“Got it, boss,” he said, and then he actually trotted back to his car. George had suffered a pretty severe leg injury once upon a time helping me, and it was nice to see that he’d fully recovered from it.
I just hoped no one else got hurt because of one of my investigations. It had nearly made me swear off any amateur sleuthing in the future, but circumstances kept dragging me back in. It appeared that for me, there was no getting away from it.
“Hi, Reggie,” I said when he answered the door ten minutes later.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked as he looked at Grace and me. It was pretty clear that he wasn’t all that happy about seeing either one of us. It seemed to be the night for it, but I decided not to take it personally.
“We came to apologize,” Grace said, beating me to it.
“About?” he asked.
“Everything,” I answered. After I repeated our story, I concluded by saying, “We meant no disrespect to you or your daughter. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive us.”
“We’re okay,” Reggie said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m watching a movie.”
“That’s all we wanted to say,” I said, and Grace and I left the porch.
George followed us again, and we stopped by the clock near city hall. “That was all relatively painless, wasn’t it?” the mayor said. It was clear that he was actually a little disappointed by the lack of action. “What do we do now?”
I didn’t even try to hide my yawn this time. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m going home to get as much sleep as I can. No matter how this plays out in the end, I still have donuts to make tomorrow.”
“How can you do that, knowing that you’re going to confront a killer tomorrow?” George asked me.
“How could you put on your uniform and strap your gun on every day when you were a cop, knowing that something very bad could happen to you at any time?” I asked him.
“That was different. It was just all part of the job.”
“Well, that’s the way it is with me. Rain or shine, snow or sun, I make donuts. It’s what I do, but it’s more than that. It’s a part of me.”
“Can you ever envision yourself doing anything else?” Grace asked me softly.
“I don’t honestly know,” I said. “Given the right circumstances, I might be able to find another passion in my life.”
“Like for someone currently in Alaska?” George asked.
I just laughed. “Good night, George.”
“Night, ladies. I’ll see you both bright and early.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said, and then I drove Grace home.
As I pulled up in front of her house, she hesitated before getting out. “Suzanne, do you regret your decision not to go to Alaska with Jake?”
“Do you want to know the truth?” I asked her.
“I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.”
“I still might end up there,” I said after a long moment of silence.
“Are you thinking about joining him?” she asked, clearly surprised by my answer.
“I’m considering it,” I said. “Would you ever be able to forgive me if I did?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Suzanne, I would never hold following your heart against you. Just make sure to get a place with enough room for me to visit. I’ve got vacation saved up, so be warned. If you end up going, I’ll be coming your way soon.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said, “but I haven’t made any decisions one way or the other yet.”
“In the end, you’ll make the right one. I’m sure of it.”
“I wish I could be that sure myself. Good night, Grace.”
“Good night, Suzanne. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “If there had been any other way, I would have made the time closer to your liking, say noon.”
“Yes, we need to work on that in the future,” she said with a smile as she got out.
“Will do,” I said, and then I drove the short distance down the road home.
Momma was back already; at least her car was in its spot, and from the way the cottage was lit up, I expected to walk in and see her sitting on her usual spot on the sofa reading her latest mystery.
What I found inside, though, was something entirely, and frighteningly, different.
Chapter 22
“Put the knife down, Lisa,” I said in horror as I saw that she held a long blade to my mother’s throat. “You don’t want to do something that you’re going to regret.” It appeared that our trap had indeed caught a rat, just too soon for us to react in time.