“I wish I did,” Will said. “But in these circles it's no real surprise her parents are separated.” His brow furrowed as he watched her. “Though looking at her, she does remind me of someone. I just can't place who.”
“Huh.” I tried to come up with a face that matched hers, but came up blank. It wasn't surprising, really. I was a stranger here and knew practically no one.
“Anyway,” Will said, drawing my eyes back to him. “I have something to ask you.”
“Uh-oh.” I played it off as light, but something in his voice scared me. He was suddenly nervous, fidgeting and looking everywhere but at me. It was making
me
nervous.
“It's not bad,” he said. “Well, I don't think it is.”
“Okay,” I said. “What is it?”
“Well . . .” He cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. “My parents are here.”
I stared at him. “Your parents?”
“Yeah, they didn't tell me they were coming. They dressed up and were wearing masks, so I didn't recognize them. They were going to approach me earlier, but then the girl died and, well, things got weird.”
I was getting a sinking feeling in my stomach. “And?”
“And, well, they saw us together and know we came here as a couple.” He looked up and gave me a sheepish look. “They want to meet you.”
And there it went, right through the floor. “I . . .”
“It's not a meet-the-parents kind of thing!” he hurriedly said. “I mean, it is, but not in the way you're thinking. They know who you are, have heard about you from me and, well, from the news. They just want to say hi and whatnot. There's no pressure.”
No pressure. Right. As if meeting a guy's parents for the first time was easy. What if they didn't like me? What if I said something so stupid, they forbade him from ever talking to me again?
Stop it, Krissy. He's a grown man. He can make his own decisions.
“Where are they?” I asked, plastering on a smile that shook just as much as my insides were shaking.
Will looked relieved that I wasn't running in the opposite direction. “Here,” he said, holding out an arm. “I'll take you to them. They're going to love you.”
11
“Mom. Dad. This is Krissy Hancock.”
Will's parents turned at the sound of his voice and smiled. I was immediately struck by how different each of them was from one another. Will's dad stood at least six feet and looked lean and strong. His skin was a deep, midnight black, as were his eyes. When he smiled, his entire face lit up.
His wifeâWill's momâwas shorter than me, putting her at five feet at the most. Her hair was a natural red, slowly fading to gray, and freckles specked her cheeks, making her look younger than she really was. Her eyes were a bright green that sparkled in the overhead lights.
“It's a pleasure to meet you both,” I said, finding my voice. I was surprised it didn't shake.
“The pleasure is ours,” Mr. Foster said. His voice held a heavy accent I couldn't place, but it made me think of Zimbabwe for some reasonâTV more than likely.
“She is pretty,” Will's mom said with a radiant smile. Like her husband, she had an accent, though hers was decidedly Irish.
“Krissy, these are my parents, Keneche and Maire Foster,” Will said, pointedly ignoring his mother's comment.
“Call me Ken,” his dad said. “Everyone does.”
“We've heard quite a bit about you,” Maire said, gently touching my forearm. “William is quite taken.”
Will cleared his throat, a clear, albeit lighthearted, warning for her to stop.
Maire laughed and moved back to her husband's side. “William doesn't like it when I speak to his friends so bluntly. Says it embarrasses him.”
“I'm not embarrassed,” Will said, obviously lying.
“So, Krissy,” Ken broke in, resting a hand on his wife's shoulder. I had a feeling if he let her, she'd talk my ear off. “Will has said you own a coffee shop in town?”
“I do,” I said, thankful to be talking about something else. “Well, I co-own it with my best friend, Vicki. She's around here somewhere.” I glanced around, hoping to spot her.
“I have yet to make it downtown,” Ken said. “We've been on vacation, and then spent more hours at home than we probably should have.” He gave his wife a loving smile. “But I promise to stop by soon. What is the name of your shop?”
“Death by Coffee,” I said, wincing just a little. No matter how many times I said it, I kept thinking about my dad's book and the murder that had happened not long after we'd opened. I sometimes wish we'd change the name, but knew it would never happen. It was already a part of Pine Hills, and would stay that way until we were forced to close up shopâsomething I hoped wouldn't happen for a very long time.
“What a cute name,” Maire said. “We'll definitely be stopping by soon.” Her smile faded and she gave me a serious look. “I'm sorry we've met under such unfortunate circumstances.” She glanced toward the hall that led to where Jessica's body lay. “It is quite dreadful.”
“Have we seen you with the officer investigating the case?” Ken asked.
“Yeah.” I glanced at Will, worried. Of what? I wasn't sure. That they'd ask if Paul and I had a history together? Of something more, something regarding Will himself? I think a part of me wanted him to speak up for me. To defend me? To say that it was okay I was spending most of the party running around with another guy?
Either way, he seemed to notice my worry and spoke up. “She's been helping him look into the murder,” he said, pride in his voice. “Apparently, she's gained a reputation around town. This is what? Your third murder investigation?”
I felt myself flush. “I'm not really investigating. I'm just helping.”
Both Ken and Maire were beaming at me as if I were the most precious thing they'd ever seen.
“I'm sure you're doing everything asked of you,” Maire said.
“There's no need to be modest with us,” Ken added. “I find it refreshing that you're willing to help. So many people stand aside and do nothing when a tragedy hits. It's impressive that you are willing to take the time to assist.”
I lowered my head. I didn't feel worthy of the praise, but said, “Thank you,” anyway.
“We should let them go,” Maire said, suddenly. “I wanted to meet you, not interrupt your date.”
Ken chuckled. “You're right. It was a pleasure to meet you, Krissy. I hope we get a chance to sit down and have a longer conversation sometime very soon.” He looked meaningfully at his son.
“I'd like that,” I said, and I meant it. I liked both his parents. They seemed friendly and accepting of me, which was something I hadn't expected. Will had money. I didn't. Not every parent would approve of the pairing.
It's not like we're going to get married,
I told myself, though a little part of me wasn't totally against the idea. I mean, Will was great. If things continued to work out between us, why not look toward the future.
Maire took Ken by the arm and with a farewell wave, they turned and blended in with the crowd.
“I'm sorry about that,” Will said. “I really didn't know they were going to be here.”
“It's okay,” I said, smiling as I watched them walk away. “I like them.”
“Good.” He sounded relieved.
“They're an interesting couple,” I said. “How did they meet?”
Will seemed to know exactly what I was asking, and why. “Dad moved to England from Africa when he was twenty. Mom was going to college there, having moved from Ireland. They met there, got married a year later, and had me a year after that. They moved to the U.S. shortly after I was born.”
“And they kept both their accents.” It was a statement, but he answered anyway.
“They did. When they go on vacation, they visit their respective homes, staying about two weeks in each place. They are often gone months at a time.”
“And what about you? You don't have an accent.” I would have thought living in a house where everyone else spoke with one, Will would have picked up a thing or two.
“I used to,” he said. “But I went to school here, and not many people speak like my parents. Every now and again I let it slip out, though I prefer not to.”
“Huh.” It appeared Will Foster was far more interesting than I'd first thoughtâand I'd always thought him special, so that was saying something.
“Now that that is out of the way, would you like to take a look around the house?” Will asked. “Everyone else is, and I figured that since I have you here, I should try to take advantage before you have to run off and help Officer Dalton again.”
I wanted to accept, but couldn't. “I wish I could,” I said, disappointed. “But I really need to find Mrs. Yarborough.” I thought about the rumors I heard and realized I might get some answers from Will before I had to run off again. “Hey, weren't you Howard's doctor?”
He looked surprised by the question. “Me? No, Carl took care of Howard. I only subbed for him when Howard came in and he was working at the hospital. Why?”
“Well, I was talking to some of the guests, and a few of them claimed they believe Howard was killed by his wife.”
Will's eyebrows shot up at that. “Murdered?”
I shrugged. “Murdered, or perhaps she did something that ended up killing him.”
“I don't know about anything like that.” He paused, eyes far away, as if considering something, before he took me by the arm. “Let's go ask.”
I let Will lead me across the room, toward where Darrin and Carl were standing. Their wives weren't nearby, to which I was thankful. I hadn't met them, yet I was pretty sure neither one would approve of me asking questions, especially ones that might get their husbands in trouble. There was that whole doctorâpatient confidentiality thing, and not to mention how nosy I was being.
Then again, maybe they were as gossipy as Rita and would love an opportunity to dish on someone.
“Hey, Carl,” Will said as we drew near the pair. “You remember Krissy, right?”
“How could I forget?” He mimed throwing a bowling ball and then cringing as if he'd totally botched the shot. Carl was good looking. Not as good looking as Will, but it was a near thing. His smile was infectious, too. Even though I knew he was making fun of how poorly I'd done bowling, I found myself returning the smile.
“She was curious about something regarding Howard Yarborough and how he died.”
Carl's smile slipped. “You know I can't really talk about it, right?” The question was directed at me.
“I know,” I said. “But I heard a rumor that he might have been killed by his wife. I was just wondering if it was possible that his death wasn't from natural causes.”
Carl glanced at Will, who gave him a short nod, as if telling him it was okay to talk to me. He rubbed at his chin before heaving a sigh.
“I suppose she could have slipped him something over a long period of time that might have weakened his heart; but if she did, she was really careful about it.” He shook his head. “But I don't think so. Howard had a bad heart, something he told me he'd had since he was a kid. It simply gave out one day.” He spread his hands. “That's really all I can tell you.”
“What about kids?” I asked, remembering something else I'd thought about. “Do you know if Howard and Margaret had any?”
Both Carl and Will looked to Darrin. Like his coworkers and friends, he was good looking. The three of them together made me think of those TV medical shows where all of the doctors are young and hunky. It made me wonder what the other doctors and nurses at their small practice looked like.
“Don't look at me,” Darrin said, holding up his hands. “If they had any kids, they'd have to be, what? My age? I wouldn't have treated them.”
“And I have no idea,” Carl said. “Howard never spoke of them if he did.” He paused, brow furrowed. “Though I thought I remember someone saying Mrs. Yarborough was unable to have kids due to something that happened to her when she was younger.” He shook his head. “But I might be thinking of someone else.”
I looked to Will, who shrugged. “Margaret's doctor might know, but Paige isn't here. I could call her and ask, but these are pretty personal questions.”
“No, that's okay.” If nothing else, I could try to find a way to ask Margaret if she ever had kids but had a feeling she wouldn't take too kindly to the question, especially if she was infertile.
Darrin's phone chirped and he pulled it out and checked the screen. He grimaced. “We have been summoned,” he said to Carl, who rolled his eyes.
“Go,” Will said with a grin. “And thanks.”
“Anytime.” Carl sighed; then both he and Darrin headed for the nearest hallway.
“Their wives were exploring,” Will said. “Probably got lost.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, do you have a doctor yet?”
The question came out of nowhere. I stared at him, mouth slightly agape, not quite sure how to answer.
Will suddenly flushed, and said, “I don't mean for
me
to be your doctor. I haven't seen you or heard your name around the office, and thought that since Paige is accepting new patients, you might want to come in and see her sometime.”
“I'll do that,” I said. “Things have been so crazy lately, I haven't even thought about getting a new doctor.” The only doctors I'd seen lately were the ones who'd patched me up after my last couple of investigations, and I think they'd come from the hospital in Levington.
“I'll let her know to expect your call.” Will smiled. “You'll like her. She can sometimes be overbearing, but she really is a nice person.”
“I'm sure I'll like her.”
Will cleared his throat. “I probably shouldn't keep you,” he said. “You said something about looking for Mrs. Yarborough, and I'm assuming this has to do with the police investigation.”
“It does.” I winced inwardly. I didn't want to leave him, but if I wanted to help find Jessica's killer, I couldn't spend the evening with him either. “As soon as I find her and talk to Paul, I'll come find you. Then we can go exploring, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Will's smile was easy and understanding, which made leaving him even harder.
Without thinking about what I was doing, I stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you,” I said as I released him. It happened so fast, he didn't have time to hug me back.
Before he could say anything, I turned and hurried away, pulse racing. In that brief few moments of contact, I'd felt so safe and warm, I could have stayed there forever. If he would have had time to embrace me back, I don't think I would have been able to leave. I would have melted into a sappy puddle and let him hold me forever.
And if that thought wasn't scary enough, I was forced to turn my mind to the task at hand: finding Margaret Yarborough before the killer decided to strike again.