VALENTINES AND MURDER Read online

  “They had families,” Wyatt said, staring at his nephew as if seeing a stranger. “Wives, children… they were kids when they jumped me back in high school, and they shouldn’t have attacked me, but me losing the eye was an accident. I tripped and fell, and they panicked and ran. That was over fifteen years ago. How could you ever think that this was something I wanted?”

  “But, Uncle… we’re family. You’ve always been more of a dad to me than my real dad. We stick together. That’s what we do.”

  “Not after this,” Wyatt said. “Let Moira go now. If you ever want me to speak to you again, let her go and put the knife down.”

  To her surprise, he did. Moira put a hand to her throat, and her fingers came away red with blood. She hurried down the hallway without looking back, half stumbling over the empty moving boxes. Penny and Allison reached out for her as she neared them, and she nearly ran headlong into Candice.

  “Mom!” Her daughter wrapped her in a tight hug. “I called the police and they’re on their way. Are you okay? You’re bleeding.”

  “I’m okay,” she said. “It’s just a scratch. That was a bit too close for comfort, though.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Penny said. “Andre killed all those people? I’ve been working alongside him every day.”

  She had a horrified look on her face, and Moira didn’t blame her. She spared one last glance down the hallway, where Andre had slid to the floor and had his hands over his face. She could see his shoulders shaking. With a shiver, she turned away. As far as she was concerned, anyone who could murder three people in cold blood, and show up at work the day after without showing even a twinge of discomfort was someone who should have been behind bars a long time ago.

  EPILOGUE

  * * *

  “Are you sure you want to be out?” David asked.

  Moira sighed. Ever since the attack at Perfect Paws, her husband had been treating her as if she was made of glass. She hadn’t minded at first, but by the third day, it was getting a bit wearing.

  “I’m sure. This is Valentine’s Day, and I want to celebrate it with you.”

  “Okay.” He took her hand gently. “If that’s what you want. Is your neck okay?”

  “Seriously, David, it was just a scratch. I didn’t even need stitches, remember? And I got a tetanus shot and antibiotics just in case.” She readjusted her scarf. The cut may not have been much more than a scratch, but she was still self-conscious about it. The story about what had happened had, of course, somehow gotten out, and she didn’t like the way that people stared at her. That didn’t mean that she was going to stay home, though; she would have been ashamed of herself if she had let some stares and sideways looks stop her from enjoying Valentine’s Day with her husband.

  “Your table’s ready.”

  She and David followed the hostess to their usual booth. It seemed as if everything in the restaurant had been replaced with something holiday themed. Even the cloth napkins were pink with embroidered hearts along the edges.

  “Denise really goes all out, doesn’t she,” Moira murmured.

  David chuckled. “She does. And the food is good, so I can’t complain. Look over there.” The last sentence he said more quietly, and inclined his head toward the other side of the room. Moira glanced in the direction he had indicated and raised her eyebrows. Cameron and Jenny were sitting at a small table, both of them looking very dressed up, and very nervous.

  “I knew it,” Moira whispered. “He’s going to propose.”

  She tried not to stare at the couple, but it was difficult. She didn’t want to miss the special moment.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” David asked, for what she felt was the millionth time.

  “I’m fine,” she said. “I promise. I’m just glad we caught the right guy.”

  “I feel terrible for Wyatt,” David said. “I think Andre was like a son to him. He stopped by the station to pick up some of Andre’s things after we transferred him, and I could tell he was having a rough time of it.”

  “I’m sure it will be a long time before he comes to terms with what happened,” Moira said. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like if Candice did something like that, because I know that she never would. It must be the worst feeling in the world.”

  “I’m sure there were warning signs with Andre,” David said. “Wyatt probably just didn’t want to see them. The guy had a record a mile long, and he was only nineteen. He had an assault charge, a handful of drug charges, and was affiliated with some pretty bad people when he was still in high school. I think one of the reasons Wyatt moved them up here was to get Andre away from all of that.”

  “I just wish that none of this had happened,” she said. “It’s horrible to imagine what the families of those men must be going through.”

  “I know,” he said, covering her hand with his. “It’s terrible, there’s no doubt about that. But not everything’s wrong with the world. Look.”

  Moira did, just in time to see Cameron get down on one knee beside the table that he and Jenny were sitting at. Jenny leapt to her feet and was nodding before Cameron’s lips began to move. By now, everyone in the restaurant was watching them, and when Jenny accepted the ring, applause burst out. Despite the horrors of the past week, the deli owner smiled. Terrible things would always happen, but she knew that at the same time, love would find a way to persevere.