them up out of bed to talk to them. It's a five hour trip, four if I stretch the speed limits. No one is cooperative when they get woken out of bed."
"I know, I know," Darcy told him. "It's just so frustrating. I like it better when your cases involve people right here in town. There’re no long drives involved with those."
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye with an amused smile. "So…you like it better when the killer is someone we know?"
"Jon!" She couldn't help but laugh, even as she tried to sound offended. "For Pete's sake, that is not what I meant!"
"It's what you said. You said, you like it better when—"
"I know what I said," she said, reaching over to tickle that spot on his side that always made him squirm. "You're just trying to be difficult."
"No, no no!" He tried to pull away while keeping his grip on the steering wheel, helpless against her playful attack. "Don't tickle the driver! Don't tickle the driver! Hey, wait. Who is that on our porch?"
Darcy stopped trying to unbutton Jon's shirt and looked up. Sure enough, there was the outline of someone in their open doorway. Two someone's, actually. JoEllen stood there, inside the house, talking to…
Izzy McIntosh and her daughter Lilly.
Jon said a few choice words under his breath that would have made Darcy's ears ring if she wasn't thinking the very same thing. Not that she thought JoEllen would ever do anything to their neighbors, but letting Izzy know that JoEllen was staying with them could be risky. For them, for JoEllen, and especially for Izzy.
Jon parked the car in the driveway and took a moment to school his expression before getting out and walking casually up to the front porch of their house. "Hi, Izzy. Hi there, Lilly. What brings you two over?"
JoEllen was leaning in the doorframe, her arms crossed in front of her, for all the world like she was the owner of the house and not just a questionable guest. "I was just telling Lilly here that I have a son about her age," JoEllen explained to Jon. "Your neighbors saw the lights on and people inside and assumed it was you and Darcy."
"I didn't know you had houseguests," Izzy said apologetically. Her pretty face was pinched with curiosity, almost suspicion, at finding these people in Darcy's house. She and Darcy had become very good friends ever since she'd come to town, and there wasn't much they didn't know about the goings on in each other's lives. Except this, of course. The wind caught at the hem of Izzy's short dress below her heavy coat, and at the strands of her long blonde hair, pulling them into her eyes. Eyes that asked Darcy a thousand questions.
"Uh, yes," Darcy said, managing a smile. "This is JoEllen. She's a friend from Bear Ridge. She and her son Connor are going to be staying with us for a few days."
That was close enough to the truth that she didn't feel like she was lying to Izzy. She would hate to start breaking the trust she had built up with her.
"I go by Ellen now," JoEllen corrected Darcy without making it obvious. "You know, we haven't had dinner yet. If you wanted to join us I'm sure I could spring for some pizza. Lilly could meet my Connor, too. I'm sure they'd hit it off."
"Can we, mom?" Lilly asked, looking up at her mother hopefully, almost bouncing from foot to foot in her fuzzy winter boots. Her pixie face framed by her long brown hair made her look so much like a little cherub that Darcy knew Izzy would give in. Any mother would. "Can we, please?"
"Actually, Izzy, I could use your help," Jon said, completely dashing Darcy's hopes that she could get Izzy to leave in some polite way. "We have a case that involves people from Cider Hill. Your hometown. Mind if I pick your brain for a bit?"
"Well," Izzy said, looking more at her daughter than Jon, "I suppose if there's pizza involved that it's all right with me."
"Yay!" Lilly exclaimed, running past all of the
"I know, I know," Darcy told him. "It's just so frustrating. I like it better when your cases involve people right here in town. There’re no long drives involved with those."
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye with an amused smile. "So…you like it better when the killer is someone we know?"
"Jon!" She couldn't help but laugh, even as she tried to sound offended. "For Pete's sake, that is not what I meant!"
"It's what you said. You said, you like it better when—"
"I know what I said," she said, reaching over to tickle that spot on his side that always made him squirm. "You're just trying to be difficult."
"No, no no!" He tried to pull away while keeping his grip on the steering wheel, helpless against her playful attack. "Don't tickle the driver! Don't tickle the driver! Hey, wait. Who is that on our porch?"
Darcy stopped trying to unbutton Jon's shirt and looked up. Sure enough, there was the outline of someone in their open doorway. Two someone's, actually. JoEllen stood there, inside the house, talking to…
Izzy McIntosh and her daughter Lilly.
Jon said a few choice words under his breath that would have made Darcy's ears ring if she wasn't thinking the very same thing. Not that she thought JoEllen would ever do anything to their neighbors, but letting Izzy know that JoEllen was staying with them could be risky. For them, for JoEllen, and especially for Izzy.
Jon parked the car in the driveway and took a moment to school his expression before getting out and walking casually up to the front porch of their house. "Hi, Izzy. Hi there, Lilly. What brings you two over?"
JoEllen was leaning in the doorframe, her arms crossed in front of her, for all the world like she was the owner of the house and not just a questionable guest. "I was just telling Lilly here that I have a son about her age," JoEllen explained to Jon. "Your neighbors saw the lights on and people inside and assumed it was you and Darcy."
"I didn't know you had houseguests," Izzy said apologetically. Her pretty face was pinched with curiosity, almost suspicion, at finding these people in Darcy's house. She and Darcy had become very good friends ever since she'd come to town, and there wasn't much they didn't know about the goings on in each other's lives. Except this, of course. The wind caught at the hem of Izzy's short dress below her heavy coat, and at the strands of her long blonde hair, pulling them into her eyes. Eyes that asked Darcy a thousand questions.
"Uh, yes," Darcy said, managing a smile. "This is JoEllen. She's a friend from Bear Ridge. She and her son Connor are going to be staying with us for a few days."
That was close enough to the truth that she didn't feel like she was lying to Izzy. She would hate to start breaking the trust she had built up with her.
"I go by Ellen now," JoEllen corrected Darcy without making it obvious. "You know, we haven't had dinner yet. If you wanted to join us I'm sure I could spring for some pizza. Lilly could meet my Connor, too. I'm sure they'd hit it off."
"Can we, mom?" Lilly asked, looking up at her mother hopefully, almost bouncing from foot to foot in her fuzzy winter boots. Her pixie face framed by her long brown hair made her look so much like a little cherub that Darcy knew Izzy would give in. Any mother would. "Can we, please?"
"Actually, Izzy, I could use your help," Jon said, completely dashing Darcy's hopes that she could get Izzy to leave in some polite way. "We have a case that involves people from Cider Hill. Your hometown. Mind if I pick your brain for a bit?"
"Well," Izzy said, looking more at her daughter than Jon, "I suppose if there's pizza involved that it's all right with me."
"Yay!" Lilly exclaimed, running past all of the
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