Page 17 of Murder By the Millions
I hadn’t known the man, although his reputation as a fireman was epic. He’d saved many people, homes, and kittens from near disaster. He passed away ten years ago, and her mother, a year after that from a broken heart, if the stories were correct. The remaining relatives Finette had were her sister, who lived in Arizona, and their great-aunt, who was childless. According to Finette, her great-aunt had declined in recent years.
“By the way,” I said, “I’ve seen Finette eyeing you at council meetings.”
“Nah.”
“Oh, yeah. She likes you.”
“Get out of here. I’m young enough to be her little brother.”
I chuckled.
He dealt another upcard. A four for me, meaning I had a pair showing, and a seven to himself. With his down cards, he might have the beginning of a straight, but my hand was better for now. I bet another penny.
“I see on Instagram you and she still join in the Hikers Rule meetup group.”
“We hike. End of story.”
I waggled my eyebrows. “She’s quite attractive.”
“Cut it out. Not interested.” Soon after his wife died, he joined the army, after which he moved home to Bramblewood, went to college, and subsequently joined the police force. I was the first woman he’d dated since his return. “Tell me more about this Jason guy.”
He dealt a fourth upcard. A ten for me and an eight for himself. My pair was still the best hand. I added another penny.
“He says the mall will be a mecca, a place where everyone can gather and be a community.”
“Did you like him?”
“Sure. He’s nice enough. But I hate to see historic property destroyed.” I sipped my wine. “I was hoping those houses would be part of the preservation society’s tour for years to come.”
“Yes, me, too.” Zach offered a supportive smile and a casual shrug. “We can’t fight progress sometimes.”
“Is a mall progress?”
“Some in town will be thrilled they don’t have to go all the way to Asheville to shop. Mall stores will offer lower prices.”
“Making mom-and-pop shops struggle. Ugh.” I heaved a sigh. “I wanted to create protest signs, but Tegan and Vanna talked me out of it.”
“I’m glad they did,” he said. “Demonstrations don’t get results and often garner resentment.” He dealt the last upcards. A four to me and an eight to him.
Three of a kind was a good hand. I added five pennies to the pot.
He matched the bet and raised me two more pennies. I saw the bet and flipped over my ace and jack. Slowly, painstakingly,he turned over one card, a ten, and then the next, a nine. He had a straight, five to ten.
“Rats!” I muttered.
He gathered his winnings, took another cookie, and shuffled the deck. After we played ten more games, he yawned, which of course made me yawn.
“It’s late,” he said, rising. “I’ll get going.” Darcy sped to him for a goodnight caress. Zach obliged and walked to the door. He rested his hand on the doorknob. “You know, Allie …” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t.
“I do know. A lot.”
“Yeah, you’re a know-it-all.” His grin was easy, warm. “Sleep well.”
After he left, I leaned my back against the door. What had he wanted to say? Had he wanted to talk about our friendship? The kiss? How I wished I was good at reading men, but I wasn’t. It wasn’t a fatal flaw, but it sure didn’t make life easy.
While cleaning up the dining table, I stumbled over Darcy’s catnip toy. Frustrated, I kicked it across the room. Darcy startled and leaped into the barrel of the llama cat-scratching station to hide. I peered in at him. “Don’t worry, my sweet pal. I will never hurt you. Your toy? There’s a chance. You? Never.” I reached in and stroked him beneath his chin. The action soothed me and helped him chill.
The next morning after loading up Vanna’s vehicle at Dream Cuisine with the goodies she would deliver—she owned a Nissan NV Cargo van, so I didn’t need to lend her my Ford Transit—I headed to Feast for the Eyes. Tegan was already at the shop, behind the sales counter, unpacking a sizable delivery of copies ofThe Great Gatsby.She’d ordered the deluxe hardbound edition, which featured an Art Deco drawing of an elegant couple standing in front of a snazzy car and a huge mansion.The house reminded me of the Sugarbaker estate, and I thought about Jason Gardner. He hadn’t called me yet about catering his soiree. Had he merely been polite in asking for my card? Had he reached out to Vanna instead? No. She couldn’t have held such juicy news from me. It was against her nature. She’d have wanted to boast.
