Assault and Batter(35)

“I can’t,” I said, the words nearly choking in my throat. “I’m not the only one who knows about this. It would make things a whole lot easier if you just came clean with me.”

“I won’t say another word to you,” she said, her voice angry now. “Go ahead; do your worst. Call the police. I don’t care. Only know one thing,” she said as she looked hard into my eyes. “You are dead to me as of right now. Don’t do anything for my wedding; don’t even dare show your face. I might not be able to stop you from dirtying my name, but I don’t have to stand here in my shop and listen to you browbeat me. Get out, Suzanne.”

“Emily, it’s not like that—”

“I said get out!”

I shook my head sadly and walked out the door. As I left, I heard the lock click in place behind me.

“Suzanne, I’m so sorry,” Grace said as I rejoined her.

“Did you hear all of that?” I asked, still stunned by Emily’s explosion.

“No offense, but it was kind of hard to miss. She didn’t mean any of it,” Grace said as she tried to comfort me.

“Funny, I got the impression that she meant every word of it,” I said sadly.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“I’m doing what I promised her I’d do. I’m calling Chief Martin.”

Grace took my hands in hers before I could reach for my cellphone. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

“Don’t you start in on me, too,” I said. “I made a promise, and I’m going to see it through, no matter what the consequences are.”

“Okay. I support you, one hundred percent,” she said.

I dialed the chief’s number, and he answered on the first ring. “Martin here,” he said.

“Chief, I just found some important evidence you need to see. Meet me in front of my donut shop as soon as you can.”

His voice had an edge to it as he asked, “Suzanne, have you been holding out on me?”

“Chief, I’m on the edge of a breakdown, and if you start yelling at me, too, I’m going to lose it. Please, no scolding; not today. I can’t take it.”

His voice was softer as he said, “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

As Grace and I started to walk down the street to Donut Hearts, neither one of us spoke a word. The chief caught up with us before we could get to my shop, and I quickly explained what Gabby had found, and my conversation with Emily about it, after I handed the note over to him.

“Anything else I should know?” he asked after I was finished.

“No, that’s it.”

“Thanks,” he said, and then the police chief did a U-turn and headed back toward Two Cows and a Moose.

“What should we do now?” Grace asked me.

“I don’t know about you, but I need a long hot shower and a nap.”

“I imagine you’ll fit a good cry in there somewhere too, won’t you?” Grace asked softly.

“It wouldn’t surprise me in the least,” I said. “I’ve taken about all that I can take today.”

“Drop me off at the house, then,” she said. “Maybe we can get something to eat later tonight.”

“Maybe,” I said, “but I’m not making any promises.”

“I understand,” she said. Once I pulled into her drive, she got out, and then leaned in. “Suzanne, you’re doing the best that anyone could do, given the circumstances.”

“Then why do I feel like such a failure?” I asked her.

“It just comes with the territory, I guess,” she said.

“Maybe so.”

I drove the short distance home, hoping that Momma was gone. If I had to tell her what had happened with Emily, I didn’t know how I was going to hold it together.

To my relief, she wasn’t there.

It was time for that cleansing shower I’d promised myself. If there were any tears mixed in with the cascading water, there was no one there to see them but me, and I’m not going to say one way or the other. I felt a little better afterwards, and I slipped on my robe and lay down on my bed. I hadn’t really planned on taking a nap, no matter what I’d told Grace, but evidently my body had other plans for me.

I woke up from my dreams as a giant hammer tried to slam me into the ground, and no matter how much I ran and tried to avoid it, it was about to crush me when I suddenly awoke.

It took me a few moments to realize that someone was outside, clearly trying to knock my front door down.





Chapter 13


I threw on some clothes and stumbled down the stairs.

As I opened the door, I asked loudly, “What’s so urgent that you have to break my door down?”