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Annie leaned forward. “Knifing?”
Brayonna shifted the baby on her lap. “Michelle tried to downplay it on the phone. He cut her with a knife. I think her mom might know more.”
Fraser just went to the top of her suspect list. Annie passed along her card. “If you think of anything else, please give me a call.”
A dead rat and a knife. Annie would have run too.
Ten
Jon sat in the marina parking lot and stared at his phone’s screen. The amount in his bank account didn’t change no matter how long he stared. Annie had picked up Kylie, who at least was jubilant about the fish she’d caught. He should get out of his car and go inside, but his heart wasn’t in trying to maintain the facade that everything was fine when it wasn’t.
He’d been counting on the money from the sale of his partnership in the practice to make a fresh start here. He’d wanted to buy the three of them a beautiful new home on the water. He wanted to get Annie a new truck, one that could take the beating these roads dished out. A gorgeous ring had caught his eye in a Houghton jewelry store, too, and he wanted to put it on her finger when the time was right. There were so many things he wanted to give her, to provide for them in the future. He’d make a good income as a hospital surgeon, but it wasn’t what he’d wanted to do with his life.
And what if the police showed up now after he’d finally gotten his name cleared from the murder some nine years ago? He didn’t want to go back into that fog of suspicion.
He glanced at the time on his phone. It was late, after six. He got out and shut the door to his Jag, then stood staring downat it. He could sell it. He owned it free and clear. It should bring in ninety thousand. He had some equity in his place back in Rochester, but it probably wasn’t more than fifty thousand. A hundred forty thousand would buy a place here outright. Maybe not the grand home he’d wanted, but he could get a mortgage after he held his job for two years.
It wasn’t the end of the world—it only felt like it.
As he approached Annie’s cottage, he heard Kylie laughing and spotted her on a tire swing attached to a large oak tree. Her blonde hair streamed behind her as Annie pushed her higher and higher. Pure joy lit Kylie’s face as the puppy tried to pounce on her feet with every swoop back to earth. Would she ever be that carefree with him, or would they have to go forward with her guard constantly up around him?
He’d messed up so many things. If only he’d handled things differently back then. If only he’d never left. He’d let pride and ambition get in the way of what really mattered. And maybe he was on the cusp of doing it again. He needed to be careful, to pay attention to what was important instead of what screamed for attention.
Kylie spotted him, and the glee ebbed from her face. She dragged her bare feet in the dirt until she came to a stop. Annie turned and her smile broadened.
She walked toward him. “There you are. I was beginning to give you up for lost.”
Milo barked and ran to greet him too. Jon knelt and let the puppy sniff his fingers. “Good boy.”
He rose as Annie stopped in front of him. His hands moved toward her, but he saw the warning in her blue eyes and let his arms drop back to his sides. Kylie hated any display of affectionbetween them, but he wasn’t sure how long he could go on hiding his feelings when she was around.
“Sorry I was late.” For a moment he was tempted not to tell her what had happened, but that was how he’d ruined things nine years ago. No more secrets, no more lies. “I had a disturbing phone call.” He told her what had happened with Olivia, and dismay dropped onto her expression.
“They can’t think you would have been doing that too.”
He shrugged. “I’d like to think not, but Norman said the cops might show up with questions. And my practice is dead there, Annie. Kaput. My investment is gone.”
She took his arm. “I know it’s a blow, Jon, but it’s only money. You’ll hear from the practice in Houghton and can start over. It’s not like you’ll be destitute. You’ll still be making an excellent salary.”
“You’re right, but it’s upended everything I thought was going to happen. I’ve always been a planner, Annie. I don’t do well with seat-of-the-pants life changes.”
She slipped her arm around his waist, then jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. Maybe God is teaching you about trust. You don’t have to plan out everything. Leave some room for surprises. This could be a blessing in disguise.”
He didn’t see how, but it wasn’t worth arguing about. “Anything I can do to help with dinner?”
“You can cook the fish and the corn. I’ve got the grill hot and ready on the deck. The salad is ready, and I made cherry cobbler for dessert with that almond flour you got. I think it came out great.”
“Sounds delicious.” He smiled at his daughter. “Are we eating the fish you caught, Kylie? That one was a beauty.”
The edges of her lips lifted, and she nodded. “Mommy wanted to mount it, but I wanted to eat it. Is your dad with you?”
He caught the hopeful note in her voice. “Sorry, he was tired so I took him back to the Blue Bonnet. He told me to invite you to go agate hunting tomorrow if you didn’t have anything else to do, though.”
“Maybe not tomorrow,” Annie said. “What if we take a trip to Munising together? I have some business there, and I thought maybe we could go kayaking at Pictured Rocks.”
“That sound good, Kylie?” Jon asked.
She nodded and ran off toward the house. She left too quickly for Jon to decipher her expression.
