He laughed at that comment. "Welcome to my world. Do you have any more ideas that I don't know about?"

"More than I can list," I said. "Right now, I think just about everyone in town had a reason to want Joanne dead. It's a pretty sad testament to her life that it ended like that, isn't it?"

"She chose to be the way she was," Zach said. "n.o.body made her into the person she'd become." There it was: that hard edge that my husband hid so well most of the time. His world was nearly devoid of gray, seeing mostly in black and white. That stance had eased somewhat since he'd retired, but it was still there, and we both knew it.

"We don't really know that, do we?" I asked.

"I suppose not," Zach replied, "but I'm not going to waste any time worrying about it. It's getting close to lunch," he said as he looked at his watch. "Do you have any plans?"

"Actually, I'm as free as a bird," I said. "Where would you like to go?"

"Someplace that has pie," Zach answered. "For some reason, I'm in the mood for pie."

"Is that going to be the main course, or do you have the self-control to wait until dessert?"

Zach was about to answer when his cell phone rang. After a few brief comments, he said, "I'll be right there." After he hung up, he said, "Sorry, North needs me."

"Is there a break in the case?" I asked, hoping beyond any reason that this ordeal was about to be over.

"No, she has another lead she wants to follow up on, and she thinks I might be able to help her."

"What is it?"

"I couldn't say," Zach answered.

"You aren't allowed to, or you don't know?"

He grinned at me. "A little of both, I guess. See you later."

And then he was gone before I could get anything else out of him.

It appeared that I was destined to have lunch by myself.

AT THE MOMENT, I JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE BEING AROUND people. I made myself a sandwich back at the cottage and started thinking about Rob, and all of the other folks from Parson's Valley that I'd interrogated about Joanne's murder recently. It was a good thing that I had no ambition to run for mayor, because I doubted I could get more than two votes at the moment. I hadn't made anyone happy with my investigation, and someone had even gone so far as to threaten me. I decided it might be time to take another look at the note I'd gotten, so I reached up to the top of the bookshelf in our living room to take it down and read it again.

The only problem was that it was gone.

I GOT OUT A CHAIR AND CHECKED AGAIN, JUST TO BE SURE I hadn't shoved it back when I'd checked on it, but all I found when I looked was a disturbed layer of dust. Besides telling me that I had to be a little more thorough the next time I dusted, it also told me that at least it had been there at one point and that I hadn't imagined it. But where could it be now? Was there a possibility that Zach had moved it? I checked every tall spot in the house, dragging the chair around with me as I went, but I had no luck finding a trace of it.

Even though I knew Zach was working with Captain North, I took a chance on calling him in case he'd moved it.

The phone went straight to voice mail, which meant he'd turned his phone off. I left my question for him, hung up, and then resumed my search.

I had my head under our bed when my phone started quacking.

"Hey," I said, a little out of breath from scrambling around for my phone.

"No reason to panic about the note," he said. "I've got it."

"Why? Did you change your mind about showing it to Captain North after all?"

"I did," he admitted. "I would have told you about it, but she called before I had a chance."

"It's not a problem. What did she say?"

"She thinks there's a chance it's legitimate, but mostly she's not reading a whole lot into it."

I thought about the implications of that statement. "That's not very rea.s.suring, is it?"

He paused, and then said, "I took a shot. At least she knows now."

"You're right, there's always that."

My phone beeped, and I said, "I've got another call. Can you hang on a second?"

"Sorry, I've got to go. Talk to you later."

He hung up, and I hit the b.u.t.ton for call-waiting.

I wasn't sure who I expected to be calling me, but I was still surprised to hear my Uncle Barton's voice on the other end of the line.

"How nice to hear from you," I said after he identified himself. "I was just thinking about you the other day."

"Good thoughts, I trust," my uncle said.

"Always. How's business?"

"Busy, tedious, and at times consuming," he answered. "In other words, just about the same as always."

"But still profitable, right?"

"Always." He laughed as he said, "Savannah, I miss being around you."

"I know, sometimes Charlotte seems a world away. I don't even get to Hickory very often, and it's half the distance from us that you are."

"No need to worry. Thomas is doing well," Uncle Barton said.

"Have you spoken to him recently?"

"We talk every Thursday afternoon," he said. "I thought you were aware of that."

"It's news to me. That trip to Alaska really brought you two closer, didn't it? I'd love to go someday myself."

"What a brilliant idea. Why don't we go now?" he asked.

From anyone else, I would suspect they were teasing, but my Uncle Barton had the means to drop everything and fly across the country at a moment's notice.

"To Alaska? I can't pick up and leave everything like you can."

"I don't see why not. You're self-employed, so you can create your puzzles wherever you are. It's absolutely beautiful there. You'll love it."

I was tempted, there was no doubt about that. Still, I had some very real responsibilities here. "Sorry, but I can't."

A hint of determination came out in his voice. "Can't, or won't?"

"Zach and I are into a situation here in Parson's Valley," I explained. "I'm needed here."

"I'm sure your husband can handle things on his own. He strikes me as being quite capable," my uncle said. "We can invite Thomas as well. He'd probably welcome the opportunity to return to Anchorage himself. Did I tell you about the nature preserve we visited when we were there? It's an incredible place."

"I'm certain it is," I said. "May I ask you something?"

"Anything," he said. "You know that."

"Why the hard sell on me taking a trip with you all of a sudden?"

"It's not that sudden," he said after a moment's pause. "I've made the offer several times, and yet you continue to turn me down."

"Something I'm sure you're not all that used to," I said. "Think of my refusal as being good for your soul, a lesson in humility."

"My soul is just fine, thank you very much."

There was a pause, and he added, "It would be great fun, Savannah, I can promise you that."

Suddenly, I had a suspicion about what was driving his suggestion we take a trip. With a firm edge in my voice, I asked, "Zach called you, didn't he?"

He hesitated, and then said, "In the spirit of full disclosure, I phoned him first."

"But he told you to get me out of town." It wasn't a question, because there was no doubt in my mind that was what had happened.

It was clear that my uncle knew when he was beaten. "He suggested it, and I heartily agreed that it was an excellent idea."

"It is, but it's going to have to wait. There's been a murder here, as I'm sure my sweet husband told you, and I'm implicated in it. I'm not going anywhere until we find the killer."

"Then let me hire a private detective to work the case for you. Savannah, I have more money than I'll ever be able to spend in twenty lifetimes. Let me spend some of it on my family. I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because I was hesitant to act."

"Thank you, I do appreciate it, but I'm fine." I didn't need a private detective muddying the waters. It was hard enough to get folks to talk to me. If we brought in yet another foreign presence, I had a feeling the information flow would shut down completely. I'd already alienated Rob, and possibly more folks in town than I realized. I couldn't afford to do any more of that.

"Are you certain?" he asked.

"I am, but that shouldn't keep you from going back to Alaska. I know you loved it up there, too."

"As a matter of fact, I'm looking into acquiring some property there."

That surprised me. I had been under the impression that my uncle's holdings were restricted to the southeastern part of the country. Alaska was many things, but part of the southern United States was not one of them.

"Are you going to buy a hotel there?"

He chuckled. "No, I'm not looking to acquire any new business properties at this moment. The last time I was there, I was looking at a lodge for my own use; and yours, too, of course. I was hoping to get your approval before I bought it, and that's the complete truth. Your blessing in this means something special to me."

"Then you have it," I said. "I know how great your taste is. If you like it, I'm sure I'll fall in love with it, too."

I could hear my uncle take a deep breath on the other end of the line. "If you won't come now, will you at least promise to join me there for a vacation when this is all over?"

"Zach and I would love to," I said. In actuality, my husband had been itching to go to Alaska since he'd been a boy, but life tended to get in the way of his plans. He had two loves in his life: his job and me.

"I'll hold you to that. We'll invite Thomas as well and make it a party." He hesitated, and then added, "At least tell Zach I tried, would you?"

"I will," I said. "Should I expect a call from Uncle Tom next?"

Uncle Barton chuckled softly. "Do you mean he hasn't called you yet? I doubt he would offer you Alaska, but I'm surprised he hasn't tried to get you to Hickory."

"I'm sure it's coming," I said.

After we hung up, I figured I'd go ahead and be proactive, so I called my other uncle while I was in the mood to deal with their foolish, if well-meaning, intentions of getting me out of town.

Uncle Tom picked up on the first ring and said, "Savannah, I was just getting ready to call you."

"I figured you were, so I thought I'd save you the dime. Uncle Barton already struck out, so you can save your breath," I said with a laugh. "I'm not leaving Parson's Valley."

"Good enough," he said simply.

"What, no pleas to get me to join you? No tries at tempting me with trips, or anything else I can't refuse?"

He chuckled before he replied. "Savannah, I've known you since you were born, something Barton has lost out on, to his eternal regret. I've seen you dig in your heels before, and I know when it's time to let it go."

"Thank you, Uncle Tom. I love you."

"I love you, too. Take care of yourself."

"Right back at you."

After we hung up, my spirits were suddenly lighter than they had been just a few minutes earlier. Those two men and my husband were the only real family I had left in the world, and hearing their voices never failed to do me a great deal of good.

Now it was time to figure out who I needed to talk to next to look for information that would help me solve this crime.

That question was answered for me when the front doorbell rang, and I couldn't believe who was standing on my porch when I opened the door.

Chapter 15.

"CAN I HELP YOU?" I ASKED SANDRA OLIVER AS I STEPPED out onto the porch.