Illegally Iced by Jessica Beck Page A

then one night it was raining and I got a flat tire. I was about to call AAA when James tapped on my window and offered to change my tire. By the time he was finished, he was soaking wet, so we went to his cabin so he could get some dry clothes. Suzanne, he was so gallant. We stayed up talking all night, and by morning the rain had stopped and something had started between us.”
    Trish had been looking for her knight in shining armor forever, and clearly James had suddenly fulfilled the role. It was an odd match at first glance, but the more I thought about it, the more I could see how they could be good together. They weren’t exactly opposites, but I could see how there might be enough between them to make them mesh.
    “It sounds wonderful,” I said.
    “It might have been. We just didn’t have enough time to find out. I have the feeling that I could have fallen in love with him if we’d been given more time, but now I’ll never know. Someone robbed me of that chance, and I’ll do anything I can to help find the killer.”
    “Grace and I have come up with all of the suspects you’ve mentioned. Is there anyone else you might want to add?”
    “Not offhand,” she said.
    As I got up from my seat, I said, “Trish, it’s not good for you to stay out here by yourself when you’re feeling this way. Why don’t you grab a few things and come home with me? Momma and I would be happy to have you at the cottage.”
    “You don’t even have to ask her first?” Trish asked.
    “I’m sure that my mother would be delighted to have you. I have to warn you, though. I get up pretty early, but you can sleep in as long as you’d like.”
    Trish stood as well, and as she folded up the blankets we’d been using, she said, “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine here.”
    I took the blanket from her and said, “This isn’t one of those offers that people make but don’t really mean. We would love to have you stay for as long as you like.”
    That got me the second hug from Trish that day. “You’re a good friend, Suzanne.”
    “So are you. How many times have you stood by me over the years? We both know that they are too many to count. Don’t be one of those people who can give out favors but never take them from anyone else. It’s okay to lean on someone else every now and then.”
    “I’ll try, but it goes against my nature. Honestly, if I change my mind later, can I call you?”
    “Sure, but try the house phone. I might be asleep, but Momma’s a real night owl these days. I’ll let her know that you might call.”
    “Like I said, I probably won’t, but thank you again for the offer.”
    “Like I said, any time, day or night.”
    As I drove away from the lake house, I wondered if I should have been a little more insistent about her coming back home with me. Momma and I didn’t have a lot of room, but there was always space for our friends in need. I was approaching the intersection to go back home when I spotted the police cruiser trying to turn into the lane that led to Trish’s place. It hadn’t taken Chief Martin as long as I’d guessed to track Trish down. Pulling the wheel of the Jeep over into a driveway just off the road, I killed my lights and waited for the police cruiser to pass me. Once he was around the corner and out of sight, I hit my lights, started my engine, and drove the rest of the way home. I wasn’t sure how the police chief would react if he’d caught me at Trish’s after what had transpired earlier, and I was in no mood to find out.
    The rest of the drive home was uneventful, and I was happy when my headlights hit the cottage Momma and I shared.
    Momma greeted me gladly when I walked in, as though the earlier exchange had never happened. That was just one of the things I loved about her. When it came to family, she never held a grudge or stewed over anything. The rest of the world might face her lingering wrath, but for me, she was always quick to just let things go.
    “I