Murder Take Two (38 page)

“Assault with intent to kill, reckless endangerment—”

She kissed him, sweetly, with promise. “After the filming, do you think you could change your mind and we could go somewhere? You and me? Please?”

33

It was just dusk. From the kitchen window, Yancy watched the bats swoop and arc against the gray sky as they left their houses for the evening hunt.

“What is all this?” Serena said warily as he poured coffee into mugs and asked her to sit down.

“Come on. Don't be so suspicious.” He cut two pieces of the apple pie he'd bought on the way over, slid them to plates, and pushed one across the table to her.

“You're trying to soften me up for something, Peter. I know you.” Her joking tone didn't hide the hint of exasperation underneath. “That stuff may work with Mom, but—” She forked off the end of the pie and stuck it in her mouth. “Uh-huh, good. We better eat before we fight.” She took another bite. “We are going to fight, aren't we?”

He sipped coffee. “I have a plan.”

She started to say something.

“Wait. Mrs. Evanosky's husband died.”

“Who's Mrs. Evanosky?”

“I met her at the hospital. She was trying to survive the vigil of his death.”

“So?”

“She has no money.”

“Ah.”

“You see where I'm going with this?”

“We couldn't afford her.”

“We could afford something, and she could live here.”

Serena eyed him with her head tilted to one side. “Have you talked with Mom about this?”

“I wanted to run it by you first.”

“You think she'll like it?”

“She feels guilty about you, Serena. Like she's depriving you of a life.”

Tears came to her eyes. “I know. I love her, Peter, and sometimes I want—and then I'd like—and—”

“Hey—”

“I feel like such a terrible person. And I've been yelling at you and—”

“Serena,” he said softly. “Don't get in a knot. You're entitled to a life. It's just that sometimes I forget. This might work.”

34

… and all in the name of love.

“Storm's coming,” the waitress said as she refilled Susan's coffee mug. “Electricity in the air.”

Words of prophecy. She'd barely spoken when the café lights dimmed, then brightened again. Thunder rumbled. In the blink of an eye, rain washed down the windowpane.

A rainy evening for musing over the vagaries of life. Writing to Justin Kiddering had her wondering what might have been. If they had married, if they had opened their own law firm. Two or three children and a divorce? Certainly not a seat in the last booth of a coffee shop in Kansas.

Clem loved her mother who loved her father who loved Laura Edwards who loved … And that was the house that Jack built.

They've all returned to Hollywood. Maybe now those of us out here on the prairie can go back to our buckskins and buckboards. Nothing at all pertaining to the subject at hand, but did you know that Daniel Boone never wore a coonskin hat? An entire country believes he did. Just shows the power of Hollywood.

We had it. That power, I mean. It swept through town like the plague. Infected my department. Would you believe even I wasn't immune? True, I'm sorry to say.

All these good solid folks behaving like they were in a movie. I stayed cool until the last reel, then the fever seized me.

I had one officer stabbed. Inexperienced, trusting. He's not as much of either anymore. Although he was on the right track. I called Sophie the cat lady who makes pumpkin bread. Clove is one of the ingredients. No wonder he thought of pumpkin bread when he was stabbed, Delmar constantly ate clove Life Savers.

I think the officer was on the way to being in love with Clem. She loved him, that I do know. He's the hero type. You know, rescue the damsel from the burning tower. One thing, he'd never seen anything like her before.

Another officer—well, I'm not sure what happened to him. Stabbed in the heart maybe. Not literally, of course.

Rumors are rife through the department that he will pack up and take of with Ms. Edwards. His status has never been higher in the eyes of the male officers. If he'll get over it, I have no clue.

Somebody slid into the booth across from her. She felt that electricity in the air and raised her head.

Parkhurst, slightly damp around the edges. Putting down her pen, she leaned back. “Weren't you invited to the promised land?”

He half-smiled. “Sharks stay in familiar waters.”

ALSO BY CHARLENE WEIR

Family Practice

Consider the Crows

Winter Widow

 

MURDER TAKE TWO

Copyright © 1998 by Charlene Weir. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Weir, Charlene.

Murder take two/Charlene Weir.—1st ed.

p. cm.

“A Thomas Dunne book.”

ISBN 0-312-29193-0

I. Title.

PS3573.E39744M8 1998

813'.54—dc21

97-40421

CIP

First edition

eISBN 9781466834453

First eBook edition: November 2012