Chapter 17
seventeen
H e’d heard a country song once about falling in love in the back of a cop car, but Noah’s real-life take on the matter sure was looking different.
“Dude.” Cade gestured out the window of the police cruiser as the blue and red lights flashed, sending colored shadows across the deserted parking lot. The package of chips in his lap rustled with the sudden movement. “Don’t worry. As soon as they get my dad on the phone, this will all go away.”
Noah wrung his ball cap in his hands. “Or not. Pretty sure Sheriff Rubart hates me.”
“Why? The whole feud thing?” Cade frowned. “He wouldn’t put you in jail because of your ancestors.”
“No, but he might if he figures out I was one of the middle-schoolers who filled his car with Jell-O that one spring.” Noah winced.
“I almost forgot about that. He smelled like watermelon everywhere he went for weeks.” Cade snorted. “Remind me, why haven’t I ever used that against you?”
Noah shot him a look. “Because I was a kid watching my parents’ marriage crumble. Maybe that was why?”
Cade sobered. “Right. Probably so.”
“Why did these guys even show up, anyway? You were supposed to be finding a vending machine.” Noah craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Elisa, who was perched in the back of the second car several yards away. Did her car smell vaguely of sweat and criminal activity like theirs did?
She wiggled her fingers in a wave, and he waved back. She seemed okay. Thankfully, Sheriff Rubart hadn’t cuffed anyone. The older man now paced the lot between the two cars, cell phone glued to his ear as he periodically glared at Noah and Cade.
Hopefully Mayor Landry talked fast.
“I apparently set off some kind of silent alarm.” Cade shrugged, crossing one ankle over the other. “But hey, after what we walked in on, I’m surprised they didn’t turn a water hose on you two.”
Heat surged up Noah’s neck. “Whatever.” Not an exaggeration, though. The second Elisa had touched him, he knew he was toast. Then when she practically leapt into his arms, well... He’d spent twelve years trying to forget how good she felt in his embrace, and clearly, he’d not forgotten a single thing. His body and heart had responded as if they were both eighteen again, and not a moment of time had passed since their last kiss. Maybe with the exception that this time, his heart thrummed a fearful warning to appreciate it a little more.
And boy, had he.
“You told me near-kiss the other day.” The continual flashing of the red and blue strobes lit Cade’s face, highlighting his arched brow. “New evidence indicates that was a lie.”
“It wasn’t at the time.” They’d finally gotten it right. His lips still tingled, and he swore her vanilla honey scent lingered in his nose. His stomach churned…be it from lingering adrenaline or anxiety over what was next, Noah couldn’t quite tell. It felt like another of Grandpa’s favorite lines from The Count of Monte Cristo , one Noah had memorized during their frequent fishing adventures.
“Come now,” he said. “Have you anything to fear? It seems to me, on the contrary, that everything is working out as you would wish.”
“That is precisely what terrifies me,” said Dantès.
Kissing Elisa after all these years had been exactly that—a terrifying wish granted.
“Would have been a lie tonight. That was something.” Cade popped a chip in his mouth. “I wasn’t flirting with her earlier, by the way. I could tell you thought I was.”
Noah shot him a sidelong look. “Because you were.”
“Okay, maybe a little. But we’re old friends, it didn’t mean anything. I didn’t realize you two were…you know. Hose-worthy .”
“We aren’t.” Noah frowned. “Weren’t.” He didn’t know what they were now, since they were abruptly escorted to police cruisers before being able to figure it out. And now the whole town would be dissecting their relationship status—whatever that might be—before Miley could even fire up the espresso machine in the morning.
He leaned his head back and groaned. Elisa had been right. The need-to-know list for the hunt had just gotten significantly longer—with a second page attached that would be the juiciest gossip the town had devoured in years.
Maybe since his own father’s scandal.
“Sorry about the flirting.” Cade held up his bag. “Chip?”
Noah reluctantly accepted a Cheeto as Sheriff Rubart made his third or fourth pass by their car. “How do you think it’s going out there?”
“I’ve been trying to read his lips.” Cade squinted out the window. “He either said rich pretty-boy or pretty rich boy .”
“Would it make a difference?”
“Valid point.” Cade shoved a Cheeto in his mouth.
Noah narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Why are you so chill about this? Earlier you were worried about getting fired if we got busted.”
“I always pre-panic about things. But when I’m actually in the horrible situation that I feared, I get all ‘Ecclesiastes’ about it. You know—all is vanity? Owen would know the exact verse.” Cade lifted one shoulder before crunching another chip. “I do tend to stress eat, though. Where did those M&Ms end up?”
“I snuck them to Elisa before they hauled her away.”
“Aww.” Cade batted his eyes at Noah. “How sweet.”
“Shut up, and keep reading lips.” Noah shifted his position on the ripped upholstery, trying not to think about who or what had sat there before them.
“He might be calming down. It’s hard to tell.” Cade leaned closer until his nose practically grazed the window. “The man has one expression, and it’s annoyed.”
Movement from Elisa’s car caught Noah’s eye. He peered around Cade to see Elisa tapping on her own window and gesturing wildly. “I think Elisa is trying to tell us something.”
She lit up when she realized she had their attention, and flapped her hand, dramatically pointing to her mouth.
“I think she wants us to read her lips.” Noah would much rather be back to kissing them, but this wasn’t the time—country song or not.
Cade nodded. “That, or she’s out of M&Ms.”
Noah shot Elisa a thumbs up sign. She mouthed several words, over enunciating to the point it made it harder to decipher. He shook his head and held up his arms in an exaggerated shrug.
Cade rotated his hand in a circle, urging her to try again.
Elisa shifted a little, leaning closer to the window, and mouthed again, a little slower.
“Origami.” Cade held up his fisted Cheetos bag in victory. “She definitely just said origami.”
Noah tried to watch her say it again, but Cade’s head was in the way.
Cade’s hand stilled mid-air. “Or wait. Maybe she said Aurora Pinot.” He tilted his head. “Is that a wine?”
“Oh for heaven’s sake.” Noah shoved Cade backward with one arm, clotheslining him against the seat, and moved closer to the window. “One more time.” He pointed at Elisa with his free hand.
Elisa mouthed the words and Noah watched carefully. Origin . And something else…
The origin of.
He leaned back against the seat, releasing Cade. “She figured out something about the clue.” Of course she had.
“Too bad it wasn’t about ten minutes ago.” Cade glanced at his watch.
Thump. Thump-thump-thump . Noah peered around Cade again in time to see Elisa frantically banging on her window. “Uh-oh. What is she doing now?”
“She’s getting the cop’s attention.” Cade’s voice turned equal parts impressed and shocked. “Dude. You think she’s going to ask to go back in to find it?”
Surely not. But then again…this was Elisa.
The dark-haired, lanky deputy, who barely looked old enough to be on the force, motioned at her to stop. But she only pounded harder.
Cade grimaced. “I say we draw straws now on who gets to tell Isaac Bergeron his daughter needs to be bailed out of jail.”
“Not it.” Noah watched as the officer wrenched open Elisa’s car door, his young face a mask of irritation. A pile of blue M&Ms fell to the concrete at his feet as she leaned out of the car, talking ninety-to-nothing and gesturing toward the courthouse.
“This can’t be good.”
But Noah had seen her in action enough this week to know otherwise. “Wait for it.”
The officer’s face softened as she talked, and he didn’t move away as Elisa touched his elbow. She then ended her spiel with wide eyes and a big smile, the same look she’d given Captain Sanders earlier in the week—and Cade earlier tonight, for that matter. The look that always made Noah want to buy her a pony and a private island and anything else she wanted.
Apparently it worked on the policeman, too, because he stepped back to let her out of the car.
“No way.” Cade shook his head. “That’s next level.”
Elisa practically skipped back toward the courthouse. The uniformed man jogged to keep up, while Sheriff Rubart barked something after them that they both ignored.
Oh, man. Noah sagged against the seat as they disappeared inside the courthouse. “Definitely not it.”
Cade’s voice pitched. “What is she thinking?”
“I’m learning Puzzler Elisa is a different beast.” Noah dragged a hand down his face. “Once that light bulb goes on…” He flicked his hand in the air to imitate a bomb exploding. “Nothing can stop her.” Good thing Sheriff didn’t have any K-9s out there.
Suddenly, the door on Noah’s side jerked open. He startled and Cade jumped even higher, scattering Cheeto crumbs across the floorboard.
Sheriff Rubart gestured sharply with one hand. “Out.”
Noah quickly obliged, drawing a deep breath free of the car’s disconcerting odor. He tugged his hat back on his head.
“How’s Dad?” Cade smiled sheepishly as he slid across the seat after Noah—a grin the sheriff didn’t return.
“You’re not in any position to give lip.” The older man’s gray brow furrowed into one thick line as he stepped back from the car. “I know your type, and I’m not impressed. Besides, I have a meat loaf at home you’re keeping me from. Bottom line, your story checks out and your father vouched for you.”
Noah could almost hear his silent unfortunately .
“I can’t imagine why. And you.” Sheriff focused his laser beam stare on Noah.
Noah straightened his shoulders. “Sir?”
“The courthouse is not, and never will be, Make Out Point.”
“We have one of those?” Cade whispered.
“ Bro ,” Noah hissed back.
The sheriff kept his eyes on Noah, ignoring Cade. “I suggest you find somewhere else to do your necking in the future. Preferably not in public.”
Noah bristled. “I would never?—”
“I know your type, too.” Sheriff’s brows drew even closer together. “Hebert men.”
A rock lodged in Noah’s stomach. He nodded stiffly. “Yes, sir.”
Sheriff adjusted his belt around his girth. “You never know what mess you all are gonna leave behind, but you always guarantee one thing—you’re gonna leave something.”
Noah lowered his gaze to the sheriff’s shoes, working his jaw in an effort to maintain control. But how could he argue? His last name was a brand he might as well tattoo on his bicep. His great-great-grandfather was the source of a never-ending land dispute his own grandfather had encouraged. Noah’s own father had a scandalous affair and left town with zero remorse. Great Uncle William, Grandpa’s brother, had been a known womanizer before finally moving away from Magnolia Bay decades ago. And Noah’s however-many-times-removed cousin Jacob sat in a prison cell in east Texas for another ten years with a string of multi-state offenses on his record. All things the sheriff knew—things most of the town knew.
Noah was starting to forget why he was fighting so hard to keep the Blue Pirogue open.
“You’re both free to go...” Sheriff Rubart squared his uniformed shoulders, turning his gun-holstered hip slightly forward as he leveled in on Cade. “...on the condition that you never break into a government building—or any property that’s not your own—again.”
“Not to be contrary, sir, but I’d like to point out I did have a key.” Cade shoved his hand in his pocket and produced said key.
The sheriff glowered. “Fine. Make that unauthorized access.”
“That’s fair.” Cade grinned again as he slid his key back into his pants pocket. “Then we’ll be going. That must be one good meat loaf Mrs. Rubart makes.” Then he stage-whispered to Noah as he clapped him on the back, “I get grouchy when I’m hungry, too.”
“We can’t leave until Elisa comes back.” Noah elbowed him in the side. “She rode with us.”
On cue, they all three turned toward the courthouse just as the front door opened and Elisa and the policeman emerged. She triumphantly waved a rectangular card in the air.
She’d done it.
“Well, look at that.” Cade shook his head. The sheriff muttered something mostly unintelligible about pesky kids.
Relief and more than a smidge of uncertainty warred for top billing. Now, Noah wouldn’t have to quit the hunt. There weren’t many clues left to go, thanks to Elisa. They actually had a chance at finding the prize.
But did he still want it?
The sheriff’s words echoed in his thoughts, the rock in his gut morphing into a boulder. What did he have to offer long-term besides heartache and failure? But he was too far in now to bail on it. He just needed to get back to his plan to get the inn fixed up and under quality management so he could move back to Shreveport as soon as possible.
The officer trailed behind Elisa, shrugging his arms wide in response to Sheriff Rubart’s wide-legged, intimidating stance. “She promised five minutes, sir,” he called out, as if afraid to come much closer.
“Didn’t even take that long.” Cade slowly crossed his arms over his chest. “Beauty and brains.”
Noah shot him a glare.
“Just saying, man.” Cade held up both hands in surrender. “Just saying.”
Elisa pointed at Noah with the card, a hopeful smile lighting her face.
* * *
The moon served as a crescent-shaped observer, lighting the inky black sky over Bayou Beignets. Elisa looked up at the wooden Bayou Beignets sign swinging under the sage-colored awning as Zoey fiddled with the key on her ring. Beside her, Noah impatiently looked over his shoulder, as if the fear of getting busted still lingered. Cade’s stomach growled, interrupting the cricket’s song from the bushes next to the door.
“I wouldn’t do this for anyone, you know.” Zoey unlocked the front door of her shop, then stepped inside and flipped on the lights. The soft glow illuminated the chairs turned up on the tables, the floor so clean it squeaked under Elisa’s shoe as they filed in behind her. “But I realize you guys need a place to brainstorm the next clue.”
“With snacks,” Cade pointed out.
He stopped short as Zoey turned and pointed at the three of them.
“If you get powdered sugar on something, you’re cleaning it up yourself.”
“Of course.” Elisa bounced a little on her heels as Cade headed eagerly for the display case. “I’m still so keyed up from our?—”
“Near arrest?” Noah filled in as he began pulling chairs off the table tops.
“Well, that, too. I was going to say victory.” Elisa waved the clue card she hadn’t yet read in front of her.
“I say that’s cause for celebration.” Cade grinned from the pastry case, his hands plastered against the glass. “Man, these look amazing.”
Zoey snapped her fingers toward him. “Down, boy. Those are plastic. The real stuff is in the back after hours.”
“Didn’t you eat in the police car?” Noah cast Cade a sidelong glance as he settled the fourth chair on the ground. “Because we can say that now. We were in a police car .”
“Chips are savory.” Cade frowned. “This is a totally different craving. Besides, Elisa didn’t share her M&Ms.”
“You could have had the blues.”
Elisa and Noah spoke simultaneously, and she shot him a grin that he returned only half as brightly. Hmm. He’d been acting strange since she found the last clue. Maybe the near arrest had bothered him more than she realized.
“I respect a man with a good sweet tooth.” Zoey waltzed behind the front counter. “I’ve got some leftovers from earlier today that I was going to discount tomorrow, but this seems like a worthy cause.”
Within minutes, all four were settled at a table with a plate of raspberry lemon beignets and a pile of napkins. Elisa wasn’t hungry in the slightest, but she pulled one of the sweet treats from the plate and nibbled on the edge. Delicious, as always.
“At least this time when we went somewhere after hours, we had a key and the owner.” Cade snorted at his own joke and sent a cloud of powdered sugar straight into his face. He leaned back, blinking rapidly as white streaked his mouth, cheeks, and shirt.
Zoey sighed as she pointed to the bathroom. “Second on the left.” She gave the seat Cade vacated a quick swipe with a napkin. “So, Elisa filled me in on the whole escapade on the way over here when she called and begged me to open the store.”
“I didn’t beg.” Elisa gestured with her beignet. “I passionately requested.” She glanced at Noah, expecting a smile. But he remained silent, his face stoic as he folded a napkin between his fingers.
Something was definitely up. She frowned. Was he upset she found the clue without him? They’d teased about that before, but he’d never seemed truly jealous of her puzzle solving ability. Or was he regretting the kiss?
Her stomach twisted into an ache.
Zoey pinched off a bite of beignet between her fingers. “As soon as I heard Sheriff Rubart and held in a cop car , I was all in. So have you read the next clue yet?”
“Not yet.” Elisa laid it on the table between them. “I’m not sure we can have help, though. There were rules.”
“August didn’t specify,” Noah finally spoke. “He only said you and I had to work together.” His gaze darted briefly to hers, and a rush of warmth crept up Elisa’s chest. As eager as she was to solve the next step, to get that much closer to finishing this hunt and helping Delia, she was just as eager to pull Noah aside and discuss what had happened.
Or better yet, talk it out thoroughly without words.
“Great.” Zoey leaned in, scooting the plate of dessert out of the way. “Let’s have a look-see.”
Cade returned, sans powdered sugar, and settled back at the table. “What’d I miss?”
“Nothing.” Zoey turned so he could read the clue. “We were about to see what’s next on their little adventure here.”
A grin stretched across Cade’s face as his gaze darted between Elisa and Noah. “I think I might know what’s next—OW.” He leaned down and rubbed his shin under the table.
Elisa shot Noah a glance, but he kept a straight face as he looked down at the card. “Someone read it out loud,” Noah said.
“Wait.” Zoey clamped her hand over the clue. “How did you find this one? It was at the courthouse?”
Elisa quickly updated her on the filing system, casting periodic glances at Noah to make sure she had gotten it right. A smidgen of pride crinkled the corners of his eyes, and he never corrected her explanation, so she must have been pretty close. If he was proud of her, he couldn’t be jealous, right?
Ugh. She hated this early part of relationships—or whatever this unlabeled thing between her and Noah had become. The guessing. The uncertainty. The eggshells. Though with Trey, that stage hadn’t ever really ended.
Noah looked at her straight-on for the first time since her exit from the courthouse a half hour ago. “Where was it? Which book?”
“The origin of…it was Paul Revere’s ride date.” Elisa shrugged. “April 18 th , 1775.”
Noah nodded. “Instrument 4181775.”
“Thankfully you’d left that computer logged in, so I could search which book and page.”
“Nice going.” Some of the tension left his forehead, his eyes warming. Yep, that was definitely pride in his gaze.
Elisa relaxed a smidge. Maybe she’d misread his earlier silence and he was just tired. She slapped Zoey’s hand out of the way and slid the card across the table to Noah. “You read it.”
He picked up the clue and cleared his throat. “Here goes nothing.” His gaze darted low as he skimmed it. “We’re back to the Longfellow poem.”
“Read it.” Cade picked up his beignet, and at Zoey’s glare, he leaned forward over the table and took a careful bite.
“Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church, by the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, to the belfry-chamber overhead.”
Silence hovered over the table. Cade swallowed. “That’s it?”
Zoey frowned. “Only part of a famous poem?”
“They’ve all been like that.” Elisa twisted her lips. “Except for this past clue, that was about the poem, but didn’t contain any actual stanzas.”
Cade tapped the card. “Could it be as simple as somewhere at the church?”
“They’ve never been quite that obvious. But even if—which local church?” Elisa asked.
Noah set the card on the table. “Yeah, we already determined Magnolia Grace doesn’t have a bell tower.”
“Celebration doesn’t have one either. Nor the Methodist or Catholic churches.” Zoey ticked off the options on her fingers.
“Well.” Cade dusted his hands over the table. “This one’s impossible.”
Elisa snorted. “We’ve thought that about all of them at first. But something always clicks.”
“For Elisa, anyway.” Noah gestured toward her. “Usually right when she’s in the middle of something else.”
There was no mistaking his meaning that time. The warmth in her chest blazed into an inferno. If they didn’t talk soon, she’d never be able to focus on the clue.
“It’ll come to us.” She stood and wiped the table with her napkin. “I’m getting pretty tired. Noah, would you take me to my car?”
He must have gotten her hint, because he stood so quickly, his chair overturned. “Yep.” He bent to straighten it, his hip bumping into their table.
Zoey’s eyes narrowed as they flicked between him and Elisa.
Cade snickered. “You have no idea, do you?”
Zoey zeroed her gaze on Elisa. “You better call me tonight. I have a feeling my update earlier wasn’t a full update.”
Elisa opened her mouth, then closed it. Her flush expanded. “I?—”
Noah’s phone vibrated on the table. He frowned. “It’s August.”
“Why would Mr. Bowman be calling this late?” Her throat tightened. “You don’t think all that with the police got us disqualified, do you?”
Cade frowned. “How would he even know?”
“He said he’d be watching.” Elisa nibbled on her lip as Noah answered.
“Why don’t y’all head out, then, and we’ll clean up?” Zoey tossed Cade the napkins.
He accepted them and wiped the table, while Zoey carried their empty beignet plate to the kitchen. Elisa began turning the chairs back over onto the table, heart hammering as she tried to subtly eavesdrop on Noah.
“ What ?” He paced by the door, one hand plugging his other ear shut as he listened. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Elisa’s hand froze around the upturned chair legs. “What’d he say?”
Noah shook his head, still listening. “I understand.” He nodded. “Okay, you too.” He hung up and sighed.
“How bad is it?” She winced.
“Depends on how confident you’re feeling about this latest clue.”
“What do you mean?” Zoey returned from the kitchen, and Cade stepped up to join their huddle, paper towels still in hand.
“We’ve been given a deadline.” Noah’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “We have one week to finish the hunt.”
“One week ?” Elisa sputtered. “But we still have another clue to find after this one—and zero leads.”
“I know.” Noah took off his hat and ran one hand through his hair. “He apologized for calling so late, but today was the date specified in the will to let us know, and he almost forgot.”
Leave it to Mr. Bowman to be more worried about propriety than the bomb he was dropping. Elisa drew a tight breath. “Okay, we can do this.” She nodded as she tried to wrap her mind around it. “We’ve already come this far in less than a week, so it’s doable. Right?”
“I think so.” Zoey linked her arm through Elisa’s. “You’re brilliant, Elisa. This will be no sweat for you.” She gestured in Noah’s direction. “No offense.”
Cade tossed the napkins on a table. “I agree—not with the offensive part.” He chuckled. “More like the ‘you guys totally got this’ part.”
“I don’t think y’all understand.” Noah tugged his cap back into place and crossed his arms. His gaze found Elisa’s, and her heart dropped in her chest at the graveness in it. “If we don’t complete the hunt, we get nothing.”
“Nothing?” Elisa’s mouth went dry. Delia…the café…
“One week—or August will be legally obligated to donate the treasure to a charity Grandpa has picked out.”