lips before I could stop it.
“What’s so funny?” Jake asked me.
“I find it amusing that particular thought would even enter your mind.” I kissed his cheek, and then I said, “Go do your digging, and Grace and I will start with ours. I promise that I’ll call you if we find anything significant, and I’d appreciate it if you’d do the same. We can meet back up at the cottage for dinner tonight and discuss what we’ve been up to. Does that sound good to you?”
“It does. Are you sure you don’t mind if we handle things this way?”
“Jake, whatever clears my mother of suspicion and saves my father’s reputation is a-okay with me.”
He didn’t return my smile. Instead, after a full ten seconds, he asked, “Suzanne, there’s something else that we need to discuss.”
“I’m listening,” I said.
With great reluctance, he asked me, “What if I discover that what Morgan Briar claimed was true in the course of my investigation? Do you really want to know what happened?”
“I do,” I said without a moment’s hesitation. “I’m not saying that it’s not going to be painful to hear, but I have to know the truth about my father, Jake. I’m a grown woman; I can take it.”
“And your mother as well?”
“She can handle it, too.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Jake said.
“I know that, but I’m pretending to believe that it was. There’s no doubt in my mind that my mother loved my father, but there’s no way she would kill to protect his memory.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jake answered solemnly.
“You can count on it.” Things were strained between us at the moment, and I hated the feeling. I kissed him soundly, and then added, “Now go do some unofficial police work. And Jake?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for helping. It means a lot to me.”
“There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing in the world,” he said, and then he headed for his car.
As he did, I grabbed my telephone and called Grace.
She answered on the first ring. “That’s spooky, Suzanne. I was just about to call you,” she said.
“I’ve told you before, we have some kind of eerie psychic bond. Are you free right now?”
“For you? Absolutely,” Grace said. That was one of the things I loved about her; she was always ready to throw herself into my cases.
“How would you feel about doing a little investigating with me? Is there room in your schedule by any chance?”
“After I fell asleep on you this morning and left you holding the bag alone? You’d better believe that I can make time for you,” she said. “I just got back in, so I’ll do whatever you ask me to. I still can’t believe that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”
“Grace, stop apologizing, okay? If it had been me, I would have probably fallen asleep myself. We’re good.”
“No way. You wouldn’t have dozed off like I did, no matter how much you protest otherwise. Where should we start?”
“I was thinking that a drive to Union Square might be in order. We need to find out all we can about the Briar brothers, and we’ve got the best resource there is in town to tap into.”
“We’re going to go see the DeAngelis ladies, aren’t we?”
“I can’t think of a better place to start, and while we’re there, maybe we can get a bite to eat, too.”
“You don’t have to sell me on Napoli’s,” she said. “I’ll pick you up in three minutes.”
“You’d better make it ten,” I said as I glanced at my watch. I had to help Emma finish closing up for the day.
“Ten it is. See you soon.”
I’d have to tell her about Jake joining our team on the way to Union Square, but at the moment, I had cleaning to do.
The only problem was that someone else had her own agenda.
I looked down the street, and Gabby Williams was walking toward me with a stride that told me that she wasn’t approaching me for a
“What’s so funny?” Jake asked me.
“I find it amusing that particular thought would even enter your mind.” I kissed his cheek, and then I said, “Go do your digging, and Grace and I will start with ours. I promise that I’ll call you if we find anything significant, and I’d appreciate it if you’d do the same. We can meet back up at the cottage for dinner tonight and discuss what we’ve been up to. Does that sound good to you?”
“It does. Are you sure you don’t mind if we handle things this way?”
“Jake, whatever clears my mother of suspicion and saves my father’s reputation is a-okay with me.”
He didn’t return my smile. Instead, after a full ten seconds, he asked, “Suzanne, there’s something else that we need to discuss.”
“I’m listening,” I said.
With great reluctance, he asked me, “What if I discover that what Morgan Briar claimed was true in the course of my investigation? Do you really want to know what happened?”
“I do,” I said without a moment’s hesitation. “I’m not saying that it’s not going to be painful to hear, but I have to know the truth about my father, Jake. I’m a grown woman; I can take it.”
“And your mother as well?”
“She can handle it, too.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Jake said.
“I know that, but I’m pretending to believe that it was. There’s no doubt in my mind that my mother loved my father, but there’s no way she would kill to protect his memory.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jake answered solemnly.
“You can count on it.” Things were strained between us at the moment, and I hated the feeling. I kissed him soundly, and then added, “Now go do some unofficial police work. And Jake?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for helping. It means a lot to me.”
“There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing in the world,” he said, and then he headed for his car.
As he did, I grabbed my telephone and called Grace.
She answered on the first ring. “That’s spooky, Suzanne. I was just about to call you,” she said.
“I’ve told you before, we have some kind of eerie psychic bond. Are you free right now?”
“For you? Absolutely,” Grace said. That was one of the things I loved about her; she was always ready to throw herself into my cases.
“How would you feel about doing a little investigating with me? Is there room in your schedule by any chance?”
“After I fell asleep on you this morning and left you holding the bag alone? You’d better believe that I can make time for you,” she said. “I just got back in, so I’ll do whatever you ask me to. I still can’t believe that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”
“Grace, stop apologizing, okay? If it had been me, I would have probably fallen asleep myself. We’re good.”
“No way. You wouldn’t have dozed off like I did, no matter how much you protest otherwise. Where should we start?”
“I was thinking that a drive to Union Square might be in order. We need to find out all we can about the Briar brothers, and we’ve got the best resource there is in town to tap into.”
“We’re going to go see the DeAngelis ladies, aren’t we?”
“I can’t think of a better place to start, and while we’re there, maybe we can get a bite to eat, too.”
“You don’t have to sell me on Napoli’s,” she said. “I’ll pick you up in three minutes.”
“You’d better make it ten,” I said as I glanced at my watch. I had to help Emma finish closing up for the day.
“Ten it is. See you soon.”
I’d have to tell her about Jake joining our team on the way to Union Square, but at the moment, I had cleaning to do.
The only problem was that someone else had her own agenda.
I looked down the street, and Gabby Williams was walking toward me with a stride that told me that she wasn’t approaching me for a
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