One Dead Cookie (15 page)

Spunky had set his heart on a run in the park. He made his desire clear by pulling
so hard on the leash that his front paws lifted off the ground. Olivia had bought
the determined five-pound creature a harness leash to keep him from strangling himself;
unfortunately, it also enabled him to yap at full volume.

“Oh, all right,” Olivia said. “We’ll brave the park. Only I’m counting on you to protect
me.” She trotted behind Spunky into the darkness. Her eyes adjusted quickly, and she
found she could make out the benches scattered around the park, as well as the statue
of Frederick P. Chatterley and his horse, toward which Spunky ran with terrier determination.
He had a fondness for the horse’s legs, which seemed to remind him of fire hydrants.

Before they’d reached the founder’s statue, Spunky halted so suddenly that Olivia
nearly tripped over him. His sensitive Yorkie ears perked as he stared toward the
dark interior of the band shell. Her heart pounding as if she were still running,
Olivia scooped him up and carried him to the deeper shadows, out of sight. She put
him on the grass and tugged on his leash, but he wouldn’t budge. She told herself
it was nothing. Spunky wasn’t yapping or growling, just listening. Olivia suspected
he heard a courting couple inside the band shell. Or a squirrel, scrounging for crumbs.

She tugged again at the leash. “Come on, Spunks, remember how fond you are of Frederick
P. and his trusty steed? Also, Maddie and I have work to do, so if we could move it
along…” Spunky gave Olivia a momentary glance but quickly refocused on the band shell.
Then she heard it, too: a voice, male, angry, and harsh. The voice sounded
familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She edged closer. A faint murmur answered, followed
by another outraged response. Olivia caught the word “lied.” She thought back to the
one-sided conversation she’d overheard in the garden behind Bon Vivant. But no, this
voice sounded lower, a bit slurred, and definitely male.

Spunky growled. Olivia knew from experience that a volley of yaps would quickly follow.
She grabbed her fierce protector, who had no idea how tiny he was, and headed past
the band shell at a casual pace. Spunky refused to be thwarted. He growled and barked
and tried to squirm his way out of Olivia’s tight hold.

“Don’t you dare,” Olivia hissed as she found herself clutching Spunky’s hind legs.
He had managed to wriggle up to peek over her shoulder. Hanging on to one of his legs,
Olivia reached up and grabbed a handful of the hair on his back, which hadn’t been
trimmed in some time. She might never trim it again. Spunky whimpered, but Olivia
didn’t loosen her grip. She turned toward the band shell, forcing Spunky to look in
the opposite direction, toward the statue. As she did so, she saw the figure of a
man standing next to the band shell, staring in her direction. She couldn’t see his
face. From his silhouette, Olivia guessed he was on the small side, thin but broad
shouldered. He didn’t gesture or call to her. He simply stared as if he might be trying
to identify her. It wouldn’t be hard. Everyone in town knew Spunky.

In an instant, the figure turned and walked away, weaving slightly as he melted into
the darkness. There was something about the way he moved, bowlegged and belligerent…Olivia
flashed to her breakfast meeting at Pete’s Diner. Olivia had watched her friend Stacey
Harald argue with her ex-husband Wade. Normally a gentle person who loved his children,
Wade became combative when he
drank, and he’d probably been drinking already that morning. When he’d stalked away
from Stacey, his gait had been wobbly and angry. Wade was slight yet muscular, and
he was bowlegged. Olivia promised herself a talk with Stacey as soon as possible.

“Olivia? Is that you?”

Olivia’s heart skittered up her throat. Spunky spewed a torrent of outraged yaps and
renewed his struggle to free himself. Olivia held him so tightly he yelped.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” A tall man stepped out of the band shell and
into the light.

“Mr. Lane, I didn’t expect…” Olivia loosened her stranglehold on Spunky but held firmly
to his leash.

“Even total strangers call me Trevor.” As he tilted his head, a lock of hair fell
across his forehead.

Olivia envisioned female fans longing to brush the hair away from his eyes. This was
not her own reaction, which Spunky expressed perfectly by snarling at Trevor. “Everyone
calls me Livie,” she said.

Two more men emerged from the band shell. The first, Olivia recognized as Dougie Adair.
“Livie, we truly are sorry if our sudden appearance scared you,” Dougie said. “My
fault, really. I heard frantic barking and thought someone might be in danger. I guess
it comes from having lived in big cities most of my adult life. We were just enjoying
your lovely band shell. If I called Chatterley Heights home, I’d come here every evening
to think and write.”

Olivia began to understand how Dougie managed to keep Trevor out of trouble, if that
was, in fact, his role. She had to wonder why Trevor had escaped from Dougie’s protection
earlier in the day. What had been so important that he had to risk a ticket, not to
mention an accident?

The third man looked very familiar to Olivia, but she
couldn’t place him. He was a couple inches shorter than Dougie. From his wiry build,
she guessed he might be a runner, yet his pasty complexion placed him indoors for
long periods. With a slight nod to Olivia, the man said, “I’m Howard Upton.”

“Come off it, Howie,” Trevor said. “You simply aren’t a Howard, not even in a suit.”

In the muted lamp light, Olivia could see Howie’s cheeks redden. “Howie is fine with
me,” he mumbled.

Where have I seen him before?
“Do you live in Chatterley Heights?” Olivia asked Howard.

“Howie still lives with his mother in Twiterton,” Trevor said, emphasizing the word
“mother.” “We three went to Twiterton High together, graduated the same year. Although
Dougie and I were friends all through high school, played football and basketball,
dated a lot, so we rarely crossed paths with Howie. Poor little Howie was the class
genius.”

“You make it sound like a fate worse than death,” Dougie said with a light laugh.
“Howie really was a child genius. He skipped two grades and graduated from high school
at sixteen, right, Howie?”

Howie’s tight expression relaxed. “I was younger than the other boys, and maybe a
bit chubbier as I prepared for a growth spurt, so naturally I was at a disadvantage
in sports. And high school girls aren’t interested in dating boys who are much younger.
After high school my age became less of a hindrance, and I made up for my earlier
dating deficit. I went into finance; that gave me a distinct advantage with women.”

Olivia heard a tinge of defensive arrogance in Howie’s voice, but she imagined being
a child genius wasn’t easy. And then she remembered where she’d seen him before: behind
the teller window in the Chatterley Heights National Bank.
He must be in his thirties. By “going into finance,” did Howie mean working as a bank
teller? Management trainees were often required to work as tellers before graduating
to managers, but even so, she would expect a “child genius” to have progressed further
by now.

“Come inside and chat with us awhile, won’t you?” Trevor asked with his fetching smile.

Spunky growled at the invitation, and Olivia thought about all the cookies she had
to create before Saturday. On the other hand, her curiosity had shifted into overdrive,
and besides, Maddie wanted to help with the baking and decorating marathon. Come to
think of it, Maddie would be deeply disappointed if Olivia failed to learn as much
as possible about these mysterious strangers.

“Maddie is expecting me in the store soon,” Olivia said, “but I’d love to chat a bit.”
She followed Trevor up the broad steps leading into the band shell. Dougie and Howie
followed behind. A stone bench circled the inside perimeter. Olivia chose a spot near
the front entrance, lit by the streetlamp, and nestled Spunky on her lap. The location
gave her a quick way out. Not that she was nervous. Just cautious. Spunky allowed
Dougie to sit on Olivia’s right without incident. However, when Trevor tried to sit
on Olivia’s left, her canine guardian growled at him. With quick grace, Trevor moved
next to Dougie. Olivia caught the satisfied expression that flickered across Dougie’s
face. Howie followed Trevor but put some distance between himself and the two other
men.

For Olivia, the band shell had always offered a sense of peace. It was well over one
hundred years old, but the town had kept it fairly well maintained. The rounded structure,
with its curved entrance and open floor plan, hosted band concerts, dances, and a
variety of other town events. For
musical performances, the town provided folding chairs and music stands. During a
flush period in Chatterley Heights’s history, the town leaders had sprung for lighting,
which they now used sparingly. As a young girl, Olivia had spent many summer hours
in the cool interior of the band shell, happily reading historical novels and imagining
music and dancing from eras long before her birth.

Now the band shell felt abandoned, despite their presence. As always after a long
winter, the floor could do with a good scrubbing, and the decorative paintings on
the walls needed touching up. From what she could see of the stone bench they were
sitting on, she was glad she’d changed into jeans.

Spunky fussed in Olivia’s firm grip, though he wasn’t growling or yapping. He was
impatient to be home, and so was she. No time to beat around the bush. “Wasn’t that
Wade Harald I just saw leaving the band shell? Do you know him, too? What brought
all of you together this evening?” Olivia’s bright tone was, she hoped, a decent imitation
of Maddie’s at her most innocently blunt. She noticed the quick glance between Trevor
and Dougie. Howie crossed his arms over his narrow chest.

“Pure accident.” Dougie’s tone was smooth, unconcerned. “We don’t really know Wade
well, but Trevor and I were exploring this lovely park, and we ran into Howie. We
haven’t seen each other since…How long has it been, Howie?” Dougie and Trevor turned
their heads toward Howie and away from Olivia. Howie squirmed as if he felt uncomfortable.
“High school.”

“Graduation day, to be precise. Howie was valedictorian, naturally.” A faint undertone
in Trevor’s voice made Olivia wonder if these three former classmates shared a more
complex history than they were willing to discuss
with a stranger. Trevor’s cell phone rang to a syrupy tune that Olivia had heard but
couldn’t identify. Trevor checked the caller ID and sighed. “It’s dear old Lenora.”

When Trevor failed to answer by the second ring, Dougie said, “Lenora is our hostess.”
The quiet authority in his voice was unmistakable.

“Oh, I suppose….” Trevor flipped open his cell. “Lenora, dearest. So sorry to have
abandoned you. Pressing business, you know how it is.” Trevor stared out into the
dark park as he listened to her response. “What an intriguing idea, my dear. I was
hoping for a rest, but I wouldn’t dream of disappointing my fans. And you know how
I love animals. Have you spoken with Maddie about it?” After a pause as Lenora responded,
Trevor asked, “Well, have you at least run the idea past your nephew? No? Don’t you
think the restaurant might have a few objections?” Trevor glanced toward Dougie and
rolled his eyes. “All right, Lenora, why don’t you talk it over with everyone involved,
then let me know.” Apparently, Lenora agreed. “Kiss kiss to you, too,” Trevor said
and snapped his phone shut.

“What now?” Dougie asked.

Trevor groaned. “Lenora had one of her brainstorms. She has decided there should be
entertainment at Maddie’s party, and she and I should be the featured stars. Her nephew,
whose name I’ve forgotten, used to write little plays in high school, so Lenora wants
him to create some skits or something. And she thinks cookies should be involved in
the performance, since that’s the party theme.”

“Really,” Olivia said. “And here I thought the party was to celebrate Maddie and Lucas’s
engagement.” Her cell burst once again into “Chapel of Love,” inducing snickers from
the three men. The noise roused Spunky, who had
been snoring gently in Olivia’s lap. He dropped off again as soon as Olivia opened
her cell and silenced the Dixie Cups. Olivia heard Maddie’s voice before the phone
reached her ear.

“Livie, were you planning to make an appearance anytime soon?” Maddie did not sound
like her irrepressibly cheerful self.

“Sorry, Maddie, I didn’t mean to stick you with all the baking. I’ve been in the band
shell chatting with Trevor, Dougie, and Howie from the bank, but I’m heading right
back to the store.”

“No, don’t move,” Maddie said. “I’ll be there in two minutes. I need to get out of
this kitchen before Lenora calls with more about her brilliant idea for my engagement
party. Tell the guys I’m bringing cookies so they won’t leave.”

“Understood,” Olivia said, but Maddie had already hung up. “I’m afraid I’m under orders
to hold you three captive for a while,” Olivia said to the men. “Maddie is rushing
over with cookies.”

Howie checked his watch. “I need to get going soon. I start work early in the morning.”

“Well, I wouldn’t pass up Maddie’s cookies even if I were offered the role of Rhett
Butler in a remake of
Gone with the Wind
,” Trevor said. “Besides, I missed dinner.”

“I’ll bet you did.” Howie snorted too loudly. “I heard about your antics this afternoon.
Sheriff Jenkins caught you speeding and texting. I wonder who you were so desperate
to have a conversation with…another married woman? I guess Dougie needs to keep you
on a tighter leash.”

With a soft chuckle, Trevor said, “Ah, the simple pleasures of small-town life, I
remember them well. The rumor
mill churns incessantly.” To Olivia, Trevor’s comment sounded like a line from a play.

Olivia’s bench seat offered the fullest view of the park, so she was first to notice
a figure jogging toward the band shell. The moonlight revealed a fluffy head of bouncing
hair that could belong to no one in town but Maddie Briggs. Spunky lifted his head
and watched her approach with eager, perked ears.