I looked at Nick and dipped my head in the direction of the stairs to the second floor. He nodded and headed quietly for them.
Mac had come in behind us and was standing at the cash desk. I walked over to him while Rose explained to Avery how they were going to make dog biscuits for the Clarks’ big black Lab.
“I knew something was wrong when she got here,” he said, indicating Avery, who was smiling now as Rose held her hands and talked. “She wouldn’t tell me what it was, but she made me swear on your life that Rose was okay.”
“I guess that’s why my ears were burning,” I said with a smile.
Mac smiled back. He was Nick’s height, all lean, strong muscle with light brown skin and cropped black hair. He smelled like Ivory soap and peppermints. “Do I want to know about this blood sample Nick is going to take?”
“Probably not,” I said, “but I’m going to tell you later anyway.”
He laughed.
“Thanks for opening this morning,” I said.
“Anytime.” Mac’s eyes stayed locked on mine just a little longer than they needed to before he looked over at Rose. “I’ll put Avery to work sorting that box of postcards you bought from Cleveland. You should probably get Rose upstairs before she changes her mind or Nick does.”
I gave my head a little shake. “Umm, yeah, I should do that,” I said. I looked around. “I thought Charlotte was coming in.”
Mac nodded. “She was here. She and Mr. P. are working on something.”
“Do I want to know about it?” I asked.
He came around the cash desk.
“Probably not,” he said, raising an eyebrow, “but I’m going to tell you later anyway.”
Like he had just a moment before, I laughed.
I walked back over to Rose and Avery and dropped a hand on Avery’s shoulder. She turned and I could see that all the anxiety and fear were gone from her face. I smiled at her. “Kiddo, could you sort through that box of postcards that Mac has out on the workbench?”
“I was going to do that, Sarah,” Rose said.
“You should take it easy today,” Avery said, “shouldn’t she, Sarah?”
“Yes, she should,” I said, fixing Rose with a steely stare to make my point—which I knew she’d ignore.
“I’ll do it, Sarah,” Avery said. “Is it okay if I make the tea first?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
She gave Rose a quick hug and dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I put my arm around Rose’s shoulders and we followed at a slower pace.
“I can’t believe Avery thought what happened was her fault,” she said. She was still holding her phone, and she tucked it into the pocket of her pink cotton sweater.
“She loves you,” I said. I hesitated, took a breath and let it out slowly before I spoke again. “You’re not going to do anything again like last night, right?”
She didn’t speak and she didn’t look at me. She just gave her head a little shake.
We found Nick in my office holding a cup of coffee and leaning against my desk. He gestured to the large mug beside him. “That’s for you, and, Rose, your tea is coming.”
I reached for the coffee and took a long drink, making a mental note to thank Avery for bringing the cup and Mac, who I knew had made the pot of coffee just the way I liked it.
Nick settled Rose on the small love seat in my office and very quickly and efficiently drew her blood. “I’m going to drop this at the lab,” he said.
“Thank you,” Rose said, reaching for the cup of tea that Avery had just delivered. “Nicolas is very good with his hands,” she said to me, bending her head to take a sip.
Nick’s mouth twitched as he tried not to grin. I glared at him and he wisely turned his attention to his bag.
“Good to know,” I said.
Nick slipped the shoulder strap of the black nylon first aid kit over his shoulder. Then he leaned down to give Rose a hug. “If you need any help with that dressing, let me know,” he said.
Rose kissed his cheek. “I will,” she said.
“I’ll see you and Jess tonight?” Nick said to me, raising an eyebrow.
I knew he was referring to Thursday Night Jam at the Black Bear Pub.
I nodded. “We’ll save you a seat.”
After Nick was gone, Rose stretched out her arm and studied the tiny bandage Nick had put in the crook of her elbow. “He really is good with his hands,” she said.
I grabbed my mug from my desk. “You could at least try to be a little less obvious,” I said.
“At my age I don’t have a lot of time to waste on less obvious.”
I made a face and Rose laughed. She studied her arm again. “How long do you think it will take before we get any results?”
“A couple of days, I’m guessing,” I said. “I think it may all be a little faster because Nick is using the medical examiner’s lab.”
Rose gave me a knowing smile over the rim of her china teacup. “I know,” she said. “That’s why I let Nicolas think he was winning a victory by getting me to ask him to do the blood sample.”
I shook my head.
She got to her feet and headed for the door, leaning over to kiss my cheek as she passed me. “Don’t worry, dear,” she said. “I would never use my powers for the forces of evil.”
“I’m pretty sure Darth Vader said the same thing,” I called after her. I could hear her laughing as she went down the hall.
I dropped onto the love seat and drank the last bit of now cold coffee in my cup. There was a knock on the office door. “C’mon in,” I called.
Mac poked his head into the room. “I saw Nick leave,” he said. “How did it go?”
“Nick’s taking the blood to the lab. Now we wait,” I said. “Not that I think that Rose is going to pass the time by knitting or baking a cake.”
Mac smiled. “Based on the conversation she’s having with Avery, she’s planning on making dog biscuits.”
“For Casey.”
“Please tell me Casey is a dog,” he said.
I nodded. “A very nice black Lab that found Rose by the side of the road.” I pulled a hand back through my hair. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. There was no way Rose was going to sit by quietly until Nick had the results of her blood work.
“What can I do?” Mac asked.
“Aside from sitting on Rose until we know more, I don’t know.”
He took the heavy pottery mug from my hands. “How about I head over to McNamara’s in a little while and get lunch for all of us. Charlotte and Alfred will be here, you know Liz is going to stop in and Rose is going to want to start working on this case, because it is a case, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “It is. Michelle doesn’t seem to think so and I’m not certain Nick does, either, but I believe Rose, and I want to know what happened to her.”
Chapter 8
I was about to go back downstairs to see if I had any messages when my cell phone rang. It was Michelle.
“How’s Rose this morning?” she asked.
“She’s fine,” I said. “I’m guessing Nick told you about the needle mark on her neck.”
“He said he convinced her to let him take a blood sample.”
It was more like she conned him into taking the sample, but I didn’t say that. “I’m hoping we’ll get some results in a couple of days.”
“Good. Maybe that will clear things up.”
I could picture Michelle nodding as though those blood tests would settle everything.
“Sarah, the reason I called is I checked with the Camerons’ financial adviser. Jeff Cameron did empty the account yesterday with some made-up story about needing the money because they had the chance to buy a piece of property they’d been looking at.”
I propped an elbow on my desk. “It doesn’t prove he left town,” I said. “Do you have any idea who this other woman is?”
“If you’re asking did he show up at the bank with her on his arm, no. And I also spoke to his assistant, Chloe Sanders. She has no idea where he is, either.”