29. Connect the Dots

"Who's Helene Holiday, and why would she have died in the Miners Tavern?" A natural question, or so Hailey thought as she reined in her galloping thoughts and her worry for Noah. God, the last thing he needed was a carcass of the human variety in his restaurant!

After watching an emergency vehicle speed down Bowen Street, she had texted him, and he'd quickly replied that everything was all right, that he'd explain later, and to come back when she was done at Mountain Coffee.

At the moment, she was helping Amy stock supplies rapid-fire so she could hightail it over to the tavern. Noah's fan club had left after their main attraction lit out—with Dixie puffing after him—which left only Amy and her in the quiet coffee shop.

"You know that store down the street that sells crystals and beads and local art pieces?"

"Where you bought that mosaic table?"

Amy handed her a box of stir sticks and pointed at an empty spot on the shelf. "Right. Well, Helene owned it. She'd been sick for a while, so it's no surprise she's gone, but I have no clue why she would have passed inside the tavern. She liked going in there because Noah would fix her what she called ‘special toddies,' but I don't think she'd been in for quite a while. Maybe she was hoping for another toddy?"

"Except the place is closed. Did you know her well?"

"Oh, everyone knew Helene. She was our … Hmm, how should I put this? Our town eccentric? She was a hippie chick stuck in the sixties who might have dropped one too many hits of acid. One minute you were her BFF, and the next she was muttering curses at you, and you'd never know why. I used to think she was casting spells on me until I figured out she wasn't even aware I was there half the time." Amy snorted.

Hailey vaguely recalled the shabby shop window she'd passed by on her first full day in Fall River. It had held an eclectic collection of odds and ends, but what had snagged her attention was a cluttered array of crystal prism balls hanging from the ceiling at varying heights. They had caught and reflected infinite rainbows of light, and she had idly wondered if the prismed beams ever blinded people.

Hailey held out her good hand for another box. "Does she have family?

"Two daughters, I think. One of them has been here helping take care of her mom and the shop. Very reclusive, though. The other one is some high-flying lawyer or financier in Chicago. I wonder what'll happen to the place now."

Hailey straightened a row of paper cups and nearly jumped when Amy gasped and laid a hand on her arm. "Omigod, that would be a perfect place for a bookshop!"

Hailey's mouth swung open. "What? Where?"

"Helene's shop! If her daughter doesn't decide to keep it, that is. You should check it out."

"Amy, I can't open a bookstore now. I don't have enough saved, and what I do have I'm going to need to support myself. Don't take this the wrong way: I'm grateful to be working here, but it's not going to pay the bills."

Amy parked a fist on her hip. "What bills need paying?"

Hailey let out a mirthless laugh. "Rent? Food? Gas? Insurance? Clothes?"

"Between Mountain Coffee and the tavern, your food is covered. As for gas, you don't have to drive all over the Western Slope anymore, so you don't need as much. Same with car insurance. In fact, that'll come down. As for health insurance, you probably get some sort of grace period." The more Amy talked, the more excited she grew. "You're on a month-to-month, right?" When Hailey nodded, she ran on. "Give them notice, and voilà! No more rent payments."

Hailey scoffed. "And where am I supposed to live?"

Amy wiggled her eyebrows. "I hear Noah's loft is a cozy place for two."

"No way! We just started … I mean, we hardly know each other."

"So? What better way to get to know each other than being on top of one another in a love nest?" Amy giggled, and heat blazed up Hailey's neck. Had she meant the innuendo? "You can always stay with me and Mick. We have a guest bedroom."

That idea did not appeal. Hailey pictured Micky's leers morning, noon, and night.

Amy grinned. "Next roadblock to you opening a bookstore in Fall River?"

Hailey flapped a hand at her. "You're talking crazy, girl. Even if I could afford to buy or rent the place, it needs a lot of TLC. A lot." As Hailey's memory sharpened, a building way past its glory days took shape in her mind's eye. She shuddered.

"Well, think about it. Now shoo. You need to go find out what happened at the tavern so you can tell me."

Hailey gave her a quick hug before rushing out the door. Yeah, she was dying to find out what had happened, but now that the debris of the last few head-spinning days had settled, it was time to call Kaylee and update her. Besides searching out a heavy dose of her sister's wisdom, Hailey needed advice on the scheme she was forming.

The first thing she heard when she opened the tavern's back door was Noah's strained baritone. "You about gave me a heart attack, Dix. Why did you say Helene died here?"

Hailey's eyes strafed the vestibule. No dead bodies. She came to a stop and puffed out a breath.

"I reckoned you needed help, boss. I already knew you was stuck between Hailey Bailey and that twitchy hyena girl who was ready to scavenge your bones, and then when I spotted Ursula Jones heading to the coffee shop, I knew a bomb was about to detonate and crater this town. I had to come up with something that sounded disastrous enough you'd come running and they'd take a hike. Thank the god of mud pies I was in the right place at the right time."

So the woman didn't die here after all? Hailey's knees buckled as relief washed over her.

"Yeah, thank the god of mud pies." The sarcasm in Noah's tone was unmistakable.

Dixie went on in a clipped tone. "I'm putting my foot down, though. I will not work here with hyena girl."

"You don't need to worry about that." Now his voice sounded tired.

Hailey stepped into the bar area, where the conversation was taking place, and quickly scanned the floor for bodies. None. She raised her braced hand. "Hi."

Two heads turned toward her. Noah's defeated expression transformed with a soft smile, and Dixie pointed a fiery red nail at her. "And I will raise a ruckus if you don't hire the Irish Fr?ulein." She bobbed her head, punctuating her declaration.

He covered the few steps separating him and Hailey, pulled her against him in a one-armed hug, and dropped a kiss on her head.

Oh, so we're doing this in front of everyone now?

He peered at her, tenderness shining in his eyes. "You mean the hoochie mama? I'll see what I can do."

Flapping her hand, Dixie turned and walked away. "You work your magic, boss. I'm sure you can convince her better than I can. I expect good news tomorrow."

"Bye, Dix." His gaze stayed glued to Hailey's. "What do you think, surfer girl? Want a job slinging beer?"

"I thought you weren't hiring anyone."

"I'm not, but I do have a job for you."

"I bet you do."

"I'm serious. I want to hire you."

"Do I have to wear the wench getup?"

"Only for me in private. I keep thinking about those little green bows and how I want to untie them with my teeth. Now come here." That took all of four inches. His hand cradled one side of her face as his mouth moved over hers. He kissed her until they were both out of breath, pulled back, and blinked. "Wow. That gets better every time."

She pushed off of his chest, putting space between them so she could think straight. "Um, you were saying?"

"Dixie's getting everything ready for the re-inspect according to your instructions, and I'm expecting we'll be open for business soon. Luanne's following the Celtic Knots around the state, which means I'm shorter on staff than usual. The only person I want to hire is the one I'm staring at, and I'm pretty sure she could use the cash."

Hailey put up her palms in a stop-right-there motion. "Explain about the dead hippie chick first, please."

His brows crunched together. "Helene? She suffers from dementia, and she escaped and wandered here looking for this special concoction I make for her sometimes—nonalcoholic, but it makes her feel like she's drinking a hot buttered rum in a ski chalet on the slopes. Who am I to deny the woman that illusion? Anyway, she must have fallen because Reece found her in front, on the sidewalk, and sent her off in an ambulance."

"So she's not dead, and she wasn't inside the bar?"

"No and no."

"Then why did Dixie—"

He rolled those green eyes to the ceiling and back. "She got it in her head I needed saving, so she went for the nuclear option. She took a storyline and colored it in with Dixie markers. It worked too. There's no trace of Sandy, and Ursula—who knows what Ursula wanted. And who cares?"

"Dixie's like your own personal fairy godmother … or guard dog."

He tapped the end of her nose. "You might have noticed she's pretty fond of you too."

"She does seem motivated to see us get along."

"And thank the god of mud pies for that." He pulled her against him and wrapped her up in a whole-body hug. Ooh, he was good at that. She breathed him in, pine and leather and Noah, and sagged against him, safe and warm in his strong arms.

"I'm glad for you and for Helene that you didn't find her dead on your floor," she mumbled against his chest.

"You and me both, babe."

"Do you think Sandy got the message?"

"Fuck if I know. How much did you hear?"

"Most of it."

He drew back and looked at her. "I'm sorry about that."

She placed her hands against the hard wall of his chest, brushing her fingertips over the soft fabric of his T-shirt. Being able to touch him was both natural and … exhilarating. "I'm not. And it's not that I was enjoying being a fly on the wall, but I figured me being there could come in handy if you needed a witness."

"I hadn't thought of that. Good thing you're so smart." He rested his forehead against hers. "I want to hire you."

"To do what, exactly, and what kind of hours are we talking about?"

"Whatever hours you'll give me. As for what, I want you to wait tables, pour beers, mix simple cocktails. I'll train you."

"Ooh, that sounds intriguing. And kinda sexy." He didn't know it yet, but she was going to say yes. Not because she needed the money, which she did, but because he was entangled in a huge mess she was compelled to help him get disentangled from.

"Mind out of the gutter, surfer girl. Save it for our date later." His eyebrows bounced.

A giggle bubbled up inside her. "Got it." Her mind zipped to the sexy pant set she planned to wear tonight. Suddenly flushed, she cleared her throat. "I've never pulled taps before."

Releasing her, he nudged her behind the bar. "I'll show you. Thirsty?"

"Sure, I could stand a pint of something."

He grabbed a glass and demonstrated, using different taps to show her how the different pours behaved. Then he handed her a clean glass. "Your turn."

"What'll it be?"

One corner of his scandalous mouth quirked. "I'll take a Lizard Head Red, please."

It wasn't a perfect pour—she had some coaxing to do—but she didn't muff it completely. She handed it to him. "Is this okay, or should I pour you another one?"

He dipped an eyebrow. "You didn't spit in it, did you?"

"Of course not. That would be a health code violation." She inched her nose up, trying not to bust out with a laugh.

"Thank God I have my own former health inspector on the payroll."

They clinked glasses and sat side by side on barstools. She told him about Amy's far-fetched idea about Helene's store, and his eyebrows hit his hairline.

"I know," Hailey agreed. "Besides the place not being available, that's just crazy talk."

"What if you started small?"

"How? Where?"

A grin spread over his handsome face. "The coffee shop. Amy's got more space than she needs, and sometimes it feels empty in there. You could rent out a section and set up your own store, like a permanent pop-up. A few bookshelves, a small display table, and Mountain Coffee becomes a cozy book-and-coffee shop. If it can work for the big stores, why not here?"

Hailey's mouth swung open. "That's genius!"

He gave her a smug smile. "That's me. Genius."

"Do you think she'd go for it?"

"Only one way to find out."

Hailey tapped her chin. "I'll run it past her next time I go in."

He tipped his pint glass back and took a healthy gulp. "You still haven't answered my question. I really could use your help here."

She pointed at his half-full glass. "How is it? Too foamy? Not enough foam?"

"Best pour I ever had." He grinned again, and she rolled her eyes. He crooked his finger at her, and when she leaned in, he cupped the back of her head and hauled her mouth to his for one drugging kiss after another after another after another. Her head spun; her pulse skipped; her toes and most other body parts tingled.

When they broke the kiss, her erratic breathing matched his. His eyelids lifted languidly. "Come work for me. I'll make it worth your while." His voice was a decadent mix of satin and gravel that spoke to every corner of her body. It made her clothes feel too constricting. It made her want to shed them and climb him, to invite him to use her in unspeakable ways.

Hervoice, when she recovered it, came out in a Marilyn Monroe-esque whisper. "If you mean you'll pay me off in kisses like that, I'm your girl."

He hovered his lips by hers, and they curved in a sinful smile. "Yeah, you are."

Before he could capture her mouth and lay another mind-numbing kiss on her, she straightened and fanned herself with her hand. "Gotta get to the Loose Moose so I can call Kaylee and change."

He chuckled. "You're free to call her from here, but okay. And why are you changing?"

She twirled on the barstool and smirked. "I have a date."

"If I get my way, that date's turning into a sleepover. So pack your clothes ... or not. You won't need them." Cliff had used similar words only days ago, and her stomach had practically heaved. Funny how hearing them from Noah stoked a blaze of passion inside of her instead.

Hailey paced the Loose Moose's inside perimeter while Kaylee's voice came through the phone's speaker. "Have you heard anything from the department yet?"

"Besides a letter outlining final pay and insurance details? No." Even Dan Williams, her one-time most superior superior and stalwart advocate, hadn't bothered to reach out. Lord knew what lies Cliff had told him. "But I did contact HR and set up an exit interview. That's next week via video conferencing."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"That I'm a disgruntled employee who was forced to quit when her incompetent boss assaulted her in a county vehicle, and I have a big fat sexual harassment lawsuit I'm itching to file."

"Oh yay! My baby sister has found her spine of steel again!"

"Yeah, I found it in the back of my closet and swapped it for the rubber one," she deadpanned. Too bad she hadn't had it available when Cliff had attacked her.

"Don't be hard on yourself. You were in self-preservation mode, and you did what needed doing to get yourself the hell out of there. You're safe now, and I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Kayl." Hailey had given herself the same speech and could finally buy into it. "Now I have to take down Cliff Meissner so he doesn't try to hurt anyone else."

Kaylee made a skeptical sound. "How are you going to do that, Hail?"

"I know what you're thinking. It's his word against mine, and we know how he's got everyone bamboozled. Even though I documented the incident and took pictures of the damage he inflicted—which doesn't look like much in the photos—I don't stand a chance. But I might have something else on him."

"Which is?"

Hailey dropped her voice, as if someone listened in the shadows. "Do you remember me telling you about Dell's, the restaurant I inspected here last year?"

"The one you warned me to stay away from?"

"Yes. What I didn't tell you was the owner tried to bribe me. Now get this: Cliff and I inspected that same restaurant the day before he shut down the Miners Tavern, and the whole setup was out of the norm." Hailey went on to describe how Dell's inspection had popped up in the database overnight and that Cliff had assigned himself the job.

"He never conducts his own inspections," Kaylee exclaimed.

"Exactly. Now this owner hates Noah and has tried his damnedest to disrupt his business." She filled Kaylee in on those details too. "The morning we were at Dell's, Cliff and the owner were thick as thieves and wandered off alone while I did the entire inspection on my own. The morning before we went to the Miners Tavern, he had a ‘meeting' in Fall River—even though he'd never been to the town before, so who the heck did he know to meet with? When I probed for details, he said it was none of my business. I checked when I was in the database, and the tavern hadn't been flagged for an inspection, yet Cliff decided to investigate. I keep asking myself why. That's not how things work."

"So you think the owner bribed Cliff?"

"I'm connecting the dots, Kayl, and that's the pattern that's emerging. Tell me I'm nuts."

"Let me ask you this: Exactly how involved are you with Noah?"

Hailey sighed.

Her sister chuckled. "That bad, huh? Are you falling for him?"

Too late. I've already fallen. "I really like him, Kaylee. He's funny and sweet and smart and hot as sin. Could my judgment be out of whack because of my personal feelings? Hell yes. Except when I look at the facts, they add up to a boatload of shenanigans." Hailey could practically hear her sister's gears grinding on the other end. "Tell me my suspicions are off base and that I'm making this scenario up. Tell me I'm seeing something that isn't there."

"I can't because if everything you're telling me is true—and I have no reason to believe otherwise—then it adds up for me too. But what about the dead rodents? They can't be explained away."

"I have a theory about them too, and it all ties together, but I have some more checking to do. I need to find an expert who can tell the difference between deer mice and store-raised mice."

"Vince might be able to help you. He works for the CDC, and his specialty is hantaviruses."

"Meaning …?"

"Hantavirus is spread by rodents, mainly deer mice. You're in the mountains, and I suspect those are the kinds of mice that would invade buildings."

"Yes! These weren't deer mice, I'm sure of it! If I can get my hands on the evidence, do you think he could tell me what kind of mice they are?"

"I don't know, but I bet he could tell you whether or not they're an indigenous species for that area."

"I could kiss you right now—and him!"

Kaylee chuckled. "I like the sound of this Noah guy. I also like that despite all the crap you've just gone through, you sound happier than you have in a long time. Is that because of him or because you're a free-wheeling, unemployed woman?"

"Probably a bit of both."

"We both have someones we need to meet."

"Maybe. Mine's pretty new."

"Yes, but you sound mighty smitten, baby sister. I don't remember ever hearing you gush before."

How could Hailey not be smitten when the guy suggested ideas like setting up a mini bookstore in the coffee shop? He got her. He got her dream. And he wanted to help. This was a man who commanded the respect of an entire town. He was Fall River royalty, and he wanted her, little nothing Hailey Bailey. The realization made bubbles of pure joy effervesce and pop inside her, and she wasn't too proud to let her fangirl freak flag fly.