to a grave near the opposite fence. Keira took a fortifying breath, slipped through the door, and turned toward town. She was going to be late for her meeting with Zoe, and there would be hell to pay.
Chapter Fourteen
Zoe stood outside the café, her arms crossed and her face a mask of pure disgust. “Keira Jane Doe. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
“Sorry!” Keira slowed to a halt and pressed a hand to her torso. She’d run from the church, and not even her muscles could save her from breathlessness.
“I’ve been here for at least four minutes. That’s, like, equivalent to an entire month of a mayfly’s life.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Get your butt in that café; we’re going to have to hustle to catch up to our schedule.”
“We have a schedule?”
Instead of answering, Zoe planted her hands on Keira’s back and shoved her inside the shop. “Grab the corner table before any of the plebeians steal it. Whatcha want? Another hot chocolate? Too bad if not, because I already ordered it.”
Keira gave up on trying to follow the flow of words and allowed Zoe to push her toward the same corner they’d shared the day before. As she sank into the plush armchair, she scanned the café. It was busy. An older couple laughed together at the next table over. Five gray-haired women had co-opted the largest table and were happily talking over each other. A queue was forming at the counter as Zoe got into an argument with the sallow barista. Unlike the day before, Keira no longer felt anxious.
I’m starting to put down roots, she realized with a jolt. I’m creating friendships, thinking of certain café seats as “mine,” feeling responsibility over the fate of a restless spirit… This isn’t good. Chances are I’ll need to leave soon, and it will be heartbreaking to say goodbye.
“Okay.” Zoe collapsed into the seat opposite. “Firstly, Marlene is an awful person for not letting me order a mug of pure caramel syrup.” She raised her voice to holler across the crowded café. “It’s a free country, Marlene!”
Marlene, the barista, yelled back, “I refuse to let my tax dollars pay for the heart transplant you’ll eventually need!”
“Whatever,” Zoe grumbled. She leaned over and opened her bag. “Secondly, if we’re going to work on this mystery together—”
“We are?”
“Shush. No objections. If we’re going to work together, you’ll need this.”
Zoe slid a small mobile phone across the table. The sight reminded Keira of the bags of groceries sitting in the cottage’s kitchen. She’d intended to return them to Zoe, but the shock of the graveside encounter had chased it out of her mind. She held up both hands, refusing to touch the phone. “Thanks, but I don’t need charity.”
“It’s not charity, moron.” Zoe rolled her eyes. “It’s for strategic planning and coordinating. Pretend you’re James Bond and I’m what’s his face who gives Bond his awesome gadgets.”
Keira raised a skeptical eyebrow at the phone. It was a flip model that looked at least a decade old. “MI6 had some budget cuts.”
“Shush, you.”
Marlene, balancing an armful of plates, arrived at the table. She gave Zoe one very long, very sour glare, then placed three dishes and two cups in front of them. “One hot chocolate for the polite lady who deserves better company. And enough calories to kill a hippo for the problematic one.”
“Love you too, Marlene,” Zoe retorted, waving her off.
“I forgot this was your lunch break. You must be hungry,” Keira said, eyeing the pancakes and bowl of nachos.
Zoe nudged a fork toward her. “Yeah, I kinda got carried away. Help me finish some of this, will ya?”
Ah. Keira leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. I should’ve guessed. “Thanks, but like I said, I don’t need charity.”
Zoe’s owl eyes widened into the perfect image of innocence. “It’s not. You’d be doing me a favor. I’d feel horribly wasteful if I didn’t finish this food. Think of the hungry kids in other countries or whatever.”
“I’m not just talking about this. I found the canned foods hidden in the cat supplies.”
“What, really? Wow, they must have accidentally fallen in by accident or something. Whoops. No returns.”
Keira wanted to frown, but Zoe was too ridiculous to let her create the right facial shape. Instead, she made sure her voice was firm. “I appreciate that you’re trying to do a good deed or whatever, but I’ll buy my own food.”
“Well, I was trying to be discreet about it.” Zoe sighed and let her