Page 9

The best clues come from under rocks or from people you hate.

T rue to his word, Dalton showed up at the bookstore right at nine to walk her and Watson home. He passed her a cup of hot chocolate as they walked uphill to the road that would take her to Aunt Melody’s. Meg needed to start thinking of it as her apartment, if not home.

“Your girl isn’t looking good in this thing. The dude who died was her agent, that Robert Meade guy.” He carried her backpack for her. When she stared at him, he added, “I heard it from Fred at the sandwich shop, who was told by someone who works for your uncle.”

“So almost from the horse’s mouth? Anyway, I don’t believe it. There’s no way she killed anyone.” Meg pulled gently on Watson’s leash as he had got stuck on a scent near a tree.

“Says the woman who just met her and has spent less than an hour with the suspect.” He met her gaze. “You’re that convinced she’s innocent?”

“I am. I met this agent guy twice, in fact. You saw him on the ferry on the day I moved here. He was a jerk then, and the day I saw him at the house. He’d be more of a killer type than Lilly.”

“Except she’s not dead,” Dalton reminded her. “He is.”

“But he was a jerk, and maybe someone else wanted to kill him.” Meg tried to logic it out as well as walk faster, but the incline was getting her.

She had thought she’d lived in a hilly area of Seattle.

The hike up the hill from the bookstore was even steeper.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I know what I know. ”

“Those are your Nancy Drew powers? Knowing who killed who?”

She knew Dalton was teasing, but she took Nancy Drew and all the other amateur sleuths in books seriously.

“That’s not funny. Besides, I’m not saying I know who killed that horrible man.

I know Lilly Aster didn’t kill him. Maybe this is my first real sleuthing case.

I can write my book while I’m working on the case.

It will give me the ability to add real-life examples. ”

“Where you change the names to protect the innocent?” They had arrived at her apartment. Meg noticed that Dalton had left his bike leaning against the steps up to the front door. He must have left it here before walking down to get her. The man was thoughtful.

“Something like that. So if you think Lilly’s going to be arrested tomorrow, when Uncle Troy does his press conference, why did you walk me home?

The world’s safe now.” She saw the confusion on his face.

He had a bit of a five o’clock shadow accenting his cheekbones.

No wonder Luna was in lust with him. With his blond hair, he looked like a modern-day pirate. In all the good ways.

“I was the clicker today on the ferry.”

The sudden change of subject caused her to lift her head to meet his gaze. “What?”

“I was the clicker. I got to watch people leave Bainbridge Island on the ferry, clicking the counter as they walked past. Parents, kids, older people, young adults. I count them all. Except for the dogs. They don’t get counted.

I always thought that was sad. If the ferry goes down, they’ll know how many people to rescue, but not how many dogs. ”

“You’re messing with me.” Meg walked Watson over to the patch of grass by the garage.

“Not really. I wanted to change the subject. And tell you how truly mind-numbing a job can be. You’ve been lucky and had great jobs.” He leaned against the stair railing, watching her. “You should feel fortunate. Your résumé is diverse.”

“My résumé makes me look like a flake.” She walked back to the stairs, Watson dragging himself behind her.

“But thanks for the positive outlook. Besides, I’m good for right now.

I’ll start looking for a real job in a month or so.

Mom probably won’t need the help much in the fall.

I’m pretty sure she doesn’t need me now.

I’m renting the apartment for only a year.

Aunt Melody doesn’t care, but Uncle Troy made a point to ask me how long I’d be here.

It’s a money thing. They’re charging me the friends and family rate.

The market rate almost pays their mortgage. I don’t want to be a drain.”

“They love you. It’s nice to have people who care about you.” He grabbed his bike and wheeled it over to where Meg was standing.

Dalton didn’t talk much about his family.

Junior, Meg’s brother, said he never did.

It was like Dalton had arrived at Bainbridge Island Middle School for seventh grade after being dropped on the island by aliens.

Meg assumed the real story was a little more sordid than that.

Rumor was that he and his mom had been living on the streets, and when she’d disappeared, he had started riding the ferry.

He had ridden it for hours. That was back before the ferrymen made you get off at each stop.

Finally, Uncle Troy’s boss at the time had been called, and the next day, Dalton had become part of his family. And a new Bainbridge Island resident.

For Junior, Dalton became the best friend he’d been missing his entire life. Dalton was always over at their house. Meg’s parents treated him like he was one of their own.

And in a way, he was, because he belonged to all the residents at the time.

She reached for his hand. “You have people who care about you, too.”

He looked up and met her gaze. He moved his hand away. “I’m the lucky one. Anyway, I’ve got to go. Early call at work tomorrow. What are your plans?”

“I’ve got the night shift at the bookstore again.

Hopefully, I’ll get more walk-ins than I did tonight.

I’ll work here at home until I’m finished with the Aster assignment, and then I’ll call her.

” She leaned against the garage wall. “That’s my life, except for the nights I don’t work at the bookstore.

No wonder I’m looking for a mystery to solve. My life is boring.”

“Your life isn’t boring.” He held his arms out wide as he stepped away from her. “Think of it this way. You could be a clicker.”

She chuckled, then, on that light note, wished him a good night.

As he rode away, Meg made her way upstairs.

When she got there, she turned to see if she could see Dalton or his bike.

All she saw was the flash of his headlight as he turned the corner toward the little house on the other side of the island.

He’d been at the same place since he bought the house a few years out of high school.

At some point while Meg was living in Seattle, Dalton started working for the Washington State Ferries system and became an adult.

Unlike Meg, who’d bounced around from college to the start-up, to a fiancée, and finally to home, where she was starting all over again.

There was something to be said about consistency.

Her cell rang as soon as she got inside the apartment. She picked up the call with an answer to the unasked question. “Yes, I locked the door.”

“Were you outside, honey?” Her dad sounded concerned. She had thought it was Dalton calling.

“I just got home from the bookstore,” she explained. “Dalton walked me here.”

“That was nice of him.” Her dad got right to the point. “Sweetie, I heard there was a killing on the island. Is everything okay? Maybe you should move back to Seattle and live with me and Elaine.”

Elaine was her dad’s new wife. She’d been his secretary for years, but they both swore that nothing had happened between them before the divorce. Her dad didn’t like change. “Sorry. I thought it was Dalton calling. He walked me home from the bookstore.”

“What a nice young man. But isn’t it a little early to be dating? Romain may—”

Meg interrupted him. “Dad, if you think I’m taking Romain back after his little jaunt to Europe with one of my bridesmaids, you don’t know me at all. You should be hating on the guy, not making excuses for him.”

“Sometimes there’s two sides to a story.” He must have realized how that sounded, because he hurried to add, “Of course, I believe your side.”

“There’s no sides here. He didn’t want me, and thank goodness he figured that out before we were married and had kids.

I don’t want my kids to go through a divorce.

” Now Meg was throwing stones. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Anyway, I’m fine, even with a killer who may or may not be on the island. How was your party?”

“Very nice. Your caterer did a great job of taking out all the wedding touches. I’m sorry you couldn’t make it. It would have been nice to see you before you moved back to the island. But we’re only a ferry ride away.”

And a taxi or an Uber across Seattle and into Bellevue.

Which would run her another hundred dollars round trip.

But she didn’t want to gripe. She’d chosen to live on Bainbridge due to the extremely low rent her aunt had offered her.

She felt safe on the island. Even with a murder happening right after she’d moved home.

“I’ll come over soon.” Meg crossed her fingers on both hands behind her back, hoping he wouldn’t hear the lie in her voice.

“We’d like that. Elaine enjoys talking with you.” He was piling on the guilt now.

“Oh, my cell is almost out of juice. I better go.” Meg closed her eyes. Two lies in one conversation. Her dad never brought the best out in her. “Have a good night, and thanks for checking in on me. It was nice to know someone cares.”

“Of course I care. Just because your mom and I aren’t married doesn’t mean I’m not your father anymore. I love you, Meg.”

Meg felt drained. She didn’t want to fight with him, so the easiest thing to do was to back down. “I love you, too, Dad.”