Every Little Thing About You

349

  w* -3*

  "How is it?" Tess look anxiously across the table at her

  mate.

  "Very good," Griffin told her after he swallowed.

  "Were you worried?"

  Tess nodded a hesitant yes.

  "Why?"

  "Oh, well, I'm still getting used to a different stove, and

  this is a new recipe. I wanted everything to be just right."

  Griffin sat back a little. "I was crazy not to marry you

  the first time I laid eyes on you."

  Tess smiled. "Well, I think so, but sometimes it takes

  you a little longer."

  Griffin reached over and took her hand. "I love you,

  Tess."

  The bride sighed. "It's funny, but I can't hear that too

  much."

  "I'll have to remember that," Griffin responded.

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  They continued to eat, but as Tess watched her husband,

  she could tell something was on his mind.

  "Did anything happen today, Griff?"

  Griffin looked at her. "Slater told me that he and Libby

  had it out while we were away."

  Tess put her fork aside. "Why did he wait almost a

  week to tell you?"

  "I don't know. Maybe he was still trying to gauge

  whether he should."

  "Can you tell me what happened?"

  "He didn't go into great detail, but he wanted to know

  if I had asked her to come and fill in while I was gone. She

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  evidently arrived all ready for work, and he told her she

  couldn't stay."

  "And she was unhappy about that," Tess stated.

  "I think you were right, Tess. She is more attached to

  the job than I thought. I don't know how I feel about that."

  "Do you think it would help to talk with her?"

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  "I would say yes, but I don't want her to feel that Slater

  snuck around her and reported. He said it ended well; she

  even came and apologized. I guess I'm hoping she'll mention

  it to me."

  "And if she doesn't?"

  "I don't know," he said honestly.

  "Will you continue to ask her to work?"

  Griffin stared at his wife. That really was the sticking

  point in all of this. When he needed help, his sister came to

  mind so easily. But Slater was so against it, and Griffin had

  such a high regard for his new deputy...

  "I don't know," he said one more time and went back

  to his food. Both husband and wife were thoughtful for the

  next several minutes.

  5'

  "This fabric is nice," Mrs. Tobler told Liberty the second

  week of February. "I think this color would be good on you

  too."

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  "I've never had a purple dress." Liberty forced hersejf

  to be honest, even amid the generosity. "I guess I had blue

  or green in mind."

  "Well, I've got those too. Just give me a minute!"

  Mrs. Tobler was in the mood to sew. Liberty had never

  known her to be in any other mood, but this was the plan

  in her mind when she stopped by the day before and

  vowed to start with Liberty, move to Laura, and then make

  a dress for Kate, and even one for the baby if it was a girl.

  The ladies were all naturally pleased, and because Liberty

  Every Little Thing About You 201

  felt at loose ends lately, she was glad that Mrs. Tobler

  wanted to start the next day.

  "How's this blue?"

  "Oh, this is beautiful."

  "I like it too, but let's not be too hasty!"

  Liberty smiled. Mrs. Tobler was always the same.

  "What is that noise?" she exclaimed in irritation. "I just

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  keep hearing it!"

  Liberty thought she heard something too, but her host

  had gone back to excavating in the closet and grumbling again, so she wasn't sure.

  Bolts of fabric and an hour later, they agreed on one. It

  was a deep green piece with a tiny yellow flower all over

  it. The yellow flower seemed to make Liberty's eyes come

  alive. Once Mrs. Tobler saw it draped over her, she would

  not look at anything else. In just a matter of minutes, Liberty

  was being fitted with a pattern.

  w" ^* -S"

  "I think there's been a murder," Keaton Saint said

  almost as soon as he walked in the door.

  "Why do you think that, Mr. Saint?" Griffin asked. He

  and Slater had come to full attention.

  "Because my neighbor, Mrs. Mills, is missing, and I've

  been hearing strange noises/'

  "What kind of noises?"

  "Digging."

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  Griffin took a moment to compute this.

  "Her nephew was visiting, wasn't he?"

  "He's still there."

  "We'll check it out for you, all right?"

  The tall man solemnly thanked him, turned, and went

  on his way.

  "How reliable is he?" Slater asked as soon as the door

  closed.

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  "Very. He's lived here for years. He's retired now, but

  he used to run the library and teach part-time."

  "Where does he live?"

  "Two doors down from Mrs. Tobler. The house he's

  talking about would be next to hers as well."

  "A small, two-story white house?"

  "That's the one."

  The men had exchanged all of this as they moved to

  their horses. They rode without haste toward the Mills

  place, both hoping Mr. Saint was wrong but knowing that

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  such an announcement could not be ignored. Griffin led

  the way up to the front door, and it took several knocks for

  someone to answer.

  "Yes?" an impeccably dressed man answered as he

  stood looking out at them. He had an eastern air about him,

  and his voice was clipped and precise.

  "I'm Sheriff Drake," Griffin said congenially. "Could I

  please talk to Mrs. Mills?"

  "My aunt is out of town right now," the man said.

  "I see. And you would be?"

  "Her nephew, Davis Mills."

  "Well, Mr. Mills, when do you expect her back?"

  "She didn't say," he said very swiftly and then seemed

  to reconsider. "Actually, I just remembered a letter she sent.

  Maybe she mentions her return date. I'll check."

  Griffin and Slater exchanged a glance, both men

  wishing Griffin hadn't given him such an easy way out and

  also wishing that Davis had left the door open.

  "Not a word, I'm afraid," the nephew told them the

  moment he reopened the portal.

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  "Where has she gone?" Slater asked.

  "Dallas," he said very smoothly.

  "And you have no idea when she plans to return?"

  "I'm afraid not." His smile was almost angelic.

  "Well, please do us a favor, Mr. Mills, and ask her to

  come by the office when she returns," Griffin said. "I'd like

  to speak with her."

  Every Little Thing About You 203

  "I'll do that."

  The door was shut again, and the men had no choice

  but to move away, but neither one was buying the story.

  Plans bounced around in both men's minds, and they

  waited only until they were back at the office to discuss

  them.

  "since mr. sai
nt came to us," Slater began, "I wonder

  if he would be open to our using his home for surveillance/'

  "I was thinking the same thing. I would guess that he

  wouldn't care to be disturbed, but the very fact that he

  came to the office might indicate some willingness."

  357

  "How long do we want to wait?"

  Griffin's look was grim. "If Mrs. Mills is dead, then

  there's no hurry to help her, but if Davis is planning to

  escape or do something with the body, then we need to

  keep tabs on him."

  The door opened suddenly, and both men were surprised

  to see Mr. Saint enter.

  "Did you speak to Mrs. Mills?" he wasted no time in

  asking; he wasn't nearly so composed as earlier. "Did you

  see her?"

  "I'm afraid not, Mr. Saint. Her nephew says she's out of

  town."

  The man dropped into a chair.

  "She does like to travel, but she always tells me when

  she goes. This nephew has visited before, and she did go

  away the last time he was here, but not for this long. She

  seems very tense when he comes, and his manner is so stiff

  and formal. I suppose it's terrible to accuse him of anything,

  but something is not right in that house. I just know it."

  "When was the last day you saw her?"

  358

  "Thursday. She was in her front yard and waved to me

  as I came down the street."

  205

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  "This is Tuesday/' Griffin murmured out loud/ taking a

  minute to gather his thoughts. "I think I need to know

  more, Mr. Saint. Tell me everything you've heard and seen

  in the last five days."

  Mr. Saint recounted things as best he could. There were

  times when he heard short bouts of the digging noise

  during the day, but it was especially loud and continuous

  at night. He talked to the men for the better part of an hour,

  and when he was done, Griffin knew what he wanted to

  do. Mr. Saint was very cooperative, and Griffin sent Slater

  home before lunch to get some rest. They would start their

  work right after sundown.

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  #

  "All right, Libby I'm going to sew for a while. You

  come back in the morning for a fitting."

  "Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Tobler." /

  The woman didn't even answer. She was already bent

  over her machine. Liberty let herself out the back door. She

  had walked instead of ridden and was all set to head for

  home when she heard the sound. It was coming from Mrs.

  Mills' and sounded like digging. Liberty had been wandering

  in and out of these homes since she was a child. For

  this reason she approached the back porch, opened the

  door, and called inside.

  "Mrs. Mills? Are you here?"

  Liberty heard nothing, which only caused her to move

  more fully inside.

  "Mrs. Mills, it's Libby. I was just next door at Mrs.

  Tobler's and thought I would stop to say hi." Liberty didn't

  add that she wanted to know if she was all right. Some of

  the older ladies in town took offense to that idea.

  360

  "Mrs. Mills?" she tried again, this time moving through

  the kitchen toward the living room. What she saw caused

  her to blink. The rug was rolled back and there was a huge

  hole in the living room floor. The boards had been brought

  Every Little Thing About You 207

  up, and even from several feet away, she could see a

  mound of dirt so high that it was above the line of the floor.

  "What in the world are you up to?" Liberty said softly

  as she approached. She stared down at the bags still in the

  hole, her eyes huge. They looked like money sacks.

  "Mrs.--" she looked up to try again but stopped. A

  man calmly stood to one side of the room. He held a derringer.

  It was pointed right at her.

  "You shouldn'thave come inhere," he said congenially. "I wish you hadn't."

  "Well, I can leave again," Liberty said, trying to be

  calm.

  "I'm afraid that won't do at all. I've seen you around.

  You know too many people in town."

  361

  Liberty swallowed. "I just wanted to check on Mrs.

  Mills."

  "Why is everyone so interested in Mrs. Mills today?"

  The man sounded testy. With that he motioned with the

  gun, and Liberty backed herself into the kitchen. She

  thought she might be able to bolt for the door but took too

  long to decide. The man came forward, shut it, and ordered

  her to sit at the table.

  "Where is Mrs. Mills?" Liberty asked quietly, her eyes

  straying back to the hole in the floor. To her surprise the

  man smiled.

  "You think I've murdered my aunt? How barbaric."

  "Where is she?"

  "Out of town. Just like I told the sheriff. I don't know

  why people can't leave well enough alone."

  Liberty waited for him to take his eyes from her so she

  could make some kind of move, but he never did.

  "I guess it will have to be the closet. The one by the

  front door locks."

  "When will Mrs. Mills be back?" Liberty asked in an

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  attempt to stay calm.

  "I'm not entirely sure," he replied absently as he tried

  to think.

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  "Are you really her nephew?"

  "On her late husband's side, yes."

  "Does she know what you're up to?"

  "Come along/' he commanded, ignoring the question

  this time. "Back through the living room, and watch the

  hole."

  Liberty moved as slowly as she could get away with. It

  wasn't much floor space to cross, but she moved at a snail's

  pace. The front door was almost in reach, but Davis took

  that moment to put the gun right against her back.

  "All right now," he said as he opened the closet. It was

  full of coats, but there was plenty of room to stand. "In you

  S -"

  Liberty stepped inside and turned to look at him. She

  tried for her sternest deputy look.

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  "What's your name?"

  "Davis. And yours?"

  "Liberty."

  His brows rose and he chuckled. "Rather ironic, isn't it?

  I'm locking freedom in the closet."

  The door shut in her face, and she heard the key turn

  before she listened to the hollow sound of his shoes as he

  walked away. For several seconds she felt as though she

  were dreaming. Not in all of her years of law enforcement

  had she been held captive. Now here she was--no gun-- and locked in a closet.

  "Are you going to put up with this?" Liberty said to the

  darkness around her. With that she began to pound and

  yell. She kicked on the door, throwing herself against it with

  such force that she fell out when it opened. She would have

  continued to yell, but there was a derringer in her face.

  "You can't do this," Davis said softly. His voice was still

  congenial, but his eyes were hard. "I have to leave town

  soon, and I can't have you disturbing me. Now you need

  to stay in here and be quiet. Have I made myself clear?"


  364

  Every Little Thing About You 209

  Liberty nodded, very real fear covering her features.

  Davis turned her with a hand to her arm and closed the

  door while her back was still to him.

  "That was stupid, Libby," she breathed. "He could

  have shot you."

  She groped for the wall and slid down to a sitting position,

  her legs drawn up and her arms around her knees.

  Show me what to do, Lord. Show me a way out of this. I don't

  know if Mrs. Mitts is all right or not, but I could get myself shot.

  He's obviously stolen that money. He needs to go to jail for that.

  Liberty stopped when she realized he had said he was

  leaving town soon. She let her head fall back against the

  wall and prayed again, wishing there was some way to go

  for help.

  3--3r

  365

  "This is for Libby when she comes home," Laura told

  Kate as they sat down to lunch.

  "What is it?"

  "A picture of our family with the new baby."

  "Let me see."

  "This is Papa and this is Zach. Libby is by me, and I'm

  holding the baby."

  "Where am I?"

  "You're still in bed."

  Kate laughed. "I don't know whether to thank you or

  to be insulted."

  Laura frowned at her, since the word "insulted" was

  new, but Kate only blew a kiss in her direction. Weary from

  a morning of work, Kate sat back a little in the chair, a sigh

  escaping her as she took a bite of sandwich.

  At times like this, Lord, I feel as though I'm going to be tired

  for the rest of my life. My attitude has been anxious, and I feel

  achy and grumpy all the time. That's not fair to You or any of my

  family. Please help me to...

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  366

  Laura was going to ask her mother for more milk but

  saw that her eyes were closed. Her mother's limp hand and

  sandwich lay in her lap, and for a moment Laura just stared

  at her. When she didn't open her eyes, Laura, carrying her

  own sandwich, moved to the chair right next to her mother

  and simply sat still until she awakened.

  " * ^

  Liberty had moved as quietly as she knew how, but in

  the still confines of the closet it sounded so loud. She only

  hoped that all the digging and movement from the living

  room was muffling the sound.

  Liberty had pushed the hem of her dress under the

  door as far as she could get it. She then proceeded to use

  first a hairpin, then the slim heel of a shoe she encountered,

  and finally what she thought might be a knitting needle, to

  try to push the key from the lock. She knew the sound of