Page 24 of More Than A Boss

She returned the smile and called out to the group, “OK everyone, it’s almost time to eat! Pick up your cards and pennies and clear the table. If someone could put the tablecloth on and the centerpiece, then set the table with the china sitting over there on the buffet that would be great! Could I get one of you strong, sexy men to take the bird out of the oven?”

She had already added two leaves to the dining table the night before, so hopefully they could squeeze around.

Everyone was happy to follow her orders because it meant food was on the way. They called the girls and the dog in from outside.

There was great conversation, laughter, jokes, and plenty to eat. At dinner, there seemed to be some chemistry happening between Sam and Darcy, which made sense considering how extroverted Darcy was compared to Sam’s calm demeanor. Sam seemed completely smitten with Darcy, hanging on to every word she said. Allie was always a sucker for a good love story. She hoped something would come of it. Not to mention, it would keep Darcy away from Zane.

They could barely move after they had finished with the meal. Allie insisted they wait awhile to do the dishes after clearing the table. “We’re too full. Let’s sit in the living room around the fire and relax a bit first.”

A few dozed off on the couch as the rest of the group decided to play charades to work off the meal. Darcy was hysterically funny, trying to act out the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. She flapped her arms like wings, while exuberantly running around the room, then squatted down, trying to act like she was laying an egg for the “nest.” Everyone howled. She displayed no self-consciousness, totally relaxed and comfortable in her own skin. You couldn’t help but love her. She was quite beautiful, with her curvy body, startling green eyes, and wild copper hair, and just a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. It was so hard to fathom that she was an ex-cop and armed most of the time. Sam’s eyes followed her wherever she went. Poor guy, Allie thought, he was such a sweetheart, and he was obviously already taken with Darcy. She hoped it wouldn’t be a case of nice guys finish last. He deserved a great and true love. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if she had unwittingly been the one to provide that, she thought?

Allie glanced over at Zane to see if he was falling under Darcy’s spell and caught him staring back at her with such desire that she immediately felt a matching response. Looking away quickly, she finally figured out what Darcy was trying to get them to guess and yelled it out, only to realize too late that the prize for winning was that it would be her turn. Oh brother, she thought.

After a dozen rounds it was getting late. Sarah and Pete had left mid-way through the game, and Mark and his family had left after waking the twins, who had curled up with the dog and fallen asleep on the floor next to the fire. The Johnstons were now making moves to go, and at Allie’s insistence, took the untouched pumpkin pie and left. Allie had insisted that everyone leave the cleanup to her since she was off the whole weekend and could sleep in, and besides, she had a dishwasher.

As Casey was helping Clare with her coat, Dugan chose that moment to start growling at the French doors, which quickly escalated into a defensive frenzy. He lunged at the door on his hind legs, scratching at the windowpanes.

“Dugan!” Charlie said sternly, “Down!” Dugan completely ignored him and continued with an eerily deep and menacing growl.

Darcy, always on the alert, went to the back door, hand at her holster to peer outside. She flipped on the back-deck light to illuminate the area. She thought she saw movement at the back edge of Allie’s property but couldn’t be sure.

“Zane, Charlie, and Sam, come with me. You three stay put, and Allie lock the door behind us. Let’s check around outside to make sure nothing is amiss. Zane, do you have your gun with you?” she inquired.

“Yes,” he replied. He ran to retrieve it from his leather jacket and was the first one out the door. He had not gone very far when he spotted the gruesome message. Hanging from the bird feeder was a dead possum with a noose around its neck. More than likely roadkill, because it was pretty mangled up.

“Darcy!” he called out. “Come over here.”

“The sick fuck!” Darcy said disgustedly. By this time familiar with the case she said, “They are just trying to send a message of intimidation. If they can get to Allie and you, they figure it might be enough to scare Havers from testifying against Silva.” She thought out loud, “Let’s walk the perimeter of the property and see if we can pick up any clues.”

Sam joined them as they discussed strategy, then separated, dividing the territory each was to cover. Darcy and Sam stayed together, and Charlie stuck with Zane since Sam and Charlie were both unarmed. Darcy and Sam started at the very back of the property, which bordered ten plus acres of wooded lot. That was where Darcy thought she had seen movement earlier. Sam was walking the fence line using his cellphone flashlight, when it picked up a shiny object lying next to a fence post. Squatting down to investigate more closely, he discovered that it was a bloody boning knife.

“Darcy, over here!” he called out.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Darcy commented. “Pretty stupid if you ask me. Unless he had gloves on the whole time, which is doubtful, we will probably have a nice set of prints from this screwup!” Darcy said with satisfaction. “Good find, Sam!”

Sam felt warmed by her praise. They met eyes for a moment, and something passed between them, which Sam would later question to himself whether it had been real or wishful thinking on his part. But damn, she was beautiful, he acknowledged.

They called over to Zane, and without disturbing the area around the knife, they looked for any other evidence. There were muddy footprints on both sides of the fence, coming and going. The trail of prints leaving the scene led into the woods. There appeared to be only one set of boot prints.

“I’ll stand guard here and one of you go to the house and get a baggie to use to collect the evidence,” Darcy said.

“I’m on it! I’ll be right back.” Sam took off at a jog.

“I don’t like this one bit,” Zane said.

“Nor do I. It’s a little too close for comfort. However, I still think it was for show. They’re just trying to scare us off,” Darcy said reassuringly. “I don’t think Allie should be alone tonight though. Can you stay here or take her to your place? I’m sure Casey’s would be an option as well,” she thought out loud.

“No, I will definitely stay here tonight and insist she come to my place tomorrow. She should not be alone, for her emotional sake as well as for her safety. I’ve got a very secure setup. State-of-the-art security system,” he said.

Sam returned with the baggie, and Darcy carefully picked up the knife without touching it, hoping it paid off with a good set of prints.

“Got it. Let’s go inside,” Darcy said.

“I’ll break the news to Allie. We’ll need to check on Will and his family and warn them as well.” Zane said.

“What if that was Harry?” Allie moaned, a few minutes later, referring to her “pet” possum, who came to her birdfeeder and dined on apples every night.

“We can’t be 100 percent sure until Harry returns to your feeder, but it looked pretty mangled to be a fresh clean kill,” Darcy said.

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