Chapter 7
We took my car and followed Mrs. Bennet’s directions to a little neighborhood to the west of de Bourgh Hall.
“Thanks for letting me tag along, Jane,” I said.
“I’m happy you’re here.” She gave me an unreadable smile.
What was she thinking? With Jane it was so hard to tell because she was so genuinely nice to everyone.
Maybe I should take things slow and focus on being what she needed.
She needed someone to clear her of suspicion in this murder investigation.
She needed someone who could heal her father, or at least help him be more comfortable.
She needed a good friend who would fill a spot on her volleyball team and be there when she needed someone to talk to. I could do those things.
But it was hard to be her friend when I still remembered the taste of her lips and the feel of running my fingers through her hair.
The house was dark as we approached.
“How do we get in?” Jane asked.
I hadn’t thought that far. “Let’s check under the rug for a key.”
Jane lifted up a little welcome mat, but there was nothing under it or any of the potted plants that covered the front porch.
I knocked on the door just in case she had next of kin that might be inside, but nobody answered. I thought about Jim and how he’d left his dog to me, a stranger.
“Let’s check around back,” I said.
The back door was locked, too. Jane shifted her feet. “Maybe we should check with the police.”
I peeked through a back window and saw a furry gray face peering back at me.
“I see the cat inside,” I said.
It pawed at the window. “We have to get to him,” Jane said. “I think this is a circumstance where it would be okay for us to break in.”
“I agree.” I popped off the window screen and the window slid open.
“I’ll climb through,” Jane said. “But I’ll need a boost.”
I nodded, bending my knees and threading my fingers together to create a step.
Jane placed her hands on my shoulders and stepped up onto the foothold I’d created.
I hoisted her gently upward, my shoulders regretting the absence of her hands the moment she removed them to grasp the window sill.
She cleared the window gracefully and met me at the back door, which she opened for me.
A plaintive meow had us hurrying inside to the living room. The animal we’d come to rescue was a kitten. And it had wings.
Jane hurried forward and scooped him up. “Charles, look, a winged cat!”
Jane’s grin awoke all sorts of feelings inside me, and I had to tear my gaze from her face to examine the kitten. He was a light gray, his fur fluffy and thick. Jane nuzzled his head.
“He’s adorable!” I said. I flipped on a light, and he blinked in the brightness before burying his face in the crook of Jane’s arm.
I searched around for his food and water bowl, and I found them next to the kitchen table, both empty.
First I filled the water. The kitten jumped from Jane’s arms and stretched out his wings, gliding to the floor, where he immediately began lapping up water.
I found a bag of cat food in the pantry and filled his bowl.
“Do you think we should take him to the shelter?” Jane asked.
“Yes. I think it’s a good idea to get him checked out, but let’s give him some time to eat first.”
Jane leaned casually against the wall, watching the kitten eat. “I’m so relieved we were able to help him,” she said. “I hate to think what would have happened to this poor guy if we hadn’t been here.”
“Me too,” I said. “While he’s eating, I think I’ll take a look around the house. Maybe we could get some insight into Jeanine and why someone had wanted her dead.”
“I’d like to help you,” Jane said quietly. “I didn’t know her, but something about being there when she died makes me want to help. And if the police are focusing on me, they might miss the actual killer, and I’d hate to see them go free.”
“Me too.”
“We made a pretty good team the last time we encountered a murder, maybe we could solve this one, too. Want to give it another go?”
I nodded, not quite trusting my voice. Even though I knew she was talking about sleuthing, I couldn’t help but wish she were talking about us.
Because, more than anything, I wanted to give that another go.
The urge to take Jane in my arms was nearly overwhelming, but there was no chance I was going to kiss her in a dead woman’s house.
“Did you get any useful glimpses into the suspects?” I asked. Jane had the ability to see snippets of people’s past, glimpses of who people really were or things that shaped them. It was one reason she was so empathetic.
“Nothing that seems helpful. I saw Brittany as a child, nursing a little bird back to health. I saw Herb as a much younger man, energetic and full of life. And I saw Terence as a young man with a serious expression, studying.”
“That could end up being important. Let me know if you get any other impressions.”
“I will.”
We walked around the living room and kitchen, but everything was tidy and unremarkable.
Off the living room there was a small bathroom with an unplugged curling iron and an array of makeup covering the counter.
It made me a little sad to think of Jeanine leaving her house, fully expecting to return home.
Next we went to the dining room, which seemed to have been used more as an office based on the computer and stacks of papers covering the table.
“Look at this,” Jane said. She was bent over a paper that had letter tiles from a scrabble game glued to it. The tiles formed the words, “DO NOT DEVELOP THAT LAND. OR ELSE.”
Jane took a picture of the note with her phone. “Do you think that was the motive for the murder—her threat to sell the land?”
I nodded. “That was Lizzy’s theory too. I think they were discussing the sale of the land when she died.”
“I just can’t see any of the shelter employees wanting to kill her,” Jane said.
“Herb is so kind. He’s volunteered his time at the animal shelter for years.
And he visits his wife in memory care every single day.
Brittany has devoted her life to that shelter.
I understand how upsetting it would be to lose the building, but she’s tough and practical.
I’m sure she would just find a new location to continue her work. ”
“What about Terence?”
“Don’t be fooled by his appearance. He might dress as a goth, but he’s cheerful and friendly and really cares about the animals he helps. And not just the animals, the people too.”
It didn’t seem like any of those people would have committed murder. I rubbed my chin. “I guess our next step would just be to find out more about them. Maybe we could take this cat to the shelter to get it checked out and see if we can find any more information.”
“Good idea.”
We searched the rest of the house but didn’t find anything promising. Jane scooped the kitten up into her arms and we walked to the door. I flipped off the light switch, and the room briefly plunged into darkness before my eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in through the porch light.
“I guess that’s it, then,” I said.
“I guess so.”
We stood close together but not touching, and neither of us made the first move to leave. I spoke first. “Jane.” She looked up into my face, lips slightly parted, and my restraint faltered. “I missed you too,” I said softly, brushing my thumb along her jaw.
I didn’t deserve to kiss her—I hadn’t earned it yet.
But she didn’t pull away as I bent my head and slowly leaned in.
This was the wrong setting and there was still too much unsaid between us.
I hadn’t yet earned her forgiveness for messing things up.
But she stood on her tiptoes and met me partway, so I kissed her anyway.
Kissing Jane was everything I remembered and more. I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, but a disgruntled yowl had me pulling back. I’d forgotten she was holding the cat.
We both laughed a little. There was still some awkwardness between us and my heart was in my throat, but I pressed my forehead to hers, careful not to squish the cat again. A powerful feeling rushed from my heart to right behind my lips, but I couldn’t tell her how I felt. It was too soon.
She shifted the cat to one arm and ran the other lightly up my arm to the back of my neck, which erupted in goosebumps.
Who was I kidding? It wasn’t too soon. If anything, it was late. I should have locked it in when she was staying at Netherfield all those months ago. I should have never left her.
I’d known it, even then.
“Jane, I love you,” I breathed. It was too early for such a declaration, but I couldn’t keep it in a second longer.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I think my mom may have given you a love potion.”
I shook my head. “She wouldn’t.”
“She would.” Jane pressed her lips together. Lips I should be kissing right now, but instead I was fumbling for something to say to reassure her.
“I’m so sorry,” Jane said, and she looked so genuinely upset that I would have said anything to soothe her distress.
“Whatever happened, it’s okay,” I said.
She turned the handle of the back door and retreated out into the night.
I hurried to the passenger side and opened her door, so she wouldn’t have to manage it while holding the winged kitten, which she clutched like a lifeline.
Once she was settled, I walked around the car, taking big, bracing breaths of the cold air before I got in the driver’s seat.
I squared my shoulders. “Jane, I have to explain.”
“Please, not right now. Not until I can be certain that whatever they gave you has passed from your system.”
I opened my mouth to keep explaining, then shut it again.
This wasn’t about me and what I needed, it was about being what Jane needed.
And it seemed she needed a respite from this distressing topic more than I needed to make myself understood.
So instead of telling her what was on my mind, I changed the subject.