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With one hand on the wheel, he reached over to twine his fingers with hers. “We’ll figure it out, sweetheart. We get closer every day. I’m reviewing the phone records of our suspects, and I can tell you Jacob Thacker and Maggie Johnson speak often. Thacker and Abigail Waynes-Kirkland speak almost as much. If they conspired to commit murder, we’ll catch them. But as for today, we aren’t investigators. We are two people very much in love, planning our wedding, intending to spend the rest of our lives together.”
He wasn’t wrong. They were two people in love, planning their wedding. And knowing Jacob Thacker often spoke on the phone with Maggie and Abigail satisfied Jane’s need to learn more, more, more—for now.
“All right,” she said. “Today only, there’ll be no case talk. Except to say Abigail is the worst, she might have worked with Jacob, and Maggie might or might not know.” Jane’s current working theory. “But I’m only doing this because you handled your punishment like a champion, and this is your reward.”
He snorted, then lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. “If we learn how to bottle your sweetness, we’ll be millionaires.”
They reached the town square, and he parked his SUV in front of—Jane gasped with excitement. Daisy’s Diner.
“Is Daisy catering our wedding even though she refuses to cater anyone’s wedding, even her own mother’s?” Jane disengaged her seat belt and bounced in her seat while clapping her hands. “Is she?”
“She is not.”
Oh. Jane deflated in a hurry.
Then Conrad added, “But she has agreed to make our cake. Or cobbler. Or pie. Or bread pudding. Whatever we decide on.”
Squealing, Jane began jumping up and down again. “That’s even better! How in the world did you swing this?”
“A man’s gotta have his secrets.” Her amazing lawman gave her a wolfish grin as he exited. He rushed around to open her door, and they headed into the diner. Half the town sat crammed inside the small space, enjoying the brunch special. Country fried steak, with a side of cheese dumplings, cornbread and okra fries. None of them were her suspects, however. Not that she was an investigator right now.
Conrad led her to the kitchen. The actual kitchen where the world’s most amazing food was prepared. Oh! The scents! The buttery aroma of freshly baked biscuits, the savory scent of simmering gravy. Even hints of cream cheese frosting tinged the air, wafting from a display of red velvet cake. Oh! There was Daisy in her usual floral-patterned dress. Despite being in her mid-sixties, she sported not a speckle of silver in her auburn hair, now pinned in a bun as no-nonsense as the woman herself. She chatted with a waitress as she stirred a crock of her famous chicken noodle soup.
Jane experienced a total fan-girl moment. Here was a rockstar who could cook Jane and everyone she knew under the table. Would it be bad form to ask for an autograph?
“Have a seat, you two,” Daisy said with a welcoming smile, her eyes crinkling in the corners. Though she could be commanding and firm, the master chef had never met a stranger. She motioned to a small round table off to the side, where several dessert servings waited. “Taste everything, tell me your favorite, and it’ll be my wedding gift to you.”
Eek! A wedding gift. From Daisy. Jane practically floated to the table. Conrad held out her chair, and she sank down. He eased beside her.
Beaming at him, she kissed his cheek. “You are the most amazing man in the entire world.”
“I would conquer worlds to see this look on your face.” He kissed her knuckles a second time before piling both their plates with samples. “Should we start with the—” He barked out a laugh as Jane shoveled in the first bite. “The peach cobbler then.”
The sweet flavors exploded on her tongue, and her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head. “This one! I choose this one.”
He forked a bite of the bread pudding into her mouth. A groan burst from her.
“This one,” she repeated.
His next laugh contained a dollop of enchantment. How Jane adored his laugh. During the first few weeks of their acquaintance, he’d rarely even cracked a smile. Now he almost always exuded joy. When he wasn’t standing near dead bodies, of course.
They tasted everything once, twice, thrice, and Jane had to accept a clear fact. She couldn’t decide.
Conrad’s phone rang. He frowned and withdrew the device. “Let me turn off the ringer.” His frowned deepened after he spied the screen. He heaved a heavy sigh. “I need to be an investigator for a couple minutes and take this call.”
“Absolutely, yes. Go, go,” she said, shooing him away. “I expect a full report upon your return. Because I’ll get to be an investigator for an equal amount of time.”
A half-smile spread as he grazed his fingers along her jawline. Then he stood and strode into a quiet corner to take the call. Jane used the time alone to eat more food and check her messages. Her eyes widened as she saw the string of texts.
Fionality: You’re not gonna believe what just happened.
Jane: What? Tell me! I must know!!!!
Three dots followed. Bless her, Fiona knew how to build anticipation and stretch out the drama.
NewsKat: Someone slashed all four of my tires! I didn’t make the party, but I’m hoping you’ll share your thoughts with me. PLEASSSSE!
For this, Jane lowered her fork. So, someone had immobilized Ashley just before Hannah’s memorial? Since there was no such thing as a coincidence, the killer must have known of the reporter’s plan to attend and taken measures to stop her. Which meant the killer might have access to her schedule. Like, say, Jacob and his father, thanks to their connection to the Headliner.
