A Snow Covered Nightmare: Refuge Series Book Two by Debbie Zello (19)

Chapter Nineteen

The Hob Nob was one of the ‘better’ restaurants in Stowe. It sat atop a hill and boasted the best cuts of beef around. Briah was hoping they might try that theory out with their dinner choices.

After parking the car, Stu came around the trunk and opened her door, helping her out. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the door, which he then opened for her. “Thank you,” she said.

“You are very welcome,” he said smiling. They approached the host and Stu said, “We have a reservation in the name of Jefferys.”

“Yes, sir, come this way please,” she said leading them to a candle lit table for two. Stu pulled Briah’s chair out and she sat down as he pushed it under her. Then he took her hand from the table and gently kissed it before placing it in her lap.

“Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Jefferys?” she said after the host had given them the menu and left.

“No. I’m attempting to treat you like the treasure I believe you are,” he said flashing those perfect teeth at her. “If you don’t like it or you’re uncomfortable, I can stop. I don’t want to, but I can.”

“No. I was just curious. I was going to tell you that you are wasting your time. I didn’t want you to put a whole lot of effort into me,” she said lowering her eyes to the table. He reached over to lift her chin so he could look into her eyes.

“Cindy told me you had a terrible break up this summer. She said you were hurt, badly. I’m not asking you to fall in love with me. I’m asking for a few dinners, a movie or two, maybe to go bowling or for a walk.”

“I guess I need to watch what I tell Cindy,” Briah said.

“She wasn’t gossiping with me. It was more like an, ‘I like her and if you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down, cut off your balls, stuff them in your mouth, and sew your lips shut,’ kind of discussion,” he said smiling.

“Is that so?”

“Maybe not those exact words but my balls were involved,” he said laughing.

“Well, this is a first for me. I can’t remember ever discussing a man’s balls on a first date,” she said laughing with him.

“Nor I. I guess I’ll have to seduce you at some point after all. But in the mean time, heal and I’ll carry Band-Aids with me for the occasional scab-removal.”

Stu walked Briah up her stairs to her door. She unlocked it and swung the door open. “Do you want to come in for a glass of wine?” she asked him.

“Thank you, but I’ve had enough to drink. I have a bit of a ride and the roads are getting slick. I’d better head for home, but thank you,” he said taking her hand again and kissing it.

“Thank you for dinner. I had a lovely evening.”

“Thank you for coming with me. I had a great time too. You know if you need anything you can call me, right?”

“I would but I don’t have your number.”

Stu fumbled for his wallet and pulled out a card. He handed it to her saying, “This has all my numbers on it including my home and cell. I know Ryan is right across the street but call me if you need me.”

“Thank you, I will,” she said taking the card.

“Would you like to go to a movie next week, Cherie?”

“I would like that very much, Stu. Why don’t you call me Thursday or Friday? Good night,” she said.

“I will, good night.” Briah watched him walk to his car and drive off before she shut the porch light off and locked the door. Secretly, she wished he would have run back up the stairs, tore open the door and ravaged her on the kitchen table. That’s what the pirates, princes, and kings did in the romance novels she was so fond of reading.

Instead, she leaned against the door and said to the empty house, “He’s a nice man. Maybe we’ll give him a chance.”

In the days that followed, Briah thought more and more about Jeanette Slater’s death. She bought all of the newspapers and watched the national news for more information, but it seemed once her death was reported everyone lost interest in it. Everyone but Briah, that is. She went on-line to get information directly from the local police web site and news organizations. After a few weeks, they even moved on. With no one that she could contact directly, she gave up looking. Looking for information that is. Now she looked around and over her shoulder constantly. If Jeanette’s death was a random act of violence, then she had nothing to worry about. If it was revenge, then she was next.

The week of Thanksgiving, everything began in earnest. The hordes of early skiers descended on the small town of Stowe. Nearly every motel room was full. The local restaurants were feeding the multitudes. Briah was coming home from work completely exhausted from putting in twelve-hour days.

She began her day in the store, stocking shelves at six AM. She moved to the mountain by ten, patrolling the slopes and trails, looking for anything that might pose a problem for the unfamiliar skiers that day. By two, she was starving and would grab a quick sandwich to eat as she rode a lift back to the top.

Around four in the afternoon, she would check in at the rental shop to see what had broken during the day. She would help with what repairs she could handle and leave for home sometime after six.

Her cheeks and nose were red from the wind and the cold. Her smiles wide like the light from the sun. Her heart free, finally. She was able to leave Aiden up on the mountain and now he was under several feet of snow. That was better than feeling him spooning behind her at night and wrapping her in his arms all day. Some ghosts needed to go to the light.

Saturday night, Stu took her to Burlington to have dinner and see a movie. Burlington is a college town with several nightclubs and a number of nice restaurants. Stu picked an Italian bistro near the University of Vermont campus. He had been there many times and liked both its food and atmosphere.

“What’s good here?” she asked him.

“Everything. I went to UVM so this was our usual date place. If we had the money, that is,” he said with a remembering snort.

“I was never flush with cash in college. How did you manage a dinner out?”

“I worked a part-time job that went full-time on breaks and over the summer. I’m good with my money. Actually, I’m good with more than my money,” he said giving her a look that spoke more than his words could ever do. He reached across the table to hold her hand. Her eyes went to their joined hands.

“I know what you want, Stu. I know that you’re waiting for me to make the first real move. Oh, you may say things, and look at me in such a way that I know exactly what you are thinking. But you’re leaving it up to me, aren’t you?” Briah said with a bolt of honesty that staggered him.

“I’d be lying if I said I don’t want you. I told you I would give you whatever time you need to heal, and I mean that. I’m just reminding you that I’m still here.”

“I can see you, and I feel you. I’m just not completely there yet,” she said turning her hand over and clasping his.

“Okay,” Stu said smiling. “I don’t have an agenda, Cherie. Just lust, adoration, and desire.” They ate their dinner having moved on to less personal conversation about work and town gossip.

They left the restaurant walking hand-in-hand back to his car that was parked a few blocks away, neither of them noticing the dark colored car that was parked behind them. The man behind the wheel noticed them though. He watched as Stu opened her door and closed it once she had gotten in. He watched Stu open his door and get in. He waited for them to pull away from the curb before he started his car and pulled into traffic four cars behind them.

“I don’t give a fuck what your rules are, Brice. You know and I know, David Slater had his wife murdered. This was no random act. It was well planned and executed to look like a random act. This is David Slater we’re talking about. Remember him?” Aiden yelled into his phone.

“You need to calm down and listen to me,” Brice Coughlin said. “We have no evidence that he had anything to do with it. You know we need something concrete to go on. I can’t go off half cocked on your say so. Everything on her is sealed. I don’t even know how to get it unsealed.”

“You know where the fuck she is, Brice. I know you do. Don’t try to deny it. You told me I couldn’t protect her. You told that to Jeanette Slater as well. Now she is dead under your protection. Now what have you got to say?”

“I’m still saying that we don’t know that David had any part in it. Her house was broken into. It was robbed and ransacked. She was tied up and then shot. All the evidence points to an arbitrary robbery. Unless we can come up with anything that points to David we have to go with what the evidence says,” Brice screamed back. Aiden’s phone signaled he had another call. Looking at the display, he saw it was Alisa.

“I have to go. You will be hearing from me,” Aiden said pressing end. “Hi, Alisa. How are you?” he greeted sweetly.

“I’m good but you sound stressed,” she said.

“I’m always stressed; that’s part of the job.”

“I wanted to know if you know what time you’re picking me up for dinner.”

“Is seven okay with you? I’m not finished here and I want to change. That will give me enough time.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you then. Bye.”

“Thanks, bye,” Aiden said hanging up. He looked at Pete.

“Brice isn’t convinced it was David that killed her?” he said.

“Nope. He thinks it was an indiscriminate act, completely void of suspicion.”

“Those weren’t his words. He only uses one or two syllables. You’re the fancy talker.”

“That’s what he meant. He says he doesn’t know where she is. I think he does.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Even if he does, he isn’t going to tell you. What about Alisa? Are you over Briah or not?” Pete said staring at Aiden.

“I thought I was until Jeanette was killed. Then it all came back with a vengeance. I still want Briah so badly.

“It’s nothing against Alisa. She is lovely and wonderful. She deserves a man that loves her like the princess she is. I’m just not that man.”

“You need to tell her, then. The sooner the better, bro. Before she is in too deep with you, cause that’s not right and you know it.”

“I’m going to tell her tonight. I’m still in love with a woman and I don’t know her name or where to find her.”

“Yup. That’s fucked up,” Pete said turning around.