Aspen Allegations - A Sutton Massachusetts Mystery

Chapter 21

Black Friday's morning was the opposite of its namesake – bright, clear, and redolent with a flurry of chickadees enjoying the buffet at the feeder out the side window. Jason was working on concocting his spinach shake. I had my traditional chocolate protein shake with my wealth of orange chewy vitamins.

I smiled at him. "So, off to do your shopping?"

He nodded. "Sure you don't want to come with me?"

I laughed out loud at that. "If there is one thing you're going to learn about me, it's that I absolutely abhor shopping crowds. It would be sheer torture for you to drag me through those mobs of price-hungry zealots. You really don't want to see me in that situation."

He smiled. "In that case, you remain safely home. I will be the hunter. You can enjoy the quiet."

My phone chirruped and I picked it up to glance at it. "Or maybe it won't be quiet," I chuckled. "Cheryl has agreed to come over for a little while and talk about her sister."

His eyebrows arched. "Oh? How did you manage to track down her email address?"

I waved the phone at him. "Why, Facebook of course. A quick query, a few clicks, and I had a message off to her."

He smiled. "You may convince me to set up an account yet," he teased.

I flashed him a smile. "How else am I supposed to connect to you, if I ever decide to change my status from 'single'?"

His gaze stilled for a moment, becoming more serious. "Oh? And do you think you're ready for that?" he asked, a note of cautious hope entering his tone.

My grin widened. "Well you know how this works. You men want to lay your claims, take us women off the market, at least while you have us. But us women, we want to make sure our options are open until we're quite sure we have what we want."

His brown eyes held mine. "And what do you want?"

My cheeks warmed and I looked out to the feeder. A male cardinal had alighted there, his rosy feathers nearly glowing in the morning sunshine. As I watched, his mate fluttered down to join him on the opposite side. Her garb was more subdued, in quiet browns and greys, but I sensed a strength there.

"I have to say I am fairly content," I stated at last, looking over at him. "Boyfriend and girlfriend, then?"

His hand reached over to take mine. "That sounds just right."

* * *

I'm not sure what I expected in Cheryl, but the woman who stood on my doorstep wasn't quite it. Squat, heavy, dressed in a too-tight hip-hugging pair of black jeans and a paisley top which squeezed her breasts into a high, unnatural shape. Her face was weathered and rough, as if an apple had been left in a corner for far too long.

I drew back, welcoming her in. "It is great to meet you, Cheryl," I greeted. "Thank you so much; I imagine you had many things to do today."

"It was on my way," she stated, a sharpness edging her voice. "And besides, you said we could have a glass or two of wine while we talked."

I glanced at the clock on the cable box – the green, segmented lines indicated it was a few minutes after noon. "Of course," I agreed with a smile. "Come on in."

She looked around as we moved through the living room, her eyes lingering a little too long on the large-screen TV hanging over the fireplace. A shiver moved through me; I dismissed it with a deliberate push. Surely she was not simply here to case my house for a robbery.