Chapter Twenty-Three

Laurel

“I’ve talked with the florist,” my mom droned on. “She can get the gladiolus and marigolds, but she’s having trouble finding magnolias as they are out of season. Now, I could go with chrysanthemums, but those are just tacky, and roses are too cliché. What do you think?”

“Whatever you pick will be beautiful.”

“I know,” my mom said, hunkering over her wedding binder. “I just need this wedding to be perfect.”

“It will be.”

“I’m also thinking about going full-on Lady Godiva when I make my way to the church.”

“Sounds awesome.”

“Laurel Shay McDonald, you are not even listening to me. You’ve had a burr up your butt all morning. Spill the beans and let me help you make soup.”

Sighing, I leaned on the counter and said, “It’s Nash.”

“Of course it is,” my mom replied, closing her binder. “And that strapping hunk-a-licious man of yours will take care of everything. Darling, give the boys a chance before you go all Scarlett O’Hara on this town. Those boys know what they are doing, and in the meantime, we womenfolk have to believe they have everything handled.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then we make a phone call. Trust me, darling, that is one call neither of us wants to make. So, simmer down and let me get your mind off everything.”

“Dogwood.”

“What?”

“Call the florist and ask for Dogwood.”

“That’s a damn tree!”

“It’s also a flower native to Virginia. In fact, it’s the state flower and tree. How about showing Mr. Munson some representation too? I bet he’d like that.”

My mom smiled beautifully while she reached for her cell phone. “You’re right. Of course!”

The rest of the morning was rather quiet after my mom took off to run errands, then to meet up with Josephine at the Ski Resort. Thank God for small miracles. However, when Sheriff Mike walked in around one in the afternoon, along with Nikoli and King, I knew something was up.

“Laurel,” Mike sternly said, walking right over to the counter. “How’s business?”

“Slow. The kids are still in school,” I muttered, looking at King and Nikoli. Both men didn’t look happy. “I know this isn’t a social visit since only Nikoli reads comics, so what’s up?”

“Laurel, have you been here all morning?” Mike asked.

Looking at the man, I frowned. “Yeah. Since eight this morning. Opened up right after I dropped the boys off at the elementary school. Wanna tell me why you need to know that?”

“And you’ve been here the whole time?”

“Already answered that question, Mike. Might as well rip the Band-Aid off and just ask me what you want to know?”

“Alright,” the man said, standing to his full height. “Did you kill Alan Williams?”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked at the sheriff like he’d just lost his damn mind. Not that I gave two shits about that fucker Williams. As far as I was concerned, the bastard got off easy, and I would happily shake the person’s hand who did it, but it wasn’t me.

Laughing, I leaned against the counter and asked, “Tell me. Did he suffer? I hope to God he did for what he did to my boy.”

“This isn’t funny, Laurel. A man is dead,” Mike fumed.

“And good riddance!” I snarked, glaring at the man. “That son of a bitch beat my son with a fucking belt. Nash’s back is scarred for life. I hope that motherfucker pissed his pants and cried all the way to the burning flames of hell!”

“Laurel, I’m gonna need to see your security cameras,” Mike explained.

“Go ahead.” I smiled, waving my hand toward my office. “Help yourself. Password is MarvelRulesDCSucks.”

The second Mike disappeared into my office, King and Nikoli stepped forward. “This isn’t funny, Laurel. Mike got a call saying someone saw you confront Williams out by the football field. They said you two were arguing before you shot him.”

“Wasn’t me.” I shrugged, still grinning from ear to ear.

“Baby,” Nikoli said, taking my hands. “We can’t help you if you’re not honest with us.”

Yanking my hands away, I couldn’t believe his audacity, his plain lunacy. Surely, he didn’t think that I would kill someone in broad daylight.

I was born at night, but not last night!

“Tread carefully, Nikoli Henric Dubrovsky,” I warned. “Because you are skating on really thin ice at the moment.”

“Baby, I’m not saying it was you. I know you. You are meaner than a rattlesnake when the mood suits you, but you are not a murderer. But someone specifically said they saw you. Even described the clothes you currently have on, down to the designer labels. Someone is trying to frame you for the murder of Williams.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve been here all day. My security cameras will prove that.”

Just then, deputy Noah Warren walked into my shop and the young man didn’t look happy. “Hi, Laurel.”

“Noah,” I greeted. “What brings you by?”

“Sheriff Mike just called me.”

“And why would he do that?” I asked when the man himself walked behind my counter and said, “Laurel Shay McDonald, you are under arrest for the murder of Alan Williams. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, the courts will provide you with one. Do you understand these rights as I’ve said them?”

“What the hell, Mike!” Nikoli shouted while Noah rushed over to step in front of him as Mike slapped metal cuffs on my wrist.

“Sorry, Banks, but the security cameras were wiped clean, and I found the murder weapon laying right on her desk. She didn’t even try to hide it. I don’t have a choice.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I shouted. “It wasn’t me. I’ve been here all morning. Ask my mom. She was here. Ask anyone.”

“I will, Laurel,” Mike said, escorting me out from behind the counter. “In the meantime, Banks, I suggest you get Laurel a good lawyer. She’s gonna need one.”

Walking me toward the door, I turned and shouted, “Nikoli! Call my mom. Tell her to call Cousin Tony and then make sure you pick up Kai from school!”

Sitting in a cell, I used a wet wipe to remove the black ink from my fingers. Since I entered the sheriff’s station, I had been photographed, fingerprinted, and strip searched. I wasn’t thrilled with the last one, but hey, even I knew Noah was only doing his job.

Couldn’t hold that against him.

However, the one thing I hadn’t been able to do was make my one phone call. Not that I had to call anyone, because everyone I wanted was already here, including my mother, who was ripping Mike a new asshole at this very moment.

Still, it rankled my britches that Mike could think I’d be so careless to do something like commit murder. Don’t get me wrong, I was more than capable of doing the deed, but it wasn’t me.

Not this time, at least.

Sighing, I threw the wet wipe in the trash and leaned my head back against the bars when I heard my mom shout.

“You let my baby girl out right this minute, Micheal Brewer! She did not kill anyone.”

“I’m sorry, LeeAnn, but I have an eyewitness that saw Laurel kill Alan Williams.”

“Poppycock! My darling girl is innocent.”

“Mike,” Scribe sighed. “I’m gonna need to hear that call.”

“And you will when I finish with my investigation and hand everything over to the DA. I’m sorry, Scribe, but the evidence is clear. I have a witness that puts her at the scene of the crime, and I found the gun laying on her desk.”

“Did you have a search warrant to search the comic book store? Because if you didn’t, I will have that gun removed as inadmissible evidence and you know it,” Scribe stated angrily.

“Didn’t need a search warrant. Laurel gave me permission.”

“To look at her security cameras. Not search her office!”

“It was in plain view on her damn desk, Scribe. I couldn’t ignore it!”

“Listen, Mike, you know damn well until you can prove Laurel’s prints are on that gun, everything is conjecture. It’s one person’s word against another and you know I’m right. Did the person who supposedly saw this crime give his or her name?”

“No.” Mike groaned.

“Was it a man or woman?”

“Man.”

“But you said that the witness described what Laurel was wearing in great detail,” Nikoli spoke up. “Sorry, Mike, but that dog doesn’t hunt. No man gives a shit about what a woman is wearing. Hell, if you were to ask any of us here, Laurel’s wearing a blue shirt and a pair of jeans.”

“She’s wearing her Dolce&Gabbana teal fall blouse with her Calvin Klein boot cut jeans and her Dr. Martens half cut boots.”

“Exactly!” Nikoli scoffed when my mom described perfectly what I was wearing. “No man on this fucking planet gives a shit about labels!”

King spoke. “Sorry, Mike, I’m with them on this one. Laurel may be hell on wheels, but she isn’t a murderer. I’ve got mad respect for what you do, but two and two are not adding up to four.”

The bell jingled and I smiled.

Standing up, I watched when everyone turned to see who had just walked in. King cursed and Scribe and Nikoli groaned. My mom preened as she greeted the newcomer. Mike stepped forward and asked, “May I help you?”

The handsome man was exactly like I remembered. Dressed in a beautifully tailored, three-piece suit from Brooks Brothers, with perfectly trimmed blond hair and a devilish smile, he greeted, “My name is Antonio Valentinetti. I believe you have my client in your cell. I would like to speak with her immediately.”

“What the fuck are you doing here, Valentinetti?” King growled when my mother smiled and said, “Why, this is Laurel’s cousin by marriage—Tony. The best attorney in the family.”