Page 25 of Steal My Heart

“Yes, I do, and I thank you for your help.” The officer turned, his belt creaking a little as he went to the door. Hilliard unlocked it, and the officer stepped outside.

“That will is a fake and—” Uncle Timothy immediately sputtered.

“That would be for someone other than me to decide. But as far as I can tell, it looked correct.” He paused on the steps. “You are lucky that neither he nor I are pressing charges, because we both could. I have real work to attend to, and I will wait to make sure you leave town. And I suggest you don’t bother this man again. Understood? We will not be as forgiving the next time.” Hilliard closed the door and let the officer handle his duty while he went back to work.

WHEN HILLIARDpulled up later that morning, Gran was waiting out in front with the dogs on leashes. “Are they coming as well?”

Beverly nodded. “If it’s okay. Poppy and Gigi love it there. They have treats for them, and they’ll lie under the table while we eat.”

“Of course,” he said and helped her down the walk and into the car. The dogs jumped right into the back and settled down. It was a little misty, so he’d kept the top up. Once he got in, he drove downtown, where he was able to find a parking space right in front of the restaurant. Gran climbed out and led the dogs inside, with Hilliard following her through to the tent-covered garden area that had been closed off with the seating rearranged so everyone would be close.

“Beverly,” one of the ladies called as she hugged her. “It’s been a while.” They all seemed glad to see her, and Hilliard stayed out of the way.

“This is my new friend and neighbor, Hilliard. He inherited the house from Grace and has been helping both Brian and myself.” Hilliard shook hands with each of the ladies as they introduced themselves in quick enough succession that he was never going to be able to keep their names straight. The only one he was interested in was Violet, who approached last.

“It’s good of you to come,” Violet said coolly before turning to Hilliard with an expression of warning. When he ignored it, she turned back to Beverly. “How is your grandson doing since…?” Violet left the remaining part of her question open.

“Actually, very well, especially after the past few days.” Beverly sat down, the dogs lying at her feet while the other ladies gathered around. It seemed she hadn’t joined the group in a while, so she was the center of attention. “Brian and I took a trip up the coast with Hilliard this past weekend. He has themost amazing convertible, and I had such fun. We stopped at the Cabrillo Point lighthouse. It was really nice.”

“I volunteer there part-time, you know,” one of the ladies said. “It’s pretty wonderful to climb up to the light and get a look up and down the coast.”

“Maybe I’ll see if Brian and Hilliard would like to do that. I can’t anymore, but I’m sure it is a sight.” Her smile was perfection, and she had the ladies captivated. “But we found out something amazing. Carol, did you know they had security cameras?”

“Yes. I see them when I volunteer.”

“And they never aged out the files! We asked when we were there, and they were able to find Chester and Brian on their tapes.” She turned to Violet. “On the very day that poor Violet was robbed—and right in the middle of the time she says it happened!”

All the ladies gasped, but Violet’s expression seemed carved in stone. “You don’t mean…?”

“I do. It’s proof that he was innocent all along and that the real thief is still out there. Hilliard is helping us find an attorney so we can petition to have his conviction overturned, and I’m meeting with the police this afternoon to let them know that the real thief is still at large and that they should be looking for them. Isn’t that great news? I’ve always believed in him, you know.”

“Of course you did,” one of the ladies said before hugging her. “We’ve been praying for something like this for a long time.” Carol was clearly happy for Beverly, and so were most of the others.

Violet looked as if she had sucked a lemon. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Actually, it proves nearly everything. They were there for at least an hour, from before one until nearly two, and then theywent to lunch.” Beverly’s tone remained light, but there was steel in her voice. Beverly was exaggerating the times a little, but it seemed to be having the desired effect.

“Isn’t that great, Violet?” one of the ladies asked, her expression fading when Violet scowled and headed toward the exit.

“Where are you going?” Beverly asked, making sure to draw everyone’s attention. She was sneaky, that was for sure.

“Just out to my car,” she said. Hilliard met Beverly’s gaze and went inside toward the bathrooms, right through the crowded restaurant and out toward where Violet was on the phone.

“Apparently they have found something that proves Brian didn’t commit the burglary,” she said as she stood near her car. Hilliard went around the back of the vehicles and got close enough to hear better. “I don’t know what we should do. Beverly says they can prove he was not here in town, and that means….” She shook her head and sighed. “What the heck are we going to do? The police might investigate once more, but who knows? If Beverly gives what she has to them and starts putting on pressure….” She turned away, and it was harder for Hilliard to hear what she was saying.

Damn, that sure seemed like a guilty phone call. Was she warning someone? He wished he knew who was on the other end of that call. Still, it was something to go on and meant that he definitely needed to pay her a visit. Hilliard backed away and returned the way he had come, sitting down with Beverly as Violet returned. He pasted on his most innocent smile and leaned to Beverly. “I want to get a look at her phone if it’s possible. She made a call, and I want to know who it was.”

“No problem,” Beverly told him. “Violet, there’s a seat over here. My dogs always just love you.” She was pouring it on thick, that was for certain.

The other tables were full, so Violet took the seat next to Hilliard, across from Beverly, and the dogs did their part, approaching her for pets. She set her phone on the table, and fortunately Hilliard didn’t have to do anything as a few messages came in. He was able to see the name Frank on them and suspected they were from whoever she had called. He couldn’t see the messages, but a name was as good as anything else.

“It’s good to see you again,” he told Violet before picking up his menu to look it over.

“We don’t usually bring guests to these sorts of things,” Violet said flatly.

Cindy sat down on Hilliard’s left side. “Of course we do. Everyone is welcome, you know that.”

“Well,” Hilliard began, “Beverly needed a ride since Brian is working, and I had a little time between my work studying for the state bar exam. I haven’t decided quite what I’m going to do long-term, but I know that being licensed to practice here is only going to help my career.” He smiled and took a drink of his water, watching Violet as she seemed to look over the rest of the room. “Is there someone you’re looking for? I can check out front for you.”

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