Heavenly Corners Page 4

  I whispered. “It’s her. She’s here.”

  “Who?” Clark glanced around the restaurant.

  “Claudine, Steve’s sister. She became my arch nemesis when I began to date Steve and after he died she tried to shove her nose into every aspect of my life. She even tried to convince child services that Laci would be better off with her and her husband after Steve died. It was awful. The case never went anywhere, but I was terrified. I hate her. I could use a glass of wine.” I took a deep breath and leaned back after I shared my story.

  “I remember Claudine Ryan. We were in the same grade. She was always a …”

  “She still is.”

  Clark smiled and ordered the wine.

  “Let’s change the subject. What would you like to eat? They have steak and lobster.”

  I shuddered.

  “Something else wrong,” he asked.

  “Seafood, I don’t like any of it.”

  “You live on a lake and don’t like fish, Annie?” He watched me out of the corner of his eye while glancing at the menu.

  “My first fishing trip with my dad was memorable. I was three. He caught a fish and it flipped out of his hands. It landed on my feet and flopped around looking at me with those big, dark eyes. I screamed so loud that mom and grandma could hear me back on shore. Dad had to take me back after he threw the fish in the lake. I had nightmares. I also stayed out of the lake the entire summer.”

  I took a large gulp of water trying to wet my dry throat. The memory still gets to me.

  Clark nodded trying to frown and show concern. I could see his lips struggle against a smile forming. He looked down at his menu. The movement in his shoulders let him know he was fighting laughter.

  “Okay, I won’t order it. A steak is perfect on its own.” He looked at me over the top of the menu.

  I began to relax and was about to tell Clark I love the Italian grilled chicken breast when a shrill voice stabbed into my brain.

  “Why Clark Cavanaugh, I haven’t seen you in years. Hmm, hello Annie. How are you doing, Clark?” Claudine’s sing-song screechy voice traveled through half the restaurant.

  “I’m doing fine, thanks, Claudine. How have you been?”

  “Lots of things change over the years. Why don’t you and Annie join my husband and me for dinner and we can all have a nice chat.” Claudine smiled her evil cat smile.

  Oh no, no, no. She’s going to spoil my evening. I hid behind my menu wishing I was still home safe and sound and alone. This dating stuff was going to kill me.

  I heard Clark’s strong voice. “Thanks for the invite, Claudine, but Annie and I planned for a quiet dinner this evening. Maybe some other time.”

  My hero.

  I heard Claudine snort and walk away and I peeked out from behind my menu.

  Clark whispered, “It’s okay to come out. She’s gone.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief but knew the gossip in town was going to run wild tomorrow. For once, I didn’t care. Dinner was lovely, and I forgot about Claudine and whether or not I was on a date. I even forgot how low-cut my dress was and whether or not it made me look easy. I had fun.

  Chapter Seven

  I woke Sunday morning to Yummy’s yips near my ear. He was still laying on my pillow but awake and apparently trying to decide if he needed to go out or stay asleep. I decided to take him out rather than have a mess to clean. It wasn’t chilly, and I decided to let him play in his puppy run while I got ready for church. I saw Aunt Irene waving from her kitchen window.

  I turned on the coffee and waited for Yummy to get tired of chasing bugs, leaves, or anything else that entered his domain. Both finished at about the same time, and I brought Yummy back inside and sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee. Noticing the time, I hurried to shower and dress before Aunt Irene knocked on the patio door. Since mom and dad moved, I take Aunt Irene to church each Sunday. She’s more like a second mom, and I love having her around. It makes me miss mom a little bit less.

  Maybe I should visit them, I thought, but Arizona is hot in the summer. If I wait until fall, Laci will be back in school. Maybe next Christmas we would both go during her semester break. Great idea Annie, now get in the shower.

  #######

  I saw Georgie and Paul when we entered the church. They sat across the church which was good because Georgie would be full of questions about last night. Church was not the place to discuss them. Pastor Sorlin delivered a lovely sermon about brotherly love, and I was grateful there was no mention of sin or lust or wicked thoughts. I already felt doomed after thinking about how I dressed last night.

  Georgie and Paul caught up with us after church, and I could tell by Georgie’s face that she was bursting with questions.

  Paul, ever the gentleman, said, “I know Georgie needs to speak with you, Annie. I’ll take Aunt Irene home on my way to the grill. Would that work?”

  Aunt Irene slipped her arm around Paul’s and said, “That sounds perfect. See you later, Annie.”

  I looked at Georgie and said, “You need to go back to where you saw Paul the first time and bottle the air. I think you could bring chivalry back.” I smiled at her.

  Georgie’s eyes grew big, and she blurted, “The ninth-grade science room. I would kill people.”

  I bit my lip hard to keep from laughing out loud in the church vestibule, turned, and strode to the parking lot before I couldn’t hold it in.

  I felt my face flush as I continued to laugh.

  Georgie was right behind me and said, “Should I tell men, ‘here, smell this Formaldehyde.’ Yup, I’d be arrested pretty quickly. Chivalry would be dead literally.”

  I didn’t think I could laugh as hard as I was, and I whispered, “Stop it, or I’m going to pee my pants. Let’s go have coffee.” I took a deep breath, wiped the tears that ran down my cheeks, and climbed into my car. I needed to get under control if I was going to drive.

  #######

  We settled into a booth at the Heavenly Diner and ordered two mocha lattes.

  Georgie wrapped her fingers around her cup and stared straight in my eyes, “Okay, give. How was your hot date?”

  “It was fine.” I sipped my latte and avoided her stare.

  “Fine? It was fine. What kind of answer is that? Details! I want details,” she leaned closer to the table between us.

  “All right,” I said. “It was nice after I relaxed. We went to Dunber’s. We were discussing the menu when Claudine walked up to the table and invited us to have dinner with her and her husband. I saw her when we walked in and prayed she would stay away, but you know Claudine.” I rolled my eyes.

  Georgie continued to stare at me and said, “Uh ha, then what? Did you plot her murder?”

  “I wish.” I smiled. “Clark was polite, but he refused her invitation. She huffed and walked away. I was so happy that I enjoyed my meal and Clark’s company. After she left I told him how she treats me, and he told me that he could never tolerate her.”

  “Chalk up a point for Clark. What happened when he took you home?” Georgie’s eyes looked mischievous as she sipped her latte.

  “Nothing.”

  “Right, come on it’s me. I know you better than anyone. What did you do?” Georgie was already laughing before I could tell my story.

  I began to whisper. “Clark walked me to the door and told me he had a nice time. I was wondering whether or not to ask him in, so I just said that I had a nice time, too. Clark said we should do it again, and I agreed. He stepped forward, and I thought he might kiss me. I panicked and backed up hitting my head on my front door.”

  Georgie was doing her best to stifle a laugh.

  I stammered, “Don’t laugh. Clark laughed, too, and he made me laugh. Then he took my hand and kissed it. He said he’d call, and we could have lunch this week. I went in and leaned against the door feeling mortified.”

  “It could have been worse,” Georgie said. “Don’t look now, but Mags and Douglas are having coffee. They keep looking this way and whisperi
ng.”

  I never listen to what people tell me and immediately looked towards Mags and Douglas. Mags averted her eyes immediately, and Douglas glared at me as if I was his enemy.

  “What did I ever do to them to make Douglas give me the evil eye? I was friends with Inga, and I’m taking good care of Yummy.” I sipped my latte and glanced back in their direction. Now both were staring at me.

  Georgie shrugged.

  “I wonder why they’re still in town. There isn’t going to be a funeral. Maybe they’re waiting to see what they inherit so they can empty the mansion before they sell it.” I glanced up just in time to see Clark and his parents enter the diner.

  He helped his parents settle into a booth and began walking toward us. Georgie whispered, “Gotta love a man who is nice to his folks.” I had to agree.

  He stopped at our table. “Good morning, Georgie. Annie, how are you this morning?”

  “Fine thanks. How are you?”

  Duh!!! I was tongue tied and felt like an idiot. Say something nice Annie for goodness sake.

  I decided to just smile.

  “I’m doing great, thanks. Just taking mom and dad out for breakfast after church. I’ll talk to you soon.” He smiled and winked.

  Georgie grinned and drummed her fingertips on the table. “I think the next time that man takes you out to dinner you better invite him in or your neighbors will be talking about you for years. What he has on his mind is illegal--on your front porch anyway.”

  I know my face turned several shades of red as Georgie laughed. I finished my latte and said, “Let’s go. I can’t take you anywhere.”

  I paid the bill and walked out the door. I turned to Georgie and said, “You better be nice, or I’ll leave you here. Paul has your car remember.”

  “You’d never,” Georgie said and poked her elbow into my arm. “Hey,” she whispered. Mags and Douglas are across the street in front of the antique store staring this way.

  “What do you suppose they’re doing watching us that way?”

  “Plotting another murder. I still think they or someone killed Inga,” Georgie insisted.

  “I’m beginning to think maybe you’re right, but how do we find out?” I answered and watched Mags and Douglas’ reflection in the window of the diner.

  Georgie’s eyebrows twisted as she bit her lip. I knew she was deep in thought. “Got it. I’ll call Dot this afternoon and ask her to keep an ear open at the station. If there was any funny business, the police are sure to know. Maybe Dot could call her cousin. She might hear something about those test results.”

  “Great idea,” I agreed. “Let’s leave. They’re still watching us and I feel uncomfortable.”

  I dropped Georgie off at the grill and drove home looking forward to a peaceful afternoon.

  #######

  I hummed to the CD on my way home. I love Sunday afternoons. Laci and I video chat every Sunday afternoon. I could drive the three hours to her dorm for a face to face chat, but I wouldn’t want to embarrass her. I have to settle for the video chats until she comes home for summer vacation next month. Needless to say, I’m excited.

  My excitement began to pale when I saw a police cruiser parked in front of my house. Officer Bill Todorov, one of Heavenly Corners newest rookies, sat behind the wheel.

  By the time I parked and exited my vehicle, Officer Bill was standing next to my Explorer.

  “Hello, Annie. We received a complaint of an unsupervised dog allowed to run wild and bark at all hours. The complaint continues to suggest the animal is being abused.”

  “Abused? Abused?” I’m sure my voice went up in pitch.

  “Yes, ma’am. Do you leave the animal outside without food or water all day and night? That’s abuse.” He jotted something in his small notebook.

  “Listen, Bill.” I tried to sound polite while fighting my outrage. “You received a false report. I have one tiny dog who is well fed and never left outside for hours. He sometimes yips, but I doubt the neighbors can hear him. I don’t have a neighbor to my left except Aunt Irene in her cottage. She loves Yummy, and the neighbor on my right is nearly two blocks away down the lake.”

  “Yummy? What’s a Yummy?” Officer Bill looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language.

  “My dog,” I let out a sigh. “Come in and you can meet him and see he’s not abused.”

  Bill followed me into the house, and Yummy began to yip as loud as he could inside his carrier. Bill looked at me.

  “That’s your dog? His yip can’t possibly travel very far. You have another dog?” He looked around the room.

  “Nope, just Yummy.” I opened Yummy’s carrier, and he ran up to Bill and barked.

  Bill laughed and picked him up. Yummy settled into his arm.

  “Bill, please sit down and maybe we can figure this out.” I smiled and motioned to the couch.

  “Thanks,” Bill sat and Yummy jumped down and headed for me. He dropped at my feet.

  “You may be right about a false report. I see there are full bowls of food and water, and your dog isn’t running for them. He looks as if he missed you.” He jotted in his notebook and looked up at me, “You have any enemies?”

  “In this town. Are you serious? Everyone gets along.” I glared at him feeling annoyed again.

  He shrugged. “The complaint was anonymous, but very detailed. The person insisted the animal be taken to the shelter for adoption. The shelter is closed today, so the report came to us. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

  I bit my lip and squinted when I looked at Bill. “Are you taking Yummy?”

  Bill laughed. “Absolutely not. I can see Yummy is well taken care of and can’t possibly annoy a neighbor. I do know it was an adult that complained so you might want to watch your back. Maybe someone is angry over a book purchase.” He grinned at me.

  “I doubt it. They could return a book.” I smiled feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

  He stood, smiled, and made his way to the front door. Before opening it, he turned and asked, “How’s Laci?”

  “Doing great and loving school. I’m going to video chat with her later.”

  His smiled broadened. “Please tell her I said hi, and I’ll see her next month.” He stepped through the doorway, and I closed the door taking a long, slow cleansing breath.

  I picked up Yummy and said, “That was close boy, who could do that to us?” He barked back at me.

  I knew the grill was busy and decided to send Georgie a text rather than call. I needed to talk to her about what happened. Could Officer Bill be right and I had an enemy? That made me uncomfortable, and I paced the living room with Yummy at my heels. I picked him up to place him out in the puppy run and for the first time I looked around the yard before I walked out.

  Chapter Eight

  My alarm woke me Monday morning before Yummy began to whine in my ear. I sat on the edge of my bed, and Yummy jumped from the bed to the box I placed next to the bed and then to the floor.

  “You fit in well,” I laughed and he barked. I never thought I would enjoy having a pet around, but Yummy was special. I understood why Inga had him and several before him all bearing the same name.

  The coffee pot started as I let Yummy out for a quick run then I headed for my shower. Yummy always sat down on the rug outside my shower. I think he likes being close to me. I dressed, filled a travel mug with coffee, put Yummy in his carrier, and headed for the book shop.

  Besides the ordeal of the police accusing me of being an animal abuser, yesterday was a great day. Laci and I video chatted for nearly an hour. It will be wonderful to see her in a few short weeks. She blushed a bit when I told her Officer Bill said hello. Maybe there is something going on that she didn’t share with me. After all, she is nineteen and grown although she’ll always be my baby.

  Georgie called me back during a lull in business, and we agreed with Bill that perhaps I had acquired an enemy. I think it was Claudine, but Georgie thinks it might have something to do with In
ga’s murder. When she said murder, I shuddered. We still have no clue how Inga died. Georgie said she would call Dot today and she told me two of Inga’s cousins checked in at Sadie’s Bed and Breakfast. Georgie thinks they’re second or third cousins here for the reading of the will. We’ll see. Things are happening in Heavenly Corners that don’t usually happen. We have a quiet, quaint town.

  I parked behind the store and picked up Yummy’s carrier. I was about to slip my key into the deadbolt on the back door when I noticed quite a few scrapes near the keyhole that were never there before this morning. The lock was old, and the scratches allowed the bare metal to shine through. I didn’t even think about it twice as I remembered Officer Bill’s words. “Do you have any enemies?” I climbed back into my vehicle and dialed 9-1-1 on my cell. Within minutes, I heard sirens. I lay my forehead on the steering wheel.

  Annie Ryan, you have managed to get yourself into another predicament that needs sirens and flashing lights. When will my life be calm and peaceful? It used to be peaceful before…before I inherited Yummy. Bill and Georgie are right. I have an enemy. Maybe one besides Claudine.

  I lifted my head when I heard the siren stop wailing and a car pull behind mine. Officer Bill knocked on my window, and I opened the car door and stood.

  “Are you all right, Annie? Had a call of a break-in.” He looked at me and then at the back door.

  “I’m okay, but look at the deadbolt on the store’s door. I think someone tried to break in and maybe they did. I didn’t touch the doorknob. I got back in my car immediately and called 9-1-1.” I clutched Yummy’s carrier close to my chest.

  Bill pulled on a pair of plastic gloves and looked at the door. “Looks as if someone tried to pick the lock. I doubt they could, but I’ll call in to have someone dust for prints. Have you checked your front door?”

  I shook my head.

  Bill said, “Hand me your keys. I’m going to open the front door if it looks untouched, and check out the store.” I nodded at Bill and handed him my keys.

  All the stores that fronted Main Street shared an alley/parking area. Many of them were watching me from behind their stores. Lou, from the diner, walked over to see if I was okay.