Army man that he was, Liam was very good at giving orders. He managed to not only disperse the group to give Natalie some breathing room, but he did it while making every one of them feel important and necessary as they rushed to do their task.
Left up to her own devices, Natalie didn’t think she could have accomplished the same. She probably would have insulted everyone. Or broken down crying. It was a toss-up.
“Thank you,” she said when the shop was clear of her well-meaning friends.
“You’re welcome.” He smiled, taking her coat from her shoulders and draping it over one arm. “But I only bought you a couple of minutes. You do realize they’re not going anywhere until you recount everything that was said after we left here.”
She sighed. “I know.”
Liam tipped his chin toward the meeting room. “Go and sit down. I’ll help Harper with the tea.”
She nodded but before she could get to the doorway, her other group of friends arrived. Those of the spirit variety.
“Thank God, you’re here,” Gabe said.
Dropping his hold on Millie’s hand, he reached his arms out as if to hug her. He dropped them to his sides again when realization hit. A lifetime of being able to touch others was hard to unlearn. Especially for the newly dead. At least Gabe had stopped, mostly, leaning against walls, only to fall through them. He really hadn’t liked when she’d laugh at him for that.
“That bumbling deputy cannot possibly believe you actually killed me. Although, I’m beginning to believe I cannot overestimate the idiocy of the people of this town.” Lionel scowled.
“I called a ghost council meeting,” Ricky told her.
“We’re all here for you, sweetie. Anything you need,” Harriet agreed.
Millie, standing close to Gabe, looped her hand through the crook of his arm. As sweet as ever she said, “I’m so glad you’re all right and so happy to see you back.”
“Thank you. All of you. But it’s really fine. It was just a statement.”
“Hey! We’d like to hear this too,” Alice said, hands on her hips as she stood in the doorway. “Or do you gotta be a ghost to get any information around here?”
Alice was right. Better to tell the story once for everyone.
“Let’s go in and sit down and I’ll tell you everything.”
About ten minutes later, apparently telling them everything wasn’t enough.
“We were all waiting, ready to come in and give you an alibi, but no one called any of us. So they just let you go without an alibi?” Alice asked.
“No. They let her go because she was only there to give an official statement about how she knew the professor,” Liam clarified.
“And, not that I need one, but I do have an alibi,” Natalie began. “Carson called the New Haven police and they gave him the exact date and the estimated time of death provided by the medical examiner who signed the death certificate. I checked my calendar and we didn’t have book club on that date, but I wasn’t alone at any point. I was in the store all day, then I was in my apartment with Liam all night. Just like every night.”
It was weeks ago and the way days blended together her memory wasn’t great but with the exception of a rare all-nighter when he got involved in his research or writing a paper, Liam always slept at her place. What little personal belongings he had, he generally kept in his office or the little bedroom he’d set up in the lab. But other than that, he’d basically moved in with her?—
Alice leaned closer to Agnes. “See. Told you. Mary Brimley was right. They are living together.”
And apparently that fact had not gone unnoticed.
“To be fair, it’s stay here with her or sleep in the lab with the cadavers. Not much of a choice, is it?” Agnes whispered back.
“All right. Any more questions so Natalie can get on with her day?” Liam asked, cutting off the gossip happening right in front of them. It was more than time they wrapped up this interrogation.
Getting on with her day and her life was a nice idea.
Alice raised her hand.
With an amused lift of a brow, Liam said, “Yes, Alice?”
“I had another question but I forgot it. I’ll text you when I remember.”
