Last Chance Christmas (Last Chance #5)(30)
Author: Hope Ramsay

“Uh-huh, and why’s that?”

“Because of Sharon.”

Stone glared at his sister-in-law. It was truly annoying the way Jane could put her finger right on the heart of the matter. “You’ve been taking lessons from the church ladies.”

His glare bounced right off her. “I have tricks I could teach them. I saw the way you watched her the other night when we were looking at the photo albums. You’re interested in her, and that’s like the most amazing thing that’s happened in this town in a long time.”

He had no reply to give her. And there was no point trying to intimidate Jane, he had tried and failed on numerous occasions. Seeing how happy Jane had made his younger brother, Stone had finally given up and decided to love Jane just like everyone else in town did.

She reached over and touched his left hand, turning it over so that she could see his nak*d finger. “Stone, everyone in town knows you took off your wedding band. You don’t do a thing like that without people noticing. It’s been the single biggest topic of discussion at the beauty shop for days now. It’s even outpacing speculation about Jimmy’s mysterious death, which is saying something.”

“But I don’t even know how to ask a woman out on a date. And where would I take her?” he asked, his voice sounding suddenly panicky in his own ears. “I used to take Sharon to the picture show at The Kismet. But The Kismet is closed now.”

“Why don’t you take her up to old man Nelson’s cornfield and stroll through the Christmas lights.”

“But people go up there to…”

“Right. That’s what they do.” A slow, naughty smile lit Jane’s face.

She patted his hand. “It’s about time. Ask her out. And when you get to one of the dark places, don’t be shy.”

Jane got up and put a five down on the counter. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. “Please don’t let Lizzy know that you know she’s back there with David. Let her have her date. The whole town is watching them, too. And no one is going to let Lizzy or David get into trouble.”

She straightened up. “On the other hand, I think the Christ Church choir might break into a rousing rendition of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ if you managed to get into trouble with Lark Chaikin.”

Jane squeezed his shoulder again and swept out of the café.

Stone sat there for thirty seconds, screwing up his courage, then he pushed up from the table and strolled across the street, aware that every woman in the Cut ’n Curl was watching him.

He paused for a moment at the stairs to the apartment, then he took a bracing breath, reminding himself that he was a warrior who had coolly faced down the enemy.

He climbed the steps two at a time.

Chapter 16

Daddy was taking an incredibly long time in the shower. Lizzy heard the water running as she sat on her bed staring down at Michael Bennett’s soggy hat.

The events of the morning had been rattling around in her head all day. She knew she shouldn’t tattle on the boys who hung out at the Jonquil House. But what if they knew something about Jimmy Marshall’s death?

The sound of water stopped. Lizzy gave Daddy ten minutes to get dressed, then she knocked on his bedroom door.

He opened it directly. “What’s up?”

“Uh, Daddy, before you go, I need to speak with you about something important.”

Daddy gave her his serious look. “Is this about David, and how you weren’t exactly at Mr. Randall’s stables this noontime?”

Heat crawled up Lizzy’s face. “So you did see me at the Kountry Kitchen.”

“Not until Aunt Jane pointed you out. How did David get the bloody nose?”

“He got into a fight with Michael Bennett.”

“Great. Where did this happen?”

“We went out to the swamp this morning.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “I thought we could look for the missing gun, you know?”

Daddy leaned against the door frame. He looked totally badass when he did that, even dressed in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. “I’m pretty sure you’d need a wet suit and some dive gear to find that weapon.”

“Yeah, I know. But I tried anyway. And while I was messing around in the water, I came up with this.” She held up the plastic bag.

“What is it?”

“It’s Michael Bennett’s porkpie hat.”

“And this is why David got into a fight with Michael?”

She shook her head, then explained what had happened that morning.

“Well, I have to say I’m impressed with Justin Polk,” Daddy said when she’d finished her explanations.

“About the hat, Daddy?”

“Yeah? What about it?” He glanced at his watch. He was preoccupied. Daddy hadn’t even given her grief for going into the swamp without telling anyone.

Lizzy took a deep breath. “Michael always wears his hat. But he didn’t have it yesterday at school. So he must have lost it before yesterday. That means he was in the swamp, maybe even at the same time as Mr. Marshall died. He might have seen something. Or maybe he’s even involved in some way.”

Daddy folded his arms across his chest, and his eyes got that look in them—the one that said he was thinking about a case.

“How many boys were out there at the Jonquil House today?”

“Five or six. They go there all the time to drink beer. Do you think they might have witnessed something?”

“Don’t know, but it’s worth talking to them. Where exactly did you find the hat?”

“It was right there in an area where the ground was trampled. Daddy, I think that hat was in the swamp right near where you found the body. You think Michael had something to do with it? I mean, he got all upset on Friday when he heard that Mr. Marshall was dead.”

“Honey, I think it’s doubtful that Michael killed Mr. Marshall. He probably lost his hat going out there to look at the crime scene like you and David did. But seeing as you found it, that makes him a potential witness, and he ought to be interviewed. It would probably be useful to talk to the rest of those friends of his. Will you make a list of the boys who were out there this morning?”

Lizzy nodded. “Are you going to talk to them? Because you do realize that I’m going to be dead once they realize I tattled on them.”

Daddy laughed. “No, I probably won’t be talking to them. I have to give their names to Sheriff Bennett. The crime is in his jurisdiction.”

“Daddy, he’s not going to take Michael’s missing hat seriously.”

Daddy sighed. “I know. But I promise I will follow up on this lead. And tomorrow you and I are going to have a father-daughter chat about stuff because I’m not wild about you and David going off into the swamp together.”

“If you’re talking about the birds and bees, I already got that talk from Aunt Jane.”

“So I heard.”

Lizzy forced a smile. Daddy could be so lame sometimes. It was time to change the subject and put him on the defense. “So, where are you taking Ms. Chaikin?” she said.

Daddy’s cheeks colored. “Uh, well, I thought I’d treat her to some barbecue, and then we’re going to see Mr. Nelson’s Christmas lights.”

Wow! Lizzy hadn’t expected that. Was Daddy actually planning to take Ms. Chaikin off into the dark place by the old sweethearts’ tree to fool around? No, he wouldn’t.

“Uh, maybe I should give you a daughter-father talk, huh?” she said.

“Okay, that’s enough out of you.” Daddy’s eyes kind of sparkled as he pushed away from the door. “Now I need to finish getting ready.”

“Is there anything else on your mind?”

Lizzy gave him a big smile. “Only this: Don’t overdo the aftershave, okay? There is nothing more uncool than a guy who smells sweet.”

Lizzy turned and scooted back down the hall and into her room where she immediately called Cassie with the news that Daddy was taking Lark to the lighting display. Cassie’s grandfather was the one who put up the Christmas lights every year, and Cassie always helped at the cider stand. Cassie was going to have to be Lizzy’s eyes and ears, and Lizzy expected a full report from her friend tomorrow morning.

When Stone came to pick Lark up, he was wearing a leather bomber jacket, a green plaid shirt, and a pair of relaxed blue jeans. No bulletproof vest, no utility belt, no weapon, no uniform.

He came to her as a man, not a warrior. And the vulnerability that he wore made him all the more dangerous and sexy.

He took her to a hole-in-the-wall barbecue place outside of town called the Red Hot Pig Place. It wasn’t exactly the kind of place Lark had expected of him. He’d seemed so serious when he’d knocked on her door, earlier, that she’d sort of expected him to take her to a fancy restaurant.

Good thing she hadn’t rushed right out to the mall in Orangeburg and bought a dress for the occasion, because wearing a dress to the Red Hot Pig Place would have been overkill. The place was built out of cinder blocks, and the dining room had wooden tables covered in plastic tablecloths. Paper napkin dispensers and plastic bottles of barbecue sauce sat in the center of every table.

Fancy this was not.

Oh, but the food was to die for. She had never tasted barbecue like this. It was served up as a kind of spicy hash. And the fried cornmeal dumplings called hush puppies melted in her mouth.

They shared war stories over a pitcher of beer. It wasn’t exactly romantic small talk or salacious banter. But it was precisely what Lark needed to talk about. And she had to hand it to Stone: He might not be a conversationalist, but he sure did know how to get her talking. And because he reminded her of Carmine Falcone, she ended up telling him things she hadn’t told anyone.

After her third beer, when her head was just a little buzzed, she leaned forward and reached for his hand. “I could tell you anything, couldn’t I?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Maybe not anything.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, you could take the worst, most horrible story I could tell, and it wouldn’t faze you.”

“I’ve been there.”

She ran her fingers over the back of his hand. He was warm and alive. He was real—not just a figment of her imagination, or the sexy hero of Pop’s books.

“I don’t know why Pop sent me here, but—” She stopped before her mouth ran away with her heart.

He turned his hand over and took her hand in his. “But what?”

She swallowed hard. “I’m glad he did,” she whispered.

“I’m glad, too.”

“Are you? All I’ve done tonight is tell you one horrible story after another.”

He shook his head. “No, all you’ve done tonight is make it easy for me to be with you. I’m scared shitless.”

She blinked and stiffened. “Of me?”

He shook his head. “No. Of the way you make me feel.”

“How is that?”

“Crazy. Out of control. And I’m not even sure how you do it.”