The Graves of the Guilty (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 3) (15 page)

“Since there’s no tellin’ if we’ll be detecting next weekend, let’s do something else to change our world.” Jake began to dig around in his coat pocket.

“What did you have in mind?” Bryant asked.

Jake showed them a flyer announcing a community cleanup in the East End, the area of the city that had seen such an outburst of violence over the past month. “They need a painting crew to freshen up the elementary school on Saturday. Who’s in?”

Everyone volunteered but Trish. “Sorry, but I’m going to be selfish next weekend. Phil and I are going to read the paper in bed like we did when we were first married and then my girls and I will watch our favorite Disney movies while eating all the junk food we can stand.”

Cooper smiled at Trish. “Would you like to adopt me for a day? I love pajamas and junk food.”

Quinton collected his coat and books. “There’s a new Hope Street member I might ask to join us.” His hands ran over the text of Gloria’s name in the worship program. “I wonder what her favorite kind of cake is. I could bake something for her as a welcome gift.”

Jake shook his head. “You got it bad, my man. Real bad.”

Cooper looked closely at Jake, speculating whether he and Savannah were still close friends or had progressed to something more romantic. He continued to gaze at Savannah with pure adoration, fetched her food and coffee, and chauffeured her wherever she needed to go, but nothing between them seemed noticeably different.

As if reading her mind, Quinton slung an arm around Jake. “Looks like we all have it bad! Trish and Phil, Cooper and Nathan, Bryant and Jane, and hopefully, me and Gloria . . .” He trailed off, his cheeks flushed with anticipation. “I just have this feeling about her, and I’m going to call her the second I get home.”

Quinton waved good-bye and hastened out to his car. The rest of the Sunrise members weren’t far behind. Cooper was the last to leave. Passing the hall table on the way to the front door, she saw a package of Valentine’s Day cards and groaned inwardly. Sooner or later she was going to have to sort out what she felt for Edward. In the meantime, she had to tell Nathan that she was feeling tempted by another man.

She’d just gotten in her truck when her phone indicated that she’d just received a text message. The message was from Nathan.

Will drop by 2nite. We need 2 talk.  Ok?

Cooper typed “OK,” and hit the send button. A second later, her phone beeped again. Assuming she’d received another message from Nathan, Cooper glanced at the screen and then drew in a sharp breath. This text was from Edward.

Send me yr addy. We need to talk. E.

When?
she typed back. She was glad she hadn’t started driving yet, because she probably would have ended up in a ditch after reading Edward’s reply.

2nite.

• • •

“What’s wrong with you, girl?” Grammy asked. “You’ve been runnin’ like my pantyhose today. You must have jogged for an hour this afternoon and you barely said two words at supper.”

Cooper sat down on Grammy’s bed and stroked Little Boy’s soft orange fur. The plump feline purred in gratitude and rolled on his back. “I do have a problem and it involves two men.”

“Two?” Grammy’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, this is going to be better than TV.” She settled down next to Cooper, laid her head back against the pillows, and popped a butterscotch candy in her mouth. Little Boy heard the slurping and slipped out from beneath Cooper’s fingers to sniff at the discarded wrapper.

“You know Nathan. He’s sweet, smart, and cute, and everyone likes him,” Cooper began.

Grammy shifted the butterscotch to the other cheek. “Don’t beat around the bush, child. What’s wrong?”

“It’s Edward. The man who brought me to Ashley’s house the night she found Miguel’s body.” Cooper picked at a loose thread from Grammy’s quilt. “I went out with him last night. We were just trying to find out more about Miguel, but we went to a dance club and—”

Grammy slapped the thread from Cooper’s hand. “Get to the meat of the matter before I turn ninety.”

 “I’m tempted by him!” Cooper blurted. “I keep imagining what it would be like to kiss him. I try not to, but I can’t get him out of my mind!”

Grammy closed her eyes and bit down on her candy. “Let me tell you about this lady at church. She and I were waitin’ to use the bathroom—you know there’s only two stalls for
all
us women—and I asked her how she came by the sling she was wearin’ over her shoulder. What do you think she said?”

Cooper shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Turns out, she was tryin’ so hard to fit into a girdle that she pulled her shoulder. She had a date, see, with a fellow she knew about forty years ago and she wanted to look her finest.” Grammy glanced over at the framed wedding photograph on her dresser. “But she wasn’t the same girl. We all change, granddaughter. There are different seasons to our lives.”

“I’m not following you,” Cooper said.

“What I’m sayin’, child, is not to wrench loose a limb tryin’ to fit yourself to one man or the other.” Grammy smiled at her. “Which man fits you? Which fellow wants you just as you come—flaws and all?”

Cooper mulled this over. “Edward doesn’t really know me. He sees me as this Angel of Justice or something. But I feel capable of anything when I’m with him. Like I could rise above myself.”

“And Nathan?” Grammy asked, reaching for another candy.

“He goes to church, cares about his family, and works hard. He’s educated, funny, and . . .  safe.”

Grammy cackled. “You know, men used to say that all women were either Marilyn Monroe or Jackie Kennedy, but the perfect woman would be a bit of both. Damn fools. We all have two sides. Edward isn’t some beguiling demon sent from below just to raise your body temperature any more than Nathan is a choirboy who drifted down on a cloud from heaven.” Her expression turned stern. “Either way, you need to straighten your feelings out right quick before you lose them both and end up marchin’ down the aisle with Little Boy. So speed up your soul searchin’, you hear?”

“Yes, Grammy.” Cooper kissed the thin skin on her grandmother’s cheek and walked into the kitchen. She’d just opened the refrigerator to see if her mother had any diet soda on hand when Ashley appeared. “Isfereanyjuish?” she slurred.

Cooper’s eyes traveled to the bottle of vodka in her sister’s left hand. “What?”

“Juish! Juish!” Ashley bellowed and then hiccupped.

Cooper reached for the vodka but Ashley hugged the bottle to her chest. “Thass mine! Get yer own!”

Placing both hands on Ashley’s shoulders, Cooper steered her inebriated sibling to the nearest kitchen chair. “What’s going on, Ashley? You don’t drink straight liquor. Ever.”

Ashley pressed her forehead against the table. “Dizzy,” she muttered.

“You need fresh air.” Cooper hoisted her sister back to her feet and nearly dragged her out to the patio. Ashley wobbled and clutched her belly. “If you’re going to puke, turn to the right,” Cooper ordered. “That empty plant pot will do just fine.”

Ashley uttered a guttural moan and then emptied her stomach into the pot. When she’d finished purging, she sank to the ground. Cooper joined her on the cold flagstones. Gathering her sister in her arms, she wiped the sweat-dampened hair away from her cheeks. “What happened?”

Through closed eyes, Ashley whispered, “I asked Lincoln about that guy, Alex. The one he’s had the late meetings with.” Her voice was raw with pain. “Turns out, his name’s not Alex, it’s Alek. And he’s not a guy.”

“Alek is a woman?”

Ashley pushed a strand of hair off her forehead. “Alek
sandra.
The woman Lincoln’s been with instead of coming home to me.” Her mouth curled into a snarl.
“Aleksandra, Aleksandra, Aleksandra.”

Cooper was losing feeling in her toes. Ashley’s skin was cold and she’d begun to shiver. “What you need is coffee and a shower, but not in that order.” Cooper wrinkled her nose. “Let me get you up to my apartment, Ashley. Together, we’ll figure this out.”

An hour later, Ashley was clean and a good deal more lucid. Cooper had loaned her cotton sweatpants and a University of Richmond sweatshirt. She then helped her sister get comfortable on the sofa, covered her with a crocheted afghan, and placed a mug of black coffee in her hands.

Cooper sat down next to her. “Feel better?”

“No,” Ashley said and Cooper was pleased to see her sister’s customary pout.

“It’ll help to talk about it. Start from the beginning.”

Ashley nodded blankly. “Last night, I waited up for Lincoln. Just as he tiptoed into our room, I switched on the lights. He froze like a deer in a hunter’s sights and I told him it was high time he told me the truth about these extracurricular meetings.”

Cooper handed Ashley one of their mother’s iced almond cookies.

After wolfing down the treat, Ashley gestured at the plastic bag. Cooper handed it over and watched her sister consume three more cookies in a matter of seconds. “Sorry,” she said in between swallows. “I don’t remember eating today.”

“I’ll fix you something if you want.”

Ashley shook her head. “Lincoln tried to convince me that the meetings were Alek’s idea. According to him, she’s been working overtime to figure out how to make
his
dealership rise above the rest of the area dealerships. Apparently, she’s worked at six different car places and knows more than Lincoln does about trends and cost-effectiveness and the rest of that junk.”

“Is she the reason winter sales figures are so high?” Cooper asked hesitantly.

“That’s the picture Lincoln painted. She is somehow able to convince customers to purchase the most expensive cars their credit could buy. Talked them into costly warranty packages, too. The dealership makes a nice bundle on those.” Ashley licked icing from her finger and then continued, “Many of those customers brought their family members in a month or two after buying a car. Husbands and wives, parents and kids, brothers and sisters. Customer-loyalty purchases have been out the yin-yang.”

Cooper was impressed. “And here I thought the whole country was broke. She must have incredible business savvy.”

Scowling, Ashley tossed the rest of the cookies on the coffee table. “Whose side are you on? Why don’t you join them the next time they go to P.F. Chang’s or Morton’s or Bookbinders or”—her voice rose with every restaurant name—“or for a quickie at the Holiday Inn Express!”

“Did Lincoln admit to having an affair?” Cooper winced, expecting her sister’s tirade to escalate.

Ashley let loose a weary sigh. “He says it’s all business—that he’s been trying to get out from under his daddy’s thumb for years. I guess Alek’s smarty-pants ideas have allowed him to do that now.” Her eyes filled with tears. “He’s happy, Coop, and I had nothing to do with it.”

Cooper took hold of her sister’s hand. “Then be happy
with
him, Ashley. Since things are going so well, ask Lincoln to spend more time with you. Have Alek over for dinner. The two of them can talk business and you won’t miss out on seeing your husband. Get involved. Share your opinion. Show both Alek and Lincoln that you’re not just a pretty face.” She squeezed Ashley’s hand for emphasis. “Close the space between you and your husband.”

“Easy for you to say,” Ashley grumbled. “I looked up Alek’s picture on the dealership’s website. She’s gorgeous. Auburn hair, blue eyes, and judging from how much of the doorway she fills, she must be about six feet tall.” She snorted. “And in case you forgot, I’m not much of a cook.”

“I can prep some Dijon lamb chops for you and Mama can whip up a fancy-looking tart.”

Ashley giggled. “A tart for a tart. Perfect!” Despite the rueful remark, she’d brightened at the idea of inviting the finance manager to dinner. “You’re right. I’m not going to play the desperate housewife. I’m going to be part Martha Stewart, part Angelina Jolie. I’ll do exactly as you said—close the space between us. Thank you for making sense of this mess.” She gave Cooper a hug.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Cooper checked her watch and wondered if Nathan had arrived early for their dinner date.

But he usually knocks and then comes in,
she thought as she opened the door.

It wasn’t Nathan.

“Edward?” It was so incongruous to see his black-clad form on the top stair. She blinked dumbly, wondering how he’d found her house when she’d never replied to his text message.

He held up a bottle of red wine and a loaf of crusty Italian bread. “You didn’t tell me when to come over, but this seemed like as good a time as any.” He pushed the bread into her arms and she had no choice but to accept it and invite him inside.

“You remember my sister, Ashley?” Cooper said as they entered her tiny living room.

“Who could forget?” Edward replied with an enigmatic twinkle in his gray eyes.

Ashley flushed prettily and scooted over on the sofa so Edward could sit beside her.

“It’s a good thing you’re here,” Edward told Ashley. “We need to go over this thing again. Right from the moment you found Miguel. A detail’s been missed. I feel it in here.” He pounded on his muscular chest with his right palm and then examined his watch. “It’s after five. Let’s pour some sour grapes, break some bread, and make headway on this case.”

When Cooper didn’t reply, Ashley spoke up on her behalf. “I’ve had enough alcohol for the rest of this decade, but I’d love some bread. Got any cheese, Cooper?”

Cooper walked into the kitchen to unwrap the small wedge of Havarti she’d bought the day before. As she cut the cheese into thin slices, she listened to the muted sound of Edward and Ashley conversing in the next room.

In the midst of arranging the bread and cheese on a platter, someone else knocked on her door and then a burst of cold air flowed into the kitchen.

“Hi,” Nathan greeted her as he stepped into the room. He placed another bottle of wine on the counter and removed his coat, pausing briefly to look at Cooper. “What? Am I too early?” He gestured out the window to the driveway below. “Looks like you’re having a party up here. I recognize Ashley’s car, but whose motorcycle is that?”