Death and Relaxation (Ordinary Magic #1)(84)

“No,” I finally admitted. “Cooper’s more of the get-drunk-and-yell-at-your-ex-girlfriend kind of guy.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, Delaney,” she said. “Someone killed Heim. Someone shot at you, possibly intending to kill you. Maybe what you have on your hands is a mortal serial killer.”

“Terrific. That’s so much better.”

Cooper groaned, and then cussed while Sven asked how many fingers he was waving around much too quickly for the mortal eye to track. “Sorry about that.”

She patted my hand gently. “Don’t you let it bother you. Any time you feel like laying someone out, you come on down. Beer’s on me.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“Good. Now do you need a ride home?”

I felt eyes on me and turned to look at the door.

Myra was striding my way, her hair a little mussed and her sweat jacket pulled over what was clearly a pajama top. She did not look happy.

“No need. I think the cavalry just arrived.”

“What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?” Myra demanded when she was close enough.

“Getting a drink?” I said.

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m taking you back.”

“I already checked out.”

“You can’t check out of a hospital to go to a bar. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I needed to figure some things out.”

“In a bar?”

“Why not in a bar?”

She snapped her mouth shut and glared. “We’re leaving. Now.”

I was surprised she wasn’t yelling. “Thanks, Herri.”

“Like I said, anytime, Delaney.” She slid out from behind the table and started back through the crowd.

“Sit down,” I said.

Myra glared.

“Please. I need to say this while it’s all fresh in my head. It’s about the cases.”

She gave in. Sat. “You have ten minutes.”

“What if the two crimes are connected? Heim’s murder and Dan maybe shooting me?”

“Definitely shooting you.”

I ignored that. “What connects those two crimes?”

“The Rhubarb Rally is the only thing Heim and Dan had in common,” Myra said.

“And if the exploding rhubarb really was someone trying to kill Dan, like he said?”

She frowned. “So if this is about Dan, then someone has blown up his garden, and is now framing him for shooting you—which he did—and now you think someone is framing him for killing Heim? But he has an alibi for Heim’s time of death.”

I rubbed at my bruising knuckles. Cooper had a hard head. “People lie. Someone is lying. We need to double-check the alibis. Any word on the deck hand?”

“No. The rally is taking up everyone’s time. The APB is out, but nothing yet. What happened there?” She tipped her chin toward Sven, who was dragging Cooper up onto his feet and marching him off to the door.

“I hit him.”

“You what?”

“He was pushing me around. Drunk,” I added. “Thinks I owe him something since I’m his ex-girlfriend.”

“Jackass,” she muttered.

“Huh. Ex-girlfriend.”

Her eyebrows drew down. “What about it?”

“Dan doesn’t have any.”

“For obvious reasons. And?”

“And Heim did.”

“Lila.”

I nodded. Something was tickling at me. A memory just beyond my reach. It felt important. And it had something to do with Lila.

“How long has Lila been back in town?”

“Just this week.”

“So why did she come back?” I asked.

“I think she and Margot were tying down loose ends with their property here.”

“During the week the town shuts down for the Rhubarb Rally? During the week Dan’s garden blows up, and Lila’s ex-boyfriend drowns? Coincidence?”

“I hate that word.”

I braced my hand on the table to help me push to my feet. “Me too. We need to talk to them again.”

“I’ll talk to them in the morning. You need to sleep.” She moved to wrap her arm around my back. I was afraid she might squeeze me too hard, but she was careful to support me without jostling my sore places. Walking sucked. I should have taken my pills.

“Do you know what I heard on the way over here?” she asked as we headed to the door.

“No.” I had a pretty good idea, actually. Ham radios were still a thing here in Ordinary, keeping a running commentary on the weather, our high school baseball team the Barnacles, and, on slow nights, bar fights.

“Someone said you punched Cooper in the face and knocked him out. I asked myself, would my sister check herself out of a hospital hours after being shot, and get in a bar brawl with her ex-boyfriend?”

“No?” I said.

We were at the cruiser now. The night was starless and so dark that even the bar’s neon sign couldn’t seem to pierce it.

At least it wasn’t raining.

She opened the door and helped me into the front seat. I was not looking forward to the seatbelt, but she pulled it out before I could even start to twist toward it, and buckled me in, making sure the shoulder strap wasn’t too tight.