CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Teddy and I went into the kitchen, and he made me sit at the small two-person table shoved up against the wall while he set the kettle on the stove.
“Maybe you should go back to bed, Summer.”
I shook my head. “I could never go back to sleep.” Which was a lie. I was about to pass out in my chair, but it didn’t feel right to go to bed while Luke was here investigating.
“Then how about we go hang out in the living room after I get your tea made? I hate these old, rickety chairs.”
“Okay.”
About five minutes later, Dixie came inside and saw Teddy fixing my tea.
“I want a cup of tea,” she said in a good-natured whine.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll make you one too.” But he turned back and grinned at me, and I felt grateful that I was here with them.
I started to cry again.
“Summer?” Dixie asked, sounding worried. “Why are you cryin’? Are you feelin’ bad?”
“No. It’s because I’m so happy.”
“Happy? You’re sittin’ in Meemaw’s chair that’s about to collapse underneath you at two in the morning because someone tried to break into the room you’ve been sleepin’ in, and then your own cousin tried to run you over, and then that same cousin got into a huge argument with your old boyfriend.”
“That has to be one of the longest sentences ever.” But Dixie was right. My feelings were crazy given the circumstances, yet there was no denying them. Maybe I’d suffered brain damage. I’d give it more consideration as soon as I could think straight. I grabbed a napkin from a wooden napkin holder decorated with a hand-painted design of a goat and a frog. I was pretty sure it was something Teddy had made in his woodshop. “And yes, I’m happy that I’m here with the two of you.”
Dixie grunted. “I’m all for family time, but I prefer for it to be between nine a.m. and midnight.”
“I’ll remember that for future reference.”
Teddy reached for my arm and helped me out of my chair. “Let’s go into the living room.”
“I’m not an invalid, Teddy.”
“No, but you’re supposed to still be in the hospital, so let us baby you.” His eyes narrowed. “If you start cryin’ again, I’m not gonna give you your tea.”
“Yes, you will,” I said with a huge grin as tears leaked from my eyes.
“Why couldn’t God give me a boy cousin?” Teddy asked as he picked up my cup. “Or a brother?” he asked, pushing his way through the swinging door.
“Hush. You love us.” Dixie grinned. “I made pie earlier. You get Summer settled, and I’ll get you a slice.”
“Deal.”
Several minutes later, we were in the living room, with Dixie and me snuggled up on the sofa and Teddy in the matching love seat. I took a few bites of pie and a sip of tea and then, content and cozy, leaned my head back against the cushions.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was alone on the sofa, and Luke was saying something at the front door.
“Sh . . . ,” Dixie said, hidden behind the short wall marking the entryway. “Summer’s asleep on the couch.”
“Why did she really leave the hospital, Dixie?” he asked.
“She was freaked out.”
“You believe she was attacked?”
“Yeah, I do. And I sure as shoot know she didn’t move Otto Olson’s body. And before you can ask, I didn’t do it either. I’m stayin’ out of trouble, Luke. Just like I promised.”
That got my attention. She’d made some kind of deal with Luke?
“Did you tell Teddy?” she asked.
“I told you I wouldn’t tell a soul. Why?”
She paused. “Nothing. Right now we need to think about Summer and the break-in.”
“I’ll be honest, Dixie,” he said. “I don’t know what to make of any of this. Why did they break in to her window? Did it wake her up?”
“She was up in my room because I wanted her close to me. The only reason she was stayin’ at the hospital was because they wanted to make sure she didn’t slip into a coma.”
“What?”
“Calm down,” she said. “The chances were low, otherwise I wouldn’t have brought her home.”
“How many people know she’s stayin’ here?” Luke asked.
“The whole dang town.”
They were quiet for a minute before Luke said, “Do you think someone’s after Summer?”
“I don’t know,” she said in quiet voice. “But I can’t help thinking someone is settin’ her up.”
“Teddy is sure the break-in happened because of him. He says he thinks they broke in to get money he’d won in a poker game. He claims he pissed a few guys off because of his winnin’ streak.”
“Then maybe that’s the reason,” she said. But I wasn’t sure if he believed her—I knew I didn’t.
“She’s takin’ it easy tomorrow, right?” he asked. “I don’t have to worry about her traipsing around town?”
“She’s going to work,” Dixie said. “But if it makes you feel any better, she’s planning on keepin’ it pretty tame . . . lots of sittin’ around and interviewing Lauren’s lame clients.”
“They can’t be that tame if they almost got Summer killed.”
“That was our doin’,” Dixie said. “We followed a lead that Otto’s bike was at the lake.”
“Lead? What lead? Deputy Dixon never said a word about a lead.”
“I guess that’s because he was puttin’ so much effort into makin’ sure she looked guilty. People hate her just because she’s Summer Butler. I know you try to pretend you hate her too.”
“Dixie.”
“Look, I’m just sayin’ most people have a motive for doin’ things to someone else, but Summer gets haters just for breathin’. You know there’s a few people around here who are jealous of her. Isn’t that why you broke up with Gina Matherson?”
Oh, my God. Luke had dated Gina Matherson? She’d been the queen of gossip in middle school, and the summer Luke and I had dated, he’d insisted she hadn’t changed. Of all the people in town, she was one of the last I could see him dating.
“I don’t want to talk about Gina. Tell me more about the lead at the church.”
I knew I should tell them I was awake, but every conversation Luke and I had devolved into an argument. At least he was getting useful information from Dixie.
“After we interviewed Reverend Miller and a church member, Summer went to the bathroom and called you.”
“Yeah . . .”
“Well, I guess this guy popped out of a classroom and told her he’d seen Otto’s bike out on a trail near the lake. Said he was there fishin’. We went out there to see if we could find a lead on Otto. Summer thought the guy who told her was a janitor because he had a broom, but when she described him later, I knew she’d been tricked. The guy she saw was in his twenties, but Old Pete is the real janitor there—has been for years—and he’s in his seventies.”
“So who did she talk to?”
“Beats me.”
“You didn’t see him?”
“No. Only Summer.”
“Hmm . . .”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked in an accusatory tone.
“Nothin’. Just tryin’ to get the facts straight.”
“Huh.” Dixie didn’t sound convinced.
“Look, if someone is settin’ her up, it makes sense they’d wait until she was alone to give her the information. With no witnesses, it’s easier to cast doubt on her story.”
“But who set her up, and why would the sheriff’s deputy believe she moved the body?”
“I don’t know, but I aim to find out.” He paused. “Just keep an eye on her, okay?” Luke asked in a soft tone. “And if anything looks amiss . . . call me.”
“You still care about her,” Dixie said.
“If I can prevent anyone from getting hurt or injured, I’ll do it.”
“So you’re only doin’ this because it’s your job.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It’s just what every girl likes to hear.”
“Dixie . . . ,” he said in a warning tone.
“Just sayin’.”
“I’m goin’ home and goin’ to bed. I have to be at the Rotary breakfast at eight. You still doin’ okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’m a phone call away, Dixie. You know that.”
“Thanks.”
What was that all about?
“One more thing,” Luke said. “When was the last time you saw Ryker?”
“I don’t want to talk about Ryker.”
“You’re better off without him. He wasn—isn’t a good man.”
“I know,” she said, her voice heavy with tears.
Dixie told him goodbye, then walked into the living room with her hand on her hip. “How much of that did you hear?”
I felt terrible. “Dixie . . .”
“Hey,” she said, “no judgment here. I wouldn’t have interrupted that conversation either.” She paused. “He still has feelings for you, you know.”
“No, he doesn’t,” I said, but my heart beat a little faster in my chest. To lighten the moment, I added, “Besides, how could I ever be with someone who slept with that gossip Gina Matherson?”
“You were with that scumbag Connor Blake.”
I shuddered. “I never slept with my sleazy costar. He just made the world think we did.” And Luke too.
“Well . . .”—she sat down beside me—“I’d bet the whole farm that Luke didn’t sleep with Gina even though she tried to convince everyone it happened.”
“Dixie . . . Luke and I are like oil and vinegar. You can throw ’em in a bottle and get them to stick together for a little bit, but they always separate. Always.” And that knowledge made me sadder than I wanted to admit.
“Let’s go to bed,” she said, getting to her feet and pulling me off the couch. “You need your rest.”
“Okay.”
We went upstairs, and I was dragging by the time we got to the top.
“I should have had Teddy carry me back up,” I joked.
“He probably would have done it too if he were here.”
That caught my attention. “Where’d he go?”
“Beats me. He said he needed to think.” She must have seen the concern on my face because she said, “Don’t worry. It’s his thing. You know how Pawpaw liked to walk the farm? Well, Teddy does too. He’ll be back once he feels better.”
“You’re sure he didn’t go after the guys he thinks broke in?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Don’t baby me, Dixie,” I said as I sank onto the bed. “I want the truth even when it’s hard. He went after them.”
After a moment of silence, she lay down beside me. “Maybe.”
Worry slithered through my gut.
“Don’t concern yourself about Teddy. He’s the most level-headed of all of us. He’s nobody’s fool. If he went after them, he knows the odds are on his side. He’ll be careful.”
I was counting on it.