Page 101 of Call Back

He waved his hand and laughed. “Don’t be silly, but if you want to go back and keep Magnolia company, feel free. She’s still got fifteen minutes left.” He grinned. “And I can’t thank you enough for recommending Magnolia. She’s a wonderful addition to the staff.”

“She is wonderful, isn’t she?” Belinda asked. “I’m so grateful she’s part of our lives.”

A blush rose to my cheeks, catching me by surprise. Belinda was one of the best parts of being here in Franklin. It was humbling to hear her tell Alvin she felt the same way.

Belinda followed me to the back of the store. “I still haven’t heard from Brady,” I said in an undertone. I checked my phone again, and sure enough, still nothing. My stomach twisted with worry. I knew his job was dangerous, and despite my need to back off from our relationship, I still cared about him.

“That’s okay. I’ll help you count until he gets here.”

Belinda was one of the nicest people I knew, but her offer struck me as odd. So did the fact that she’d shown up without any warning. Nevertheless, I handed her a basket full of napkin rings made from vintage silverware. “Well, thanks. You can work on these. They all have different patterns. You just have to count how many forks and how many spoons.”

“Okay,” she said with a sweet smile.

I’d lost track of my crystal drawer pull count, so I started over, not a huge deal since the final count was twenty-six.

“I found you the most beautiful dress,” Belinda said as she wrote her counts down on the clipboard Alvin had given me. “I can’t wait to see it on you.”

I wanted to ask her about Roy and also about her meeting with Bill James, but this wasn’t the place to get into that discussion. Especially with my gossipy boss listening.

After I’d counted a stack of napkins and recorded the quantity, I tugged my phone out of my pocket and checked it again. Still nothing from Brady and it was 5:58. Now I was really worried. I was about to confess as much to Belinda when Alvin said, “You’re quite popular tonight, Magnolia. Now Brady’s here.”

My eyes widened in surprise. Why hadn’t he answered my texts?

Belinda dropped the aprons she’d been counting and stood. “Hello, Detective Bennett,” she said in a very business-like voice.

Brady looked surprised to see her. “Belinda.”

I felt a strange vibe coming from both of them. Did they know each other? Then I remembered Belinda had dropped some clothes off at Brady’s apartment over the weekend. She’d made a comment about how Brady wouldn’t let her in to see me. Was she holding a grudge? It seemed unlike her.

“You didn’t answer my texts,” I said in an accusatory tone even though I was grateful he was okay.

“I was busy,” he said, walking over to me and pulling me into a hug. His lips brushed my temple, and he kept his arm around my back as he turned to face Belinda. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“I’m sure Magnolia told you that something came up, and I need to steal her away for the evening.”

Brady stiffened. “We had plans.”

Belinda offered him a sweet smile, but there was a glint of determination in her eyes. “I know, but seeing how you’ve had her since Saturday, I’m sure you can let me have her for one night.”

I glanced between the both of them, trying to figure out what was going on. Alvin had picked up on the weirdness too, and he was openly staring, his mouth gaping. This would probably give him gossip fodder for a week.

Finally, Brady glanced down at me. “Maggie?”

“Do you have any leads on Emily’s case?” I asked.

His eyebrows rose. “No.”

Now I was really torn. Taking Brady to the house could help him find the killer, but if it was really important, why hadn’t he made this official? Not even Miss Ava could have held it against me if I’d left her Bible study to help out a murder investigation. Tromping through the muddy woods at night seemed like a bad idea. And I couldn’t ignore the little voice inside me that told me not to go. I’d relied on my instincts a lot since I’d come home four weeks ago, and so far they hadn’t steered me wrong. “I’m going to ask for a rain check. Belinda really needs me tonight.”

Brady looked incredulous. “This is important, Magnolia.”

I turned my attention to Belinda. “Can you give us a minute?”

She looked torn, probably worried Brady would convince me to change my mind—maybe that was why she’d dropped by in person. But when I gave her a reassuring smile, she turned and gave Brady the best glare she was probably capable of giving. “I’ll go have a chat with Alvin.”

I waited until she moved to the front of the shop, then walked toward the back door and waited for Brady to join me.

“Maggie,” he said in a pleading tone. “You can hang out with your sister-in-law anytime. Hell, you just had breakfast with her yesterday morning. But there’s a serial killer on the loose, and what I find in that house could help me break this case.”

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