The conversation in the dark last night gave me a sense of calm. Too bad my cramps were an absolute bitch. Kipp left a glass of water and some Midol this morning before he went to work, gently shooing Fish away so he wouldn’t climb all over the bed. He’d bent over me and murmured an ‘I love you’ that made the best kind of butterflies dance in my belly.
No man had ever told me that before, except my father, and he’d abandoned me years ago. Kipp was solid and kind. Not to mention, he made every part of me flutter. Jane was looking down on me right now, screaming, ‘You lucky bitch.’
After slamming down two bowls of Cocoa Puffs, which I deserved, I called Sydney, who looked like she’d poked herself in the eye with her mascara wand.
“What’d you do to yourself?” I asked as I was shoving another spoonful of chocolate deliciousness into my mouth.
“Stupid mascara,” she muttered as she tried to set the phone on the vanity. “I’m trying to get ready for work. The principal is killing me. The year just started. Who starts school in August? Private schools, that’s who,” she said, answering her own question. “That guy is such a pain in my ass. I swear they’re going to fire me.”
“Why on earth would they do that? You’re the best teacher ever. Do you want me to send my hackers after his ass? I can make his life hell.”
Sydney was my bestie, and no jackass was going to mess with her. She’d struggled through school, trying to pay everything and cover her student loans at the same time. Even when I offered to help, she’d said no. Her apartment was crappy, but she was proud and stubborn—traits I admired.
She laughed. “You would. No thanks. Rich people are a bunch of jackasses.” She went back to her makeup and then peered at me. “So, chica, what’s shaking with you? Are you about to be a baby momma to Mr. Flannel? What’s the news?”
“No. Got my period yesterday.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re bummed? I’m sorry, Hats.”
“I’m going to stay here.” Swirling the remaining Cocoa Puffs in my bowl, I spooned the rest into my mouth. “With Kipp.”
“Like forever?”
“Yep. I love him.” Drinking the cereal milk, I gave her a grin. “He loves me. We’re going to have a baby, and I’m going to live in the woods and steal raccoons with the girls.”
Sydney held up a hand. “I feel like we need to unpack all that backwoods crazy stuff. You’re going to steal raccoons and live in the woods?”
“You should visit. You’d like it here. I promise.”
She shuddered. “I’m late for work, babe, but I can’t wait to talk more about your baby-making and raccoon-stealing plans, I promise. Also, we need to make sure you’re not crazy. Maybe think about therapists, but just so you know, I love you even if you are psycho.”
“I know. I love you back. Have a good day. We’ll talk more later, and you can give me a psych eval.” I blew her an air kiss and finished my cereal milk.
It was a good day. I had a raccoon heist in play, and I was moving the rest of my things to Kipp’s because I was definitely not staying in the other cabin any longer. Sage and Lila were also meeting in town to plan our heist. There was no getting around the fact that I was a little nervous about that. Raccoon thieving seemed like risky business,but if I was going to be on the girl squad, I’d put in the effort. I’d already started researching raccoons.
It was also Maggie’s bingo night at the Community Center, and the whole family was going, which sounded fun. Who doesn’t like bingo?
Then there was work. That was a whole different kettle of fish. I’d need to check in with Storm and the team. Transitioning to a new podcast model would be a whole different challenge.
The J & J Hourwould continue streaming as Casper and CID began their investigation. Allison deserved to be found and laid to rest properly if we could find out where she’d been buried. Maybe there were more clues to be found now that we’d linked Barry Galloway to the car.
This morning, I’d gotten a message from Casper saying they had searched Trent and Allison’s house. Allison had a makeshift cam studio set up in the garage, apparently built by Trent. Casper sent pictures of a small booth, and sure enough, I saw tarps and black sheets draped and secured with ropes and zip ties. It wasn’t a murder kit at all. Casper mentioned they would check the lot numbers, but I’d bet the materials were all in the garage. They hadn’t found any other evidence at the house linking Trent, but they did seize Allison’s computer and found an external drive that she used.
Once her case was closed, I needed to talk to the team about taking cases closer to home, where I wouldn’t haveto travel as much, or maybe I’d focus on podcast streaming and skip the groundwork. I still wanted a voice for those who needed it, but I also needed to regain some balance, and that meant getting back to living. I could rebuild my marketing business and work with clients again, or maybe even help Kipp with his cabins.
The day seemed bright as I headed to town, the road cutting through the trees as the sun shone through it. I could stop at the store and pick up all the fixings for dinner. I was nowhere near the cook as anyone in the Holt family, but I managed pasta okay. Roasting tomatoes wasn’t rocket science, and the market had fresh bread. Humming to myself, I turned up the radio and let myself enjoy each empty curve. That was another hard thing to get used to … the roads here were always so empty.
Lila, Sage, and I were supposed to meet at Chapter & Crumb to go over the basics of our raccoon capture. It didn’t seem like a plan we should be talking about, but Sage assured me it would be totally fine, and they’d done it before. Apparently, there was a domesticated raccoon they ‘borrowed’ now and then. It seemed far-fetched, but who was I to deny them their revenge? Phiny was busy, apparently, and Chloe was at work. My guess was they were distancing themselves from raccoon-napping.
My phone buzzed in the cup holder next to me, but I didn’t reach for it, enjoying the sunshine and the music. I could check it when I got to town. It was probablysomething for the podcast or Sydney. I’d checked in with Kipp earlier. He was out on some preserve checking a poaching situation. It was still hard to understand everything he did as part of his job. It seemed confusing to me, and it was constantly changing, but what mattered was that he loved it. I’d been touched that he’d thought about traveling with me if I wanted to. That showed me that he really meant what he said about making things work. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it meant a lot that he wasn’t asking me to choose.
My mind was still tangled up with everything that had happened with Kipp and me, but I was happier than ever. Thinking about staying in Wildwood Meadows filled me with a sense of completeness, and the idea of someday making a family with him made my heart race. Maybe we’d wait a little while, or maybe we wouldn’t.
Easing around the last big curve into town, I turned the radio dial up another notch. It was a good day. As I sat straighter, a truck suddenly appeared behind me, coming fast. It hadn’t been there before, but that didn’t mean much since this area was full of logging roads that went who knows where. Kipp had an ATV that he was going to take me on, but we hadn’t gotten around to it yet. The truck behind me was close now, nearly kissing my bumper. Speeding up a little, I tried to create a bit more space, my heart racing.
My grip tightened on the wheel. Maybe they were in a hurry. Maybe they’d pass once the road straightened.Edging over to the shoulder of the road where the pavement was a little wider, I made a silent invitation for them to move on by. Instead, the truck surged forward until it hit my bumper hard enough to jolt my car forward.
“Holy fuck.”
