CHAPTER 8

A little before noonon Saturday, Cassie pulled up to the front of Ani’s foster home. Before she could get out of her car though, Ani was already jogging up the front walk toward her. She hopped into the passenger seat, buckled her seat belt, and propped her flip-flopped feet up on the dashboard, ankles crossed. Angel jumped comfortably onto her lap.

“Well, your ankle is clearly much better,” Cassie observed, pulling away from the curb.

Ani blew a giant, pink bubble with the gum she was chewing and popped it.

“Yup, it is!” she said, then added, “Thanks for taking me to the mural unveiling before we do lunch today. I know my being there means a lot to my friend, Zoe.”

“Who is Zoe again?” Cassie asked as she drove slowly through the suburban neighborhood.

“Zoe Forester, she went to the same high school that I do. But she’s a couple of years older and already graduated. She was a teacher assistant in my freshman art class and was totally cool. She’s super talented,” Ani added, and popped another bubble. “She’s been working with some local muralist on a project to help beautify the city by painting outdoor murals on businesses and stuff. This is her first solo piece.”

“Nice,” Cassie said, pulling out of the neighborhood. “Now, where are we going?”

Ani pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. “Her mural is on the exterior of the public library downtown.”

Tourist traffic packed all the parking spaces up and down Main Street, and the library parking lot was full. So, Cassie parked a short walk away on a side street. She put Angel on her leash and she pranced along, leading the way as they walked down to join the throng of summer vacationers.

The street was alive with the sounds of laughter and conversation, and the smell of coconut sunscreen and sun-warmed lake filled the air. Brightly dressed vacationers of all ages flowed in and out of colorful storefronts and along the sidewalks of the quaint downtown area.

As they wove their way around families and small clusters of chattering people, Cassie asked, “So how have the Jerk and the Joke been treating you lately?”

Ani’s expression darkened. “Same old, same old,” she said, avoiding a careening toddler who had briefly escaped his parents. “They were both still out cold when I left. They partied pretty hard last night, so I just stayed out of their way. And there was literally nothing edible in the house for breakfast again. Speaking of which,” Ani gave her a sidelong look, “where are you taking me for lunch?”

“I was thinking we could both use some ice cream,” Cassie said with a smile, wrapping her arm around Ani’s shoulder.

“Dairy House! Woot!” Ani said with a grin.

They arrived at the library and headed past the wide concrete entrance steps toward the crowd of people gathered at the far side of the historic brick building. They joined the group and noted a massive, black cloth shrouding a large section of the exterior wall. A small podium was set up in front and an elegant older woman stood on it. She wore a flowy, chiffon dress in swirling shades of soft green, giving her a distinctly artsy look. Her sleek, white hair was cut into a sophisticated chin-length bob. She tapped the microphone lightly. “Welcome, everyone, welcome. May I have your attention?”

The volume of the crowd quieted as the woman began speaking. She introduced herself as Tilly Fontaine Riley, president of the Whispering Pines Mural Society, and explained that the society had been formed to not only help beautify the community but also to share important points of local history through the artwork.

“Our library committee requested that this special piece be included on the exterior of the building.” Tilly waved a delicate hand to indicate the shrouded wall behind her. “We had a gifted local artist, Zoe Forester, rise to the challenge. And I think you’ll all agree, she’s done an outstanding job of capturing a memorable era of Whispering Pines’ history.”

With that, Tilly stepped down from the podium and walked over to grasp one side of the cloth that was covering the mural. A tall, slender dark-haired woman was already grasping the cloth on the other side. Tilly counted, “One...two...three!” and the two women gently lifted the cloth away to reveal the beautiful mural beneath.

The label underneath the artwork titled it as “An Old-Fashioned Day at the Beach.” The mural depicted a beautiful summer day. A luminescent blue sky with white fluffy clouds met the rolling blue-green waves of Lake Michigan. Seagulls swooped in the distance as two women with parasols, dressed in early nineteenth-century attire, strolled along the sandy shoreline. In the background, children built sandcastles and played in the waves. There was a peaceful feel to the entire piece that drew Cassie in. It seemed a mythical place where people had no cares in the world except basking in the warm, brilliant sunshine.

The crowd applauded and whistled, and soon the rumble of conversations filled the air again.

“There she is!” Ani said, grabbing Cassie’s arm and dragging her through the crowd. “Zoe!” she called out, waving her other hand high.

A young woman with spiky jet-black hair containing a streak of electric blue in the center turned to face them. She had thick, kohl-rimmed blue eyes. They crinkled at the corners when she grinned broadly at the sight of Ani. “Hey, kiddo! How’s it goin’?” Zoe wrapped Ani in a big hug. Her voice was Demi Moore husky, but she was petite and fine boned.

“This is my foster sister, Cassie,” Ani said.

“Hey!” Zoe extended ring-filled fingers to shake Cassie’s hand. “Ani talks about you. All. The. Time.”

“Shut up, Zoe!” Ani said, looking embarrassed. But Zoe just laughed.

“I’m so glad you made it, kiddo.”

“Your mural is beautiful,” Cassie said.

“Thanks!” Zoe looked pleased. “Come here, I want to introduce you both to my mentor.”

They followed Zoe through the crowd, stopping multiple times for people to congratulate her, ask questions, and make comments.

Finally, they reached a small cluster of people engaged in conversation. Zoe tapped the shoulder of the same dark-haired woman who had helped unveil the painting. She turned, and Zoe introduced her to Cassie and Ani. “This is Alex Fontaine, soon-to-be Riley,” she added with a wink. “My mentor.”

“Am I?” Alex said with a laugh. “I guess I never thought of myself as your mentor.”

“Well, you are,” Zoe said with a wide smile. “This is my friend Ani and her sister Cassie.”

Cassie shook Alex’s hand. She noted that the young woman was quite beautiful, with waist-length dark hair and startling blue-green eyes.

“Did I hear Zoe say soon-to-be...” Cassie started to ask, but her words trailed off as she recognized Wade standing in the cluster of people Alex had been speaking with. He wasn’t in uniform. Instead, he wore a fitted black polo shirt that clung to his muscular frame, along with a pair of low-slung jeans. He stood next to a man with a similar build but different coloring. Where Wade’s hair was a curling mix of cinnamon brown and sunlit gold, the other man had dark curls. And instead of Wade’s arresting hazel eyes, the other man’s were dark as midnight.

“Yes,” Alex said in response to Cassie’s incomplete question. “Soon-to-be Riley. This is my fiancé, Jake Riley,” she indicated the handsome, dark-haired man. “And this is his brother, Wade.”

Wade stared as Cassie shook Jake’s hand and then extended her hand in his direction.

“What are you doing here?” he said abruptly, ignoring her outstretched fingers.

“Wade!” Jake looked at his brother in surprise.

Wade looked at Jake, “It’s just...I...we’ve...met before,” he finished lamely, his face flushing.

Jake narrowed his eyes, his gaze swinging back and forth between them for a moment before he gave his brother a speculative look.

Then he turned to Cassie. “Well, I apologize for my brother’s manners.” Here he punched Wade lightly on the arm. “But it’s a pleasure to meet you, Cassie.”

There was a burst of laughter nearby and Cassie glanced over to see that a laughing Hugo Garcia had joined Ani and Zoe. Ani was holding Angel and chattering animatedly with them both.

The crowd shifted as Alex and Jake were drawn into conversation with a passerby, and Cassie found herself standing alone with Wade.

“What are you doing here?” he said again.

“I came to support Ani,” she said. “She’s a good friend of the artist’s. And you?”

He gave a little shrug. “I’m here to support my brother and future sister-in-law; she helped train the artist.”

“Ah,” Cassie said.

They stood together in awkward silence for several moments.

Finally, Cassie spoke again. “Sooo, how’s the case coming along? Any new leads?” She almost regretted asking as she watched his face darken. “Look, I’m not trying to be a pain,” she rushed to add. “I’m just curious. You know...as the victim of the crime.” She folded her arms and looked at him pointedly.

He looked down and took a deep breath, regaining his composure. “I’m sorry. You do have a right to know.” He straightened and began ticking things off on his fingers. “Number one, in addition to the lead you provided, we completed canvassing the area around where the incident occurred. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any solid clues from that. Second, we checked with Olga’s neighbors. But nobody saw anything suspicious. Third, we notified the FBI and had the painting added to their international Stolen Art File. We’ve followed all the standard protocols for solving a case like this, and I’m certain something will turn up soon.”

Cassie was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Has anyone ever told you that you sound an awful lot like an official rule book when you talk?”

Wade stared at her.

“Everything doesn’t always come down to just following a bunch of rules, you know,” she said.

“We have rules for a reason,” he responded. “They allow us to maintain control. They help everything run more smoothly and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.”

“Maybe,” she conceded. “But sometimes rules are stupid. And it’s better to rely on your own gut or common sense when deciding what to do or how to handle something.”

“Without rules, there would be chaos,” he said.

“And what’s wrong with a little chaos sometimes?” she asked, and gave him a smirk. “Haven’t you ever broken a rule in your life?”

Wade suddenly lurched forward as a heavy hand slapped him on the back. “Has ‘Little Man Wade’ ever broken a rule?” said an older man with a waxed handlebar mustache, coming to stand beside him. “Ha! Never. That boy came out of his mother’s womb followin’ the rules!”

Wade’s face flushed a little, but his lips broke into a smile nonetheless. “Hi, Pops,” he said, giving the older man a classic man greeting, the simultaneous hug and thump on the back with a handshake.

Pops’ face wore a genial expression. He was bald on top, with a perimeter of neatly trimmed gray hair circling his head. He was more broadly built than Wade and Jake, but the family resemblance was obvious.

“And who’s this lovely lady?” Pops said, turning his twinkling blue eyes on her.

“This is Cassie,” Wade said. “Hugo and I are working on a case for her. Cassie, this is my grandfather, J.P. Riley.”

J.P. pumped Cassie’s arm. “Well, you won’t find a better police officer than my grandson in all of Whispering Pines.”

Wade shook his head. “I think you may be a little biased, Pops.”

“No, I’m not,” J.P. said, turning to Cassie. “He had a stellar career as a city cop in Grand Rapids. But he gave it all up to move here to Whispering Pines. I think he missed us,” he added in a conspiratorial whisper. “Wanted to be closer to family.”

Cassie smiled, unable to resist the older man’s obvious love and pride in his grandson. She wondered what it would feel like to have such a fanboy grandparent like that.

“There you are!” Tilly Fontaine Riley came up alongside J.P. He bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You were wonderful up there, darlin’. Great speech!” Then he turned to Cassie. “I’d like you to meet my beautiful new bride, Tilly, also known as the president of the Whispering Pines Mural Society.” He smiled down at her.

Tilly greeted Cassie warmly, and they began chatting. Moments later, Alex, Jake, Ani, Zoe, and Hugo rejoined their group. In the course of their conversation, Cassie was surprised to discover that Tilly was Alex’s grandmother. “So wait, how does this work?” she said, confused.

Zoe explained the connections. “Jake and Alex met last summer and fell in deep looove,” she said, and Alex elbowed her in the ribs, making her jump. Zoe grinned and went on, “Alex was staying with Tilly for the summer. So, while she and Jake were busy falling in love, so was this big guy,” she smacked a hand on J.P.’s massive shoulder, “and Tilly. It was a beautiful thing to witness.” Zoe sighed. She fluttered her eyes and placed her hands over her heart, making everyone laugh.

The rest of the group continued talking among themselves, and Cassie turned back to Wade. “Looks like you have a very fun family,” she said. “I can see why you’d want to be near them more.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Plus, I really love the small town vibe of Whispering Pines and the natural beauty of this area. When we were growing up, my brothers and I spent almost every summer living here with Pops and my Nana. Nana died several years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Cassie said with sincerity. She glanced over to see J.P. with his arm looped across Tilly’s petite shoulders. They were snuggled close with their heads bent together in private conversation, looking just like the newlyweds they were.

“It took Pops a long time to get over the loss of my Nana,” Wade said, following her gaze. “But none of us could have asked for a better step-grandmother than Tilly.”

Cassie could hear the emotion in Wade’s voice. The love and appreciation he obviously felt for his family touched her on a deep level. What was it like to be a part of a big, loving family circle like this?

She pushed the thought from her mind. “So,” she said, changing the subject, “according to J.P., you were born following the rules, huh?”

Wade smirked. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s true. My mother died when my brothers and I were young. My dad wasn’t around much when we were growing up. And since I’m the oldest, I guess I always felt a strong responsibility to take care of my two younger brothers. I think having rules in place, and sticking to them, gave me—gives me—a sense of security.”

Cassie didn’t want to feel what she was feeling. This man was a cop, and cops had always been the enemy for as long as she could remember. But his sudden vulnerability and willingness to share this piece of himself moved her. She almost felt as if she should reciprocate in some way, share a glimpse into her own life. But years of practice keeping her true feelings safely hidden behind a wall stopped her. She was too used to playing it close to the vest. And exposing herself always led to pain. With the exception of Ani, Rachel, and Mark, nobody else had ever penetrated that wall. And nobody ever would.

Just then, Ani threw an arm around Cassie. “Are you ready for ice cream?” she asked.

After they bid everyone farewell, Cassie, Ani, and Angel strolled slowly up the sidewalk to the Dairy House, which was just a few blocks from the library.

“Did you have fun?” Cassie asked.

“Yeah! I had a great time,” Ani said. “I know Zoe was happy I was there. And I really liked talking to Hugo. He’s such a funny guy. Super willing to try all the apps I tell him about. And his attempts at using them are hilarious! He also acts genuinely interested in me. He asked a lot of questions about Mack and Lila.”

Cassie looked at her sharply. “What did you tell him?”

Ani lifted one shoulder. “Not too much, just that they’re not great, but they’ll do. He wanted to hear all about my friends, too. It’s like he really cares about me or something.”

“Yeah, well, he’s still a cop,” Cassie said, giving Ani a stern look. They arrived at the Dairy House, which had a full restaurant inside and a separate window just for ice cream. The aroma of sugary cones baking in the oven wafted through the open window as they passed it on their way to the end of the line full of families and young couples.

“C’mon, Cassie, all cops are not bad,” Ani said. She gave Cassie a sideways look. “Besides, you looked like you were having a pretty cozy chat there with Officer Wade.”

Cassie was annoyed to feel her cheeks begin to burn. “We were not having a cozy chat,” she said. “Just a normal conversation between two people. And don’t be ridiculous! You, above all people, should know the one thing I would never do is get cozy with a cop!”