FILLING IN THE BLANKS

RAISED AND GLAZED COZY MYSTERIES, BOOK 27

EMMA AINSLEY

SUMMER PRESCOTT BOOKS PUBLISHING

Copyright 2023 Summer Prescott Books

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

**This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

CHAPTER ONE

“Where did you pick this guy up?” Orson Hawley muttered as he stood at the kitchen sink, just a few steps from Maggie Sharpe, his boss and owner of the donut shop in Dogwood Mountain.

“Orson, we’ve been over this,” Maggie said. She raised the large kitchen knife above the cutting board on the prep table and attempted to mimic the movements of her best friend and business partner, Ruby Cobb. Since contracting botulism weeks before while performing her duties on the Dogwood Mountain City Council, Ruby had been back home at her farm outside of town slowly recovering.

“You’re doing that wrong, you know,” Orson said. He gave her his best look of fatherly disapproval.

“I’m quite well aware that I am not doing things the way Ruby does them, Orson,” she said, staring up at the tall and lanky old man. “But these things have to be done, and it’s my job to keep this place going for Ruby and you and me and all of us.”

“Yeah, well, that guy isn’t Ruby either,” Orson grumbled. He jerked his head in the direction of Zach Pierce, the man Maggie had hired to help out while Ruby was away.

“I’m not having this conversation twenty times a day,” Maggie said. “And I will thank you for keeping your voice down, Orson! He’s right over there.”

“I don’t care where he is,” Orson said, although he did not raise his voice. “He is not one of us.”

“Orson,” Maggie warned. She set the knife down and turned her full attention to the older man. “What is the real problem here? Has Zach done or said anything wrong?”

“Yes, he has,” Orson said. “He bossed me around this morning, as if he’s been here as long as we have. He has no right to do that! He doesn’t even know me.”

“Okay.” Maggie placed her hand on his arm and squeezed. “I’ll have a talk with him. He is just another worker and not here to take over for Ruby. Okay?”

“It’ll be okay if you talk to him, and he understands that,” Orson said.

Maggie wiped her hands off on a towel and left Orson alone at the sink. She walked through the swinging door into the dining room side of the donut shop. Myra stood at the counter taking orders while Naomi ran around behind her filling them. She gestured toward Naomi and pulled her to the side of the counter near the restrooms.

“What’s up?” Naomi asked her.

“Just checking in.” Maggie smiled. “I wondered if you were having any negative interactions with Zach.”

“Negative interactions? Like what?” Naomi said.

Maggie sighed. “Orson is up in arms about Zach being here, but I’m not sure if that isn’t just because he thinks I’m trying to replace Ruby,” she said. “Which I am not.”

Naomi smiled and leaned against the counter. “Zach needs to figure out how things are done around here,” she said. “To be honest, I have seen him boss Orson around a little bit here and there.”

“So, Orson has a legitimate complaint, then?” Maggie asked.

“Well, while I think it’s true, it might not be as big of a deal as Orson is making it out to be,” Naomi said. “It might just take a little bit more information on Zach’s part.”

Maggie left her up front and returned to the back. She glanced at Orson who had assumed her duties at the prep table. Zach stood over the automatic donut machines. She debated taking him aside then and there but decided instead to step outside and call Ruby instead.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Ruby,” Maggie said. “How are things going today?”

“A lot better,” Ruby said. “I spent the morning in the pasture.”

“How did that go?” Maggie asked.

“Much better than even two weeks ago,” Ruby said. “I think I’m about eighty percent back. In fact, I planned to call you after work and talk to you about coming back to work a couple of days next week.”

“Really? I mean, are you sure? I don’t want you to push yourself,” Maggie said.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Ruby laughed. “I can’t tell if you’re eager to have me back or scared I might push myself too hard.”

“A little of both,” Maggie admitted.

“What’s going on?” Ruby asked. “I can hear something in your voice.”

“Not much, really,” Maggie said. “It’s just Orson. He’s not very happy with me because of the new guy we hired.”

“Zach? Is he not working out very well?” Ruby asked.

“I think he’s doing a good job,” Maggie said. “But it seems like he might be acting a bit more like a supervisor than a simple worker.”

“What is Orson’s beef with him?”

“I guess he’s been bossing him around a little bit,” Maggie said. “I just wanted to call you and hear a voice of reason before I go back in there and deal with it.”

“Have you had lunch yet?” Ruby asked.

“Me? No, I haven’t had a chance to sit down just yet,” Maggie said. “Why?”

“Because I think I’m going to come in and eat with you,” Ruby said. “We’ll have a talk with the entire crew together.”

Maggie exhaled slowly. She couldn’t keep the smile off of her face. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

CHAPTER TWO

“Who is that?” Zach demanded when Ruby walked in the donut shop and headed straight for the counter. “Why is she behind the counter?”

“That is Ruby Cobb, the other owner of this place,” Orson barked at him. “She is your boss.”

Zach frowned at him. “Why don’t you get back to the kitchen and wash up those dishes?”

“Actually, Zach,” Maggie said. “I think I’ll have you take care of the dishes while Ruby and I speak with Orson.”

Zach placed his hands on his hips and stared at her for a moment. He was a tall, round man with a large face and dark brown eyes. He turned his ball cap around on his head and stared at her. “I just told Orson to do that,” he said.

Ruby made her way to Maggie’s side. “I don’t think we’ve met,” she said and extended her hand to him. “I’m Ruby…”

“Yeah, I know who you are,” he said.

“Okay, so if you know who I am then you know there is a pecking order in this place, just like there is at any job,” Ruby said. “And since you’re the newest person here, you don’t really get to order people around, okay?”

Zach shook his head. “That’s not the way I understood it at all,” he argued. “The way I was told, I was hired to take your place.”

“To take my place? I’m still here,” Ruby said with a laugh.

“And you really can’t take the place of the co-owner,” Maggie said. “I’m very sorry that you got that idea, Zach, but when I interviewed you, I never said you were going to become my new business partner. I hired you to help out, especially while Ruby is gone. But you are certainly not in charge of Orson or anyone else.”

“That’s not fair,” he said. “Maybe I just need to leave and let you handle this all by yourself.”

“Maybe you need to spend some time in Hunter Springs and let Zeke Soren sort you out,” Orson muttered.

“What was that?” Zach snapped.

“Do you want to work here, Zach?” Ruby asked. “Because if you aren’t happy, we certainly don’t want to hold you here.”

“Why don’t the two of you take a seat and I’ll see to it that your lunch is brought out to you,” Myra interrupted. She gave the two of them a knowing look. She planned to take over the front and would be in charge while Naomi took over in the kitchen.

“I’ll help Myra out up here,” Orson said. “We can talk later.”

Maggie led Ruby to the other side of the counter and took a seat at their usual booth. She slid in across the table from her and rested her head on the table.

“You’re really overwhelmed,” Ruby said. “I can see what the problem is.”

Maggie raised her head up to look at her best friend. “I’m just tired,” she said.

“Maybe, but that’s not the only thing,” Ruby said. “You’re dealing with more problems than you need to be. Maybe hiring Zach is more trouble than it’s worth.”

Maggie looked up at Naomi who was quickly approaching their table. “Zach stepped out,” she said.

“Stepped out?”

“Yeah, I think he left out the back,” Naomi said.

“Did he say anything?” Ruby asked.

“He said he wasn’t hired to do the dishes, and then he threw the sponge into the water and marched out the back.”

“Sounds like he may have just quit,” Ruby said.

“I’ll go wash the dishes,” Orson said. “But I’m going to say something unpleasant if I see that boy again.”

“Orson, why don’t you just go on and have a break yourself?” Maggie suggested. “I’ll tackle those dishes when I finish lunch with Ruby.”

“Actually, I think I can stick around for an hour or two after lunch,” Ruby said. “I can give you a hand back there.”

“No,” Maggie argued. “You’re still in recovery.”

“And I can sit on a stool and wash dishes with you right there next to me,” Ruby said. “Trust me. I want to get back to work. There are only so many days at home I can spend without going insane.”

“Let’s see how you feel when we’re finished with lunch and then go from there,” Maggie suggested.

Myra appeared with two boxed lunches, prepared by Maggie earlier in the morning.

“What do we have here?” Ruby asked.

“Well, I used the shredded roast beef we slow cooked overnight for French dip sandwiches and your apple slaw,” Maggie said. “I think our dessert is going to be an apple cider donut.”

“We need to plan a new donut for the season,” Ruby said. Her eyes shone when she spoke. “I was thinking about a simple, baked pumpkin donut.”

“I like that idea,” Maggie said. “What about a complimentary donut hole to go along with it? Both fall flavors.”

Ruby smiled. “Deal,” she said. “Let’s get to it next week when I come back.”

Maggie dug into her lunch. She was surprised to discover how hungry she was. Ruby ate most of her lunch as well. Maggie was happy to see her appetite was almost normal. She shuddered to think back a few weeks to the time Ruby spent in the hospital. For a short time, it wasn’t clear whether or not she was going to recover. The experience left Maggie feeling a bit raw about her loved ones.

Naomi appeared from the kitchen around the time Maggie and Ruby finished their lunch. “Hey, just so you guys know, Zach is back,” she said quietly.

“Okay,” Maggie said. She stood up from the table. “I’ll go back there and talk to him. Is he going back to work?”

Naomi shook her head. “I don’t know. Right now, he’s just standing there by the cooler door with his arms folded,” she said.

“Let’s go,” Ruby said. She stood up and walked toward the counter. Maggie followed her and headed toward the swinging door. When they pushed through it, Zach stood against the back wall just as Naomi had said.

“Zach,” Maggie said. “I hear you took off instead of washing up the dishes.”

“And now you’re back,” Ruby said.

“Yeah,” Zach said. He shook his head. “I’m back, but I’m not washing those dishes.”

Maggie nodded slowly. “Okay, then you realize you’re not going to have a job here, right?”

“That’s not fair,” Zach said. His voice raised. “I told you that’s not what I was hired on for!”

“But it is what you were hired for,” Maggie said. “I told you we needed some extra help around here while my business partner was recovering from an illness. What did I tell you that would include, Zach?”

“You said I was going to replace your co-owner,” he said.

“I never said that,” Maggie said. “What do you think that means? That you would just start here one day and suddenly become part owner a week later?

Zach nodded his head. “That’s what you promised me,” he said.

“Let’s make this simple, okay,” Ruby cut in. “Zach, are you going to wash the dishes and take instructions while you are here at work? Do you understand that you do not own part of this business?”

“I told you already. I am not washing dishes! And if I tell that old man to get his rear end back here to wash them for me, I expect him to listen!”

Maggie shook her head. “I don’t think this is going to work out. We’re going to have to let you go.”

“What are you doing?” he said. “You can’t fire me. I need this job! I have to have this job.”

Ruby took a step closer to him. “You need to listen to me,” she said. “You’re going to have to go look for another job.” She glanced at Maggie. “I’m sure we can pay you for the rest of the week to help you out, but please do not return here.”

“No, this is not happening,” Zach said. “I have to keep this job You don’t understand. What can I do to convince you not to fire me?”

“Maybe shut up and wash the dishes,” Orson said. Maggie looked around for the old man. She hadn’t seen him standing in the back, near the storage room.

“Orson,” Ruby whispered. “Shhh!”

“He isn’t wrong,” Maggie said. “You can put on your apron and start washing the dishes. Stop thinking you’re too good to do certain jobs around here. You were not hired to be a manager or a co-owner.”

“That’s not what you said,” Zach insisted.

“Okay, this obviously isn’t going anywhere,” Maggie said. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“And what if I refuse?” Zach pushed off the wall and took a step toward her. “What are you going to do if I decide that I’m not going to play nice with you?”

“I think I’d reconsider that if I were you,” Ruby said. “Because Myra is married to the chief of police here in town and Maggie is about to marry the county sheriff.”

“Fine,” Zach said. “I’ll leave, but you haven’t heard the last of me.” He walked close to Maggie, stopping two inches from her face. She swallowed hard and waited for him to make his next move. She stared at him unblinking and firm.

“Back off right now,” Orson roared. He appeared from the storage room and threw a stool out of his way. “You have about two seconds to get out of her face and get out of here.”

“And what are you going to do about it, old man?” Zach turned toward him and pushed him backward. Orson tumbled backward and caught himself on the large metal sinks.

“That’s enough,” Maggie shouted. “Get out! Someone, call the police.”

“Already on it,” Naomi said.

“Hold on, hold on,” Zach said suddenly. He put his hands up in front of his chest and shook his hands. “That was just a little shove. He put himself in front of me. That wasn’t my fault.”

“Zach, you need to go,” Ruby said. “You aren’t welcome around here anymore.”

“No. I told you I can’t lose this job.”

“The police are on their way,” Maggie said calmly. “Either stay here and face them or leave right now before they show up.”

“This is not over,” Zach said. He darted out the backdoor as fast as he could run.

“Do you know what kind of car he drives?” Naomi asked. “I think they should go after him.”

“I think so,” Myra said, joining them. “It’s a dark green Gremlin. I’ll text Brooks the description.”

“A Gremlin? That monstrosity outside belongs to him?” Orson asked. “I haven’t seen such an ugly car since I was a much younger man.”

“Do you know much about those cars?” Myra asked. “I have no idea who the car manufacturer is or the year.”

“The manufacturer is AMC,” Orson said. “They only made them in the 1970s, thank goodness.”

“One of us needs to go back out front and wait on the customers,” Ruby said.

“That’s one reason I came back here to talk to you,” Myra said. “There’s a lady out front who wants to talk to you, Maggie. I think it is about Zach.”

Maggie rolled her eyes and headed for the swinging door. Talking to someone else about Zach was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment. She pushed through the swinging door. A woman stood on the other side of the counter near the iPad where orders were taken. Maggie guessed she was somewhere close to fifty. Her brown hair was streaked with gray. She was an inch or two past five foot and nothing more.

“Can I help you?” Maggie asked her.

The woman nodded at her and narrowed her eyes. “You’re the owner here?” she asked.

“I am,” Maggie said, “What is this about?”

“I’m Paula Winchester,” the woman said. She pulled a business card out of her shirt pocket and handed it to her.

“You’re a private investigator? Why are you here?” Maggie asked.

“Zach Pierce,” Paula said. “I understand you just hired him here.”

Maggie nodded. “Yes, but he was just let go.”

“Where is he now?” Paula asked her. Her face paled some. “It’s very important that you let me know where he is.”

“I don’t know where he is, but the police are on their way here,” Maggie said.

“You called the police?” Paula asked. “Why?”

“Why do you want to know?” Maggie countered. She passed a to-go cup of coffee across the counter to the woman, hoping the gesture would help ease the tension of the situation.

Paula accepted the cup without comment and shook her head. “Can’t tell you that,” she said. “I just need to know everything you can tell me about Zach Pierce, and I need you to tell me as fast as you can.”

“I think it’s best if we wait for the police to figure everything out.” She had no desire to tell the woman anything if she wasn’t going to share the reason she was there in the first place.

“I was a cop,” Paula insisted. “I mean, I served for more than twenty years on the police force in West Memphis down in Arkansas. I’m only a P.I. because I couldn’t quit the force when it quit me.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Maggie said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve already placed a call to the police, and I prefer to let them handle it.”

Paula gripped the counter with her hands. She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “You have no idea what you’ve just done,” she said. She smacked the counter loudly with her hands, then turned around and walked out the door.

Brooks Macklin stood outside the back door in the alley. The wind blew against his face. “Why don’t you just come on inside and get something warm to drink?” Maggie pleaded with him when she got out there. “I think Zach is long gone by now.”

“Yeah, okay,” Brooks said. “I need to have a look at his employment application anyway. I want to double check the address he gave you against the one we’ve already checked out.”

Maggie nodded and led him inside. “Naomi, when you get a sec,” Maggie began.

“On it,” Naomi said. She rushed to the front and joined Myra to fix a large cup of coffee. Maggie knew there would be an extra treat or two or three for the police chief when she returned.

“Let me get the application for you,” Maggie said. She rushed to the office and pulled open the metal filing cabinet door and retrieved the application from the thin folder with the other applications she received after advertising the job in the local newspaper. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, Maggie,” Brooks said. He scanned the front page of the application and shook his head. “That is certainly not the same address he supplied on his registration with the city.”

“What did he have to register with the city for?” Orson asked.

“City sticker,” Ruby said. She was seated at the baker’s table.

“Oh, Ruby.” Brooks smiled. “I didn’t see you there. How are you?”

“Doing fine,” Ruby answered. Maggie noted the fatigue in her face.

“Do you want to head back home for a while?” Maggie asked. “I don’t want to wear you out your first time back in the kitchen.”

Ruby shook her head. “I’m just worn out from the morning on the farm,” she said. “I’ll be okay.”

Myra came through the swinging kitchen door carrying a coffee and a sack to go for her husband. “Naomi made me bring this back here for some weirdo guy,” she teased. She handed the coffee and the goodies over to Brooks and pushed him to the back door with a kiss.

“I’ll call you if we come up with anything, Maggie,” he said on his way out.

CHAPTER THREE

Ruby headed back home to the farm while everyone else stayed behind to clean up for the day. Orson remained later than he had in months to help out.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Myra asked him more than once.

“Stop fussing over me like I’m your child,” Orson grumbled back. “I will rest when we get home.”

Maggie chuckled at the pair, so much like a biological father and daughter pair, though the duo both lived and worked together day in and day out. She chuckled again when she later spotted the pair working side by side washing dishes as she imagined happened often at home, especially on the days that Brooks worked late.

At two, Maggie walked around the donut shop checking to make sure everything was in place for the coming day. She had made the decision to close up a little early for the day.

She smiled when she passed the front windows and spotted the pickup truck with the Dogwood Mountain Sheriff’s Department logo on the side. When the driver stepped out of the truck dressed in his brand new dark blue jeans and a Springfield Cardinals baseball cap, she felt her knees weaken slightly. She was engaged to Sheriff Brett Mission, and there were days when remembering that fact left her feeling as giddy as she did when she spotted him on the football field in high school.

“Hey, you,” Brett said to her when he leaned inside the door.

“I was just locking up,” Maggie said. “Did you stop by to take me to dinner?”

Brett chuckled and dropped his head. “I wish I had good news to share with you, and I do plan to have dinner with you, but I have a feeling you’re going to want to get something to take home when you hear what I have to tell you.”

“Oh, jeez. That sounds ominous. What happened and who did it happen to?”

Brett guided her to the Old Timer’s table and pulled out a chair for her. “I had a call about thirty minutes ago regarding an abandoned vehicle on the side of the road,” he began. “When I got there, I found two things. One, a discarded coffee cup from the donut shop and two, the body of a middle-aged woman. Her name is Paula Winchester.”

“She was just here not that long ago,” Maggie managed to say. She felt a wave of panic followed by nausea wash over her.

“Was she killed? Because if someone killed her, I think I know who might have done it.”

“We think we might know, too,” Brett said. “I came here because I wanted to let you know that she was murdered, very clearly based on the wounds on her neck, and we are now searching for Zach Pierce.”

“He is a suspect,” Maggie breathed the words, unsure if they were a question or a statement.

“He’s our number one person of interest,” Brett said. “Based on what you shared with me earlier, I think he’s definitely the first person we need to talk to.”

She sighed and pointed toward the kitchen. “I have to get my things, and I want to make sure the cameras are up and working.”

“Okay,” Brett said. “I’ll meet you around the back.” He headed back out the front door to the truck.

Maggie followed him to the front door and locked it carefully behind him. She shut the lights off as she walked through the dining area and behind the counter before she pushed through the swinging door and into the kitchen. Once she was in the office, she checked the cameras and picked up her purse, then shut off the lights and headed out the back door to Brett’s truck.

“I thought we could pick up some Italian food from Curley’s and head back to your house,” Brett suggested when he saw that she’d walked to work that day.

“I’ll put in an order on my phone,” Maggie said. She found the restaurant’s app and began placing their typical order. “Twenty minutes until it is ready.”

“Do you want to drive out to the lake for a moment while we wait?” Brett asked.

“I’d love that,” Maggie agreed.

“It might help you clear your head,” Brett said.

“What do you mean?” Maggie asked.

“I can see the worry in your face,” Brett said. “And no, before you get mad, I don’t mean you have worry lines on your forehead.”

Maggie groaned. “I don’t mind laugh lines, but worry lines aren’t okay,” she said. “And yes, I’m worried. I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder all the time, and I don’t want to have to worry about the rest of the crew at the donut shop, either.”

“What makes you think you’re going to have to worry about everyone?” Brett asked.

“Just the way Zach acted when I fired him,” she said. “He just wouldn’t accept that he was fired. He insisted that I had hired him to take Ruby’s place as co-owner.”

“He sounds delusional,” Brett said.

“For sure,” Maggie said. “He even asked me what I was going to do if he decided that he wasn’t going to play nice with me and he told me that I hadn’t heard the last of him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me all of this before now?” Brett asked. He parked the truck in front of the south shore of the lake and turned in his seat to look at her.

Maggie shook her head. “I told Brooks because he was there right after it happened, and I just figured I’d tell you later. Plus, I didn’t know he was a suspect in killing the woman who showed up looking for him less than an hour after I fired him, either,” she said. “Before, his words were frustrating and irritating, but now, they seem like a veiled threat from a possible killer.”

Brett backed the truck up and headed back toward town a little while after. They drove toward the restaurant in silence. Maggie had few words to say. She was concerned about the safety of her staff members, but in reality, she was more concerned about the safety of her family. Aside from her son Bradley and his little boy Wyatt, and Brett, each one of her employees was a family member.

“Do you want to wait here while I run in for the food? It will take me only about a minute,” Brett said.

“Sure.” Maggie didn’t want to admit how much her feet hurt after a day at work. It occurred to her how much help Ruby really offered her every day. Brett patted her leg and stepped out.

While she waited, Maggie fired off a couple of texts to check on everyone. She hesitated to share the news about Paula, but she knew it was inevitable. No doubt the news would hit Myra’s household soon enough, so there was really no need to text her or Orson.

But Maggie did want to inform Naomi and Ruby. She opened her texts and sent a message to each of them. “Just for your information, Paula Winchester, the woman who was here asking about Zach, was found dead in her car a little while ago,” she wrote. “According to Brett, the main suspect is Zach. Be vigilant.”

She sent the messages and waited for their responses. Ruby wrote back right away. Naomi sent a message a short time later. There was nothing more to be done at that moment. Thanks to the discussion earlier in the donut shop kitchen, they each had as much information as she did about Zach’s car.

Maggie looked up when Brett headed back out of the restaurant. He carried two large brown sacks in his arms. “That looks like a lot more food than we can possibly consume,” she said when he opened the truck door.

“Speak for yourself.” Brett grinned. “I added a couple of things when I was in there.”

“I thought you were gone a while. What did you add?”

“Salad,” Brett said, appearing offended by her comments.

“That’s all?”

Brett shrugged his shoulders. “And maybe some extra breadsticks and a cheesecake.”

“You added an entire cheesecake?”

Brett shook his head quickly. “No, no,” he said. “Just four slices. Two for tonight, and one each for our lunch tomorrow.”

“You do know that I work in a donut shop, right?” Maggie asked. “I have access to all of the sweets that I can handle all day, every day.”

“Maybe so.” Brett grinned. “But do you have pumpkin cheesecake?”

CHAPTER FOUR

“I have a new idea for a fall donut,” Maggie said early the next morning. She sat down across the baker’s table from Naomi. “I haven’t told Ruby just yet. I thought I might make a batch and deliver them to her after work today.”

“What are you going to make?” Naomi asked her. “And when do you plan to make them?”

“It’s a surprise, and I think I’m going to work on them today during the mid-morning lull.”

“I thought you were going to add some sort of donut hole to go along with it,” Myra said.

“I was going to,” Maggie said. “But I haven’t picked one yet.”

“I have a thought,” Myra said. “What about a gingerbread donut hole?”

Maggie smiled. “That sounds like a great idea. Do you have a recipe in mind?”

“Not yet,” Myra said. “But I’ll be around when you come back here to make your donuts, so if Orson can handle the front and Naomi can keep an eye on everything for us, we can work together so if I get stuck, you can help.”

“Works for me,” Naomi said. “But only if I can get an extra break afterwards to enjoy the fruits of your labor with my coffee.”

Maggie headed to the front to wait on the customers as soon as the donut shop opened. She found herself glancing up and looking around the parking lot between orders. She watched the food truck parked at the far end of her parking lot under the sign. Flo Johnson’s food truck, The Diner, would open around the same time she planned to head back to the kitchen and make the new donut variety.

Other than Josie, who Naomi had talked to, Flo was one person she had failed to inform about the situation with Zach. Around eight-thirty, she had a chance to pick up her phone to call.

“How are you?” she asked as soon as Flo picked up the phone.

“Good, good,” Flo answered. “What’s up? You never call me.”

“You’re right,” Maggie said. “I wanted to let you know that I had a situation with an employee, and it has turned into a major issue.”

“Are you talking about that new guy you hired? Zach or whatever,” Flo asked. Maggie could hear the fatigue in her voice.

“Zach Pierce, yes,” Maggie said.

“Huh,” Flo said. “That’s really funny.”

“Why is that?”

“I saw him,” Flo said. “At least, I saw his car.”

“You did? When?” Maggie asked. She felt her heart race in her chest.

“Last night, late,” Flo said. “Around the time I started closing up for the night, I saw that green car of his going up and down the road after dark. I wondered if he was just cruising or what, but then he parked over in the church parking lot across the street and shut off his headlights. He just sat there at least an hour.”

“Did you see him get out of his car?”

“I didn’t notice,” Flo said. She suddenly sounded much more awake. “Maggie, you need to level with me. What is going on?”

Maggie sighed. “We had a bit of a falling out yesterday and I fired him on the spot. He left with some warnings. After that, a private investigator showed up asking questions about him.”

“Oh, man,” Flo said. “Do you think he is dangerous? Is that why you called me about this?”

“Hold on,” Maggie said firmly. “There’s more to the story.”

“Let me guess,” Flo said wryly. “The investigator told you Zach is wanted in three states for embezzlement.”

“Not quite,” Maggie said. “But he is wanted for questioning right here for murder.”

“Murder? Are you kidding me?”

“I wish I was,” Maggie said.

“Who? Who did he kill?”

“We don’t know if it was him for sure, of course,” Maggie said. “But this investigator? She was found dead in her car yesterday.”

“Oh, my gosh,” Flo said. “I can’t believe I saw him last night.”

“Flo,” Maggie said. “We need to tell Brett as soon as possible. Can you give him a call and tell him about what you saw?”

“I’m going to get off the phone with you right now and call him directly,” Flo said.

Maggie hung up her phone and headed back into the kitchen. She smiled at the others as she passed them and headed straight for the office. She brought up the security cameras and scanned them for any sign of Zach or his stand-out car.

She spent a full ten minutes looking at things. Orson stepped into the office and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey,” he said. “Are you waiting for an alien invasion or something?”

“Not hardly,” Maggie said, turning around. “I just spoke to Flo. She said she saw Zach’s car drive up and down the road out front last night and then he parked in the church parking lot and just sat there for about an hour.”

“Does Brett know all of this?” Orson asked, suddenly serious.

“Flo said she was going to call him as soon as she got off the phone with me,” Maggie said.

“Okay, that’s a good thing,” Orson said. “I hope someone tells Brooks.”

“You hope someone tells Brooks what?” Myra asked from the small space outside of the door.

“Flo saw Zach’s car last night driving up and down the road,” Maggie said.

“And then he parked in the church parking lot for an hour or so,” Orson added. “She had no idea about the murder investigation at the time.”

“I should have informed her,” Maggie said.

“You probably didn’t even think about it,” Myra said. “And I will shoot a text off to him right now.”

“Thank you,” Maggie said. She glanced over the camera monitors one more time and headed back out to the kitchen.

Maggie bounced between the kitchen and the front for the remainder of the morning. She watched the windows while she worked the front and the monitors in her office when she was in the back. There was no sign of the green Gremlin.

Around eleven, she tied on a clean apron and began gathering ingredients for her pumpkin cheesecake donuts. She mixed the dry ingredients together first, sifting the bread flour with a generous amount of pumpkin pie spice. She added several cans of pureed pumpkin, eggs, milk, and pure vanilla extract to the mixture.

While the large stand mixer worked the dough, Maggie worked the cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, and more spice for the filling. While she waited for the dough to double in size, she mixed together cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter for the streusel topping.

“How are the donuts coming along?” Myra asked her from the other side of the baker’s table.

“Just fine,” Maggie said. “How are the donut holes coming?”

“Just about perfect.” Myra smiled. “I think I’m going to mix the same topping to roll them in when they’re finished in the deep fryer.”

“I love that idea,” Maggie said. “That will really tie them together.”

An hour later, Maggie plated the donuts and the donut holes for Naomi who was seated in the front on her break. Myra followed her with a steaming mug of coffee. “Here you are, madam,” Maggie said when they approached her table.

“Oh, my gosh,” Naomi said. She watched with anticipation while they set the plate and the mug in front of her. She closed her eyes and inhaled the aroma from the donuts. “I can’t get over how good these smell.”

“Why don’t you stop smelling them and pick one up and take a bite?” Orson grumbled from the Old Timer’s table.

“Aww, you sound jealous. Would you like to try some for yourself, Orson?” Myra asked. She picked up another plate from behind the counter and walked it over to Orson’s seat. He popped the donut hole in his mouth immediately.

“Wow,” Naomi said a second later. “The pumpkin cheesecake donut is perfect.”

“What about the donut hole?” Myra asked eagerly.

“Oh, that has a nice little bite,” Naomi said as she tried the donut hole. “It’s sweet but it has a little kick.”

“Orson? What do you have to say about things?” Maggie asked him.

He took a large bite out of the donut. “I have to say that Naomi over there has a better way with words than me.”

Maggie returned to the back and began packing up boxes with the donuts and the donut holes to take out to Ruby’s farm. She forgot all about checking on the cameras every five minutes for any sign of the green car. The thought didn’t occur to her until she stepped out back to load the boxes in the car.

Maggie glanced up the alley when she shut the passenger side door. She gripped the top of the car when she spotted a blur of green in the distance. A second later, the realization hit her that the green had come from a passing truck, but her heart beat quickly in her chest until she reached the gravel road on the way to Ruby’s farm.

CHAPTER FIVE

Maggie’s drive to the farm was uneventful. She drove a little slower than normal just to appreciate the late fall colors on the remaining leaves as she drove through the Ozarks. The thought occurred to her that she should have planned the wedding for the fall rather than in the late springtime. There was nothing that could compare to the fall colors in her native hills.

She texted Brett to let him know where she was headed. It was a habit she had formed after their relationship had become more serious. He replied with a smiley face and a request for a sample of the new donut and donut hole varieties she had created.

A little less than a mile from the farm, Maggie’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen, not recognizing the number.

“Hello.”

“Maggie, don’t hang up.” It was Zach. She was already on the gravel road and driving slowly, but she pulled over to the side and caught her breath before she answered.

“What do you want?” she managed to say. “You shouldn’t be calling me.”

“I have your number because you gave it to me when you hired me,” Zach said flatly. “Now I need you to listen to me. You’re engaged to the sheriff, right?”

“You already knew that, Zach,” Maggie said. “And you and I both know you’re wanted for questioning for murder.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “But I didn’t do it. That’s why I’m calling you.”

“Is that why you were parked across from the donut shop last night? The owner of the food truck in the parking lot saw you,” Maggie said.

“Oh yeah? Well, why didn’t she come over to find out what was going on?”

“Maybe because she was busy running her food truck,” Maggie said.

“Or maybe because you already told her to be afraid of me,” Zach countered. “Maybe she believed you that your murderous former employee was sitting out in front, and she was scared that I might hurt her, too. Do you know how ridiculous it is for anyone to think that I am capable of violence?”

“I’m going to ask you one more time, and then I will hang up this phone,” Maggie said. “What is it that you want? Why are you calling me?

Zach cleared his throat. “I need for you to talk to your boyfriend for me,” he said. “He needs to back off and leave me alone. I didn’t hurt that woman. It just isn’t in my nature. But I need time to figure out who did it.”

“I’ll tell him what you said, but you should really come in and tell him yourself. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.”

Zach laughed. “We both know how untrue that statement is,” he said. “I might as well tell you since you already decided to fire me, but I served time for a crime that I did not commit. And I did just like you told me. I went to the police, and I told them all about the misunderstanding that had me on their ‘person of interest’ list. You know where that got me?”

“I have no idea.”

“It got me ten years in the Kentucky Department of Corrections before I was finally able to convince a judge that I hadn’t done what they said I did,” he said. “So don’t lie to me and tell me that all I have to do is go in and tell the truth.”

“I already said I would pass the message along to him,” Maggie said. She watched out the window of her car for any sign of him. The longer they spoke, the more uncomfortable she became with the conversation.

“That’s not good enough,” Zach said. “I need you to convince him for me. Can you do that? Can you make him understand that I just need a little more time?”

“I will pass along the message and that’s all I am going to do,” Maggie said. “Please do not call my phone again.” She immediately hung up the phone and called Brett.

“What’s the matter?” he asked her.

“What makes you think something is wrong?” she asked, trying her best to disguise the shakiness in her voice.

“Because you never call me in the middle of the work day unless something is wrong,” he said. “Now, out with it.”

Maggie sighed and closed her eyes. “I’m almost to Ruby’s house. My phone rang a few minutes ago and I answered even though it wasn’t a number I recognized. It was Zach. He said to convince you to stop coming after him.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him I was going to tell you about the phone call, but that I wasn’t going to try to convince you of anything,” she said. “I also told him all he had to do was come in and tell you himself.”

“I’m sure that went over well,” Brett said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a little shaken up,” Maggie said. “I don’t like the fact that he called me, nor do I like the fact that he was parked across the street from the donut shop for so long last night. It gives me the heebie jeebies even thinking about it.”

“Did you ask him about that? Did he say why he was there?” Brett asked her.

“He never exactly said why, but he told me that it was ridiculous for anyone to think he was capable of violence,” Maggie said. “And then he mentioned the time he did in Kentucky after telling the police the truth.”

“Did he say what he had done time for?” Brett asked.

“Nope,” Maggie replied. “Can’t you find that out?”

“Normally we can, but when we did a search on Zach’s name and the other information you gave us, nothing came up,” Brett said.

“Do you think he lied?”

“I think he’s covering up something, but it may not be what we think,” Brett said.

“Why do I feel like I’m trying to figure out a riddle when I speak to you sometimes?” Maggie asked. “What are you saying?”

Brett cleared his throat. “We have good reason to believe that Paula Winchester was not here for any good reasons, Maggie. Turns out she was a cop alright, but she was fired for corruption. She served time herself.”

“She did? How did she become a private investigator?” Maggie asked. “I thought you had to pass all sorts of background checks for that.”

“If you get licensed in some states, yes, you do,” Brett said. “But anyone can throw the title ‘investigator’ on a business card and set up shop. The fact that she was a former detective makes a big difference, too.”

“Do you think Zach is innocent, then?” Maggie asked.

“I think he’s a troubled young man who likely is using an alias to run from something,” Brett said. “Just what that is, I’m not sure.”

Maggie hung up the phone and resumed her trip to the farm. She pulled up in front of the white farmhouse, sighed, and then got out of her car and began unloading the new donuts from the passenger side. She carried the large tray to Ruby’s back door and knocked.

“A little birdie just told me you were on your way out here with a treat,” Ruby said when she opened the door.

“Is that little birdie a six-foot-two-inch turkey that wears a sheriff’s uniform?” Maggie asked.

Ruby smiled and ushered her inside. “I think he was worried about you after the phone call you got. Zach called you?”

Maggie nodded her head. “I assume Brett told you the gist of it,” she said.

“Sort of, but we didn’t talk for more than a minute or two. I think he just wanted to warn me about what happened before you got here.”

She quickly explained what the phone call was about and sighed. “And since you’re totally caught up now, you can take a look at the treat I brought for you.” She placed the tray on Ruby’s large kitchen island and peeled back the plastic wrap covering the top.

“What have we here?” Ruby asked her.

“Well, this is a pumpkin cheesecake donut and a complimentary gingerbread donut hole,” Maggie announced in her best Julia Child voice.

“We’re dealing with pairings now?” Ruby asked. She reached for one of each and popped the donut hole into her mouth first. She followed it with a large bite of the donut. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”

“I know,” Maggie said with a grin. “Myra gets the credit for the donut holes.”

“We need a pumpkin gingerbread coffee with this,” Ruby said. “Maybe I’ll find a good recipe to go with this for the lunches.”

“I think that’s an amazing plan,” Maggie said.

“I wish it was nice enough for us to sit outside around the fire, but it looks like rain,” Ruby said. “Are you opposed to a mug of tea in front of the fireplace?”

“Opposed, pish-posh,” Maggie said, reverting to the Julia Child accent.

Ruby moved them to the living room where a fire crackled in her old fireplace. Maggie wondered if she would get too hot in the room with the fire going. After all, the temperatures outside were cool and chilly, but not deep-freeze cold. But she was surprised at the cozy feeling in the room.

“I vote to add this donut combo until after the New Year,” Ruby said a little while later. She rested back in the old, wooden rocking chair she was seated in. “I like the idea of the holidays and the New Year. Anything that helps me look forward to the future.”

“I’m just glad you’re still here to look forward to the future,” Maggie said. She felt the lump in her throat forming again, the same one that had been there off and on since Ruby’s hospitalization.

“Speaking of the future,” Ruby said, sitting up suddenly. “Have the two of you narrowed down where you plan to live when you tie the knot next year?”

“Well, that’s a shift in the conversation.” Maggie laughed. “We’ve actually bounced around a number of possibilities, from selling his place and living in mine to building something new for the both of us.”

“But you haven’t come to a final decision yet?”

Maggie shook her head. “We’re still negotiating,” she said. “Brett insists I need to be close to the donut shop. He said he doesn’t mind leaving for work twenty minutes earlier than he does now.”

“It sounds like he’s willing to make the compromise,” Ruby said. “Why not just agree to have him move in?”

“Because,” Maggie said slowly. “I feel bad. Where he lives now he has this awesome man cave situation with all of the things he enjoys. But you know how small my place is. I have a guest bedroom and that’s about it. The garage could work but it’s so full of stuff already, that it started to overflow into the room above.”

“So, hire someone and add on,” Ruby suggested with the shrug of her shoulders. “That seems rather easy.”

“Add on,” Maggie mused. “Where? I mean, I hadn’t really thought about that.”

“Well, you should think about it,” Ruby said. “Think about that hallway that ends just past the spare bedroom. You could add another room and a small bathroom.”

Maggie sat up straighter in her chair. “Oh, I like that idea,” she said. “We might even turn the main bathroom into an en-suite bath.”

Ruby chuckled. “Yes, that would take a little more work and planning, but you certainly have the time to do it between now and the wedding.”

CHAPTER SIX

Ruby tired after a couple of hours of conversation. Maggie decided to leave without making her concern obvious. She made an excuse about needing to check in with Naomi about something they needed to do at the donut shop for the next morning. Whether or not she bought it, Maggie wasn’t sure, but she did thank her for stopping by and told her she would be back to work for a couple of hours on Monday morning.

Maggie texted Brett again before she left the driveway. She decided to head home and take a long look around the house. She wanted to draw up plans for the possibility of the house remodel she discussed with Ruby and present the idea to Brett.

For early evening, the sky was overcast enough that she felt like it was closer to dark. Maggie flipped on her car lights and fumbled with the heater. The defrost button was stuck for some reason. She looked up and spotted a narrow gravel road to the right. It was safer and easier to pull over to the side for a second and fix the issue than deal with it while she was driving.

Maggie unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed her seat back. She lowered her head and began fiddling with the defrost switch. “So much for driving a new car,” she mumbled out loud, carefully, pushing the switch up and down until it finally clicked into place. She could hear the defroster kick in and start working. She exhaled in relief and sat up again, pulling her seat back into place and refastening the seatbelt.

Immediately the windshield began to clear some. Maggie put the car back into drive and slowly headed down the gravel road for a place to turn around. She drove over a small hill and found a driveway, where she pulled in and backed out again. When she reached the top of the hill, she noticed a familiar green car parked in the middle of the gravel road. Zach was seated in the driver seat of his old beater Gremlin, blocking her way down the road. Maggie felt a sharp shock of panic in her abdomen. What was he doing?

Zach’s car had blocked the widest part of the gravel road. Maggie found herself looking wildly up and down the road for a place to turn her car around. She had no idea where the gravel road led. She had seen no houses or other signs of life when she had turned her car around.

She checked her phone and had a single bar of signal. She picked it up and tried to dial Brett, but the call stalled. When she looked out her windshield again, she saw Zach open his car door and walk toward her. He held both of his hands up in front of him. He was shouting something she could not understand. In a panic, Maggie threw the car into reverse and tried to back up. The back of her car went into the ditch and jerked to a stop.

Zach was about five feet from her car then. “Maggie, please,” he said. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Go away and leave me alone,” Maggie shouted out her window.

“Just please listen to me,” Zach said. He stopped three feet from her window. “If you roll down your window you can hear me better.”

Maggie didn’t answer. She pressed down on the accelerator. Her tires spun and threw gravel behind her, but the car didn’t move.

“Come on!” Zach shouted and lurched toward the car. He slapped the windshield with the palm of his hand. “You need to stop! You’re going to bury the back end of your car in the ditch.”

Maggie stopped. She had an inkling that he was right. She couldn’t go anywhere, so she put the car into park and picked up her phone. Zach was still right outside of the driver’s side window. She snapped a picture of him, attached it to a text message and sent it to Brett along with the name of the gravel road. She hoped the message would go through. In the meantime, she was stuck. Zach remained outside of her car yelling at her to roll her window down.

“I’m not going to roll the window down,” Maggie shouted at him. “You have to understand how this looks from my perspective.”

“Okay, okay,” Zach said. “I get it, but I need you to step out of your car so I can get you out of the ditch.”

Maggie shook her head. “I’m not going to do that,” she said. “I’ll wait for Brett to arrive and help me.”

“Who’s Brett? The sheriff?”

Maggie nodded. “He’s on his way.”

“You called the sheriff? Why would you do that?” Zach asked her.

Maggie sighed. She felt the panic rising in her throat. She forced herself to breathe. Staying calm was probably going to be her best chance. “Put yourself in my shoes,” she said. “I fired you yesterday. You told me that I had not heard the last of you. How do you expect me to feel right now? You’ve blocked me in, and I can’t get back out on the highway.”

“I just need for you to listen to me,” Zach said. He leaned down until his face was just inches from the window. “I did not kill Paula Winchester.”

“You told me that before,” Maggie said. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“I already told you to make the sheriff back off,” Zach said. “They issued an alert for me. I can’t have that going out everywhere.”

Maggie gripped the steering wheel. She turned to face him, despite the fear in her middle. “I don’t know what it is that you think I can do for you, Zach,” she said. “I already told the sheriff what you said to me, but you and I both know that this isn’t how the law works. I can’t influence the county sheriff not to investigate a murder. You’re asking me to take you at your word, and then you’re asking me to convince a law enforcement officer of something based on the same word. Don’t you see how impossible that is?”

Zach placed his hands on his hips and walked around in a circle beside her car. “You’re still not listening to me,” he said when he faced her again. “What I’m trying to tell you is that I am not a violent person. I couldn’t have killed her.”

“Zach,” Maggie softened her voice. “Just because you say you aren’t violent doesn’t mean it’s true. Can you imagine what would happen if every time someone told the police to take them at their word that they didn’t commit a crime? The police have to investigate things. Sometimes they find out the suspect is telling them the truth, and sometimes they find out they’re lying.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with me,” Zach said. “I am not lying.”

“How are we supposed to know that? I barely know you,” she said. “Why would I take you on your word?”

“Because I’m telling you that I didn’t do it,” Zach insisted.

Maggie shook her head. She was clearly not getting through to him. “Tell me about the time you spent in jail,” she said. “Why were you in there?”

“I told you,” Zach said. “I was framed.”

“Okay, but what was the charge? What did they frame you for?” she asked.

“Manslaughter,” Zach said. “They said I killed someone.”

“And you didn’t do it, is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes,” Zach said. “I didn’t kill her!”

“Did you know the victim at all?” Maggie asked. She tried to ignore the hard lump forming in her throat making it difficult to swallow. She thought the best thing she could do was to keep him talking. If nothing else, he was content to talk about himself, and not showing any intent to harm her. Besides, she had faith Brett, or someone would be there soon and if she could gather the information to help the investigation, it was all the better.

“Yeah, I knew her, and I was there when she died,” Zach admitted candidly. “But I didn’t kill her. She was using drugs and she took too much.”

“Did they convict you because they thought you had given her the drugs?” Maggie asked, carefully choosing her words.

Zach’s face immediately reddened. “I don’t do drugs. I have never done them in my entire life, and I never, ever will. You will never, ever convince me that drugs don’t ruin lives.”

Maggie forced a smile and nodded her head. “I know drugs ruin lives,” she said. “I wasn’t saying that you had done drugs, I was just wondering if the police thought you did and that’s why they charged you with manslaughter.”

“They charged me with murder first,” he said. “But my lawyer made me tell them that I did it so they would lower the charges, and I thought that meant I was going to go home, and it would all be over with.”

“Instead, you went to prison for ten years,” Maggie said.

Zach nodded his head. “I went to prison for ten years,” he said. “And I had to change my name.”

This was news to Maggie. “You had to change your name? Why would you have to change your name?” she asked.

“I just did. My lawyer told the police some of the things I said, and they had me change my name so the people I said things about couldn’t find me,” Zach said.

“Is that why Paula Winchester was coming after you?” Maggie asked.

Zach nodded his head. He opened his mouth to speak but looked toward the road instead. Without another word, he took off and ran toward his car. Maggie watched with her mouth open as he scurried away. He started the car and ground the gears until he backed up and sped down the gravel road and onto the highway, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. As soon as the dust began to settle, Maggie saw an old friend approach from the road. She smiled when Beulah, Ruby’s old flatbed farm truck, pulled down the gravel and backed up to her. Ruby smiled at her from the driver’s seat. As soon as the truck was in place, she stepped out and walked up to the car. Maggie jumped out and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

“Thanks for coming,” she asked. “Are you sure you’re up to helping me?”

Ruby nodded. “I can pull you out if you can attach the chain to your frame,” she said.

“I can do that,” Maggie said. She followed Ruby to the flatbed and picked up the chain, then carried it to the car. She lowered herself on the gravel and reached under the car to secure it to the frame. A second later, she returned to the driver’s seat, put the car in neutral, and steered while Ruby pulled her out of the ditch. She pulled the car safely over to the side of the road and waited for Ruby to join her.

“I take it Brett got in touch with you again,” Maggie said.

Ruby nodded her head. She smiled and patted Maggie’s arm. “That man is very worried about you. He’s on his way to us, but I was closer, so I offered to come. He didn’t like the idea, but I insisted. You should let him know you’re safe.”

“Well, I appreciate you both,” Maggie said, quickly texting Brett. She turned to the side and suddenly doubled over slightly and exhaled loudly.

“Are you alright?” Ruby said, suddenly very concerned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Maggie said, raising back up. “I’m sorry. I was suddenly just overwhelmed. I had a very stressful conversation with Zach. He just can’t get it through his head that I’m not capable of stopping an investigation into a murder because he tells me he didn’t do it. I still don’t get why he thinks I even have that kind of power.”

“What else did he say to you?”

Maggie sighed. “He said that he was charged with manslaughter and put in prison for ten years in Kentucky because his lawyer told him he needed to tell the police that he did it,” she said. “He told me that he was with the woman who died, but that he didn’t kill her. He also said he was first charged with murder and accused of doing something to her with drugs.”

“Do you think he is on drugs now?” Ruby asked.

Maggie shook her head. She shivered a bit in the damp cold. “He was adamant that drugs are bad and that he did not have anything to do with her death,” she said. “He also dropped another bombshell on me. His name was changed at one point.”

“So, Zach Pierce isn’t his real name?”

“That’s the way I understood it,” Maggie said. “From what he said, the lawyer told him he had to change his name so the people he spoke to the police about wouldn’t find him.”

Ruby covered her head with her hands. “Can this get any more complicated?”

“I don’t know, Ruby,” Maggie said. “But there is something else bothering me. The way Zach speaks, he almost sounds like he’s not grasping real life.”

“Do you think there’s something intellectually wrong with him? That might explain his delusional expectations of taking over for me at work,” Ruby said.

“Could be,” Maggie said. “I just know that he seems to have a tough time understanding some concepts and has a very simplistic view of things.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Maggie drove back home and waited for Brett to stop by. She had resorted to taking a hot shower to force the chill out of her bones and settled in on the couch with a mug of hot tea. She’d taken the notebook from the drawer in the kitchen and began a rough sketch of her thoughts about the house remodel.

After a few minutes, she turned the page and began a different diagram. She wrote Zach Pierce’s name in the middle of the page. She drew a circle around the name and wrote Paula Winchester over to the side. She circled it and drew a line back to Zach’s name. She stared at the page for a moment, then wrote “unknown victim” at the bottom of the page with a question mark around it. Lastly, she wrote “bad guys” under Paula’s name and drew a line back to her.

“What’s this?” Brett asked her when he arrived. He picked up the notebook and took a seat next to her on the couch.

“I was just thinking through what I know about Zach and the things he said to me,” she told him. “I can’t help but wonder if Paula was here to find him for these unnamed bad people who were the reason he changed his name.”

Brett nodded his head and smoothed the hair out of her face. “You do realize that if that’s true, it’s likely that Zach did kill her to prevent her from reporting back to them, whoever they might be, which means he’s guilty.”

Maggie nodded. “I wish you could find him.” She sighed. “I don’t like the fact that he has made me the object of his attention.”

“I have a hard time with that as well, trust me,” Brett said. “You told me on the phone that you think there might be something else wrong with him. What did you mean by that?”

“Like I told Ruby earlier, I think he has a hard time connecting information together,” she said. “For example, when he talked to me about convincing you that he’s not responsible for Paula’s death, he seems to think that just because he tells me that, you should believe it and just stop altogether. It’s like he doesn’t have the ability to reason things out.”

Brett nodded. “He seems to be pretty clueless about how the justice system works.”

“Do you have any more information about the case in Kentucky?”

Brett shook his head. “Not yet,” he said. “I have a few calls out to some prosecutors I’m familiar with in the state but haven’t heard anything back from them yet.”

“I forgot to ask you about this, but how was Paula killed?”

“She was strangled, Maggie,” he said. “And it had to have been by someone who was bigger and stronger than she was.”

“What makes you say that?” Maggie asked. She almost hated to hear the answer.

“Because the marks on her neck indicated that someone was able to lift her off of her feet,” he said. “It’s very possible the assailant was in the back seat.”

“Oh, that’s terrible,” she said. “Do you have any idea why she was here in the Ozarks?”

Brett shook his head. “We found a few notebooks with Zach’s name written on one of them and the name of the donut shop, but that was all we found,” he said. “There’s nothing else to indicate what she wanted with him.”

“But you told me earlier that Paula wasn’t a good person,” Maggie said. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

“Paula served time for bribery and evidence tampering,” he said. “And that was after an otherwise stellar career of more than twenty years. She threw it all away.”

Maggie shook her head. “I can’t imagine why,” she said.

“Neither can I, but it makes me think if we knew that part of the puzzle, we might have a better idea how she was connected to Zach,” Brett said. “Or whatever his name actually is.”

Maggie gazed at the page she had written. She traced her finger over the circles and the lines connecting them. Someone had sent an investigator to find him for whatever reason, and the investigator had come up dead. Maggie wondered if the investigator’s past had any actual bearing on the rest of Zach’s story. Perhaps Paula simply took on whatever work she could as a disgraced, ex-convict.

Or maybe her prior convictions had more to do with the reasons she had come searching for him in the first place.

“You know I’m staying here again tonight, right,” Brett said when Maggie yawned suddenly. She was tired, and the events of the day had left her emotionally drained.

“I know.” She smiled. “And I know better than to argue with you about it.”

Brett picked up the notebook on the table. He turned the page from her crime diagram featuring Zach’s name in the center of the page back to the drawing she had done about her home improvement plans.

“What’s this?” he asked her.

“Oh, just some thoughts,” Maggie said.

“Thoughts about expanding the house?”

“We haven’t really nailed down our living plans for after the wedding,” she said. “We’ve only talked about a few ideas.”

“And this is your idea?” he asked. He turned the notebook around, pretending not to understand the diagram.

“Look,” Maggie said, snatching the notebook away from him. “Here is the main part of the house. I thought about coming out of the hallway past the spare bedroom and adding another room and a guest bathroom.”

“What about this?” he asked, pointing to the current bathroom.

“That’s the brand new, improved master bathroom for the two of us to share,” Maggie said.

“Oh, man,” Brett said and shook his head. “I hadn’t considered the fact that we were going to have to share a bathroom. That’s it. The wedding is off.”

Maggie threw the notebook at him. “Would you be serious for a moment? I was talking about all of this with Ruby, and she suggested expanding this house to accommodate us.”

“What’s the matter with the house as it is already?” Brett asked as he retrieved the notebook from the floor.

“Nothing, for one person,” Maggie said. “But I think we need to make a little more room. I want to have a spare room for any family members who come and visit. It’s also nice to have a place for Wyatt to sleep when he’s here.”

“I can see that,” Brett said. Maggie’s young grandson made frequent visits to his Mimi’s house, and often needed a nap to make sure the visit remained pleasant. “But what are we going to do with the extra spare room? Are you planning to have another baby sometime soon? Or is this where I’m going to go when you get mad at me?”

Maggie sighed. “No, this would be your space,” she said. “Your man cave or your office or whatever else you want it to be. I’ve lived in this house since I moved back to Dogwood Mountain and stayed here as a child. I think continuing to live here would be good for me since it’s so close to the donut shop, but if we do that, I want to make this our home, not just my home that you move into.”

“We don’t have to add on to the house for this to be my home, Maggie,” Brett said. “My home is wherever you are.”

“That’s very sweet for you to say.” Maggie covered his hand with her own. “But when you’ve spent a month here smelling me after working at the donut shop, you’ll be glad to have a sanctuary to retreat to.”

“What are you talking about?” Brett asked, pulling her into his lap. “Don’t you know that the donuts are the number one reason I’m marrying you?”

CHAPTER EIGHT

By the time the sun began to rise the following morning, Maggie had made up her mind that she wanted more than anything to expand the small cottage she lived in. The thought of moving further away from work was the last thing she wanted to do. As it was, she woke hours before the sun rose in order to be there early enough to start the day. She often wondered how Ruby managed to get up and move as early as she did.

Myra had arrived earlier than normal at the shop, determined to make as many gingerbread donut holes as Maggie made pumpkin cheesecake donuts. They had decided to sell them as a pair. Maggie had begun the process of creating dozens of the new variety. She relied on the automatic donut machines to help fill the case with other varieties.

“We need a new coffee flavor to go with these,” Orson announced when he picked up one of each from the cooling tray.

“Ruby is already on that,” Maggie said. She watched the old man’s face for a reaction. He often created new flavors himself and hoped a fit from him wasn’t in her future.

Instead, Orson smiled. “I take it that means you plan to leave this combo on the menu for a little while.”

“Until after the New Year,” Maggie said. “And she plans to be in next week. She’s working on the new flavor right now while she’s still at home.”

“You know, I think I might run out to the farm and check on Ruby after work today,” Orson said. He popped the donut hole in his mouth and headed back to the front to wait on customers.

Maggie shook her head and glanced across the kitchen at Naomi, who was busy at the prep table. “Should I text Ruby a warning or do you want to?” she whispered.

“Already planned to do it,” Maggie whispered back. She wiped off her hands on the towel and quickly typed out the message to Ruby. The response was quick and short.

“Guess I better get on that new coffee recipe,” Ruby replied.

Maggie pushed her phone back into her pocket and forced herself to concentrate on the work in front of her, instead of glancing at the back door wondering if a green Gremlin was outside creeping down the alley in search of her. Brett had all but agreed to the house remodel, and her mind had begun to create a few additional improvements to the existing bathroom. They were already going to change the footprint in order to open the bathroom up to the master bedroom, so why not set things up the way she really wanted?

Already she had looked at the cost of a dual sink vanity. She had also gotten lost looking at large, walk-in showers to replace the traditional bathtub she had. The sheer amount of available choices astounded her. She had stopped short of sending the information to Brett. It might be a good idea to wait until she could go home and measure things for herself after work.

Thinking about the house remodel had worked magic to keep her mind off of her encounter with Zach the day before. She smiled and worked quickly through the morning. Around nine, she replaced Orson up front while he took his first coffee break of the morning at the Old Timer’s table.

Maggie smiled at the sight of the other older men clamoring around him to hear his latest tale or rant about whatever was on his mind. His friend Delbert often goaded him into a discussion about one thing or the other.

Her attention was focused on the older men when a well-dressed woman around her age walked into the donut shop. Maggie was peripherally aware of the woman approaching the counter. She smiled one more time at the table and looked up to meet the woman.

“Welcome to Dogwood Donuts,” she said. “Can I help you?”

The woman stood back about three feet from the counter. She stared up at the menu board. Her top lip curled in what appeared to be disgust or something else equally unpleasant. She dropped her eyes from the menu and scanned the restaurant from left to right before finally resting on Maggie.

She looked like something out of a magazine photo shoot. Her dark hair was elaborately arranged in a French braid. Maggie wondered if it was all the woman’s own hair. Her face and eyes were perfectly made up.

“I’m told a young man by the name of Zach Pierce works here,” she said. “I would like to speak with him.”

“Zach Pierce does not work here,” Maggie said. Her guard was instantly up at the mention of his name.

“My source informed me that he works here,” the woman persisted. “Please go and fetch him for me, or at least fetch your supervisor so I can speak with someone with a smidge more knowledge.”

Orson snorted from his table. Maggie bit her bottom lip to suppress a smile. “Zach did work here for a few days, but he was let go,” she said. “And I’m the owner of this establishment, despite my ability to produce any evidence of intelligence.”

“Well, now,” the woman cleared her throat. “You will have to excuse me for making assumptions. I’m used to meeting a certain kind of person when I travel to small towns like this one. It is refreshing to find myself proven wrong.”

“Are you another investigator?” Maggie asked boldly. “Another woman was here earlier in the week, and she unfortunately was found dead.”

“Is that some sort of a threat?” the woman asked in a harsh whisper.

“Of course not,” Maggie said. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“My name is Selena Lawrence,” the woman said. “And Zach is a member of my family, and I’m worried about him. I need to find him and take him home with me to Louisville.”

Maggie nodded her head. “Well, Ms. Lawrence, allow me to invite you to wait here while I prepare a cup of coffee for you, however you take it,” she said. “In the meantime, I think you should speak with the county sheriff, Brett Mission. He might have more information about your relative than I can give you.”

“The county sheriff? Why would I want to speak to the cops?” Selena asked.

“Because you might find more information about Zach,” Maggie said. She was stunned and wary of the woman’s reaction.

The woman approached the counter. She gripped the edge with her manicured hands and leaned toward Maggie. “I need you to tell me if you’ve seen him since his departure from your little donut shop here,” she said. “I would like to find him before law enforcement has the chance to. Surely you can understand the need for that. If you have spoken with Zach for longer than a moment or two you must be aware that he faces challenges of his own.”

Maggie looked up to meet her eyes. “I suspected something was off with him, yes,” she said. “But I still don’t know who you are or anything about you. Whether or not I have seen Zach since his departure, as you put it, well, I’m more comfortable allowing the sheriff’s department to handle that.”

“I don’t think you understand,” Selena said. “This is not an issue for law enforcement. This is something we prefer to handle on our own, within our own family. If you know where Neil is, you need to tell me. Right now.”

“Neil? Is that Zach’s real name?” Maggie asked.

Selena reddened slightly. “I suppose that isn’t a secret now,” she said. “Neil is his name. He changed it to ‘Zach’ when he took off and left us behind.”

“He told me that his attorney made him change his name,” Maggie said.

“So, you have had contact with him?” Selena said.

“Not by my choice,” Maggie said. “I didn’t seek him out and I have no desire to see him again. I also have no more information about where he is.”

“But you think the county sheriff will have more information,” Selena said in a somewhat mocking tone. “I’m sure you can infer from my appearance here and the woman who came before me that I am not in any hurry to bring law enforcement into my circle.”

Maggie looked beyond the woman at Brooks who had walked almost silently into the donut shop while they spoke.

“Good morning, Chief Macklin,” Maggie said with a broad smile. She hoped her formal address would tip him off to the odd visitor in front of her.

Selena locked eyes with her for a moment, and then turned around. She spotted the police chief and turned immediately back to Maggie. “What did you do, send out some sort of signal? How did he even know I was here?” she asked.

“I haven’t done a thing but stand here and waste my time speaking with you,” Maggie said. “The police chief’s wife works here.” She glanced at the Old Timer’s table and caught a knowing look from Orson. Clearly he had texted Brooks and tipped him off.

“I think it’s time for me to leave,” Selena said quietly before turning around.

“Good morning,” Brooks said, directly to her. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Nor will we,” Selena said. She stepped around Brooks and headed straight for the front door.

CHAPTER NINE

“I don’t understand why you didn’t stop the woman and question her,” Orson said to Brooks after Selena had left the donut shop.

“Because there wasn’t enough of a reason to justify that,” Brooks said.

Maggie glanced out the window at the dark gray sedan leaving the parking lot. She noted the black SUV that pulled out of a parking space close to Flo’s food truck on the opposite end of the parking lot under the donut shop sign. She glanced at Brooks who responded with a wink.

“Seems like you would want to detain her and question her about the murder suspect that has eluded you and the county sheriff for the past few days,” Orson muttered.

“Orson,” Brooks whispered. “It’s handled.”

He looked up at Brooks and smiled, appearing to understand the meaning of his message. Maggie turned to begin fixing Brooks his favorite coffee, then popped through the swinging door to inform Myra that he was there.

“Sweet,” Myra said with a grin. Maggie waited for her to come up front, then replaced her in the kitchen. She slipped past Naomi at the prep table and headed into the office. She picked up her phone from her desk and called Brett directly.

“Are you okay?” he answered.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Maggie said. “But I wanted to give you a heads-up on the visitor I just had. She said her name was Selena Lawrence and she was looking for Zach. In fact, she let it slip that his first name is Neil.”

“Neil Pierce?”

“I don’t know the last name for sure, but it’s a place to start,” Maggie said.

“I did have a text from Brooks that he’s got a guy following someone who was just at the donut shop,” Brett said. “I don’t have any other information yet.”

“Right. I wanted to call you and let you know about her as soon as I could get away.”

“Do you have a description of her?”

“Well-dressed, looks like she comes from money,” Maggie said. “Mid-forties to early fifties. Dark hair and thin. She was articulate and poised. And she spoke about Zach like he was a part of her family. She even said he was a relative. She also wanted nothing to do with law enforcement.”

“Did she mention Paula Winchester?”

“I mentioned her myself, and this Selena woman was not surprised by the mention of her. I said she had been found dead and she asked me if that was a threat to her,” Maggie said. “Oh, yeah, and she mentioned something about taking Zach home to Louisville.”

“Okay, that’s good information,” Brett said. “I want you to let me know when you get home and if you see any signs of this woman again or Zach himself, call me right away.”

“That’s exactly what I plan to do,” Maggie said. She hung up the phone with him and went back to work in the kitchen.

“How are the donuts selling?” Naomi asked her.

“What donuts?” Maggie asked absently.

“The new ones? The pumpkin cheesecake and the gingerbread donut holes,” Naomi said.

“I’m sorry,” Maggie said. “I’m a little distracted right now.”

“I saw you had an unexpected visitor.”

“Did you hear our conversation?” Maggie asked.

“I did, but I think it is a little weird,” Naomi said. “She sure didn’t sound like she is from Kentucky. Her accent was more upper midwestern.”

Maggie thought for a moment. “I think you’re right, and Zach was the same way.” She said nothing more but headed back to the front to double check the display case. She was pleased to see that the new donuts had all but sold out. It was a good thing Myra and Naomi had kept up the production in the back.

By noon, Maggie was grateful that Ruby would be back to work in the coming week. She had hired Zach, or Neil, or whomever he was, with the idea that a little extra help would be a good thing. After the disaster that hire had turned into, however, Maggie was sure she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. But the workload left her exhausted at the end of the day.

“I’m going to close up today,” Naomi announced to her just before two. “Myra and I are going to handle things and do some prep work for tomorrow morning, so the day goes a little bit faster.”

“That’s not necessary,” Maggie said as she emerged from the cooler. Her arms were filled with the cream cheese and pumpkin puree she intended to prepare for the pumpkin cheesecake donuts. As fast as she had sold out, it would pay off to increase production by at least a third for the coming day. Donut holes, even the gingerbread flavored variety, were simpler to prepare.

“I’m going to insist,” Naomi said. Myra came through the swinging door then and stopped with her hands on her hips. “She’s giving you the business about leaving, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Naomi said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I told you she would.”

“Well, it’s two against one now,” Myra said.

“Don’t make me go get Orson,” Naomi said.

Maggie threw her towel down on the sink and shook her head. “Okay, fine,” she said. “I never thought I would live to see the day when you two kicked me out of my own place of business.”

“Well, you better get used to it,” Naomi said. “Because when you get married to the sheriff, we have to make sure you have a good work-life balance.”

“Kind of like you have insisted that I have with Brooks,” Myra said. “Especially since Lexi was born.”

“I hear you,” Maggie said. “And to be perfectly honest, I am worn out.” She left the girls with a hug and a smile. The alley was empty of any green jalopies or rental cars, much to her delight. She started the car and waited for a moment for the heater to kick in. While she waited, she texted Brett that she took off early and was headed home.

“Text me when you get there, too,” Brett replied. “That way I’m positive that you’re safe there until I get home.”

Maggie stared at the word “home” for a moment. She felt a surge of delight when she read the word in a text from Brett. His use of the word referring to her home meant so much more to her than she thought it would.

She began to type back her response, but the screen changed when a call came in from an unknown number. Maggie sighed and rejected the call. She pulled the car into gear and headed the short distance from the donut shop to her home. She pulled out her phone again and sent Brett a text that she was home.

As soon as she got the back door open, Maggie’s phone rang again. She shut the door behind her and kicked off her shoes. The number that came up had an area code from the neighboring state of Kansas. She answered it as she took off her coat.

“Hello,” she said impatiently.

“This is the owner of the donut shop, correct?” a woman’s voice came through the phone.

“Who is this?” Maggie asked.

“Selena Lawrence. We met earlier today.”

CHAPTER TEN

Maggie pulled out a chair from under her kitchen table and took a seat. Her heart raced in her chest. “How did you get my number?” she demanded.

“Let’s just say that I have my ways,” Selena said.

“What do you want?”

“For one thing, to tell you that I do not appreciate you calling the police on me earlier,” Selena said. “That caused me a great deal of problems that I did not need.”

Maggie had not heard more about the interaction Brooks had with her. She planned to get the rundown from Brett as soon as he arrived after work.

“You stood in front of me the entire time you were at the donut shop,” Maggie said. “I told you that I did not call the police on you. One of my employees…”

“Is married to the chief of police for your little Podunk town. I got that,” Selena said. “But you also failed to tell me that you are about to be married to the county sheriff.”

Maggie bit her lip. Her frustration rose the longer the woman spoke. “I did not fail to tell you anything, lady,” she snapped. “I don’t owe you an explanation about anything, especially about my private life. Now, I am going to hang up this phone. You need to leave me alone and stop calling me!”

“You have a very handsome son,” Selena said. “And your grandson is a dead ringer for him.”

“What did you say?” Maggie asked. Her red-hot frustration cooled quickly and became a mix of anger and fear.

“I found out that you’re also the owner of another donut shop not too far away,” Selena continued. “I decided once the nasty business with the police was settled that I would take a little trip over to the next town and check it out. I spoke with the young man behind the counter, and he told me that you were his mother,” she said. “Imagine my surprise when I found out just how intimate with local law enforcement you are.”

“What do you want?” Maggie shouted into the phone.

“For one, I want you to calm down,” Selena said. “Lower your voice when you speak to me.”

“You just made a veiled threat to my family, lady,” Maggie said. Her voice lowered, but her anger was palpable. “I will do no such thing.”

“I haven’t threatened anyone, yet,” Selena said. “But the one thing I want from you is for you to get a message to Zach.”

“How do you expect me to do that? I’ve told you more than once that I don’t know where he is and I have no idea how to get in touch with him,” Maggie said.

“Then I think you better figure out how to get in touch with him,” Selena said.

“Why?” Maggie shouted. “I don’t know him. I don’t know you. I have no idea who you people are or what you want from me.”

“I’m not going to tell you one more time to lower your voice when you speak to me,” Selena warned. “And you’re right about one thing, you have no idea who I am or who you are dealing with.”

Maggie closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “Selena, whoever you are, please hear me, when I tell you that I don’t know how to get in touch with Zach or whatever his name is, I am not kidding around or trying to protect him. I told you that I do not know him. I met him one week ago when he answered an ad for an employment position at the donut shop. That’s it. I don’t even know where to begin to find him.”

“I suggest you figure it out quickly, then,” Selena said.

“Why? Why would you even ask that of me when I have told you that I do not know him, or you, or anybody connected with any of you people!”

“You are the only person Zach connected with online in this area of the country,” Selena said flatly. “Which is probably what brought Paula to you in the first place.”

“Still, that doesn’t obligate me to know where he is or do anything for you,” Maggie said.

“That’s not how things work in my world,” Selena said.

“I am not a part of your world.”

“Unfortunately, you are now, whether you like it or not,” Selena said. “And now you have to play by my rules.”

“What does that even mean?” Maggie asked.

“It means that I don’t have anyone else here to reach out to, so you’re it. And you better start using whatever resources you have at your disposal to find Zach,” Selena said. “Because if you don’t, I will pay another visit to that darling little donut shop over there in Hunter Springs. And I won’t be ordering a coffee and a donut to go.”

“You just threatened my son,” Maggie said.

“I did no such thing,” Selena said lightly. “But you’re an intelligent woman after all. I’m sure you can figure out what to do.” Maggie heard the phone beep indicating the call had ended.

She set her phone down and sank to the floor. She remained there with her knees drawn up to her chin until Brett arrived from work. He rushed to her side the second he saw her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “What happened?”

“Selena Lawrence just called me,” Maggie said.

“On your cell phone?”

“No, Brett,” Maggie said dryly. “She called the banana on the counter.”

“Hey, there is no need to be mean,” Brett said softly.

“I’m sorry,” she said and wiped her eyes. “She threatened Bradley and Wyatt.”

Brett’s face hardened. “She threatened Wyatt?”

“In so many words,” Maggie said. “She said I had to find Zach and she didn’t care that I had just met him or that I had no idea where to even start. She said that’s how things work in her world.”

“But you aren’t a part of her world,” Brett said.

“She said that didn’t matter,” the words tumbled out of her mouth and the tears began to flow. “She said that I’m in her world now and that I had to play by her rules.”

“I’ll make sure Bradley and Wyatt are safe,” Brett said. “I promise nothing will happen to them.”

“You can’t make that promise. As often as you have been my protector, you are not a superhero,” Maggie said through tears. “You can’t be everywhere, and you still have a job to do. You can’t devote every waking minute to protecting me and my family.”

“Watch me,” Brett said. “They’re my family, too.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Maggie waited outside her parked car and stared down the rural county highway. She shivered under her sweatshirt and pulled the hood up over her ears and tightened the strings. She reached around and patted her back pocket, just to reassure herself that the phone was still there. She had no idea where Selena Lawrence might be hiding out at or if she had eyes on her at that very moment.

For the time being, Maggie was as good as bait. She had parked her car on the same gravel road Zach had found her on before. The plan, as hastily as she had put it together, was to wait there in the hopes that Zach would already know where she was going and would follow her there. She hadn’t had a clear thought in days and when one finally came to her, she had to do what she could.

Bradley knew nothing about where she was or what she was doing. As far as she knew, he had no idea what had happened with Zach in the first place. She thought then that had been a mistake. If anything happened to her, he would find out after the fact. And she would not be there to explain to him that she was there to protect him and the little boy who had become the sweetest part of her world.

The wind blew through the trees and her sweatshirt. Maggie shivered again. She wished she had paid more attention to the weather forecast. The holiday season would begin in just over a week. The air had cooled so quickly that mist rose up from the valleys and covered the hills around her. She could see about a half-mile down the road. She hoped the little Gremlin would be as loud as she remembered.

After several minutes, Maggie pushed herself off of the back of the car. Her legs ached from leaning against the trunk. She walked about twenty feet down the gravel road toward the hill she had driven over days before. When she crested the hill, Zach had parked his green Gremlin to block her in. This time, Maggie had parked her car more carefully. She had no desire to get her tires stuck in the ditch. Her cell phone had spotty signal and calling for help had proven difficult. She walked almost to the top of the hill and then turned around again when she heard the whine of an old motor speeding toward her.

A second later, the green Gremlin was visible through the fog. Zach must have seen her car at the last minute. He slammed on his brakes as he passed the gravel road. He stopped in the middle of the two-lane highway and backed up to pull in.

Maggie began walking toward her car again. Zach pulled his car in front of hers and parked. Her heart raced with each step she took. She got within ten feet of her car and stopped, unable to go further. But she needed to move forward. She needed to be in the front of her car.

“What are you doing here?” Zach asked her. He stood just outside the door of his own car.

“What are you doing here? Why are you following me again?”

“You made yourself easy to find,” he said, walking toward her.

“Someone you know came to see me, Zach,” Maggie said. She found the ability to move at last. “Or should I call you Neil?”

Zach stopped walking. “Who?” he asked. Maggie was surprised at his reaction.

“She said her name is Selena Lawrence, and she threatened my family,” Maggie said. “I don’t know who you people are or what you’re involved with, but you need to meet with this lady and get the heck out of my life.”

“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple,” Zach said. He began to pace around in a circle and swing his arms at his side. “If you’re in, you’re in.”

“I am not in anything,” Maggie said firmly. “I don’t want a thing to do with any of you people. Now please, go and talk to this Selena woman and leave me alone.”

“She’ll kill me,” Zach said bluntly. “I came here to get away from her and the rest of them.”

“The rest of who?” Maggie asked, she couldn’t help herself.

“The rest of my family,” Zach said.

“Is Selena a member of your family?”

Zach nodded. “She is my aunt, and her name is not really Selena,” he said.

“Don’t tell me anymore,” Maggie said. “Please just go and talk to her.”

“I just told you that I can’t do that,” Zach said.

“How do you know she came here to kill you?”

“The same way I knew the other woman came here for the same reason,” Zach said.

“Do you mean Paula Winchester?”

“Yes,” Zach said. “She was sent here by my family.”

“I don’t think so,” Maggie said. “Selena acted off when we spoke about her. I’m not sure you’re right.”

“I don’t care who sent her,” Zach said.

“Is that why you killed her, Zach? Because you were afraid of what she was doing here,” Maggie asked suddenly.

“Why would you say that?” he asked her.

“Because you did it,” Maggie said. “Just like you put on the disturbed act at the donut shop when you pretended not to understand the nature of your job. You aren’t used to being on the bottom rung of the ladder.”

“I am capable of much more,” Zach said. “But I do have some limitations. I suffered a head injury in prison.”

“What happened?”

Zach shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. I haven’t been the same since,” he said.

“Was it all an act, then? Your insistence that you were replacing Ruby, the misunderstandings? How much of that was real?” Maggie asked.

Zach sighed. “I learned a long time ago to push my way through and get whatever I want,” he said. “Sometimes it works like a charm. People take pity on me. Sometimes, it backfires.”

“Is that why you ran? How did you end up here?” she asked.

“No, I ran because my family was going to come after me,” he said. “The second I got out of prison; I took the little money I had and bought a bus ticket for as far as I could go. I, um, earned some money on the side and bought this car.”

“And then you found my employment ad in the local newspaper and decided to start over here,” she said.

“Something like that,” Zach said.

“And when Paula showed up, you lost your mind,” Maggie said.

“How do you know I killed her?”

“I haven’t heard you deny it once,” Maggie said. “And you told me you did.”

“I don’t think I like this conversation any longer,” Zach said. He took three long steps and advanced on her.

“Stay back,” Maggie said. “You need to step back.”

“Why? No one is going to hear you.” Zach smirked.

“I haven’t done anything to you,” Maggie said. She backed up slowly and glanced toward the woods.

“You said that I told you I killed Paula,” Zach said. “When did I do that?”

“When I talked to you about parking across the street from the donut shop. It took me a while to put it together because, quite frankly, this has been a very long week for me, but you definitely did this. You said that I had probably told Flo about my murderous former employee and that she should be scared of you.”

“So what?”

“So, at that point, how did you even know anyone else knew Paula was dead? It seems odd that you used the word murderous, doesn’t it? Unless, of course, you were referring to some other person you’d killed.”

Zach’s face paled as he realized his mistake. “You’re just trying to poison everyone against me. Just like everyone else in my life.”

“Hardly. The point is Zach, nobody else would have known Paula was even dead at that time. The only way you could have known is if you had killed her. Why did you do it?”

“It wasn’t that difficult,” Zach said, finally letting it all out. “All I had to do was make myself available, and she found me. Sort of like you did here tonight.”

“You killed her to keep her from telling anyone else where you were? Aren’t you afraid that the people who sent her already knew where you were,” Maggie pressed him.

“No, because I was sure to destroy any evidence she had in her possession after I strangled her,” Zach said. He grinned like a man without a care in the world.

Maggie stepped back. She raced to her car and opened the door, climbing inside and locking the doors. Zach stood outside, staring at her for a moment. Maggie buried her head and waited for the noise to come outside her door.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Maggie kept her head down while Brett and the other members of the county tactical team swarmed the area. She saw Zach forced to the gravel on his knees, then down on his abdomen. She tried hard to drown out the noise as he wailed for help.

Even if she wanted to help him, Maggie was quite sure that had it not been for the men waiting in the woods to strike as soon as she was able to get the confession from him, Zach would have killed her, too.

At last, the flurry of activity outside her car window stopped. She looked up and saw Brett advancing toward her. “Are you okay?” he mouthed.

Maggie nodded her head and unlocked the door. Brett opened the door and when she stepped out to join him, Zach was nowhere to be seen. He had already been moved to a waiting vehicle where he had been secured inside.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Brett groaned.

“But it worked.” Maggie let out a sigh of relief. “I knew he’d come and find me.”

“I suppose.”

“Listen, I’m annoyed with myself for taking this long to realize that he’d basically told me he killed Paula, but I’m fine, you’re fine, and Zach has been caught. That’s all that matters now.” She wrapped his hand in hers and squeezed. “Did you find Selena Lawrence, or whatever her name is?”

Brett nodded his head slowly. “We found her, but almost as soon as we did, the feds showed up and took her into custody,” he said. “Apparently, there is a lot more going on there than we know.”

“Even you, a county sheriff?” Maggie asked.

“Even me,” Brett said. “Sometimes there are things happening in the area that I will never know. My guess is Selena, whoever she really is, works as some sort of informant for the FBI. I have no idea what she and Zach were wrapped up in, but it could be drugs or embezzlement or organized crime in general.”

“And all of that showed up right here in our tiny little town in the Ozarks?” Maggie said, shaking her head.

“Somehow, yes,” Brett said. “The good news is, you put everything together and now all we have to worry about is how we’re going to set up the house once the remodeling work gets going.”

“I think we have some things to do before that starts,” Maggie said.

“Like what?” Brett asked her.

“Like who we’re going to hire to do the work, for example,” Maggie said.

“Hire? What do you mean, hire someone to do the work?” Brett pushed back from her and raised his eyebrows. “I am a man, and I will do the work.”

“Brett, I love you, but you are not going to cut holes in the walls of my house,” Maggie said.

“Why? And I thought this would be our house,” Brett said.

“Can you two please cut it out and have this discussion indoors like normal people?” Ruby asked. She had pulled her truck in behind Zach’s Gremlin and rolled her window down. “It’s much too cold out here for this.”

“You sound like an old lady in there,” Brett teased.

“I am older than you are, Mister,” Ruby shot back. “And I sort of feel like one this morning. Can we just meet back at my house for a quick break?”

“How about the donut shop instead?” Maggie suggested. “I think I’d like a quick cup of coffee after all of this.” She glanced up the road at the vehicle where Zach was seated in handcuffs.

“I have coffee at my house,” Ruby said.

“True, but you don’t have pumpkin cheesecake donuts,” Maggie said with a grin.

Ruby chuckled. “See you there.” She pulled her truck out of the way of the tow truck that had just arrived to load up the green Gremlin.

“I guess you better head on in there yourself,” Brett said to Maggie. “Are you okay to drive?”

Maggie nodded her head. “I’m okay. Better than I have been in days, actually,” she said. “But aren’t you coming? You could probably use some hot coffee and breakfast too.”

Brett cleared his throat. He circled his arms around her again and smoothed back her hair. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, but I want to make sure this guy is processed correctly. There’s no way I want him back out on the streets because of a technical error.”

Maggie nodded her head in understanding. “That’s understandable, but don’t be too long, okay?”

“Like you could keep me away,” Brett whispered. “I mean, we’re talking donuts and coffee here.”

ALSO BY EMMA AINSLEY

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