A Minute on the Lips (6 page)

“That’s one idea.” Sarah placed a towering slice of cheesecake complete with strawberry drizzle on the table. After she’d left both plates, Andi added, “Or you could sit there and be quiet so I can enjoy this piece of cheesecake.”

“I don’t get you, Sheriff. People generally like me. Everybody except you. And Jackie, but him I can live with.” Andi didn’t say anything, because that was exactly the problem: people always liked him. He could get away with murder because he was charming. Her father had been the same way. Everything was fun and games until he lost interest, found a better option and moved along, leaving other people to pick up the pieces. And she’d tried to do the very best job she could, but it wasn’t enough here.

He tapped his cheesecake with a fork and shook his head sadly. “You seriously do not get how this date thing goes, do you? We’re supposed to trade our favorite colors, movies, songs and end with a rousing display of our five-year plans.”

Andi tilted her head to the side. “I’m not sure I’m the one with the problem in understanding, Mr. Taylor. I’m pretty sure you could ask ten people and they’d all say a date should start with an invitation. And I’m also pretty sure we can both agree there was absolutely no invitation involved in this little dinner.”

Andi picked up her fork and took her first bite of the sinful satisfaction that was cheesecake at the Smokehouse.

“Ooh, that was a burn. I think you got me.” He watched Andi take her second bite. “If I had asked, what would you have said?”

“No. Of course the answer would be no.” Andi rolled her eyes. “You just want to talk about Jackie’s case.”

“What if I promised the case wouldn’t even come up?” Mark tilted his head to the side.

“My answer would be a louder no.” Andi sighed. “And I don’t believe you. You’ve already proven the story is king.”

He shrugged. “I’m a really good investigative reporter, and my stories are fair. You can trust me. My mother will vouch for me, of course, as a fine young man. What’s the harm in a dinner or two, just to ease relations between the paper and the sheriff’s office?”

Andi shook her head. “I don’t see the need. I won’t give you the inside scoop.”

Both of his eyebrows shot up. “You don’t see the need? For the sheriff’s office to work with the newspaper? For the woman running for reelection to get some positive press? I don’t believe it. You’re smarter than that.”

He had a point. She did her best to fight back the smile that threatened when he rolled his eyes. He forked the last bit of dessert into his mouth before he wiped it with the cloth napkin.

“Maybe you’re right about that, but is having a better working relationship with the sheriff’s office worth following me, invading my space and playing the getting-to-know-you game?” She had no idea where the question came from. Possibly the sugar rush.

Mark blew out a gusty sigh. “Yes, my job would be easier if you could see me as a good guy, one who only wants to serve Tall Pines...with the facts
and
your truth, if I can wrap my head around it.” He arched an eyebrow to make sure she caught his drift. Andi nodded. “And there’s something about you, Sheriff. I want to help you even when you make me crazy. As a sincere apology and proof of my good intentions, let me help with Jackie’s case.”

He motioned Sarah over and asked for coffee, then rested his elbows on the table. “Or I can keep following you around, jump out when you least expect it and ruin other desserts.”

The steady pressure of his stare got to her. She wanted to enjoy her last bites, and she couldn’t do that with him watching so closely.

He shrugged. “I used to be just like you, Sheriff. Worked harder, longer hours than anybody else because I believed in what I was doing. I wanted to save the world one news story at a time. All that got me was an angry ex-wife who didn’t believe a man could be working all those nights—so there must be another woman—an ulcer and trouble sleeping at night. But I want to help you and I’m very good at asking the right questions. Let’s work together.”

Then he waited. When Sarah returned with the coffee, Andi huffed a put-upon sigh. “Why are you even here in Tall Pines? It’s not exactly a hotbed of news or social life.”

He licked his lips, then smiled. “Okay, since I don’t think you’re going to play the game correctly because you have a decided ornery streak, I’m going to give you the long, convoluted answer.”

And Andi was hooked. That one sentence told her that he understood a whole lot more than she’d given him credit for. And she wanted to know more.

He stirred cream and sugar into his cup and placed the spoon on the saucer. “I love news but more than anything I love newspapers. I worked for my high school paper, my college paper and I studied journalism. I love the words and how they look on the page. I like how newspaper smells and I even enjoy the black smudges ink leaves behind.” With a sigh, he said, “And since you won’t ask me, I’ll tell you that I love them because my father and I would read the paper together every day. When I was little, he’d hold me in his lap and ask for my considered opinion of the headlines, but when I got older, we would talk about sports or current events at the breakfast table. He’s been gone since I was a senior in college, but newspapers remind me of those times.”

So his entire life hadn’t been charmed. It was clear he still missed his dad a lot. Uncomfortable with her discovery, she pushed away the plate that once held a lovely tower of cheesecake and asked, “But why Tall Pines?”

Andi could tell he was pleased. He believed he was reeling her in—and he just might be—but she wasn’t going to let him know.

“Burnout. It’s as simple and complicated as that. My whole life was about the job. I pursued the biggest stories I could, tried to make a name while fighting a kind of crusade. And I was very good, but everything else fell apart. Here, I love what I do again. The
Times
might be stories of elementary school spelling bees, histories of old farmsteads and the occasional unsolved mystery, but I like the pace. Advertising is easy to sell. There’s not much of a crime beat, thank God. I can breathe, sleep through the night and fish very badly.” He smiled at Andi. “I have a life here, not just a job.”

“Right. So were you looking for small-town papers for sale and stumbled upon the
Times?
”

“Nah, I actually knew the editor from way back. When he decided to sell, he sent me an email to see if I’d be interested.”

“Wasn’t it hard to pack up and move hours away to a place where you don’t know anybody? I can’t imagine trying to wedge myself into a town like this where everybody knows everybody from way back and most of them are related somehow.”

He shrugged. “It wasn’t hard. I think Jackie’s accusations helped make me a sympathetic figure, and I’ve made a real effort to fit in. If you’d told me five years ago I’d be entering cooking contests and running recipes under my column, I’d have asked what planet you were from.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and rolled his head on his shoulders. “You aren’t going to ask about my personal life, either. I can tell. I was divorced about six months before I moved to town. She’s remarried to a corporate lawyer who makes very good money and spends every night with her. And I’m here, living the good life.”

Andi snorted and he laughed. She wondered if this might be what a really good date was like. She’d had so few of those that she wasn’t sure.

“Sounds like you might be too unbusy to help.” Andi shrugged. “And I can handle Jackie’s case on my own. Besides, how would it look if I needed your help to solve this case? Ray Evans would have a field day.”

Mark glanced around the shadowy restaurant, and Andi noticed the crowd had gotten a little larger. When she saw Sarah and Amanda with their heads together, whispering in the corner, she realized how this might look to the people in the restaurant.

“There’s an easy enough way to handle that. We’ll pretend. We’ll go out to dinner again and just like that, we’re dating. No one would suspect that I was your secret weapon then.” He reached across the table and picked up her hand. “How am I doing?”

Andi wasn’t sure if she gasped or not. His hand was hot and the tingling in her fingers was back and spreading.

“What, like a
working
date or something?” She jerked back her hand and straightened in her seat.

Sarah chose that minute to deliver the check. Mark snatched it out of Andi’s numb fingers, took a couple of crisp bills from his wallet and handed it back to Sarah with a smile. “Keep the change.”

She flushed before she flip-flopped back to the kitchen.

When he looked back at her, Andi wiped one sweaty palm over her brow and tried to take calm, even breaths.

For once in his life he did the right thing. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t smirk. He didn’t tap or jiggle or jostle or in any way appear impatient. When Andi managed to look at him, he just looked certain. And that scared her more than anything else.

“I don’t get you. I’ve made your job really difficult. On purpose. And now, all of a sudden, you want to help. Why?”

He shrugged. “Honestly, this is the first chance I’ve had to smooth things over. This is the first time you’ve done anything other than silently murder me with your eyes. Let me help. Think of how much better the story will be if I have all the facts...truth.” He tilted his head.

Andi looked down at her missing watch and pretended to know what time it was. She needed out and she needed him to have his head examined before the next time they met. Business, working together, that was one thing. A date, even a pretend one where they were really working, was something else entirely.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea, not even a
working
date. So...I need to go check on Gram.” She patted the table with both hands. “This was... Thanks for buying dinner, Mr. Taylor.” And she wanted to smack her head against the table. Mr. Taylor? That was just stupid at this point.

“Mr. Taylor?” He didn’t add on the “that’s just stupid” comment, but she could read it on his face.

Andi’s shoulders slumped and she couldn’t resist hiding her face in her hands. She finally mumbled, “Yeah, you’re right. I think we’re past that.” She was nothing if not brave. She lowered her hands and said, “Thank you, Mark, for buying my dinner.”

There were the beginnings of a smile on his face as he nodded. “You are very welcome, Sheriff. Please just think about it. Maybe when I ask again, you’ll say yes.”

Andi shrugged and put one hand over her stomach. She was afraid if she didn’t reach a calmer state soon her cheesecake was going to make a return appearance. “Change my mind? I guess maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”

His smile grew as he scooted his chair back. Andi did the same and was hyperaware of him following her out of the Smokehouse. She wanted to fidget with her uniform but managed to fight off the impulse. When they made it back onto the sidewalk, they stopped. The heat had subsided to a heavy blanket instead of a frying sizzle.

Suddenly Andi couldn’t figure out what to do with her hands. She finally settled for crossing her arms over her chest.

Mark pushed his into the front pockets of his jeans. Maybe his hands didn’t know how to act right, either.

He rocked back on his heels. “Sheriff, can you forgive me for that first story? I guess I didn’t understand how things work here. After talking with you...well, maybe I’m starting to see your point.”

With a sharp nod, Andi glanced up and down the street. Jackie was looking out the window of the diner. If she didn’t get out of there pretty soon, he’d be headed her direction to demand some progress. “You made a mistake. I understand that. I’ve made a few. But...that doesn’t make it easy to forget, M-Mark.”

He nodded. “Fine, but maybe now...maybe we can work together. How about you let me call you Andi like a friend?”

She thought about it for a minute. Her friends called her Andi, that part was true. He wasn’t really a friend at this point, but she didn’t figure it would hurt anything. Andi forced her clenched fists and tight arms down by her side and gave each hand a shake to loosen things up. She took two quick steps toward him, held her hand out and shook his twice when he finally responded. Then she was shuffling back toward the SUV. She laughed at his disgruntled expression before she waved. “You can call me Andi, Mark. Thank you for dinner.”

She hopped in the truck and forced herself to calmly buckle the seat belt and check oncoming traffic before she pulled out. Her stomach was a knot of nerves, and she felt this stupid smile trembling along the edges of her lips. This didn’t feel like her rut anymore. Mark Taylor was dangerous.

She waved at him again. He was motionless on the sidewalk. Andi wanted to burn rubber but acted in the absolutely appropriate, speed-limit-obeying manner befitting an officer of the law and drove sedately away. She looked in the rearview mirror again and for the second time that day, Mark Taylor was watching her drive away.

CHAPTER FOUR

A
NDI
WAS
STILL
rattled when she came to a stop in front of her grandmother’s unit at the assisted living facility. Shady Pines had opened just as they needed it. Gram was now recovered from the fall that brought Andi home to Tall Pines, but she wasn’t well enough to live alone. They argued on a pretty regular basis about her living arrangements. Andi wanted her to come back home. She wanted to take care of Gram the same way Gram took care of her when Andi’s mom had lost her battle with cancer.

Gram was happy in Shady Pines and had no desire to return home where she’d have to cook and clean and entertain herself. At Shady Pines, she had shoppers and cooks and a constant stream of card games whenever she wanted. That was her story. She never deviated from it.

As stubborn as Gram was, there was no way Andi was leaving. Not yet.

As long as she won the election. When she’d first come home, she’d applied more than once for the sheriff’s office. She would have been content as a deputy, maybe even in dispatch, but Ray Evans held a mean grudge. When she’d first come back, desperate to make a good impression, she’d swanned into the sheriff’s office and proceeded to tell Ray just how much she could improve the workings of the sheriff’s office with her advanced training.

Obviously she’d been gone so long she’d forgotten some key factors about living in Tall Pines. Natives were pretty sure the way they had done things for decades or centuries was the right way. No newcomer would tell them any different. The fact that she’d made her little speech in front of the mayor, the president of the bank and richest man in town, and other assorted head men in charge had pretty much sealed her fate. Ray would hold a grudge. He might even deserve to. If she could figure out the kind of apology it would take to set things right, she would make it. When...if she lost this election, Ray would have the last laugh.

Andi loitered outside until the heat and the flutter of the living room curtains signaled it was time to go in. Dealing with her grandmother was tough on the best of days. She was sharp. Nobody pushed her around, not even for her own good. She might need a walker to get around and a little help keeping the floors scrubbed, but she had eagle eyes and a mean intellect. Andi didn’t think it would do any good to pretend everything was normal, but she wanted to try.

“Hey, Gram!” Andi called as she opened the door. She’d lectured Gram over and over about keeping the door locked even during the day, but those words had fallen on selectively deaf ears. Andi thought she remembered to lock it at night and tried to content herself with that. She also told herself not to check because the knowledge that Gram might forget would make her crazy.

“Well, Andi, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sit in the car all evening.” Gram’s voice was low and soothing. Unless she was mad. Then it could reach decibels that might register in the next county.

“Just checking in with dispatch, Gram.”

As Andi bent to kiss her cheek, Gram reached up for a hug. She smelled of clean laundry and vanilla; it was comforting. And sometimes it brought tears to Andi’s eyes, but not tonight. She was too nervous to be sentimental.

“And were you thinking you’d have two big stories in one day?” Gram leaned back in her recliner and watched Andi closely. She froze for a second, certain that Sarah had called Gram before she’d even delivered Mark’s ribs. Finally she took a deep breath and looked out the window to stall before realizing she was just talking about Jackie. Gram obviously hadn’t heard the possibility of a second hot story.

Andi shook her head as she dropped down on the cushiony sofa and asked, “Have you had dinner, Gram?”

She nodded serenely. “And have you?”

There was just something about the look. Andi wanted to blithely acknowledge her salad and cheesecake and gloss over anything else. Two things stopped her. First, Gram knew something was up. Andi could tell from the look on her face. And second, if someone else told her about the dinner with Mark Taylor, and someone would—they always did—she’d be livid. Gram didn’t expect Andi to keep any secrets from her. And Andi understood that. Gram knew her better than she knew herself sometimes.

Andi stretched out her legs and plumped a pillow behind her head. She crossed her arms over her face and managed to mumble, “Yes, ma’am.”

“And what did you have?” Her sweet tone voice wasn’t fooling Andi. She was pretending to be patient. Gram wasn’t patient. Never had been, obviously never would be.

“I had a salad, a slice of cheesecake, and...a dinner companion. At the Smokehouse.” There was silence. It was a long, uncomfortable silence. Finally, Andi moved her arms down and looked over at Gram. She was staring down at her hands. Just waiting. She had always done that. And Andi had always hated it.

“Mark Taylor.” When she didn’t say anything, Andi added, “The newspaper editor.”

Gram nodded slowly. When she had nothing to say, Andi continued, “He didn’t ask me out. He just showed up, sat at my table, forced me to talk to him and paid for my dinner.”

“Funny sort of date.”

“This wasn’t a date, and he’s a funny sort of man.”

“Hmm, did he ask you out again?” Gram sounded as if she didn’t believe she was getting the whole story.

Andi held up one finger. “Let’s be clear. He never asked me out the first time.” One corner of Gram’s mouth quirked up, but she didn’t answer. “He offered his help with Jackie’s case.”

“And I hope you were at least polite when you turned him down.” Gram picked up her crochet hook and yarn and started working on the dishcloth in her lap. She’d always crocheted, but her projects had gotten smaller to match her space. On the bright side, every church yard sale made a nice chunk of change from her donations. Gram had to have a project going at all times.

“So you think I was right to tell him no?” That surprised her a little. Gram made no secret of her wish for Andi to go out more, live a little.

Gram arched a single eyebrow and tilted her head. “Well, now, I never said that. I just know how you feel about him.” She returned her attention to her dishcloth with a little sniff. “Seems a shame to turn away help, even from the newspaper man.”

“But, Gram...” Andi huffed. They’d been through this before.

“Andrea, he was doing his job. I said it then. I’ll say it now. Maybe you don’t like the way he did it, but not everyone has the same...attitude you do.”

“So I’m wrong to be upset over the angry calls I got?”

Gram’s mouth tightened before she dropped her crochet hook. “You’re wrong to take everything so personally. The only way you can avoid angry phone calls is to perform absolutely perfectly or do nothing at all. And we both know what you’ve chosen.”

Andi rolled her head on the pillow. This was an old conversation, too. Gram had never understood her goals, her ambition. As she closed her eyes, Andi realized that wasn’t exactly true. Gram understood better than anyone why Andi was driven to be the best. She just thought Andi ought to take it a little easier.

Andi was starting to wonder if she was right.

She rubbed her forehead. Of course she was right. Gram was always right.

“Well, this might surprise you. I’m thinking of taking him up on his offer. Being on better terms with the newspaper editor during an election couldn’t hurt.”

Gram nodded. “And he’s very popular in this town. Could help you with voters.”

That stung just a little bit. “I’m thinking of agreeing to his offer of a date, a sort of working dinner where we talk about the case but it looks like something more to everyone else.

“This time listen to me.” Gram shook her finger. “Maybe you try a
real
dinner and
normal
conversation. Forget the job for two seconds and enjoy yourself with the town’s most eligible bachelor. And if you can’t, you’ve got to go, Andi. You have to get back to Atlanta or wherever it is that you can enjoy life a little. That’s what you should be doing, not campaigning to win a job you don’t really love.”

Andi sighed. This was how it went between them. And as she usually did, she ignored Gram’s orders to go. “Fine. So you think a date would do that? And I should just forget that he runs a newspaper and is firmly attached to Tall Pines and I’m...”

The silence stretched out as they both considered how to fill in the blank. Andi wanted to go. Gram wanted her to. But it wasn’t the right time. Not yet.

Andi waited.

Finally, Gram pursed her lips. “It wouldn’t hurt to go for dinner once or twice. Let your hair down a little. And maybe try a smile or two.”

This was familiar territory. Any social difficulty Andi encountered was because she didn’t smile enough. She’d need to have a smile surgically implanted to keep up with Gram’s demands. So she was serious. She always had been. Was that a crime?

As the town’s sheriff, Andi was uniquely qualified to affirm that being serious, logical and dependable was not against the law. In some places, those characteristics would even be celebrated. In fact, being serious had made her very successful in her FBI field office. Maybe she’d been out of step there, too, but at least she recognized the music. Tall Pines had a completely different song.

Clearly a subject change was required. Gram agreed. “There was a bit of a bother over at Jackie’s this morning.”

Happily, Andi nodded. This she could talk about easily. “Yeah, before I even made it to the office, Nettie had me turned back around and headed over there. Someone broke into his safe and took money and some important papers, along with all of his cook-off trophies. He had a group gathered, but I can’t see any of them being involved.

“Mark was there this morning,” Andi continued, “and he might be the type to play a joke on someone...” The lightbulb went off over her head because this was exactly what she was afraid of. It was easy enough to rule him out as a suspect because he wasn’t the kind of guy who’d intentionally harm someone. At least she thought so now. And something inside loosened up a little. She believed him. None of that meant he wouldn’t take advantage to get the inside scoop—all in the name of the “truth”—and let the chips fall where they would.

“And?” Gram was watching Andi closely again.

“And I don’t think he’d try to hurt Jackie on purpose. And Oscar’s an employee. Jackie might be hard to work with, but would he risk his job for what little money Jackie kept on hand?”

Gram worked a few double crochets before she answered. “I don’t know if you can rule it out. What does he say?”

“Absolutely nothing. He manages a yes or a no and every once in a while a single-word answer.”

“Who are his people?”

Andi smiled. She should have known that question was coming. Gram would never hold it against him, being born away from Tall Pines, but she still asked. “His mother teaches at the school. They seem to be a real nice family. Awful quiet though.”

“And was that everyone?”

“No, Wanda Blankenship was there, too.”

Gram glanced at Andi over the top of her glasses. “Have you interviewed her?”

“Just for a minute. Of course, she was the perfect example of cooperation. After she flirted with Mark Taylor.”

In a dry voice, Gram said, “I think she must be guilty, then.” Andi laughed as she sat up straight on the couch.

“Gram, I absolutely wouldn’t mind if she were, but I somehow don’t think life is going to work out that neatly. It never does.”

Gram put her crochet hook on top of the dishcloth in her lap. She reached out to take one of Andi’s hands. “Well, it hasn’t always been easy, that’s for sure. That’s why I don’t understand why you stay here.”

Andi shrugged. “I stay here because you stay here.”

Gram closed her eyes for a minute. “You know I’m not always going to be here. Then what?”

Andi smiled at her. “I’m pretty sure I’m headed to Vegas right after the funeral, Gram. I’ve always wanted to be a showgirl. Without you holding me back, I’m going to be a star.”

Gram tilted her head and squeezed Andi’s hand. “How did you get to be so hardheaded?”

Andi bugged her eyes out and gave her head a wiggle. “Why, I do declare I have no idea.” The truth was they both knew that as soon as Andi had the chance, she’d leave Tall Pines. No matter how well she did as sheriff, Ray Evans would continue to oppose her while he was able and every election would be a battle.

Gram picked up her crochet hook. “You probably ought to get on home. It’s getting dark out there.”

She seemed to forget that Andi was an officer of the law, licensed to carry a gun and use it when necessary. And that they lived in a small town where a business robbery was the biggest news in a while. To Gram, no one should be out after dark. Nothing good happened after dark.

The sleepless night and long day were wearing on Andi so she decided to take Gram up on this piece of wisdom. “Okay, night, Gram. When I stop by tomorrow night, I’m going to have a new hairdo. Got any advice?”

She pretended to study Andi and her long brown curls. “I think you should go blond.” She laughed as she said it so there was no possibility that Andi would take her seriously.

Andi shook her head. “Okay. Don’t be surprised if I show up with a blond buzz cut tomorrow. You had your chance. Maybe it’s time to shake things up around here.”

Gram waited for Andi to kiss her cheek. “Baby, I think you might be right. You go ahead and shake some things up. Try smiling at that handsome young man.”

Andi pulled back and gave Gram her best lawman’s gimlet-eyed stare. “How do you know he’s handsome?”

She shook her head. “Some lawman you are. His picture’s in the paper, dear.” Her tone was mild but Andi could hear the unspoken
duh
in it.

“Right.” Andi walked over to the door, opened it and made a theatrical show of turning the lock on the knob for her.

When Gram said, “Good night, Andi,” she waved and walked out to her car.

On her way home, the streetlights illuminated empty roads. Jackie’s Country Kitchen was closed for the evening. A lamp in the back sent weak shafts of light through the dining room. Andi stopped and tested the door. It was locked. She got back in and drove around behind to check the alley. It was well lit as far as alleys go, and it was deserted. On the way home, she passed the newspaper office. Mark Taylor had an apartment on the second floor of the building. Lights were on up there but the newspaper office was dark. Apparently the news did sleep, maybe right after the weekly paper went out.