Every Trick in the Book (22 page)

Whether I believed in the cards or not didn’t matter. My mother did and she was obviously
in distress. I glanced around for our waiter. If ever Amazing Althea needed a shot
of Jim Beam, it was now. As I searched the room, my gaze fell upon a familiar figure
seated at the bar.

I’d only met him once, but I remembered the average-looking man from our pitch session
at the book festival. It was T. J. West, the author whose proposal I’d read and responded
to earlier in the day. I studied his plain countenance and steel-rimmed glasses, the
tidiness of his short hair, blue button-down shirt, and brown slacks. He seemed to
fit Tilly’s brief description of the man she kept seeing around Dunston. Then again,
hundreds of men could qualify as dressing “neatly” and looking “nice enough.”

And yet, West had mentioned a teddy bear in his synopsis. He’d written about a murdered
mother and placed a teddy bear next to her dead body. Was that truly coincidental
or had West known Melissa Plume? Was it possible that he was now stalking Tilly?

With a shudder, I suddenly recalled how the cozy writer wouldn’t tell me his real
name, referring to himself only by his pseudonym. That was definitely strange. I probably
would have pushed the point had the ceiling not started leaking in the middle of his
pitch.

Having seen me craning my neck, our waiter headed over to the table, successfully
distracting me from a host of confusing thoughts. I ordered a whiskey for my mother
and then decided to go and say hello to T. J. West. I leaned in toward
her and told her that someone I knew was sitting at the bar. “Do you mind if I talk
to him for a second? It’s important.”

My mother gave me a wan smile. “Of course not, shug. I’m gonna eat this meal if it
kills me. You know how I can’t stand to see food go to waste.”

“And I’m taking what you said about the cards to heart,” I quickly assured her. “Perhaps
there’s more I can do to help catch Melissa’s killer. And you’re right about Trey.
It’s high time we put our heads together and find out what exactly is going on at
the co-op. I’ve been worried about that boy, but if you sense real danger, then I’ve
got to do more than worry. I’ve got to act.”

Because my mother was satisfied that I was responding to her warning instead of ignoring
it, she encouraged me to go speak with West. I cast a quick glance toward the bar
again and saw that he was gone.

When I didn’t move, my mother looked at me quizzically. “Did he slip away while we
were gabbin’?”

I tried to conceal the alarm I felt over his sudden disappearance. From my vantage
point, I could see that West hadn’t finished either his beer or his cheeseburger but
had deposited cash next to a crumpled napkin. His barstool hadn’t been pushed in and
his fork and knife had been tossed unceremoniously on his plate. All these signs indicated
that he’d been in a rush to leave.

Picking at my own sandwich, I tried to concentrate on my mother’s plan to lure Trey
away from the co-op by sending him on a tour of Europe. She offered me a big chunk
of her savings to make this happen, and though I was deeply touched by the offer,
I shook my head in refusal.

“He has to give up Red Fox Mountain voluntarily,” I insisted. “And there’s no argument
for him to do that until
we discover what’s amiss. However, I have an idea of how to address this issue. It
will require Trey’s involvement, so the decision will ultimately be his.”

I put forth a scheme to infiltrate the co-op by hiring one of Trey’s former high school
classmates. I’d give this boy money to pay for a meditation session with Jasper, and
he could then report back to us about what really went on inside the restricted building.

My mother wasn’t pleased. Her mouth formed a severe frown. “Lila, we could be sendin’
that boy into a precarious situation. Would you want Trey to agree to such a crazy
plan? I doubt it.”

Her comment gave me pause. I’d certainly be upset if a strange woman hired my son
to investigate a potentially unstable commune leader. On the other hand, our actions
might prevent other college students from falling victim to Jasper’s power. I didn’t
know how he was attracting these kids, but he was doing something to encourage them
to skip class, hike up the mountain, and pay an exorbitant fee for a few minutes of
reflection.

“I wouldn’t want an adult in a position of authority to take advantage of Trey, either,
and that’s what Jasper is doing. I’m certain of it. Think of all the kids that have
been funneling into Inspiration Valley. If you can think of anything else I can do
to protect them, I’m open to ideas.”

But she couldn’t come up with an alternative and we agreed that I should talk strategy
with Trey first thing in the morning.

“He’s gonna stop by the agency tomorrow anyway,” my mother assured me, looking much
less troubled now that we were taking action. “He’s been missin’ you lately. I have,
too. I liked it when we were all under the same roof.”

I smiled at her. “It was nice, but we all need our own space. I love my cottage and
I’m still hoping that Trey will head off to college in January. He can’t defer his
admission beyond that.” I gazed fondly at my mother. “But we should do
this
more often. Have a regular girls’ night. Just you and me. I don’t want any distance
to come between us because I moved a few miles down the road. You’re important to
me, Mama.”

At this poignant moment my cell phone buzzed. I’d set it to vibrate before entering
the restaurant, but when I saw Sean’s number floating in the rectangular screen, I
excused myself and rushed to the foyer to answer his call.

“Hi, stranger,” I said.

His sigh echoed through my phone’s speaker. “Stranger, huh? It’s been too long, hasn’t
it? Sometimes I hate this job because the bad guys just won’t turn themselves in like
I wish they would. If they’d only cooperate, you and I could go out for a nice, leisurely
dinner. We could talk about anything other than police work over an enormous steak
and a really good bottle of wine.”

“I have a decent merlot at home,” I offered. “Are you still on the clock?”

“Yes.” His regret was tangible.

Thinking fast, I said, “If I told you that I hadn’t left Dunston yet and that I had
information that might be relevant to the case, could you meet me at Bill’s Bar and
Grill?”

“Absolutely.” The delight in Sean’s voice was unmistakable. “See you in five minutes.”

Grinning like a fool, I went back inside and was surprised to see my mother pouring
the contents of her whiskey tumbler into a take-out cup. “I’ll drink this when I get
home,” she said with a smirk. “You don’t need me hangin’ around
like a third wheel. You and your hunky policeman need some alone time.”

Despite my protests over her swift departure and the fact that she was carrying whiskey
home in a foam cup, my mother called for the check, handed the waiter a few bills,
and kissed me on the cheek.

“Call me after you see Trey tomorrow,” she commanded and then headed out into the
night.

I resumed my seat and finished my sandwich. Suddenly, I was starving, and I didn’t
want to wolf my food down in front of Sean. As it turned out, he’d already eaten so
we both ordered decaf cappuccinos.

Behaving like a pair of smitten teenagers, we held hands across the table and couldn’t
stop smiling at each other. I drank in the blue of Sean’s eyes and reveled in the
touch of his fingertips. He told me about his day and we both shared a laugh over
a joke one of his fellow officers had told him over lunch. He then thanked me for
the fax and assured me that Ruben’s story checked out. The bereaved editor had definitely
been in Chicago and dozens of people could attest to this fact.

I was relieved on Ruben’s behalf, but the mention of his name brought an end to our
jovial mood. We tried to cling to it as long as possible, but as soon as I raised
the subject of Tilly and her stalker, Sean’s eyes lost their merry twinkle and became
dark with concern.

“And you saw someone near her house? A man or a woman?”

I shook my head. “I can’t be that specific. It was a movement. A shadow. But I’m pretty
sure someone was there. Tilly thinks she’s been followed since the book festival.”
I wondered if I should mention that T. J. West fit Tilly’s
description of the man she’d repeatedly seen around town. However, I decided that
it would be unfair to put West on Sean’s radar without a scrap of evidence that he’d
done something wrong.

“Is there a connection between Tilly and Melissa?” Sean asked, his gaze keen. I could
practically hear his mind churning. “They’re both in the book business.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Tilly’s books aren’t put out by Melissa’s publishing company,
but the fact that they were both at the book festival might mean something. Flora’s
her agent, so you could get Tilly’s professional history from her.”

“I’m going to take you home now,” Sean said with a tinge of regret. “But we’ll go
by Tilly’s house first. I want to make sure that no one is lurking around before we
leave Dunston.”

At that moment I felt such a strong rush of affection for my dedicated policeman that
I stood, leaned over the table, and kissed him on the mouth. People turned and smiled
at us and Sean looked pleasantly surprised.

“What was that for?”

“For being Tilly’s knight in shining armor, even though she doesn’t know it. Most
people would think she’s just another eccentric artist with a flair for drama, but
you only care about her being scared. You’re ready to leap to her defense within seconds
of hearing her plight.” I caressed his cheek, feeling the stubble along his strong
jawline. “I am a lucky woman.”

Sean sighed happily. “This makes all the bad coffee, night shifts, stakeouts, paperwork,
and lousy pay worthwhile. Let’s go chase the shadows away from Tilly’s place. And
after that, I’ll check
your
closet for monsters before tucking you into bed.”

IN TILLY’S NEIGHBORHOOD
, the streetlamps cast a warm incandescence onto the sidewalks and road. Some of the
houses were dark, but most of them had lights on, giving the community a welcoming
feel despite the darkness of the night.

Scrutinizing the shadows while he drove, Sean pulled up in front of Tilly’s house
and parked. He kissed me and said quietly, “Wait here while I look around.” Patrolling
up and down the sidewalk, he peered around trees and bushes and scanned the houses
on the other side of the street. He ventured up Tilly’s driveway and surveyed the
hedge at the side of the garage.

Colored lights from a flat-screen TV shimmered through the bay window at the front
of the house. I could see Tilly on the couch with Peter leaning against her. Her husband
relaxed on a recliner with Emma on his lap. The tableau filled me with a sense of
nostalgia, transporting me to a time when Trey was Peter’s age. We used to cuddle
up on the couch just like Tilly and her son, watching reruns of
Murder, She Wrote
. Trey would snuggle in closer during suspenseful scenes, and we’d make a game of
trying to figure out “whodunit” before Jessica Fletcher.

“Well, it all seems peaceful around the neighborhood.” Sean’s entry into the car pulled
me back to the present. “There doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious; no one is lurking
in the bushes. I think you can rest easy tonight.” Sean touched my knee and then started
the car.

“Especially with you nearby,” I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

By contrast, everything was dark when we drove up the driveway of my cozy yellow cottage.
I had left no lights on
that morning when I went to work and hadn’t been home since.

“Looks a little gloomy,” I observed. “After Tilly’s.”

“We’ll soon have it glowing.” Sean reached for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze
before opening his door. I pulled my door handle, and suddenly his police radio squawked,
crackling an indiscernible code. With an apologetic look in my direction, he responded
to the dispatcher. “My ETA is twenty minutes.” He then cradled my face in his hands,
gently brushing his lips against mine. “I’m so sorry, Lila. I really need to go.”

Disappointed, I nodded and tried not to show my frustration at how his job always
seemed to interfere with our plans. “I understand.” I sighed. “At least we were able
to have cappuccinos together.”

IN THE OFFICE
that Thursday, I threw myself into work while waiting for Trey to arrive. At the
same time, I tried to avoid the thoughts that had troubled my sleep during the night.
I loved being with Sean, and we were good together, but the demands of his job were
preventing us from taking our connection to the next level. It was true that the qualities
that made him such a special man—his compassion and kindness, his strength and loyalty—were
also what made him a great cop. Still, I was beginning to wonder about the future
of our relationship.

I was reading a unique proposal for a paranormal mystery about a woman who’d sprouted
wings when there was a knock on the door.