Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 02 - No Rest for the Wicked (13 page)

The sound of voices in the other room saved me from
manufacturing
a response that wouldn’t hurt Velda’s feelings further.
“
Someone’s out front.
”

By the counter, we found Minnie and Bianca deep in conversation.

Minnie put up a hand to silence Bianca when she saw Velda and adopted her version of a poker face.
“
Hello, Velda. How’s Eleanor today?
”

“
About the same
.
She does her best, but … well, she’s getting weaker all the time. In fact, I need to get home to fix her lunch. Just came to town for some chicken broth.
”
She glanced at me
,
then
addressed
Minnie
again
.
“
Actually
, I came to offer my help.
”

“
With what, dear?
”
Minnie asked.
“
The next SOS meeting isn’t—
”

“
Not SOS. I want to help solve the murder. I was too embarrassed to ask before, but now I’ve found a lead.
”

Minnie squirmed
.

Velda continued.
“
You said the sheriff’s already asked for Alix’s help.
”

“
That’s not the way I’d describe it,
”
Bianca said.
“
They grilled her. They made a mountain out of a molehill.
”

“
Oh, dear. How awful.
”
Velda’s rapt expression belied her words.

Glaring at Bianca,
I cut in.
“
Look, Alix is fine. She’s done her
, uh,
consulting
,
and now Arnie is following other leads. We all need to calm down.
”

“
Mom, someone killed that man,
and it wasn’t Alix
,
”
Bianca said.
“
But
Arnie doesn’t like
Alix
.
D
o you
honestly
think
he’ll
look for another suspect?
He’s too lazy.
”

“
T
hat’s just it,
”
Velda said proudly.
“
I found one
. A
nother suspect, I mean.
”

I watched helplessly as Minnie and Bianca looked at each other and nodded. Apparently Velda was in, whether she was a card-carrying member of the Murder of the Month Book Club or not.
And, like Bianca and Minnie, apparently she was in with the same mistaken belief that membership suddenly granted her super-sleuth powers.

Velda quivered like a bird dog on point.
“
Yesterday at the SOS meeting
,
it occurred to me that
various members of
this group had
previously
been victimized by a con man
.
T
hey might hold a grudge.
I started looking around.
”

“
My thoughts exactly,
”
Minnie said.

Birds of a feather, I thought. Or perhaps birdbrains of a feather.

“
The nervousness, avoidance of eye contact—
”

“
It was the anger I spotted,
”
Velda said.
“
That’s why I followed her.
”

“
You mean ‘the
m
,’
”
Minnie corrected.

Velda shook her head.
“
Alice was alone.
”

“
Why were you following Alice? It was Phil and Eileen Hedstrom who needed to be tailed.
”

“
But Alice mailed cash,
”
Velda insisted.

“
Please stop,
”
I said.
“
We were sitting right here yesterday with a group of nice people, and all of a sudden you’re thinking one of them—
”

“
Or maybe more than one,
”
Bianca interjected.

Et tu, Brute
? I thought.
“
Okay
…
one or more of them murdered some perfect stranger? Do you think everyone in the SOS group is a murderer?
”

Silence. I thought for one thrilling moment that logic had prevailed.

Then Minnie gave me a disapproving look, as though I’d belched at the dinner table, before she cranked it up again.
“
That’s just plain silly. Of course they’re not all murderers. Just one … or two … of them.
”

“
What do you have against Phil and Eileen?
”
I asked. Unlikely though it was that Minnie’s answer would make any sense, I might as well try.

“
Oh, that’s right. You’d left by the time people were looking at the newspaper. No wonder you didn’t understand. Phil and Eileen were studying the front page—you know, with the article about the murdered man possibly being involved with elder fraud—when all of a sudden they just up and left. Not a word to anyone. They looked positively grim. How do you explain that?
”

“
Maybe they had an appointment or indigestion or—
”

“
Don’t be ridiculous. No one ever got indigestion from eating my pound cake,
”
Minnie said stiffly. She narrowed her eyes.
“
I think when they read that article, they discovered they’d left a clue at the scene. That’s what I think.
”

“
But Alice looked so guilty,
”
Velda said.

“
You might be right,
”
Minnie said.
“
Hard to tell at this point. We’ll need to spread out and multiply our coverage. I’ll take the Hedstroms. Can you follow Alice again, Velda?
”

Velda’s face glowed.
“
I need to fix Aunt Eleanor’s lunch first, but I’ll get Maria to stay with her during her nap.
”

I half
-
expected Bianca to chime in with an offer to follow Dr. McCutcheon, but she had something else on her mind.
“
I’m supposed to meet Ty downtown. He wanted to talk to me about something, but he didn’t say what. Maybe he has another suspect. We can all check in with you here, Mom.
”

“
Roger that.
”

No one picked up on my sarcasm. Judging from the shine in Velda’s eyes, she hadn’t had this much fun in years. I already knew of the special talent the rest of my fellow Murder of the Month Book Club members showed for getting into trouble.

Since I couldn’t order this suddenly expanded group to behave sensibly, it was time for me to step out of their way. Maybe if they shadowed perfectly ordinary people for a while, they’d feel useful
but wouldn’t interfere with the official investigation, such as it was
. This silliness was bound to blow itself out sooner rather than later, but I
wouldn’t
hold my breath until it did.

“
Now, about tomorrow . .
.
”
Minnie said.

I stopped her.
“
Sorry. You’ll have to use your new cell phones to rendezvous then. I’m going fishi
ng.
”

Chapter 13

When I hadn’t heard from Nick by the end of the day, I left a note on his door and a message on his home phone as I had planned. With an anticipatory smile, I ignored his return message on my machine that night telling me that he was on his way back to Juniper, but he’d arrive too late to call. Then I went to bed, hoping my fav
orite fish would take the bait.

I timed it perfectly. The pre-dawn darkness hadn’t yet begun to lift when I pulled up in front of Nick’s house, but his living room lights were on. Several moments later the front door opened, silhouetting Nick briefly against the light. I’d guessed right. He was carrying a backpack, creel, and net.

As the house went dark, I stepped from my darkened car across the street and spoke in a low tone as he approached his Jeep.
“
Nick.
”

I could barely make out the oval of his face as he turned.
“
Jane? What are you doing here? You said you were going to be busy today.
”

“
I was. I am. Going fishing with you … I hope.
”

A dog barked over on the next block as Nick turned this development over in his mind. I held out the fragrant sack still warm from the Do-Nut-Forget-Me Bakery, where I’d been the first customer this morning. I moved closer, letting the aroma of cinnamon fill the air.

Slowly, Nick reached into the bag and brought out his prize.
“
Apple fritters?
”

“
First batch of the day.
”

“
Oh.
”

Without another word he unslung the pack from his shoulder and stowed his gear in back. Only then did he lean against the fender, arms crossed over his chest.

The early morning chill wasn’t the only thing giving me goose bumps. I took a deep breath and plunged in.
“
You were right. I haven’t been careful to make time for you, for us, lately. Sometimes I get caught up with other people and their problems and … well, I’m sorry. If you’d rather go fishing by yourself . .
.
”

“
Well, a gift of warm apple fritters makes me glad to have company.
”
Nick pushed away from the car and uncrossed his arms.
“
Let me get this straight. Your idea of fun has suddenly become fishing the Metolius at dawn?
”

“
Why else would I be here at this beastly hour?
”
I leaned a half step closer to him, drinking in the fresh smell of his skin.
“
Fishing is my life.
”

“
And all this time you’ve hidden your passion for the sport so well.
”
He pulled me into his arms.
“
Didn’t you once say any sport that required getting up before sunrise was barbaric?
”

“
You must have misunderstood me,
”
I murmured against his chest.

“
You don’t even have a license,
”
he said.

“
I do, too.
”
It was hard to concentrate while he was nuzzling my neck, but I managed to squeeze out the words.
“
Since yesterday afternoon.
”
Could he feel the pulse hammering in my throat?

“
Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?
”
Rhetorical question.

He kissed me before I could answer. My arms wound around his neck and the morning chill ceased to be a problem.

Eventually, I broke away to regain my bearings. What had Nick just asked? Oh yes. I dragged air into my lungs and tried for a casual tone of voice.
“
I wasn’t sure of myself at all. That’s where the apple fritters came in. Also, I brought lunch.
”

Apparently I wasn’t the only one finding it hard to refocus my attention. It took Nick a minute to adjust to the change of subject. He finally said,
“
Lunch?
So did I. Kipper snacks.
”

“
You might want to take me along. I brought more than that.
”
I held out my new cell phone for inspection.
“
See this? It’s magic. I hit the ‘off’ button, the screen goes dark, and we have the day to ourselves. Alix is fine, Bianca is fine. No interruptions. Okay?
”

Nick’s smile left no doubt about his opinion.
“
More than okay. Even beats apple fritters. Joe and Nellie Arganno should be squared away for now, but I’ll need to check in with them this afternoon.
”
He hauled out his own cell phone and turned it off before swinging open the passenger door. Bowing low, he said,
“
Meanwhile, your carriage awaits,
m
ilady.
”

As we left the dry terrain around Juniper and approached the country flanking the Metolius River, towering ponderosa pines and lush grass replaced the juniper and sagebrush. By mutual consent we agreed to lay aside the problems of others, at least for a few hours, and to enjoy the unexpected gift of the free day together. We dropped back into the easy relationship we’d enjoyed for the past six months, arguing amiably about books, politics, and philosophy as we drove. Underlying the conversation was my unspoken reaction to the trip Nick had suggested, but the emotional currents running between us left little doubt about my answer.

The hour’s drive passed quickly
,
and we were soon carrying our gear along a grassy path by the river’s edge. The water spun and danced past us, its surface catching the light of the rising sun in random flashes.

Nick raised his voice over the background song of the river.
“
Need help rigging up?
”

I knew what he thought of women who couldn’t manage their own gear, so I just made a face at him. He moved closer, his intent look suggesting that he had more than trout on his mind.

The minute he came within reach, I smiled sweetly and handed over my fly rod.
“
Well, sure, since you’re offering
.
”
I burst out laughing at his grimace.
“
C’mon, Nick. Get with the program. Lesson number one.
”

Lesson number one involved fitting the parts of the fly rod together and choosing a fly from Nick’s extensive collection. I couldn’t imagine that any fish would find these bits of thread and feathers attractive, but he was the expert. Lesson two taught me that casting wasn’t nearly as easy as Nick made it seem. Lesson three involved a lot of untangling of my line from rocks in the river, branches overhead, and even from the scarlet foliage of the Indian paintbrush nearby. Eventually, I set down my rod and strolled downstream along the riverbank, perching at last on a lichen-covered boulder for some solitary contemplation. The changing light brought the morning to life as the rising sun revealed an astonishing range of greens and golds in the surrounding meadows. No wonder artists loved to work with river scenes. Easy to see why Nick loved being here, too. I stretched out on the warm rock and dozed in the sunshine, rousing a few minutes later to the harsh sounds of blue jays in heated dispute over some tidbit.

“
Haven’t you guys heard about peace and tranquility?
”
They retreated a few feet at the sound of my voice, but resumed their argument there.
“
You win. It’s lunchtime anyway.
”
I dusted off my jeans and returned to the Jeep.

With excellent timing, Nick reappeared from fishing upstream just as I began unpacking the food. He didn’t waste any time tucking into the thick roast beef and cheddar sandwich on sourdough bread I’d brought for him. The sandwich was laced with tomato slices and horseradish, just the way I knew he liked it. A chilled bottle of Deschutes Black Butte Porter, crisp dill pickles, Kettle Chips, and shortbread cookies rounded out the meal. He demolished every bite before pronouncing judgment.
“
Definitely a step up from my kipper snacks.
”

“
Only one step up?
”

“
Maybe two.
”

Silence surrounded us. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent a day this satisfying. Being with Nick felt right.

“
Thank you,
”
he said,
“
for the lunch, for wanting to come today. This is nice. Actually, it’s a lot better than nice.
”

“
My sentiments exactly. Thanks for the fishing lesson.
”

“
Anytime.
”
Nick settled back against a log before speaking again.
“
So, what kicked you into high gear today? Not that I’m complaining.
”

“
It’s pretty simple, when you get right down to it.
”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“
When you broke our date yesterday,
I didn’t like it
.
T
he
Arganno
s
needed you and you went.
Don’t get me wrong.
I
t’s great
that
you
rushed off to help them
, but
it’s the first time the shoe
’s been
on the other foot
,
with me
waiting
for you
.
”

“
So you finally figured out why I didn’t like that
role
? After how many broken dates?
”

“
Don’t remind me. I think maybe I’ve just fallen into the habit of saying yes whenever anyone asked for my help.
”

“
And fishing today is going to change everything? You’re not going to break a date every time Minnie loses her flour sifter?
”

I tossed a sandwich wrapper at him.
“
Well, today’s a start. Besides, Minnie probably has an extra flour sifter somewhere. I’ll try to remember that.
”

“
Don’t beat up on yourself too much. I like the way you care about people who need your help, too, but I have to admit that I don’t much favor coming in third or fourth … or whatever … on your list of priorities.
”
Nick spoke quietly.

The dates I had broken in the past apparently had reminded him of
his ex-wife. He and
Amanda
had
divorced eighteen years
ago
. Their marriage had failed when Amanda’s public relations career proved more interesting than Nick and their twin sons, Pete and Theo. Amanda had moved alone to Chicago, leaving Nick to cope with the boys as best he could.

“
You’re high on my list, Nick. It’s just not always that easy to make choices. If your sons lived here instead of Santa Monica, you’d have more of these same conflicts.
”

“
Probably so, but I don’t have friends who routinely get tangled up in murder investigations.
”

“
Just twice,
”
I joked.

“
In less than a year,
”
he reminded me gently. We both laughed, but then Nick took my hands and turned serious again.
“
Look, Jane, I’d like some idea of where this relationship is going.
”

“
I thought I’d made that clear . .
.
”
I let my voice trail off, but he didn’t pick up the thread, so I f
inished with a playful question,
“
.
. . or was that someone else in the driveway this morning?
”

“
I was there, but were you? Every time I think we’re getting closer, you pull away.
”
He put up a hand to forestall my denial.
“
I’m not imagining things. It’s happened more than once, and I can’t help wondering—
”

“
What?
You think I’m just playing a game? Give me some credit.
”
I couldn’t see the problem.

“
Sometimes I think I’m competing with a ghost. I understand that you had a happy marriage. I’m glad you did, but Tony died two years ago. Sometimes I wonder whether you think
you’re still married to him.
”

I was stunned.
“
You really wonder that? It’s … it’s absurd.
”

“
Is it? You know I didn’t move to Juniper for the fishing. It’s been six months and, frankly, I thought we’d have a lot more settled between us by now.
”