And there was Truman.
A smile turned up the corners of her lips. She liked having him around, but it was too soon to know if he would stick around permanently. Mercy wouldn’t allow her brain to travel down that path just yet. Caution and habit stopped her from relying on his presence. Maybe later. She needed more time.
She parked in front of the Coffee Café and went in, putting Kaylie and her punishment out of her thoughts. Rose smiled at her from a table as Mercy approached, her sweet face beaming.
“You knew it was me, didn’t you?” Mercy hugged her sister.
“I heard your steps outside. I know what you sound like.”
Mercy slid into a lime-green-painted chair. “Do my steps sound the same as when I was a teenager?”
Rose’s forehead wrinkled in thought as she wrapped her hands around her mug of coffee. “No. But after spending one evening with you, I learned your sound and it replaced the old file in my brain.”
“Old file?”
Her laugh was like sunshine. “That’s how I think of it. The sounds I hear open the correct file and tell me who’s coming.” She turned her face toward Kaylie as their niece came to their table, a white apron wrapped around her waist. She had dark smudges under her eyes, but Mercy didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for her.
“Do you want your usual, Aunt Mercy?”
“Please. And one of your cacao oat bars too.”
“I’ll take one of those too,” said Rose.
“Yes, Aunt Rose,” Kaylie said as she walked away, and Rose immediately whispered to Mercy, “What’s wrong with Kaylie?”
Rose’s perceptiveness didn’t surprise Mercy. “She didn’t get much sleep last night. That’s what happens when you sneak out and are brought home by the police at two in the morning.”
Her face lit up. “Ohhh. Tell me!”
Mercy shared the story. Rose’s wide grins and questions helped her see a degree of humor in the situation. A very small degree.
“Too bad you don’t have a farm,” Rose mused. “Mom and Dad would have come up with all sorts of grueling work punishments.”
“They sure would have.” Mercy was done thinking about Kaylie for the moment. “How are you feeling these days?”
“Good. Less puking this week.” Rose’s skin glowed and her happiness radiated. Her usual calm seemed more pronounced to Mercy. In fact, Rose had been calm about the pregnancy from day one. At least as far as she shared with her sister. Mercy had been the one with anxiety, but Rose’s attitude had brought it into check.
Kaylie dropped off Mercy’s Americano with heavy cream and two plates with cacao bars. Mercy took an immediate bite of the bar, relishing the bitter taste of the chocolate and the crunch of the almonds. It was her favorite of Kaylie’s recipes—dark, dense, and not too sweet.
Rose took a bite of hers along with a sip of coffee. “The girl has talent.” Bliss filled her face as she chewed.
“She does. And she can pursue it all she wants after she gets a college degree.”
“I think Pearl can handle the café if Kaylie leaves for college,” added Rose. “I hear an excitement in Pearl’s voice when she talks about the café. She hasn’t been excited about anything in a long time.”
“I’ve noticed it too,” Mercy agreed. “Has she not had a job in recent years?”
“No. Rick liked her staying at home with the kids and managing the house. I think Pearl liked it too, but after Charity left home, I think she felt a bit useless. Samuel doesn’t need a lot of parenting. Working here has given her something to look forward to.”
“How’s Rick feel about that?” Mercy had spoken only briefly with Pearl’s husband and son. She saw Pearl’s need to currently keep a wall between Mercy and her immediate family and tried to respect it. But one day she’d get to know her other niece and nephew.
She’d know Owen’s kids too.
Rose held up a palm and tipped it from side to side. “There’ve been some complaints from Rick. I don’t think he likes having to make his own breakfast.” Her lips tightened in mirth.
“It’s good for him,” Mercy said. “And definitely good for Pearl.” She watched her sister behind the café bar. Pearl moved with confidence and threw back her head as she laughed at a comment from a customer. She was definitely happy, and her laughter gave Mercy warm fuzzies.
“I agree. It’s not good to be stuck in a rut.”
Mercy changed the subject. “Do you know the Parker family very well? The young family that lives pretty close to you guys? I met Julia and Steve last night when I went to interview them about the arson at their place.”
“I do know them. Their little Winslet is a doll.” Rose’s nose twitched. “I smelled the smoke from their fire the morning after it happened.”
“Have you heard about anything unusual going on?” Mercy asked, abruptly realizing her sister was an excellent source for gossip and rumor in town. “I mean—”
“I know what you mean. If I’ve listened to talk about the shootings and fires. Who do people think might be responsible, or who has a beef they want to take out on a neighbor? Or who is angry with the police?”
“Exactly.”
“I haven’t heard anything very useful.”
“Then you’ve heard something.”
“Well, of course. It’s all anyone can talk about.”
“What are they saying?” Mercy knew leads could be buried in casual conversations. She hadn’t been in town long enough for the residents to talk openly around her, but everyone talked to Rose.
“Well, until those two deputies were shot, people were up in arms about kids or teenagers starting the fires. They were convinced that someone’s kid had an issue with fire and that the parents needed to pay more attention to what their kids were doing before someone caused a lot of damage.”
“I’d call the Parkers’ situation quite a bit of damage. It could take them a few years to rebuild what they lost.”
“I agree.” Rose nodded. “I heard Mom and Dad say they’d do what they could to help them catch up.”
Pride and sadness warred inside Mercy. Pride that her parents watched out for and helped their own; sadness that she no longer fell beneath their umbrella of concern.
I can’t fix what they’ve torn down.
“But after the deputies were shot, people became nervous. What had first been perceived as kids being stupid suddenly became a threat embedded in the community. When they believed it was kids, their voices were filled with anger and disgust. After the shooting, their voices were quieter and infused with worry. People felt vulnerable.”
“Understandable.” Mercy knew exactly what Rose meant. “What kids did people speculate about to start with?”
“The only names I heard tossed around were the two Eckham boys. But it was just talk based on their previous behaviors, you know?”
“Have they had trouble with fires before?”