His thoughts were interrupted as the phone on Tegan’s desk rang. Taking a deep breath, she answered it with her customary sing-song greeting. “Main Street Clinic. How may I help?” Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, she looked up at Leon. “It’s for you. It’s Chief Delaney.”
Chapter 4
Stillwater City Hall was a majestic structure housing the mayor’s office, the police department, the Clarence Delaney Memorial Hall and other municipal services. Flora gave her name to the clerk at the front desk and was escorted up a wide staircase to Chief Delaney’s office.
As she approached, the door opened, and a tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the room. Flora had met him only once before, but Cameron Delaney was unmistakable. As a trustee at the new medical facility, he’d been one of the interviewers when she’d applied for the job at the Ryerson Center. Cameron had asked her about the challenges of moving from a big city to a smaller town. Looking back, she guessed neither of them could have anticipated anything that had been thrown her way so far.
Cameron greeted her with a smile, his perceptive eyes scanning her face. “I hear your first few weeks in Stillwater have been eventful.”
“You could say that.”
“Look, my sister-in-law is having an awareness day at the weekend for the animal sanctuary she runs. Why don’t you bring your kids along? It’ll be fun for them and you’ll get a chance to relax away from the pressures of work.”
After the whispering behind hands she’d encountered over the last few days, the friendliness in his eyes was like a breath of fresh air. “I’d like that.”
They both turned at the sound of footsteps and Flora’s heart gave a glad little bound as Leon approached.
For the last three and a half years her heart had felt like a molten weight in her chest, and now all of a sudden it was bounding? It was hard to explain, but, as Flora met Leon’s gaze, the exchange that passed between them made the world feel a little bit lighter. Some of the tension that had been holding her spine rigid eased and she even managed a smile.
After a quick greeting to Leon, Cameron departed. Flora didn’t have time to say anything before Laurie emerged from her office.
“Oh good, you’re both here. I thought, since you were together when you found the body, I could bring you up to speed with the investigation and ask you some questions at the same time.” Her keen eyes went from Leon’s face to Flora’s. “But that’s up to you.”
“Works for me.”
As Leon spoke, Flora noticed that he seemed distracted. The flash of intuition startled and scared her at the same time. She barely knew this man. How could she already be so in tune with him that she could read his moods? It didn’t matter how, or why. She was. And that was the scary part. With everything else going on in her life, she could do without this connection to someone who clearly had so much emotional baggage he was staggering under its weight.
“It’s fine with me, too.”
That was another thing. Every nerve in her body was on high alert. Since her arrival in Stillwater, her house had been broken into and her garden had now been vandalized. Both incidents had been reported to the police, but also, her medical center’s receptionist had quit on the first day without giving a reason, one of her patients had been murdered and a nasty smear campaign had started up implying that Flora was responsible for Joy’s death. Trusting a stranger, particularly one who might be antagonistic toward her, probably wasn’t the smartest thing she could do right now. But she did trust Leon. Not only that, but she also felt safe with him. A self-confessed recovering alcoholic and hell-raiser with a world of hurt in his eyes.
What does that say about my judgment?
As a doctor she had witnessed the nightmare ways in which drugs and alcohol could destroy lives. Involvement with an addict, even one in recovery? As far as she was concerned, that could endanger a life.
Why was she even having these thoughts? Yes, she trusted Leon. That didn’t mean she was contemplating a relationship with him. She could enjoy his company while keeping her distance emotionally.
Laurie took a seat at her desk, indicating the two chairs opposite. She had several pages of type written notes in front of her, to which she occasionally referred.
“Dr. Lamb completed the autopsy yesterday. His full report will be available in a few days, but the main thing we need to know is that Joy Valeski was murdered. Having seen the body, I don’t think any of us were in any doubt about that. She was in good health, apart from a few minor complaints typical of a woman of her age.”
“Was she unconscious when she was stabbed?” Leon asked.
“Yes. She was hit over the head with a blunt object. Dr. Lamb thinks we’re looking for something similar to a baseball bat.” Laurie flipped through her notes. “Joy was lying on her side when the killer slashed at her neck with one of her own kitchen knives. The blade, which we found under the table, was about seven inches long. It severed her jugular vein and carotid arteries. The autopsy report confirms that, although there were twelve other stab wounds, that was the injury that caused her death.” Laurie sent a sympathetic look in Flora’s direction. “I’m aware that there has been some vindictive gossip directed at you following Joy’s death. I know police inquiries aren’t going to help the situation.”
Flora thought of the kindly woman who, on her first visit to the Ryerson Center, had brought home-baked cookies and a recipe for apple pie. Dealing with the gossip wasn’t pleasant, but the
