Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“The scent of fresh pine, which is your scent after walking in the woods lately. I often wondered if the trees hugged you the scent is so strong at times.”
“Jealous?” I asked teasingly.
“Always,” he teased back, “but there truly is no reason to be since no one else can come close to what we have.”
“And what is that?”
He turned serious as he whispered, “Murder.”
I poked him in the chest playfully and went to step out of his arms and he stopped me. “Seriously, Pep, I love you and besides, you’re enough to handle.”
I poked him again.
He laughed and unzipped my jacket. “Stay and have tea.”
Of course, he had an electric teapot in his office. I think the man had an electric teapot in every room of his living quarters. I slipped off my jacket while he got busy fixing us tea and realized the enormous change to the room.
“Wow, the office turned out great,” I said, taking in as much as I could. A deep navy-colored cabinetry covered the entire wall behind his rich wood desk, with brass lighting running across the top and highlighting the bookshelves that flanked the space in the middle where a television was mounted. The cabinetry continued beneath with a multitude of drawers. Two leather chairs with a copper-hammered stool between them sat opposite his desk, a perfect spot to do business. Behind it on the wall was the same navy-colored cabinetry on the bottom portion of the wall, while the top portion was covered in the old photos, though newly framed, that had graced the wall when it was Max’s office. The wall to the left of the desk had been transformed into a wall of windows, while custom navy cloth blinds were raised high enough to allow a gorgeous view of the stunning snow-covered woods.
Ian handed me a mug of tea.
“You’re investing a lot in this place,” I said, taking the mug and thinking why when the property and all on it actually belonged to me.
“It’s all in the family, Pep.”
I didn’t know what to say to that since it sounded as if he intended that one day we would marry, and it would actually all be in the family. I wasn’t ready for that yet, not that it hadn’t crossed my mind, so I made no comment.
We made ourselves comfortable in the two leather chairs and I was grateful for the warmth of the oolong tea.
“Tell me what I’ve missed,” Ian said.
I detailed what happened with Amy first, finishing with what Beau and I had planned. “So, Beau and I are going to keep a watch over her, but I would suggest you talk to him about love. He needs some advice.”
Ian laughed. “Advice on love? Not easy. Everyone comes to it in their own way and what works for one doesn’t always work for another. There are hits and misses and how often are there more misses than hits? How many times do people make the same mistake over and over again before they realize it’s a mistake? Love is a paradox, never to be understood, yet always searched for and when finally found less understood but grateful to have found it.”
I stared at him, his words sinking in, and I had only one response. “I’m glad I found love.”
Ian smiled. “You and me both, Pep, and now that I have, I never want to let it go.”
He reached out and I grabbed hold of his hand.
“Me too,” I said, feeling as if we’d just solidified a vow.
“Did you learn anything on your visit to the crime scene?” he asked, keeping hold of my hand.
I told him everything, including my final thought, “Stan never gave me the names of his friends or told me if he was there that weekend.”
“We’re going to have to find that out. Our suspect list is growing. We might want to start eliminating people.”
“Many on the list are just people who were around at the time, like Zelda and her husband. After talking with her today, they had little if any knowledge about Travis. I did speak with Marsh Evans.”
“The mechanic and towing guy,” Ian said.
I confirmed with a nod. “He was about sixteen at the time and he told me that Travis was a whiz with engines and that he learned more from him than Mr. Burns, the auto mechanic teacher in high school at that time. It seemed he admired Travis.”
“So does he remain on the list, or do we cross him off?”
“I don’t think we know enough to cross him off yet,” I said. “He might know something without realizing it. Also, Josh told me that Mayor Barrett is giving the local TV station an interview about the thirty-five year-old murder, and we’re both worried that my dad might come out of it the worse for wear.”