“They had an odd relationship,” Juliet whispers. “Verity used to tell me stories. And by the sound of it, Verity relished being cruel to the girl. You heard Sugar yourself. She was practically forced to hand over her beloved pet to Verity. And there were other things cooking between them, too.” She buttons her lips before she spills the goods.
“Like what?”
Juliet shakes her head. “That’s not my story to tell.” She glances to her phone. “I’d better get back. The sign says I’d be back in fifteen minutes and my time is up. It was nice meeting you, Lottie. I can’t wait to get to know you better. Lucky for the both of us, I’m addicted to sweet treats. I’ll be a boost to your business, just you wait and see,” she teases as she takes off out of the bakery and into the snow.
Noah walks up and picks up my hands.
“You look worried.” He frowns as he studies me.
“I am,” I say as I watch Sugar wrap up her conversation with Evie and take off with a wave.
Noah sighs. “How about you tell me all about it on the drive over to the hospital?”
“The hospital?” I look back over at him and then it hits me. “The birthing class is tonight!”
“In half an hour.” Noah warms my belly with his hand and the baby gives him a hearty kick. “Looks like someone is ready.”
My heart thumps wildly. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”
“Faster than I could have ever imagined and yet not fast enough, if that makes any sense. I can’t wait to see this baby—hold this baby.” A sorrowful smile graces his lips.
“Me either,” I whisper. “All right, Coach. Let’s grab a slice of pizza and make tracks.”
“Let’s do it.”
“Hey”—I give him a playful sock on the arm—“that may just be what landed us in the predicament to begin with.”
We share a warm laugh as I gather my purse and coat. I ask Carlotta to take Evie home for me as Noah and I take off into the icy Honey Hollow evening.
Verity Prescott never made it to the hospital herself last night. She went straight to the morgue.
I tell Noah everything I gleaned from Juliet on the way to his truck.
“It looks as if Sugar Hartley is our first suspect,” Noah says as he helps buckle me into my seat.
“Does that mean you’re going to investigate this case with me, Detective Fox?”
“Darn right. I’ve always thought we made a good team.” He dots a kiss to my forehead. “Tracking down killers and making babies. Two things I always thought we’d do together and here we are.” He glances to my swollen belly with a pained look in his eyes. “It must be fate.”
It might be fate if this baby is Noah’s indeed.
One thing is for sure, whoever killed Verity Prescott should be shaking in their winter boots. That little furry koala, Noah, and I are about to team up to winnow the killer right out of the shadows. Their days of freedom are numbered.
They too will soon meet their fate—behind prison bars.
Lottie
Honey Hollow General Hospital sits at the edge of town like a large white box that dropped right out of the sky and was set snug among the evergreens.
Noah and I speed into the building and follow the arrows on the ground floor into a large conference room with mauve carpet and pink walls. A few chairs are lined up against the periphery of the room, and there’s a refreshment table with water and coffee set to the side. And as soon as Noah and I put down the boxes of cookies we brought over, it has a little bit of dessert on it, too. The fresh brewed coffee smells like heaven, but it does very little to dampen the sterile hospital scent that’s layered just beneath it.
A few couples are already here and more seem to be pouring through the door with every second. Each round belly looks that much more swollen than the last, and I can’t help but look at all of the women who happen to be in the same predicament that I’m in.
In the front of the room there’s a queen-size bed, complete with a crimson brocade comforter and pillows. And about six different women are eyeing it as if they wanted to sprawl out on it more than they wanted their next breath. I can’t blame them. I’m feeling the same way. It takes a lot of energy to grow another human being, and as of late, I need three different naps just to make it through the day.
And just as I’m about to test out the springs on that mattress, my perky sister waltzes into the room with a wave.
“Hey, Lottie! Hey, Noah!” Lainey hops over in her yoga pants and sweatshirt with the words Push It written across the front of it. “Are you ready to get your baby game on?”
“Ready or not, I guess here it comes.” I shrug. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready. Can’t they just knock me out and wake me up when it’s all over? No offense, but it didn’t exactly look as if you were having a good time.”
Lainey bucks with a laugh. “Are you nuts? Giving birth is the most natural thing in the world. Women have been doing it since the beginning of time. Trust me, Lottie. Your body was built to do this. And you’re going to have a room full of people there cheering you on. You’ll have Noah, and maybe Everett.” She winces as she says it. “But don’t worry. You’ll have Meg, Mom, and me, and probably Carlotta. Evie might be there, but she’ll probably be on her phone.” She shrugs. “Oh, and Keelie, and Wiley, and Carlotta will probably bring Mayor Nash, and I bet Lily will stop by. And when it’s time for the baby to be born, we’ll all gather around and watch as you push your little
