Lia Farrell - Mae December 02 - Two Dogs Lie Sleeping (25 page)

S
ix weeks after Ben contacted the FBI and they took over the case, Ben wandered into the kitchen at Mae’s house with the TV remote in his hand. Mae was attempting to stuff a protesting Tater into her crate. Thoreau was following Ben as usual.

“Just bring the puppy with you,” he said, smiling. “They said the news conference would air at six
. It’s about to start. She can sit on my lap.” He scooped the puppy up with one hand. Mae followed him into the living room and sat beside Ben, with Thoreau on the floor at their feet. The Tater wriggled herself down in between Ben and Mae. Her entire five pound body relaxed. Laying her muzzle on Ben’s leg, she gave a contented sigh. Her little ears, which were usually erect, relaxed in sleepy pleasure.

“Everybody comfortable?” Ben asked. He stroked the Tater’s head. She practically purred.

“Yes, I’m comfortable.” Mae laughed. “Tatie’s
always
comfortable when she gets between us. It’s hard to believe you were aggravated with me for getting another dog; you two have such a bond.”

Ben clicked the power button on the remote and smiled at her. “I can’t help that the Tater has good taste in men.” He flipped through the stations until he got to the local news. “Here it is. See that guy on my right? That’s the FBI agent I told you about, Agent Quintana. He’s the one who
agreed to take over the case once we got that transaction report from the bank. It proved that Tom Ferris’ death was a contract killing and that the money for the hit came from the senator’s campaign funds. Our only loose end was the second man up at the hunting cabin. Wayne never did figure out who he was.”

“It’s weird to see you give a press conference without Wayne,” Mae said. “Have you heard from him at all?”

Ben pointed the remote at the TV and hit the pause button. “I haven’t, but he texts Dory every once in a while. He won’t be back until January or February. I hope we don’t get another murder case before then.” He leaned back, putting his arm around Mae’s shoulders. “Of course, between you and Dory, any case we did get would probably get wrapped up pretty fast. So, do you want to see your man in action at this press conference or not?”

Mae leaned over and kissed his cheek. The Tater squeaked in protest. “Sorry I squeezed you, Tatie. Yes, please, start it back up.”

Ben pressed play and turned up the volume. Agent Quintana spoke first, announcing that Senator Heathrow G. Osbourne would be indicted on October third in Federal Court, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, misuse of campaign funds, and numerous corruption charges. After thanking local law enforcement for their hard work and asking the assembled reporters to hold their questions until the end of the press conference, he turned the microphone over to Ben.

“Thank you, Agent Quintana.” Ben looked straight into the camera and gave his movie star smile. “I’m Ben Bradley, Rose County Sheriff. I have a wonderful team of people who worked very hard alongside me on this case. I’d like to thank retired Detective PD Pascoe
—the original investigator for the Ryan Gentry murder who put me on the right track to start with—and Captain Paula Crawley from Nashville. I’d also like to thank Wayne Nichols, our chief detective, who suffered a gunshot wound during this investigation and couldn’t be here today. Many others were courageous enough to come forward with evidence, even though we were investigating dangerous and powerful people. My entire team deserves thanks for their professionalism and dedication. Dory Clarkson is especially to be commended for her role in the investigation.” Ben paused with a wink. “And Mae, honey, once again, I couldn’t have done it without you.” He handed the microphone to a woman standing next to Agent Quintana, before walking off-camera.

He clicked the remote and shut the TV off, looking at Mae with raised eyebrows. “What’d you think?”

She gave him a big smile and another kiss. “Thanks for saying that. I’m glad you aren’t mad at me anymore. And I think you’re a shoo-in for re-election. The camera loves you.”

“I love
you
, Mae December.”

Mae gave him a serious look. “I love you too. I’m glad you accepted my apology. I should’ve given you the letter and the ring sooner. And I should’ve known my sister would be fine.”

Ben nodded. “I know, so let’s just agree that our loyalty to each other comes first and that we’ll both be more open with information from now on. But I want you to know that your safety means everything to me. You took a big risk going to see Randee. I know you did it for me, but I couldn’t stand it if anything bad happened to you.”

“I didn’t know what a risk it was then. I mean, who knew that Greg’s uncle was involved, or that he was a
senator? I’ll try to be more careful, I promise. I’m just so glad you called the FBI in and they got Randee and her son into the Witness Security Program.

The Tater stood up, stretched
, and relocated herself to the other side of Ben’s lap. He set the remote on the cushion and turned to face Mae.

“Covington seemed like a total scumbag, but as soon as he knew Randee and his son were safe, he told us everything. He got a reduced sentence, but that’s not why he did it.” Ben rolled his shoulders back and tipped his head. “He cared about his kid. We can’t charge Greg on anything from that long ago. Plus, it really sounds like Greg was pressured into the point shaving by his uncle, who was paying his tuition when he was a college student. I don’t know what kind of fine or sentence he’ll get, but it won’t be much. Have you talked to your sister lately? I heard that Tom Ferris’ will
finished going through probate. Dory said he left July something amazing, but she wouldn’t tell me what.”

“Dory sure likes to give you a hard time,” Mae laughed. “And
‘amazing’ is a good word for it.”

“C’mon, December
, spill it. Don’t you give me a hard time too.”

“He left her the car,” she told him with a big smile. “The little red convertible he got from his parents all those years ago. He kept it in perfect condition this whole time and left it to July.”

“Wow.” Ben shook his head. “How does Fred feel about that? Is she going to keep it?”

“Absolutely. You know they have a three-car garage. She said she’ll use it as a fun car, and Fred is happy to have her drive it. The two of them already used it for a date night. They seem really solid and happier than ever
. It’s great.”

“Well it sounds like everything worked out well for Fred and July too. Enough about them,” he smiled. “Do you want to take the dogs for a walk? It’s beautiful outside.”

“All four of them?” Mae asked. “The Tater’s not very good on a leash yet.”

“You know, I’ve got a better idea.” Ben stood up. He took Mae’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Let me take you out to dinner to celebrate.”

After
arriving home from a delicious meal at The Bistro and a little too much wine, Mae and Ben sat on her couch, necking like teenagers. Ben sat up, disentangling himself.

“What would you think about the two of us moving in together?” he asked, in a low, husky voice. “Every night could be like this.”

Mae sat up too. “I’d love to live with you, Ben, but you’d have to sell your place and move in with me. I can’t relocate my business. Katie might not be happy about this—”

“Katie Hudson’s happiness stopped being my concern a long time ago,” Ben cut her off. “And one of these days, we still need to talk a little more about my job and you helping with my cases. No
t tonight though, sweetheart. I’m prepared to list my house with a realtor tomorrow if that’s your only objection to us living together.” He aimed a long, slow smile at her.

She took a deep breath. “I’m thrilled with the thought of us living together, but I didn’t move into this house with Noah before he put a ring on my finger,” she raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to one side. “I love you, Ben Bradley, but I won’t agree to live together without that commitment.”

Ben gave a half-smile, shaking his head. “Trust me to fall in love with an old-fashioned girl.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’d rather have it that way?” Mae murmured
.

Ben took her into his arms.

Lia Farrell
is actually two people: the mother and daughter writing team of Lyn Farquhar and Lisa Fitzsimmons.

Lyn Farquhar
taught herself to read when she was four years old and honed her storytelling abilities by reading to her little sister, Susan. Ultimately, her mother ended the reading sessions because Susan decided she preferred being read to rather than learning to read herself. 

Lyn fell in love with library books when a Bookmobile came to her one-room rural school. The day the Bookmobile came, Lyn decided she would rather live in the bookmobile than at home and was only ousted following sustained efforts by her teacher and the bookmobile driver.

She graduated from Okemos High school and earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Michigan State University. She has a master’s degree in English literature and a PhD in Education, but has always maintained that she remained a student for such a long time only because it gave her an excuse to read.

Lyn is
a Professor of Medical Education at Michigan State University and has authored many journal articles, abstracts and research grants. Since her retirement from MSU to become a full-time writer, she has completed a young-adult fantasy trilogy called
Tales of the Skygrass Kingdom. Volumes I and II (Journey to Maidenstone and Songs of Skygrass)
, available on amazon.com. Lyn has two daughters and six step children, nine granddaughters and three grandsons. She also has two extremely spoiled Welsh corgis. Her hobby is interior design and she claims she has the equivalent of a master’s degree in Interior Design from watching way too many decorating shows.

Lisa Fitzsimmons
grew up in Michigan and was always encouraged to read, write, and express herself artistically. She was read to frequently. Throughout her childhood and teenage years, she was seldom seen without a book in hand. After becoming a mom at a young age, she attended Michigan State University in a tri-emphasis program with concentrations in Fine Art, Art History and Interior Design.

Lisa, with her husband and their two children, moved to North Carolina for three exciting years and then on to Tennessee, which she now calls home. She has enjoyed an eighteen-year career as a Muralist and Interior Designer in middle Tennessee, but has always been interested in writing. Almost five years ago, Lisa and her mom, Lyn, began working on a writing project inspired by local events. The Mae December Mystery series was born.

Lisa, her husband and their three dogs currently divide their time between beautiful Northern Michigan in the summertime and middle Tennessee the rest of the year. She and her husband feel blessed that their “empty nest” in Tennessee is just a short distance from their oldest, who has a beautiful family of her own. Their youngest child has settled in Northern Michigan, close to their cabin there. Life is good.

Two Dogs Lie Sleeping
is the second book in the May December Mystery Series, which began with
One Dog Too Many
.

You can find Lyn and Lisa online at www.liafarrell.net.