The Devil Wore Sneakers (11 page)

“Okay, forgive me for asking this, but would your ex-wife break into your pickup?”

“My ex moved to Vermont and married a car salesman. They have a child.”

“You stay in touch?”

“Her sister visited Barley last year and filled me in.”

Lucy tapped the rim of her teacup with a finger. “The breakup must have been tough, even if it was a short relationship.”

“Truth? As soon as we separated, I reexamined my life. She did me a favor.” A big one.

“What if it was Matt who broke into your truck?”

He had to tell her. It was now or never. “I found a holy card with the picture of John the Baptist’s head on my driver’s seat this morning. The police want it kept quiet.”

Her eyes widened with shock. “Matt threatened you and you didn’t tell me?”

“Hastings is using bully tactics. I can’t give in to his manipulations. The best we can do is let the cops catch him and stay safe. I’ll speak to the Moose crew. I’ll reinforce that they need to be careful and report anything unusual.”

“He wouldn’t be terrorizing you if it weren’t for me.” She closed her eyes and shook her head.

“I want you here. Nothing Hastings does will change that fact.” Liam covered her hand where it rested on the bar, giving in to his urge to touch her.

She opened her mouth, but he didn’t give her a chance to speak. He needed to say his piece. “Luce, forget Hastings for now. I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“I wish I hadn’t been an idiot on your birthday all those years ago.” He tensed, waiting for her reaction to his confession. He’d entered dangerous territory. She’d made it plain she didn’t want to fix their broken relationship. Still, she hadn’t pulled away.

“We were young.” Sadness lingered in her eyes.

“I agree. I acted like an adolescent. A college degree didn’t make me smarter. Most people grow up at twenty-five, but I was a slow learner. I’ve wised up, Luce.”

“It happens. I hope the tragedies end.” She bowed her head and traced an invisible line on the bar counter. “First Matt, then Ryan’s death, and now you’re a target.”

“Tell me about Hastings.”

She stared into her mug. “Okay. You know most of it. Matt was my priest. He counseled me when my last relationship neared an end. Looking back on our sessions, I recall him as this strong, supportive person. Somehow, it all went wrong, and I made the wrong choices.”

“He used his position and you.”

“No matter what his intentions were, the affair should never have happened. I’m working on getting back my self-respect. Each morning, I repeat the serenity prayer to remind myself to do what’s right and not what’s easy.”

“Sometimes we can’t see our mistakes until after we’ve made them.”

“I’ve asked myself a lot of questions about my past decisions, especially when the police discovered evidence in his rectory of his possible involvement with the murder of missing girls. I had to ask myself what kind of person I’d trusted.”

Her revelation left him speechless. Finally, he mumbled, “That’s a tough one.” He should say more, but her stiff body and avoidance of eye contact told him she’d had enough. He struggled with the urge to pull her to him and comfort her.

“I’ve promised myself not to repeat past mistakes.”

“We wouldn’t be a mistake, Luce.”

She raised her head and studied him. What was she thinking? He tried to calm the hope racing through him.

“Liam, we—”

“Hey, boss.” Hank and Sadie burst through the kitchen door.

No. His staff had the worst timing.

“We decided you should get a guard dog, a big one,” Hank said. “We can build him a dog house, and he can keep watch over the Moose and your truck. What do you say?”

“Dogs need care. You don’t stick an animal outside and wait for him to bark.”

“We’ll feed him or her,” Sadie said.

“I volunteer to walk him.” Hank held up his palm.

“Thanks for the offers, but I’m voting the plan down. We should stay near the restaurant and on guard.”

Sadie’s eyes lit with interest as her gaze flickered to his hand over Lucy’s.

Liam pulled it away, ending their contact. He didn’t need his crew gossiping about them.

Lucy cleared her throat. “Liam and I are pretty sure the man who broke into his truck is Matt Hastings. He’s the person who’s been stalking me.” She gave them a quick description of him and added, “He may be in disguise. Don’t take any chances with strangers, no matter how charming they are.”

Sadie hopped up on a stool. “Don’t worry. I carry pepper spray, and my sisters took self-defense classes. We’ll all be on the lookout. You’ll let Bella know, right, Hank?”

“I will, for sure.”

“Thanks, everyone. Be careful. I’m sure you understand. He’s dangerous,” Lucy said. “If you see anyone acting strange— or stranger than normal— call the police. Don’t approach him.”

“Got it. Call 911.” Sadie held up her phone.

Liam stood up. “Thanks, and stay on guard. Meanwhile, what’s the lunch special today?”

Sadie jumped down from her seat. “Before we discuss food, Hank has another idea.”

Liam raised a brow at his bartender. “If it involves you selling me a dog, the answer is no.”

“Okay, no dog. I’m not sure this will cheer you guys up, but I’ve been thinking about the drinks you and I have created. Well, the Moose should schedule a tasting night. Get people to buy a sampler tray and vote for their favorite drink.”

“Could work.” Liam nodded. “Hit me with the details.”

“Ah, I hadn’t gotten beyond the sampling.”

“Decide on prices and figure out the profit margin before close today. Write it up, and I’ll go over the proposal with you. If the numbers end up in the plus column, we’ll hold a mixology evening in a few weeks. Meanwhile, we have our weekly Trivia Night coming up.”

“I’ll work on the plan.” Excitement gleamed in the big guy’s eyes.

Sadie gave him a smile before turning to Liam. “Thanks, boss. I’ve got to get my prep done. Talk to you later, Lucy.”

Hank high-fived Sadie before they disappeared into the kitchen, chattering about advertising for the special event.

“Those two seem happy.” Lucy stood. “Excuse me. I have calls to make.”

“When do you want to meet with Sullivan for the update on the pedophile accusations?”

“I’m going to call and ask him to fill me in on the phone. Thanks for the offer, though.” She inched toward the hall. “Let’s pray the police arrest Matt soon.” She left him sitting at the end of the bar.

His mind drifted to the moment before Sadie and Hank had interrupted them. Lucy had been about to tell him something. Would it have been good or bad? One thing was certain. He could use a little Lucy in his life.

* * *

Lucy spent the afternoon upstairs, checking in with shelters about Target. Nobody had found a white husky. She stuffed the list in her pocket. The news that Hastings had been at the Moose prompted her to keep looking out the window for signs of him.

Her thoughts wandered to Liam’s statement yesterday. Sullivan wanted to find the gun that ended Ryan’s life. She grabbed her cell from the kitchen table and pulled up a search on the web. Within minutes, she stared at images of .38 Specials. “Too morbid,” she mumbled. She exited the website and began scrolling through sites about lost and found pets.

The day crawled to a close. After eleven, the Mad Moose closed for the evening, and the downstairs noise quieted. Lucy sat in the cushioned chair Liam had insisted on bringing from the storage unit. She gazed out on Main Street. The floor lamp next to the couch gave off a soft yellow glow. Outside, the streetlights glinted off the flakes from the Alberta Clipper, which was dumping a couple of inches on Barley. No one roamed around in this weather.

The stillness yanked on her nerves. Was Liam asleep? In her pocket, she fingered the key that unlocked her doors.

Movement on the street caught her attention. She leaned forward and focused on a dark form hovering on the edge of the streetlight’s reach. The figure looked up at her window.

Lucy squinted and peered closer. The person moved to stand beneath the lamppost. Matt?

She gasped and ducked out of sight. Was it him? Was he smiling over the holy card he’d left Liam? Thinking of cutting off his head? She shivered in panic and snapped off the light. What should she do?

Be sure. Look again. Don’t let him get to you.

She tiptoed across the room. Sweat broke out on her forehead. Standing a few feet from the pane, she stared at the spot where the shape had lingered. No one was there.

She grabbed her phone to take his picture if he returned. The minutes ticked past. She stood near the window, her mind bouncing back and forth between certainty and uncertainty.
Please, let me see you again
. Then she prayed he’d never show.

Chapter 13

March 20

The next morning, Lucy searched the online version of the Barley newspaper on her phone. At least nothing came up about her brother’s possible affair with a student. She’d keep her fingers crossed.

Loud knocking on the door carried up the stairs and into her apartment. Lucy pocketed her phone in her jeans and rose from the sofa. Who was here? Matt’s face popped into her mind. She’d spent most of her night lurking near her window, watching for the person.

The only activity outside had been the plow lumbering past before dawn. Maybe she’d imagined the figure. Lack of sleep sent people over the edge.

She glanced out the window. Last night’s snow squall had left three inches on the sidewalk. The sound of a shovel scraping the pavement carried to her apartment. No one lingered on the walkway. The banging on the Moose’s front door persisted. What if it was an emergency?

She ran down to the first floor. At the bottom step, she called out, “Who is it?”

“Lucy, it’s Bella Jackman. Can I come up?”

“Wait a minute.” Lucy unlocked the door to find the young woman on the other side. She wore a navy jacket, and in her gloved hands she held a dish covered with foil.

“This is for you.” Bella thrust the dish at Lucy. “Welcome home. I’m sorry you’re here for such a sad occasion, but the happy news is, you’re in Barley.”

Welcome home? “I won’t be staying, Bella.” That sounded harsh. “Thank you for the plate of goodies. Want to come inside?”

Bella nodded. “I’m not expected at work for another thirty minutes.”

Lucy led the way upward and into the kitchen. “You’ll recognize the extra chairs and table from the restaurant. Sit down, please. Would you like a drink and a…” She peeled up a corner of the foil. An unusual scent hit her. “Cookie?”

“No thank you, and they’re chocolate chip. I use an old recipe with a special ingredient.”

Bella draped her jacket over the chair and stuffed her gloves in a pocket. “I baked them last night. Hank ate half of them already.” She sat across from Lucy. “I heard about Liam’s truck.”

Had she come for gossip? “Liam wasn’t happy, but who would be? At least the insurance will pay for the replacement glass and the broken lock on his door.”

“Why do some people cause trouble?” Bella’s fogged eyes focused on Lucy. “You know, we were almost sisters-in-law. I never had a sister. I would have liked that.”

“Thank you, Bella.” Maybe it was good Ryan had died before she learned that he loved to be engaged, but not married.

“Ryan used to say you and I had a lot in common. Hank took care of me. Ryan took care of you.”

Ryan had taken care of her? Each year she’d found herself taking more and more responsibility for her brother. “He tried. I guess.”

“I planned the most beautiful wedding.” A dreamy expression spread across Bella’s face. “We agreed to hold the ceremony and the party outside at his house. Of course, I wanted you for my maid of honor.”

“I’m sure the event would have been memorable, Bella.”

“After we married, Ryan was going to set up a tea room for me. I’ve dreamed about owning one. I collect teacups. Ryan told me you drink tea.”

“Uh, yes, I do, but I’m not particular about the brand or whether it’s loose leaf. A tea bag is fine with me.” Feeling uneasy, Lucy grabbed a cookie. “Let’s eat.”

“I ate breakfast. Hank woke up starving and cooked pancakes and bacon.”

“He’s a good roommate.”

“I live a floor above him.” Bella looked over Lucy’s head. “At night I talk to Ryan. He comes to me.”

The cookie fell from Lucy’s fingers and hit the dish. “Oops.” She gave Bella a weak smile.

“He’s at peace. He wanted me to tell you not to cry for him.”

“Did he say—” Lucy’s voice wavered; it was a dumb question, but she had to ask.

“—who shot him?” Her guest shook her head. “No, he doesn’t bring it up because he doesn’t want to trouble me.”

Bella had said it was a dream, but she spoke as if he’d dropped by for a visit. How could Lucy end this discussion? “At least you said goodbye to him.”

“He can’t leave until you and I stop stressing about him.”