To Love and to Perish - By Lisa Bork Page 0,58

his father. I’ll take the case pro bono. You and I never had this conversation about Danny and the alarm code.”

This time I knew she hung up. I hit the “end” button on my cell, hoping she was right about Ray.

Then I dialed Cory’s number. He agreed to meet Catherine and me at the shop at eleven.

With an hour and a half to kill, I wandered into the showroom, intent on dusting and mopping and maybe even cleaning the windows.

I pulled the mop bucket from the closet and headed into the garage to fill it at the sink. With the bucket in one hand and the mop in the other, I moved to the front of the showroom and commenced work.

I hadn’t mopped more than a few square feet when I looked out the window and saw Celeste Martin crossing the street. Or should I say, stopping traffic?

As she sashayed across Main Street, Celeste held her hand out toward oncoming cars like Danny did on the football field to ward off a tackle. It worked better for her. The cars all stopped, even though Celeste not only jaywalked but jaywalked in a diagonal direction from the Talbots store she managed right toward the door to my shop.

“No, no, no.” I wondered if I could run to the door and lock it in time. Could she see me through the tinted showroom window? Celeste was a champion gossip and the root of our town’s grapevine. I didn’t think I had the strength for her today.

I was still thinking about hiding when the bells on the entry tinkled and she sailed into the showroom, not a hair out of place on her perfectly coifed blond—though not naturally blond—head. “Jolene, you poor thing.”

“What?” I resisted the urge to ward her off with my mop, choosing to lean on it instead.

“I heard about Brennan’s arrest. Cory must be beside himself. Is he here?” She cast her glance about in such a showy manner that I knew she knew he wasn’t. “I just wanted to lend my moral support. I certainly don’t think Brennan killed anyone. He has a lot of skeletons in his closet but not real ones.” She held her hands clasped in front of her like a schoolgirl, a perfectly accessorized schoolgirl with a size two figure and a pricey wardrobe from Talbots, where she was the manager.

That old assertion about Brennan again. “Cory’s not here.” But I wished he was.

“No, of course not, it’s Monday. Why are you here?”

Perhaps the real reason Celeste had crossed the street. Asdale Auto Imports hadn’t been open on a Monday since my father passed away almost six years ago. It was a serious break in the routine. Celeste followed everyone’s routine.

I waved my hand over the floor. “Just catching up on some mopping.”

Celeste nodded. “I noticed you had the shop closed several days last week. Is everything all right?”

“It’s fine.” I didn’t elaborate, hoping she’d take the hint and leave.

No such luck. Instead, she seemed to hunker down a bit, leaning against the Austin Healey. “How’s Danny?”

“Fine, thanks.”

“Really? I heard Ray arrested his father at the football game yesterday. Danny must be very concerned.”

My mouth went dry. Trust Celeste to know all the gossip. I could only hope she hadn’t heard it from one of Danny’s teammates’ parents. Would the arrest be the talk of Danny’s school today, too? “Where’d you hear that?”

“One of my friend’s sons works at the jail.”

I nodded to acknowledge her statement, relieved Danny’s friends might not be aware.

“How’s Danny taking it?”

“He’ll be fine. Everybody will be fine.”

“You have a very positive attitude, Jolene. I’ve always admired that about you.”

I blinked, uncertain if she spoke in jest and wondering what would come next. She was priming me for something.

“Well, I just wanted to offer my support.” Celeste started to back toward the door. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help Brennan or Danny’s father. I think of you all like family.”

Perhaps that was because she had dated my father once, unbeknown to me. Never mind their twenty-plus-year age gap. Maybe just once she wasn’t here to fish for information. “You know, Celeste, I do have one question for you.”

She stopped and smiled. “Yes?”

“That rumor about skeletons in Brennan’s closet? Or what he’s been hiding in the foundations of his buildings all these years. How did those get started? Where did they come from?”

“Oh. Let me think.” Celeste closed her eyelids. I could almost see her move from