“You think you’re so smart. You probably were in on Kevin’s murder with that witch and the boy.” Jade’s words were slurred and Cat knew she’d drunk too much. “She’s going to pay for what she did to Kevin.”

  Cat turned and fired back. She was tired of the woman’s accusations. “Shauna didn’t do anything to Kevin except love him. They were getting married. Something neither I nor your brother approved of, but there’s no accounting for taste. Kevin was a jerk. Now he’s a dead jerk who has broken my friend’s heart. So leave her alone.”

  Jade’s eyes went wide and Cat left. When she reached the hallway, Paul stood by the doorway. He glanced behind Cat, looking for his sister. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s rude and mean, just like you. And she’s drunk. So you probably should get her out of here before she does something stupider than just yell at me in the bathroom.” Cat looked toward the table where Shauna and the group sat. They hadn’t seen her and Paul talking, and she wanted to keep it that way. “And call off your spy. If we see that car following Shauna again, we’re telling my uncle and filing a restraining order.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t have a …” Paul’s eyes widened and he stepped around her. “Never mind, I’ll talk to you next week.”

  Cat looked back and saw Jade fall out of the bathroom onto the hallway floor, and she moved quickly out of sight so she wouldn’t get yelled at again. When she got back to the table, Seth leaned close.

  “You okay?” His gaze drifted behind her and she realized he’d seen the discussion with Paul. “Do I have to kick his butt?”

  Cat smiled and leaned into his shoulder. “The offer is well meaning, but honestly, I just want them to leave us alone.”

  “It would be nice to have an evening free of stress for once.” He nodded toward Shirley, who was chatting with Melissa. “She’s got an appointment with your uncle at Bernie’s after this.”

  “An appointment?” Cat giggled. If she relaxed, she might be able to feel the tequila trying to make her feel warm and happy. She hoped it wouldn’t make her head pound in the morning.

  Seth shrugged, seemingly as amused at the word choice as she was. “That’s what she called it, an appointment.”

  As they drove to the bar, she thought about what Collin had said. Shauna looked like a younger version of his mother. It was a long shot, but maybe Uncle Pete should check into where Collin’s mother had been when Kevin died? She thought about pulling him aside when they dropped off Shirley, but then pushed it aside. Let him have one evening where he was just a guy with a girl.

  They were dropping Shirley off at Bernie’s when Uncle Pete came outside to walk with her from the parking lot into the bar. Cat rolled down her window. “Shirley’s plane leaves at four tomorrow. Make sure you get her home at a reasonable time. And call me later. I need to talk about something.”

  “Yes, mother,” her uncle called back causing her to break out in giggles again. They were almost home when Shauna slapped the back of the seat in front of her.

  “The car is following us again.” She took her cell phone out and started snapping pictures of the headlights behind them.

  “Are you sure it’s the same one?” Cat tried to focus on the side mirror, but she could see only the lights.

  “What car?” Jordon moved to Shauna’s bench and peered out the back window. “How do you know it’s following us?”

  “Duh.” Melissa giggled, a little tipsy from the margaritas. “It’s behind us. So it has to be following us.”

  Pamela rolled her eyes at her friend. “I don’t think that’s what they meant.”

  Cat watched as Collin went to the back to look out the window. “That looks like Terry’s car. My roommate? Maybe he’s coming to see me for some reason.”

  “Your roommate’s been following me for the last week. Does he work for Paul?” Shauna turned on Collin, and even from a distance, Cat could see her eyes dance in anger.

  “Wait, it can’t be Terry. He’s out of town until next week.” Collin sank back into his seat, ignoring the car behind them.

  “Calm down, everyone. We’ll deal with it when we get to the house.” Seth turned the vehicle onto Warm Springs, but the car that had been following went straight.

  Collin sank into his seat. “I guess it wasn’t Terry.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve been a little on edge.” Shauna put a hand on Collin’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

  “No worries.” But even Cat could see the kid felt beat down.

  When they parked, Jordon helped Pamela walk Melissa into the house and right up the stairs. Seth watched as they followed. “She’s not going to have a fun trip tomorrow. Not with that hangover.”

  Collin, Shauna, Seth, and Cat were in the lobby when the door blew open, snow flying. When it slammed shut, a small woman in a man’s coat and beanie stood in the entryway. Her eyes were wide as she took in the scene.

  All Cat saw was the gun she held out in front of her. Her hands shook as she pointed it at the four of them.

  “Collin, you come over here,” the woman ordered. Her red hair flowed wild and tangled around her shoulders.

  “Mom. What are you doing? Why are you here in Colorado?” Collin stepped in between the gun and the woman. “Put Uncle Jess’s gun down.”

  “I gave you an order. Listen to your mother,” the woman barked, but Collin didn’t move.

  Cat reached into her pocket to get her phone, but she’d put it in her purse and that was on the table behind her. She looked at Shauna and Seth. Neither of them had cells within reach either. She focused on Collin. “What’s going on? Why is your mother pointing a gun at us?”

  “Stop talking. I know you’re just trying to get into his head.” The woman’s hand shook harder. “Just like all those teachers, telling him that I wasn’t fit to take care of him. Who else would? His father?”

  “You’re Kevin’s first love.” Shauna’s voice came out soft, like she was caressing the words. “The mother of his child.”

  “And where did that get me?” Collin’s mother looked around the large lobby area. “Definitely not a grand house like this one. He even stopped paying child support when Collin got older, like I could live on that anyway.”

  “Kevin didn’t give Shauna this house.” Cat peeked around Collin. “I own the house.”

  “Sure you do.” The woman cackled. “You must have been sleeping with him too. You should have left when I dropped off the rat. But no. No one ever listens to me.”

  “Mom. Stop.” The worry in Collin’s voice was palpable. “Let’s go outside. We’ll go get some coffee and figure this out.”

  “There’s no going back. Not now. Your father tried to trick me too. Said he’d take care of me again. Of us. He was lying. I knew he was lying. He always lied.” She held the gun up higher. “Move now so I can deal with this. I have to go back to the ranch and clean out that place too.”

  Cat wasn’t sure what exactly happened next, but all she heard was her uncle’s voice telling her to get down. Then the front door swung open and Collin’s mother was on the floor. Quinn kicked the gun away from her hand, and Shirley picked it up and aimed it at the woman until Quinn had the cuffs on her.

  Seth helped her up from the floor. “Are you okay?”

  “You keep asking me that.” Cat brushed dust off her dress. “What the heck was that? And where did you guys come from?”

  Quinn handed the woman over to another officer, who took her out to one of the four police cars out in front of the house. Now, they had lights flashing, but she hadn’t seen them approach. “I told you that you needed a security system.”

  Cat sank onto the small couch next to Shauna, who seemed to be taking this way too well. She felt her leg starting to shake. Was she in shock? “What happened?”

  “I saw you guys come home. I was waiting because Ms. Clodagh had called and asked me to come by after your dinner. I saw you pull up so I was waiting to let you go in and get settled. Then someone approached from the back of the house. The perp had a gun.” He turned toward Seth. “Then I called 911 and the night dispatch contacted the chief.”

  Seth pulled up a chair next to the sofa and took one of Cat’s hands in his.

  The contact calmed her. “Okay, so you called Uncle Pete because you saw Collin’s mother come in with a gun.”

  Collin stepped closer, interrupting the story. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know she was even in town. She’s supposed to be staying with my aunt while I’m in school. She’s not well.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Seth said.

  “What’s your mom’s name?” Shirley stepped closer to Collin, putting her hand on the young man’s shoulder.

  “Alice. Alice Adams.” Collin sank down into a crouching position. “She’s going to go away for this, isn’t she?”

  “Maybe. But Collin”—Uncle Pete put his hand on Collin’s shoulder—“we’ll get her some help. Do you think she could have killed Kevin Shield?”

  Collin started to cry, but everyone saw the nod before Seth pulled him to standing and put an arm around his shoulder. “Let’s go get some coffee.”

  Shauna and Shirley went with the men into the kitchen, leaving Cat alone with Quinn and Uncle Pete. Quinn opened a laptop and searched for a file. “I found this when I was waiting for you to arrive tonight. Shauna—I mean, Ms. Clodagh—gave me the clue of where to look.”

  They watched the screen outside the horse barn and saw Alice Adams standing there, a long knife twinkling in her hand. When Kevin approached, she put it behind her back. The man never even noticed the movement. Kevin waved his hand, indicating the horse barn, and then they both disappeared.

  Quinn hit a button on the keyboard that fast-forwarded the video. “They were in there twenty minutes. Then this …”

  The group watched as a dazed Alice stepped out of the barn, glanced around, then took off into the woods.

  “She must have had a car parked on the forest access road.” Quinn closed up the laptop.

  Uncle Pete spoke first. “Send me that file. Although a good defense attorney’s going to play hell with you not turning over everything at the start of the investigation. What were you thinking?”

  “I didn’t have permission of the land owner to be taping. I thought he might expand his system once I showed him the additional coverage he could have.” Quinn squirmed a little. “And the company is having a sale in March. I thought I’d present it then.”

  Cat sighed. “I guess it was a good thing you were watching the house tonight.”

  Quinn perked up, his eyes going bright. “Does that mean you’re buying a system?”

  “Come back in March when it’s on sale. We’ll talk.” Cat stood. “I’m going to get me some cocoa. Then, if you don’t need me, I’m beat.”

  “We can get statements in the morning.” Uncle Pete walked to the kitchen with her. “I need to say good-night to my date and go into the station to book the suspect. Although I believe we’ll get a mental health check before we go too far.”

  Collin sat at the table, holding on to his cup like he was keeping it safe. He looked up at Uncle Pete as the group entered. “She killed my dad, didn’t she?”

  “We think so, son.” Uncle Pete put his hand on Collins shoulder. “Can you come down to the station tomorrow morning? If your mom isn’t able to talk yet, I’ll need to ask you some questions about her.”

  “I didn’t know. I mean, I knew she was fixated on him. She always has been. But I thought she was getting better when I went to college. She was in treatment and seemed better when I’d visit.” Collin shook his head. “I should never have left Philadelphia.”

  “No. You did what you needed to do.” Shauna handed Pete a mug. “I figured you might want some to go.”

  “Thank you. You’re a blessing.” Uncle Pete looked around the room. “I’ll see you all in the morning for statements. Quinn, let’s go. Shirley, will you walk me out?”

  After they’d left the kitchen, Collin stood as well. “I’m heading upstairs. I need to call my aunt and tell her what happened.”

  The kitchen was quiet with Cat, Seth, and Shauna all sipping their cocoa. Cat was the first one to break the silence. “That was interesting.”

  “I’d really, really like a peaceful retreat one of these days. You have your guests, they do their writing thing, you all talk about books, then they go home. It’s a simple wish.” Seth finished off his cocoa and stood. “I’ll walk around and lock up. I feel like I need to check all the entrances, including the cellar, before I turn in or I’ll be tossing and turning all night.”

  “Uncle Pete has her in custody,” Cat reminded him as he leaned down to kiss her.

  He tapped her nose after the long, soft kiss. “I still want to make sure. Call me paranoid.”

  They waited for him to leave the room. Then Cat turned to her friend. “Are you all right?”

  “Collin was the key all along. He said his mom had warned him not to come to Colorado. That bad things happened when people were near Kevin. I guess she was trying to protect her son in a weird way.” Shauna stood and refilled her cup. “Do you want some more?”

  Cat yawned and took her cup to the sink. “I’m heading to bed, unless you want to talk.”

  “I’m talked out. I think tomorrow’s going to be a lot of talking. I just want to sit here and think about all the good times I had with the man.” Shauna smiled sadly. “I think I’m ready to say good-bye.”

  Chapter 23

  By the time Cat got downstairs the next morning, the place was humming with excitement. Melissa, Pamela, and Jordon had been filled in by Shirley on the ruckus that had occurred after they’d retired for the night.

  “We heard noises, but we thought you all were just talking. I always miss out on the fun.” Melissa took a big bite of the biscuits and gravy that Shauna must have prepared earlier. Typically, full breakfast didn’t occur until after seven, but it was only six-fifteen and everyone was downstairs and chatting.

  Everyone except Collin. His face was pale and he pushed the food around his plate with his fork rather than actually eating. Cat sat next to him after pouring herself a glass of orange juice. “You need to eat. The next few days are going to be hard.”

  “I know. I just can’t believe she did this. Even last night, I couldn’t see my mother in the woman that held the gun. She looked like a stranger.” Collin set his fork down. “If they send her away, I’m alone in the world now.”

  Cat thought the wording should be when they sent Alice away, but she didn’t correct him. “You’re not alone. You have your aunt and uncle. And besides, what you said last night at the restaurant is still true. You have Shauna and me.”

  “That was before she found out my mother killed Kevin. I don’t think she’s going to want to see me again.” Collin’s words hung in the air as Shauna entered the room.

  “Now, don’t you be going playing the pity card on me, Collin Adams. I told you I considered you family, whether or not your father was alive, and I stand by my word.” Shauna set the platter of bacon down on the sideboard, but no one moved. “You are welcome here any time and for any reason, even if it is just to talk.”

  Collin blinked back tears and swallowed hard before he answered. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You just got told.” Jordon slapped him on the back. “You want some bacon?”

  The men got up and walked around the table to where Shauna stood, her hands on her hips surveying the crowd. She patted Collin on the back as he walked past. “Anything else you all need before I let Aspen Hills’s finest know that you’re ready for your exit interviews? I’ve held them off until we finished our meal.”

  When they all shook their heads, Shauna nodded. “Good. I’m letting them talk to you in order of your travel plans. Melissa and Pamela? You two are up first as Seth will be driving you to the airport and leaving exactly at eight. You are packed, I hope?”

  The women looked at each other, their eyes wide. “Not quite,” Pamela squeaked. Then she finished her juice. “I will be in a few minutes.”

  “Bring your suitcases down when you’re ready. I’ll have cookies and cocoa for the drive if you’re still hungry.” Shauna then recited from memory the rest of the group’s departures. Collin would be the last to leave since he lived in the Covington’s dorms. His aunt and uncle were flying in later that day, and Seth would bring them into town when he dropped off Shirley.

  When Shauna finished, Cat followed her into the kitchen. “You could muster an army. I can’t believe you’re so organized, even after all that happened this week.”

  “It’s because of everything that happened, I think.” Shauna went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs. “Scrambled?”

  “Sure, but really, I could eat with the gang today. You don’t have to cook more food.” Cat went to the coffeepot for coffee. When she turned around, she found Shauna staring at her. “What?”

  “You still don’t get it. I like cooking for people. It makes me feel connected and useful.” She went to the table and sat down, waving Cat over. “That’s why I never took Kevin or anyone else up on their offer to run their kitchen. What we’re doing here is important. I know it. I want to see the person I’m feeding. I want to be part of their lives, if only in this small way.”

  Cat thought she understood. The writers’ retreat had given her something unexpected too. She felt connected to the writing community in a way she never had teaching. She felt like part of their journey to become authors and release their stories into the world. And with that connection, she felt stronger herself as a writer. She didn’t know how to put all that feeling into words so she just kept it simple. “The retreat is good for both of us.”

  The rest of the morning was hectic with Uncle Pete running his interviews out of Michael’s office. Cat paused at the door when Jordon came out. She thought she needed to call the room something else, but she thought she might just keep the name and the memories of her first husband in the room. It fit.