The Devil Wore Sneakers (3 page)

She nodded.

“The meals are on the house.” Liam swept a glance over the meager group. “I think you know the Moose. It’s located on Main next to Father Francis’s church, where you can repent your sins after visiting the bar and grill.”

So like Liam to take center stage. Her thoughts filtered back to past summer days at the quarry. Liam and Ryan had climbed to the top of the highest boulders and dared each other to jump into the water. She’d held her breath when Liam had looked down at her and flashed a wicked grin. He’d raised a fist over his head and, with a whoop, leaped off into the pool below. She hadn’t breathed again until he’d surfaced.

Now she wouldn’t breathe until he drove away from the cemetery.

“If anyone needs a lift,” he said, “my chariot is here.” He whirled around and headed to his truck.

Why had he invited them for a meal? Was lunch his way of making up for skipping the funeral?

Father Francis approached her. “I’m sorry. I must get back to my office.”

“Thank you, Father. Be sure to give my appreciation to the parishioners who donated to the church fund for Ryan’s ceremony.”

“That’s the purpose of the account, my dear. Stop at the rectory if I can be of further service during your stay.”

She nodded as Clarissa waited to take his place. Lucy moved away from the group and gathered her courage to meet her former sister-in-law.
Prepare for the worst
.

“I was Ryan’s wife. Check the obituary if you’ve forgotten.”

“I’m the one who put your name in the obit, Clarissa.” What was she after? Maybe she wanted to create a scene and make Ryan’s funeral a disaster. Her final revenge would be complete.

“You should have consulted me. Ryan didn’t want a few mumbled words over a coffin stuck under a tree. You did this because you were mad he dumped the old man in a nursing home and I supported his decision. Tit for tat.”

True, Lucy had hoped to hire in-home care for Gramps. She felt Clarissa’s stab.
Stay calm. Clarissa wants to make this about her.
She would have planned a big funeral if she’d been in charge. Then she’d get to play the part of the grieving ex and get all the attention.
“What are you doing here, Clarissa?”

“I heard you’ve been talking to the police. You better not spread gossip to them about me.” She tossed her blonde head at the casket. “And I came to be sure the devil was dead. In the future, don’t come near me. I don’t need any reminders of Ryan Watson.” With a huff, she turned on her heel and walked away.

“Ryan and I never discussed his last wishes,” Lucy called to her. But knowing her brother’s love of the spotlight, she’d agree this service wasn’t his kind of final goodbye. She’d given him what she’d needed: quick and simple.

Was she turning into a vindictive person? She fit the profile. She’d had problems letting go of their squabbles. Guilt threatened to bubble up and explode into sobs. She tightened her lips to force them away.

At the sound of a twig snapping, she glanced up at Mr. Carlyle shuffling toward her. “I must repeat how sorry I am for your loss, Miss Watson. The high school staff and students loved Ryan.”

Was he loved mainly by the women? The retort popped into Lucy’s mind, but she swallowed her reply. “Mr. Carlyle, if you learn anything that sounds plausible about my brother’s death, please, let me know.”

“I doubt I can help. I’m not much into gossip. Besides, I can’t believe anyone at the high school would hurt him, but the police are questioning everyone. Parents have been lining up outside the principal’s office to yell about their children’s rights. Lots of unusual activity has been going on because of his death.”

Ryan would have loved the uproar.

“Take care of yourself, Miss Watson.” He patted her arm and hobbled toward the road.

Next, the strawberry blonde crossed the ground in a faltering gait to meet Lucy. “Miss Watson, I’m Isabella Jackman. Most people call me Bella.”

Lucy accepted the small, warm hand that the young woman offered.

“Ryan’s death was such a tragedy,” she murmured. Her eyes lit with a dreamlike quality. “He was like Romeo in
Romeo and Juliet
.”

Well, he could be a Romeo. “You were a friend of Ryan’s?” Lucy asked.

“We were going to be married.” A half smile flashed on her face and disappeared. “We picked out a ring, and Ryan was waiting for the right moment to propose.”

“Oh.” Lucy stepped back and broke contact with the girl. No one had mentioned finding a ring at Ryan’s house. More likely, Ryan had strung Isabella along with promises of marriage. He’d done it to others. On the other hand, Maybe Ryan hadn’t even mentioned marriage. The woman’s soft voice and glazed eyes gave her the appearance of being detached from reality.

“We fell in love on the first date.” Isabella leaned closer and whispered, “He said I was nothing like his ex-wife.”

“That’s…sweet.” A jab of sympathy for the young woman struck her. Lucy pointed into the distance to change the subject. “Are you going to the Moose?”

“No, I have to work. I’m at the gift shop next to the church. Stop in while you’re in town.” Isabella turned away and then stopped. “Ryan mentioned you often. He missed you.”

Lucy felt her jaw drop. Had he missed their arguments the most?

Patches of ice crunched under the soles of Isabella’s shoes as she hiked between the graves to the remaining car.

Lucy tossed a last glance at the casket. The police chief’s words occupied her thoughts
. Gunshot to the chest. Dying in a pool of his own blood. Dead for a day before the school contacted the police.

A red convertible crept past. The tinted windows prevented her from seeing the occupants. The driver held a phone out the window, up in the air, and snapped a picture of Ryan’s casket. Then the sports car took off with pebbles flying from under the tires. Lucy caught a flash of pink inside as the vehicle flew by her.

Gawker
, Lucy thought. She forced herself closer to the coffin. She’d left once without a real goodbye. In her final note, she’d told him she was never returning. If only life had retakes like the movies.

“Bye, Ryan,” she whispered. “You were the last of my family. I loved you. Your problems are over now.” She stretched her hand out, and her fingertips touched the smooth wood.

The funeral home had recommended cremation to save money. Since fire had terrified him, she’d squashed the idea. She turned and picked her way down the icy path.

“Lucy,” Liam called to her. He leaned against the door of his parked truck with his arms folded.

She’d kind of hoped he’d left. She could walk back, but she needed to talk to him. So Lucy did the opposite of what she wanted to do— run from Liam McAllister— and crossed the ground to meet him.

Chapter 4

“Need a ride to the Moose?” Liam pushed away from his pickup and blocked her path.

A familiar shiver of awareness spiked her pulse. When was the last time they’d been this close? Not that it mattered. She searched his face for signs of anger.

Instead, his hazel-green eyes widened with humor. “As I recall, you avoided the outdoors once the temperature hit fifty.”

“I can handle the cold. I’m tougher now.” A twinge of remorse pinched her. Okay, she’d just lied, and at her brother’s funeral. “I’m surprised you showed up today, Liam. You never answered my email.”

“Sorry. I was in shock.” He rubbed his neck.

“I wanted to make sure you heard about Ryan before the police announced it.” She’d expected a response from him that would help lessen the tension of their face-to-face meeting in Barley.

“We had our differences, but your brother was my friend. Come to the Moose. We’ll talk, and it’s my treat. How can you resist?” A touch of humor tinged his voice.

Maybe she could beg a previous commitment. Then again, the Mad Moose Bar and Grill was the town gathering place and center for gossip. If Liam hung there, he’d know more about what happened to Ryan than Chief Sullivan did. “Thanks, I’ll take you up on the lunch offer.”

For an instant, she flashed back to a prior breakfast. Liam had cooked eggs and bacon, and they’d shared their first kiss.

“Did you forget something?” he asked.

No way would she confess the truth to him. “I thought I smelled cooking. Guess I’m hungry.”

The hum of a car approaching tore her attention from him.

“Someone is later for the service than I was.” He gestured to the road.

She edged onto a patch of grass as the black SUV glided to a halt.

Chief Sullivan stepped out of the driver’s side. He wore his Barley uniform, badge, and hat, but no overcoat. He must have developed thick blood. As he approached, she noted he was as tall as Liam.

“Morning, Miss Watson. Is the funeral over?” His brown eyes shifted to Liam, and his features hardened.

“Yes. Liam invited everyone to the Moose for a bite. Can you join us?”

“I’m working, Miss Watson. I’d like to speak to you for a moment in private.” He inclined his head to a spot nearby.

“Of course, Liam, if you don’t want to wait—”

“No problem. I’m not in a hurry.” He folded his arms and lounged against his truck as though he had all day.

She walked beside the chief for a few feet before they stopped and faced each other. “Did you find something out?” Why else would he be looking for her?

“The blood results arrived.”

“Oh, blood.” Fuzziness took over her brain. She concentrated on the chief’s face.

“No surprises, I’m afraid. The blood present at the scene belonged to your brother and only him.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“I had another reason for stopping. As I drove past, I saw you with McAllister. I’m here to warn you. I questioned the witness to Ryan and Liam’s fight again. He’s decided he doesn’t mind if I give you his name. It was Johnny Gage. I’m sure you’ll agree he’s an honest man.”

“Gage reconfirmed the argument?”

“He did. Gage overheard your brother and McAllister quarreling about money. McAllister stormed off the lot. At one point, Gage expected a slugfest, and I’ll remind you, it occurred on the day your brother was shot.”

Why was Gage shining the spotlight on Liam? Did he have something to hide?

“I learned McAllister got into a physical altercation a few years ago. The man wanted to press charges, but ended up dropping them.”

“I recall the fight.” She struggled to find the words. She didn’t want Liam to look like a hothead. “A drunk hit on me at a bar. When he wouldn’t lay off, Liam stepped in and forced him to leave. Later, the drunk pressed charges. The police investigated and cleared Liam.”

“I’m saying he’s used non-peaceful ways to solve a problem at least once. I’m sure I can find a pattern if I search.”

He probably could. “Chief, Ryan and Liam were buddies, not enemies. I’m interested in how much my brother owed Liam.”

“I’ll continue digging. In the meantime, you should stay away from McAllister. If your brother was drinking again, he might have run up a bill for his alcohol. Maybe to pay it off, he borrowed money from McAllister, who took care of your brother when he didn’t repay his loan.”

Liam shot Ryan? No way. He never would. “Thank you for the update. I’ll keep my visit to the Moose brief.”

“You’re still going with him?”

“Yes. Liam wouldn’t kill Ryan unless he lost his mind.”

“Insanity is hard to prove in New Hampshire.” The chief scowled and stomped a foot. “One last thing. We’re done processing the crime scene, but you should hire one of those bio trauma companies to clean up the hallway. Contrary to what people think, law enforcement isn’t paid to wipe up after an illegal activity. Your brother’s house isn’t…pleasant, Miss Watson. The sooner you contact them, the better, as there are few in the North Country, and they cover a wide area.”

“I’ll consider it, and please call me Lucy.”

Sullivan shot a glance at Liam lingering by his truck. “Are you sure I can’t give you a lift…Lucy?”

“Thank you, Chief, I’m set.”

“Remember what I said. Be careful around McAllister.” Sullivan headed for his SUV.

She rejoined Liam and climbed into the passenger seat.

“Did he offer his condolences?” he asked, grabbing his seatbelt.

“He reminded me you were a person of interest and offered me a ride.” She waited for his reaction. Had he changed during the years they’d been separated?

She was different. Who would have predicted that Lucy Watson would become involved in an illicit relationship? Ryan’s friends remembered her as the little sister, tagging along and reminding people of the rules in her annoying, goody-goody-way.

“If I’m Sullivan’s best suspect, his case is in trouble.” Liam jammed his key into the ignition. “He has no clue what he’s doing. The last murder in Barley was thirty years ago. I’m surprised you didn’t take him up on the ride, though.”

“I don’t need the police chief to escort me around town. You do hold a grudge against law enforcement, Liam.”

“I don’t have a grudge, even though they picked me up for a bunch of pranks when I was young and stupid.”