Chapter Eight

On the way to work the next morning, I drove past Jake and his firemen friends washing the letters off of Michael’s barn. The kindness I witnessed had me blinking away tears. Knowing that Jake and Kane, and even my brother, believed in Michael’s innocence, made me feel better about life.

But we had to prove it.

I was all the way to the store before I realized it was Sunday. I laughed as George stared at me in the rearview mirror. I was so set in my routine and so caught up in who might want to frame Michael, I forgot what day it was.

“Well, we’re here. Let’s run some reports to see how we did last week, and make sure everything is ready to reopen on Tuesday.” We’d collectively decided to only be open five days a week. Since it was a small town in Texas and a lot of folks did the church thing, Sunday was an easy decision. And to give our vendors a good break we all decided on Monday, as well.

“Maybe, I’ll set a reminder to sleep in tomorrow.”

George grunted as he followed me to the front counter. I booted up the computer and ran some sales reports. I’m a bit OCD about numbers and it’s important for me to make this business thrive, not just for me, but for everyone involved. These people went along with my dream and they deserved to achieve theirs, as well.

A half hour later, I printed everything and shoved the papers into my messenger bag. “Let’s go get some coffee and then we’ll head home.”

I clipped George’s leash to one of the patio tables outside, and went in to order. I was surprised to see Shannon at the register. The cozy shop buzzed with the church crowd either going to or coming from their place of worship. Dressed in an old T-shirt, sweater and jeans, I was a bit out of place amid all the Sunday best.

“I thought you took Sundays off? Is someone sick?”

She made my coffee and then brought it to me. “No. But I can only clean my house so many times. I needed something to get me out of my head.”

“Sorry.”

She shrugged. “I’m trying to stay positive and keep moving. By the way, I talked to your brother this morning.”

“Oh?”

“Thanks for sending him my way.” I hadn’t done that exactly, and I honestly couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic.

“Well, a crime was committed.” I parroted what Greg had said the day before.

“Funny. That’s what he said. We actually had a good chat and I feel bad about being so angry toward him. He is caught in the middle. And he promised to try and talk some sense into my fiancé. There’s absolutely no reason for him to stay behind bars. I mean money is tight, but it’s only ten percent. I’m one hundred percent willing to put the coffee shop up as collateral. I believe in him that much.”

I’ve never experienced the kind of bond she had with Michael. Sure, I’ve dated, but the guys always end up being jerks. I’ve sort of given up on that part of my life. I’m focused on my new career as an entrepreneur, and it’s a lot more rewarding.

“Well, if you want, I’m always happy to stop by and visit him. I don’t know that he’ll listen to me any more than he would you or Greg, but I’m happy to try. I asked my brother if I could bring cookies or something and visit and he said it would be all right.”

“If Greg can’t get through to him, I might take you up on that.”

I paid for my coffee. “Don’t work too hard, and if you want to come over later, we could do a girls’ spa day. Goodness knows I need a manicure and I haven’t had time to get to Nellie’s Nails in more than month. And I bought some of those moisturizing face masks that are supposed to take ten years off immediately.”

Shannon smiled and this time it reached her eyes. “Yes. That sounds wonderful. I’ll bring wine and food. And I have some wild new polishes I picked out a few weeks ago that I’ve been dying to try.”

I’m more of a nude or light pink person, but if it made her smile, I’d do anything.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Later that night, I waited for Shannon. George Clooney was in his favorite sleeping position on the couch. He’d spent the last twenty minutes doing his wild dog thing out in the backyard and was exhausted.

I was in the kitchen making some strawberry shortcake. It’s a summer dish for most people, but in South Texas strawberries are in season most of the year. But the main reason I was neck deep in mixing the whip cream? It was Shannon’s favorite. And she could absolutely use a bit of a break and a bit of looking after.

When she pulled up in her car into the drive, George Clooney raised his head and woofed.

“Thanks, awesome guard dog.”

I swear he grumbled under his breath as he went back to sleep. I was kind of amazed at his ability to know friend from foe, especially from the sound of their car or truck.

One of his many talents.

I brushed the crumbs from my hands into the sink and met her at the door.

We hugged and then she followed me to the breakfast bar. “I know it’s sacrilege to say, since I’m a winemaker’s fiancée, but I wasn’t in the mood to drink. I brought some stuff to make my Harry Potter Butterbeer, the non-alcoholic kind.”

“You had me at butter,” I said. “I made you some strawberry shortcake.”

Shannon loved strawberry shortcake. She had mentioned her mom used to make it nearly every Sunday night and Shannon went nuts for the homemade whipped cream.

She laughed. “You really are the best friend. It’s kind of an odd combo, maybe I should have brought something a little bit lighter.”

“Nah. If you don’t care, I don’t care. It’s all sweet and that’s what I’m in the mood for tonight. Do you want to eat or do nails first?”

She grinned, and it was good to see. I had missed that smile while away in Chicago, but now it was like we’d never been apart. “What do you think?”

After we ate and chatted about her new fall menu for the coffee shop, we pulled out our nail stuff. Well, I should say, she pulled out a kit with just about every color I could imagine.

Shannon was always prepared. That was the reason she’d earned so many badges in Girl Scouts and the main reason she ran such a successful business today.

She was there for me when my parents died, quietly supporting me in a million ways I didn’t fully comprehend until much later. Our friendship was cemented then and has withstood moves, exes, long-distance calls, and more.

“Wow. That’s quite the collection.”

“Well, some people collect shoes and purses, I’m a nail polish kind of girl. I change them at least once a week. Sometimes more because my hands are in water so much. When I glance down at my fingernails, it can brighten my mood to see the color.”

“I know that this is going to come as a huge shock to you, but I usually wear clear or a very light pink.”

She squinted at me and pursed her lips. “Ainsley McGregor, you’re trying to say you’re boring or not so brave, but you are. Look what you’ve done with the artisanal market? It took courage for you to take a chance on something you’d never done before, and it’s paying off, right?”

“Well, it’s only the first week but so far so good.” I didn’t mention the murder, one she knew much too well. “I’m hoping, since we’re at the beginning of Christmas season, it will continue.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” she said as she picked up one bottle and then put it down. “I’m on the street-decorating committee. I’m supposed to ask if you want wreaths with the traditional red and gold balls, or all white.”

I loved this woman. “You told them they needed to do white, didn’t you, to match my building?”

She shrugged. “I think it’s good to shake things up. You have the biggest building, so it’s up to you. I just thought white ribbon and gold balls, or even white and red balls would be so pretty. We’ll do the traditional greenery and garland across the streets and on the gas lampposts.”

Those lamps were one of my favorite things about Main Street.

“Actually, the white might look kind of dirty after a few days with all the dust around here,” I said practically.

Her eyes opened wide. “Oh, I didn’t even think about that. That’s a great point.”

“But thank you for thinking of me. If they haven’t done the ordering yet, maybe think about doing the dark green with the red balls. That traditional look is great on just about everything. I’ll make sure we do some fun window displays to liven things up.”

I’d found an animatronic Santa that was a good foot taller than me. I just needed to find someone to rewire him. We could hang garland around the big rafters and each booth could have its own—

Fingers snapped in front of my face.

“Hello?” Shannon laughed. It was a lovely sound. “Your head is turning with decorating ideas, isn’t it?”

I grinned right back. “It’s like you know me or something.”

She waved a bottle in front of my eyes. “This is the perfect color for fall. It’s called oxblood and it’s gorgeous on.”

“It’s very red.”

“Yes, almost black. I promise you’ll love it. Let me put it on.” She removed my old polish, filed my short nails to smooth out the rough spots, and then rubbed some delicious-smelling oil on my hands.

“Marry me,” I said as I closed my eyes. That hand massage was the most relaxing thing I’d done in weeks.

“I’m spoken for,” she said and then sighed.

My eyes popped open. Way to go. Remind her of the sad stuff why don’t you.

“I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head. “Stop. We’re having fun. And if ever I want a platonic marriage, I promise you’ll be the first person I call.”

“Same,” I said.

“Now go wash off all the goo and I’ll paint them.”

An hour later we both had new nails. She’d chosen a burnt orange for her. I had to admit, I did like the oxblood.

We were about to pop in a movie and do face masks when George Clooney jumped off the couch and ran to the back door. It was the same menacing growl I’d heard a few nights ago.

“George. Shhh.”

“What’s all that about?” Shannon asked.

“I think there’s an animal out in the woods. This happened the other night.”

George pawed at the door.

“Shhhhh.” I rubbed his head and tried to calm him down. “Probably a raccoon or maybe a coyote but you are not going outside.” No way I’d risk him getting hurt.

“Do you think someone might be back there?”

That was the big question and it was one I’d been considering.

I hoped not. But I did feel like someone was watching me the other night.

I flipped on the back porch light. I couldn’t see anything. Shannon joined me and peered out the French doors leading off the kitchen.

George calmed down. I gave him one of his bones to chew on. Normally, he’d head back to the couch and his blanket. But he settled on the rug by the French doors as if he were on lookout or something.

Nerves coursed through me like a raging river.

Could someone be out there?

Shannon put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure everything is fine. He’s settled down. Let’s go watch a movie. Besides, you promised these face masks would make me look ten years younger.”

I glanced away from the door. This night was about her. “That’s what the box says.”

“Do you ever get scared out here by yourself? I mean, the nearest house is probably Jake’s and he’s at least a mile away.”

I hadn’t ever been scared, well, until the last few nights. George and I had lived here a year, and he’d never been on edge like that. “No. I like the quiet. Besides, I don’t think there’d be a yard big enough for George in town.”

She bent down and petted his head. “You are one amazing dog, George, but you’re huge. I still can’t believe she brought you home from the shelter.”

A few minutes after we finished with the face masks, which were way more goopy than expected, we were snuggled in blankets on the couch and watching a movie. George sauntered in, did his three-circle thing on the end of the sofa and then lay down.

I guess the threat is gone. Had to have been some kind of animal.

“This movie is way more fun than I expected,” she said.

I’d found the latest romantic comedy on the streaming service. It was light and fun—exactly what we both needed.

When it was over, she yawned. “Do you mind if I sleep on your couch? I’m so sleepy all of a sudden.”

“I finally got the guest room fixed up last month. You can sleep there. You even have your own bathroom.”

That had been the last of the home renovations, which was good. I was almost out of money. The only thing I had left to do was to get the air-conditioning and heat out into the sunroom on the side of the house. George loved hanging out in there, probably because it was all windows and he could run from the back of the house to the front, surveying the land.

I made sure Shannon had towels and gave her one of my ginormous T-shirts I liked to sleep in. It said, “Girl, please. I ride a unicorn.” It was one of my gifts from a professor friend when I left the University of Chicago.

Sometimes that life seemed a hundred years away. This time of year, it would already be so chilly. I much preferred the Texas warmth.

“We need to get some more of these T-shirts. We could wear them to the fall festival in a couple of weeks. Michael and I—” She bit her lip. “I almost forgot he probably won’t be going to the festival. Ainsley, this is all so unfair.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, holding the shirt to her chest.

My heart tugged and I hurt for her.

“Look. He’s innocent. And no matter what, his dad’s fancy lawyer is going to get him off the hook. I don’t like any of this or how it’s going down. But we will figure it out. I’m here for you and Michael. He’s staying in because he believes in the system. I do too. I just think the system could use an extra set of eyes and ears.”

She took a deep breath. “I think your murder board could help.”

I shook my head. “For something that was supposed to be secret, it seems the whole world knows at this point. And we just started it Friday night. Even my brother found out.”

“I bet he was happy about that.”

“He thinks I’m nuts and that it’s dumb for amateurs to even try. But then I told him some of the other things we’d heard around town. Like other people whose stories seemed suspicious. He’s promised to look into everything.”

She nodded. “He told me when he stopped by that he was doing everything he could. Like I said before, I believe him. I would like to be in on the meetings. I mean, I was going to come for book club the other night, but I was worried what people might think. You know, if I was out painting the town while my poor fiancé is in jail.”

I rolled my eyes. “Book club is hardly painting the town. We’ve decided to meet weekly for a bit, so there is one next Friday. But please beware, we spend about a half hour talking about books and then the other hour and a half discussing who should go on the board.”

“I’m up for anything that isn’t work or sitting in my house waiting for answers.”

“Great. I’ll text it to you later. Get some sleep. You’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“Are you teaching at the university in the morning?”

Since the shop was closed on Mondays, that’s when I taught my grad school class on popular literature. Thankfully, tomorrow they were pretty much turning in papers and we had a short lecture about the Dan Brown and James Patterson effect. Writing short chapters to move the story forward and keeping the attention of readers. It was more difficult to write that way because every chapter needed a strong prompt at the beginning and a hook at the end. I’d tried writing a novel a couple of times, but I was much better off dissecting what made them work.

“Yes. But I promise to stop by the station early tomorrow to see what I can find out. Now you get some rest. Those masks won’t do us any good if we don’t sleep.”

She giggled a little. “I do feel like they helped a lot.”

“Me too. Night.”

“Night.”

“Ainsley?”

I turned around to face her. “Yes?”

“Thank you for everything. I don’t have any other friends like you. One, who—There aren’t many people who would go around questioning strangers and trying to figure out who the killer is.”

“I don’t know if that makes me a good friend or just nuts. Also, I have done mostly gathering of info and putting it all in one place. You can thank Ms. Helen and Ms. Erma. Those two women—they are a force for sure.”

“True. Thanks again for everything.”

“I’m doing exactly what you would do for me.”

George rustled around downstairs. “I’m going to check on George. Let me know if you need anything else.”

He was restless, pacing by the back door. He wasn’t growling so I let him out. Maybe he hadn’t finished his business earlier. But then he went for the fence line acting like a crazy mutt.

“Hey, stop that.”

As much as I didn’t want to go outside, I stepped out onto the back porch.

“If someone is out there, please go away. I can’t promise he won’t try to jump the fence and bite.” I have no idea why I said that. Whatever was out there upset George.

Okay, and freaked me out in a major way.

I don’t like guns but right then, I sort of wish I had one for show. My Spidey sense—I’d had no idea I had it—was off the charts. Someone was out there. I was about to grab my phone and call Greg, when George Clooney stopped and trotted back to me like nothing had happened.

Ugh. “I’m glad you’re all nice and calm, I want to throw up I’m so nervous.”

Maybe it was just an animal.

I closed all the blinds in the house and then turned on the lights downstairs. I wanted to haul George upstairs with me, but after grabbing a drink out of his bowl, he did his three turns and settled down on the sofa.

There was no way I could go to sleep. I ran upstairs and changed into my PJs, and then settled on the couch next to George.

I was mad more than anything else. For the first time since moving to Texas, someone had made me afraid in my own house.

That would not do.

“You’ll protect, me, won’t you, boy? And I’ll do the same for you.”

He grunted and then put his head in my lap.

In the light of day, I’d do some investigating out by the woods. Maybe it was just some kids messing around. Or it might be an animal like I’d thought earlier.

But my senses told me otherwise.

When I stopped by to see my brother the next day, I’d mention it to him. Maybe he’d know if there was some kind of hangout or something in the woods behind my house.

What if it’s the killer and he isn’t happy that you’re messing around with the case?

Yep. Sleep most definitely would not be my friend.