“That’s a good question,” Cindy said. “One would think it would have to be someone residing on the ground floor or someone able to get in and out the lobby doors.”
“That could be anyone. The deliverymen have a way in,” Pam pointed out.
Janice rushed in looking disheveled and a little pale, Rory thought. She took her usual chair beside Pam and looked aroundat her friends, twice opening her mouth to speak and then closing it when she glanced down at Ellen.
“Should I take Ellen upstairs to our apartment?” Lydia asked.
Ellen glanced up, proof that she was paying attention to the conversation.
Janice took a deep breath. “Give me a minute. I’m not even being dramatic. I swear.” Janice was rarely given to dramatics. “It might be best, Lydia. I can fill you in after I tell the others.”
“I’ll go up and watch her,” Cindy promised.
Lydia immediately rose, lifted Ellen into her arms and took the elevator up to the second floor.
Rory looked expectantly at Janice.
“I’m telling all of you this in absolute confidence. You have to give me your word this won’t go any further. My friend risked his job to warn me.” Janice waited for each of them to verbally give them their vow of silence.
Rory could see she meant business.
“Dustin didn’t commit suicide,” Janice whispered. “He was shot. Tortured. And then hung. Someone murdered him. No one is supposed to know. My friend wanted me to be on the alert. He said not to go anywhere alone.”
A chill went down Rory’s spine. They stared at each other in shock. “Could he be mistaken, Janice?”
Janice shook her head. “He risked his job to warn me. He examined Dustin’s body. You can’t tell anyone. I mean it. The gunshot wasn’t to kill him, only to subdue him. Whoever tortured him took their time and inflicted a tremendous amount of pain and damage before hanging him. Go in pairs everywhere.”
Cindy took a deep breath. “This is crazy. Why didn’t the police warn us?”
“I have no idea. They didn’t tell anyone. They let everyone believe his death was a suicide.”
“I moved here with the boys believing they would be safe. First the detective was murdered, now this. I need to rethink our living arrangements.”
“Cindy,” Janice wailed.
“I’m not telling anyone,” Cindy said. “I’m just going to start thinking about where I can move with the boys that’s safer.”
Rory couldn’t blame her. If she had children, she’d think about it too.
4
Gideon could barely take his gaze from the vibrant color of Rory’s hair. They were seated at one of the outdoor tables on the wharf at a restaurant only the locals frequented. The sun spotlighted all that dark cherry, now shining so bright it was nearly blinding him.
“You have beautiful hair.” He blurted it out and then flashed her a grin, shaking his head at his own stupidity. “I suppose you get told that a lot.”
Rory’s long lashes lifted. Now that he was so close to her in daylight, he could see that her lashes were dark, but they were dark cherry, just like her hair. Gorgeous. Everything about her was beautiful. He felt the impact of her green eyes.
“Actually, no. You’re the first, so thank you.”
She was telling the truth. He could hear lies. No one had ever given her a compliment on her hair? What was wrong with the men she dated?
“I don’t date much, so I’m awkward, and I don’t want to mess this up,” Gideon said.
She smiled at him, and that smile was genuine. “I don’t have much experience in the world of dating, so I probably won’t notice if you’re awkward. I moved here recently and had never even heard of this restaurant. It does have the best view of the harbor. You were right.” She’d asked some of her friends, and only Janice and Pam knew of it, but they hadn’t eaten there.
“It sits just high enough above the water that you can see the waves rolling in. It doesn’t matter if the fog is hanging out at sea or the sun is out; the view is outstanding. And wait until you have the food. No one does clam chowder the way they do. Everything on their menu is fresh and very good.”
Rory picked up the menu and bent her head, so the sun once more turned her hair into a fiery glow. “You know what I do for a living. What do you do?”
