“I’ll take the cola.” He took the containers out of the bag. “So, it’s bad? The stuff with my dad?”

  “How do you know that’s what I needed to talk to you about?” She set two sodas on the table, then sat down in one of the chairs. It was nice to have someone to talk to after a long day at work. Even though Drew wasn’t her type, he was excellent company.

  “Okay, I’ll back up a little.” He sat down and started dishing out ravioli. “I got cheese ravioli with red sauce and a clam fettuccine. I figured we could share both, unless you’ve got a preference.”

  “I love both. Thanks.” She opened the other container, and the cream sauce almost made her cry. “This smells divine.”

  “One of my favorite restaurants in town. And you can’t get more authentic Italian unless you go to Phoenix.” He switched containers with her. “I also got two small green salads and a sleeve of bread sticks. So, what did you want to talk about?”

  Rarity dished up some of the fettuccine, then set the container down. There was enough for three or four people in the container. “Your dad. He came in today, and we started talking about Martha.”

  He waited for her to finish the bite she took right after speaking to say, “And he said?”

  She wiped clam sauce off her chin. “This food is amazing. Anyway, he said that, like you hoped, he and Martha knew each other from Bible study. The only ‘benefits’ side of that friendship was on her side with his ability to help her fix her house.”

  She told him the entire conversation, but then she paused.

  “What?” Drew’s sharp observation skills had caught her hesitancy. “What aren’t you saying?”

  She set down her fork and took a drink. “I don’t know. Or at least I can’t put my finger on it. He was holding back something. No, I don’t think he was having an affair, but he knows more about Martha’s disappearance than he’s saying. I think you need to talk to him. You’re better at this than I am.”

  He shook his head. “Not when it’s my father. Thanks for talking to him. I’ll have him stop by the station and have a chat. I know he’s not guilty of murder, but you and I both know that not guilty is different than totally innocent. Maybe he knows something that he doesn’t think is important.”

  She watched as he finished his dinner, then went to the sink and rinsed his dish. “Are you leaving?”

  “Long night ahead with this homeless guy. I just hope he confesses early to get a bunk at the jail. He knows he won’t be charged with much more than petty larceny, since what he took wouldn’t get him much money. And if Sam left the door open, like we think, he can’t even be charged with breaking and entering.” He rubbed Killer’s ears. “Who’s a good boy?”

  Killer didn’t get time to answer before the front door burst open and Sam hurried into the front room. She froze when she saw Drew standing there.

  He smiled. “Hello, Sam.”

  “Drew.” Sam glanced at Rarity, who still sat at the table, a bread stick in her hand. “Rarity. I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner.”

  “No problem,” Drew said. “I’ve got to leave anyway. Thanks for the favor, Rarity. I appreciate you talking with him.” He gave Killer one last rub on his head, then put his hat on and left through the front door.

  “Do you want something to eat?” Rarity stood and got another plate. “Drew brought over way too much food.”

  Sam watched as Rarity set the clean plate down with silverware. She sighed and slipped into the chair Drew had just vacated. She pointed at Rarity’s drink. “Do you have another soda?”

  “Of course.” She got a soda out, and they sat and ate for a bit in quiet.

  Finally, Sam pushed her plate away. “I love Antonio’s. Why did Drew bring you dinner?”

  “He had asked me earlier to talk to his dad about his relationship with Martha.” Rarity offered Sam one of the two remaining bread sticks. She took it. “So, when his dad came to the bookstore today, I asked him Drew’s questions. I don’t blame Drew for not wanting to find out if his dad was a cheater.”

  “Was he a cheater?”

  Something in Sam’s tone made Rarity turn and focus on her rather than enjoying the last bread stick. “I don’t think so. He’s hiding something, but he claims that he and Martha were just Sunday school classmates, and he did some handyman work for her at her house.”

  Sam set down her fork. “The rumor mill said he’s been over there a lot.”

  “According to Jonathon, she called him a lot.” Rarity shook her head. “I had twenty locals in my store today wanting to find out gossip about what happened at your shop. I think the rumor mill is way too active in this town. The good thing is, I sold a ton of books to them.”

  Sam laughed and picked up her fork again. Then she set it down. “The rumor mill said that Drew was over here for breakfast today.”

  “He was. I told him that if he didn’t stop bringing food every time he came by, people would start to talk. I’ve never seen anyone in the house to my right before this morning, and they just happened to be out when Drew left? Seriously? People need to mind their own business.” Rarity finished her salad and then took her plate to the kitchen. “I’ve got ice cream if you want dessert too.”

  “Ice cream sounds good,” Sam said. “Maybe with some Bailey’s on top. I’ve had a stressful day.”

  “Because of the shop? I heard they found the guy. I’m just glad he didn’t decide to hit me with something on his way out.” Rarity sat back down and tore her bread stick in half. “Did you leave the door open? I’ve been trying to call you, but I guess you had your phone off since you were manning a table?”

  “Yeah, I don’t like to appear too busy to talk. I sold a lot of stuff over the last two days. I’ll be back at the shop tomorrow, and like you, I’ll get some locals who want an exclusive.” She pushed her plate away. “Look, I’ve got to admit something.”

  “Okay.” Rarity watched her friend. It was obvious that something was wrong. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it.”

  “I don’t know. But look, I listened to the gossips in town, and I was mad at you for going after Drew.” Sam exhaled like she’d been holding her breath. “There, I said it.”

  “I’m not ‘going after Drew.’ Why would I? We’ve talked about this.” Rarity felt blindsided by Sam’s accusation. “And I know you like him, so there’s also that.”

  “I know. But he shows up here a lot.” Sam waved her hand around the table. “With food.”

  “Which you’re eating,” Rarity reminded her friend. “Look. Drew and I are friends. We have some of the same interests. If he’s interested in me romantically, I’ve made it plain that I am not interested in him that way. I just enjoy his company.”

  “I know. And I feel like a jerk. Especially after you risked your life going into my shop to check on me.”

  “Yes, I know. I am the better friend.” Rarity laughed as Sam started to chuckle. “I’m just Saint Rarity.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, but thanks for dinner.”

  Rarity shrugged. “Don’t thank me. Maybe you need to go check on Drew with a cup of coffee or something tonight and thank him.”

  “Sounds like a lot of work. Besides, I don’t want him to get the idea that I’m okay with being at his beck and call all the time. Why don’t we sit out on the deck with some wine after dessert and talk about something that doesn’t involve Drew or his weird infatuation with you.” Sam tried to hold her face serious but couldn’t do it. She burst into giggles.

  Rarity fake-flipped her hair off her shoulders. “There’s nothing fake about the effect I have on all men. I have to beat them off with a stick, and Killer’s been so busy biting ankles since I got him that his jaws are sore.”

  “Whatever.” Sam laughed as she got up and put her plate in the sink. She threw away the empty food containers. “Where’s this ice cream you promised?”

  By the time Sam left to walk home, the bottle of wine they’d opened was empty, and the strain on their relationship was patched. Rarity had gotten out her notebook on Martha’s murder and updated the information about Jonathon. Both Sam and Rarity agreed that if Jonathon was guilty of anything, it was of being too nice. He couldn’t say no. They would update the Tuesday night group on what they’d found out.

  Sam paused at the front door. “You know, maybe instead of getting our wires crossed by the gossips, we should use them. They knew about Jonathon and Martha. What else do they know that they aren’t saying?”

  “And what does Jonathon know that he doesn’t realize is important?” Rarity added. “You’re right, using the rumor mill wouldn’t be a bad idea. We just need to find someone to pump for information.”

  “I think I have the exact right person. I’ll call you tomorrow if it works out.” Sam gave Rarity a hug.

  “See you tomorrow.” Rarity stayed on her porch and watched Sam walk down the sidewalk and toward town. She lived a few blocks over, but the subdivisions didn’t match up so she couldn’t just take a right at the next road. Sam had to go to Main Street, then walk over to her street, then walk back down the road to her house. Rarity wouldn’t be able to see her for all that way, but she’d watch until she couldn’t see her anymore.

  “You’ve had a lot of visitors today.” A voice came from the house next door to the left.

  “Not really, just a couple of friends. I’m Rarity Cole. I own the bookstore downtown.” She peered into the night and saw a man sitting in the dark on the deck.

  “I know. I’m Terrance Oldman. Retired U.S. Navy.” He walked over and leaned on the railing, where Rarity could see his face. “I know, why would a seaman retire in a desert? Let’s just say I needed a change of scenery.”

  “Nice to meet you, Terrance. I knew people lived in the houses here, but I rarely see anyone.” She crossed over to the edge of her front deck and leaned on the railing to match him.

  “We’ve all become night owls. It’s cool then, and we can hang out on our decks and watch. The problem is, not much happens here at night. We’re all kind of boring.” He chuckled.

  “I like a boring neighborhood. It makes me feel safe.” She thought about what he’d said. “So maybe I need to keep the shop open later at least one night a week. It would give you all a place to hang out.”

  “Sounds interesting. Let me talk with some of the others and see if they want to pull together a book club or a chess group or something to bring people in.” He stood up straight. “Of course, it can’t be too late for some. They have early bedtimes. We’re a hard bunch to get together.”

  She said good night and realized Sam had already disappeared onto Main Street. She went inside and started turning off lights and cleaning up the kitchen. Whatever she’d said to Terrance, he’d been right. She’d had a lot of people over to her house today. More than since she’d been diagnosed and was going through treatment. But now, she didn’t worry about what the house looked like or what she was going to serve.

  Now it was just friends stopping by. And the good thing about friends was, they didn’t care about what she wore or how her hair looked. They just wanted to talk to her.

  It was a nice feeling.

  Chapter 14

  On Thursday, the walk to work didn’t seem so long. Now that she’d met Terrance, she realized she was just on a different schedule than her neighbors. She no longer saw the place as creepy or abandoned. Just houses where people were probably sleeping or having breakfast as she walked to work.

  As she turned onto Main Street, she saw a man on a bike moving down the empty street. He must be trying to get his exercise in before the day turned hot. She waved, and he waved back. Was that all it took to start to fit in? To be friendly herself?

  She and Killer arrived at the bookstore, and she opened the door. Then she flipped over the Closed sign to Open and started opening the blinds in the shop. She booted up her laptop and saw an email from Drew.

  Reading it, she almost didn’t hear the bells go off over the door. Without looking up, she called out, “Welcome to The Next Chapter, I’ll be right with you.”

  “If you’re busy, I’ll just drop this off. I stopped and got me one, so I thought you might like a coffee too.” Sam walked toward the back and set the cup on the counter. “I’ll see you later.”

  “No, hold up. I’m reading this email from Drew.” When Sam didn’t say anything, she looked up to see her friend glaring at her. “Stop, it’s not like that. Anyway, he says they found a regular spa appointment in Martha’s planner. He wants me to look at the website and see if it feels off.”

  “Feels off, like what?” Sam scooted closer to the screen.

  Rarity turned it toward her and keyed in the website. When it came up, she nodded. “Drew was right. This isn’t a normal spa. They’re claiming the vortex it’s located on has healing properties.”

  “It’s not unusual for spas to ‘claim’ to have healing springs or rejuvenating powers.” Sam shrugged. “What? I sell stones I believe help keep people well. What’s the difference between gems and water?”

  Rarity clicked on the “staff” tab and pointed to the man whose picture came up first. “You don’t have a doctor saying your gems will cure people. Isn’t this the guy that the medical people were talking about?”

  “I don’t remember hearing what his name was, do you?” Sam pulled out her phone and keyed a name into her search engine. “I’m getting the same website and not anything else. He’s only attached to this spa and a line of creams.”

  Rarity pointed to the “products” tab. “Do you want to bet his products are made from the healing water?”

  “We’re in a desert. Any water we get out here is healing because we don’t dry up.” Sam nodded. “Let’s see what he says.”

  It took her a while to go through the baskets that were for sale. You couldn’t buy one just to try it out. All the products were bundled into a three- or six-month treatment plan. Rarity went to the “reservations” page. “Good—they have openings on Sunday. Do you want to go to a healing spa with me? I’ll have to see if Drew can babysit Killer while we’re gone, but it looks like we can get outpatient spa services that day if we sign up now.”

  Sam glanced at the prices. “I’m glad I had a good week selling, otherwise I couldn’t afford even one of the treatments.”

  “I’ll treat. We’ll do the massage and the facial and attend the free anti-cancer diet plan meeting that afternoon. Then we’ll drive back. I want to see what they might promise a woman who’s scared the cancer might come back.” Rarity signed up online and pulled out her credit card to pay for the reservation.

  “Surely you don’t think they’d talk about Martha if someone there killed her.” Sam made a note in her phone. “I’ll drive and buy gas. No arguing. You’re spending a fortune as it is.”

  “I don’t think they’ll talk about Martha. I’m the one who’s going to be the scared survivor. All you have to do is be my supportive friend. It’s a role that works for you.” Rarity opened Drew’s email and wrote him a short note. His answer came back quicker than she’d expected.

  Sam glanced over. “What did he say?”

  “Well, he’s going to watch Killer, but if we’re even ten minutes late getting home, he’s calling in the cavalry. He says it’s dumb going in, but he won’t stop us if we’re careful.” Rarity closed her laptop. “I guess we’re going undercover. Maybe the police department will reimburse me the cost of the spa visit if we find something.”

  “One can only hope.” Sam picked up her coffee. “I’ve got to get to work. I’ve got a ton of receipts to go through and log the email addresses into my newsletter contact list.”

  “You have a newsletter for your shop?” Rarity called after her.

  “You don’t?” Sam shook her head. “We’ll talk marketing on the way to the spa. There’s so much you need to learn. Bye, Killer.”

  Killer barked as Sam left the building. He was becoming more and more social, which made her think the decision to bring him to the bookstore while she worked had been a good one. She opened her laptop again and started to research current books on the fake cancer cure industry. She found a few books, but mostly it was articles that she found on the internet.

  With the shop slow, she was able to get through several of the articles and found more references, which did include additional books to read.

  “It’s like doing a research paper,” Rarity said to Killer as they ate a small lunch at the fireplace. She left the store open, just in case someone came in, but they were able to eat their lunch in peace. She’d only had three customers so far that day—five if you counted Sam and the delivery guy from the café who had brought her a turkey sandwich on multigrain bread. She looked through the notes she’d made as she’d researched. She’d ordered five more books this morning just to see if they had anything she could use in helping Drew solve Martha’s murder. But she doubted it.

  The best way to stop people from being taken by scams like this spa they were visiting on Sunday was to give them access to reading material that demonstrated what was real and what wasn’t. She wouldn’t have time to read all the books before her spa appointment, but she’d start one as soon as the book order came in tomorrow.

  Owning a bookstore had its perks, even if she’d had to pay extra to add the books to her order this week.

  * * * *

  By the time Sam showed up at her house on Sunday morning, Rarity had done a lot of research on the power of the local waters for healing. There were places in the area called vortexes, and many of the spas focused on the spiritual healing that could be found at such places. Live Long and Prevention was the only resort in the area claiming to have a medical doctor on staff, as well as programs to heal such problems as diabetes, fibromyalgia, and most cancers. According to the website, cancer was caused due to a stress fissure in the body that never healed. Rarity read Sam some highlights she’d found on the resort’s website. “Relationship issues are the number-one cause of cancer cells growing out of control.”