“Right on time,” he said with a smile that made Sam’s stomach flutter in a way she chose to ignore.“Come on in.It’s getting cold out there.”
Arlo trotted inside immediately, making himself at home.Aiden crouched down to greet him, producing a dog treat from his pocket.“Hey, buddy.I didn’t forget about you.”
Arlo took the treat from him politely, carefully putting his teeth on it so he wouldn’t accidentally nip Aiden’s hand.He settled in front of the fire with it.
Sam smiled at Aiden.“It smells amazing in here.”
“I hope you like chili.I made cornbread, too.”
Sam followed him through the living room, taking in all the details she’d been too polite to study on previous visits.Built-in bookshelves lined one wall, packed with an eclectic mix of crime novels, local history, teaching materials, and what looked like poetry collections.Black and white photographs of Sunset Ridge’s historic buildings decorated the walls—his own work, she remembered.
The kitchen was warm and inviting, with original cabinetry painted a soft sage green and a farmhouse table by the window.He’d set two places with simple pottery bowls and cloth napkins.
“Can I help?”Sam asked.
“Absolutely not.You’ve been interrogating suspects all day.At least, that’s what I’m guessing.Just sit.”He poured her a glass of red wine without asking if she wanted it, then fixed himself the same.“How did it go today?”
Sam settled into a chair.“It was good.I ran into Nora when I was walking Arlo.Unsurprisingly, she had ideas about how I should do my investigating.One of them was actually helpful, though.She told me Gerald’s usual lunch habits.”Aiden looked confused, and Sam clarified.“Sorry.That’s Gerald Parker.He’s one of the book club members and works as a bank teller.”
“Was it a good conversation?”Aiden ladled chili into bowls and brought over a basket of warm cornbread.
“It was a strange one.He seemed both reluctant to talk with me and very nervous.He spent half the conversation trying to implicate Charlotte.”
“Really?That’s interesting.”
“Right?”asked Sam.“Because killing a book club member wouldn’t exactly be a good way to drum up business for the store.”She took a bite of the chili and closed her eyes.“Wow.This is amazing.”
“Family recipe.My grandma would disown me if I didn’t make it properly.”Aiden sat across from her, his long legs stretching out under the table.“So Gerald’s deflecting.What’s your gut say?”
Sam said ruefully, “My gut is kind of going back and forth.I think he’s hiding something, but I don’t think it’s murder.”Sam wrapped her hands around the warm bowl.“I’m not sure what it is.He also mentioned Sofia, saying she’d been very nervous around Margaret lately.”
“Sofia?”
Sam said, “She’s apparently a fairly new member.A grad student at Western Carolina.”Sam took another bite.“What would you do next, if you were still a detective?”
“I’d start out with background checks on everyone, starting with whoever’s acting most suspicious.”Aiden studied her across the table.“But you’re not a detective, and I’m pretty sure Chief Hawkins wouldn’t appreciate you running criminal checks.”
“Probably not,” agreed Sam.“He didn’t seem especially happy to see me at Twice-Told Tales yesterday morning.I guess he thinks I have a nasty habit of discovering bodies.He’d like me to back off.”
“But you won’t.”
“Probably not,” agreed Sam cheerfully.“Do you miss it?Being a detective, I mean?”
Aiden considered this, cutting his cornbread into pieces.“Sometimes.I miss the puzzle-solving and the moment when everything clicks into place.But I don’t miss the darkness.Or the things people do to each other.”He met her eyes.“Teaching is better for my soul, I think.”
“That makes sense.”
“Besides,” he added with a slight smile.“I can still help solve the occasional murder.Just from a safe distance.”
After they’d finished eating, Sam spotted a book on the kitchen counter.She recognized the cover right away.
“You’re readingMiddlemarch?That’s our book club selection this month.”
Aiden said, “I saw it on Charlotte’s website.I don’t have time to do the book club meetings during the school year because I’m usually grading papers, but I thought maybe we could read the same books and talk about them.”He looked almost shy.“I hope that’s not weird.”
“No, it isn’t, it’s ...” Sam searched for the right word.Sweet?Thoughtful?Slightly overwhelming in the best way possible?“It’s really nice, actually.What do you think of it so far?”
“I’m liking it more than I expected to.”Aiden leaned back in his chair.“I mean, it’s dense.I’m only on page sixty-something, but Eliot’s prose is gorgeous.And the way she writes about provincial life, with all these people trapped by their circumstances and expectations feels almost modern.”
