Lavender Lass Books - Thursday Newsletter 16

Welcome to Lavender Lass Books - Thursday Newsletter! Abigail and I have decided to publish The Magic of Burrows Bay one chapter at a time. As always, you can find out more information on these and all our other books at the Lavender Lass Books website.

We have all our ebooks at our Lavender Lass BookShop…with an additional 25% off if you use our coupon code when you check out.
Lavender
Not very original, but easy to remember!

And we’ve created a group on Facebook just for our Thursday newsletter! It’s a fun place to talk about all things Burrows Bay related…and as we progress through the story, you’ll find out why we post all those 1920s-inspired dresses. Hope you’ll join us!

Finally, here is the next chapter of The Magic of Burrows Bay! We’ll have a new chapter every Thursday, so we hope you enjoy the story!

Maggie McCrae knew her granddaughters were not ready for the legacy she must leave them. The house, the grounds and everything that went with it would now be theirs. She vowed she would do all she could to protect them and hopefully, give them the time they needed to fulfill their destiny. Gabriella and Moira must learn to trust themselves and each other as they discover the true magic of Burrows Bay.

And remember, you can always catch up on all earlier chapters here.

Chapter 16

As Jack drove though Anacortes, Moira wondered if she should ask anything more about his father.  Of course, she had said she was sorry for his loss, but she didn’t want to pry.  Instead, she decided to discuss the trip to the Tribal Police Station.  As he drove past the refineries, she asked him about the paperwork.

“What are you getting from the police if that’s not confidential information?”  Moira smiled.  “And why do you have to do it in person?”

Jack laughed.  “All right, since you’re asking, Cal Harrington was picked up an hour ago on tribal land holding one thousand grams of crystal meth.  I have to transport the paperwork and the drugs to our station.  The Tribal Police are down a few officers and since we want the evidence to pressure Henderson tonight, I’m picking up the seized property and taking it back to Anacortes.”

“Wow!  That’s more than just paperwork.”  Moira’s eyes grew wide. 

“The paperwork is my main concern since it proves chain of custody and the drugs are already packaged for transport.  Jack looked over at her.  “If you’re nervous about being in the car…”

“Not at all.  I find this type of thing fascinating,” replied Moira.  “Much more fun to be part of the story than just reading about it.

Jack looked over.  “What is it?  I can tell you have something else you want to ask.”

Moira smiled.  “I was wondering if you usually work with a partner.  I only have movies and television to go by, but detectives usually work in pairs.”

“Normally, I do have a partner with me,” said Jack.  “His name is Mark Andrews, and he’s on vacation in Mexico with his wife and kids.” 

Moira smiled.  “So, I’m riding shot gun this trip?” 

“More like civilian escort, but a very pretty one.”  Jack looked at her, then back at the road.  “Where would you like to go to dinner?”

“Well, I don’t want to lose my meatloaf date, so how about you surprise me?”  She was having fun with their banter and relaxed into her seat.  She couldn’t wait to tell Gabbi about all this.  Gabbi!  She would expect her back any minute.

“I need to call my cousin.  Let her know I’ll be later than I planned.”  Moira dialed the number and got her voicemail, so she left a message.  Putting her phone away, she leaned back in her seat and watched the scenery out the window.

Ten minutes later, they walked into the police station and Jack escorted Moira to one of the waiting room chairs.  “This shouldn’t take long,” he assured her.

As Moira looked around the room, she saw two men talking.  They were obviously police officers.  A middle-aged woman was sitting at one of the desks working on a computer and an older man seemed to be waiting to see someone.  She watched as a young woman came into the waiting room, then sat down at the desk and started chatting with the woman at the computer.  After a few minutes, Moira could tell the younger woman was asking a lot of questions. 

Casually, Moira walked over to pick up a magazine.  It was apparent the young woman was supposed to be filling out a form, but instead was asking questions about the department.  Moira looked at the two officers, who had walked to the back of the room and seemed to be deep in conversation.

“Excuse me,” Moira said, walking up to the young woman.  “Haven’t I seen you on TV?  You look so familiar.”

The woman shook her head.  “No, I’m not on TV.”

“But you are a reporter, aren’t you?” Moira asked, innocently.

The older woman looked at each of them, saying, “I don’t want to talk to any reporters.  I thought you were here about a domestic dispute.”

The young woman glared at Moira.  “Here to get the story yourself, I suppose.  Well, I hope you choke on it!”  She flounced to the door and slammed it behind her.

The two men in the back looked up at the noise while the older man shook his head.  “Young people these days,” he muttered to himself.

Moira looked at the woman and said softly, “Reporters are supposed to identify themselves before they interview anyone.  She was interviewing you, so it was wrong of her not to tell you.”

The woman glanced around.  “Are you a reporter, too?” she asked. 

“No, but my parents own a newspaper in eastern Montana,” Moira replied, “and my dad is a stickler for ethics.  He would have fired her for that, no matter what story she was working on.”

“I never know who to trust or what to say,” the woman said quietly.  “So many people are in here asking questions.”

Moira nodded.  “Well, I won’t.”  She smiled and went back to her seat. 

A few minutes later, Jack walked out with a briefcase and stopped by the desk on his way out.  “Is she with you?” the woman asked. 

Jack looked over at Moira.  “Yes, she is.  Why do you ask, Trudy?”

“She’s okay,” Trudy replied, smiling.

Jack walked over and as Moira stood up, he took her arm.  “I don’t know what you said to Trudy, but she appears to like you,” he said as they walked out to the car.

Moira smiled.  “She seems like a very nice woman.  Have you decided, where you want to go for dinner?”

“Yes, and I hope you like Italian.”  Jack opened her car door and then walked around and put the briefcase in the backseat.  As he got in, he said, “We’ll drop this off at the station, then I’m free for the rest of the evening.”

Gabbi had stopped for gas on the way home from the market.  As she started the car, it began sputtering and died.  “Oh no,” Gabbi said out loud.  “I cannot have car problems today.  I just had this checked last month.” 

“Need some help?” asked a voice behind her.

She turned around to see the veterinarian standing there.  Tall blond and cranky, she thought to herself.  This is all I need.  Gabbi raised an eyebrow and replied, “No, I think I can handle it.”

“Suit yourself,” said Matthew, walking back to his car.

“Nice ride!” she exclaimed before she could stop herself. 

Matthew smiled.  “I like it.  Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

“Midnight blue, ’70 Barracuda Hemi, locked down hood, black leather interior and custom wheels.”  Gabbi looked over at Matthew.  “Actually, I could use some help.” 

“You know your cars.”  Impressed, he walked over and motioned for her to pop the hood.

“In theory, just not in practice.”  Gabbi shook her head.  “Like knowing what’s wrong with this one.” 

“Looks like your distributor cap is loose.  Give me a minute.”  A few moments later he said, “Okay, try it now.”

Gabbi hit the key and the car started.  “That’s a neat trick.  Do you think it will come loose again?”

“I doubt it,” Matthew replied.  “How is your Himalayan?  Is she feeling better?”

“Yes,” Gabbi smiled and her blue eyes edged towards violet.  “Almost back to her usual spoiled, wonderful self.”

Matthew laughed.  “That’s good to hear.”  His expression got more serious.  “Callie told me you’re Maggie McCrae’s granddaughter.  I’m sorry for your loss.  She was quite a woman.”

“You knew Gran?” Gabbi asked.  “I don’t know why I should be surprised.  Everyone keeps saying it’s a small island.”

“Smaller than you think,” Matthew replied.  “I happen to be your neighbor.”

“Really?”  Gabbi was surprised.  “Difficult to see much with all those trees, but I do like the view of the water.”

Matthew nodded.  “My place is just north of yours on the other side of the vineyard.” 

Gabbi looked at him and thought maybe that was a little too close for comfort.  “Well, thanks again for the car repair.  I’ll see you around, neighbor.”

As she drove out of the station, she wasn’t sure what to think of this veterinarian…but she knew she’d be thinking about him more than she cared to admit.

Moira was sitting in Jack’s sedan, wondering what to do next as they got near the turn off to the mansion.  She had enjoyed the lasagna and the glass of Chianti that went with it.  The owner had been very happy to see Jack and had given them a table by the window.  The salad and breadsticks were both very good and Moira had wondered what Gabbi would think of the meal.  Now that she was almost home, she wasn’t sure whether this was coffee, dinner or a real date.  And just what was she supposed to expect when they pulled up to her front door?

As the sedan turned up the drive, Moira decided to make the first move.  “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?  Our coffeemaker only brews classic black coffee.”

Jack smiled.  “I appreciate the invitation, but I have to be at work early tomorrow.  We’ll be following up on any leads they get out of Henderson tonight.”

Moira nodded.  As he stopped the car, she said, “Thank you for a very nice dinner.”  He took her hand and she felt that tingle again.

“Friday night at seven?” Jack asked.

“Meatloaf,” Moira replied.

He got out and walked around the car to open the door for her.  As she reached the top of the steps, she looked back.  Jack tipped his hat and smiled.  Moira smiled back, then went inside. 

Join us next week for the another chapter of The Magic of Burrows Bay!