So the day of Tamara’s last social media post.
Loretta resumed stitching the quilt. “Leo heard that Tammy, ah, sowed her wild oats. That she slept with a few men from town.”
“Who?” Ophelia asked.
Loretta shrugged. “Leo didn’t say who and I didn’t ask.”
Delores cleared her throat, her hands stitching fast and sure. “I heard she was having a good time, as well. It’s too bad the Tundra burned down.”
Wasn’t it, though?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Brock hunched into his jacket and hopped out of his truck just as David easily carried a giggling Monica over his shoulder out of Delores’s house.
“They got into the wine,” David said, opening the plow truck’s door and gently tucking in his fiancée. After securing her seatbelt, he shut the door and snorted. “A lot of wine.”
Shaking his head, Brock strode up the walkway and knocked on the door as the chilly air burned his skin, biting back a smile at the peals of laughter from inside. The plow truck ignited behind him and David drove off, leaving the surrounding area quiet.
The hair on Brock’s nape stood, and he went on full alert. He looked around the normally peaceful subdivision, seeing quiet houses surrounded by darkened trees. Somebody lurked out there. He didn’t know who, but every instinct he had told him somebody watched him right now.
It wasn’t Christian. He knew Christian. Oddly enough, he knew what it felt like to be hunted by C. It wasn’t his brother watching from the woods.
The door opened, and he pivoted as heat blew from the small home. Ophelia stumbled out with Flossy on her heels, both women laughing and already bundled up for the frigid night.
“Thanks for coming to get us.” Ophelia looked up, her cheeks rosy and her eyes bright. “We had a little bit of wine.”
Flossy snorted and nudged Ophelia aside with one skinny elbow. “We had a lot of wine.” Thick material tumbled out of her hands to land on her boots.
Brock leaned over and snagged the partially finished quilt before it could get too wet. “Flossy, be careful.” He lifted the squares, noting a large salmon taking center stage in one of the squares. “That’s a big fish.”
Flossy giggled. “Yeah, I know.” Then she looked around the darkened subdivision and up at the snowing sky. “Hey, we’ve got to get going. I have to work early in the morning.” The elderly woman slid her hand beneath his elbow. “Let’s go, Brock.”
He paused. “Who else needs a ride home?”
Flossy snorted. “Nobody. Loretta drank mostly water after just one glass of wine so she could drive home. Doc is sleeping on the couch right now, and Delores lives here. You should know that. Geez.”
Wow. Tons of wine. Brock reached for Ophelia’s elbow to assist both women down the stairs and toward the truck, which he’d left idling in the driveway. Even so, he scrutinized the forest on the other side of the subdivision to the north. The sense of somebody watching him had gone. Nobody was out there. Perhaps his imagination was fucking with him. “Let’s get you two in the truck,” he said calmly, hustling them both into the warm cab before looking again at the forest. Nothing moved.
They were halfway home before Flossy finally kicked her feet toward the heater. “Oh, man, Brock, you should have seen Olly interrogating Loretta. It was actually a lot of fun.”
Ophelia snorted from the back seat. “I did not interrogate anybody. I just asked her a couple of questions. Frankly, she volunteered a lot of information.”
Brock looked through the rearview mirror at Ophelia, who had settled in quite nicely. “What do you think? Do you believe she harmed Tammy?”
Ophelia shook her head. “No, not really. I can't say for certain, but she seemed to be telling the truth. Although...” She looked out into the darkened night. “I have to say, everyone seems to allow for odd happenings around here. What exactly are you people afraid lurks in the woods?”
Brock shrugged. “There's a lot of danger out there, but nothing supernatural. The cold will destroy you faster than anything else.” He turned off the river road and headed down Main Street, driving slowly to Flossy’s place. He jumped out and helped the elderly woman to the door as Ophelia brought all their quilting supplies.
Flossy moved inside and toed off her boots, her thin hand holding the material that showed a massive moose. “I stitched the owls and fish but didn’t get a chance to add the moose. Maybe I’ll only have one glass of wine next time.” She wavered slightly.
Brock turned toward Ophelia. “So. Are you staying here or with me?”
Ophelia handed the remaining quilting supplies to Flossy. “Oh, I’m staying with you, but first we’re going to have a drink at Sam’s.”
The woman wanted to grab a drink? “All right.” Then he grasped her arm to help her across the ice to the truck while scanning the surrounding area for threats. Soon they headed down Main Street again toward Sam’s. “It seems like you had a good time at your first quilting party.” He kept an eye on astrengthening storm, evidenced by the wind beating the trees down around them.
She grinned. “Oh, I had so much fun. Who knew quilting could be enjoyable? I don’t have a lot with friends, to be honest.” Her voice quieted at the end. “I guess I’ve been busy with work and haven’t really worked on forming good friendships.”
