Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
J ane had a few errands in town, then she would meet Leah and Emily for coffee at the Harvest Moon.
First, she walked to the barn to see if Bucky needed anything for the animals, inhaling the crisp, cold air along the way. The scent of burning wood traveled with the breeze. Someone was home enjoying the fall. It reminded her of the other night as the girls gathered around the fire. It’d been so much fun getting together with everyone.
She smiled to herself.
It didn’t matter if you were a city or country girl. When your friends got together, gossip was guaranteed. Not that she was a big gossiper, but in her role as mystery writer, she had to engage in it sometimes to get the material she needed.
Jane was happy she hadn’t talked to Annabelle. The woman sounded a little left of crazy. Although Jane was curious who the out-of-towner was who she was dating.
Bucky needed nothing. On the drive into town, she passed the horse barn on the corner and waved to Sue, who was leading a trail ride. Looked like fun, but adding horses to the mix right now wasn’t something she wanted to take on.
The pond project was enough right now. Ethan had given the go-ahead to finish dredging a couple of weeks ago. Hal was able to come for a couple of days and complete the project. The pond was rapidly filling up, and she hoped when the water froze over, she could have a skating party. By then, perhaps the vision of Thornton’s lifeless body would have faded from her memory or at least shifted to another part of her brain. Yet, she refused to be consumed by negativity. This was her new home, warts and all, and she was going to enjoy it.
After picking up some bird seed at the Feed & Grow and talking to a couple of people she knew, Jane left her car in the parking lot and headed over to the diner. Entering, she stopped to chat with Evelyn, who was in the kitchen, and then found an empty booth. Her mind wandered occasionally, listening to conversations around her. It was early enough that the diner wasn’t crowded. The scent of apples and cinnamon wafted from the kitchen. Jane leaned her head back and inhaled the comforting smell.
“Jane.” A familiar man’s voice interrupted her vision of apple pie and mom, although her mother wasn’t a great cook. “Jane.”
She looked up into warm, brown eyes. “Ethan. Hi.”
He gave a little smile. “Good morning.” Ethan looked around. “Here by yourself or meeting someone?”
“I’m meeting a couple of friends. They should be here any minute.” Jane gave him a once-over. He looked sexy as all get-out in his sheriff’s uniform. The brown tactical cargo pants fit just right. His long-sleeved shirt emphasized his muscular chest. The gold shield glittered under the lights. He pulled on a dark navy bomber jacket, looking every bit the badass lawman.
“Oh.” He frowned, then slapped the table and turned to head out. “Okay then.”
He stopped, then turned and glanced at her. “If you have time, why don’t you stop by the station? I’d like to give you an update.”
Well, that sure wasn’t what she expected him to say. “I’ve been curious. Will you still be there in an hour or two?”
“Yup. Unless an emergency comes up.” He put his hands in his pockets and cocked his head. “So I’ll see you then?”
Jane nodded and watched him walk away—back straight, uniform pressed and looking undeniably sexy. Why did women find men in uniforms so appealing? A better question was why was she ogling the sheriff when he was usually disapproving of her?
“Hey, girlfriend.” Leah slipped into the booth, followed by Emily as they slipped off their fleece jackets. “Chilly out there today.” Leah shivered.
“I guess we can’t complain, though. Snow will be here soon enough,” said Emily.
Jane wondered what the winters in Vermont were like. She moved here during mud season. Who knew there was a mud season? Not her.
She quickly learned it was the period between winter and spring. When the snow melts and the ground thaws, you get mud. And boy, did she. It was impossible to keep the floors clean, and the sheep looked like they’d been dipped in it. It lasted from late March to early April or as late as early June.
Flo stopped by to take their order, and then she, Emily, and Claire spent a little time rehashing the party. Everyone agreed it was a hit and they couldn’t wait to get together again.
“I heard Sean was in town,” Leah said, looking at Emily. “Was he able to stop by?”
Emily blushed and smiled. “Yes, but not for long.”
“Who’s Sean?” asked Jane.
“Sean McQueeney. He lives in Burlingham and runs Champlain Security Solutions,” Leah replied.
“Pshaw,” Emily muttered. “We’re just friends. Friends with benefits. We’re not looking to be each other’s anything.”
“I didn’t know Ethan had another brother,” said Jane. “How many does he have?”
“There’s Tanner,” Leah said and crinkled her forehead. “You’ve met Dylan, haven’t you?”
Jane nodded.
“Sean is the oldest, and then there’s Dylan’s twin, Kane, who is a mountain guide in Stowe.”
Wow. Jane was impressed. Five boys. Ethan’s parents must have had their hands full. She turned to Emily. “Soooo, you and Sean, huh?”
Emily shrugged. “We’ve been seeing each other on and off for a while. It’s nothing serious.” Sighing, she picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. “He’s too busy.”
Jane reached over and patted her hand. “I’m sorry. Relationships are hard enough, but when you’re in separate towns and have busy schedules, it’s tougher.”
“So true. But seriously, we’re just friends.” Emily leaned forward on her elbows, staring at Jane. “Okay, enough about me. Tell us about your new man.”
“Not much to tell. He called yesterday and invited me out to dinner at the Rustic Table.” Jane was surprised Victor wasted no time calling her. She was impressed by his promptness. She liked a man who didn’t play games—just straight to the point. Mike had been like that, too.
“Ohhh, I see a budding romance,” exclaimed Claire. “What does he do?”
Hmmm. What did Victor do? He told Jane he was in investments and looking for land, but that was all she knew. Was he a real estate broker? Agent? Did he represent builders? Build himself? She’d have to ask.
Jane shrugged. “He’s a land investor. That’s all I know right now.”
“Well, you’ll have to tell us how dinner went. The Rustic Table is romantic, and the food is great,” exclaimed Emily. “Maybe you’ll get lucky.”
“If only, but I’m not ready for that right now,” replied Jane. “Besides, Victor is nice, but he’s not the one, if you know what I mean.”
Claire and Emily nodded.
Flo walked over with a tray and set their breakfast in front of them.
“Looks yummy,” said Jane.
“You girls enjoy,” Flo said as she refilled their coffee cups.
“I haven’t heard any more about David Thornton’s death,” said Claire. “Has Ethan solved the mystery?”
“I wish.” Jane put a dollop of jam on her toast and took a bite, then replied. “He asked me to stop by the sheriff’s department today and he’d catch me up.”
“Well, if you’re looking for the one,” said Emily, “Ethan’s a catch. He’s handsome, dedicated, honest and sexy. Oh, and I can’t forget romantic.
“Ethan?” Jane snorted. “Romantic?” Somehow, Jane had a hard time believing he was romantic. She agreed with the other descriptions, however.
“Yeah. I remember how he doted over Corrine, brought her flowers, and treated her like a queen.”
“Hmmm.” Jane found herself surprised. Although the only side she saw of him was the grumpy one. But then again, he did give her a kinda half happy smile at Vanessa’s house. It was either a smile or he had gas.
“Regardless, one man at a time for me is all I can handle,” said Jane.
They finished their meal, paid, and she said goodbye to the girls. It was a pleasant day. Jane welcomed the walk to the police station. Her car was parked at the Feed & Grow, so it would be close by.
Jane stood in front of the old brick police station, her heart thumping.
It’d been a while since she was in one. Not since Boston, anyhow. She had a friend there who was an officer, and she’d pick his brain to portray the police accurately in her books. After Mike’s death, she never wanted to step foot in a police station again, but here she was. Okay, time to pull up her big-girl panties and walk in.
“Jane. Hi. Can I help you?” Nora, the receptionist, sat at the front desk, a wall separating her from the rest of the room, but Jane could hear voices in the background. Jane had met Nora a while ago and liked the gray-haired older woman.
“Hi, Nora. Ethan, er, Sheriff McQueeney asked me to stop by.”
“Oh. You can call him Ethan, hon, everyone does. At least everyone who isn’t a criminal.” Nora laughed. “Let me call him.”
It took Nora a minute to tell Ethan she was here. “He’ll be right out.”
Jane nodded.
“I’m hearing great things about your farm,” Nora said. “Will you have a farm stand in the spring?”
“I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe. I can certainly sell organic meat and vegetables.”
“Well, if you do, I’ll be there.
“Jane.” Ethan emerged from the back room. “Glad you could make it. Follow me.”
Jane’s heart raced as she moved through the room, passing desks in the center. A few were occupied, and officers looked up curiously. Adam smiled and waved to her from his desk, and when she waved back, Jane noticed Ethan frowning. Did he not want his deputies to acknowledge her, or was he jealous because she and Adam got along well?
Ethan led her into his office, sat behind his desk, and gestured for her to take a chair across from him.
Taking a moment, Jane glanced around. The wall displayed pictures depicting the history of Beaver Creek, transitioning from black-and-white photos to more recent ones in color—old buildings, pictures of people, and events in town. She loved them.
“Is your father in that picture?” She pointed to one black-and-white photo on the wall.
“Yes. He’s standing next to my grandfather. They both served as sheriffs here in town.”
Jane nodded. “You must be proud to come from a family of lawmen.”
“Yup.” Ethan chuckled. “You could say it’s in my blood.”
They sat in silence for a minute. “Well, you mentioned you had an update,” Jane said.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, steepled his hands together, his expression serious. “We’ve made some progress. We know Thornton was struck in the back of his head, then died from a shot through the heart before being chained and dumped in the pond.”
“Okay …”
“Our list of suspects has shrunk significantly, which I’m sure you’re happy to hear.”
Jane smirked. “Oh, so I’m not your number one suspect anymore?”
Ethan shook his head. “Hate to disappoint, but no. Neither is Tanner, Vanessa, Annabelle, Margie Thornton or Jim Jenkins.”
Jane hadn’t realized Tanner was on the list. That was curious, and she wondered why. But that was a question for another day. “Hmm… then who is?”
“Don’t know yet.” Ethan shuffled some papers around his desk before pulling one out. “My brother Sean runs a security company out of Burlingham and suspects Thornton was a consultant and front man for shady land deals.”
“Holy crap.” That was not the update Jane was hoping for. “Does that mean I might be in danger?”
Ethan’s expression hardened. “I want to say no, but I don’t know for sure. It’s odd that Thornton was adamant about buying your land. Although his daughter mentioned he had an unhealthy obsession with it and its history.”
“Do tell.” Jane processed that information, her thoughts swirling. This would make an interesting story for a novel, if only she weren’t a major character or potential victim in it.
He checked his watch and stood. “I don’t have time now to tell you. I have another appointment. Why don’t we have a cup of coffee soon and I’ll give you all the sordid details?”
She looked at Ethan. Yes, he looked all sheriffy, well, if sheriffy were a word, but there was a hopeful glint in his eyes. Imagine that!
“I’d like that very much.”
His smile made his face look younger and even more attractive, as if that were possible. One Jane wanted to kiss. Oh God, she had to get out of here fast before things got complicated.
“I’ll walk you out,” said Ethan.
“Thanks.” She followed him out of the office, said goodbye to Ethan and Nora and left feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. Jane looked forward to having coffee with Ethan and hoped the danger would be over soon. But as the saying went, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”