Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
J esse shot a glance at Luke behind the wheel. They were driving to a callout and his friend was quiet . Had been quiet for the last week, since Margot was shot and killed.
“How are you doing, Luke? And tell me the truth. I don’t care if it’s messy.”
Luke’s jaw clenched. “I don’t have a right to be upset. We weren’t in a relationship. She wasn’t my girlfriend. She wasn’t my anything.”
“Doesn’t matter. You cared about her.”
“I did.” He turned right. “I’m angry. Really fucking angry.”
“Me too, brother.”
“Why haven’t we found that asshole yet? Where is he?”
Jesse would pay good money to have the answer to that question. The entire station had been searching every goddamn day, but so far, nothing.
“I don’t know,” Jesse finally said, frustration leaching into his words. “But when we find him—and we will find him—he’ll pay for what he did.”
The asshole would never see freedom again. Jesse would make sure of it. And people who killed law enforcement did not do well behind bars.
Luke didn’t respond, but Jesse didn’t miss the tightening of his fingers around the wheel.
The only good thing to come out of the last few days was George’s call to confirm that Aspen’s mother had finally checked out. Apparently, one of the two keys he’d left with Karen was missing, but if she or Dylan tried to enter the house again, they’d be caught on the surveillance cameras.
With any luck, she was already back in Misty Peak.
“So this is a neighbor dispute about a fence?” Jesse asked, trying to get his friend’s mind onto something else.
“When’s a neighbor dispute not about a fence?”
When Luke took another left, Jesse frowned. “Who made the complaint?”
“Uh…a Sky Williams, I believe.”
Sky… As in his brother’s neighbor , Sky?
Sure enough, they turned onto his brother’s street, and he spotted Becket in front of his house, arms crossed, and a woman standing opposite him. They each stood on their own side of the yard, and there was a white truck on the street with what looked like fencing materials in the back.
Shit.
Luke frowned. “Hey, isn’t that—”
“My brother.”
Luke pulled over in front of Becket’s house, and Jesse climbed out to hear his brother scoff. “You called the sheriff on me?”
“You’re obstructing the fence from going up,” Sky sneered. “Of course I called the sheriff.”
Jesse walked over to the woman. “Miss Williams, I’m Sheriff Jesse Hayes, and this is Deputy Luke Pine. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“I got a Planning Division permit for a fence to be built between our properties, and this jackass is stopping it from going up.”
Well, Jesse agreed with one thing, his brother could be a jackass.
Becket lifted his hands. “Hey, I’m just standing here. They stopped working of their own accord.”
The woman’s eyes flared. “You threatened them! You said if they put one hole in the ground, you’d hurt them.”
“I was a bit more specific than that. I said I’d kick their asses, then make sure they never worked a day again due to property damage.”
Jeez .
“If she has a permit, she can put up the fence,” Luke said.
“She didn’t get the right permit,” Becket corrected.
The woman’s back straightened, and she waved a piece of paper. “I sure as hell did. I already said I got a Planning Division permit, which is what’s required for—”
“A fence between four and seven feet tall,” Becket cut in. “I asked them for the dimensions. The fence they’ve got is eight feet. You need a building permit.”
Sky’s jaw dropped, and Luke walked over to the men in the truck, no doubt to ask them about the height of the fence.
Jesse turned to the woman, his tone apologetic. “Technically, that information is correct.”
Becket lifted a shoulder. “If my brother says it’s true, it must be.”
“Your brother ?” Sky asked.
Luke returned. “The guys confirmed the fence is eight feet.”
Becket smiled at the woman. “Sorry, peaches. No fence for you.”
Was he trying to antagonize her?
Sky spun toward Jesse and Luke. “His camera films my front yard. Surely that’s not legal?”
“Unfortunately, there’s no law that says his camera can’t cover a front yard where the public can see.” Jesse almost wished there was, just because his brother was obviously getting a kick out of his neighbor’s frustration.
Becket crossed his arms. “Told ya.”
Sky’s chest rose and fell with an exasperated breath before she threw her arms up in frustration. “Fine!” She stormed into her house.
Jesse looked at his brother. “Stop smiling.”
“But she’s so cute when she’s mad.”
“You’re an asshole.”
Becket’s smile widened. “Never said I wasn’t. Should I break the news to the fence guys?”
Luke sighed. “I’ll do it.”
After Becket threatened them, Luke was probably the safer bet.
As Luke walked away, Jesse cocked his head. “Why don’t you want her to have a fence? She’s already purchased it. At worst, you’re just putting off the inevitable and inconveniencing these workers who have to haul the fencing materials back to their facility and store them until Sky gets the correct permit.”
“I’m just following the law.”
No. It was more than that and they both knew it. “Becket—”
“Want to come in for a coffee?”
Jesse shook his head. “We’ve got to get back. Just try to keep your neighbors happy so I’m not called back down here.”
“Hey, every other neighbor loves me.”
Jesse scoffed as he turned toward the car. “No more calls, Becket.”
Once he and Luke were back in the car, they returned to the station. Luke followed him into his office.
“Lucky you didn’t have to arrest your brother.”
Jesse laughed as he lowered behind his desk. “If he actually did something wrong, I’d happily arrest him.”
“Well, if I ever catch him breaking any laws, I’ll call you and you can do the honors.”
Jesse powered on his computer, and when he looked back at Luke, he frowned. There were dark circles under his friend’s eyes. “Remember, if you need to take some time off—”
“No.” Luke shook his head. “I want to be here. I need to be here. At least until we find the asshole who killed Margot.”
Jesse nodded. He understood that. He’d feel the same way.
He opened his emails and frowned at the most recent one.
The Sheriff’s Professional Standards Bureau .
What the hell did they want?
He clicked into it and skimmed the email before cursing.
Luke inched closer. “What?”
“Someone put in a complaint about me.”
“A complaint? Who? And saying what?”
He skimmed the screen. “It was an anonymous complaint. But they’re claiming I’m not doing my job properly. That I’m distracted. Working on personal matters. And a deputy died under my watch.”
Who the hell had done this?
“So this is The Tea House I’ve heard so much about,” Holden said, stepping inside.
Aspen nodded. “It is. Does it live up to the hype?”
“I kind of expected more curtains and carpet and high tea towers.”
“Nope.” Aspen slid into a booth. “This is more of a modern café tea house. It even has a mezzanine area, not that I ever sit there. I’ve become quite accustomed to my window booth. And the pie. I’ve become super-accustomed to that.”
Holden cocked his head. “Why have you gotten so invested in this place?”
It was a fair question. They’d just spent the morning spreading fliers around town about the reopening.
She lifted a shoulder. “I like Mrs. Gerald. She kind of reminds me of the grandmother I never had. I also like this café. And when she told me that she was close to shutting down, I felt sad. I needed a project to throw myself into, to distract myself from all the other stuff. And did I mention the pie?”
He laughed. “You did. You may remember I tried the pie at Pam’s place. It was good.”
“It’s not good. It’s blow-your-mind amazing.”
Holden laughed again.
She nibbled her bottom lip as she cast her gaze to Mrs. Gerald, who was behind the counter talking to a customer. “I hate that I have to tell her I can’t attend the reopening.”
She and Jesse had argued about it, and of course he was right. It was safest for her not to be in a roomful of people. Still, she felt like she was letting Mrs. Gerald down.
“She’ll understand,” Holden said quietly.
She would, but it would be disappointing for both of them, especially when Aspen had offered to help. “I told her I’d help hand out cake and coffee.”
“I could always do it. People often tell me I have a certain charm. Add pie to the mix and I’ll be fighting the customers off.”
Aspen laughed as Mrs. Gerald stopped at their table. “Aspen. Hi. I’m glad you came in today.”
“You are?”
“Yes, I got the new coffee beans, and the coffee machine was delivered earlier this week.”
Aspen’s brows rose. “Really?”
“Yep, and the lovely man who delivered it spent over an hour showing me how to use it. Thank you for encouraging me to do this. I wouldn’t have had the courage without you. I’ve ordered you a shirt and had it personalized with your name!”
Aspen’s heart dropped. “You did?”
“I did. Oh, and I’ve been baking up a storm. Apple pies. Strudel. Scones. All your favorites. I’ll get you to hand them out—you’re so good at talking up my pies. I’ve even been tinkering with some new recipes.” The older woman reached down and took Aspen’s hand. “This entire thing has just renewed my love of my shop, and it’s all because of you. Thank you! I’ll make a coffee for you both.”
Then she was gone before Aspen could utter a word.
Aspen turned to Holden. “I can’t do it.”
“She made you a shirt.”
“With my name on it! And she’s making all my favorite pies for me to hand out.” She nibbled her bottom lip as she glanced at Mrs. Gerald, then back to Holden. “I have to go to the reopening.”
He lifted a brow. “Jesse won’t be happy.”
“I know, but you’ll be there, and Becket will be there, and the three of you are super-badass former special forces soldiers. I can’t think of anywhere I’d be safer.”
“Your living room, where an entire town isn’t squashed inside with you.”
She frowned. “Whose side are you on?” Yes, he was Jesse’s best friend, but after spending the entire morning together, she’d thought she’d earned some loyalty.
He leaned forward. “Keeping the woman my best friend loves safe. That side.”
Her heart jolted. Love… It was a big word. One she and Jesse hadn’t directly used yet.
Mrs. Gerald returned with two mugs of coffee. She set them onto the table. “Okay, tell me what you think. And be honest.”
Aspen lifted the mug. She was kind of nervous. What if it was still bad? What if Mrs. Gerald had spent all that time and money improving her coffee and it wasn’t any better?
She sipped her hot drink—and her eyes widened. “Holy crap. This is good. Ridiculously good.” The first good cup of coffee she’d had outside of Jesse’s home since arriving in Amber Ridge.
“You’re not just saying that, are you?” the older woman asked.
“Absolutely not.”
Holden tried his. “Jesus, this is like crack.”
Mrs. Gerald frowned. “Crack?”
Aspen grinned as she touched her arm. “It’s good. And once the town tries this and your pies, you’ll be fighting off customers.”
Mrs. Gerald sighed. “Oh, what a relief!” Then she touched Aspen’s shoulder. “You’ve really saved me, dear. Thank you.”
“No, this is all you.”
A part of her didn’t want to share her favorite café with more people, but better to share it than for the poor woman to go out of business.
Mrs. Gerald returned to the counter just as the door opened and Clara stepped in. Her gaze hit Aspen first, and she smiled…then it shifted to Holden. Her eyes flared and she stopped in her tracks. It almost looked like she was considering turning and walking out again.
Aspen bit back a laugh.
She didn’t. She went to the counter.
Okay, Aspen needed to know what was going on between those two. Clara had acted so strange, almost nervous, around Holden at the family dinner, and now she was doing it again.
Aspen looked at Holden, who was watching Clara closely…almost possessively.
“Hey,” Clara said when she finally stopped at the table. She shot a glance at Holden before shifting her gaze back to Aspen. “What are you guys doing here?”
Definitely not what she was supposed to be doing, which was pulling out of the reopening.
“We just tried the new coffee,” Holden said. “It’s good.”
Clara swallowed as her gaze returned to him. “Good. That’s good. We need a good coffee place here in town.” She looked back to Aspen. “And are you okay? After everything that happened last week at the station?”
Her chest tightened. She hated remembering that night. “I’m okay.”
Clara nodded. “Good. Remember, if you need any acupuncture to help your nervous system, don’t hesitate to come by.”
“Thank you.” She’d never been into acupuncture, but maybe she should give it a try. She certainly needed to give something a try after all the stress.
Mrs. Gerald stopped beside Clara. “Here you go. One sweet tea.”
Clara took the drink. “Thank you.” Then she turned back to them…well, mostly to Aspen. She didn’t look at Holden again. “I’ll see you guys later.”
The second she was out of the café, Aspen cocked her head at Holden. “So…I’m not sure if we’re at the stage of this friendship where I can ask, but…do you and Clara have a history?”
“A history?”
“Have you ever dated?”
He turned his head to look outside, and she followed his gaze to where Clara was climbing into her convertible. “She’s my best friend’s little sister. That’s it.”
Nope. The romance writer in Aspen didn’t believe it. Hell, a nun wouldn’t believe it. Either something was going on between those two, or something was going to go on.