I nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“And then when you’re done, I’m going to get you a BLT from Betty’s to take-out and you can eat it at home, ok?”
I looked up at Jason and smiled. He was just so perfect. “Sounds like a deal to me.”
I got up from my seat, the list of things I had to do galvanizing me. Sophie came over and wrapped me in a big hug.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Whoever did this, we’ll find them, and we’ll make them pay.”
“Thanks, Sophie,” I told her. Knowing I had such a great best friend and boyfriend really did make the tough situation easier to handle. Fifteen minutes later Karen was on her way, and I’d called the insurance adjustors who gave me a list of everything they’d need for the claim. Getting things done made me feel strong once again, and this time, when I stepped out of the room and saw the bright red slur spray-painted on the wall, it didn’t hurt at all. Someone thought they were getting the best of me. Well, they weren’t.
Five minutes later Karen showed up. I thanked her for coming in on her day off then sent her over to Chief Gary. He promised to be in touch later that afternoon, and then told me the best thing I could do would probably be to go home; anything else and the townspeople would be all over me trying to get as much information as possible. I figured that was a good idea.
“I’ll go get your BLT, and meet you back at your place,” Jason told me, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “You’re going to get through this.”
“Thanks,” I told him with a small smile. Having done as much as I could for now made me feel like I was more in control of things. I wasn’t exactly scared; to be honest, I wasn’t sure who would have done this. I still wasn’t sure that it was Matt Smith, although he was a pretty good candidate. I think a part of me hoped it was simply some kids deciding to play a prank, or something.
Sophie and I pushed past the crowd of people once again. I thanked a few well-wishers, then we made our way back toward the car.
“Hey, Angela,” I heard a familiar voice say, and I froze. Sophie and I turned around and faced Matt Smith, who had a crooked smile on his face. “I hear you got a nice dose of Karma this morning.”
Before I could reply, Sophie had stepped forward threateningly. “I can show you Karma if you’d like. Right in your stupid mouth.”
Ok, Sophie’s threat didn’t exactly make sense. But Smith certainly got the gist of it, and he laughed. “Oh yeah? You’re going to beat me up, are you? You weigh like what, a hundred pounds?”
“At least Sophie isn’t a coward, like you,” I replied. “Did you feel like a big man, breaking into an empty vet clinic and trashing the place?” I didn’t know why I’d said it. After all, I wasn’t even convinced that Matt Smith had been the guilty party. Maybe I just wanted to see his reaction. I got my answer in the form of a laugh.
“You think I did that? Well, you certainly can’t prove it. It’s too bad Willow Bay is such a charming city and no one has any security cameras around that might show the guilty party.”
“If we’re as backwards as you think we are, then it won’t surprise you to know I don’t believe in innocent-until-proven-guilty,” Sophie said with a small smile.
“Luckily for you, I make it a rule not to hit women,” Smith told Sophie, looking at her with disdain.
“Unfortunately for you, I make it a rule to only hit creeps,” Sophie replied, taking a step forward. To be honest, even though Smith had at least sixty pounds on Sophie, I would probably put my money on her in a fight. Sophie was scrappy. And while I knew I should probably be the mature one and stop her, I found myself just watching to see what would happen.
“Matt Smith!” I heard a voice boom from behind me, and before anything else could happen, Chief Gary was striding up the street toward us. “Good. You’ve saved me some time by being here. I’d like to speak to you about the vandalism at Healthy Paws Vet Clinic today.”
“You’re just the man I want to see as well,” Matt Smith replied. “This woman here was threatening me.”
“Why am I not surprised that you’re a total tattletale?” Sophie replied, rolling her eyes. Chief Gary simply sighed.
“You have no witnesses. I don’t think Angela will back up your story.”
“I didn’t hear any threats from Sophie,” I answered dutifully. I didn’t like lying to Chief Gary, but I certainly wasn’t about to tell the truth here.
“See? Now, I want you to come down to the station to answer some of my questions.”
Smith’s face fell slightly, and he glared at Sophie and I before allowing himself to be led toward the police station at the other end of the street.
As Sophie and I climbed back into the the car, I realized just how much I needed that BLT, and it wasn’t even ten in the morning yet. It was going to be a long day.
11
When Sophie and I got home—Charlotte was already long gone to Portland for her medical school studies—we only had to wait about five minutes before Jason arrived as well. As soon as he heard about our encounter with Matt Smith on Main Street, he was pissed.
“So he pretty much confirmed it was him. I knew it,” Jason said, angrily pacing around the living room. Sprinkles, Sophie’s dog, was following after him, wagging his tail and trying to calm him down. Jason finally sat down on the couch and gave Sprinkles a pat on the head.
“I agree,” I said. “I wasn’t sure before, but I am now. I definitely think it was him.”
“On the bright side, maybe Chief Gary will put him in holding and accidentally lose the key,” Sophie said.
“It’s just an intimidation tactic,” I said. “He wants me to suffer for ruining his business deal. Well, too bad for him, I’m not backing down. I’m going to find an investor to buy the property.”
“Now that’s the fighting spirit from the Angie I know,” Jason grinned at me. “You will need to be more careful though. If he’s willing to vandalize your business, who knows how far he’ll go to get that property out from under you.”
“Well hopefully Chief Gary will have enough to lock him up, and then maybe he’ll get the hint and leave town,” I replied.
“Hopefully, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Well, I’m not going to live like a monk because one guy has it out for me,” I continued.
“Of course not. But just… be careful,” Jason said, looking worried. “I can kick his butt if he comes near you when I’m around, but if he doesn’t, well…”
I took the sandwich Jason brought over and put it on a plate, then went over to the couch and sat down next to him. Sophie took a spot on the armchair.
“I agree with Jason,” she said.
“What kind of best friend are you?” I replied through a big bite of sandwich. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“And you’re supposed to be able to eat like an adult,” Sophie said, scrunching up her face at my eating habits. “But Jason’s right. You need to be more careful. Maybe carry a can of mace around or something.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“I doubt anyone will care if you stop him from attacking you with it.”
“I don’t think that’s how the law works,” Jason piped in. “But I like the sentiment. Maybe a legal weapon of some kind.”
“If you’d like I can follow you around and claw him if I see him,” Bee said from her spot on top of the bookshelf. “I miss the feeling of human flesh under my claws.”
I smiled at my cat. With Jason around, I couldn’t answer her, and she knew it. Bee could be incredibly loyal, and also so creepy and weird at the same time.
“Ok,” I said. “I promise I’ll be careful from now on.”