Page 11

Chapter Eleven

After he disconnected the call, Alan slipped into his clothes while he told me that someone had broken a window in Liz Sterling’s house. “Clare’s frightened and asked me to investigate,” he explained.

“I’ll come with you,” I said without a moment’s hesitation.

He shook his head. “No need for both of us to lose sleep. In fact, I’ll probably advise her to come back here with me. Would you mind?”

“No, that’s fine.” I held Sophie by the collar so she wouldn’t follow Alan out the front door.

She and I went back to the living room, and I peeked from the blinds to watch Alan cross the street, again with a pronounced limp. Clare had turned on the porch light and stood waiting at the front door.

When they went inside, I told Sophie we should go back to bed, yet my curiosity prevented that. Close to 2 a.m., I didn’t feel like getting dressed to check the action across the street, so I kicked back in the recliner, hoping to doze .

Perhaps I did, at least for a half hour, according to the kitchen clock. I startled awake when Sophie bounded to the front door, and I groggily greeted Alan and Clare.

“Everything’s fine,” Alan told me. “Someone threw a rock into a front bedroom window on the second floor, so Clare’s going to stay here tonight, just to be safe.”

“Did you call Mark Matthews?” I asked.

“I texted him. I suspect some teens were out on a lark, and he doesn’t need to be bothered by that at this hour.”

I had a feeling he merely wanted Clare to stay calm when he announced he was heading to bed and thought we should, too.

I turned to Clare, who wore a coat two sizes too big for her small frame. “I can lend you a nightgown if you need one.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.” She took off the coat to reveal a sweatshirt and sweatpants. “Do you mind if I just lie on the sofa?”

“Not at all.” I suddenly felt sorry for her because she looked absolutely exhausted. “There’s ice cream in the freezer if you’d like some comfort food, and there should be acetaminophen in the hall bathroom medicine cabinet.”

She managed a wan smile. “I appreciate your kindness, and I’ll be fine. Go to bed and I’ll see you in the morning.”

As she settled herself on the sofa under her coat, I decided to cover her with the throw that draped the back of the loveseat in the sunroom. Again she thanked me, then closed her eyes.

Sophie didn’t follow me, which was fine because I knew she intended to console Clare through the night.

^^ ^

Alan, a typical early riser, showered and dressed before me. When he sat on the bed to tie his shoes, I sluggishly questioned the time. “It’s only seven-thirty, so no need for you to get up yet.”

I nodded my agreement, turned over, and closed my eyes.

“I’ll make breakfast,” Alan told me. “What do you feel like eating?”

I knew we didn’t have many options. “It doesn’t matter,” I murmured into my pillow.

“Maybe I’ll pick up doughnuts at the bakery since I want to talk to Mark Matthews without Clare overhearing me.”

He caught my attention and I turned toward him. “Wasn’t the rock-throwing just a lark?”

“I don’t think so, but I didn’t want to worry Clare. I got her out of there so she wouldn’t disturb the scene.”

“Do you think someone intended to break in?”

“No, I believe someone tossed the rock to frighten her. After Mark investigates, I’ll call a repairman to replace the window today, then she can go do what she needs to do.”

“Maybe I’ll see if she wants to go to the grocery store with me,” I remarked, pushing off the covers.

“Good. That’ll keep her away from the scene while we check out the place. In the meantime, I’ll make the coffee before I leave.”

“Thank you,” I said, hurrying to the bathroom. “I’ll take a quick shower and keep Clare company until you return.”

He gave me a quirky grin and threw a kiss. “You’re the best.”

I expected to see Clare sipping coffee at the kitchen island, but didn’t. Sophie was sniffing for squirrels in the back yard, yet I saw no sign of our guest. My stomach lurched with the thought that she’d gone to clean up the broken glass in her sister’s upstairs bedroom until I found her sitting on our front stoop.

I opened the storm door to greet her. “Would you like a cup of coffee?” I asked.

She held up her mug. “Thanks, but I have one.”

I gave a cheery smile and thumbs up, then went inside to pour my own coffee. It didn’t feel right to let our guest sit alone outside, so I decided to join her. “Would you like company?”

She glanced up at me with weary eyes. “This is such a busy street with people rushing to work, whether it be by car or by foot. The way my sister spoke about Aspen Notch, I imagined it was more rural.”

I settled myself on the stoop, then responded. “Alan and I have lived here almost four years, and I recall mentioning the traffic to the real estate lady. Honestly, I don’t notice it very often any more, and it’s been good for my business.”

She glanced at the log cabin, my garden shop, so I told her its significance as the town founder’s first home. I couldn’t say the details captured her attention since, no doubt, the incident at her sister’s house occupied her mind.

I sipped my coffee, then tried to make conversation again. “You told Sean about the medical pilot, so I assume your clinic is very rural.”

She gave a nostalgic smile. “It is, though not as much as twenty-five years ago. If I have moments of quiet to sit in my garden, I may hear children playing or neighbors helping one another, but never the ruckus of cars or trucks passing by.”

I didn’t want to sound ignorant, but I was. Other than a few movies I’d seen that took place in Africa, I knew very little about the continent. “Did you have elephants and giraffes nearby?”

“You’d typically find those in the national parks,” she noted, “although less-populated areas have them, too. Monkeys abound in my village, and they’ll sometimes forage for food, so we need to keep everything in secure containers.”

“Oh, my. I have to do that with the bird seed I sell so as not to attract mice.” I gave a little chuckle. “I can’t imagine having to deal with monkeys, though they’re probably cute.”

She laughed, which delighted me. “I suppose you could say that, at least about the baby chimps. I have one that comes to visit since there’s a banana tree in my garden.”

“Have you named him?” I teased.

She grinned, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I call him Chimpy. Isn’t that original?”

We both laughed.

Not long after, Alan pulled into the driveway and exited the car carrying a bakery box. With a twinkle in his eye, he led the way into the house saying, “I have doughnuts and bagels for a sweet breakfast treat.”

He placed the box on the kitchen island while I brought out small dishes and prepared a fresh pot of coffee. The three of us settled on the stools before making our selections.

“I stopped at the police station,” Alan remarked. “Sergeant Mark will meet me in a half hour to process last night’s incident.”

Clare replied immediately. “I want to be there.”

Alan nodded slowly. “I understand, but we could do a more thorough job without you. Did you leave everything in the kitchen as it was last night?”

“No, after I wiped out the cabinets for Lizzie, I returned the dishes and put the money in the freezer. The notes are still on the counter.”

“Did you find any additional money or notes last night?” he questioned.

“No, it was late and I went to bed. I thought I’d resume my search today.”

This time, Alan nodded in agreement. “You can definitely do that later, although maybe not while the window-repair guy is inside. He should arrive around one o’clock.”

Clare looked upset that she couldn’t be with Alan and Mark when they investigated, so I interjected, “Why don’t you come with me to the grocery store? I’m sure you need some food, as we do, and I’m going there shortly.”

She shook her head. “I’d prefer to stay with Alan and the chief of police while they investigate.”

Alan paused before reaching for his second doughnut. “Okay, you can open the door for us, he can scan your fingerprints, and you can describe what you’ve found. Sue will give you ten minutes, then pick you up for your trip to the grocery store. Will that work?”

She gazed at me, mentally debating her options. “I have to be back in time to meet the window repairman.”

“We won’t dawdle because I have to open my garden shop at noon.” Technically, Lydia would be there, but I didn’t mention that.

“Okay,” she agreed, then took her mug and dish to the sink. Turning back to us, she added, “You’ve both been so very kind, and I thank you.”