Chapter Thirty-Six

Annie’s body throbbed. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to decide what hurt the most. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire, her head was fuzzy, and her leg felt as if she’d been kicked by a horse. Warm fingers touched the pulse point at her neck.

“How long until the ambulance, Ryan?” Ben’s usually calm voice barked out the question.

Annie opened her eyes. Ben was looking right into them. He shook his head, the relief evident.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey.” She tried to smile, but it probably looked like a wince.

“She’s awake?” Ryan crouched beside her.

“It’s Ginger,” she said, her voice croaky. How hard had she fallen?

“We know. The detectives have her. The ambulance is one minute out. Can you sit up?”

“No ambulance. I hate hospitals.” She tried to lift herself into a sitting position, but both men assisted.

“As much as you hate blood?” Ben’s tone held a touch of amusement.

“Don’t make fun.”

“If he does, you can tease him about the squeal he let out when he saw you on the ground,” Ryan said.

“Shut up, man. I didn’t squeal.” Ben glared at his friend.

“Ambulance is here,” Officer Emily said.

Annie smiled at her, wondering where she’d come from. Confused and tired, she didn’t resist when the medics checked her out but did refuse a ride to the hospital.

“I’m fine. I just need to go inside. Where’s Shelby?” She looked around, spotting the cat not even a foot away, staring intently at Annie.

“She hasn’t moved. She’s just staring at you,” Ben said quietly.

“She might have saved me.”

Ben’s face came closer as he pulled her into a hug. His breath fluttered over her skin. “Told you she liked you.”

His whisper sent a welcome kind of shiver over her body. “She probably only did it to impress you.”

Ben squeezed her tighter, causing her to yelp in pain. The medic gave him a dirty look.

“We need to check her arm. I really think you should get X-rays,” the guy said with a heavy note of disapproval.

“I’ll drive you. Please?” Ben asked, little flecks of gold sparkled in his green gaze. She figured if she was waxing poetic about Ben’s eyes in her head, it might not be a bad idea. She nodded.

Ben told her to stay where she was before getting out of his truck to come around to the passenger side.

Annie rolled her eyes when he opened the door. “I can open a door.”

He took her hand, kept her close as she lowered her feet to the ground. “Indulge me.” He put an arm around her waist. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to you passing out all the time.”

Tipping her head back as they walked up the path, she muttered, “It’s not all the time.”

When they got to the door, she reached for her keys, but Ben turned the knob. It wasn’t locked. Her body froze.

Ben looked down at her with questioning concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Did we lock it?” She whispered the words, a chill spreading over her skin.

Turning her to face him, he bent his knees a touch. “Margie and Joseph came over to make sure you had some dinner ready, that the cats were all okay, and the garage was cleaned up.”

Tears burned. She stepped closer to Ben, worried they might hear her. “We don’t deserve that after suspecting him.”

Ben lifted his hand, cupped her cheek. “Don’t do that. We had no way of knowing. You figured out most of it. They aren’t upset.”

Taking a deep breath, she worked to get her emotions under control. “Okay.”

When they went in, Joseph and Margie broke apart as if they’d been in a deep conversation. She started to say hello, to apologize when Ryan came out of the kitchen. He smiled when he saw her, closing the distance between them.

“Are you okay?” He glanced at Ben, then back at her.

“Sore. Bruised. But I’ll live.” She held his gaze and noticed the hesitation in his. “It’s not your fault.”

Ryan shook his head, ran a hand over his mouth. “I looped them in. It felt like the right thing to do.”

Margie came over, patted Ryan’s arm. “It was the right thing to do, Ryan. Don’t any of you second-guess yourselves. Now bring that girl in here so she can sit down before she falls.”

“Again,” Ben whispered.

Annie stuck her tongue out at him then walked toward Margie who pulled her into a hug. When she let her go, Joseph did the same.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

He patted her back, stepping back. “No reason for that, dear. Let’s sit you down before Margie scolds all of us.”

She sat in the armchair, preferring the straight back so she didn’t sink into the cushions and jostle her badly bruised but not dislocated shoulder. Resting her head back, she exhaled. The day had been forty hours long.

Looking around, she saw all of them were on tenterhooks. Margie and Joseph sat side by side on the couch. Ben sat on the ottoman, while Ryan stayed standing by the fireplace.

“Someone fill in the gaps for me, please,” Annie said.

Joseph cleared his throat, scooted forward in his seat. “When those detectives came in, we didn’t know what was going on. Margie and I were held back when everyone left. Detained, I’d say.”

Margie patted his arm, nodding. “They told Joseph he was under arrest, and I told that Detective Rickers exactly what I thought of him.”

“I asked them to wait for me. I was bringing our cops as back up. He and his partner, Detective Black, said they didn’t need us. When Emily and I arrived, they had Joseph in cuffs. I don’t even think they’d read him his rights. Emily noticed Ginger going into the garage with you. When I asked them what that was about, the detectives said we could figure it out since they’d solved the rest of the mystery.”

“Idiots,” Ben muttered. His stare was intense when he looked her way.

Annie smiled at him, trying to reassure him without words that she was okay.

“I asked them to wait, but they started leading Joseph to their car. Emily heard something, drew her weapon. They shoved Joseph into the back. I told Margie to stay, but she doesn’t listen very well,” Ryan said, shooting her a glare.

Margie returned it. “You’re not the boss of me, Ryan Porter. I used to change—”

Ben started to laugh, but Ryan cut them both off. “Okay, okay. We heard what was happening in the garage. Margie started hollering, the detectives came over. It happened so fast.”

“It didn’t feel like it,” Annie said, shifting.

“Do you need anything?” Ben asked.

“She’ll have some dinner when we’re done telling her what happened. I’m glad you’re not one of those city girls prone to theatrics,” Margie said.

Joseph patted her hand, pulled her close, and it was as though all of them took a cleansing breath.

“Ginger killed Gill.” Annie looked at Ryan.

He nodded, came over to the couch, and sat on the other end, closer to Annie. “She’s in debt up to her roof with credit cards and loans, but the house is free and clear. Her son and daughter-in-law invited her to move in. She had a plan to do that, rent out her place, pay off her debts, then move home. Gill fought her every step of the way.”

“Why wasn’t that in the minutes?” Annie looked at Joseph and Margie.

“She went behind our backs. Joseph and Gill had gone more than one round about that, but I guess she approached Gill on her own. First, she tried to sway him on behalf of Joseph. She must have seen some humanity in him because she told him her predicament, and he used it against her.” Margie looked sad as she shared.

“She told us all of this before we got her into the squad car. Because they had Joseph in the back of theirs, we took the collar. Rickers and Black were mad,” Ryan said with a smile. “You would have loved it if you weren’t passed out.”

“Hey,” she said, laughing. “Her face was bloody. Shelby tripped her. She went right down into a bag of golf irons, dropped the knife.”

“I think she owed you,” Ben said, giving her a smile that made Annie feel like they were alone in the room.

“Does Mira know?”

“She and Bethany were both filled in. You were at the hospital a while,” Ryan said.

Annie looked at Ben. “Not my choice.”

He smiled, looked down at the ground.

“What now?”

Ryan shrugged. “Trenton PD is still trying to take over. They want the case closed in their precinct, but my boss is fighting it. I’ve got to get back, file my reports. You’ll need to come in tomorrow and give your statement.”

There was still something she didn’t understand. Like she could read her mind, Margie squeezed Joseph’s hand and nodded in Annie’s direction. “I’ll admit, I was worried Joseph and Gill took things too far. When I saw that photo, I had a moment of doubt, thinking Joseph would go to any ends to live with me.”

Joseph chuckled. “Even I have limits on my love, Margie.”

“Why the lie about the walking?”

“I’m no fool, dear. I watch those big city shows, too. I didn’t know where Joseph was at the time of Gill’s death. Plus, I don’t like admitting how much vanity I have. Skin doesn’t stay this smooth without effort you know.” She preened a bit, leaning into Joseph. “I had to be sure he hadn’t done something rash. But when we talked at book club, you didn’t bring him up, so I thought you’d ruled him out.”

Annie gave a weak laugh. She should have been honest. Margie would have set her straight.

They talked a while longer, but Annie started to drift in and out of the conversation.

“We’ll let you eat and get some rest.” Joseph stood, held a hand out to Margie.

Annie started to stand, but Ryan stopped her. “Stay there. Rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I lived in Portland for six years, never once saw the inside of a police station,” Annie remarked.

Ryan chuckled. “Sorry we don’t have a frequent customer card like some of the coffee shops.”

Ben laughed even while Annie tried not to. The grin broke free. When Ben walked them to the door, he came back, sat on the coffee table across from Annie.

“How are you really doing?” He took her hand, ran his fingers over the bruises on her wrist.

“I’m tired. Really tired. I thought I was good at figuring these things out, but she blindsided me in the garage.”

With one hand, he tucked her hair behind her ear, studying the bruise on her chin. He ran a finger along it gently. “It wasn’t your job to figure it out. She fooled everyone. You’ll feel better after a good sleep.”

It was going to take more than a solid twelve hours to erase the memories of today. Ben’s fingers grazed Annie’s neck. She had bruises everywhere, but when he looked at her the way he was now, she couldn’t feel them.

His face inched close enough that she could feel his warm breath when he spoke. “Our town is going to seem pretty boring after all of this.”

Annie lifted her chin, just a bit, putting them in the perfect position for seeing if this chemistry was real. “Somehow, I doubt it. It’s over now, and I’m definitely not bored.”

They must have moved at the same time because with the next breath, there was no more space between them. His hand cupped her head, fingers tangling softly in her hair as they kissed. He pulled back before she would have, pressing a kiss to the center of her forehead.

His soft smile spread warmth through her entire body. “Let’s get you something to eat.” He stood, still holding her hand.

“I’m not sure I’ll eat much, but something smells good.”

They walked to the kitchen where Annie stopped, stared at the table. When she glanced at Ben, she saw it was, once again, his turn to blush.

He dropped her hand so he could run it through his hair. “I didn’t know she set the table.”

Annie stepped forward to where Margie had set two places, wine glasses and candles creating an obvious ambiance. The candles flickered softly, reflecting off the glass and the darkness settling outside.

She looked at Ben, then stepped closer to him. Putting her arms around him, she rested her head on his chest. His arms closed around her like they belonged there. Like they fit.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispered against her hair.

“Me, too.”

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, but when they stepped apart, Annie felt calmer. She sat while Ben served them, then they talked over candlelight about anything and everything except neighbors or murder.

As the evening wore on, Annie knew there were still a lot of loose ends that would need to be tied up but for now, she was safe. She was home.