smiled as she headed toward the Stakely building and the comforting familiarity of work.
Chapter 8
“Hey, Joe!” Lacy greeted him with an enthusiastic smile and wave. He blinked at her a few times before answering, and that was when she was reminded that she was wearing yoga pants, an old college t-shirt, smeared makeup, and a disheveled hair bun.
“Hey, Lacy,” Joe said, his tone a bit wary as he took in her appearance.
“Long night,” she explained.
“I’ve had a few of those.”
Since he was a recovering drug addict who had spent much of his adult life in prison, she didn’t take much comfort in the commiseration. “Think I can avoid the crowd today and hide out in my office?” she asked.
He smiled but otherwise didn’t reply as he followed her up the stairs. She made coffee and poured him a cup in the “World’s Best Boss” mug Michael had jokingly bought for her. If there was one thing she liked about Michael, it was that he was kind to Joe. Cindy was too, Lacy begrudgingly admitted. She was still searching for a flaw in the woman who had once been Jason’s first love and only serious girlfriend. Maybe she should sic her grandmother’s friends on the woman; they could find something wrong with anyone.
Soon after she poured her coffee and sat down, her grandfather showed up for their weekly progress report. She had tried repeatedly to pay him for all the work he was doing on her behalf, but he waved her away with a gruff, “Nonsense. I’m enjoying myself,” every time.
“Are you okay?” he asked as soon as he entered the room.
“Yes. Why?”
“You weren’t home this morning. Lucinda was worried.”
She knew there was a lot he left unspoken. She was twenty six, almost twenty seven, and her grandparents tried to give her space. But it was hard for them whenever she was careless and made them worry. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to call. That’s horrible. Grandma must have been worried sick. I was with Tosh.”
His eyebrows rose until they almost touched his hairline.
“We were at the jail,” she added, but he looked no less confused. At the word “jail,” she looked over his shoulder at Joe to see if the reminder of his old life upset him, but he was staring vacantly into space as if lost in his own world. Her grandfather listened patiently as she explained about Pearl, not offering commentary until the end.
“It certainly sounds like she did it,” he volunteered.
“That’s what I think, too. But Tosh doesn’t.”
“Everyone thought I did it,” Joe interjected. “No one believed me until you came along. That’s a terrible lonely feeling.”
Lacy felt a ping of guilt for not giving Pearl the benefit of the doubt. “There’s a lot of compelling evidence, Joe.”
“There was a lot of evidence in my case, too,” he said. “But I didn’t do it. Now, I’m not saying this woman didn’t, but she’s still innocent until proven guilty. Maybe this Tosh person is right and you ought to look into things.”
“Carefully,” Mr. Middleton added. “I’ve got to run and check on my workers because they looked like they wanted to sneak out early today. I’ll come back and we’ll finish this later.”
Lacy nodded absently as he left and closed the door. “Joe, you amble around town at night, right?”
“Some,” he admitted.
“Did you go out on Tuesday night after dark?”
He squinched his eyes closed while he thought. “I believe so, but sometimes the days run together. No, wait, I’m positive I went out on Tuesday.”
“Did you see or hear anything unusual?”
“I thought I saw a lion. I cornered it, but it turned out to be a really fat cat.”
“You thought you saw a lion, and you cornered it?” Lacy clarified.
“How often do you get to see a lion up close?”
“Good point,” she said. “Anything else? Did you hear gunshots from
Chapter 8
“Hey, Joe!” Lacy greeted him with an enthusiastic smile and wave. He blinked at her a few times before answering, and that was when she was reminded that she was wearing yoga pants, an old college t-shirt, smeared makeup, and a disheveled hair bun.
“Hey, Lacy,” Joe said, his tone a bit wary as he took in her appearance.
“Long night,” she explained.
“I’ve had a few of those.”
Since he was a recovering drug addict who had spent much of his adult life in prison, she didn’t take much comfort in the commiseration. “Think I can avoid the crowd today and hide out in my office?” she asked.
He smiled but otherwise didn’t reply as he followed her up the stairs. She made coffee and poured him a cup in the “World’s Best Boss” mug Michael had jokingly bought for her. If there was one thing she liked about Michael, it was that he was kind to Joe. Cindy was too, Lacy begrudgingly admitted. She was still searching for a flaw in the woman who had once been Jason’s first love and only serious girlfriend. Maybe she should sic her grandmother’s friends on the woman; they could find something wrong with anyone.
Soon after she poured her coffee and sat down, her grandfather showed up for their weekly progress report. She had tried repeatedly to pay him for all the work he was doing on her behalf, but he waved her away with a gruff, “Nonsense. I’m enjoying myself,” every time.
“Are you okay?” he asked as soon as he entered the room.
“Yes. Why?”
“You weren’t home this morning. Lucinda was worried.”
She knew there was a lot he left unspoken. She was twenty six, almost twenty seven, and her grandparents tried to give her space. But it was hard for them whenever she was careless and made them worry. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to call. That’s horrible. Grandma must have been worried sick. I was with Tosh.”
His eyebrows rose until they almost touched his hairline.
“We were at the jail,” she added, but he looked no less confused. At the word “jail,” she looked over his shoulder at Joe to see if the reminder of his old life upset him, but he was staring vacantly into space as if lost in his own world. Her grandfather listened patiently as she explained about Pearl, not offering commentary until the end.
“It certainly sounds like she did it,” he volunteered.
“That’s what I think, too. But Tosh doesn’t.”
“Everyone thought I did it,” Joe interjected. “No one believed me until you came along. That’s a terrible lonely feeling.”
Lacy felt a ping of guilt for not giving Pearl the benefit of the doubt. “There’s a lot of compelling evidence, Joe.”
“There was a lot of evidence in my case, too,” he said. “But I didn’t do it. Now, I’m not saying this woman didn’t, but she’s still innocent until proven guilty. Maybe this Tosh person is right and you ought to look into things.”
“Carefully,” Mr. Middleton added. “I’ve got to run and check on my workers because they looked like they wanted to sneak out early today. I’ll come back and we’ll finish this later.”
Lacy nodded absently as he left and closed the door. “Joe, you amble around town at night, right?”
“Some,” he admitted.
“Did you go out on Tuesday night after dark?”
He squinched his eyes closed while he thought. “I believe so, but sometimes the days run together. No, wait, I’m positive I went out on Tuesday.”
“Did you see or hear anything unusual?”
“I thought I saw a lion. I cornered it, but it turned out to be a really fat cat.”
“You thought you saw a lion, and you cornered it?” Lacy clarified.
“How often do you get to see a lion up close?”
“Good point,” she said. “Anything else? Did you hear gunshots from
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