“That’s great.” He unclipped the lead from Gus’s collar, feeling better knowing Em wouldn’t be working the case on her own. “Did you get a chance to talk to Jenny about the murders?”
“Better than that.” She reached into her pocket and held up a thumb drive. “She downloaded all her research for the book onto the drive, including the journals. I’m hoping I can find something she missed or left out of the book.” Em pocketed the drive and opened a kitchen drawer. “Do you want me to heat up your piece of pie?”
“Sure. Do you have any ice cream?”
“Is that a trick question?”
“Okay. Any ice cream other than Moose Tracks?”
“There should be some vanilla in the freezer,” she said, cutting them each an overly large slice of pie.
Josh set the vanilla ice cream on the counter and then leaned across the sink to close the window. The days were still relatively warm but it was getting cool at night. “Do you want me to put on a fire?”
She licked some caramel apple off her finger and nodded. “Go for it.”
Five minutes later, they were settled on the couch with pie and ice cream. He nodded at Gus asleep in his dog bed by the fire. “Charlotte must’ve worn him out.”
“Charlotte and football practice,” Em said, scooping up a forkful of dessert. “I had an interesting conversation with Mike and Charlie.”
“About?”
“The O’Brien family. Don’t worry,” she said at the face he made. “I know how to question someone without them guessing why. Besides, I asked about other team members too.”
“So you really think Peter O’Brien is behind the letters and calling in the threat to you?”
She nodded. “I didn’t put it together until after I talked to Mike and Charlie. Remember the Henderson farm?”
“Sure. We used to go there every Halloween. Fright Fest was the best.” He glanced at her. She seemed to be waiting for him to make another connection. He thought about it for a minute. “Right. O’Brien is a distant relative and recently inherited the Henderson farm. But other than one of his relatives supposedly being murdered by May a hundred years ago, what does this have to do with him?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but O’Brien is a real estate developer and the Henderson farm and Seaton House share a property line. So maybe he wants to buy out Jenny and doesn’t want to pay fair market value. He’s also running for mayor. So he might not want a scandal coming out in the middle of his election campaign.”
“Wait a sec. Are you saying that you think Edward Henderson’s younger brother avenged his death by killing May and Clara Seaton?”
“First, I don’t know if I agree with Jenny’s theory that May was murdered. I have a feeling she might have died from natural causes. But I do agree with Jenny’s suspicions that Clara’s death wasn’t accidental. And second, while I was initially looking at Edward’s younger brother—he was the one who accused May of murder, after all—I think I might’ve found someone I like better for Clara’s murder.”
“You’re the expert but Jenny made a pretty good case for both May and Clara being murdered. And who’d have better motivation to kill them than the dead man’s younger brother?”
“I might be wrong, but I don’t think I am. At least about May dying of natural causes.” Em licked the last of the caramel apple off her fork and placed it and her plate on the coffee table. “When I went back to the library after dropping off Charlie and Mike, I checked back issues of the Herald for the days immediately following Clara’s death, and I came across something interesting. A man was reported missing the day after Clara died. He was the Hendersons’ farmhand. I have to do a deeper dive and widen my search parameters, but as far as I can tell, he was never seen alive again.” She smiled, looking pleased about finding a new suspect.
At least she had until Josh said, “But what reason would the Hendersons’ farmhand have for killing Clara?”
Chapter Seventeen
If someone had asked about her favorite way to spend a Friday night, Em would’ve automatically said sitting on the couch eating takeout and watching Stranger Things or The Haunting of Hill House.
But now standing under the lights cheering for the hometown football team with their handsome coach by her side ranked as her favorite way to spend a Friday night. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous or had this much fun.
The team was five minutes away from beating their top rivals for this year’s football championship. She looked from the clock to the field, sucking in a shocked breath when Charlie intercepted the ball.
“Go, Charlie!” she yelled as the other team’s players converged on the small but speedy teen.
She hadn’t realized she’d grabbed Josh’s hand until he gave hers a reassuring squeeze. “They’ve got him,” he said, lifting his chin at Mike, who ran interference for his best friend while two of their teammates cleared the path to the goal line.
Charlie was inches away from a touchdown when both he and Mike were tackled from behind. Highland Falls fans—including Em and Josh and the offensive line on the bench—groaned while the opposing team’s fans cheered. Their roles reversed when the game buzzer went off three minutes later. Highland Falls High had won the game twenty-three to twenty.
Em cheered and threw her arms around Josh, who hugged her and spun her around.
“Aww look at the lovebirds! Aren’t they the cutest?” cried a voice from the stands, a loud and familiar voice that could be heard above the cheering crowd.
Josh froze mid-spin and set Em back on her feet while shooting a zip it look at Patsy, who was standing and clapping—for them as much as for the team, Em suspected. Apparently Em’s brother thought so too because his gaze narrowed on her and Josh. But unlike Patsy, he obviously didn’t think they were the cutest.
Em didn’t have time to worry about her brother or what her and Josh’s PDA might look like to anyone else. The offensive line had run off the field and Charlie and Mike were soaking up another round of praise and shoulder slaps from their teammates. Josh and Em joined them, congratulating the boys and then lining up to shake hands with the other team.
As they walked back to the bench, Josh nudged her. “You deserve a lot of the credit for that, you know.”
In response to his smile and compliment, the muscles in her stomach fluttered. She’d like to ignore her reaction to him or pretend she had no idea why her stomach was acting this way, but every time he’d glanced at her or smiled at her throughout the game, those very same butterflies took flight.
“You’re giving me too much credit. I’ve worked with them for like three practices. If anyone deserves the credit, it’s you, Josh. You’re a great coach.”
It wasn’t as if she was using the compliment to distract him. She really did admire his coaching abilities and how he interacted with the kids on the team. He knew the plays inside out, and he knew how to get the best out of each of his players. He was tough but fair, and always quick with a word of encouragement. It was obvious the boys respected and admired him. She did too. A lot.