January Thaw (The Murder-By-Month Mysteries) (5 page)

I was even beginning to smile as I turned the final corner and pulled into the circle loop in front of Sunny’s doublewide.

That smile lasted right up until I spotted Johnny’s truck.

He was early.

Nine

Sunny’s place was beautiful—a
double-wide trailer plopped near a pristine little lake nestled in the middle of a hundred acres of untouched hardwood forest. Her sweet red barn and matching sheds stood like comfortable sentries, and her cozy doublewide with its gray siding and maroon shutters faced the frozen water. Normally, living here made me feel both connected and independent, carving out my existence on some of the prettiest land in the Midwest. At the moment, however, it was the last place on earth I wanted to be. I considered turning right around and driving back into town, buying a pack of disposable razors at Larry’s, and shaving myself in their bathroom.

That still left the granny bra.

Curse words!

When I’d decided that it was time to make myself more open to Johnny, I didn’t mean open to revulsion. Of course he’d be too kind to say anything, but when he pulled off my shirt or slid his hand down my pants, it’d be written all over his face. Horror. Doubt. Curiosity as to when things had gone so undeniably wrong in his life.

I pulled alongside his 1971 Chevy truck, rebuilt from a junker to a beauty. It was solid and stable, just like Johnny. I sighed. No way could I leave him alone in my house and worrying about me as the hour grew later, even if the alternative meant exposing him to baseline me. I turned off the car, got out, and dragged my feet up the walk to my front door. Normally, I loved this short walk. Right now, it felt like the green mile.

I opened the door, in the back of my mind still hoping for some way out of this. That’s when it came to me. I could just dart into the bathroom, right? Tell Johnny that I wanted to slip into something more comfortable, and once the bedroom door was closed, I could sneak into the bathroom to shave my legs, switch out my bra, and hide the brush cleanings and Q-tips in the garbage under some clean but strategically crumpled tissues. It’d be perfect! I opened the door with a smile on my face.

I was greeted by Johnny, with an equally large smile on his.

Unfortunately—given my present circumstances—a smile was all he wore.

Ten

Johnny was standing in
the kitchen, the living room and a center island the only thing separating us. The smile fell off my face and landed with a thud at my feet (which, by the way, would benefit from a run-over with a shaver, too). Luna hurried up to sniff my hand but I was in too much shock to pet her. Tiger Pop, my calico kitty, was draped across the back of the couch so as better to witness my humiliation, I imagine.

“Too presumptuous?” he asked, coming around the kitchen counter.

I was immensely relieved to see that he was, in fact, wearing low-slung Levis. The denim hugged his lean hips perfectly, showcasing his sculpted abdomen dusted with a light trail of hair. His chest was perfection, broad and muscled, and his rippled arms made me want to drop my own clothes. He held a bottle of champagne and two glasses in his beautiful, strong hands. And oh dear god, had he used the word
presumptuous
? I was used to dating men who didn’t use a hand towel let alone four-syllable words.

“You look delicious,” I said.

He kept walking toward me, his lip quirking. “What?”

Had I said that out loud? “It smells delicious!
It
. It smells delicious. What are you making?” I glanced at the chopped vegetables and herbs gracing my counter, a swirl of reds, greens, and oranges. It really did smell amazing. “And how long have you been here?”

He glanced at his wristwatch, and I swear my pants melted a little. Something about a naked-chested man wearing a watch drove me crazy. “About an hour. I knew you had a double-shift today, the library and then the paper. I wanted to surprise you with dinner. I picked up the kitchen and living room, too. I hope you don’t mind.”

I glanced around the plant-filled living room, searching for the camera crew. Somehow, I could get my head around having a hot, shirtless man offer me champagne and home-cooked dinner. It was the picking-up comment that made me finally realize that Johnny was a robot planted in my life six months ago to study the
Dorkus Allthetimeus
in her natural habitat.

“For real?”

His smile grew wider, and now he was near enough to smell. I didn’t know if he actually wore cologne or if his natural scent was clean and spicy, like fresh-ground cinnamon. He locked eyes with mine, his so blue I swear I could see fish swimming in them. His smile changed into something a little more animal, and his eyes dropped to my mouth.

My heartbeat picked up. He leaned forward and placed his mouth on mine, warm and confident. My back arched and I leaned into him, feeling the impossible heat of his hard body against mine.

He held the two champagne glasses in one hand and the unopened bottle in the other. My hands, however, were free. I unzipped my jacket and let it drop to the floor. Then, I touched his chest lightly, trailing my fingertips down, around his waist, up his strong spine, and then back down to hook into his jeans and pull his hips tight against mine. I was trying to remember why I’d ever thought it’d be a good idea to hold him at arm’s length. It felt so much better to have him close.

His kisses grew deeper, and I sent one hand to his thick hair and the other to his tight butt. He made a low sound in his throat, like a growl. I ground my hips ever so slightly, and he almost dropped the champagne glasses.

“I need my hands,” he said huskily.

I couldn’t agree more. He set the bottle and glasses on the living room table. His body was only gone from mine for a second, but the loss of heat felt like an ache. I was back in his arms in a moment. He wound one hand into my hair and the other at the base of my back and was kissing me like his life depended on it. I felt his hips swivel, followed by a gentle push as he steered us toward the bedroom, not pausing in his passion. I was completely wrapped in his strength and his scent and his heat. I would have taken him right there by the front door, but at least one of us was hanging on to their wits. Nothing like glancing up to see a cat and a dog watching like they’re taking notes to kill the moment.

He closed the bedroom door behind us. The room was dark, a pair of dirty workout shorts on the floor. I suppose I could have excused myself to quick shave my legs, but it’d be like cleaning your house when it’s on fire, and who does that?

He pulled back, and even in the moonlit room, I saw the intensity of his gaze. “I want you.”

I nodded, though it seemed like an understatement. I wanted oxygen. In that moment, I
needed
Johnny. We fell toward the bed in a tangle of undressing, kissing, stroking passion. He ended up on top, which was just the way I liked it.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered into my ear, unlatching my bra with one deft move. Thank god. The white cloth reflecting the glow of the moon was bright enough to read by.

“I’ve missed you too,” I said, grabbing him by the ears and pulling his mouth to mine.

“We should do this more,” he said. At least that’s what I think he said. I couldn’t stop kissing him long enough to let him speak.

The taut length of his body melted into mine, his weight making me feel deliciously protected. My fingers dipped with the curve of his muscles when I ran them down his back and arms. We were both still wearing jeans, and suddenly, nothing seemed more urgent than being completely naked.

Right now.

Johnny was reading my mind because he pulled back to undo the top snap of my button-fly Levis. His eyes were the color of storm clouds in the dim room, his gaze penetrating as he ran it along the length of me, lingering on my mouth, then landing on my eyes.

“You’re so beautiful.”

The breath caught in my throat. I could feel my blood-hot pulse in every inch of my body. He leaned over to kiss my neck, undoing the second snap on my jeans.

“There’s no place I’d rather be right now,” he whispered. The kiss moved to the sweet spot under my ear, and I shivered.

The third snap came undone.

“I can’t stop thinking about you.” His mouth traveled to my collarbone, his tongue teasing me as it ran along the edges.

The fourth snap popped open.

His mouth moved to my breasts, warm and wet.

There was only one snap left.

A growing heat tickled the edges of my senses. I thought I was going to lose my mind if he didn’t rip off my pants and take me right now. I was about to tell him that exact thing when the phone rang in the kitchen.

“Forget it,” I said. Passion made my voice deeper than usual.

He didn’t even slow to respond, his hot mouth driving me closer to ecstasy. My chin shot up as the growing heat began to vibrate inside of me.

The phone rang again.

“The machine will get it,” I whispered, tossing my head to the side.

It rang a third time.

Johnny undid the last snap. His eyes met mine, and it was electric. He looked more animal than man, completely in control, gorgeous.

The machine clicked over.

“Mira? It’s Kennie.” Her voice trembled.

The moment hung suspended in the air like a glass globe. Her next words shattered it.

“Gary Wohnt has been shot.”

Eleven

Johnny and I were
out of the house and in his truck in under five minutes. On the seventeen-mile drive to the Fergus Falls hospital, I copped to the dead body I’d skated over in the ice. I expected him to be horrified, but his predominant emotion was concern. I accepted his free hand in mine as he drove.

“Do you think the body in the ice is connected to Gary being shot?” he asked, after I assured him that I was fine, though the words felt far away when I spoke them.

“I don’t see how they could be, but I guess I don’t even know what shape we’re going to find him in.”

It was a frozen, foggy night, a sure sign that a thaw was coming our way. Johnny pushed down on the gas pedal despite the dangerous conditions, and we picked up speed. And why not? We knew where the chief of police was right now, and I had to assume all the deputies were investigating the shooting. We reached the hospital in record time. Johnny parked his truck while I charged into the ER waiting room.

Kennie was perched on the edge of a plastic chair looking like she’d just lost the title of Mrs. Minnesota. Mascara ran down her chin, and a stream of snot snaked out of her nose. I speed-walked to her.

“How is he?”

Kennie gave me the first honest glance we’d ever exchanged. “You came.”

“Of course I did. As soon as you called.” Three chairs over, a man threw up into a plastic bag. Across the room, a teenage boy held a bloody towel over his hand. This was a dismal place to spend a Saturday night. “What are you doing here alone?”

Her shoulders moved the tiniest bit. “Who else would come with me?”

Her comment pushed me back, like a puff of wind. Surely Kennie had friends, didn’t she? But I couldn’t think of one. Heck, I usually went out of my way to avoid her. The thought humbled. “Where’d it happen?”

Kennie shrugged and blew her nose into a Hello Kitty handkerchief. I felt bad for it. I imagined it had signed up for glitter and lipgloss, not copious boogers. “Just north of town. It was a routine pull-over. Speeder. Gary got him on the side of the road and called in the license plate number. Ginny was working the call station. She heard the shots over the radio. When she couldn’t get Gary to respond, she sent an ambulance to his location.” She hiccupped.

“Is it bad?”

“I haven’t seen him. They won’t let me. The doctor said Gary will make it, but that’s all he could tell me because I’m not family. I’m not
anyone’s
family!” She blew her nose again. It came out as a sobbing honk. I reached over to the admissions desk and yanked a handful of tissues out of the communal box.

“Here.” I waited while she blew her nose some more and wiped at the smudged mascara. I grabbed another fistful of clean tissues and waited until her breathing grew regular.

“
They wouldn’t tell you he was going to be okay if he wasn’t,” I said. I started to pat her back, but it felt odd, so I stopped. “It’s probably just a flesh wound. And I’m sure you have family. Don’t you?” I realized how very little I knew about the mayor of Battle Lake.

“Aunts and uncles sprinkled around the country, cousins … ” she trailed off.

“Parents?”

The pause made me expect the worst. “They live in Florida,” she finally said.

I exhaled. “Well, that’s family.”

“We don’t get along. And besides, I meant my own family. A husband and kids. A dog. A garden.”

The man three chairs over retched into his bag. It seemed like an appropriate reaction. Still, the smell was wafting toward us, so I pulled Kennie to her feet and steered us to the other side of the waiting room. “You don’t even like to garden, and you hate kids. And where did all this come from?”

She patted her platinum hair. “I don’t know. Gary going into the hospital has brought me closer to my mortality, I guess. What is my legacy on this earth, Mira? What am I leaving behind so people can remember me?”

I couldn’t assure her that she was going to live for a good long time, because I bet that’s what the man I’d skated over last night had woken up thinking, too, right before he got iced. I scoured my brain for an answer. “I know! Last night, you told me you’re a plant and pet psychologist. You’re helping two of the most important things in the world. That’s a wonderful legacy!”

“I suppose,” she said glumly.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re very good at it. I bet people will talk about it long after you’re gone.” Like a truly obnoxious party crasher, I thought, or a particularly rotten smell.

“Do you really mean it?”

The hope in her sad eyes squeezed at my heart. “Of course.”

She sat up straight, her expression immediately cleared. “Wonderful. When do you want me to come over for your plant and pet consultation?”

My mouth dropped. Had she just played me?

“Close that piehole, Mira. You don’t know what sort of germs are flying around this place.” She yanked a calendar out of her mammoth fringed purse. “Tuesday evening might work for me, but my schedule is filling up quickly, so let’s keep that appointment floating, shall we? In the meanwhile, what say I officially deputize you so you can go find out how Gary is. I truly am worried about him.”

Many questions battled in my head. What came out was, “You can deputize someone?”

She lifted her shoulders. “Why not? I’m mayor.”

“You’re mayor of Battle Lake. We’re in Fergus.”

“Then just be a good little detective and go ask that doctor. He was the one I spoke with before.”

She pushed me out of my seat and toward a white-haired man wearing scrubs. At the same moment, Johnny entered through the sliding front door, his face drawn. I motioned him toward Kennie and strode to the doctor. “Excuse me? I’m wondering how Gary Wohnt is doing.”

The doctor glanced up from a chart. “Are you family?”

“I’m his sister.” I firmly believed that you shouldn’t overplan a lie. Rather, it’s better to be ready to hop on the lie boat if it drifts your way. “Mira Wohnt.”

Shoot
. I’d taken it too far by adding details.

It seemed to work, though. The doctor nodded and scratched behind an ear with his pen. “He’s in surgery now. The bullet went in his upper left leg and out the back. Missed the artery. Once he’s sewn up, he should be fine, though he might not agree. It’ll be a while until he’s able to move as he’d like.”

“Thank you.” I swiveled to walk away. The doctor made a small coughing sound in his throat. I turned back.

“Would you like to know what room he’ll be in after recovery?” He raised an eyebrow. “So you can tell the rest of your family?”

“Yes!”

He consulted his clipboard. “He’s scheduled to be moved into 227, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Thanks again,” I said, smiling. Then, it occurred to me that a grin might be unnatural for a woman whose brother has recently been shot, so I frowned.

The doctor’s eyes narrowed, but he walked away without comment. I raced over to Kennie and Johnny to share the little I knew.

Kennie, for all her denial of her feelings for Gary and her scamming me in the waiting room, seemed incredibly relieved by the news. “Did he say what time Gary would be out of surgery?”

“No, but he’ll be in room 227.”

She patted my cheek. “Thank you, doll.”

I nodded. Johnny slipped his hand into mine. I looked down at it, surprised. I’d had to deal with a lot since I’d moved to Battle Lake, and while I had wonderful friends, I’d been forced to handle most of it alone. I looked over at Johnny and recognized strength in his eyes. I squeezed his hand.

Kennie honked her nose again. “Say, did you hear? They ID’d the man in the ice. They think he’s a transient. The only identification they found on him was a Chicago Public Library card. His name was Maurice Jackson.”