Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Drats, the man never failed to spark my hormones.
“You don’t play fair,” I accused.
“And you’re only finding that out,” he joked and got a poke in the ribs from me. “The snow is falling light again but according to the forecast it’s supposed to turn heavy in a few hours. We’ll have plenty of time to see what we can make of the new evidence and the possibility that we’re searching for a serial killer. But tonight, we relax and enjoy our favorite pastime.”
“Watching an old movie,” I said, finding myself eager to snuggle on the couch with Ian, a bowl of popcorn to share along with a bottle of wine, and a movie to enjoy.
“Pick a movie,” Ian said as he opened my car door.
I didn’t hesitate. “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”
“Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. Perfect,” he said. “But first…”
He kissed me.
“We should head home right away,” I said when the kiss ended.
“My thoughts exactly,” he agreed.
Unfortunately, to both our disappointment, it didn’t go that way.
25
My Bluetooth went off and the screen read a number I recognized… Stan’s daughter. I answered.
“The hospital called. My dad is coming around—”
I stopped her before she could say anymore. “I’ll head right over there and get him on the phone so you can see and talk with him.”
“Thank you, Pepper, I am so grateful.”
I called Ian, a car behind me, and he followed me to the hospital.
The doctor was outside Stan’s room speaking with a nurse.
“Only a few minutes,” the doctor said when I told him his daughter wished to speak with her father.
Ian followed me in the room and waited off to the side as I approached the bed.
“Stan,” I said softly, and his eyes fluttered open.
“Pepper,” he said and reached his hand out to me. “I think I know the man, but I can’t place him. I caught a quick, distorted flash of his reflection in the window.” He scrunched his face. “I can’t recall what it was about him that was familiar.”
“Don’t worry about that now, Stan. You need to rest and get better. And there is someone who wants to talk with you.” I Face Timed him with his daughter and there were smiles and tears of relief.
“I am good, Barb, you are not to worry. I have wonderful friends and great doctors,” Stan told his daughter. “I will be snug in the hospital during the snowstorm. Marsh will have the driveway all cleared out for me and Warren has already told me he’d take me home. And since I have wisely followed Pepper’s prepping blog,” —Stan grinned at me— “I have more than enough food to sustain me through the winter.”
After some loving words exchanged between father and daughter the call ended.
“Bless you for doing that, Pepper,” Stan said. “It eases my daughter’s worry, but back to what happened.”
“The doctor said only a few minutes,” I said, though I would have preferred to talk more about what had happened to him.
Stan paid me no mind. He went right on talking. “He came up from behind. I heard him but had no time to turn around. A quick reflection in the window and a flash of recognition, but I don’t know from where. Old age memory sucks.”
“See if this name rings any bells,” I encouraged. “Deanna Wilkins.”
“She’s the unidentified female?” he asked with a smile.
“Good chance thanks to Kate at Yesterday’s Treasures.”
His eyes went wide. “Now I remember why Kate looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place her. I couldn’t reconcile the years. How could she look the same as she did thirty-five years ago?”
“Deanna was Kate’s aunt. You knew her?” I asked.
“She would hang around the lodge now and again, though not when your aunt was there. Your aunt would chase her away. She recognized the girl for what she was… a young woman hungry for a man with money and willing to do anything to get it.”
“Did you see her the weekend of Rita’s murder?”
“I did. We did,” he corrected. “My friends and me. Some of us had just gotten off an endless week of difficult studies and some grueling hospital shifts. The only thing we wanted was to relax, fish, oddly enough I remember water temperatures were good for fishing that weekend, and have a few cold ones.”
“Enough talk,” the nurse announced when she entered the room.
“A few more minutes,” Stan said.
“You need to rest,” the nurse ordered.
“This is important, and I will rest as soon as I get done speaking to Pepper,” Stan insisted.
Ian came to our rescue.
“Stan asked for fresh water,” Ian said, snatching up Stan’s pitcher that looked to be sweating from fresh ice. “Could you show me where I can get it for him? Then we’ll be on our way.” He wore that wickedly handsome smile of his as he slipped his hand under the nurse’s arm to guide her to the door.