Snowmen In Paradise (Book 2 Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries) (23 page)

“
Sean has to notice that this woman is following him around,” Tj speculated.

“I’m sure he must
. The only thing I can come up with is that Dolly is some kind of bodyguard.”

Tj laughed
. “Have you seen her? She weighs like a hundred pounds. I doubt she’d be much help in a scuffle.”

“Yeah, you’re right
. Maybe you should just ask Sean what’s up. By the way,” Jenna smiled a secret little smile that let Tj know she was up to something, “be sure to be at the auditorium by three.”

“Something going on?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“When you suggested lunch, I had no idea you were planning something so special,” Dylan commented as the sleigh glided through the silent forest toward the cove where the ice skating was being held. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion
.” Tj leaned her head against Dylan’s shoulder. He had insisted on driving when he found out the mode of transportation they’d be taking. Normally, Tj didn’t have a lot of patience with guys who had the need to be all macho, but she owed Dylan, and if he wanted to drive, she’d let him. Besides, it was nice to snuggle up next to him under the blanket she’d brought and let him do all the work. “I just wanted to apologize for the whole thing with Josh. I need you to know that I really do feel bad.”

“Am I to assume you cooked for this occasion?”

Tj laughed. “I’m happy to inform you that Jenna cooked. She’s sorry too.”

Dylan found a flat spot overlooking the cove and brought the sleigh to a stop
. Tj provided the horses with a snack while Dylan dug into the basket Jenna had packed.

“This soup is really good
.” Dylan shoveled a spoonful into his mouth.

“Jenna is a really good cook
, and soup is one of her specialties.”

“It’s really beautiful up here,” Dylan
added. “So quiet and peaceful. It’s really nice after the long week I’ve had.”

Tj broke off a corner of the bread Jenna
had packed and began nibbling on one end. “Are you working tonight? Jenna’s sister Bren is participating in the ice princess competition, so I plan to attend. It would be fun to go together.”

“If nothing comes up
, I should be off by five,” Dylan said. “Tim and Roy are tracking down a couple of leads, so you never know what could happen.”

“Speaking of leads
. . .” Tj began.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to come around to the
real reason for this lunch.” Dylan grinned.

“The
real reason for this lunch was an apology,” Tj insisted. “If you don’t want to know what I found out, I don’t have to tell you.”

“I was just kidding
.” Dylan smiled. “Hit me with your news.”

“I have a couple
of new suspects,” Tj began. “I don’t know if they’ll pan out, but I wanted to make sure you knew everything I know.”

“I appreciate that.”
Dylan dipped a piece of his bread into his thick, creamy broth. “So what do you have for me?”

“I remembered that Bobby Montana, Chelsea’s boyfriend, had
been in a fistfight with Travis prior to his death. I don’t think this would put him really high on our list, but he probably should be added all the same.”

“Duly noted,” Dylan teased
. “But Bobby isn’t our guy. I’ve already talked to him and he has an alibi. What else do you have for me?”

“Corbin Wells
. Dennis and Jenna overheard him say that Travis was a no-good SOB who’d gotten what he deserved. It seems that Corbin has been on a manhunt ever since he found out that his sister was forced to engage in acts he didn’t want to discuss after she agreed to drinks with Trevor at the end of her shift. I remember Chelsea saying that Sarah wasn’t the first girl Travis had sexually abused. Wendy works at the Inn, so I’m thinking he might be our guy.”

“It sounds like someone we should definitely follow up on,” Dylan agreed.

It had begun to snow lightly, making Tj wish more than ever that they were there to discuss something other than murder. The setting begged for romance, but all Tj had been able to come up with were suspects and alibis. Maybe Jenna was right; maybe she did need to have her head examined.

“I was hesitant to bring this up at first
, but I think you should also talk to Wendy Wells. Wendy is sort of shy, and if Travis did rape her, she isn’t likely to want to talk about it. I think it will be important to treat her with kid gloves, and let her set the pace of the conversation.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dylan promised. “I’m not an ogre, you know.”

“I know
. It’s just that Sheriff Boggs can be a curmudgeon, and since he’s heading the investigation, folks are being careful. You’re new, and people don’t really know you yet. Once you’re here for a while, I think you’ll find people to be a little more cooperative.”

“Including a certain auburn
-haired high-school coach?” Dylan looked Tj directly in the eye and leaned in close, as if he might kiss her.

“Especially a certain auburn
-haired high-school coach,” Tj whispered as she tilted her head toward his.

Dylan was inches from
her mouth when his phone started to ring. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. “I need to get this. Hey, sis,” he said with a smile.

Tj watched as his smile faded.
“What happened?” he asked.

Tj sat quietly as Dylan frowned at whatever his sister was telling him. She figured it must be hard on him to be so far away from his family after having been so much a part of their li
ves. Before Ashley and Gracie had come to live with them, she couldn’t imagine wanting kids, but now . . . now she couldn’t imagine life without them.

“Okay
, put him on.” Dylan sighed. “Hey, buddy. Your mom tells me that you’ve been having some trouble at school.”

Tj watched Dylan’s expression
change as he listened to whatever story his nephew was telling him. Tj knew that after Dylan’s sister Allie had become pregnant with Justin, her boyfriend had deserted her, and Dylan had helped her raise the boy. Then, when Dylan’s wife was murdered during a shootout in which he’d been the intended victim, Allie had become concerned about Justin’s safety while he was with his uncle, refusing to let the boy visit him. Once Dylan had recovered from the extensive wounds he’d received in the shootout, he’d moved to Serenity from Chicago. He hadn’t seen Justin since the incident, although they spoke by phone regularly.

“I know, I miss you too.” Dylan rubbed his forehead with his free hand. “I understand what you’re saying
, but your mom is really worried about you. Maybe we can work something else out. I’ll tell you what: I want you to get caught up with all your homework and I’ll talk to your mom about letting you visit over the summer.”

Dylan smiled at something Justin said. “Okay, but remember, nothing less than your best behavior.”
He glanced at Tj and smiled. “Okay, I promise, now put your mom back on.”

Tj tried not to listen as Dylan spoke to his sister about what was obviously a private family matter
, but it was sort of hard not to hear when she was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with the man. By the sound of things, Justin had decided not only to boycott his schoolwork until his mom agreed to let him visit his uncle but he’d been acting out as well. Based on Dylan’s side of the conversation, Allie was at the end of her rope. Dylan was treating her with love and patience, which made Tj respect him more than she already did. She couldn’t imagine how hard the entire situation must be for him.

“Sorry about that,” he said after he hung up. “Justin is having some problems in school.”

“I gathered,” Tj replied. “I’ve been having some problems with Ashley as well.”

Tj explained about Ashley’s outburst over not being invited to Loretta Baldwin’s party and the backlash
that had resulted from the fight she’d initiated. She filled him in on the history of Ashley’s relationship with Loretta, and the fact that she was just as happy that Ashley wasn’t friends with the mean child, though she did understand how difficult it must be to be an outcast at a new school where she’d been trying so hard to fit in.

“What Ashley needs is a generalized elevation of status,” Dylan responded. “She’s had a tough year
, and it’s never easy to start off at a new school. To make matters worse, she made an enemy of a very influential class member. If she can notch up her position on the overall popularity scale a bit and provide a circumstance for her to show that she’s the bigger person, it’ll be harder for kids like Loretta to pick on her.”

“That actually makes sense.” Tj was impressed. “Any idea how to accomplish that?”

Dylan thought about it. “I’m doing a safety assembly at the school next week. I’ll ask Ashley to be my special assistant. During the demonstration, I’ll ask her to pick a classmate to help out as well. Experience has shown that all the kids will want to do it. We’ll instruct Ashley to pick Loretta.”

“Loretta?” Tj asked. “After everything she’s done to Ashley
?”

“The problem with Loretta started when Ashley first started school after the death of her mother. No one can blame her for pushing Loretta after what she said
, but it appears Loretta has managed to spin the situation her own way, making Ashley look like the bad guy. If she picks Loretta to help out with the assembly, it will serve as an apology of sorts, thereby ending the feud. If Loretta continues to pick on her, my guess is that the other kids will side with Ashley.”

“We’ll have to fill Kristi in on the plan or
her feelings will be hurt if Ashley doesn’t pick her.”

“I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“You’re pretty good at this parenting thing,” Tj complimented.

Dylan sighed. “When it comes to other people
’s kids. I’m afraid I may have made a horrible mistake with Justin.”

“How so?”

“I’m the only dad Justin has ever known. I never should have left him behind to come to Serenity.”

“But I thought you told me your sister wouldn’t let you see him after your wife was killed.”

“Yeah, she was afraid that if he’d been at our apartment, as he often was, he might have been killed as well. I don’t blame her for being scared. But Justin needs to have me in his life, and if I’d stayed, I could have convinced her of that eventually. When I left Chicago, I tried to tell myself that taking this job was the best thing for everyone, but I can see now that what I was really doing was running away from a situation that had become too intense for me to handle.”

“Are you thinking about going back?” Tj’s heart sank.

“I don’t know. Maybe. If I can’t convince Allie to move out here.”

Tj didn’t want to think about Dylan leaving
, but she knew that once you gave your heart to a child, they owned it. If Ashley and Gracie’s happiness depended on her moving to be with them, she knew she’d do it in a minute.

“Coach Jensen,” Sarah, who had been talking with Brittany and Jilli, called as she raced across the parking lot of the auditorium, where she was supposed to meet Jenna. Tj started to wave as Sarah caught up to her and wrapped her in a hug so tight Tj could barely breathe. Tj hugged her back. “Thank you,” Sarah whispered into her ear. “Really.” She pulled back enough to look Tj directly in the eye. “Thank you.”

“You’re doing good?”
Tj asked as Sarah took a small step back.

“I am.”
Sarah released her grip so that they stood face-to-face. “Better than good. I had my first counseling session on Thursday with Ms. Cutter. She’s really great. In one session she’s already helped me to see how totally out of balance my life has been since my dad left and my sister went off to college and the majority of the responsibility of raising my brother and sisters has fallen on me. It’s a complicated situation, because my mom really does have to work, but Mom is joining me for my Tuesday session, and we’re going to work on a strategy that will work for everyone.”

“That’s
wonderful, Sarah.”

“And Brittany and Jilli have been great,” she added
. “They told me how much you helped them when Jilli’s dad died and Brittany’s parents decided to get divorced. We all think you’re a great coach, but maybe your true calling is as a counselor or something.”

Tj grinned
. “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to coaching.”

“Yeah, sports at school would suck without you.”

“Have you talked to Eric?” Tj wondered.

“Yeah
. A lot, actually. He’s hurt, but he loves me and wants to work on our relationship; as friends for now, but maybe someday . . .”

“Has he started counseling as well?”

“Next week. On Monday. I think he’s seeing someone Principal Remington recommended to his parents.”

“I’m glad everything worked out.”

“Me too.” Sarah hugged Tj again. “I should get back, but I just wanted to say thanks.”