Chapter 19

19

Special Agent Jack Stone

" O h, these cinnamon rolls are to die for," Jewel Barrett sings as she lands in a seat and gives Buddy a quick pat right here at the Pinecone Perk. "Hey there, good lookin'." She laughs as she scratches his underbelly and he all but drools. "Thank you for this." She glances at the sweet treat. "It's been a favorite of mine each time I come here. Honestly, I think they bake these just to bait customers. The scent goes clear down Main Street and everyone at the community center can't stop craving them." She gives a quick honk of a laugh.

The staff at the café brings over a small bowl of water and one of their homemade dog treats which Buddy accepts with a polite, if far too eager, enthusiasm. We should really work on that with him.

He's an honorary fed now. He should learn to keep his cool.

I glance at Fallon and that scene from the club last night flits through my mind.

I did not keep my cool. In fact, I almost lost it and forced my lips on hers. I don't know what I was thinking.

I don't know what she was thinking resisting my efforts.

I'll admit, it's a first on my part.

"Thank you for meeting with us." Fallon leans forward and her blouse dips open just below her neck and I train my eyes on hers, pretending not to notice. "So Jewel, we're trying to piece together the dynamics between everyone at the retreat. How would you describe the relationship between the Becks and the Coles?"

Jewel stirs her coffee, her eyes drifting toward the lake. "Cornwall and Cynthia were close with Lydia, always supportive. But with Damien, it was more professional, you know? Writing was the glue there. But then, Damien has always been more black and white about things. His genius is off the charts. But his emotional intelligence? Not so much."

"And between Damien and Lydia?" I probe, keeping my gaze steady on the woman. "Any tensions we should be aware of?"

She hesitates a moment before setting down her cup. "Well, there were rumors. Lydia is my friend, and she's been through a lot. But Damien? Let's just say he has his fair share of distractions." Jewel's voice trails off and she crimps her lips as if she's said too much already.

"Distractions?" I nod her way in hopes of keeping up the momentum.

"Other women?" Fallon cuts to the chase.

That's what I like about her. There's no beating around the bush. Fallon simply takes a chainsaw and cuts that bush off at the base.

A smile curls in the corner of Jewel's lips. She reaches over and breaks off a piece of the cinnamon roll before landing it on her napkin.

"Now I didn't say that," she chides playfully. "Besides, don't the two of you have enough ammo on that nutter that lives next door to the Coles?" Her demeanor grows serious. "He's on record for making verbal threats."

"We've seen them," I say. "And we've spoken to Mr. Marcus as well. We're just trying to round out the investigation before we make an arrest."

"An arrest?" Her eyes widen. "Wow. You're really ahead of the game. I mean, she's been missing for days, but I would think this investigation is still in its infancy." Her cheeks redden a moment as she stares at her food. "Okay. I want this done and over as much as the next person." She leans in and casts a careful glance around the establishment. "I didn't want to say anything, but there is someone who's been arousing some suspicion on my part. But nothing nefarious, nothing to do with that tragedy that happened." She's quick to wave the thought away. "It's something that's been going on now for a while, and I found it unsettling."

"Go on," Fallon tells the woman without sugarcoating her need to know.

"Um, you know that woman that happened to show up with me the night of the murder?" She waits expectantly for us to answer.

"The redhead?" I ask.

"Yes, that's Adrienne. You met her. She's the one who owns that bookstore up here. Well, ever since the Coles bought their cabin, they've been coming up a lot. You know, stealing a weekend here, a weekend there. Anyway, she started setting up book signings for Damien at her shop. She never once offered to set one up for Lydia. I thought that was strange. Lydia even mentioned it to me once. Of course, she was so nice she blew it off. And if her thoughts were darker in that arena, she certainly didn't share them with me. But well, my mind tends to wander." She makes a face. "I thought about confronting the woman, but it's not really my place. Anyway, since I'm the assistant, I'm usually front and center at stuff like that—the signings. But Damien asked me not to go. He said I wasn't needed, that Adrienne and her team took care of it all. Well, come to find out, she doesn't have a team. She's a one-woman show. So one night I stopped by a signing. I came late, everyone was gone, and I saw the two of them locked in an embrace. And this wasn't some thank you for hosting me hug either." She dips her chin, expecting us to fill in the blanks. "I didn't bother going inside. I was sick just seeing it."

"So you think they're having an affair?" Fallon's voice is softer. She always seems to know when to pull back. It's one of her gifts.

"I know they are." Jewel pushes away the remnants of her cinnamon roll. "Any time the Coles had me come up to the lake, I'd drive by her bookshop late at night and his car was always out front—even if there wasn't a book signing. I'd send Lydia a quick text, you know, thanking them both for a great day, have a good night, mundane stuff just to see if she was home, and every time she'd say Damien went out to grab something at the store or something like that but that she'd extend the message. He was out grabbing something, all right. One night I ran into the deli across the street from the bookshop and grabbed a sandwich. By the time I came out, I saw Damien rushing to his car, tucking in his shirt as he ran. It was disgusting."

Fallon and I exchange a look.

I drum my fingers over my coffee cup. "Owen mentioned that there was a friend Lydia may have confided in. A neighbor she walked with in the mornings, a woman named Nora. I'll be curious to see if Lydia mentioned anything about the potential affair to her."

"Agree," Fallon says. "Anything else you'd like to share?" she asks the woman.

"Just one thing," she says. "When they catch the monster who did this to the Becks and to Lydia, I want to know why they let Damien off so easy. It doesn't make sense."

"None of it does," Fallon tells her.

We finish up and thank the woman for her time. She takes off, leaving Fallon and me to stare at one another for a moment too long.

I knock back the rest of my coffee. "Thoughts?"

Fallon settles her gaze out on the water. "I suddenly have a hankering to curl up with a nice good book."

"Same," I say. "I hear there's a killer thriller at the local bookstore."

She nods. "And I suspect it's about to have a killer twist."