He picked up the clue and cleared his throat. “Here goes nothing.” His gaze darted low as he skimmed it. “We’re back to the Longfellow poem.”
“Read it.” Cade picked up his beignet, and at Zoey’s glare, he leaned forward over the table and took a careful bite.
“Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church, by the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, to the belfry-chamber overhead.”
Silence hovered over the table. Cade swallowed. “That’s it?”
Zoey frowned. “Only part of a famous poem?”
“They’ve all been like that.” Elisa twisted her lips. “Except for this past clue, that wasaboutthe poem, but didn’t contain any actual stanzas.”
Cade tapped the card. “Could it be as simple as somewhere at the church?”
“They’ve never been quite that obvious. But even if—which local church?” Elisa asked.
Noah set the card on the table. “Yeah, we already determined Magnolia Grace doesn’t have a bell tower.”
“Celebration doesn’t have one either. Nor the Methodist or Catholic churches.” Zoey ticked off the options on her fingers.
“Well.” Cade dusted his hands over the table. “This one’s impossible.”
Elisa snorted. “We’ve thought that about all of them at first. But something always clicks.”
“For Elisa, anyway.” Noah gestured toward her. “Usually right when she’s in the middle of something else.”
There was no mistaking his meaning that time. The warmth in her chest blazed into an inferno. If they didn’t talk soon, she’d never be able to focus on the clue.
“It’ll come to us.” She stood and wiped the table with her napkin. “I’m getting pretty tired. Noah, would you take me to my car?”
He must have gotten her hint, because he stood so quickly, his chair overturned. “Yep.” He bent to straighten it, his hip bumping into their table.
Zoey’s eyes narrowed as they flicked between him and Elisa.
Cade snickered. “You have no idea, do you?”
Zoey zeroed her gaze on Elisa. “You better call me tonight. I have a feeling my update earlier wasn’t a full update.”
Elisa opened her mouth, then closed it. Her flush expanded. “I?—”
Noah’s phone vibrated on the table. He frowned. “It’s August.”
“Why would Mr. Bowman be calling this late?” Her throat tightened. “You don’t think all that with the police got us disqualified, do you?”
Cade frowned. “How would he even know?”
“He said he’d be watching.” Elisa nibbled on her lip as Noah answered.
“Why don’t y’all head out, then, and we’ll clean up?” Zoey tossed Cade the napkins.
He accepted them and wiped the table, while Zoey carried their empty beignet plate to the kitchen. Elisa began turning the chairs back over onto the table, heart hammering as she tried to subtly eavesdrop on Noah.
“What?” He paced by the door, one hand plugging his other ear shut as he listened. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Elisa’s hand froze around the upturned chair legs. “What’d he say?”
Noah shook his head, still listening. “I understand.” He nodded. “Okay, you too.” He hung up and sighed.
“How bad is it?” She winced.
