Murder for Bid (28 page)

“Did Jessica know anything about Greg Davis?” I asked.

“I don’t think so. Amanda was probably keeping Greg’s part in the scheme a secret until she decided what to do about their affair.”

“And the baby,” I added sorrowfully.

“Yes, the baby. How ironic that Davis didn’t know that she was pregnant with his child. That might have made a difference.”

I wondered. “What an unlikely pair,” I commented.

“Who? Jessica and Amanda, or Amanda and Greg?”

“Both.” I refilled our glasses from the pitcher. “Actually, I was wrong about almost everything. I thought Schmidt and Madeline Reiner were having an affair when it was actually Greg involved in a love triangle with both Amanda and Madeline.”

“I told you he was a player.”

I cringed. “You were right. I don’t know what I saw in him.”

Sean didn’t comment.

I thought back to all the hate and greed that I had witnessed the past week. It was all so tragic. A young mother-to-be murdered and another young woman in the hospital. Not to mention so many damaged relationships, mine included. I looked at Sean. I was filled with regret and wondered if we could ever get things back on track. “Can you ever forgive me for the way I’ve treated you?” I finally asked.

Sean shrugged. “Let’s just try and move on from here.”

“Are you seeing Sarah Maloney?” I blurted out. “Just tell me the truth. I know she’s been with you a lot. She answered your phone a couple of times when I called.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why she answered my phone. That seemed strange. I told her to stop it.”

I wondered. Could it be that Sarah knew it was me calling and wanted to stir up some jealousy? Maybe cause problems between Sean and me. I was betting that Sarah Maloney wanted more than just a professional relationship with Sean.

Sean continued, “We’ve been working together a lot lately getting ready for a Special Olympic meet in June. She just happened to be at my place a couple times when you called. I told you, we’re just good friends, that’s all.”

“So, what? You’re not falling for her? No attraction whatsoever?” I asked, having a difficult time believing that there couldn’t be something between them. I could hear the desperation creeping into my voice.

“No. I don’t know.” He put down his pizza and looked directly at me.

“Does
she
want to be more than friends?” I asked, meeting his eyes.

He shrugged.

I felt sick. “So, where does this leave us?” Tears were starting to gather in my eyes.

“Nothing has changed with us. This is just something I have to figure out.”

“So, you want me to just hang around and wait while you decide what you want to do?” I was starting to shake.

He grabbed my hand. “
Pippi, we’ve known each other for a long time. You know how I feel about you. It’s just that I don’t know if we’re ready for more yet. I mean, I’ve been watching you these last couple of weeks with Greg. You didn’t seem to be too sure about
us
when he was around.”

He had a point. Maybe I wasn’t as ready for marriage as I thought.

“Don’t you want to be sure about our feelings before we make a final commitment?” he asked.

I nodded. Everything he was saying made sense. It just wasn’t fair. Greg turned out to be a crazed killer, while Sarah was still a gorgeous, intelligent, alluring woman. Now that Greg was out of the picture, I was surer than ever that Sean was the man for me. Actually, the more I thought about it, the name
Pippi Panelli seemed to have a quaint ring to it.

“Let’s just give it a little time,” he was saying.

Pippi Panelli. Pippi Panelli. It sounded good, really good.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Let’s not give it time. I’m sure, Sean. That thing with Greg, it was just …”

He grabbed my hand. “No,
Pippi,
I
need time.”
 

Time?
I could feel my face start to redden. How much longer did he expect me to wait?

“Please,” he begged, sensing that I was getting angry again. “Don’t push me now. I need to sort this out.”

I struggled with my emotions: anger, jealousy, and guilt. I could see just how much the Greg-thing had hurt Sean. This was entirely fault. I had really messed up. Maybe I did owe him a little time.

I waited to see if he was going to expand on the topic, but he seemed satisfied to let it go. Instead, he shook parmesan over the top of our pizza and changed the topic. “You were right about the murder weapon.”

I brightened a bit at the compliment. “Yeah, I was right about the golf club, but let’s face it; you never would have been so easily misguided by a murderer. Had you not stepped in when you did, I’d be...”

He leaned over the table and silenced me with a long tender kiss. That’s when I knew, without a doubt, that Sean and I were meant to be together. For that, I was willing to wait, no matter how long it took.

A former high school language teacher, Susan started working as a freelance translator and writer after leaving the teaching profession. During her writing career, she has worked to compile several literary encyclopedias, text books, and medical reference dictionaries. In addition to her work as an academic writer, she has published several nonfiction articles in national magazines. Recently, she has turned to writing fiction and has published several short mysteries.
Murder for Bid
is her first novel. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children.