Page 96 of The Night the Lights Went Out
“Are your intentions toward Merilee honorable?”
He looked relieved. “What do you mean by ‘honorable’? Do you mean do I intend to marry her? I have no idea—we’re too early in our relationship. Assuming what we have might actually be called a relationship. Do you mean will I respect her and stand beside her right now? Then yes. I think she needs a friend now more than she needs a lover.”
She patted his leg. “Good boy. Although I suspect your definition of ‘lover’ isn’t the same as mine, but let’s not split hairs.”
He sent her a sidelong glance as he stood to greet Merilee and the kids, knowing she’d seen the police vehicles. She’d been back to work for less than a week, and he was fairly sure the police had known this, too, which was why they’d planned to be at her house when she wasn’t.
The minivan screeched to a stop as the rear door slid open and Lily and Colin ran toward the porch. “Did you see the police car?” Lily asked.
“Did you bring cookies, Miss Sugar?” Colin asked simultaneously, racing up the steps on his sister’s heels.
Before anyone could answer, Merilee slammed her car door and stood in front of it, trying—and failing—not to look worried. “Why were the police here?”
Wade held up a copy of the paper the policeman had given him. “They had a warrant to search the premises.”
The two children squeezed onto the swing on either side of Sugar as Merilee put her foot on the first step and stopped like she was too tired to continue. “What on earth could they have been searching for?”
Before Wade could answer, Sugar patted the children’s knees. “I brought cookies. Why don’t you two run inside and watch some TV before you start your homework?”
“Cookies!” Colin shouted as he slid from the swing and raced inside, letting the screen door slam and leaving the front door wide open.
Lily sat calmly, her frown lines deeper than Sugar remembered. “I know you’re trying to get rid of us for an adult conversation.”
Sugar patted her back. “That’s correct, young lady. Be glad you’re a child, and try to stay that way as long as you can. You’ll be an adult for the rest of your life, so you might as well enjoy it now.”
Lily’s frown deepened, but she slid off the swing and entered the house more sedately than her brother, closing both doors quietly behind her.
Wade waited a few moments to give Lily time to move away from the door. “I’m not sure what they were looking for, but I think they might have found it. They didn’t leave empty-handed.”
Sugar patted the seat next to her, but Merilee shook her head. “I’m sorry, dear. They asked me if I was the landlord and if I had a key, so I let them in. Otherwise they’d just come back later, and I didn’t think you would want the children here for that. I gave them my own key, even though it would have been easier to use the key you keep under the mat.” She sent Merilee a reproachful look.
“What did they take?” she asked.
“A couple of things,” Wade said. “The detective said he’d leave an inventory sheet on the kitchen table. I didn’t want to intrude, but if you want me to go get it now, I will.” He put his hands gently on Merilee’s shoulders and moved her toward the swing. “Sit down. You look like a strong wind could blow you over.”
Merilee did as she was told, surprising Sugar. Or maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised. There were many times in her own life when she’d needed a moment between crashing waves to catch her breath.
“Thanks, Wade,” Merilee said. “I might as well know. It’s not like the whole town won’t know what they took after this week’s edition of the paper comes out.”
When Wade returned, he handed her a white piece of paper, the wordsSWEET APPLE POLICE DEPARTMENTclearly printed at the top. Merilee took a moment before glancing at the top item. “Heather’s ring. They took Heather’s ring.”
“One of the officers said it was stolen,” Sugar said. At Wade’s questioning look, she said, “People assume I’m hard of hearing, which is correct, but I have a very good hearing aid.”
“But it wasn’t stolen,” Merilee insisted. “I sold it to Dan at the store. It was an anniversary present for Heather. At the party, Heather told me to hold it for her because it was too big, and she didn’t have a place to put it. So I wore it all night and didn’t have a chance to give it to her after... after...” She stopped. “I thought I’d hold on to it for safekeeping for now and return it later. But I haven’t had a chance because she won’t answer my phone calls.”
Wade cleared his throat. “I noticed it on your finger, so I’m guessing a lot of other people saw it, too.”
Merilee stared unblinking at Wade. “But why would Heather think I stole it? She handed it to me—at the top of the stairs, remember? You were standing right next to me, and she’d just grabbed you to fill in at the receiving line until I could find Dan.”
“I remember standing there, and her leaning into you, but I don’t remember her giving you the ring. I just remember seeing you wearing it.”
“Oh, God,” she said, sinking back in the swing. “Couldn’t they have just asked me for it?”
“That’s exactly what I asked,” Sugar said. “Sounds a lot more polite than going into somebody’s house and taking it. That nice detective said that if he’d done that, you might have hidden it.”
“But why would I...?”
“Because they were told it was stolen,” Wade said gently.
