Chapter Nineteen

“That’s it, Ainsley, house arrest. Or I swear I will put you in a jail cell just to keep you safe.” My brother paced back and forth in his office yelling. Normally, I wouldn’t let him do that. I didn’t take crap from anyone, but he’d been scared. His hands had been shaking when he arrived on the scene, and when he’d realized how close the car had been, he just held me. For a really long time.

I’d never felt so guilty in my life. It wasn’t like I was trying to get myself killed. I just seemed to find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“You can’t do any of those things. I haven’t done anything wrong,” I said calmly. “And you haven’t answered my questions. What are you going to do about the widow and the fake mistress?”

“Ainsley. No more. You are no longer involved in this case. You’ll have a police escort to and from home and work. I’m going to have a squad car at your house every night. I don’t want to hear one more word about you running down your list of suspects on the murder board.”

“I wasn’t. I was having a drink in a bar and I just happened to overhear them talking,” I said. “And I don’t need all that. You heard what your officer said. Probably someone just took the curve too fast.”

Though, even I didn’t believe that. I’m pretty sure whoever was driving that car wanted me dead. “And you don’t have the manpower to put a squad car outside my house. I’m fine. I have a security system and George. I’m not running down any list.”

Mainly because I was fairly certain that one, if not both of those women had tried to kill me. I’d seen and heard too much.

He shoved a hand through his hair. “Just promise me, until I can find the killer, that you’re going to stay close to home. Okay? And I will be having a patrol swing by even more often than I have.”

I sighed. “You can’t do that just because I’m your sister. What will people think?”

“You are my sister and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you. The people in this town will expect that. I know you won’t stay with me at my house, but you wouldn’t be alone that way.”

I shook my head. “No. I let some criminal scare me away from my home in Chicago. I’m not going to do that here. I will be more careful. I promise you. And I have George. Don’t forget. He’s a gentle giant but if anyone tries to mess with me—let’s just say he’s got my back.”

If it weren’t for him, I might be roadkill. I reached down to stroke his ears. He was definitely getting a big bone tonight.

“Someone tried to run over you. Just promise me you’ll be hyper aware. If anything strange happens, I don’t care if George is barking at a mosquito, you call me.”

His eyebrows furrowed, and I was desperate for this conversation to be over.

“I promise. Can we go now?”

He huffed. I started to exit, and then stopped. I walked back around his desk and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

He kissed the top of my head. “You’re the only sister I got. I need you to hang around.”

I chuckled. “Yes, sir.”

Then George and I were off with a police escort. One of the officers drove us in the police sedan, while the other officer drove my car back to the farm.

Once we arrived at the house, the officer who had driven us followed me to the door. I wasn’t sure about the protocol and I didn’t want to be rude.

“I’ll need to let George out,” I said as I unlocked the door.

“I’ll be going in first, ma’am,” Officer Collins said. “I’ll give you the go-ahead when it’s okay to go inside.”

As if he sensed the officer was just trying to keep us safe, George sat there patiently. Usually he’d be super antsy and whining by this point to get out in the backyard.

“Good boy, George.” I patted his head while we waited just inside the door. The officer made quick work of opening and closing the pantry and then motioned that it was okay to take George inside.

“I’ll check upstairs,” he said as he passed us. “Then we’re going to do our regular run, but we’ll be back to check on you.”

I started to say I’d be fine, but it was useless. They worked for my brother and it didn’t matter.

George galloped around the backyard like a champ, checking out every blade of grass. His antics helped soothe me. My body was a tight coil of nerves, my stomach so knotted it hurt.

Someone tried to kill me, or at the very least scare the heck out of me. They could have hurt Jeff and George.

The knot tightened. I backed away and sat down at the kitchen table, head in hands, forcing myself to slow my breathing.

“Calm down.” I said it out loud.

“You okay, ma’am?”

“Officer Collins?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I know it’s a Southern thing, but please stop calling me ma’am. You’re making me feel like I’m a hundred years old.”

“Yes—uh, Ms. McGregor.”

I laughed. I needed that.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I nodded. “It’s just been a very long day.”

There was a woof at the back door, and I stood, on unsteady legs to get George. But it was as if all the wind had gone out from my sails and I flopped back in the chair again.

“You sit tight. I’ll let your dog in.”

George came bounding in and sniffed my hand. Then he sat and stared at me.

A squawk came from the walkie-talkie on the officer’s chest, followed by a voice. “Collins, we have a situation.”

I wasn’t in the mood for any situations.

George’s ears perked up, but he didn’t bark. Strange. If there was danger nearby.

“What is it?”

Collins shook his head as he opened the door. “Seems you have company.”

Another officer opened my front door and in trod Mrs. Whedon, wagging a finger at him. “It’s a good thing you opened that door, Derrick, or I would have called your mama.”

Behind her were Shannon and Michael, all of them carrying food. And then came Don, who had something large covered with a blanket, and Maria. Lily followed close behind.

“Um.” I couldn’t quite form words.

“We heard what happened,” Shannon said. “Kevin let it slip that you were at the station and then Ms. Helen, who will be here as soon as Erma is done with her water aerobics, told us. We’ve decided to have, uh, a—” She stared pointedly at Officer Collins.

“Book club,” Don said, quickly. “We’re having book club. We also brought you some dinner,” he said. “And my wife made you a couple of pies.”

I wasn’t about to mention book club was a week away. The gang was up to something.

“We’ve got her covered,” Maria said to the officer. “One of or all of us will be staying near her for the foreseeable future. I’m sure you men have better things to do. Here’s a care package for the both of you. Feel free to check up on us in a few hours.”

She handed Officer Collins a bakery box, and then shooed him out the door.

“But.” He stuck his foot in the door and leaned in before she could shut it. “They didn’t say anything about allowing visitors.”

“We’re family,” Shannon said and then picked up her phone. “Greg. You owe me. We’re all here at Ainsley’s for a visit. Can you please ask your man to stand down and give us a chance to hang out?”

There was a long pause. “Like I said. You. Owe. Me. And if you think I’d let anything happen to my best friend—Right. We’ll see you later.”

The officer’s chest squawked again, and Maria used that as a chance to gently shove him out the door.

“So,” Shannon said. “Tell us what happened and don’t leave anything out.”

I sighed. “Fine. But first someone needs to feed George. I’d do it but I can’t stand up right now.”

“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Whedon said. “Let’s get some food in the both of you. You do look a bit peaked.”

A half hour later, thanks to some lively conversation that helped me relax, I’d eaten a large quantity of chicken-fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Don had set up a smaller version of our whiteboard in my living room. I’d made it to the L-shape corner of my couch. Amazing how a little fried chicken put my brain back in order. My body, though stiff from the fall, was more relaxed than I’d been all day.

George was curled up at my feet. And everyone else was stationed around the room, with Don at the whiteboard.

I’d told them everything. About the letters, the car, what I’d overheard. All of it.

“Do you think they murdered him together?”

“They both have alibis, pretty strong ones from what I can remember,” said Mrs. Whedon.

Ms. Helen, who had just arrived, was pacing, while Ms. Erma sat thoughtfully in a chair.

“They hired someone,” Mrs. Whedon said. “It’s the only explanation.”

“Yes, but why would they pretend to argue? It doesn’t make any sense,” Shannon said. “And obviously they weren’t both sleeping with him, so why go there?”

Shannon was right. It didn’t make any sense. That part of the puzzle drove me nuts. Like why expose themselves?

“And the mistress had been nice, I’d even say kind to me at the bar,” I added.

“Right before one of them tried to run you over with a car,” Don said, and then crossed his arms. “Those two are up to no good, mark my words.”

“They were definitely interested in the insurance money,” I said. “At least—I’m not sure. The mistress—I really should try to remember their names—kept asking how much longer they had to wait. I’m assuming it’s for the insurance.”

“Hmmm. That could take months,” Mrs. Whedon said. “When my Harold died, it took them six months to sort it all out. And there was so much paperwork.”

“Maybe they were talking about the body?” Jeff spoke up from my phone. He’d called in for a video chat since my brother had a guard outside his dorm room and he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere but class and his job. “My friend Eller is working at city hall, and the widow filed a complaint against the sheriff because he won’t allow the medical examiner to release the body.”

“That’s not what I heard,” Ms. Erma chimed in. “In light of new evidence, the medical examiner is the one who refuses to release the body.”

Ms. Helen gave her a strange look. “And I’m just hearing about this now, Erma?”

The other woman shrugged. “You didn’t ask. And Ainsley asked us to keep the details mum unless we were all together.”

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Oh, how I adored these people. Yes, they were curious about the case. But they’d also taken excellent care of me.

When I’d been mugged in Chicago, no one, not even the other professors at the university or the dean, had come by to see me. Some had sent cards and flowers, but no one visited. I was lucky to be in this place.

I hadn’t felt like I fit in at first, but I did now. I wouldn’t give this up for anything and no one was scaring me away from this place.

“So, they hired someone to kill him and are promising to split the insurance. Seems open and shut to me,” Michael said. He’d been sitting in the big armchair by the window staring out into the woods.

“Except for the alibis,” Jeff added.

Michael sighed. “Except for that.”

“Honey, they know you didn’t do it. You were at the diner when Ainsley was run off the road. That’s got to prove something.”

“That and we know the bottle was an afterthought,” I said.

Michael frowned. “How’d they get the bottle? We weren’t open yet. So that means it would have been someone who visited the winery, right?” He turned his head toward Shannon, who was seated on the arm of his chair. “Maybe we should go over the receipts from that day.”

She patted his arm. “I did. Unfortunately, a lot of them were for cash. There were only a few credit cards run. And don’t forget, they sell your wine at the Stop and Shop, and McClean’s grocery.”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “But it seems odd that it would be my bottle of wine, right? When whoever it was could have picked anything?”

“You’re right,” I said. “That is an odd coincidence. And Michael, I assure you, the police will now have loads more suspects. My brother and Lucy are following several leads. They know you didn’t do it.”

There was one suspect I couldn’t put on the board while Shannon and Michael were there.

I yawned.

“You should get some rest,” Mrs. Whedon said. “Soak in some Epsom salts tonight to help with those sore bones and bruises. It helps. I should know. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m old.”

Everyone chuckled. She really was a dear.

Most of the group filed out and I hung up on Jeff, who was nodding off anyway. Poor kid.

The guilt weighed so heavy on me; I was willing to give him a pass on the paper due tomorrow. He deserved a bit of a break, even if he’d been irresponsible following the widow and the mistress.

But you wouldn’t know what you do now.

Michael let George out for his nightly romp, and Shannon, who wouldn’t let me help, put everything away and cleaned up the kitchen.

“I wish you’d let us stay with you tonight, at least,” Shannon said.

“Nah. You guys go home and get some rest. You’ve both been through so much. I’m fine. The patrol officers will be back soon, and I’ve got George.”

As much as I loved my friends, I needed some alone time.

My dog bounced inside, did his three-circle thing on the end of the couch, and then plopped down.

“Well, he’s done for the night.” Michael chuckled.

“I think we both are,” I said. “Thank you, guys, for coming to hang out. I really appreciate it.”

Shannon stood near the couch.

“What?”

She leaned down and hugged me tight. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” she said. Then she let go.

My eyes burned with unshed tears and I sniffled. “I feel the same way about you.” I hugged her hard.

“I feel guilty for getting you mixed up in this,” she sniffed, and her eyes were shiny with tears.

I shook my head. “You didn’t do anything. I’m the one who wanted to help my friends and I’m glad I did.”

“I’m always going to owe you one, Ainsley.” Michael reached down for an awkward hug. “Thank you for everything.”

“Guys, stop it. You would do the same for me.”

“You know it,” Michael said to her. “You holler if you need anything, okay?” He helped Shannon into her lightweight coat.

“Thanks for everything.” I waved and they were off. I should have stood at the door, but I was honestly too tired to get off the couch.

My phone buzzed with a text.

I’ve got someone heading out to watch the house tonight. Get some sleep.

It was from my brother.

Maybe it was knowing someone would be watching the house, or the exhaustion from the day, but the couch seemed just fine for a little nap.

George’s light snore meant he concurred.

I did force myself to turn the lamp off and then I pulled one of the soft blankets I’d bought at the shop over me.