Cassidy leaned forward slightly, hoping Kelly would continue.

  She did: “Vince is smart, distinguished, and very well off. He liked having arm candy, and he spoiled her, and she was more than willing to take and take. He gave Britt anything she wanted. But recently, she found out he had been having a string of affairs. Britt slipped and mentioned to us that he was bored with her and wanted someone who could carry on an adult conversation.”

  Cassidy’s eyebrows shot up behind her bangs. “What did Britt do?”

  “What could she do? She had a prenup; and if she left, she had pretty much nothing. I think she sucked it up and stayed. But she griped about him constantly, and when she saw him with Darcy, I thought she was going to have a stroke. Pure rage.”

  “Why did she let her on the planning committee if there was that much bad blood?”

  Kelly made a face. “Deep down, Britt will always be Britt. Darcy is popular and famous, and she was dying for Darcy to mention her in an article or something. Britt thought the publicity would help her build her social media following to impress Vince and prove that she was a legitimate businesswoman.”

  “Interesting.” Cassidy’s thoughts bounced back to Vince. “How did Darcy and Vince get together?”

  “It’s Ivy Springs.” Kelly let out a long puff of air. “Darcy was back last year settling her father’s estate, and Vince was the family’s insurance agent. I think business turned to pleasure. You know, drinks to discuss the estate led to, well, other things. He was looking for the intelligent-librarian type. We were all surprised.” Kelly did a half-shrug and pushed her coffee away. “It’s been nice talking with you. I’ve got to get to my yoga class. Anastasia or I will text you later in the week with our plans for next weekend.” Kelly glanced at her phone. “I’ve kinda lost interest in the whole reunion deal, and we still haven’t heard from Vince about the funeral. I’m sure Britt would have wanted an extravaganza and a big pink coffin. Something folks would talk about for years.”

  “Thanks for meeting me today. It was good to see you again. And I’ll talk to you soon about next weekend.” Cassidy picked up her bag and her trash.

  Kelly rose and tossed her cup in the trash can near the door. Without saying anything else, she breezed out the door.

  Cassidy slipped out behind her and stood on the sidewalk. Soaking up the bright sun, she let the warmth flow over her as she breathed in the mountain air, tinged with lavender and pine scents. She closed her eyes and took several cleansing breaths. Britt was popular, but she did have her detractors. Why do I keep thinking about the Darcy-Vince-Britt thing? Could love or lust be at the bottom of all this?

  She felt a presence near her, and her eyes flicked open. “Oh, hi, Detective Taylor. I’m enjoying the sunshine before it turns cold.” She felt like she was babbling. Why does he make me so nervous? It’s that cop stare of his. And I always feel like I have to explain what I’m doing.

  “It’s Zac,” he said. “I’m grabbing some coffee from Marcie for the team.” He reached for the door.

  Now we’re back on a first-name basis. It won’t last long. His friendly vibe switches to full-on interrogation mode in a matter of seconds—and, most of the time, I don’t know what I did to trigger the change.

  “So, your task force is hard at work,” she said, hoping to prompt him to provide more details about the murders.

  He nodded. “We’re chasing down lots of leads and interviewing folks. Darcy and Britt had a wide circle of acquaintances. It was good to see you,” he saluted with two fingers and disappeared inside the coffee shop.

  That was abrupt. So much for getting any information out of him.

  On the ride back to work, her thoughts bounced around like a pickleball on a tournament court. Converting the cave, the murder investigations, Austin, and Zac. They both are handsome. Girl, you need to focus. You sound like a love-sick tweenie. Wake up. When I get back, I need to check out the stuff in the barn again. I bet I could spiff it up and blend what we found in with my design ideas for the cave.

  A new idea popped in Cassidy’s head, and she swung a U-turn and headed out of town. Once on the outskirts of Ivy Springs, she passed both of Sid Pro Quo’s motels and turned into the gravel driveway of Gibson’s Towing next to the junkyard. She drove behind a chain-link fence topped with razor wire. A bright red Dodge Charger and a giant flatbed filled the spaces in front of a small beige building that looked like it hadn’t been updated or painted since the nineteen-seventies.

  Cassidy parked next to the Charger, hopped out, and scanned the area. Several empty cars sat on this side of the fence, and piles of rusted metal provided the backdrop. A low rumbling sound from the junkyard next door drowned out all other noises.

  She pulled on the glass door, and a blast of warm air and a strong mix of oil and some cleaner greeted her in the empty waiting room that was full of mismatched plastic chairs. “Hello! Anybody here?” she yelled. She took a couple of steps toward a beige counter. Every inch of the shelf behind it was crammed with dusty football and baseball trophies.

  Rustling began in the back and got louder. “Hey, how can I help you? Need a tow?” Mac asked, setting a mug on the front counter that was already covered in dried coffee rings.

  “Uh, hi, Mac. I’m Cassidy Jamison from over in Ivy Springs.”

  “I remember you from the party at the barn.”

  “Yes,” she said, eyeing the former quarterback. Other than the wrinkles on his ruddy face and a receding hairline, Mac looked the same as she remembered. “I wanted to stop by and make sure you’re okay. Britt’s death was so sudden.”

  He looked stunned. Then he shook his head a couple of times like he was trying to clear his thoughts. He sniffed and replied, “I never thought it would end up this way. I always hoped we’d get back together one day.” He leaned one elbow on the front counter.

  “I’m sorry for your loss. Were you and Britt close after high school? I moved out of town and lost touch with people.” That sounded lame before I even got the words out, but I didn’t want to lead with “Did you kill your ex-wife?”

  “Yeah. We talked and texted on a regular basis. She called me to fix stuff like her car and the AC. I was always her go-to guy,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Oh, my staff found some car keys and a hunting knife after the reunion dinner. Did you hear anyone say they lost anything?”

  “Uh, no. Wasn’t me. My hunting stuff is at home or in my old truck,” he said, looking like he was tired of the conversation.

  Not sure if she should press him further about the knife, Cassidy paused, and he continued. “I hunt and fish every chance I get. Keep most of my gear in my trophy room at home. I’ll check it tonight, but I have no reason to think anything’s missing.” His phone buzzed, and he looked at the screen. “Uh, I gotta go. Gotta help some lady with a flat. If you ever need a tow, call me. Hey, maybe we can get dinner sometime,” he said, stepping around the counter. He held the door with one hand and handed her his business card with the other.

  Cassidy tried not to look surprised at his offer of a date. “Thanks,” she said, heading for her Jeep as he paused to lock the glass door. Shaking her head in wonder at how much time could change people, she climbed in and headed for home. In school, she would have been over the moon if he had asked her out. Now it wasn’t even a consideration. Turning up the classic rock station and cranking down her windows, she enjoyed the breeze as she sped along the curvy roads back to the office.

  She pulled into an open spot in the front lot between Celebrations’ van and Ruthanne’s Mini Cooper. She pushed thoughts of Mac and his invitation to the back of her mind and concentrated on the possibilities of the cave. A tingle of excitement zipped around inside her. Despite all the trauma around the murders, the idea of repurposing the cave seemed to be doable. She smiled at herself and locked the Jeep. This seems like the right thing to do.

  Voices near the porch distracted her. “Hey, Cassidy, come here if you’ve got a sec,” Levi hollered.

  “Good afternoon,” she said to her groundskeeper and Vern, the contractor.

  “You know Vern Dwier. He came to look over your cave to see if he could help us.”

  “I’ve known Cassidy since she was a little tot running around Evelyn’s place,” Vern said, shaking her hand. “You’ve got a nice facility here, and I’ve got some ideas to get your cave up to code. I’ll work on my proposal and quote and set up some time next week to go over the options.”

  “Thank you so much. It’s good to see you, and I’m excited about the project, especially since we found some of my grandfather’s memorabilia,” Cassidy said.

  “That’s interesting,” Vern said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. “I’d thought everything was lost in that ole fire.”

  “We did too, so this was almost like a sign that we need to show it off again,” Levi said. “Thanks for coming by.” He shook his friend’s hand, and Cassidy waved her goodbyes.

  Inside the apartment, Elvis bounded from the living room to greet her. “I wasn’t gone that long,” she said, picking up the wiggly dog, who licked the end of her nose. She carried the chihuahua downstairs and into the quiet office.

  “Is Levi still out there?” Ruthanne’s head popped out from the doorway.

  “No, he headed over toward the barn when Vern left,” Cassidy said.

  “I need to tell him the grass is getting a bit tall near the patio. Elvis was whining at the door, so I took him out, and the grass was up to his little shoulders. He wasn’t too happy about trekking around in it. It tickled his tummy.” Ruthanne giggled. “Oh, hey, come see what I found.” She waved both hands and shooed Cassidy into the office. “See? See?” Ruthanne said, tugging at her arm before Cassidy could focus on what was causing all the excitement. “I’ve been poring over the books. Back in 1984, your grandfather got a check from the insurance company for the fire.”

  “So, he collected the insurance money. I wonder if he ever thought about rebuilding. Where did the money go?” Cassidy asked, leaning over Ruthanne’s shoulder to see the entry.

  “That’s the interesting part. About two months later, I found something surprising.” Ruthanne tapped her pen on a pile of ledgers next to her.

  A little quiver formed in Cassidy’s stomach, excitement coursing through her. “Oh? Does it explain what happened?” Excitement suddenly turned to panic at the thought of the possibilities of insurance fraud or arson. Giving her head a quick shake as if to rid herself of the dark thoughts, Cassidy refocused on what Ruthanne was pointing to.

  “No, but it might be a clue,” Ruthanne said, slipping on her reading glasses. “See this entry on this page? Your grandparents donated all the money to the library. It was when the town was campaigning for the building fund. I don’t remember hearing anything about a big donation, but I had young kids in those days. So I probably wasn’t in tune with everything that was going on in town. Your grandparents must have kept it quiet.”

  “Okay, my family didn’t profit from the fire, and they never rebuilt. But how did he know to move all that stuff ahead of the fire?” Cassidy’s voice faded as she stared at the ledger until the black and blue numbers blurred.

  “I watch too many murdery shows on TV,” Ruthanne said. “I can almost hear Keith Morrison narrating the soundtrack in my head. This all sounds a little suspect to me. Maybe get Aileen to sweet-talk the sheriff and see what he knows? I wouldn’t like to think it was premeditated. It has to be a coincidence. Right?” she said with a sigh.

  “I don’t want it to be bad either. But all that stuff in the root cellar turned what I thought I knew about the property upside down. Maybe I’ll swing by the library later to see what I can find.”

  “I’ll keep looking through the books, but so far this is all I’ve uncovered. I’ve got to head out and do some errands. And we’re meeting our knitting group over at Planet of the Grapes later for a chat,” Ruthanne said.

  “Are y’all plotting round two?” Cassidy asked.

  Ruthanne giggled. “Nope. I think that was a one and done. It was fun, but we were so worried that we were going to get in trouble. And it was more work than any of us expected. More than any of us imagined. They covered it on the local news and on Facebook. Some folks were even taking selfies with the decorations. What a hoot! You have any big plans tonight? Please tell me you’ll call Austin or Detective Zac.” Ruthanne’s eyes twinkled like one of the characters on a Saturday-morning cartoon.

  “I’ve got some things to take care of here, and I’ve been so busy lately. I promised Elvis some quality time,” she said with a smile.

  “All well and good, but you need to get out more with people your own age. All you do is work and hang around with us,” Ruthanne said, straightening the ledgers on her desk. “You need me to do anything before I head out?”

  “Nope. I’m going to work on the calendar and see where we have open spots where we can look for bookings. Then Elvis and I may go into town too.”

  “Good, I guess. Did you hear we’re getting an ice cream shop?”

  “We need one, but it’s opening in the wrong season.” Cassidy frowned.

  “I eat ice cream all year round,” Ruthanne said. “A new couple in town is subdividing the old Meat and Greet space. One side will be called the Dairy Godmother, and the other will be the Atomic Sushi.”

  “What a combo, but both will do well here. I’m glad we’re getting some new places. Ivy Springs is blossoming. And that means more opportunities for partnerships with our fellow businesses,” she said with a wink.

  Ruthanne picked up her purse and patted Elvis. “See you all tomorrow for the staff meeting. Toodles.”

  “See ya.” Cassidy busied herself with the schedule. “Hey, Elvis. There aren’t as many open spots this winter as I thought there were. We’re doing well. How ’bout we head to town and celebrate?”

  He yipped and booked it to the back door.

  After she got Elvis settled into the front seat, Cassidy inched the Wrangler out of the parking lot. The leaves would be showing their colors soon, and the roads would be jam-packed with those out to enjoy the mountains in autumn.

  “Pizza, Elvis?” His ears jutted skyward. “Sounds good,” she replied. “The weather’s good for a table on the patio.”

  Locating parking on a side street, the pair trekked to Feeling Saucy. Snagging the last table near the metal fencing, she opened the menu as Elvis settled in at her feet.

  “Hey, there. What can I get you two?” Pete Russo asked, ambling up to her table. The stocky waiter with the physique of a wrestler smiled and handed her a menu.

  “I know what I want,” she said, returning the smile. Little Petey had grown a lot since she babysat him. “I’ll take a personal-sized cheese and sausage with a root beer.”

  “Sounds good. That’ll be right out. And Elvis, I’ve got a couple mozzarella sticks back there with your name on them.” He picked up the menu and swung by another table on his way inside.

  A shadow covered her table, and Cassidy looked up from her phone. “Hi, Detective—uh, Zac,” she said. “Twice in one day.”

  The detective towered over her table, and Elvis revved up his greeter mode. “Just out for a stroll this evening, and I saw you sitting over here. Uh, I hope I’m not interrupting something.”

  “No, Elvis and I stopped in for a bite. Would you like to join us?”

  The muscular detective pulled out a chair and folded his tall frame into the spot across from her before she had finished her sentence.

  “Are you on a case?” she asked, eyeing his jeans and maroon casual shirt with a zipper at the slightly open collar.

  “Always got several cases going; but no, I’m only on call tonight, for a change.” He glanced at the sidewalk behind her.

  When he didn’t say anything more after a long pause, Cassidy replied, “That’s good.” Before she could press him on the details of the investigation, Pete popped up from out of nowhere.

  “Hey, Zac. What can I get you on this fine evening?”

  “A small supreme and a Coke should do it. Thanks.”

  “Be back in a flash. Elvis, here’s some water. You need a beverage too.” The chihuahua wiggled and lapped at the ice water in the metal bowl.

  “So, anything else interesting going on at your place?” Zac asked when Pete disappeared again.

  “Well, we kinda have our own little mystery now,” Cassidy said.

  Zac looked up with a puzzled look. “You didn’t find anything else, did you?”

  Shaking her head, Cassidy replied, “Not related to Britt or Darcy. For years, I heard that the honky-tonk had burned down and everything was lost. But Levi found the bar top, and crates and crates of framed memorabilia, in the root cellar where we also found Darcy. I was kinda stunned. I thought all that had been destroyed years ago.”

  “You should figure out something to do with it. The sheriff said your granddaddy’s place was full of local history.”

  Before she could reply, Pete set two steaming plates on the table. “Let me know if you need anything else.” Jamal Baskerville, the lanky teen behind him, handed him a drink for Zac and a refill for Cassidy. Then he slipped Elvis a mozzarella stick.

  “Thanks, man. This smells good,” Zac said.

  “Yes, and Elvis says thank you too. He’s a little busy devouring his snack,” Cassidy added.

  The conversation trailed off as the pair dug into their pizzas and watched the people milling around, enjoying the crisp evening air. Despite the slight chill, shoppers crowded the sidewalks on both sides of Main Street.

  Cassidy savored the cheesy garlicky flavor. She popped the last bite in her mouth and pushed the plate to the center of the table. “This was good.”

  “So, what are you going to do with the memorabilia?” Zac asked, looking at her with his hazel eyes. The golden specks that dotted the edges were almost mesmerizing.