Page 49 of Toxic Apple Turnovers
“No, I mean it. He’s on the suspect list. I think he might have been having an affair with Amanda. And he was the one that mentioned Amanda and Mark were on the rocks. I didn’t get that feeling from Mark, though.”
Noah’s chest expands with his next breath. “Mark might have been saving face, and Amanda did go to Pastor Gaines for counseling.”
Everett gives my shoulders an impromptu rubdown, and it’s all I can do to keep from moaning.
“What about the brother?” he whispers it into my ear like a secret.
“Slater.” I straighten as he continues to melt the tension off my body. “Yes, he said he loved his sister, but he also said he could have killed her.”
Keelie raises a hand. “I know the feeling.”
“So do I,” both Everett and I say in unison, and I glance back and offer a guilty twitch of the lips. “Slater could have done it. Their parents left everything to Amanda, hoping she would do the right thing—which I assume is parceling it out evenly, but she kept it all. Hazel never really voiced that as a concern, but Slater admitted to it. She said she would be a very good steward of their money for the entire family’s sake.”
Keelie gurgles out a laugh. “That sounds like you, Lottie.”
“Very funny. I’m not laughing.”
Bear pulls Keelie in. “So who did it? Who killed Amanda Wellington?”
I shake my head at Noah and Everett. “I don’t know. I’m completely stumped. Any updates on that den of thieves?”
Noah glances to Everett, and they both clam up.
“Oh, I see. There are updates. They’re just not for me.”
We call it a night, and I walk everyone to the door.
I pick up Pancake and Waffles and hold them tightly as I watch both Everett and Noah leave for their respective homes.
Noah and Everett are keeping things from me—and I am not amused.
Chapter 16
It is a rare occasion that I toss and turn at night. I’ve often dubbed myself the Queen of Sleep. In fact, I’ve honed the unique ability to fall asleep on cue, time and place permitting. I can sleep on planes, on trains and buses, but last night I couldn’t fall asleep to save my life.
Instead, I went through Amanda Wellington’s social media profiles. I looked through pictures upon pictures of her smiling face—of the beautiful venues she was in charge of procuring for her clients. Lainey’s wedding was in her portfolio, and I had a chance to relive that day all over again. One particular picture stood out to me, the one that she took of Pastor Gaines. He was smiling for her, as one would assume, especially since he never ceases to do so—but it wasn’t his usual smile. It was a wicked grin that I’ve seen on Everett just before he pulled me into a dark closet to have his way with me. Suffice it to say, it gave me the willies. So, of course, that segued into an extensive internet search on Pastor Gaines, which didn’t yield much at all. I tried to remember what state he said he came from, but it all felt a little fuzzy at that ungodly hour—details and my sanity were fleeting.
Once I was in my car, on the way to the bakery, my sanity really took a back seat. Instead of making the right on Main Street, I turn left and end up at the Honey Hollow Covenant Church.
It’s still pretty dark out. The sun has just kissed the horizon, and a tangerine glow casts its glory over our small corner of the world.
I park and get out, trying the front door that leads to the office, but it’s locked. I’m not sure why I expected anything different. I make my way around back, nearly tripping over a bucket, and look into the window of Pastor Gaines’ office using the flashlight feature on my phone.
Nothing of importance sticks out. That dried flower arrangement that I held as my bouquet while Noah and I pretended to get married brings a weak smile to my face.
Out of sheer morbid curiosity, I try to wiggle the window open and to my horror it not only moves, but the upper portion slips right into my hands.
“Oh my God—oh my God, oh my God!” I land it carefully onto the ground below and jimmy the lower half out of its socket as well. It’s still too tall for me to hop on in, and just as I’m about to look around for something to give me a step up, a shimmer of light explodes from inside.
“GAH!” I sink down a notch, only to find a luminescent being—Owlbert, leaning over the ledge.
“Need a boost?”
“Yes, I need a boost!” I try my hardest to scale the wall, but it’s no use.
“There’s a bucket around the corner, left out by the janitor.”
“A bucket? You’re a genius!”