I had bigger worries than being considered cool or uncool.
Jimmy and Sam were the first to arrive. Louisa followed them with a clipboard and a formal list of items to be handed out.
Linda swept in with the garden club ladies. I'd added her and Mimi to the list of recipients. Louisa hadn't so much as batted an eyelid. If anything, she'd appeared relieved that neither my cousins nor I created a fuss to hang on to belongings.
Ange was here too. Harper and Reina had their hands full at the inn, and I’d promised to fill them in afterward if my plan worked.
I'd prepared a small buffet with cake from Sweet Surprise, finger food from the delicatessen, and half a dozen gift bags for the bequests. The special cookies stayed hidden, at least for now.
"Thank you all for coming here," I said. "It means a lot to me. Although we lost one of the most wonderful women I’ve ever met, she brought me back home. For that alone, I will always be grateful."
"Hear, hear," Jimmy said. He clapped his hands. Then he peered at the windowsill with the potted plant. "That hellebore should have gone out days ago. I need to give you a few gardening lessons, Bex."
"Thank you. I'd appreciate that," I said. "And I hope you also appreciate this." I picked up one of the gift bags and went over to him. Inside was an antique weeding fork and an equally old book written by a Victorian plant hunter. Both had been passed down through the generations. The footstool could follow later.
"Oh, my." His hands shook as he took out the gifts. "I can't possibly accept these."
"It was my aunt's last will," I said. "She said nobody would cherish these things like you."
"I will treasure them forever." He broke off. His son squeezed his hand.
To Linda, I gave, in my aunt's name, a brooch shaped like a flower, made of red and gold enamel. She accepted the piece of jewelry with a squeal of delight and pinned it onto her silk scarf. Maybe she appreciated its beauty. Or it was worth a lot more than I’d thought. Never mind.
To Mimi and the garden club, I gave a journal with hand-pressed flowers and cuts, with notes by my aunt about propagation habits and where she found them. It pained me a little to part with this journal, because of all the love my aunt had put into compiling it. On the other hand, it was for a good cause.
There were a few other items that she'd left to people in town, but they were too big to be handed over in the library, so Louisa was going to take care of that.
Cake, sandwiches, and a few heartfelt speeches about my aunt, took up the rest of the hour I had calculated for the event.
"Almost done," I confided to Ange. "Now I only have one more job to do that Aunt Violet entrusted me with. It's the full moon too, so I have to do it tonight."
"Full moon?" she asked, in a nice clear voice.
"It's a bit weird. I found a note from her saying that she had something hidden in the cabin that needed to be—" I faltered and hung my head, hopefully the very picture of grief and sadness and the unshaken dedication to do whatever my aunt had asked me.
"Shall I come with you?" Ange asked, still within earshot of whoever was interested in our conversation.
"No, I've taken too much of your time already, and it's not as if I don't know the way. This is Willowmere, not the jungle."
Ange was the first to leave. After her, everybody filed out after giving me a hug or a handshake.
I opened the freezer and stared at a tub of chocolate chip ice cream. It might help settle my stomach. It might also make me feel sick. I closed the freezer again. If everything went according to plan, I could still dig in afterward, while knowing the killer was safely behind bars.
Chapter thirty-eight
Idressed sensibly in jeans, boots and my parka and armed myself.
With a flashlight in my hand and a head lamp, I set out through my backyard and into the woods. Cosmo crept through the undergrowth a few feet away. I hoped he was safe. Did a familiar repel predators even if they weren’t afraid of humans? Then I told myself to cut it out before I drove myself crazy with worry.
An owl hooted, and under my feet, brittle branches snapped loudly, tearing at my already stretched nerves.
What if I’d miscalculated? I was almost certain I’d be safe until I recovered the item. After that, all bets were off. But if I’d miscalculated and the killer had decided to get rid of me first?
I strained my ears to listen for another person sneaking through the woods.
There were noises, but I hoped Cosmo caused them, or another small animal. I changed the rhythm of my steps, pausing every few seconds to listen.
No. I was alone. At least I hoped so.
