I scribbled that information down. I didn’t think the victim and the dory were connected. I thought the killer was using the lake’s edge as a shield, not to be seen.
“I think…” The mother paused, and I could tell she was nervous to speak the words.
“Mrs. Webster?” Spencer placed a hand on hers and leaned in, so she was inches from her face. “Your daughter is all that matters right now. Let’s catch the man who hurt her so you can at least have some peace. Any information that could help, say it. We’ll chase down any rabbit hole, hit as many dead ends as possible, just to solve this case.” She held her gaze. “You have my word.”
Suddenly, Mrs. Webster’s free hand landed on hers like an anchor. “Okay.” She sighed heavily through tears. “Whenever she mentioned the professor, her face would light up. I used to think it was because she admired his work, but now I wonder if…”
“If it was more than that?”
“Yes.” She nodded but still held on to Spencer for dear life.
Spencer glanced at me, and I knew what she was thinking. We had our lead.
Damn, she was good.
We asked a few more questions and told Mrs. Webster that once we heard anything, she’d be the first to know. She hugged Spencer extra-long and whispered something in her ear that made Spencer’s face drop, but she quickly recovered.
I rubbed my head and fought a yawn. My ex drained me, which was why I hadn’t communicated with Spencer while I was away, and I found it hard to get back into the swing of things.
Spencer was checking her phone when someone called out her name. Her face flashed with worry as she followed the voice.
A man a foot shorter than I was, dressed in a button-up shirt and khakis, came right up and kissed her cheek. Her cheeks pinkened as she glanced at me.
What the hell?
“Should I be offended that you’re at our spot with another man?” the guy joked while I shot her a confused look.
“I, ah…” She fumbled over her words. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I—”
“It’s fine, really. Lisa warned me you wouldn’t. Said that you were shy and a workaholic, but she also said I need to be persistent. So here I am, doing that.”
“That’s real nice.” She snickered, but the guy didn’t seem to catch her tone.
The man turned to me and offered a hand. “Hi, I’m Mickey Drew.”
“Daniels,” I offered curtly.
“You two work together?”
“We do.”
“You’re the detective.”
“Yes.” I hated this man already, but I was interested to know how he’d heard about me.
“Oh!” His annoying face lit up. “Are you guys working on a case right now? Did I interrupt?”
“No,” Spencer jumped in, “but we are heading out, so we must get going.”
“Sure, okay, yeah.” He didn’t move. “So, dinner, maybe next week?”
“I’ll call you,” she answered quickly.
“If not, I’ll call you,” he joked lamely before he kissed her cheek again and hurried off.
I blinked back the urge to wrap my arm around her. She must have sensed it and reached out to squeeze my elbow.
“I’m going to grab us some coffee.” Spencer started to leave, but I caught her arm.
“Blind date?”
“Yeah.” Her cheeks grew even pinker.
“What did Ms. Webster whisper to you?”
She looked around to make sure Mickey had left.
“She said a mother’s love was unconditional and to hug my mother extra tight tonight.”
“Oh.” My heart suddenly hurt for her.
“It’s okay. She’s just feeling so terribly vulnerable.” She gave me a weak smile before she left to grab her caffeine fix. That woman never stopped surprising me.
Chapter Seventeen
Spencer
“Oh, I think that’s definitely the one, Spencer.” Joline, the owner of the shop, grinned from the doorway. She hung two dresses on the hook and nodded. “That is my favorite.”
I stepped onto the little platform and stared down at the dress. “It’s stunning.”
“Pair it with some diamonds, and you’ll have all the men drooling.”
I only care about one.
We spent the next thirty minutes trying on shoes, then I paid the bill and headed out into the freezing cold air.
The thought of a hot coffee had me turning toward the little bakery on the outskirts of town. Lost in thought as I left with my coffee, I didn’t catch who stepped up from behind and reached over me to push open the door.
“Spencer Peters, right?”
I whirled around and came face to face with a haggard-looking fellow. “Depends on who’s asking.”
He stepped forward, and I stepped back. His face twisted into a crooked smile, and I noticed some missing teeth and a bad case of gingivitis.
Dammit, I bet my brother sent him.
“Are you looking for Will?” I just wanted him to go away, so I moved around him and headed down the road away from him, but he followed close behind.
“Nah, baby, I was looking for you.”
I swallowed past the lump lodged in my throat. “Why?”
He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. It was disgusting. “Just wanted to finally see what all the hype was about.”
I gave him a puzzled look. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but I really need to get going.” I quickly turned and started down the road. Snow crunched under his feet as he hurried to catch up.
“Hey.” He grabbed my arm and nearly spun me completely around. I lost my footing and had to use his shoulder to stabilize myself. “I didn’t say we were finished talking.”
My gaze shot down to his grip on my arm, and I jerked away. “Let go.”
“Say please.” He hauled me closer and drew in a long breath through his nose. “Hmm, I love a woman who keeps her lady bits clean.”
And, vomit. I had to hold back my rolling stomach. “Let me go, or I’ll show you what else my lady bits can do.” I had no idea what I was referring to, but it just popped out along with a double dose of fear.
“Can’t do that.” He started to say something else, but his eyes widened as a protective set of arms wrapped around me and pulled me free from his hold.
“You want a date with your parole officer, Toby?” Blake’s voice boomed above my head. “You ever touch her again, and I will personally choose your cellmate.”
“All right, all right.” His dirty hands went up in the air before he took off in a lopsided run. He looked over his shoulder once to glance back at me.
I sagged into Blake’s arms and let out a huff of air. “Thank God. What are you doing here? Who the hell was that?”
He ignored my first question.
“Just a local junkie. He’s harmless when he’s sober, but not so much when he’s using. Come on,” he kept his eyes on Toby, “let’s get you home.”
“Are you sure you feel up to going, honey?” G stood in my bedroom doorway, looking worried. The creases around his eyes had darkened. He knew this was the very last thing I wanted to discuss with the world, but I wasn’t doing it for me. I was doing it for my parents.