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I stiffened at Mrs. Marrow’s sadness. I wasn’t particularly good with the whole comforting thing and didn’t know what to do. I could only be thankful that she wasn’t crying. Then I really wouldn’t know what to do.
“I’m positive everything will get figured out and justice will be served,” I said.
Mrs. Marrow started and looked back at me as if she had forgotten I was there. She grabbed a tissue and wiped her nose. “I’m so sorry, Tori. This is your first visit to our library, and here I am, being a proper Debbie Downer first thing in the morning. Especially to someone who just announced such wonderful news.”
I waved my hand in dismissal, but she ignored it.
“You and Ridge are a gorgeous couple. You suit each other well. If you want to look at old bridal magazines for a vintage wedding, let me know. There are quite a few of them in the records room in the back.”
And that was my cue to leave. I could tell people I was engaged and pretend Ridge and I were still figuring out a wedding date, but there was no way I would actually be doing things that looked like I was planning a wedding. That was going too far.
“Thank you, Mrs. Marrow. I’ll think about it, but I’ll pass on it for now. We don’t know yet what kind of wedding we want. We’re still trying to nail down a date.”
“Very well, dear. Let me know if you need help with anything.”
I smiled, thanked her, and headed out. A sigh of relief shuddered out of me as I left the library. I hadn’t expected the conversation to turn to the wedding that would never happen.
As I passed Lola’s office on the way out, we spotted each other and waved. Another twinge shocked my heart. People were getting familiar here. Routines were being made. All of this was making it harder for me to want to leave. I’d still do it, but it would be something I’d ache over for quite a long time.
I wandered over to the diner to start my shift. I was a little early, but that meant more tips. The faster I accrued good savings, the sooner I could leave and cut these ties before they knotted up.
Work was monotonous—taking orders, serving food, cleaning the tables. Rinse, wash, and repeat. So far, the customers were people who’d already satisfied their curiosity about me. They were only here to order food and get on with their day.
I was happy to oblige them, and it gave me time to think over the case and everything I knew about the murder. Itemizing the facts in my head, I concluded that at the moment, I was most suspicious of either Audrey or Mateo, despite how much I liked the latter.
Phil Hill being at the bar so early in the morning still niggled at my brain. Why had he been there? I’d need to figure that out before getting caught up in any possible secrets lurking in Blackwood Creek that would serve as a motive to kill the deputy. Once it was known why he’d been at The Tipsy Tavern, it would help narrow down the gossip. A town full of shifters was bound to have more than its fair share of secrets.
What secrets were tied to Deputy Hill, though? That was another major question.
I worked steadily for a couple of hours until the ever-present customer lull inevitably occurred. I studied the Magpies in their assigned corner booth, gabbing away like usual. Biting the bullet, I fell on my sword and approached them for more information.
“Is it all right if I join you ladies for a moment?”
Both Magpies tittered and welcomed me excitedly. “Why, of course! To have the mayor’s fiancée joining us is a privilege.”
My cheeks flushed, which wasn’t part of the act. It was a natural reaction to the embarrassment of having a title I hadn’t rightfully earned but made into a farce.
Before I could ask any questions, the older women yammered on about national news, old movies, and a bunch of other insignificant facts. Lost in their back and forth, I could only get a word in here or there. For older women, they were spritely in their conversation. They could run circles around me before I even considered how to respond.
Suddenly, they threw a curveball at me and caught me off-track. “How are you doing after the dreadful murder?”
Both women had huge grins and tittered at me again. One of them lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. An average person’s hearing wouldn’t have made out what she said, but I heard her just fine.
“We know you two probably got carried away off on your own together. It was the Full Moon Howl, after all.”
I stiffened, my eyes darting back and forth between the two. They kept their smiles while my wolf and I inhaled their scent as subtly as possible. I moved in closer and sniffed again, sitting back as a bombshell settled into my mind.
One of the Magpies was a shifter, while the other clearly knew about shifters. I sagged into my seat and smiled at the ladies.
“Thank God.” I chuckled, and the women joined me. “It’s so hard to keep up the front all the time. I’m relieved I can relax with you. That’s exactly what happened.”
The ladies nodded, but something bothered me, so I frowned at them. “If you know all that, then why did you point the finger at me if you knew where we’d been?”
The women shrugged and were so blasé about the whole thing, my wolf grumbled, irritating me.
“We were just being objective,” one said.
“You did get awfully snappy with the deputy in here not long before his death.”
