Bingo beat her to the entry and was pacing impatiently when she arrived. Peeking through the side window, Skye groaned.
She reluctantly opened the door. “Hi, Simon. Sorry I’m such a mess. I was just cleaning. You look awfully spiffy for a Thursday afternoon.”
“Thanks, I’ve got a funeral at one. I thought maybe you’d be free for lunch now that school’s out.” Simon walked into the foyer.
“Gee, I’d love to but, as I said, I’m hardly dressed to go out.” Skye led the way into the great room.
“Well, I’m sure no one at McDonald’s would mind how you’re dressed.” Simon sat beside her on the couch.
“How about I make us salad and soup right here?”
“I’d really like to take you out, but if that’s your best offer, I accept.” Simon loosened his tie, took off his suit jacket, and scooted closer to her.
“Ah, good, just let me wash up a little, and I’ll get started on lunch.” Skye retreated into her bedroom and firmly closed the door.
She reemerged in ten minutes, having washed her face, changed tops, and combed her hair. Simon was in the kitchen, looking into an open cupboard. Bingo was twining around his legs, meowing.
“Looks like it’s time for a visit to the Super Value.” Simon gestured to the empty shelves.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten a little behind with my housekeeping chores.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of salad and a bottle of dressing. “Do you see any soup?”
Simon showed her two cans. “Tomato or chicken noodle?”
“You choose. The saucepans are to the left of the stove on the bottom.” Skye grabbed bowls, napkins, and flatware. “I hear the final tox screen came in on Grandma. What was used to poison her?”
“You know I can’t tell you that. How did you know about it anyway?”
She mimicked him: “You know I can’t tell you that.”
“Look, let’s have a nice lunch without talking about murder.” Simon rummaged among the shelves until he found a tray.
“Fine.” Skye watched Simon load the tray with their bowls. She added glasses of soda, then led the way to the patio.
They’d finished eating and were laughing about their latest attempt to teach another couple to play bridge when the doorbell rang.
“Were you expecting anyone?”
She shook her head and made her way through the house to the foyer. The chief of police stood in a halo of sunlight on her front steps. The early afternoon sun glinted on his gold badge.
Skye wondered briefly if he was the angel of death. “Come on in, Wally. Nothing wrong I hope.”
“No, just thought I’d drop by and talk to you about our conversation this morning. Maybe over lunch, if you haven’t eaten.”
Before Skye could respond, Simon walked in off the patio.
“What brings you here, Chief?” He casually draped his arm around Skye’s shoulders.
“Following up a lead Skye and I came up with this morning.”
“Oh?” Simon narrowed his eyes.
“Yep.” Wally smiled slightly.
Both men turned to Skye, who frantically searched her mind for something to say.
“Gee, Wally, Simon and I just had lunch, and he has to get going.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh, my, it’s already twelve-thirty and I know you like to be there to let the family in early.”
Simon glowered as he shrugged into his jacket and straightened his tie. “I’ll call you tonight after the services.” He kissed her cheek and left.
“He didn’t seem happy to see me here,” Wally said.
“Probably just in a hurry.” With a sense of déjà vu, Skye led the way into the great room and sat down.
Wally joined her couch and opened up his notebook. “The hospital has agreed to limit visitors to your aunt.”
“But no guard, right?” When he nodded she continued, “So anyone could still sneak in and kill her.”
“It’s the best I can do without some proof.” Wally’s eyes never left Skye’s face. “At least the psych ward is a lot more secure than the others.”
Skye forced herself not to resort to sarcasm. This wasn’t Wally’s fault. “Did you find out about her stomach contents?”
“No pill fragments. They were probably crushed into some food or drink.”
“And that isn’t enough proof for you?” she asked.
“No. If she was as antimedication as you say, it’s possible that was the only way she could force herself to take them.”
“Or, more likely, the only way someone could slip them to her.”
“I did go around and stop the trash from being removed from the church hall. Since you used mostly paper plates and cups, we might still find something. I sent it all to the lab.”
“If I had to guess, I’d pick the foam cups to test first. Aunt Minnie drinks lots of coffee with milk and sugar. That would be a good place to put the crushed pills.”
“I’ll let them know that.” He made a note. “Anything else?”
“Well, since you didn’t find a container, would it prove anything to you to test the inside of Aunt Minnie’s purse for residue?”
“You mean, would the absence of residue prove she didn’t take the pills?”
Skye nodded.
“No, negative evidence isn’t considered compelling.”
“Oh.” Skye turned and sat on one leg so she could face him. “Thanks for telling me all this.”
The tips of his ears turned red. “Just because I don’t have enough proof doesn’t mean your thinking wasn’t helpful.”
“Thanks.” Skye gulped. “What a sweet thing to say. I’m so glad you don’t think I’m interfering.”
“Not as long as you come to me and don’t try to investigate on your own.” Wally took her hands. “I don’t want you to put yourself in danger.”
A shiver went down the back of her neck at his touch. His fingers were warm and slightly calloused. She tried to draw away but he tightened his grip.
When she spoke her voice sounded as if she had just finished jogging. “Would it be possible for me to see my grandmother’s reports?”
He chuckled deep in his chest. “That might be arranged.”
She tried to find something to say, but her focus shifted to his lips, which were moving toward her. This time when she tried to free her hands he let them go, only to wrap his arms around her a moment later.
He smelled like cinnamon and the last thing she noticed before he closed the slight distance between them were his eyes. Usually a warm milk chocolate, they had darkened until they were almost black.
Wally’s mouth settled gently on hers, then increased its pressure. At first she nestled closer, allowing her fingertips to explore his jaw and wander into the thick, blunt texture of his hair.
But as he began to deepen the kiss, a tiny part of her common sense pushed its way forward. She levered herself from the circle of his arms.
Skye could barely get enough breath to speak. “This isn’t a good idea.”
“Why?” A line appeared between his eyebrows. “Are you saying you don’t feel anything for me?”
Skye backed toward the foyer. “No. I mean yes. I mean, I do feel something for you. I always have, but this is way too soon. Darleen could still decide to come back.”
Wally opened his mouth, then closed it without speaking. He looked at her with troubled eyes, picked up his notebook and tucked it into his shirt pocket before walking to the door. “This isn’t the end of it, you know.”
Skye nodded and whispered to his back as he walked toward his squad car, “I know.”
She sighed and started in on the remaining chores. She finally understood what the song, “Torn Between Two Lovers” meant. Hustling Simon out so quickly had been a bad idea. But having both men in the same room was far too uncomfortable. She needed to make some decisions pretty darn soon.