No Accounting for Murder

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Carly didn't want to deal with the implications of that realization. She squeezed the lemon juice into her tea, returned the juicer to the refrigerator, made sure she had turned the stove off, then carried her tea into the office to check on Mike. He continued work on his program, apparently oblivious to the passage of time. In this case, though, his lack of attention turned out to be good for her. She didn't feel like answering a bunch of questions. She really needed to sit and think, maybe make some notes about the things she'd learned so far.

She curled up on the sofa, her cup of herbal tea nearby, and picked up her list of suspects and questions. She added several notes, including the mayor's gambling problem and Jacob's withdrawal from the election because of something the mayor had learned about him. Once or twice, she glanced at the drawer where the pharmacy bag lay hidden. She didn't know exactly how to deal with that part of her life. All she knew for sure was she wasn't going to deal with it right now. Her immediate concern was finding out who was trying to kill her. Everything else was secondary.

But try as she might, she kept glancing toward the kitchen cabinet. The brown paper bag kept calling her name.

But how could that be? If she ignored it, maybe the possibility of a baby would disappear like smoke on the breeze. At fifty, she didn't need the encumbrance of a child. Mike never expressed a desire for a baby. They were both happy and settled in their careers. A child would definitely put a crimp in their lives.

Carly remembered back to when Toby was born. Denise and Don had gotten special permission to have Mike and Carly in the birthing room with them. Carly recalled feeling uncomfortable at being included in such an intimate moment in Denise and Don's lives, but they insisted.

And she was glad she was there. When Toby crowned, Denise's pain and struggle quickly transformed into joy as the infant was placed in his mother's arms. And the way Don looked at Denise nearly stopped Carly's heart-a mixture of love, gratitude, pride, and peace.

At that moment, she would have given almost anything to have Mike look at her that way.

Carly sighed and returned to her list of questions and suspects. Maybe Jacob tampered with the mayor's car in such a way the police couldn't tell. He had access to the car long enough to do that and if he really held a grudge against the mayor, he had motive. Then again, the election had been over six years ago. Why wait that long? The mayor brought his car in to have the brakes checked and the oil changed on a regular basis. Jacob didn't seem like the kind of man to harbor a grudge. He was a man of action.

And what about the mayor's gambling? Had he gotten in over his head and owed some big money? Maybe to some powerful people? Is that why he took the money from the school in April, for betting? Perhaps this time he lost and rather than face the humiliation of being discovered, he committed suicide. That didn't make sense. Because the check that put the money back in the account was written on his wife's account, he probably lost that time, too. And she covered for him. Or he took the money without her permission. Maybe the people to whom he owed the money didn't want to wait for their money and decided to make an example of him.

Once again, Carly had more questions than answers. Once again, she couldn't relax. As she considered her next move, the phone rang. Mike answered the call in the office. A few minutes later, he came down the hall, his briefcase and overnight bag in hand. Carly's heart sank.

"That was the client. He needs to see me tonight about some critical problems that just came up. If I don't go, they're going to yank the contract."

"And you just got home, too." She crossed the room and put her arms around him. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

He laid his chin on the top of her head and pulled her closer. "I should be home by tomorrow night." He kissed the top of her head. "I'll take the car to save you driving me."

They hugged for another few moments. Then Mike drew her into a kiss that only served to make his leaving worse.

Carly playfully pushed him away. "If you don't leave now, I may not let you out of my sight tonight," she warned him, smiling to belie her words. "And then we'll have to live in our car because you'll lose your job."

Mike drew her back into his embrace. "I don't have to leave right this minute."

* * *

Mike pressed his lips against Carly's, feeling them soft against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He ran his fingers up and down her back, marveling at this woman he was married to. Even after more than ten years of marriage, she was as desirable to him as on their wedding night.

Mike's mind raced back to that day. She had stolen his heart months before, but the love he felt for her as she walked down the aisle toward him almost stopped his heart. When his turn to say his vows came, he swallowed several times, working up enough saliva to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. When she turned shyly to him and repeated her vows, his knees threatened to buckle.

And their wedding night, while not expensive or splashy, was perfect. They stayed at a local bed and breakfast full of antiques and lace and ruffles. Feather pillows, satin sheets, and a hot tub in the room. Breakfast in their room the next day, and the day after, they lounged in bed, consummating their marriage again and again.

He'd never felt that level of desire before, and even after ten years, she moved him beyond description. He moaned with passion for his wife, and she responded.

Unwilling to let go of her for even a moment, he walked her backwards toward their bedroom. She allowed him to direct her, pausing long enough to pull back the comforter on their bed.

Mike was foolishly and forever in love with his wife, and he showed her in his kind and gentle way how much she meant to him.

* * *

Half an hour later, Carly stood at the front door, saying goodbye to her husband once again. "This is becoming a habit."

Mike smiled. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" He picked up his two bags and headed for the door. Suddenly he stopped and turned to face her. "By the way, here's my house key and spare key to your car. Also, Bert Myers called. He wanted you to call him as soon as you got in. He said he did some asking around at the school Daniels taught at previously. Seems Daniels left that private school because he didn't have good enough shop skills. Apparently he loves engines, but doesn't know much about them. Nearly blew up the shop, the way the headmaster tells it."

His words hung in the air behind him like a dark cloud as he pulled the door shut.

This new information still didn't eliminate Daniels from her list. She sat in her easy chair and listened absently to the sound of Mike's car starting as she dialed the number on Bert's card. Car tires crunched on the gravel driveway as Bert answered.

"Myers speaking."

Carly smiled in spite of the brusque greeting on the other end of the line. "Hi, Bert, it's Carly. Mike said you called?"

"Just got the coroner's final report back on the mayor. Thought you might like to know. He was already dead when the car went over the embankment."