Page 68 of Exposure of Murder

Gang? Buying property? This was the first time she’d heard about that. Was it a rumor or fact? Come to think of it, Victor was buying property. Was he part of a gang?

Nah. She couldn’t believe that.

Ethan sighed. “Thornton was involved in some shady dealings, but we don’t know who he was in business with.”

The conversation drifted to speculation. Jane wondered about the diary or ledger and what it would contain. Secrets. Wasn’t Victor obsessed with what secrets the farm had? But shehad a nagging suspicion that Victor knew more than he was telling. What could it be?

Thirty-Five

Dinner was winding down. Jane leaned back in the kitchen chair and groaned. “That was the best lasagna I’ve ever had,” she declared.

Leah blushed at the compliment. “I can give you the recipe.”

Jane started to get up to help clear the plates, but Ethan placed his hand on her arm, stopping her. “In this family, the men clean up if the women cooked,” he said with a smile.

That surprised Jane, not the fact that men cleaned up, but somehow, she never imagined Ethan doing it. Nevertheless, she was fine with that.

“Leah, why don’t you and Jane go sit in the living room and catch up,” suggested Tanner. “When we’re done here, I’ll light a fire outside and we can have coffee and dessert on the patio.”

Standing up, Leah looked at Jane and said, “Works for me. Come on, Jane, you can catch me up on what’s going on in your life.”

The two women made their way to the living room and settled into the sofa. The fire was almost out, but the room was toasty.

“So, you and Tanner,” began Jane. “How long have you two been together?”

“Hmm.” Leah scrunched her brows, thinking. “About two years now. We’ve always known each other, but one day Tanner came into the diner while I was on break. We started talking for a while and suddenly one minute, I looked at him and thought”—she paused and nodded to herself—“I really like him. So, I asked him out and … the rest is history.”

“That’s so romantic,” Jane replied. It reminded her of how she and Mike met in college. Mike had bumped into her, spilling the coffee cup she was holding. He insisted he buy her another. They spent hours talking and getting to know each other in the coffee shop, and by the time they left, she knew he was the one. Mike insisted he’d seen her on campus and was intrigued, so he knew it first, but potato, potahto.

They chatted about the diner, friends and Jane’s farm for a while until Ethan came in and sat next to Jane. “Has Leah given up all our secrets?” he asked, leaning close to Jane.

“Ha ha.” Leah smirked. “I haven’t even started.” She looked at Jane. “There’s so much to tell.”

“I can’t wait to hear,” teased Jane.

“Neither can I,” quipped Ethan. “But it’ll have to wait. I came in to tell you that the kitchen’s clean and Tanner’s lighting the fire.”

Leah stood. “Great, I’ll put the coffee on. Ethan, will you get the dessert?”

“What can I do?” asked Jane.

“Bring out the plates and coffee cups,” replied Leah.

It took them a few minutes to gather everything and walk outside. The air had turned chillier. The fire Tanner started in the firepit was burning bright and hot. Red sparks danced in the breeze toward heaven. They placed everything on a table set up in the corner.

“Wow, when you said firepit, I was expecting something small,” exclaimed Jane. “This is beautiful.” She was in awe of the round stone firepit, the Adirondack chairs placed around it and twinkling lights on the back of the house. It was unexpected and romantic.

“Tanner and I built it last week.” Ethan looked at the firepit. “Looks pretty good.”

“I had them put up the lights for effect,” said Leah. She looked around and nodded. “Next, the guys are going to build a pergola so we can sit out here in the afternoon and be in the shade.”

“We are?” asked Tanner. He looked at Ethan, frowning. “Did you know about this?”

“Hell no. This is all on you, man. She’s your girlfriend,” said Ethan.

Leah laughed. “Will you two stop it? You know you’re going to do it, so get over it.” She motioned toward the dessert and coffee. “Help yourselves.”

Jane was in awe. These two big, burly guys hoodwinked by one small woman. Who would’ve thunk?

---