Rarity heard Sam’s knock on the door. “Come on in, I’m ready.”
Sam opened the door and saw Rarity holding Killer. “I take it he knows and he’s not happy?”
“Worse, I took off this morning for a few minutes and left him alone. Now he’s really mad.” Rarity kissed him on the top of his head then set him on the couch, turning the television on to a movie channel. “I’m ready. I’ll fill you in on my sleuthing fiasco this morning on our way to the theater. Do you need water for the walk?”
Sam took a bottle, then listened as they walked into town. “So you thought Marc might be Darby’s stalker? I have to admit, the idea occurred to me too. Did I say something rude to him last night? I think I overdid it on the cheap wine.”
“The wine was free.” Rarity told Sam what Sam had said about Marc being a liar because he was male.
“Foot in mouth, check. I really need to slow down when it’s hot outside. I forget how wine affects me.” Sam sipped more from her bottle. “No wonder I’m parched today. This is my third bottle of water.”
“You weren’t horrible, just a little sloppy.” Rarity rubbed her friend’s back. “Anyway, Marc has an ex-wife who said their divorce was amicable. The brother-in-law doesn’t like him, but she’s very clear that they were just about the racing. When he wasn’t racing anymore, they didn’t have anything in common. Sometimes when circumstances change, people change with them.”
“So now you have no suspects in Darby’s stalking pool.” They stopped at the red light where Darby had almost gotten hit by the truck. “Did Drew get anything off the cameras? Maybe that might lead you in the right direction.”
“Not that I know of, but I’ll text him. Good question.”
Sam beamed at the compliment. “Just because I’m not as involved in the sleuthing as the rest of you doesn’t mean I’m not interested. You all get a little crazy when you’ve got a case going on. You’re all Sherlocks and Watsons. Jonathon’s an actual ex-detective. Sometimes it’s a little intimidating.”
“As Drew reminds me all the time, he’s the professional. We’re all just amateurs. So no letting yourself get intimidated by any of us. Besides, last night I thought I had one of our mysteries solved, only to find out this morning that the answer I thought was not the correct answer.” She pointed to the theater ahead. “We must be early or late; there’s no line.”
Sam glanced at her watch. “We’re a few minutes late, but we should be able to get in still.”
After they went inside and grabbed some popcorn, the ushers took them up to a box to watch the movie. The usher said as he opened the curtain to show off their seats, “Best seats in the house, but if you were a littlelater, you would have gotten turned away. We’re almost completely full. We have two other seats in the box across from you, and then we’re full.”
As he said that, the curtain from across the theater opened and Darby and Marc walked into the box. They sat down, and then Darby saw them and waved.
“What a surprise,” Sam said as they got seated. “Not.”
“Marc Billings is beginning to get much more interesting,” Sam said as the lights went down.
At intermission, Darby came and found them. “Isn’t this amazing? I’ve never been in box seats before. You can see everything. So how did you guys score those?”
Rarity answered honestly. “We were late. How about you?”
Darby frowned at Rarity’s answer. “According to Marc, he had to use his connections. Maybe I should go home.”
“Stay and enjoy the movies. Maybe he did call in a favor for them to save the seats for you. Like I said, we were just late. I talked to his ex-wife this morning.”
Darby looked like she’d been hit with a two-by-four. “Marc was married before?”
“Tyra McAdams. Her brother, Rufus, hates Marc, so be careful there.” The lights flickered. “Seriously, Darby, if you feel safe, use this time to get more information about Marc. Where he grew up, what he used to do for a living, besides racing. Get what you can. But if you feel uncomfortable at any time, let one of us know and we’ll get you home safely.”
“He seems to be a really nice guy,” Darby insisted.
“I hope he’s the best,” Sam said as she squeezed Darby’s hand. “You deserve a nice guy.”
Marc stood by the stairs, drinks in hand. When he found Darby in the crowd, he waved toward her. It was time to go back to the movie.
“Let me know if anything happens.” Darby headed toward the stairs and the waiting Marc.
Rarity and Sam went the other way. Rarity looked at her friend. “Why do I feel like I’ve just sent the baby goat into the forest? I hope she’s going to be okay.”
“Darby will be fine.” Sam waved across the theater when they got back to their seats. “She’s one of us.”
* * *
Besides the information from Tyra that morning and seeing Marc with Darby later, Rarity and Sam didn’t get much from the four independent movies they saw that afternoon. As they sat at the Garnet, iced teas in hand and waiting for a late lunch, they talked about the films.
