Ink and Shadows(Secret, Book, & Scone Society #4)(31)

Since no one else had noticed, she slipped away from the readers’ circle, walked to the back, and cracked the steel door. She was stunned to see Celeste standing on the other side.

“Can I come in?” she asked. Her voice was as faint as a breath of wind.

“Of course.”

Nora opened the door wide and waved Celeste inside.

“My book club is just finishing dinner. Will you join us? It’s a very small group, and I think you know everyone,” she added, guessing that Celeste wouldn’t want to socialize. “It’s just Hester, June, and Estella.”

When Celeste hesitated, Nora said, “We can talk right here too. Whatever is more comfortable for you.”

Celeste glanced around Nora, looking down the dim hallway as if she could see the source of the female voices.

“Come on. There’s a soft chair and a glass of wine waiting for you,” Nora said.

When Celeste nodded, Nora slipped an arm around the other woman’s tiny waist and guided her to the readers’ circle.

June, Estella, and Hester were laughing about something when Nora reappeared. Seeing Celeste, the laughter instantly died.

“Hey, lady. Come try the best seat in the house. I’ve warmed it up for you.” June waved at her favorite purple chair.

Nora fetched an extra wineglass from the ticket agent’s office. “This isn’t exactly a fine vintage,” she told Celeste as she poured. “It’s the kind of wine that grows on you. After two or three glasses, it’s almost good.”

Nora was drinking sparkling water, but she would have gladly gulped down a glass of cheap red wine at that moment. She wasn’t like June. Situations like this made her uncomfortable, and she knew that alcohol would take the edge off.

If Celeste can survive losing her daughter, then you can survive a little awkwardness.

Celeste accepted the glass and stared at the crimson liquid as if hypnotized. Finally, she took a sip. The wine stained her pale lips, and Nora wished that she’d given her the white instead.

After a second sip, Celeste looked at Nora. “I need a favor, and I didn’t know where else to go.”

“Anything. Just ask,” Nora said.

“Could you drive me to Bren’s house? We only had one car, and she’s been driving it. I don’t even know where it’s parked.” She sagged as if this short speech had exhausted her.

Nora was confused. Didn’t Bren live in the apartment above the store? As she thought back on the day she’d stopped by Soothe to deliver her good luck gifts, she remembered that Celeste had been waiting for Bren to arrive with the muffins. Bren hadn’t been arriving from upstairs. She’d been driving to the store from another place. Her house, apparently.

Nora shot June a questioning look, and she responded with a definitive nod.

“We can go in my car,” June told Celeste. “Would you like to sit for a spell or head out now?”

Celeste made her wishes clear by putting down her wineglass and getting to her feet. The rest of the women followed suit, and soon, they were all loaded into June’s Bronco.

“The house is on Hummingbird Lane,” Celeste said from the passenger seat. “Way back in the woods.”

June had to do some creative maneuvering to get around the festival traffic. Though most of the events were over, the country music band had drawn a big crowd. The music fans had claimed most of the parking spots, which had all the other drivers circling like vultures, desperate to find a place to park before they missed their dinner reservations.

June lowered her window, and the music from the park filled the silence inside the Bronco’s cabin. Even after she’d cleared the town limits, June kept the window open. The night air whisked in, carrying the scents of pine trees and wood smoke.

Hummingbird Lane was a ten-minute drive from downtown. The houses on the gravel road were small and private. Dense trees and long driveways made it hard to see the homes from the road, but Nora caught flashes of woodpiles, outbuildings, chain link dog fences, and chicken pens.

Bren’s house was grasshopper green with a white trim that had yellowed with age. A cracked wall sconce burned next to the front door, attracting a cloud of gnats. Vinyl blinds hung from the two front windows. Paint peeled from every surface. There were cobwebs in most corners. The stoop was dark with mold.

“We needed a place with double ovens. This was all I could afford,” Celeste said, patting her pocket.

She pushed her key into the lock, but the door swung inward before she had the chance to turn it.

She froze.

Nora was right behind Celeste, and when she stiffened with fear, so did Nora. The feeling was contagious.

But Nora also felt protective of Celeste, so she gently pushed her out of the way and gave the door a shove. It swung open, hinges creaking until it stopped moving.

Nora fumbled along the inside wall for a light switch. When her fingers found the hard plastic, she flicked two switches, illuminating the living room of Bren’s house.

“Oh, no,” she breathed.

She stepped into the room, seeing nothing but destruction. Celeste shot past her, heading down a short hallway. Nora raced after her, only to halt in the doorway of a bedroom. Estella, June, and Hester crowded around her, and they all stared at the chaotic scene.

Someone had turned Bren’s bedroom inside out. Clothes were strewn everywhere. The bedding had been stripped and tossed into a corner. The pillows and mattress had been slashed in multiple places. The furniture—plastic drawers and a table—was crushed. The closet doors were open, revealing a suitcase with slits in its lining, a black ankle boot, and a broken lamp.