“He’s perfect. You’ll meet him soon.” James released her and poured three glasses of Cutty Sark. His hands were shaking as he passed out the drinks.
The three toasted the arrival of Eliot Henry into their lives. After another hour of speculation about the little boy’s family resemblance, mannerisms, and likes and dislikes, they all went to bed with smiles on their faces. James lay awake for several moments making mental lists of the books he needed to buy for Eliot’s room at 27 Hickory Hill Lane.
Somewhere between the titles Goodnight Moon and Caps for Sale, he fell asleep.
The next morning, James was showered, dressed, and in his truck before seven. He didn’t notice the biting coldness of the air or the old Bronco’s reluctance to rumble into life and travel at a brisk pace through the slumbering town.
“This is your new driveway,” he told his beloved truck, patting it affectionately on the steering wheel as he turned off the engine in front of his little yellow house.
Practically skipping to the front door, James fit the key in the lock and stepped into his new home.
The first thing he did was switch on all the lights. He then inspected the empty rooms one by one. The previous owners had hired a cleaning service to give the place a thorough once-over and the aroma of Pine Sol and Clorox clung to the floorboards and bathroom tile. Digging a color palette from his coat pocket, James held the cheerful hue he had chosen for the kitchen against one of the walls.
“You get painted first,” he informed the room and pointed at the paint square. “Honeydew for the kitchen and Desert Dune for the living room. Milla thinks that’ll look good with the red sofa I ordered.”
He swiveled around in the empty space.
Suddenly, there were so many things to do. Paint supplies had to be purchased, new carpet for the bedrooms ordered, furniture delivery scheduled, and a pizza dinner with Jane and Eliot arranged.
“I think I’ll bring them here,” James said, tapping on the kitchen counter. As he glanced out the window at the dormant grass and leafless trees, he saw two squirrels chasing one another across the boughs. Watching their antics, he was struck by an inspirational idea of how to make his first meal with his son memorable.
Whistling, James locked up his house and drove to the hardware store to pick up his paint, drop cloths, rollers, and brushes. He also bought a few cans of spray paint, some rope, and some pliable wire.
When he arrived at the library a full thirty minutes before opening, he saw two young women chatting together on the front steps. When Lottie noticed James, she waved goodbye to Willow, walked over to the book bin, and slid two novels through its slot. They fell into the metal cavity with a clank.
“Good morning!” James called out to her and was rewarded by a hesitant smile. He then turned his attention to Willow. “Are you really this excited about checking out a book or are you here to see me?”
“I need to talk to someone,” Willow murmured, displaying traces of her former downtrodden body language. “I’ve already smoked half a pack of cigarettes, and I haven’t had one since Paulette died.”
Unlocking the front door, James beckoned her inside. “Let me pump up the heat and put on some coffee. We can talk in my office. While I’m doing those things, would you mind switching on all the lights and computers? It’ll keep you from smoking the rest of that pack.”
Moments later, James took a grateful sip from his new favorite coffee mug, which was embellished with a black shelving cart and the words That’s How I Roll. He watched Willow cradle her warm cup in her hands and softly invited her to share what was on her mind.
“I know it’s only a matter of time before Lucy comes knocking on my door, so I thought I’d practice my confession on you.” She spoke with a catch in her voice. “She’s bound to arrest me and the life I wanted to begin here will be over before it really started.”
Observing the young woman carefully, James asked, “Why would she arrest you?”
Willow didn’t answer immediately. She looked at the window, drank from her cup, and then ran her pale blue eyes over the items on James’s desk. “With Chase’s murder, the police are bound to review Paulette’s death too. I didn’t kill her, Mr. Henry, I swear. But if she was murdered, and I think she was now that Chase is dead, I’m in for it. I was with her at the bed-and-breakfast and I hated her.”
“And Chase? Did you hate him too?”
Distracted by the sounds of the twin’s laughter in the parking lot, Willow glanced in their direction and smiled. Then the happiness on her face melted quickly away. “I didn’t hurt Paulette, but Chase may have.”
Suddenly, James had a theory as to how Willow received her influx of cash. “You were blackmailing him,” he stated.
She didn’t bother to deny it. “He and Paulette got into a huge argument the night before she died. He came to the Widow’s Peak to ask her for a loan, but she told him he had enough money and that she wasn’t going to give away her hard-earned money so Chase could jet off to Europe with one of his mistresses.”
“Ouch!” James let out a little laugh. “I bet Chase didn’t take being turned down too well. After all, he was Paulette’s favorite .”
“Not that night, he wasn’t,” Willow remarked solemnly. “He actually replied, ‘Isn’t that how you got your start, Mother? As someone’s mistress in Europe? And then a TV producer’s mistress in New York? And so on?’”
James was shocked. “He said that to his own mother?”
“They really were two of a kind.” Willow didn’t seem surprised at all. “Anyway, at the end of their conversation, Chase promised that he’d get the money from her one way or another. He was very calm. It didn’t sound like a threat, but after she died, I had to wonder.”
“Why didn’t you tell Lucy about this right away?” James demanded.
“I honestly didn’t think he killed her! He respected her,” she argued. “Besides, her death was ruled an accident.”
“In your opinion, did Chase love his mother?”
Shrugging, Willow examined her nails. “I don’t think Chase or Paulette loved anybody but themselves. They lived for money and recognition and the freedom to treat regular people like dirt.” She sighed. “When Chase came back to town for the ash scattering, I told him that I’d heard his last conversation with his mother. At first, I was just trying to scare him into giving me my final paycheck, but he offered me a lot more. After all I’d been through with the Diva, I figured I’d earned it and… I took the money.”
Suddenly, the promise Willow had made to Chloe and Wheezie in the hotel lobby that she would take care of Chase made perfect sense. James had eavesdropped on the three women right before Willow decided to blackmail Chase. She had been successful and he had given her a generous payoff. Though she’d made an error in judgment, James doubted Willow was a killer. If she was, then why confess to blackmail?
“I’m certain you earned every penny,” James told the fraught young woman kindly. “Paulette underpaid you for years.”
Willow seemed surprised to discover that James wasn’t angry. “As much as I’ve tried to justify my behavior, I know it was wrong. When I heard about Chase’s death, I knew I had to tell someone, but I was afraid to go to the sheriff by myself.” Her face crumpled. “What will Milla think of me now? And Francis?”
“They’ll think you’re human, just like the rest of us.” He walked around the desk and raised her from her chair. “I’ll ask Lucy to come over and listen to your story. While we’re waiting for her, why don’t you ask Francis for a book recommendation? That would make his day. And might I suggest you also tell him about your ‘mistake’? If you two are going to be a couple, you don’t want secrets between you.”