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Shirley and Katie covered the bookstore while Rarity went to the funeral with Jonathon. He’d come early to write and now had changed into a black suit. Rarity had worn a darker dress to work, so she was just waiting for him to drive her to the church in Flagstaff for the funeral. “We should be back around four since there isn’t any grave side service.”

“I heard he was cremated.” Shirley was unpacking books that had arrived yesterday. “George and I have burial plots. If the rapture happens, God’s going to have an easier time reanimating us than he will all the souls who w ere cremated.”

“Ashes to ashes,” Ka tie responded.

“I know. I just don’t like the idea that I’m floating around the lake where Kathy would probably dump our ashes like someone cleaned out an ashtray.” Shirley pinked. “I suppose that’s insensitive t o talk about.”

“Well, with what we’re hearing about William Jully now, I’m not sure God would be all that interested in reanimating his body during the rapture.” Rarity smiled as Jonathon came out of the men’s room in his suit. “And I’ve just been saved from saying anything more by the handsome man in the suit. You look dapper.”

“Pretty good for my funeral suit, I agree.” He adjusted the sleeves. “When I bought this several years ago, I spent so much money on the suit I made Edith promise to bury me in it. I’ve been wearing it so much lately, I’m not sure it’s going to stay in good enough shap e until then.”

“You’ll probably live long enough to have several special suits. At least that’s my hope.” Rarity grabbed her tote and hugged Killer. “You be good w hile I’m gone.”

“He’ll be fine. We love having him around.” Katie grinned at the little dog. “Besides, who will I order around if he’s not here? I’m bottom on the totem pole unless K iller’s here.”

“No one’s told her that Killer has more seniority?” Jonathon asked with a straight face. “Part-time college kids come and go, but the shop dog, he’s eternal.”

The look on Katie’s face made Rarity laugh. “We’ll see you guys later. I hope you stay busy but not overwhelmed.”

As they walked outside, Jonathon held the door open to his truck. “Drew sends his thanks for yo u doing this.”

“The sleuthing club asked me to go, I’m just adding Drew’s assignment to that.” Rarity adjusted her skirt and let Jonathon close the door. It was nice being out with someone who treated her like a lady. When Archer had first opened the door for her, it had felt uncomfortable. Now, she expected it from the men in her life. An old holdover from a t ime long past.

Jonathon started the truck and turned on the air. “Edith told me last night when we talked that I was supposed to convince you to come for Easter. So now you have invites fro m both of us.”

“You brought it up first.” Rarity shook her head. “I don’t need a pity invite.”

“I swear, I didn’t. She asked about my day and I mentioned walking you home before I went out to dinner with Drew and Sam. She brought it up then. We both care about you.” He turned the truck around in a U-turn and then headed out of town to the highway that would take them to Flagstaff.

The surrounding mountains sparkled with color. The spring plants were in bloom, making the terrain feel vibrant and happy. Not the feeling she thought she should be having on the way to a funeral. But she hadn’t known William Jully well. And now, she liked him even less than when he’d yelled at Gretchen for bringing dogs into Sedona Memory Care. He just didn’t know how to have fun. He must have had a guilty conscience and not wanted people there to find out h is evil plans.

She was making him sound like Snidely Whiplash from the cartoons. “You must pay the rent ,” she mumbled.

“Excuse me?” Jonathon turned. He’d been chatting about what the granddaughter had been caught doing when he’d heard Ra rity’s mutter.

“Sorry, I was thinking about something else. So Savannah seems like she’s always into things. She must be hard to watch.” Rarity had b een listening.

Jonathon chuckled. “We’ve had to babyproof the house. Edith’s always yelling at me for dropping something into harm’s way. Both for the item and the baby.”

“Killer’s always finding something he shouldn’t have. But my kitchen floor is spotless. There’s nothing that falls from the counter that he doesn’t find.” Rarity wondered what it would be like to have a kid. Pushing that thought aside, she turned to the victim. “Did Jully live in Flagstaff? Does he have family there?”

“According to Drew, Jully’s mom and stepdad live in Flagstaff. They didn’t know much about his life. They’d been estranged for years. I guess the stepdad put the kibosh on William coming over and borrowing money from his mom about five years ago. He got mad and stopped talking with them.” Jonathon sighed. “Raising kids is all a crapshoot. You can be great parents and still turn out a kid who doesn’t fit into society. Drew said that Jully’s town house was all chrome and white. Lots of art on the walls, but cold. Emotionless. Our house is cluttered and filled with memories. Edith calls it Euro pean clutter.”

“It’s hard to find that décor that matches who you are and what feels like home for you.” Rarity thought about her decorating tastes. “Before I moved here, my houses were mostly a reflection of who I was living with. When I bought this house, it was the first time I made all the decisions, good and bad, myself. I bought my first piece of adult a rt last year.”

“I remember.” Jonathon smiled. “And you can sell it for twice what you paid right now. The artist is still a favorite of the Mom ents gallery.”

“I like the painting and it fits the house. I don’t want to sell it.” She grinned. “But that could change if it becomes really valuable. Mama needs new sho es, you know.”

As they pulled into the parking lot, Rarity noticed it wasn’t full. She checked her watch and saw Jonathon looking at her. “I thought maybe w e were early.”

He sighed and parked the truck, looking around. “Sadly, I think there just aren’t many people here to pay th eir respects.”

“My job for Drew should be short and sweet, then.” Rarity took a breath then opened the door, slipping out of the truck. She adjusted her dress and then met Jonathon on the sidewalk. “Let’s get th is over with.”

When they got inside, the doors to the chapel area were open and a man in a suit handed them a program to the event. Jonathon walked her to a pew in the middle of the room and they sat. She opened the program, which had a picture of William Jully on the front. He looked happy . And younger.

She took in the details given on the small, folded paper and then got out a pen and a small notebook from her purse. She saw an older couple in the front pew. She leaned close to Jonathon. “Is that his parents?”

He nodded and reached for the pen and notebook, writing down their names. Then he looked around and drew out a seating plan, adding names as he placed people in their seats. Then he handed it back to her.

“Thanks,” Rarity said as she studied the list of people. Then she saw a familiar name. She raised her head and saw Daisy Wellings sitting behind the parents. She touched Jonathon’s hand. “Why is she here?”

Before he could answer, the se rvice started.

* * *

The minister who ran the service invited all in attendance to join the family in the next room for coffee and refreshments when he finished. As the ushers brought the family out of the chapel, Rarity met Daisy’s gaze and the woman nodded her head in a cknowledgment.

As they waited to be escorted out of the chapel, she turned to Jonathon. “Did Daisy know William?”

“She was his aunt. His dad was Nick Wellings. Nick and Daisy.” Jonathon softly chuckled. “Arthur’s wife, Frieda, loved The Great Gatsby . She’s the one who started the bookstore. Arthur kept it going after she died. They both loved books.”

He nodded to the coffee area. “Do you mind if we stay around for a minute? I’ve got a few people I shou ld chat with.”

“Sure, I’ll go get us some coffee.” She wandered over to grab two cups of coffee and when she turned around, Daisy stood behind her. “I’m sorry for your loss. I didn’t realize that you were Wi lliam’s aunt.”

“He didn’t come around the family much. After his dad died in prison, he thought we’d abandoned him. But nothing could be further from the truth.” She glanced over at the grieving parents. “My dad, he’s just heartbroken over losing both Nick and now, William. He wanted to be here, but his health isn’t go od right now.”

“I can’t even imagine.” Rarity was at a loss for words. Shirley would have been the better club member to come to this event. She always knew just what to say in any situation. “I only met William once, at the Sedona Memory Care home. We were volunteering with the local animal shelter to bring the dogs to visit the patients.”

Daisy laughed. “I bet William hated the idea. He never liked animals. Dogs, cats, it didn’t matter. He thought they were dirty. He was better with books and money. He won several awards in high school in accounting competitions. Then he went to college and got a finance degree. I never understood why he started working at nursing homes. He could have done something huge. But I guess you do what you want in the world, right?”

Rarity watched Daisy pour a cup of coffee then walk away again. She’d ended the conversation. Grief made people act oddly. She took the coffee over to Jonathon, who was walki ng toward her.

“Thanks, but I’m ready to go if you are.” He took the coffee and took a sip. “Weak as usual. I’m sure they serve decaf to keep people from getting edgy.”

They set their unfinished coffees on a table and walked toward the door. A guest book and additional flyers were on a table near the exit. She paused, took her phone from her purse, and took a picture of the two pages where people had signed and made comments f or the family.

“Not a lot of grief-stricken people,” she said as Jonathon signed the book after she did. “No women who were his age. Or male frien ds. It’s sad.”

“We build the life we want and deal with the aftermath.” Jonathon’s words were a mirror of Daisy’s comments. William Jully had built the life he’d wanted and it had gotten him killed. The problem was that Rarity wasn’t any closer to knowing why than she’d been when she came. She hadn’t expected a killer to walk around with a sign on his neck, but maybe someone shifty could have come and made a scene.

Instead, she had a list of people to check out and send to Drew. Maybe between them, they’d find a reason and a suspect who would take Terrance off the top of the list. A confession would be great as well.

Sometimes Rarity wondered if she watched too many one-hour cop shows. The main character always got their man by the end of the hour. Or the end of two hours if it was a two-part show. They didn’t walk away from a funeral not knowing anything more than when they came.

Since Jonathon had driven in that morning, he offered to drive her home when Rarity closed the bookstore, but she declined the offer. She wanted to walk and think about the day.

Instead of heading directly home, she went over to Carole’s for dinner. As she waited to be seated outside, she noticed a donation jar on the hostess stand. That was what she loved about Sedona. They were all in this life together. She checked the flyer taped on the front—it was for Caleb Ender. She tucked a ten in the jar as the hostess waved her over to a spot on the patio where she could have dinner with Killer tucked under her feet. Killer was all for it since Carole’s put rolls on the table with water as soon as a customer sat down. Killer loved breadsticks. Rarity studied the menu as she thought abou t the funeral.

Joni, Amy’s mom, who waitressed at the restaurant, stopped by her table. “I’ll get you some water and bread. And a bowl for Killer. Amy told me she’s looking forward to book club on Saturday and she’s dying to talk to you about the adopt-a-pet idea. I think you’re turning my bookworm into a community organizer. I can see her leading protests in the streets when sh e gets older.”

Rarity hadn’t thought about what her mom would think about Amy’s love of helping others and where it might lead. “I hope I’m not overstepping by inviting her to take on these projects. She’s good at motiv ating others.”

“You’re kidding, right? She’s such a different kid since she started hanging out at the bookstore. She was so timid before. Now, she has friends at school and she’s always in some activity. Her dance recital is in April, and she expects to see you there.” Joni looked over and nodded to a new couple at the next table. “Anyway, I need to get busy. Can I bring you anything to drink besid es the water?”

Rarity shook her head then watched as Joni moved seamlessly to welcome the next table. After ordering and getting her food, she spent some time reading from a mystery advance reader copy she’d tucked in her tote. After finishing her food, and a chapter, Killer nudged her. She closed the book and tucked it away, rubbing his head. “I know, it’s your tur n to eat now.”

She paid the check, and as she was walking out, she thought she recognized a voice behind her. She turned to see a man who looked like Kevin, her St. Louis fiancé. He was inside the restaurant, but the window was open and she could almost hear his conversation. He was on the phone with a steak and baked potato on a plate on the table in front of him. The man looked a lot like him. She leaned back, trying to get a better angle.

“I’m sorry, are you going in or out?” A man stood, holding the gate open for her as Killer had already gone out to the sidewalk.

“Sorry, I thought…” She smiled at the man, who was still waiting for her to move. “It doesn’t matter. Thanks for holding t he gate open.”

“No problem. Cute dog,” he said as he motioned a woman next to him through the gate where Rarity had been standing.

As she walked home, she thought about Kevin and how they’d left things. She’d come home from work, and he’d been standing there in their town house. His bags were packed and several pieces of furniture were already gone from their living room. The furniture that he’d bought or brought to the town house when they’d move d in together.

His last words still hurt. “Face it, with this cancer thing, you’re not the woman I proposed to. Rarity, you us ed to be fun.”

She shuddered the pain away. She hadn’t thought of the perfect comeback until hours later when she was on the couch with a half gallon of gooey butter cake ice cream in her hands. “I’m not fun when I’m fighting for my life!” she yelle d at the door.

It would have been a much more satisfying of a response if she’d done it before he’d left. If that was Kevin, here in Sedona on a business trip, maybe she should go back and tell him exactly that.

Killer paused at the driveway to her house and looked up at her. He must be able to tell that her mind wasn’t on getting h im his dinner.

“Come on, then.” Rarity nodded toward the porch. The man at Carole’s more than likely wasn’t Kevin, and she didn’t feel like going back now, just to find that out. She’d put Kevin, their relationship, and St. Louis in her rearview mirror years ago. Why was she thinking abou t him tonight?

She knew the answer, and as she fed Killer, she felt stupid. Archer had made a big hole in her day-to-day life. He walked her home from work. They typically had dinner together and had a date night at least once a week. They talked on the phone during work, and he’d gotten her hooked on hiking. They were supposed to go to Montezuma Castle sometime next month since she hadn’t seen the local tou rist site yet.

She’d let her life as part of a couple define her. Again. Now, Archer wasn’t Kevin, not by a long shot, but she was still Rarity. She needed to figure out who she was when she didn’t have a man around. She opened the weekly newspaper and scanned the regional events list for the weekend. She was getting out of the house and doing something. Alone. Well, hopefully, with Killer, but if he couldn’t come, she’d go it alone. She was a strong, inde pendent woman.

Her phone rang and it was Archer. She felt a little guilty at the joy she felt at hear ing his voice.

She could be strong and indepen dent tomorrow.

“Hey, what’s going on?” She curled up on the couch as she listene d to him talk.