing that expansive self-confidence of his punctured a little.”
“Come to think of it,” I said, with a little smile, “neither will I.”
“There you go, something to look forward to.” Richard shot me an answering grin. “Just make sure I’m there to see it.”
“Of course. Oh look—there’s Sunny.” I pulled free of Richard’s arm and jumped to my feet.
Richard also stood up as Sunny crossed the room to meet us. “I’ve gotten the all-clear,” she said, after I hugged her. “But the grands have been moved to regular rooms for now. The doctors want to keep them under observation overnight.”
“That makes sense,” Richard said.
I laid my hand on Sunny’s arm. “You’re fine, though?”
“Yes. Perfectly fine.” Sunny smiled, but I couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under her eyes. “I wanted to stay, but the grands insist that I go home and rest. Maybe I will. I can always come back later and check on them.”
“But your car’s still at the farm, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Sunny rubbed at her temple. “Sorry, it seems my mind’s not firing on all cylinders yet.”
“No problem. We’ll drive you home,” Richard said. “We can even stop and grab some comfort food on the way.”
“And sit with you until you’re ready to drive back here,” I said.
“No, no. That isn’t necessary.”
“Necessary has nothing to do with it,” I said firmly.
Richard linked his arm through Sunny’s. “You heard the boss. We’re driving you home and making sure you eat something, and we don’t want to hear any arguments, young lady.”
Sunny’s lips curled upward as she glanced from his face to mine. “I can see I have no choice.”
“Absolutely none,” Richard agreed. As we strolled toward the exit, he gave Sunny a wink and added, “Besides, why would I ever complain about spending time with two beautiful women?”
“Behave,” I said. Catching his expression, I couldn’t contain a burst of laughter that made the other people in the waiting room look up with interest.
“There you go,” Richard said. “Now half of Taylorsford will be gossiping about the three of us before morning.”
“And you think they don’t already?” I asked, before throwing my arms around both of them and pulling them into a group hug. “Might as well give them something to gossip about,” I added when I stepped back.
“That should do the trick,” Richard said, as Sunny giggled. “But just in case it doesn’t, why not confuse them further,” he added, before pulling me close and kissing me with a passion that was certainly something to talk about.
* * *
After we left Vista View, with Sunny’s promise to call later to report on her grandparents’ condition, Richard and I debated about stopping in at Aunt Lydia’s.
“Honestly, I think I’d like to just spend a little quiet time with you and the cats,” I said, as Richard parked in his driveway. “She knows I’m okay and has the basic news about the Fields family. I can fill her in more later.”
“Suits me,” Richard said. “I wouldn’t mind having you to myself for a while.”
We were greeted by Loie and Fosse, who’d apparently bonded over the utter indignity of their human forgetting to feed them at the proper time. Their combined yowls filled the air as Richard attempted to make his way into the kitchen without injury while both cats wove in and out of his legs.
I plopped down on the sofa and sank back into the cushions, propping my feet up on the coffee table. Exhaustion battled the ache of my bruises and scratches for my attention, but I was more concerned about the sharp tang of dried sweat rising from my sweater.
“Now that the cats have been fed, a treat for you,” Richard said, holding up one of the two glasses of wine he was carrying. “I suspect you’ll be almost as grateful as those ravenous beasts.”
“Bless you,” I said, after he crossed the room and handed me a glass. “But I need to ask another favor. Do you think I could grab a shower and you could lend me a T-shirt or something? I’m afraid today’s adventures have turned me rather rank.” I pulled the sweater away from my neck and gave an exaggerated sniff. “Yikes. You should’ve told me I smelled. There I was, sitting in the hospital and at Sunny’s, stinky as moldy cheese.”
“It isn’t that bad,” Richard said, “and you’ve put up with my exercise-induced sweat often enough. But sure, head upstairs and use the guest room shower. I’ll find you something.” He set his glass down on the coffee table next to mine. “I assume you want some sweatpants too?”
“They’ll be far too long,” I said, surveying his legs.
“You can roll them up.” He looked me over. “I’ll even help you up the stairs. I noticed you were moving a little stiffly climbing the steps to the porch. Which doesn’t surprise me, given what you went through today.”
I gave him a thumbs-up gesture, wincing when my fingernails hit my scraped palm.
As soon as I finished my shower, I changed into the clothes Richard had left outside the bathroom door. Dressing involved more wincing and some sotto voce swearing, but I managed to throw on one of Richard’s endless supply of black T-shirts and a pair of gray sweatpants. I had to roll up the legs several times to keep from tripping, but I figured anything was better than my dusty jeans. Leaving my shoes and socks in the bathroom, along with my sweat-stained bra, jeans, and sweater, I padded down the stairs, pausing in the hallway when Fosse dashed in front of me and flew into the living room. He was followed by Loie, sprinting like a cheetah. When they’d reached the center of the room, Fosse spun around and leapt onto Loie’s back, and the two kittens turned into one spinning ball of feet and fur.
“You two,” I said indulgently as Loie jumped away, arching her back and lowering her little black nose to the floor. Ears flattened to her head and tail swishing like a metronome, she faced off with Fosse.
The younger kitten appeared quite unperturbed by this show of ferocity. Lifting one orange marmalade–colored paw, he simply reached out and bopped Loie on the nose.
“Watch out,” Richard called from the sofa. “Another kitten battle’s under way.”
“So I see.” I waited as the cats streaked past the bottom of the stairs, heading back down the hall toward the kitchen.
“Oh, by the way,” Richard said, when I toddled across the room and joined him on the sofa, “I just got a text from Brad. They’ve taken Dan Dane into custody, so you don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“That’s great, but I’ll still have to see him, because I assume I’ll have to testify. Again.” I sighed. “But ignoring that for now, I must admit that I feel much better. The hot shower did wonders for my stiff muscles. Not to mention, I’m sure I’m much less aromatic.”
Richard sniffed. “You’ll do,” he said, flashing me a grin.
I grabbed my wineglass off the coffee table and downed a long swallow of Chardonnay. “This is the best medicine.”
“You think so?” Richard set down his glass and reached out to rub my temple gently with his fingers. “I give great massages, you know.”
“Hmmmm … tempting. But I think I want to finish off this glass, and maybe another, first.”
“All right, we’ll save that for later.” Richard leaned in and brushed a kiss across my forehead. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I was so worried when I couldn’t find you at the fair.”
“I was sure you’d figure it out,” I said, finishing off my wine and setting down my glass before snuggling closer to him. “If you didn’t see me with Aunt Lydia and the others, and I didn’t answer my phone, I knew you’d alert Brad that something was wrong.” I glanced up at him from under my lowered lashes. “But how did you guess so quickly that we were at the farm?”
“I don’t know. It just seemed odd that no one from the Fields family had shown up at the fair, and then Sunny wasn’t answering her phone either, so”—Richard slid his arm around me and pulled me closer—“both Brad and I felt like that was the first place to check.”
“Thank goodness you’re both smart men,” I murmured.
Richard smoothed my damp hair away from my forehead with gentle fingers. “Are we?”
“Of course. Neither Sunny nor I would fool around with stupid guys.” I leaned into Richard’s hand, pressing my cheek against his palm. “Although Sunny doesn’t date Brad anymore, which is sad, don’t you think?”
Richard caressed my cheek before lowering his hand, allowing my head to rest against his chest. “Oh, I don’t know. I expect she’ll meet someone else. And Brad and Alison make a good couple.”
I yawned. “They do. I like Alison, you know.”
“She’s a fine woman.” Richard’s lips brushed my ear. “You’re falling asleep, aren’t you?”
“Uh-huh. Mind?”
“Not at all.” Richard adjusted his position so that I could rest more comfortably in his arms. “You just rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Best news I’ve had all day,” I muttered, before I drifted into a blessedly dreamless sleep.
I woke while it was still dark. My hand brushed fur and I realized that Fosse, curled up in my lap, was snoozing quietly. Glancing over at Richard, I noticed that he’d also fallen asleep, as had Loie, who was stretched across his upper thighs. His eyes closed, Richard’s light snores created a gentle counterpoint to her rumbling purrs.
Laying my head back on his chest, I concentrated on the steady drumming of Richard’s heartbeat. Despite my own heart filling with so much love that I was afraid it would burst, I allowed Richard’s warm embrace and the kittens’ purring to lull me back to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
It was a month and a half later, after many interviews with the authorities and a few with reporters, that I finally felt I could put the whole business of Dan Dane and his murder spree behind me. Until the trial, of course. An event I was definitely not looking forward to.
But in the interim, we had something to celebrate. Sunny, her family name cleared, had easily won the mayoral race, and Aunt Lydia had arranged a casual party in honor of this achievement.
“I really shouldn’t be happy,” I said as some of the guests gathered in our sun-room to toast Sunny’s win. “Since she’s only going to be working part-time for me now, which means I have to find someone else to cover those extra hours.”
“Oh, you’ll do fine,” Sunny said. “I’ve mentioned the job to a couple of people who I think would be perfect, like Denise and Samantha Green. Either one of them would be great. And since it’s part-time, you don’t have to jump through quite as many hoops to hire someone.”
“True.” I took a sip of wine and stared out the back windows. The garden was mostly dormant now, although the rosemary bush sprawling across one bed was still covered in needlelike leaves, and spindly pines offered bright pops of green amid the bare trees and shrubs of the woods.
Zelda, seated next to Walt on the glider, waved her hand at me. “I know it’s a sacrifice, losing Sunny’s help full-time, but just consider what Taylorsford has gained.”
“Of course it’s the best thing for the town,” I said, shifting my gaze to Aunt Lydia, who’d just returned from the kitchen. She was bustling about the tall side table. “Need any help?”
“Everything’s under control,” she replied, setting down two plates of hors d’oeuvres.
“I’m sure it is, but I’m happy to bring out something if there’s more in the kitchen.”
“It’s fine, I already have the perfect waiters,” Aunt Lydia said, tilting her head toward the door that led into the hall.
Richard appeared, balancing an ice bucket and several glasses on a silver tray. He was followed by Hugh, who was carrying two open bottles of wine.
“Oh, I see,” I said with a grin. “You prefer the help to be good-looking.”
“Doesn’t hurt.” My aunt’s serious expression was belied by the upward twitch of her lips.
“Here you go,” Richard said, placing the tray on the side table.
“Thank you, and you too, dear,” Aunt Lydia said, offering her cheek up to Hugh for a kiss after he set down the wine bottles.
Sunny stepped forward to fill her glass. “Now tell me, Lydia, where can I find this type of help? I might need some handsome waiters for my mayoral events.”
“I’m happy to share, but I’m not sure you can afford them,” my aunt replied as she sat down in her wooden rocker.
Richard joined me at the back windows. “What are you talking about? You know all it takes is a couple of good meals. Right, Hugh?”
“Absolutely.” Hugh pulled the wicker chair closer to Aunt Lydia before sitting down.
“That sounds doable,” Sunny said, casting smiles at both men. “I can get my grandma to help. You know what a great cook she is.”
“Yes.” Aunt Lydia swirled the wine in her glass. “It’s such a shame she couldn’t compete in any of the baking contests at the fair this year. I know she spent a lot of time preparing for them.”
Zelda wrinkled her pert nose at my aunt. “What, so she could break the tie for all the ribbons between you and Jane Tucker?”
“Not all,” my aunt demurred.
“Only the categories you entered.” Zelda tossed her head, bouncing her crisp blonde curls. “Meanwhile, I went home empty-handed.”
Walt patted her hand. “You had me.”
“True, love, true. I suppose I shouldn’t complain.” Zelda clasped his hands in hers.
“I sure wouldn’t,” Sunny said. “Especially after the last guy I sort of fancied turned out to be a murderer.” She gave a mock shudder.
“We all missed the red flags on that one.” Richard slipped his arm around my waist. “By the way, has anyone heard anything about his trial?”
“Not scheduled yet, as far as I know,” Sunny said. “I think they may sentence his mother first. I guess you heard that she pled guilty to murdering Jeremy Adams.”
“So strange.” Walt shook his head. “I suspected lots of people, but never a fifteen-year-old girl. Do you think her age at the time of the crime will be a mitigating factor?”
“Maybe.” I finished off my wine and handed my glass to Richard, who placed it beside his on the table. “And her current age and poor health might come into play too. But I suspect she’ll be sent to some sort of prison, if not a maximum-security one.”
“Unlike Dan, who really has no excuse,” Sunny said. “I know he claimed to be protecting his mom, but it seems like he must’ve had some dark tendencies already, the way he took to killing and hurting people.”
“I’d say we all harbor those tendencies,” said the man walking into the sun-room carrying an expense bottle of liquor.
“Of course you would,” I told Kurt Kendrick. “But I think you’re wrong on that point. Can you really imagine Sunny ever murdering anyone?”
Kurt crossed the room and set the bottle of cognac on the side table before replying. “Sorry I’m late. Unforeseen complications with a sale,” he added, addressing Aunt Lydia before turning to Richard and me. “And yes, I can picture Ms. Fields killing someone. In self-defense, of course, but I think she has the strength of will for the job.”
“That’s true,” Sunny said, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. “If it was me or them, I’m going to take care of myself.”
I met Kurt’s amused gaze with a lift of my chin. “Well, sure, but that’s not the same as cold-blooded murder.”
He shrugged. “It’s still taking a life. Something all humans will do when necessary.”
“In your opinion,” Aunt Lydia said. “Now, let’s change the subject, shall we?”
“I don’t know if we should.” Hugh thoughtfully tapped his chin. “I’m intrigued by Mr. Kendrick’s opinions on murder.”
Kurt shot him a sharp glance. “No, Lydia is right. It’s not the proper topic for a celebration.” He poured a couple of fingers of cognac in a glass and lifted it to salute Sunny. “Brava, Madame Mayor.”
“Thank you,” she said.
I was surprised to see a little color rising in her cheeks. “Yes, we should be talking about Sunny’s victory, not vile killers.”
“Although I do have some news related to Jeremy’s case,” Walt said. “Good news,” he added, sharing a smile with Zelda.
