“I know Pete competes in athletic events at Scottish festivals, but—”
“The whole clan used to be very active. I can’t imagine she’s completely lost interest.”
“She might have, if it was Pete’s father who was the fan of all things Scottish. If I’m remembering right, and I’m pretty sure I am, Thea Campbell was born a Briscetti.”
“Then I’ll just have to get Pete to work on her. Or rather, I’ll get Sherri to work on Pete to work on his mother.”
He wasn’t quick enough to hide his reaction.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Dan.”
Shaking his head, rolling his eyes heavenward, he gave in. “I just don’t think you should put any additional pressure on Pete and Sherri right now.”
“What are you talking about? They’re engaged to be married. They—”
“They don’t exactly see eye to eye about Sherri’s current career path.”
Liss blinked at him in surprise. He swore he could hear the gears whirring as she ran that concept through her mental computer. Apparently she’d been clueless about the conflict between their two friends.
“Sherri said she’d had a difference of opinion with Pete,” Liss said slowly, “but she dismissed it as a minor problem. Said he’d come around.”
“Well, he hasn’t.”
“I knew he was unhappy when she went to the police academy. Sixteen weeks is a long time to be separated, even if she did come home on weekends.”
“Most of those she spent with her son, not her fiancé. But that wasn’t the real problem. Pete’s worried about Sherri’s safety.”
“Dan, she’s working for the Moosetookalook Police Department. How much safer could she be?”
“She could be back in the sheriff’s office, working dispatch.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Will you listen to yourself? It’s okay for Pete to be a patrol deputy, out there all alone with a whole county full of bad guys, but it’s too much of a risk for Sherri to walk around the square and check the locks on the shops?”
“That’s just it. He’s seen firsthand the kind of nasty situations a cop can get into. Domestic disputes, for one thing. Not to mention the—”
“Of all the male chauvinist pig mentality! Pete’s a Neanderthal.”
“Probably, but—”
“I’ll just have to convince Mrs. Campbell to support us without her son’s help. So, we’ll make our appeal, and then, as soon as there’s money to pay for them, we launch the ads.” Liss glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to call Rich Smalley. See if he’s got a partridge. Do you have any idea where I could find a pear tree?”
Liss breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know what she’d been so worried about. The board of selectmen had given their approval with barely a moment’s hesitation. Even Jason Graye had supported her proposal. Doug Preston, whose mortuary was hardly likely to profit from the festivities, thought her plan was a stroke of genius. Thea Campbell had been slightly less enthusiastic, but she’d gone along with the wishes of her two colleagues.
The amount of money they’d been able to free up for the campaign was disappointing, but Liss still had hopes that the MSBA would make up the difference. Heck, she’d max out her own credit cards if she had to. This was too good an opportunity to miss.
Everyone agreed that whatever was to be done needed to be done fast, to take advantage of their windfall. Having dealt with all old and scheduled business—whether or not to grant a building permit to add a storage room at the grocery store; whether or not to close a little-used road, so the town wouldn’t have to plow it if and when they finally got snow; whether or not to repair the municipal parking lot now or wait until spring—the selectmen adjourned their meeting.
“We’ll take a break,” Graye declared, “then talk informally with you folks.” He indicated Liss, Gavin, and Marcia before he drifted off, cell phone in hand, in search of privacy and a signal.
“If you don’t need me anymore,” Dan said, “I should head over to The Spruces.” In spite of the scarcity of guests, they were always shorthanded. The renovations, even with the help of historic preservation grants and other funding, had taken a huge bite out of available funds. Dan’s father intended to hire trained professionals to handle management-level positions eventually, but just now he couldn’t afford expert help. He was making do with family.
Liss wanted to ask him to stay, but she bit back the request. Was it her imagination, or did Dan seem unenthusiastic about the Tiny Teddies? She told herself he was just exhausted. Who wouldn’t be, working what amounted to three jobs? Still, she hated the way they’d drifted apart since the previous spring.
“Walk me out?” he asked, and stepped into the hallway.
Liss followed. Directly across from the entrance to the town office was the door leading to the fire department. The main entrance to the municipal building was to their left. To the right, just beyond the doors to the staff kitchen, public restrooms, police department, and the stairs that led up to the public library, was a drinking fountain that boasted the coldest, best-tasting water in the world. Automatically, they headed straight for it.
In long swallows, chilled liquid ambrosia slid down Liss’s parched throat. “Still number one.”
She backed off to give Dan a turn, absently tucking a strand of wet hair behind one ear. She’d substituted a jaunty little black beret for her scarf and changed into a sleek black velour pantsuit for her presentation. A hand-painted pendant broke the unrelieved expanse between turtleneck and hem. On it, the artist had depicted a mythical creature that was half cat, half dragon.
“Wicked good.” Dan wiped a drop of water off his chin as he lifted his head from the fountain.
Some things never change, Liss thought. On impulse, she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her to the stairs. How many times had they sat on the third step when they were kids? Sometimes they’d been with friends and sometimes it had just been the two of them, talking about nothing and everything.
“I’ve missed you lately,” she whispered as she settled on the hard wooden surface with its bumpy rubber matting. The stairs dipped slightly in the middle, worn down by generations of feet tromping up and down.
“I’ve been busy.” He looked away, then back. “Missed you, too.”
A moment of breathless silence descended. Then he crossed the requisite few inches to kiss her.
It was a splendid effort. For a few moments, the rest of the world went away. Liss forgot all about Daft Days and Christmas pageants and Tiny Teddies. She even forgot about Gordon Tandy, the other man in her life. Her hands went to Dan’s collar, smoothing the soft cotton between her fingers as she kissed him back.
A harsh whisper intruded on the moment.
“Sure took you long enough to get here,” Jason Graye hissed.
Liss froze. Slowly, Dan released her.
It took a moment for Liss to realize that Graye was not talking to them. Shielded by the banister, Liss and Dan were well hidden. She lifted one finger to her lips, warning Dan not to speak. Careful to make no sound, she turned her head until she could see that two men stood in the shadow of the stairwell.
“Came as soon as you called,” the newcomer said irritably.
Graye clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder and leaned in. He spoke too softly for Liss to catch a single word. She started to shift closer, but Dan caught her arm and shook his head. Reluctantly, she subsided. Graye’s demeanor piqued her curiosity,