Elementary, My Dear Watkins (45 page)

“Maybe, though I can see why he’d want to warn you if he knew something.”

“The problem is,” Jo said, “whether it’s Ian or Neil or Muck or someone else, if they knew Winnie was a threat, why did they allow her to stay here in such close proximity both to me and Gran? A few anonymous e-mails would not have been enough to protect us. I say if it’s any of them, they’re culpable in the poisoning of my grandmother, not to mention the attempt on my life with the toaster.”

Danny took a bite of bacon and chewed thoughtfully.

“I thought you said the e-mail person had had trouble with the law.”

Jo nodded.

“That might point to Ian, then,” she said. “I know he was stopped for drunk driving a few times during college.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Alexa, who swung open the door to announce that her mom was finally there and she was leaving.

“Chewie’s inside the fence,” Alexa said, looking adorable in jean shorts and her new neon green socks, “and I gave him some fresh water.”

“Thanks, honey.”

“Hi, Danny.”

“Good morning, sunshine.”

“Jo, before I go, can I see you outside?”

“Uh, sure.”

Curious, Jo went to the door and stepped out, pulling it shut behind her. In the distance, waiting at the curve of the driveway for her daughter, Misty gave a halfhearted wave. Jo waved back.

“Are you ever going to marry Danny?” Alexa whispered. “You
really
should. He’s such a hottie.”

Jo laughed out loud.

“Yes, he is a hottie. He’s also a good, good man. And what’s on the inside of a person is way more important than what’s on the outside, you know.”

“More important than those gorgeous blue eyes?”

“Yes.”

“More important than that sexy smile?”

“Why, Alexa,” Jo teased, “I do believe you have a crush on my fiancé.”

The girl blushed, and Jo realized that it was true. How cute.

“Yes, I am going to marry Danny,” Jo said as she patted Alexa on the shoulder. “So you’ll have to find your own hottie, okay? This one’s taken, for sure.”

Danny was grinning at Jo as she came back inside.

“What?” she asked, crossing back to the table and taking her seat.

“What what?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He wiped his mouth with his napkin and then reached out to put a warm hand on top of hers.

“Because I was just thinking what a wonderful mother you’re going to make. Have we talked about how many kids we want?”

The conversation took a more personal turn after that, as Jo and Danny sat at the table and discussed the future and for the first time made a number of concrete plans. Of course, having been best friends for so many years, they had similar life goals and values, so ironing out the details of how they envisioned their life together wasn’t very difficult. They both wanted to live forever in Mulberry Glenn, Danny working as a nature photographer and Jo continuing with her household hints. When Danny admitted that he’d been thinking a lot about Jo’s burned-down house and had come up with an idea, Jo was all ears.

“What if,” he said dramatically, “we used your insurance money to expand my house rather than rebuild your house? We could get rid of the rubble, move your home office closer to the front, and fence in both yards as one. How great would that be? With such a big yard, we’d have room for plenty of little Watkinses to run around in, not to mention the world’s coolest swing set, which their father would personally help build.”

Jo realized as soon as he said it that the idea was perfect. She had a feeling that the reason she’d postponed doing anything about rebuilding was because she knew subconsciously that there was a better way to go—and that turning the two properties into one was it.

Beyond that, of course, was the thrill in her heart when he talked about “little Watkinses.” Her dream had always been to have a big family, and the thought of Danny as the father of her children thrilled her to the very core.

As they continued to talk, Jo was not surprised to find that they agreed on so much—particularly on their intention to marry sooner rather than later. About the only area they disagreed on was travel. Having spent a lifetime being whisked around the world by her parents, Jo wasn’t keen on the notion of an extended European tour. She hated to disappoint Danny, but she’d rather stay home, where she was cozy and warm and safe.

The police arrived as Danny and Jo were washing up the dishes. She went to greet them and then stayed outside to keep Chewie calm while they worked out in the guest house, looking for incriminating evidence.

Danny thought it might be the perfect time to run a couple of errands. He returned to his room for his wallet and keys, and then he went outside to tell Jo he’d be back in a few hours if she thought she’d be okay without him.

“Sure, but where are you going?” she asked, surprised.

He merely winked and smiled and said she’d have to wait to find out once he got back.

Driving out of the estate, he reached for his cell phone and dialed the home of his sister Denise, back in Mulberry Glenn. He wasn’t sure how to tell his family why he was here rather than in Europe, so he simply said that he’d taken a few days off of work to come home and get officially engaged to Jo.

Of course, that set Denise to yelling and cheering, and she actually wanted him to hold on while she used her cell phone to spread the word along the family grapevine. Laughing, he told her that he had to go, but that before he hung up, he wondered if she could tell him the name of her husband’s cousin’s jewelry store in New York City where they always got such good deals.

Squealing again, she dug out the name and address of the place and made Danny promise that he would call her back to describe the rings he was considering as soon as he got there.

Danny hung up, glad that the store was in the jewelry district and wouldn’t be hard to find. His only concern was that whatever he could afford would never be as nice as the boulder that Bradford had given Jo when they were engaged.

Thinking of Bradford, Danny’s mood darkened. He had one other errand to complete. After he had the engagement ring in his pocket, his next stop was the hospital.

Alexa was determined to have a fun day with her mom and Uncle Rick, even if they both seemed quiet and tense. Since they had wheels, something that wasn’t usually the case during visitations, she talked them into going to an amusement park that they always passed on the way to Mariner’s Village. Fortunately, the old lady had given Alexa enough cash so that she could afford the tickets for all three of them and buy them lunch and treats besides.

Strangely, Alexa didn’t want to talk about all of the excitement at the estate the night before with Winnie’s arrest. Alexa was terrified that if her mother knew, she might think the place wasn’t safe and try to take her out of there. Rick was such a worrier too, and Alexa knew that even if her mother didn’t have a problem with it, he would.

So she kept her mouth shut, except for telling the story of how Jo’s fiancé showed up from Europe last night and they almost got married but then they changed their minds.

“I was the maid of honor and in charge of the flowers,” Alexa bragged, “and I even decorated Chewie.”

“Jo almost got married, but then she changed her mind?” Rick asked.

“Yeah,” Alexa replied, “she said it was just too soon, too fast. I think they’ll probably have a regular wedding next year.”

They covered the whole park, standing in every line that wasn’t a mile long, getting soaked on the log ride, and eating so much ice cream and cotton candy that Alexa felt sick. The roller coasters seemed to be a big hit with her mom especially, and as the cart was click-click-clicking up yet another steep incline, Alexa glanced at her, to see a wild, expectant excitement on her face.

Alexa knew that was the same look her mom got whenever she went out at night on one of her binges. Just the sight of it made Alexa’s stomach plunge—even before the roller coaster crested over the top of the hill and headed back down again.

Choosing a ring took a long time, much longer than Danny expected, mostly due to the three-sister conference call during which he had to listen to a lengthy lesson on how to pick a diamond and then describe each of his top choices as he narrowed them down. At least the sweet old diamond dealer was very patient, and in the end he gave Danny a “family discount,” despite the fact that they were only tenuously related through in-laws. Danny was no jewelry expert, but knowing Jo as well as he did, his final choice of a ring seemed perfect, and he felt certain she would love it.

He left the jewelry store with the rock in a box in his pocket and a smile on his face, surprised to see that the day was getting away from him. After sleeping late, lingering over breakfast with Jo, driving into the city, and then haggling with his sisters over the phone, it was almost 5:00
PM.
Now he was ready to do this one other errand, and then he could head back.

Danny walked the ten blocks to Lexington. When he was almost to the hospital, he ducked into a florist shop, picked out the biggest bouquet of flowers they had, and burdened his already aching credit card with yet another purchase.

As he waited for the woman to ring him up, he noticed a roll of stickers nearby with the words “Heavenly Days Florist” printed in an elegant script of gold and pink. Discreetly, he pulled off a sticker for himself, and when he got outside with the bouquet he took a moment to slap the sticker on his front shirt pocket.

Inside the hospital, he played the role of delivery person to the hilt, suggesting that since the bouquet was so very huge and heavy he’d be happy to deliver it all the way to the patient’s room rather than saddle the elderly volunteer with it. The woman gladly sent him up to the fifth floor. There, he asked for the room for Bradford Quinn and was directed toward the end of the hall.

Danny held the bouquet in such a way that it would block his face, then he lightly knocked, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

“Floral delivery,” he said.

“Whoa!” he heard Bradford reply. “Who’s that from?”

Danny walked further into room, hiding his face, and made his way around to the other side of the bed. Then he set down the flowers on a rolling table, thrust out a hand, and quickly knocked the call button out of Bradford’s reach. Attached to the rail by a cord, it hung in midair, swinging back and forth under the bed.

On the bed, Bradford sat half propped up, his eyes wide, his face pale. The guy was totally banged up and bandaged, but at least he seemed mentally clear and alert.

“Hello, Bradford,” Danny said. “Remember me? Jo’s friend Danny? I just thought I’d drop by so we could have a little chat.”

J
o didn’t know where Danny had gone, but she had an idea it had something to do with making their engagement official. Last night, there had seemed to be no need for a ring, but now, in the light of day, she was secretly pleased beyond belief. What would that feel like, to be able to look down at the ring finger of her left hand and see a piece of jewelry that represented their commitment?

Jo didn’t want to seem shallow, but she simply couldn’t wait.