“Oh, yes, with Gibbons and Roth Software, and I’m
so
excited!” Scarlett swigged her coffee, melodramatic apology forgotten. “The executive position comes with an outrageous benefit package...not to mention the perks. It makes the software company I worked for in L.A. look like a schoolhouse—no offense.”
“It sounds right up your alley.” Darcy looked at her shrewd-executive sister and wondered how, with scarcely a minute between them, they had been born lifetimes apart.
“Of course, I will be commuting to Oklahoma City every day—small sacrifice for such a lucrative career move.”
“I don’t think I’d mind the drive in a luxury vehicle like yours.”
“In my line of work, it’s a necessity. I wouldn’t dream of pulling into an executive parking space driving anything less.” She drained the last of the coffee from her mug. “Well, I have an ungodly amount of shopping to do today. Gotta run.” Leaving the empty mug on the countertop, she rose and crossed the room. She paused in the kitchen doorway, looking at Darcy. “It’s good to be home, sister.” She offered a smile that never reached her eyes. “I plan on staying a long, long time.” Scarlett sauntered through the house and out the front door.
Darcy’s thoughts turned to Cabin. She couldn’t comprehend what the handsome doctor saw in an understated schoolteacher, when he could have any woman he wanted. Confident, sexy women like Scarlett, minus the theatrics. She recalled his guarded behavior before leaving the campsite to follow her home. Closing her eyes, she sighed, hoping he saw
something
.
Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door. Thinking Scarlett had returned, she opened it to find Sheriff Watkins standing on her porch.
“Is everything okay, Sheriff?”
His fleshy cheeks puffed out, and he shook his head. Pushing his hat from his brow, he wiped the sweat from his balding scalp. “Not sure. Can I come in?”
“Of course.” She stepped back, and he entered the living room. “Have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?”
“No, thanks.” He also didn’t take the seat she offered. “I wanted to ask you a few questions about the night Bessie Roberts died.”
Her pulse quickened. She swallowed back a tremor of unease. “Sure…but why?”
He pursed his lips, seeming to consider how much to reveal. “We have reason to believe Bessie met with foul play. Did you hear or see anything out of the ordinary that night? Any strangers in the area?”
A cold wind swept through her body. “No,” she whispered. “Nothing. What happened to her?”
“I can’t say more right now. Just keep your ears open, and let me know if you see anything suspicious, if you think of anything unusual.” He settled the hat back on his head and turned toward the door.
“Sheriff?”
“Yeah?” He faced her, squinting expectantly.
“I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but there was a guy here the other night. My sister’s ex-boyfriend, Malcolm. He has a violent past, and he went to her house—formerly Bessie’s house. He threatened her. She was terrified.” The chill turned to icicles when she recalled what Scarlett had told her. Shown her. “And, it appears he was in the house before Scarlett even moved in. She found an earring that belonged to him.” Bessie had never even
met
Malcolm, why would he hurt her? Then again, why would anyone?
The sheriff nodded, interest lighting his brown eyes. “I’ll need his name, a description, anything you can tell me about him.”
“All I know is his first name, Malcolm. You might go next door and talk to my sister. She’ll be able to tell you more.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks, Darcy.” She opened the door for him, and he stepped out onto the porch. “You keep your doors locked now, you hear? Until we figure out what happened, no one is safe.”
****
Liz tucked the small silver key into Darcy’s palm. “I’m sorry it took a few days. I stuck it in my jewelry box and kept forgetting to bring it.”
“That’s okay, it’s not like I needed it.”
Liz peered closely at Darcy. “Is something wrong? You seem distracted. Is it because of She-Devil?”
“No. I just found out that Bessie…” She swallowed.
“Your neighbor who died? What about her?”
“The sheriff stopped by. He thinks she might have been murdered.”
Liz’s eyebrows lifted. “No way. You’re kidding me. How? Who?”
Darcy shrugged and started across the parking lot toward Chickasha Elementary. Liz fell in step beside her.
“He has no idea. I told him about Scarlett’s ex, Malcolm. His showing up at almost the same time seems a little too coincidental.” She didn’t mention the skull earring. The police might want that detail kept quiet.
“Yeah. The two of them showing up is kind of suspicious.”
Darcy’s steps faltered as she looked at Liz. “The two of them… You surely can’t think that Scarlett… For God’s sake, Liz. She’s my sister.”
“I know. I’m a crappy friend, and I’m sorry. But I care about you. I was just thinking about what happened to the girl at the mental hospital.”
Darcy flinched. She couldn’t criticize Liz for stating the obvious. It was no secret that people around Scarlett met with misfortune. Whether it was because of something Scarlett did, or because of the doll curse, or just plain old bad luck, Darcy may never know. Whatever the reason, she wouldn’t,
couldn’t
let herself believe Scarlett was to blame for that girl’s suicide. Or that she had anything to do with Bessie’s death.
Changing the subject, she said, “I had a great time at the lake. We’ll have to do that again soon. I really enjoyed spending time with you, Richard, and Cabin.”
“Don’t forget your darling sister.” Liz rolled her eyes.
So much for changing the subject.
“Are you sure you’re twins? Scarlett looks like she’s made by Mattel.”
Darcy laughed. “We’re twins. We used to look more alike. Now I feel like a driver’s license picture on the mantel next to a Glamour Shot.” Her own laughter sounded hollow to her ears. “I’m all right with it, though. With all of her emotional...setbacks, she deserves to be the prettier twin.”
Liz stopped walking and placed her hand on Darcy’s shoulder. “Hey. It’s not like that. You’re beautiful, okay?”
Darcy averted her eyes.
“Okay?” she repeated more firmly. “Gotta be pretty darn hot to land a hunk like Cabin Creighton, don’t you think?” Liz resumed her walk, squinting against the morning sun that danced through the red highlights in her curly hair. The apple embossed bag over her shoulder almost brushed her knees, and her skirt skimmed the pavement.
Darcy’s heart swelled with gratitude. She was blessed to have a friend like Liz. She held the door open for her, and they strode down the hall toward their rooms.
“Oh...I almost forgot...” Darcy said with a shrug, feigning disinterest. “Thanks to you and your big mouth, Cabin is cooking up some surprise for my birthday.”
Liz’s squeals synched with the first bell. Darcy laughed and greeted her gathering students at the doorway.
****
Cabin smiled at the small, tooth-challenged boy beside him in the elementary school hallway. “Hello, there, young man.”
The little boy stared, sticking his tongue through the hole in his grin. Cabin ruffled the boy’s hair on his way into the office.
The secretary glanced up as Cabin entered. “Be right with you.” She applied a bandage to the scraped elbow in front of her. “Janie, this probably won’t stick for long, so here’s another for your pocket.” She handed the little girl an extra bandage, hugging her.
“What can I help you with, sir?” She leaned forward on her desk, seeming to size him up with her black-lined eyes.
“I wondered if you could direct me to Darcy Vaughan’s classroom?”
“I’m not supposed to let anyone into the classrooms while class is in session.” She gazed into his eyes. “Are they real?”
“Excuse me?” Cabin would be swiftly slapped for asking that same question in his line of work.
“Your eyes. Are they contacts?”
“No, they’re mine,” he answered, curbing the urge to chuckle. “Is it all right if I wait here until the bell rings—isn’t lunch starting in just a few minutes?”
“So...are you a parent?”
“Beg your pardon?” The woman sounded like a precocious first grader. Maybe the kids had rubbed off on her.
“Do you have a child in Ms. Vaughan’s classroom?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t understand the question. No, I’m here to take Dar—Ms. Vaughan, to lunch. I had a lull at the clinic, so I thought I’d surprise her.”
“Are you a doctor?” The woman straightened up in her chair, darting her eyes over him. “You’re not dressed like one.”
“I left my lab coat at work. I’m going to take a seat, if that’s okay.” He scanned the office, choosing the chair farthest from the secretary’s desk. It looked out of place—red, plastic, off on its own.
“Jenny Borden sat in that chair,” a little girl across the room loudly informed him as he sat down.
He smiled and nodded.
“Her mom just picked her up,” she explained, widening her eyes.
“Was she sick?” he asked, wondering if Jenny Borden contracted the stomach virus that was going around.
“No.” The little girl shook her head, her braids whipping. “She had head lice!”
He jumped from the chair, brushing off his clothing.
The secretary laughed. “It’s okay. I sprayed the chair.”
Cabin’s face warmed.
“Tell you what, since you seem like such a nice guy... Ms. Vaughan’s room is to the right, three doors down. Her name’s above it.” She lowered her smoky eyelid in a wink.
Thanking her, he walked down the hallway, stopping in front of Darcy’s classroom. He knocked firmly, mindful of the excited, clamoring voices filtering through the closed door. After waiting a moment, he turned the knob and stepped inside.
Darcy was on the floor with her students, reading a story as the children supplied sound effects. She blushed when she saw him, then dragged her eyes back to the page.
“Who’s that, Ms. Vaughan?” voices chimed, story forgotten. “Ms. Vaughan has a boyfriend!
Ooooh... Ms. Vaughan is in loooove
!”
“All right, that’s enough.” She turned a deeper shade of red. “Let’s get the classroom cleaned up, it’s almost lunchtime.” The children rolled up their mats and blankets before stuffing them into their personalized cubbyholes.
“What are you doing here?” She rose from the rug, dusting off her pants.
“Taking you to lunch. Are you surprised?”
“Yes, I’d say so.”
“Pleasantly?”
She gave him a wide smile. “Ecstatically.”
The bell rang and she stepped to the door, lining the children up behind her. “Boys and girls, I need for you to walk to the cafeteria with Ms. Bandy’s class. Have a good lunch.” She released her class into the hallway with Liz.
“So, how did you get into my classroom without being handcuffed and escorted from the building?” Darcy asked Cabin as they strode past the office.
“The secretary let me in.”
“Amelia Tangelero,” Darcy said, returning the secretary’s wave through the glass. “I bet she had no problem letting you through. Her license plate used to say, ‘SexySecy’ on it. The principal asked her to remove it because it was inappropriate for school.”
“Wow.” Cabin chuckled. “So, where would you like to go for lunch?”
“Hmmm. How about Fortunes, the Chinese restaurant. Have you been there?”
“One of my favorites.” He opened the passenger door of his truck, helping her into the cab before going around to his side. “What time do I need to get you back to school, little girl?” he teased.
“I have an hour. The kids go to the playground after they eat.”
Cabin checked the dashboard clock. “Buckle up. I know a shortcut.”
For some reason he found it hard to breathe with Darcy so close to him. He took his eyes off the road long enough to sneak a glance at her. What the hell was happening to him?
After he parked the truck, he stepped around to her door and opened it, not missing the pleased flush on her cheeks as she thanked him. Once inside the restaurant, they gave the server their drink orders, filled their plates at the buffet, then slid into chairs across from one another. Darcy blotted her lips after every forkful of food, causing Cabin to hide a grin. He got the feeling she was as nervous as he was.
In between bites, they talked about everything from sports, to their jobs, to what it was like for Darcy growing up with Scarlett. When the choice of topics dwindled, he said, “I heard a rumor that the police think your neighbor might have been murdered. Are you okay?”
Cabin could have cut out his own tongue when the light faded from her lovely eyes and she put the fork down next to her plate. Emotions played across her face before she finally nodded. “I’m okay, but I feel awful for her. Bessie was such a sweet old lady.” She wiped away a tear.
“I’m sure she was. I just hope, if she was actually murdered, they catch the guy soon. I worry about you being out there alone.”
She offered a half-smile. “Well, there’s Scarlett.”
“Right. Scarlett. Lots of protection there. Especially since her presence has brought a criminal practically to your doorstep. Do you think her ex could have harmed Bessie?”
“I entertained the idea, but decided Malcolm is nothing to worry about. He’s probably just trying to convince Scarlett to come back to him. He’s more than likely long gone by now.”
“Let’s hope so.” Cabin couldn’t imagine what he’d do to the guy if he laid a hand on Darcy…if he hurt her in any way.
He frowned at the unexpected thought. At what point had he become her protector? Or started wanting to be her hero?
“Let’s switch subjects. You know all about my childhood at the lake, my emotionally unstable twin sister, and my great-grandmother’s scrimshaw doll. Now I want to talk about
you
.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about your family. What are your parents like? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
He put down his fork. “My parents have been married for forty years. I’m their one and only child, born late in life, their ‘miracle baby,’ if you will. My mother is a strong-willed, proud, lady of leisure, whose favorite pastime is doting over me. I suppose ‘controlling’ is the word I’d use to describe my father, although he would call it, ‘concerned.’ An outsider would never know it. He has an excellent bedside manner. They both love me and each other very much. Sometimes they just have a
stifling
way of showing it.”