CHAPTER 25 - Molly

CHAPTER 25MollyANDRÉ’S CAFÉ IS BUSY AT LUNCHTIME, AND LAKEN, HAYES, AND I huddle around a small round table penned in on all sides by other diners. Moms with kids in strollers, men and women who work nearby, block every escape route. But this is our favorite place. Convenient for Laken’s spa and the bookstore.I get a dirty look from an elderly woman at the next table as Sadie pants near her elbow. Too bad. I just don’t care.“What did the cops want?” Laken asks, flipping her hair over her shoulder.“They found a necklace in Jay’s filing cabinet, and they hinted it might’ve been what the killer was looking for.”“A necklace? Was it valuable?”“I don’t think so, but the weird thing is, they think it belonged to a woman from Mountclair. She went missing the night of July Fourth.”Laken shivers. “Creepy. I don’t remember hearing anything about it.”“Me neither.”Hayes coughs and sips his latte. “Why would Jay have her necklace?”“I have no idea. None of this makes sense.” I stir more sugar into my tea. “Then they wanted to know when we’d been up to the mountain house.”“What does all this have to do with finding the bastard who killed Jay?” Hayes pokes at his Thai chicken salad with his fork.I shrug. “I have no idea.” I don’t. Jay must’ve found the necklace and didn’t know who it belonged to. That’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s too distressing to think about, so I change the subject. “Where’s Alice today?”Hayes smiles. “Working on her witch trials paper back at the store. She’s in my office with the door shut, hoping Sharon won’t bother her.” He glances at his phone. “Speaking of Sharon, I probably should get back so she can go to lunch.” He stands, grabs his half-finished salad. “See you guys later.” He maneuvers past Sadie and the other diners and dumps his lunch in the trash on his way out the door. I watch him outside the café, buttoning his coat and pulling a hat on his head.Laken blows out a big breath.“What’s wrong?” I ask.Her dark eyes glance out the window. “Nothing. It’s nothing. You’ve got enough on your plate.”“Hey, tell me.” I’d rather listen to someone else’s problems than think about my own.She shrugs. “Cal.”“What’s wrong with Cal?”“He’s been irritable.” She sips her coffee. “It’s fine. We’ll work it out.”“His friend just died, Laken.”“No. It’s not that. I mean, he’s devastated about Jay, don’t get me wrong. But this has been going on long before that.”“Maybe the trouble with Josh? You know.”She gets a funny look on her face. “It’s nothing. Work stuff, I’m sure. I shouldn’t have brought it up. All couples have rough patches.”Jay and I never did, but I guess other people do. Maybe Jay and I would’ve had “a rough patch” had he lived, though I can’t imagine it.* * *I take Sadie out for a walk before the sun sets. It’s dusky, but the snow on the ground lends a strange light to the late afternoon. We wander along the sidewalk past the Fergusons’ house, and I think about their security camera capturing me and Sadie, like it did the man walking by the night Jay was killed. What was going through his mind? How long had he planned to kill Jay? Did Jay have any idea his life was in danger? Or maybe it was just random. A disturbed guy saw the light on in the office and wandered back there.Sadie and I stop, look both ways, and cross the street. I love our old neighborhood. Each house is different, built long ago, with wide covered porches, multiple fireplaces, side entrances, some with porte cocheres. Our house wasn’t too expensive because it needed work. Still, I hope I’ll be able to afford to keep it. The thought of selling feels like losing another part of Jay. I sigh, and Sadie and I pick up the pace. It’s getting really cold, the temperature dropping quickly as the evening advances.We arrive at the corner, where the gas station bustles with people stopping on their way home from work, getting gas, buying a soda or a six-pack of beer. I watch them for a moment before we turn back toward home.Just before Sadie and I reach our porch, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I forgot my gloves, so I grasp it with stiff fingers.“Hello?”Silence, then a deep muffled voice speaks. “I know who you are.” It sounds like someone talking through some device.“Who is this?” I shiver in the gloom, glancing around me as if the speaker is hidden nearby.“The girl in the cellar. Melinda Wright. That’s who you are.” My knees nearly give way, and I grab for the porch railing with my left hand.The line goes quiet. The man has hung up. I glance at the screen. Unknown caller. My heart is thumping against my ribs. I turn and look over my shoulder into the shadows. But everything is quiet, snow-shrouded. Still. Is he here? Has he found me? I shake my head. That’s not possible. He’s in prison. He can’t get out, or can he? Hold it together, Molly. It was just a crank call. Someone trying to upset me. I grip Sadie’s leash tighter, and we run up the porch steps, slip inside, and I lock the heavy door behind us.