Not ten minutes after Mr. Everett had left for the evening, a knock on the door caused Tricia to look up from her paperwork. Angelica stood outside. Tricia crossed the front of the shop and opened the door. “Why didn’t you use your key?”
“It’s upstairs. I thought I’d invite you over for dinner.”
“Bob busy tonight?” Tricia asked.
“Yes, but I also figured you might want some company. Unless you have plans with Russ, that is.”
Tricia shook her head. “He hasn’t called. Besides, I was thinking about going to the hospital in Nashua to visit Kimberly.”
“Great idea. I’ll come with you.”
Tricia stacked her papers, and tucked them under the counter. “You don’t have to.”
“No, I insist. You don’t want to be driving there all alone in the dark.”
“It won’t be dark when I leave—which will be any minute,” she said, and headed for the back of the store to retrieve her jacket. “Besides, I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”
“Oh, you know what I mean. Hey, we can stop and get a bite to eat on the way up there.”
“Okay. I’ll drive.”
“Fine. Just let me go back to the Cookery to get my purse.”
As Angelica disappeared through the door, the old telephone rang. Tricia headed back to the sales counter, tossed her jacket on it, and picked up the receiver. “Haven’t Got a Clue, Tricia speaking. Sorry, but we’re closed.”
“Tricia? It’s Russ.”
“Hey, I was hoping I’d hear from you.”
“You busy tonight?”
“I wasn’t, until five minutes ago. But now Angelica and I are going to Nashua to visit Kimberly Peters at the hospital. What did you have in mind?”
“Dinner, of course. I was hoping the third attempt might be the charm.”
“No such luck, darling. At least not tonight. Ange and I are getting a bite on the way.”
“You might be wasting your time and gas by driving to Nashua. When I checked earlier this afternoon, Kimberly was still out of it. They’re keeping her heavily sedated.”
“I thought hospitals didn’t give out personal information on patients anymore.”
“I’m a reporter. I have my sources. So why go visit? She’s not your friend.”
“As far as I know, she hasn’t got anyone else. No family, and no friends that I know of—at least not in Stoneham. If she is awake, she might be grateful to see at least one familiar face. I thought I might buy a plant or something on the way. That way, when she does wake up, she’ll have something pleasant to look at.”
“You’re hoping she’s going to tell you who attacked her and ransacked Zoë’s house,” he accused.
“Don’t be absurd,” Tricia said, although that was exactly
what she’d hoped, and was extremely grateful he couldn’t
see her face at that moment. “And what if I do? Am I supposed
to call you so you can add that to your story?”
“Play nice,” he warned. “If she is awake, I suspect you’ll have to vie for her attention with Sheriff Adams or one of her deputies. If the woman has any smarts at all, she’ll have a guard posted at Kimberly’s door.”
“I did think of that,” Tricia said, not bothering to hide her disdain.
“The thing is,” he said, his voice softening, “have you considered that you could be in danger?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Tricia. At every turn, you’ve been one step behind the killer. That means you’re likely to be the next target.”
“May I remind you I’m not the one who chased the robber?”
“No, but you were the last one to speak to Kimberly. Zoë’s killer might think she said something of significance to you.”
“But she didn’t.”
“The killer doesn’t know that.”
Why did he always have to be right?
“I’ll be perfectly safe with Angelica.”
“Only if she’s packing heat in her handbag.”
“Now who’s been reading too many old detective stories?”
He laughed. “You have contaminated me,” he conceded. “Let me come with you two.”
“You just want to tag along in case Kimberly’s awake and does tell me something. That way you can put it in your next issue.”
“Tricia, there’s no such thing as ‘breaking news’ when you publish a weekly. And could you try to think the best of me once in a while instead of the worst?”
Whoa, that hurt. But he was right.
“I’m sorry, Russ. That was uncalled for.”
“Thank you. Now what about my offer to take you to Nashua?”
“I don’t know. Angelica might feel the need for bonding. And she’ll probably want to dish on Frannie.”
“Frannie?”
“She worked with Ange today. I arranged it. Frannie will probably never speak to me again.”
Russ laughed. “Angelica’s reputation does precede her.”
“Sadly, you’re right.”
“Look, why don’t you give me a call when you get back? Or maybe you could drop Angelica off and come see me.”
“We’ll see.” She glanced at the clock. “Ange will be here any minute. I’d better be ready. You know she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“Okay, but don’t forget me.”
“How could I?” she said, her voice softening. “You sent me a card that says you love me.”
“Yes, I did.”
Tricia couldn’t help but smile. “I will definitely call you later.”
“I’ll hold you to it. Bye.”
“Bye.” She hung up the phone.
The shop door opened and Angelica entered, her gigantic purse slung over her shoulder and a smile plastered across her lips. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Tricia and Angelica headed down the sidewalk to the municipal parking lot.
“Cold again,” Angelica said, and shivered. “Doesn’t winter ever end around here?”
“Give it another month and we’ll have plenty of spring flowers,” Tricia said as they approached her car. She pressed the button on her key ring and the doors obediently unlocked. They got in.
“Where can I find some daffodils or a plant to take to Kimberly?” Tricia asked.
“Hey, you’ve lived here longer than me. Shouldn’t the hospital sell some in their gift shop?”
“Possibly, but they may close early on a Sunday evening.”
Tricia started the car and pulled out of the parking lot and into Main Street, steering north for Route 101.
“Do you know where we’re heading?’ Angelica asked.
“I looked at a map earlier this afternoon. Do you want to eat first or go straight to the hospital?”
“Visit first. Eat later. I’d like to try a new little French bistro not far from the hospital. One of my customers told me about it the other day.”
“If you’ve got the address, I’m sure we can find it,” Tricia said, as the last of the village fell behind them. Though it wasn’t yet dark, the trees that lined the road cloaked it in deep shadow. Tricia turned on her headlights. Theirs was the only car on the road.
“By the way, I can’t thank you enough for sending Frannie to me today, Trish.”
“What?” Tricia asked, disbelieving.
“We just had the most fun all day long. And I sold a ton of books. The woman’s a natural-born salesperson. Too bad she’s got a regular job, because I would hire her in a heartbeat. In fact, she’s coming back to work for me next weekend. She suggested I order some Hawaiian cookbooks, and we could make some appetizers or dessert and pass it around next Saturday. Have you ever had poi?”
“No. Isn’t it some kind of messy, green goop from a root, that’s beaten to a pulp—and looks not unlike goose droppings?”
“Frannie swears it’s delicious.”
“I think I’d just swear if I had to eat it,” Tricia said, glancing into her rearview mirror. A car coming up from behind flicked on its headlights, blasting her retinas with its high beams.
“You have absolutely no culinary adventure in your soul,” Angelica went on.
They zipped past a deserted vegetable stand. “So says you.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve eaten eel, whale blubber—highly overrated in my opinion—and once I even ate a box of chocolate-covered ants.”