Silver Springs Cozy: Pawsitively Lethal Part 10

Denis is immediately at her side, helping her with the numerous bags shes carrying and her coat. Maggie pours another gla.s.s of wine and puts it on the table for when Clem is ready.

"How was the afternoon at work?" Maggie asks when things settle down. Drew remains on the outskirts, happily drinking his beer.

Clem takes a sip of her wine first and then sits at the table before answering. "Busy. And that slimy reporter Karl Jacobs came in. I wanted to kick him out after the article he wrote about Clara."

"What did he want?" Maggie asks, disappointed that he was willing to show his face in their store.

Clem shakes her head. "Not to buy anything, that was clear from the moment he walked in. He just walked around, touching everything. I must have spent half an hour just getting everything back in place after he left." Clem is a little compulsive about keeping everything in its exact spot.

"Did you talk to him?" Maggie asks.

"Of course not. I knew I wouldnt be able to remain civil. What a vile human being. He gives Silver Springs a bad reputation," Clem fumes.

The oven beeps and Maggie takes the fish out of the oven. She checks the rice and is happily surprised that its ready. She places everything on the table, Drew getting plates and silverware and another bottle of wine.

"I think you girls need this," he jokes, filling their gla.s.ses. Neither Maggie nor Clem object.

"But how was your day?" Clem asks, turning to Maggie. "Hows Ginger Rae?"

Maggie launches into an overview of her day once again, ending with running into Stewart at the grocery store. She doesnt mention Denis arriving early.

Denis remains quiet throughout much of the meal but Clem doesnt seem to notice. There are enough topics to touch on, including tomorrow nights Bingo game.

"Youre going again?" Clem asks. Maggie has been roped into more Tuesday night Bingo games than shed care to admit.

"Of course she is," Drew says, smiling. "That was one of the first places we spent time together."

"Yeah, back before I knew what a catch you were." Maggie gently pushes his shoulder. "Seconds anyone?" she asks, holding up the salad and rice. The fish has been picked clean.

Everyone shakes their heads and the men stand without being asked and start clearing the table. Maggie and Clem dont protest and lean back in their chairs with recently refilled wine gla.s.ses.

"I could get used to this," Clem says, much calmer than when the meal started. "Coming home to a delicious meal, someone cleaning up afterward. It cant really get better than this."

"Well, theres dessert. That always makes it better." Maggie smiles, unable to keep the excitement of whats to come off her face. Luckily Clem has had enough wine that she doesnt notice.

When the dishes are all in the dishwasher and Drew and Denis have returned to the table, more beer in their hands, Maggie pulls the cheesecake from the fridge. "I didnt whip any cream, but I meant to. Sorry," she says. "There are strawberries though." Everyone murmurs their approval.

She keeps her back to the table and listens closely as conversation resumes, no one paying her any attention. Each of four plates receives a slice of cheesecake and plenty of sliced strawberries. The season is past, so they wont be as delicious as in the middle of the summer, but theyll do.

The last addition is the engagement ring on Clems cake. Then Maggie starts serving, saving Clems for last.

"That looks delicious," Clem says, trying to take Denis when Maggie hands him one.

He looks surprised and unable to come up with an excuse to not let Clem have it. She digs in before Maggie can bring her a new one-the one with the engagement ring.

"Its as good as it looks. Did you get it from the bakery on Main Street?" she asks, her mouth full.

Maggie carries the last two pieces to the table, one for herself and the one reserved for Clem. "Umm, yeah," she answers, not quite sure what to do with Clems cheesecake. She hands it to Denis.

Clem is so lost in her dessert that she doesnt even notice everyone staring at her until shes almost finished. "What?" she asks, wiping her face with her napkin. "Did I get it on my face?"

Denis looks down at the plate in front of him, speechless. Clem follows his gaze and drops her fork. "Was . . . was that for me?" she asks quietly.

Denis nods.

Clem bursts out laughing.

"That wasnt really how Id planned for it to go," Denis says, smiling shyly. He trades plates with Clem, taking her finished cheesecake and giving her a new piece, the ring sticking out of the middle. Clems hand covers her heart and Denis asks, "Clementine Boothe, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?"

Clem cant answer. Tears well up in her eyes and she nods, a smile contradicting the tears that threaten to spill over. Maggie and Drew look on, all smiles as well.

CHAPTER 23.

The energy of the house on Tuesday morning is completely changed. Maggie feels it as soon as she wakes up to Opals scratching at the bathroom window to get outside. Maggie opens one eye and sees that the bedroom door is closed so the cats independent escape is blocked off. She drags herself out of bed and lets Opal outside.

Rather than bundling herself up in the warmth of the covers, Maggie rubs her eyes and shuffles to the kitchen where Clem is sitting at the table. "Morning," Maggie mumbles, her eyes not quite open all the way.

"Good morning," Clem replies, looking up from her magazine, all smiles.

"Denis didnt spend the night?"

"No. We like our own beds."

Maggie sits across from her sister, wishing Clem was a coffee drinker and already had a pot going. "That will be a tough transition then when youre married. I a.s.sume youll live together."

Clem smiles. "I a.s.sume so too. But we can still have our own beds."

Maggie agrees and walks slowly to the counter where she starts a pot of coffee.

"Im off to work." The smile never leaves Clems face and Maggie can hear it through her words even though she doesnt turn around to face her. "Youll stop in sometime?"

"Yeah," Maggie agrees offhandedly. Shes focused on getting caffeine into her bloodstream as soon as possible. "I dont have anything set in stone for today as far as times, so Ill stop in between talking to people about Claras murder."

"Good luck." The door to the garage closes a moment later and Maggie is left alone with silence, the dogs nowhere to be seen.

The oven clock reminds Maggie that shes up early-its not even seven yet and she could happily sleep until ten if she didnt have things to do. She makes her coffee extra strong and brings it with her back to her bedroom. A shower will do the trick to wake her up a little bit faster.

When she steps out of the warm water ten minutes later, her phone is ringing on the bed. She quickly wraps a towel around herself and fumbles for her gla.s.ses. Theyre fogged up from the steam and essentially useless.

By the time she reaches the bed, her phone has stopped ringing but she sees that she missed a call from Trista. She dries off, slips on some jeans and a shirt and calls her back.

"I thought maybe your phone was off if you hadnt gotten up yet," Trista says when she answers. Its a good a.s.sumption.

"Nope. I made this morning an early one. I just missed answering."

"And you even sound awake." Trista chuckles. Its no secret that Maggie isnt a morning person.

"You must have good news if youre calling me this early," Maggie says, wanting to get to the point.

"I have news. Youll have to figure out if its good news."

"Whatd you find out about Mitch and Josh?" Maggie is impatient. It feels like Trista is stalling.

"Well, itd be unlikely that they dont know each other."

"Oh?" Maggie asks, rifling through her handbag that she pulled out from under the bed, unsure how it even got there. She finds her tablet computer, turns it on and cradles the phone between her ear and her shoulder. Sh.e.l.l pay for it later with a crick in her neck but she cant waste these precious minutes with Trista on the phone.

"Yeah. You knew Josh was from Alaska?" Maggie makes an affirmative sound. "He left as soon as he could. On his eighteenth birthday."

"He told me hed only been in Silver Springs for three years," Maggie says, suddenly confused by the timeline. Theres a large gap.

"True. He moved around quite a bit. Like he didnt want to leave a trail." Maggie nods in understanding even though Trista cant see her. She doesnt slow down her explanation of what shes dug up. "One of those places happened to be Mitchs hometown."

"Where?" Maggie asks, wanting every detail.

"Two Forks, Iowa."

Maggie adds that to her notes. "How do you know they met there?"

"Ill send you a link to a newspaper article about them. And even if they didnt meet there, theyre friends on Facebook."

Maggie laughs. "You know as well as I do that doesnt mean theyre actually friends."

"No, it doesnt. But theyre in photos together. So they at least know each other."

"Great. Anyone else stick out who might be in their inner circle?" If Ginger Rae is right, and Claras murder is related to the time travel knowledge, then a third friend could be responsible.

"I didnt notice anything unusual, but I wasnt looking either. I can take another look at who their shared connections are on Facebook and get back to you."

"Thatd be great. Thanks a lot."

Maggie ends the conversation and closes down her tablet. She forgot to ask about Stewart and will have to call Trista back later.

Her notes are all over the place and she cant make heads nor tails of what really happened to Clara. There are plenty of family questions still lurking about, but could she be heading down the wrong trail? Is Ginger Rae right?

She throws everything back into her handbag, pours herself another cup of coffee in the kitchen-this one to go-and heads out to The Coffee Bean. Even though she doesnt need their coffee to kick start her day, she hopes Ginger Rae, Winona and Erline are there and she can run this all by them.

Driving through town, Maggie zones out. Shed rather be curled in bed and immune to the challenges of tracking down the truth about a murder. She hasnt talked to Detective Daniel Stevens in nearly twenty four hours and knows she should reach out. She hasnt told him Ginger Raes theory about Claras death being connected to protected objects, and she wonders how he would react if she mentioned time traveling capabilities. Or whether she should even share that huge secret.

Just before eight, when the older women arrive at The Coffee Bean, Maggie parks right outside the coffee shop. Theres a single parking s.p.a.ce and she is happy to fill it up with her Prius. From her drivers seat, she can see Ginger Raes orange hair and Erlines eye catching hat through the window. Winona could be anyone with her white hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Maggie walks inside and makes herself comfy on the couch.

"No coffee today?" Winona asks.

Maggie holds up her travel mug. "I made some at home so thought Id finish that first."

"So Clem and Denis," Ginger Rae says through the widest smile Maggie has seen on her face in days.

Maggies head whips in Ginger Raes direction. "News travels fast in Silver Springs."

"Isnt that the truth," Ginger Rae agrees. All four women chuckle. "Have they set a date?"

Maggie shakes her head. "Not even close. But theyre both so happy, and this is definitely the right thing for them. Im really happy for her."

Maggie realizes as she says the words how true they are. While she and Clem may have drifted apart between high school and their parents murder in the spring, theyve reconnected in a way Maggie thought would be impossible at this stage in their life with too much between them. Shes thrilled that her sister has found the man of her dreams and that theyre taking the next step to solidify their relationship.

"Now its just you and Drew," Erline says, a mischievous grin on her face and a sparkle in her eye.

Maggie blushes. "Not today," she says, hoping the subject will change.

"You probably didnt come here to talk about Clem, did you?" Winona asks, giving Ginger Rae a meaningful look. Maggie is reminded why Winona has always been her favorite-shes quieter and always seems able to read Maggies mind.

"No. I didnt," Maggie says, thankful that Winona came through for her. She looks around quickly but all of the other customers are immersed in some kind of technological device-smart phones, tablets and laptops fill everyones hands or tables. She lowers her voice and continues. "I learned that Josh McMann and Mitch Cable knew each other. Ginger Rae, I think you might be on to something about why Clara was killed. It could be related to my parents murder and Erlines break in. There might be another connection between them and Claras murderer."

CHAPTER 24.

All three women stare at Maggie with unblinking eyes. Finally, Ginger Rae breaks the silence. "How are you going to find out who the other connection is? There is no doubt in my mind that would be Claras killer."

"Ill keep asking questions of everyone who knows anything. I havent talked to Stewart yet but I know where hes staying. I wonder if he might know Josh and Mitch. I cant think of why hed be in town right now if it wasnt related to Clara," Maggie answers.

Her skin p.r.i.c.kles at the thought of Stewart. She remembers the scratches on his cheek when she saw him in the grocery store yesterday. He could have gotten them when he was escaping from Ginger Raes house, running through the trees and brush during his getaway.

The women nod. "Just be careful," Winona says quietly, worry lines creasing her brow.

"Always." Maggie stands and offers a quick wave on her way out of the coffee shop. She got what she came for-affirmation, or at least not protests, that Stewart could be guilty.

Maggie sits in the driver seat of her car and checks her email on her phone. Trista promised a newspaper article from Two Forks, Iowa, linking Mitch and Josh to each other. She hopes a third name comes up, and that its Stewart Cole.

The link in her email leads her to an article by Jake Carlson from several years ago, well before Josh moved to Silver Springs. Maggie isnt sure when Stewart married Clara, but the article could be from so long ago that it was before Stewart even knew of Claras existence. A horrifying question crosses Maggies mind that she has to push away: was Stewarts marriage to Clara a sham from the start?

By the time Maggie has finished reading every word, twice for good measure, she has to agree with Trista that Mitch and Josh knew each other. In Two Forks, the two men made waves by discovering an antique clock in Joshs bas.e.m.e.nt.