Page 55 of The Scented Cipher
I chuckled. “Then I’ll have to trade you in on a new model.” I picked up a foot and wiggled it. “And these shoes are the most expensive water shoes on the lake.” I sobered as the reality of the vision hit me. “We’ve got to get fire trucks over to Lems Antique Furniture. Waylon dumped kerosene around Mr. Lems and set a timer to start a fire in the store. He’s trying to kill his father. That’s what this has been about.”
Not money. Not revenge. Just a man who was still an angry child at heart, who couldn’t find a way to grow up and leave his father. Not while his father still lived. No wonder Carol and he found each other. They were two peas in an emotionally stunted pod.
“Get a squad car, an ambulance, and fire services over to Lems Furniture,” he said into his radio before rattling off the address. “Tell them to be careful. There’s flammable liquid set to go on a timer.”
“Nine-oh-five,” I told him.
He shook his head and smirked. “Five after nine.”
Broyles and Reese showed up shortly and cuffed him. When they finished, they wrestled Waylon to his feet. The man’s rage had given way to broken sobbing, the fight drained out of him.
“I wonder what it’s going to take to clean this up?” I asked.
“More know-how than I got,” Ezra replied. His eyes filled with a mix of pride and worry as he met my gaze. “You did good, Nora,” he said softly. “We stopped him.”
* * *
Ezra’s cabinwas warm and rustic, and tonight, it felt like a sanctuary, a world away from the chaos and danger we’d left behind.
A week had passed since Carol and Waylon had plotted to turn Garden Cove Lake into an inferno. They were both in jail, awaiting arraignment for two counts of reckless endangerment, multiple counts of assault, attempted murder, and arson. They were both looking at a long time inside of a cell. Unsurprisingly, they’d turned on each other and provided even more damning evidence to keep them locked up for a good long time. To me, hatred was a wasted emotion. To them… it had been their modus operandi and had backfired in a way that had destroyed them.
Waylon admitted to stealing Edgar Jones’ coin from his desk at the bank when he’d gone in with his father the previous month to ask for a loan. He’d had an idea in his head to frame Edgar at the point, and the fact that the poor banker had been on scene at the first two dangerous pranks had been a happy accident. Needless to say, Edgar was released with an apology from the police department. I think that had been the mayor’s idea. The last thing the city needed was a wrongful arrest suit, and since Edgar was a prominent citizen in Garden Cove, he’d have a good chance of winning.
The mayor awarded commendations to Shawn, Ezra, and all of Ezra’s team for valor in the line of duty. For me, she offered a private, heartfelt thank you and promised my name would not grace any public records. I was extremely grateful. The Garden Cove Gazette issued a front-page apology, blaming the letter on the crazy ravings of a madwoman with a vendetta going all the way back to high school. With Carol in jail, it helped to sell the story as completely believable. I’d been getting less hate now, and maybe in a short while, folks would forget about it altogether. I doubted that would happen, but a girl could hope.
The fire department got to Mr. Lems in time. They saved the old coot’s life. He hadn’t been grumpy but grateful. Lucky for me, he’d decided to finally sell the building, and he offered me a fair price. I needed the extra storage for my stock, and it would give Gilly the space to expand her massage business. Ari and Mason did not finish the race, but neither did anyone. The state water patrol had evacuated everyone else in the area off the lake. As it was, Portman’s docks were shut down until the EPA could contain, clean, and decontaminate the affected water.
“Are you okay?” Ezra asked as I nestled into his side, feeling the steady beat of his heart against my cheek. His arm was wrapped around me, holding me close, a silent promise of protection and love.
“I’m perfect,” I told him. “You?”
“I think you’re perfect, too.” He grinned.
I gave his chest a playful slap. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know,” he said, stroking the hair from my face. “I’m about as good as a man can get.”
Across the room, Ezra’s son Mason and my goddaughter Ari sat on the floor, their eyes wide with fascination as they watched “2001: A Space Odyssey” for the first time. The movie’s eerie score and stunning visuals filled the room, but I was more captivated by the peaceful scene around me. The two twenty-year-olds were engrossed in the film, their friendship evident in their easy banter and shared wonder.
Ezra chuckled softly, his breath warm against my hair. “I think they’re hooked,” he whispered, his voice filled with affection.
I smiled, snuggling closer. “It’s a classic. Hard not to be.”
We fell into a comfortable silence, the weight of recent events lifting as we soaked in the simple joy of being together. I glanced over at Mason and Ari, their faces lit by the flickering light of the TV screen and felt a swell of gratitude. They were safe, here with us, their laughter and curiosity a balm to my weary soul.
Ezra’s fingers traced lazy patterns on my arm, a soothing rhythm that lulled me into a state of contentment. “I’m glad you’re here,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that resonated deep within me.
“Me too,” I replied, tilting my head to look up at him. His eyes, filled with warmth and love, met mine. “We did good, Ezra. The bad guys are put away, and the people we care about are safe.”
He nodded, his lips moving over mine. “All is right with the world.” His smile was a soft curve that made my heart flutter.
“Indeed,” I agreed. “It’s never been more right.”
The End...for now.
What’s next for Nora and the gang?
Of Spice and Men: A Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery Book 10
My name is Nora Black. I’m fifty-six years old, and I’m having the midlife adventure of my life.
I’m all set for the ultimate escape: a couples cruise with my sweetheart Ezra, and my best friends Gilly and Pippa, along with their husbands.
We are ready to hit the high seas for sun, fun, and definitely no crime-solving. The plan is simple: cocktails, sunsets, and endless laughter. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans...
When one of our table mates, a frequent flyer on this very cruise line, ends up face down in the Lido Deck pool, the captain declares it an accident.
But my psychic nose says otherwise—this is murder. Now, with the clock ticking before we reach foreign soil, I’ll have to use my aroma mojo to sniff out the truth. It looks like it’s up to us to unravel the mystery before the killer gets away with murder.
So much for smooth sailing!
