“Like a picnic basket?”
She nodded, a smile pushing at her lips as she recalled her aunt’s sweet wedding gift. “There was a shop in town—maybe it’s still there, The Feed Store—that specialized in charcuterie boards and picnic baskets. Breads, deli meats, cheeses, fruit. That sort of thing.”
“When did you bring the basket in?”
“What?” She frowned. Hadn’t she mentioned that already?
“You said you went to the car for your bags, but you didn’t mention the basket or the champagne.”
Think, Rory!They had packed the SUV and then hurried to the park. She had dressed in the back seat after Pete walked outto join those waiting for their arrival. She’d already had her dress on before she remembered her shoes were in the cargo area. She’d had to hike up the skirt of her dress to get in the proper position to reach back there and find her shoes amid their two overnight bags.
The basket wasn’t in the vehicle. Then she remembered… Austin was bringing the basket and the champagne to the cottage ahead of their arrival.
“The basket and the champagne were already here.” Mystery solved.
“Who brought them?”
“My brother. Austin.”
“So he had a key?”
“No. The lock on the door then was the same as the one now.”
“A smart lock,” he said. “You gave him the code?”
“Yes.” How had she forgotten about that? In all fairness, what happened that night had obliterated most other thoughts and memories around that time frame. No one had ever asked about the food basket or the champagne. She supposed it hadn’t been relevant.
“But the police didn’t find his prints?”
The question jarred her. “No…they said only mine and Pete’s prints were found.” That had to be wrong. She looked to Chance. “How can that be?”
“It can’t. Not if they actually did their job.”
Wow. The investigation had gotten at least three things wrong, it seemed. As her aunt would have said, the third time was the charm.
The reality had anticipation searing through her. “It’s true, then. They didn’t even try to find anyone else. They barely bothered with an investigation at all.”
“I’m a firm supporter of the police and what they do. But it’s sounding that way to this detective.” He glanced around theroom. “I’d like you to walk around. Touch things. Furniture…the wall…a doorknob. Take your time. Focus on where you are and the sensation of touching each place, each item. Think of having seen or touched it that night.”
Rory stood. She walked into the kitchen area first. Allowed her hand to glide along the crisp white countertop. She tugged at a drawer pull. Walked to the French doors that provided yet another view of the lake. She traced the ornate antique brass handle. Closed her hand around it. She felt warm and happy. Excited.
Even a weekend getaway at this charming little cottage had felt wonderful because she had just become Mrs. Peter Harris. She remembered they had made a toast on the balcony outside these doors. The moonlight had shimmered on the water.
She wandered away from the view and back toward the bedroom. As she passed the dining table, she allowed her fingers to glide along that surface too. Flickers of memories flashed frantically in her mind. Her body stretched out on one end of the table. Pete making love to her. She passed through the bedroom door, touched the knob there. Allowed her fingers to slide across the soft white bed linens and fluffy stack of pillows.
Pete’s deep voice rumbled in the back of her mind, teasing the places his lips had touched…her ear, her neck. Their soft laughter. The sound of their kisses…of their bodies coming together. The sweet memories tugged at her heart.
Then the shouted words… Pete’s voice. The disturbance had woken her from a dead sleep. She had thrown back the covers and dropped her feet to the cool wood floor. The shouting grew louder. She’d hurried to the bedroom door.
Then…
Emotion clogging her throat, Rory turned around.
Chance stood in the doorway.
The gasp escaped before she could stop it. She pressed the fingers of her right hand to her mouth. Her heart battered her breastbone so hard she couldn’t catch a breath.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. You didn’t answer me, so I came to see if you’d found or remembered something.”
