Page 44

Sometimes the Fates put you on the exact path where you need to be.

“Y ou missed dinner, for one.” Meg pointed to the now empty bag. “And a visit from Jolene.”

Dalton groaned as he sat down. “I know. She called me. Three times before I was able to take a break and call her back. She’s bringing over an NDA tomorrow to my house, so I won’t tell anyone what Lilly said about Josh.”

“Do I know what Lilly said about Josh? If not, you need to tell me now, before you sign. Are they paying you money?” Natasha leaned forward, interested in the gossip.

“She told me she has to pay me to make the NDA valid, so I told her I’d take the money. She’s giving me five thousand. Don’t judge. It’s going into my home-repair fund. I might be able to refinish the living room this year. If the furnace doesn’t go out before I spend the money.”

Meg whistled. “I should have told her the info wasn’t covered under my NDA, but they’re paying me well, anyway. I shouldn’t be greedy.”

“You still didn’t tell me what Lilly said,” Natasha prodded. “Hurry, before Jolene rushes in here and forces the money on you.”

Dalton grinned. “You already know. Lilly has an alibi. She’s having an affair with Josh, and she was with him at the time of the murder.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have put that on the murder board.” Meg pressed her lips together. “I need to read that NDA I signed.”

“Okay, so Josh wasn’t in love with Tabitha. And she was coming over here at weird times without him. And Nate was sleeping with someone besides Violet.” Natasha stared at the three names she’d written down on the notebook in front of her. “Is anyone else seeing lines of attachments?”

“Just because Nate was sleeping with someone besides Violet, that doesn’t mean it’s Tabitha. I mean, seriously, how would he even meet her?” Meg shook her head. “I bet it was one of the bonfire girls.”

“You make them sound like a club.” Dalton held up a hand.

“Besides, I can answer that. I saw Nate hitting on a blonde with a Southern accent a few months ago at Island Diner. Junior and I were having dinner. I walked through the bar on the way to the head. Nate hangs out there when he’s not working, which is a lot of the time.

You said Tabitha looks like a Miss Georgia? ”

“Yeah. Hold up. I have a picture.” Meg flipped through her photos and then handed Dalton the phone. “That’s her.”

He stared at the picture. “I felt bad for Violet. This woman’s a knockout, and it shows even with her dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Violet’s pretty but not beautiful. This was the woman. Nate must have thought he won the lottery. She’s way out of his league.”

“I bet he’d do almost anything for her,” Meg said as the three of them exchanged glances.

“Love. Our motive is love?” Natasha finally asked, breaking the silence. “You are putting these motive ideas in your book, right? It makes everything clearer when you look at it through that filter.”

“I think on both ends. Tabitha was mad at Josh for using her as a cover for the affair. And Nate was so in lust with Tabitha that he’d do anything for her. The only question is, why kill Robert Meade rather than Josh or Lilly?” Meg rubbed her face. “I’m tired, and my head is pounding.”

“And it’s ten. Let’s clean up and get out of here. Natasha, don’t leave. We’ll drop you off on the way to Meg’s apartment. I’ll grab the trash.” He grabbed the bag from Proper Fish and stuffed napkins into it before heading out to throw it away.

Natasha caught Meg’s gaze as they cleared cups off the table. “Does that answer your earlier question?”

“Stop it.” Meg lowered her voice. “Let’s focus on who killed Robert Meade, so Uncle Troy doesn’t throw you in jail to get the case off his open list.”

“He wouldn’t do that.” Natasha followed her into the break room, where they put the cups in the dishwasher and Meg started it. “Right? Tell me you’re joking. Your uncle isn’t going to charge me with killing Robert, is he?”

Dalton came in from the back and locked the door behind him. “She’s joking. If he was going to charge you, he would have held you in jail for seventy-two hours, while he made his case against you and got the DA to sign off.”

Natasha looked stricken at the idea of spending time in a jail cell.

Dalton pulled her into a hug as he laughed. “Come on. Let’s go home. We’ll all meet at the bakery tomorrow at nine to figure out how to prove this long shot. At least enough for Meg’s uncle to take over. Right now, I think he’d laugh us out of his office.”

“Sometimes you have a mean streak, Dalton Hamilton. And don’t think I don’t see it.” Natasha followed him out into the shop while Meg turned off the lights.

* * *

The next morning, the knock came right at eight thirty. Meg was used to Dalton being early, so last night she’d set her alarm for seven, which had given her time to be dressed and ready before he surprised her. She filled his cup with coffee and then went to answer the door.

Romain Evans stood there. He wore his typical weekend casual outfit. Dockers, a polo, and a light blazer on top. He wore old brown wingtip shoes. Dalton was right. Romain dressed like an old man. “Good morning, Meg. May I come in?”

“No, you can’t. I don’t invite evil into my house. It’s kind of a new rule. Why are you here, Romain? I think we’ve said everything we need to say.” She set the cup on the table next to the door and leaned on the doorway, blocking the entrance.

He stepped back, surprised. He’d moved toward the threshold, thinking he was coming inside, but now he looked unsure. For the first time in the years that she’d known him, he appeared utterly flummoxed.

It made Meg happy that she’d stunned him. When he didn’t speak, she asked again. “Why are you here?”

“I was wondering if you’d sold the ring yet. I wanted to ask for it back.” The words fell out of Romain’s mouth quickly.

Meg stared at him. “I don’t understand.”

“Rachel, she loves the ring. I’m going to ask her to marry me, so I wanted to know if I could have it back. I’ll give you money for it. Not what we paid for it, of course, but I need the ring back. Rachel doesn’t know I returned it to you.”

“I’m confused.” Meg reached over to her desk, where his note still sat.

She lifted it and held it out for him to see.

“This says you felt bad for what you did, so you gave me a hundred dollars from our travel cash and the ring to try to make up for it. Now you’re telling me you want my ring so you can use it to marry the woman you already took on my honeymoon?

Am I understanding the sequence of events? ”

He blinked. Obviously, he hadn’t expected any response besides Meg giving him the ring back.

Meg’s gaze traveled past Romain, and she saw Dalton standing at the corner of the garage. He was leaning on Romain’s Tesla and grinning at the exchange. She shook her head.

“No, you cannot have my ring, even if you want to pay me twice what we paid for it. That is my ring. The one with which you pledged your undying love for me. Besides, if you wanted to give it to Rachel, why did you bring it to me? I’d left it for you.

In your tuxedo. The one I helped you pick out for our wedding.

” Now Meg was curious. She didn’t feel mad so much as tired of the games.

“I did the right thing once. Then you did. I think we’re done. ”

“Rachel and I got in a huge fight in Italy. I guess I kept complimenting you on the hotel and the plans you made for us. She thought it was rubbing our relationship in her face. So she left a day early and flew back. I thought it was over. When I came back and found you’d left, I wanted to talk you into coming home. Giving you the ring felt right.”

Meg rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. Then you made up with Rachel.”

“And she doesn’t know I tried to get back with you. If she did, she’d flip out again.” He shook his head. “She’s very intimidated by you.”

“As she should be,” Dalton commented from the bottom of the stairs. He was still leaning on Romain’s new car. “Meg’s an amazing woman. Too good for the likes of you.”

Romain whipped his head around to glare at Dalton. “Stay out of this.”

“I’m just watching the show,” Dalton replied, holding up his hands. “Nice car.”

“Stop leaning on it,” Romain grumbled.

Meg moved to close the door. “Goodbye, Romain. Have a great life with Rachel, until she finds someone better. Which shouldn’t be long.”

Romain leaned forward. “Meg, come on. Be reasonable. Sell me the ring.”

“I’d love to, but I threw it in the sound the day you gave it to me,” Meg lied.

“You what?” Romain swallowed hard.

“I got on the ferry and dropped it in the water midway to Seattle. That way I’d never be tempted to go back to you.” She smiled and closed the door in his terror-stricken face. Explain that to Rachel!

Dalton came in about five minutes later. He nodded at the full cup of coffee now sitting on the table. “Is that for me?”

“Of course. Is Romain gone?” Meg glanced out the side window that looked over the parking lot.

Dalton laughed. “He left. I think he was frustrated that he couldn’t race the engine and burn rubber in his electric car as he left. I’ll give him props that he at least tried. Did you really toss the ring?”

“Of course not. That thing is a down payment on a house. Or it can at least fill up my emergency fund. He gave it to me twice. I wasn’t going to give it back for Rachel’s sake.

She got him. I got the ring. I got the better deal.

” Meg handed him one of the cookies that Aunt Melody had dropped off sometime last night, when she was at the bookstore, along with milk and more sparkling water.

She loved her aunt. “At least I know why he kept sniffing around here. I can’t believe he thought I would hand over the ring.

Again. I’m so not the girl who left Seattle anymore.

” As she spoke, they both took a seat at the kitchen table.

“That girl would have given him the ring?” Dalton broke the cookie in half.