Mark shifted to face me, putting a little space between us. He took my hands in his. “I’d planned to do it with a diamond ring rather than onion rings,” he tilted his head in the direction of our now-cold lunch and gave me a grin that reminded me a lot of a nervous teen asking a girl out for the very first time, “but it is if you think you might say yes.”
I definitely would say yes.
I tried to speak, but nothing came out. It was like someone had cut my vocal cords. I nodded my head instead.
He brought his hand up to my cheek. “Yes, you might say yes, or yes, you are saying yes?”
“I am saying yes.”
15
We decided not to tell anyone until he could get me a ring. Considering that my excitement was almost matched by my anger at my mom for her possible meddling, it wasn’t going to be as hard as it would otherwise have been to keep it a secret from her.
Since Mark and I went to The Burnt Toast for pastries to celebrate, it was evening before I got back to my house. By the time I took my dogs out for an extra-long walk, I’d managed to avoid my mom for most of the day.
The rebellious child that I’d never been allowed to be had reared up inside me. I didn’t want to talk to her. A large part of me wanted Mark and me to go to DC and not tell my parents we’d been there. I was tired of being manipulated.
The next morning, I took care of Velma and Toby, and went to town before my mom was even out of bed. I left her a note that I was going to The Sunburnt Arms to drop off the fresh maple syrup candy samples I’d made Saturday afternoon. The fact that my mom’s recipe worked perfectly was about as satisfying as eating a plate of sand until I realized that she’d inadvertently helped me in the business she so desperately wanted me to leave behind. With all that had happened, Mandy missed her re-order date for her mints, which had left the window open for Sugarwood items despite the delay.
My phone rang as I was paying for a coffee at The Burnt Toast. Elise’s name popped up on my screen.
I slid my finger across the screen, and I instinctively opened my mouth to blurt out our news. I stopped just in time.
“We got the voicemail message off Vilsack’s phone,” Elise said. “Do you and your mom have time today to take it to Alice Benjamin and confirm that it matches the voice of the man she spoke to? Since she was probably the last person to speak to him before he died, we need to make sure it was him. If it wasn’t, she could potentially voice ID our murderer should we catch him.”
I slurped my coffee. Even though it was Elise and not Mandy calling me this morning, I still needed caffeine before I could be expected to think clearly. Though I had to admit I’d been sleeping a lot better since the support group meeting. “Did the techs send a list of the incoming and outgoing calls too?”
“Yeah. I’ll be going over the list today. The roommate’s list of the women Vilsack dated was nearly useless. The few he knew were only by first name. He did say if we showed him pictures, he might recognize them, but Vilsack generally went to their places rather than bringing them back to his.”
“I’ll call Alice Benjamin to set up a meeting.”
Then I’d take it to Alice alone, but Elise didn’t need to know that. She’d ask why, and I might not be able to explain it without spilling my new secret. Mark came to me first with the news of the job offer, so his family likely didn’t know yet. It wasn’t my place, even given my friendship with Elise, to tell them he got a job offer that might take him away from them again.
“Did you check Tim O’Brien’s second alibi?” I asked. “Mandy called me again on Saturday, and I want to be able to set her mind at ease if she brings it up today when I see her.”
“The apartment building keeps the recordings for two weeks, so they still had the one from that night. He went in when he said he did and didn’t come out until the next morning. He couldn’t have done it.”
Elise gave me Alice Benjamin’s number and disconnected. I dialed it before starting my car.
I could tell by the sound of her voice—like she was speaking from down a tunnel—that she was also driving.
“I’m already on the way out to my next sample site.” The tick-tick of a signaler carried through my speakers from her end. “I’ll text you the GPS coordinates. I’ll be there for the next hour or so.”
Having to meet Alice gave me a good excuse not to linger at The Sunburnt Arms. I was almost afraid of what Mandy might have come up with today. She really should take that vacation her sister kept pushing for. A little time away to relax would do her good.
An email from Elise with the recording attached showed up on my phone as I was walking through the doors of The Sunburnt Arms.
No one staffed the front desk. Instead, a tiny bell perched on the ledge, with a handwritten sign saying Ring for Service. The murmur of voices drifted down the hallway from the direction of the breakfast room, so I bypassed the desk. This time of day, Mandy would still be serving breakfast, which meant she’d be going back and forth between the kitchen and breakfast room. She didn’t need me calling her away from that when I could as easily walk back to the kitchen and deliver my package.
I peeked in the breakfast room door as I went by. About half the tables were full, but Mandy wasn’t there.
The kitchen had a swinging door, so I didn’t bother knocking. Mandy, Susan, and Becky all leaned over the counter, four sheets of paper spread out between them.
I cleared my throat. “I brought the candy samples.”
Mandy looked up, but her smile was distracted. She waved me over. “We’re going over the resumes we’ve gotten so far for a new desk clerk. I figured if we all read them, we could avoid hiring someone who’d bring more trouble on the place.” Mandy swiped up a sheet and held it out to me. “A lawyer’s eyes would be helpful too. You’ve seen more criminals than the rest of us, I’m sure.”
I’d been around more criminals than anyone should be, and not just during my time as a lawyer. I set the box beside the papers, but held up my hands in a blocking motion. “I can’t stay. I’m meeting with Alice Benjamin in a few minutes.”
Mandy’s hand clenched around the resume, crumpling it. “Do you think she had something to do with it after all?”
Too bad my legs weren’t long enough to kick myself. I should have said I had a meeting or something equally generic. Who knew what cockamamie theories—as my grandmother would have called them—Mandy would come up with now about what had happened. I’d end up getting calls from her at three in the morning if I wasn’t careful since Alice Benjamin was still staying at The Sunburnt Arms.
“The police are confident Alice Benjamin had nothing to do with it, either as a potential suspect or as an intended target. She’s perfectly safe to have here.”
Mandy nodded in a way that said I’m not sure I’m convinced, but she let it drop.
I backed toward the door before she could come up with anything else. “I’ll see you later. Let me know how you like the candies.”
“I will.” She dumped the resume back on the counter. “We need to get back to feeding guests and cleaning the rooms anyway.” She made a shooing motion at Susan and Becky as if they’d been intentionally lollygagging.
I ducked out the door and scurried for my car. The end of this case couldn’t come soon enough. I wanted to go back to when Mandy was my friend that I talked books with.
The road to the coordinates Alice had given me was busier than most of the others leading into and out of Fair Haven. Signs along the way pointed to designated fishing spots and docks to rent boats. Even though it was still too cold to swim in the water, it seemed like it was plenty warm enough to take boats out onto the lake.
I turned off the road where the GPS told me. The area was basically a pull-off rest area with a gravel parking lot, two picnic tables and a port-a-potty along the trees’ edge, and a pretty view of the lake, but no beach. A car that must belong to Alice was the only one in the parking area, sitting right along the water line. I parked beside it.
