Cranberry Point (Cedar Cove #4)(89)
This was news to Roy. "He never mentioned it to me."
"That's because after a few blocks, the car went past him. Bob turned around and followed the other car for a short distance, but in retrospect he doesn't think he was being followed, after all."
"I guess that's why he didn't tell me about it."
"Do you remember the night Bob phoned you in a panic because he was convinced he was being followed?" Corrie asked casually.
"Sure. He drove over to the sheriff's office."
"While we were at lunch, I realized something else. Something I'd completely forgotten until Peggy mentioned it."
"What's that?"
Corrie leaned against the doorjamb. "Bob's car was in the repair shop that week."
"That's right," Roy whispered slowly. He was beginning to connect the dots.
"In other words, Bob was driving our car that night and not his own."
Roy nodded. That possibility had never occurred to him and he suddenly felt a little foolish. Once again, Corrie had proved herself a natural detective. "In other words, whoever was following Bob might've been looking for me."
"Do you still think those postcards don't mean anything?" Corrie whispered.
Forty-Five
Grace was meeting Olivia for lunch midweek. So much had happened in both their lives and Grace wanted—no, needed—time with her friend. She was dying to talk about Cliff and the way he'd come to sit with her during Charlotte and Ben's wedding. The ceremony lingered in her mind; she'd been moved by its simple beauty and by the love Charlotte and Ben so obviously shared. Tears had blurred Grace's eyes, but she wasn't the only one who'd reacted emotionally. When she'd been able to look up, she saw that several other people were wiping tears from their cheeks. Even Cliff seemed touched by the vows Charlotte and Ben had written, vows that acknowledged love for their dead spouses and love for each other. Currently the newly weds were off to Victoria, British Columbia, for a short honeymoon.
Naturally Will had been there for both the ceremony and the reception, as had Stan. Grace had avoided them as much as possible, but she was more concerned about Will. However, Cliff seemed to understand how difficult the reception would be for her, and had remained close to her side. Several times Grace had noticed Will heading in her direction, but he stopped when he saw that Cliff was nearby. Grace assumed he'd return to his wife after this, which was just as well.
Grace valued Cliff's protectiveness at the wedding and, even more, the way he'd helped her with Maryellen. His calm presence had kept her focused as they comforted Maryellen and waited for the Aid Car. Afterward he stayed with Katie until Grace could come home.
Maryellen had been released from the hospital the next day. Jon had insisted on taking her and Katie home. Grace sensed that things weren't right between them. Now wasn't the time to pry, though, not when they were grieving over their loss. Still, Grace had every intention of finding out what had gone wrong in her daughter's marriage.
The miscarriage had devastated both Maryellen and Jon, but they were young and there'd be other children. Yet she knew it was difficult to think rationally after such a painful loss, and in her own way Grace grieved for her grandchild.
Grace was looking forward to her visit with Olivia, who'd just had a new grandchild—her third. When Olivia phoned that morning to confirm lunch, she'd jubilantly announced that James and Selina had a baby boy, born early on September eighth. Mother and son were doing fine, and James was one proud papa. They'd named the baby Adam Jordan. Three-year-old Isabella was said to be excited about becoming an older sister.
Grace had good news of her own, most of which had to do with Cliff, of course.
Before he left her on Saturday night, he'd made a point of letting her know he'd be in town on Wednesday and would come to the library. She was pleased and so relieved that they were resuming their relationship and that he was willing to give her another chance.
Just after noon, when Loretta returned from lunch, Grace retrieved her purse and small lunch bag. She decided to wait for Olivia by the totem pole outside the library. They each had a limited lunch break, and Grace didn't want Olivia to waste time looking for her in the library.
They'd already planned to bring their own lunches and eat in the waterfront park. With the refinancing of the house, Grace's tight budget was even tighter. In an indirect way, repaying Dan's loan had been a financial help, however; Grace had gotten a much lower rate of interest and arranged to pay off the house in half the time that'd been left on the original mortgage. She had to keep a close watch on her spending, but she'd manage. The fact was, she'd done a fairly good job of it ever since Dan's disappearance.
Grace loved Cedar Cove's waterfront. She looked out over the marina and across the cove to the Bremerton shipyard. She could see the massive aircraft carrier George Washington in the distance and remembered the joy of the wives and families when it finally returned from the Persian Gulf.
"Grace." A man's voice interrupted her musings.
A sense of dread struck her and she turned slowly to discover Will Jefferson. She'd assumed he'd left town by now, assumed she wouldn't see him again, assumed everything had already been said.
"I had to see you one last time before I went home." His eyes pleaded with her.