BLINDED (Elkridge Series Book 1) Read online

  He had no idea if the clumps of green and pink would work for his mom. “I don’t want to trouble you. It’s the thought that counts, right?”

  “It’s no trouble.”

  Before he could respond, the shop door banged open and a gust of cold wind blew in.

  “Mara, I’m back,” a loud baritone voice blasted through the shop. “All the arrangements are delivered, and Mrs. Newhall said she’s throwing a party for her sister’s birthday. She’ll call tomorrow to give us specifics.”

  The oversized hulk hadn’t bothered looking up while stomping snow off his boots and scattering ice crystals left and right. Wrapped in a worn, thick ski jacket, he lifted scarlet fingers from Colorado’s abnormally cold winter to his lips and blew air into his cupped hands. Dark hair, worn jeans, and the crisp jawline triggered a flashback.

  “Tony D-Jock.” Warm memories of playing ball with his high school buddy surfaced.

  Startled eyes connected with his, then softened.

  “Joey Catchy-Monkey.” Tony extended his hand for a quick shake. “How ya doin’? I heard you were coming back for a visit. Sorry to hear about your brother. What’s it been? Four, five years?”

  “Ten.” The weight of ten-plus years hung like a cement slab around his neck. “Four years at college. Six years working my way up to detective grade in the Seattle/Tacoma area.”

  “No kidding.” Tony gave him an up-and-down assessment. “You’ve gotten a bit taller. Still playin’ soccer?”

  “No time. I played in the minor leagues out of college, but then decided I’d better get busy making a living. Didn’t you get a football scholarship or something? University of Colorado, wasn’t it?”

  Tony’s eyes flicked to his sister. She’d suddenly taken an interest in the flowers on the counter. The thickening silence made Joey’s careless mistake even more stupid. His mother told him about the college game, the icy roads, and the drunk driver. In a flash—three-fifths of the Dijocomo family gone.

  “Hey, man, I—”

  “Football’s not for everyone.” Tony’s casual tone didn’t quite manage to translate in his eyes. “Besides, my grades weren’t great, so I decided to come home. Good thing I did, or I wouldn’t have been able to convince Gina not to marry that schmo from the Springs and marry me instead.”

  “Gina Martinez? You mean that cute cheerleader you couldn’t untwist your tongue enough to say hi to? She finally got you to pop the question? Congratulations.” Joey’s smile deflated slowly. “Dude, you do remember she’s got brothers built like buffalos.”

  “And all four brothers-in-law flex their muscles every chance they get.” Tony laughed. “Sisters. Gotta protect ‘em, ya know?”

  “Maybe us sisters don’t want to be smothered by all that brotherly macho-ness. The interference can be rather irritating, and often inconvenient.”

  Interesting. Still headstrong and independent as ever.

  Mara began drawing those intricate circles again. “Speaking of sisters, isn’t my sister-in-law waiting for you at home? You should get going.”

  “Crap, I’m late.” Tony kissed his sister’s cheek. “I got some supplies to unload, then I want to do a quick rinse and change before I go. You still okay with me cutting out early? I’m worried about last-minute orders.”

  “Go, already. And don’t forget to take Gina the flower arrangement, or you just might not get dinner. And, if you’re going to use my shower, don’t leave the towel on the floor for me to trip over this time.”

  “See how they nag? One’s bad enough. I don’t envy you having three.” Tony reached behind his sister, yanked loose an apron string, then took two precautionary steps out of arm’s reach.

  Mara’s instant swing-and-miss crooked Tony’s lips into that naughty-little-boy grin understood by all men, no matter their age. Joey, however, wasn’t impressed.

  “Joey my man, glad to see you. We should catch up over a beer or watch a game while you’re here.”

  “Find me on Facebook and message me a place and time, and I’ll be there.” And, perhaps, you’ll bring your sister along.

  “Listen to this guy. He’s gone all city on us.”

  “Would you just go? And stop harassing the customers,” Mara chastised, even though her pure exasperation over being teased didn’t mar her pretty face.

  Joey couldn’t tell whether the pink in her cheeks was from wanting to strangle her brother or embarrassment. One thing he knew for sure—Tony could mess with Mara, but if anyone else messed with the younger Dijocomo, even hell wouldn’t be a safe place to hide. Pictures of both her brother and her late father could be found in the dictionary next to the definition of overprotective.

  Back then Joey’s adolescent hormones hadn’t been strong enough to overpower his survival instincts. He studied her left hand. No ring. No indent. How odd.

  Patiently, she retied the strings of her apron and returned to adjusting the green bow on the bouquet for his mom. “How many long-stem roses would you like?”

  “Five.”

  “Okay. Pick out the ones you like.” She pointed to a white bucket filled with a variety of pink, white and red roses. “Will that be debit or credit?” Mara asked.

  “Credit.” He flipped open his oiled leather wallet to pull out a plastic card. “You still writing songs?”

  She paused and pushed another tendril of hair behind her ear. “Wow, you have a good memory.”

  “When we studied together, you used to talk about your writing sometimes. I remember you won the talent contest my senior year and managed to piss off Rachelle Clairemont. She was certain her free-dance routine would take home the trophy.”

  “Don’t say that too loud. She might hear you.”

  Joey remembered the blonde who’d acted like the school’s halls were her private fashion runway. Remembering the way she wore designer clothing and pushed her shoulders back to highlight her…assets… made him laugh. She even had that full, pouty-lip thing down.

  “Is Rachelle still in town?” he asked. “I would have wagered she’d take off for L.A. or New York the first chance she got.”

  “I think her dad likes to keep her close to home.”

  “Mr. Clairemont does like to be the big man in town.”

  Her lips squeezed together as if she had something else to say, but decided not to say it out loud. Her sour expression gave him a twinge of amusement, something absent from his life for quite a while.

  She nodded before pushing the flowers in his direction and handing him his credit card. “So how long will you be in town?”

  “Don’t know yet. I have five days of bereavement leave.”

  “That’s it? You haven’t been home in ten years and that’s all you get?”

  “No. I have twenty-six days of accumulated leave racked up, but I promised my boss I’d get back as soon as I could. The case I’m working on can’t wait.”

  “What about your brother’s case? The community is spooked that there’s a murderer on the loose, and I’d think your family would want you to help. The deputies sure could use some outside expertise.” Her fingers stopped swirling and began to tap. “Rumors have it you’re brilliant when it comes to solving murders.”

  A tension strap wrapped around his chest and squeezed. His mother was famous for her colorful exaggerations. “The Elkridge rumor mill is obviously still great at distorting the facts. I don’t have jurisdiction here. I’m sure the department’s doing what they can to find whoever fired that shot. Homicide cases like this take way more time to solve than people think. It’s not like on TV where crimes are solved in an hour.”

  “I imagine it must be hard coming home after being gone for so long, especially for a funeral. But I’m sure your parents appreciate the effort.”

  Mom, maybe. Dad, definitely not. “It’s not like I haven’t wanted to come back. It’s just…life has a way of getting busy.”

  “Life also has a way of creating opportunities. Everyone is going to be happy to see you.”


  Opportunities. He assumed she meant his coming home. Her optimism amazed him, considering what she’d been through. Life had a way of destroying one’s innocent expectations, but even with Mara’s unique challenges, she seemed grounded, with a genuine, upbeat confidence. He couldn’t say that about most of the women he knew. He wished he could find a woman like Mara in Washington. Heck, he wished Mara would move to Seattle, but he could tell she was happy in Elkridge. Story of his life. Wrong place. Wrong time.

  He checked his watch. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  “Most likely. Oh, and Joey? Please don’t say anything to Tony about…well you know. He worries about me enough.”

  “I won’t say anything, but promise me you’ll be extra vigilant and report anything odd.”

  “I will.” Mara reached for her dog’s ear to give it a good rub. “I hope the flowers make your mom feel better.”

  “Thanks. This rose is for you.” He pushed a long-stemmed rose toward her. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mara.” The splash of pink appeared again. “Take care.”

  He picked up the flower bundles and lifted his hand in a goodbye salute, but then remembered Mara probably couldn’t see the gesture. As far as he could tell, Mara was completely blind.

  Chapter Two

  “Don’t forget the flowers,” Mara called over her shoulder when she heard her brother’s heavy thump-itty-thump-thumps heading down the back stairs from her small apartment above the store. “And don’t forget to ask Gina what dates she wants for her baby shower. She’s going to pop any day, so we need to start planning. And please quit worrying about me.” She paused to smell the rose Joey had given her before washing her hands at the back room’s utility sink.

  Warm lips planted a smacking kiss on her cheek. “Stop nagging. I won’t forget. Also notice I didn’t say a word about falling down the stairs or being in the store all alone.”

  Very slick, bro. You nag even while claiming you’re not. So typical.

  The rustling of a plastic bag followed by a crisp crunch meant her brother had taken the last apple from the store’s mini-fridge…again. She swore under her breath, wondering how she was going to pay the past due bills or buy groceries.

  “Your thoughts are mighty loud these days.” She selected a rose stem and trimmed the end to keep Tony’s nagging from ruining her practiced, cheerful mood. “I don’t want to hear about the stair incident again. I just tripped on Buddy’s leash, that’s all.”

  “And went flying down the stairs. You could have broken your neck.” He attempted to cover his concern with a jesting voice, but failed.

  “Don’t blow things out of proportion.”

  “If you could see the bruises on your arms and legs, you would know I’m not.”

  She turned and pointed the floral scissors in his general direction. “You can’t be running over here every five minutes. You need to focus on Gina. It’s not every day a girl steals a boy’s peanut butter sandwich in kindergarten and then gets to marry him twenty years later. Besides, the baby will be here soon, and you don’t have the nursery set up yet.”

  “Yeah, I still need to do that, and get our website on-line.”

  “I keep telling you we can’t afford a website.”

  “We can’t afford not to have a website.”

  Mara blew out a frustrated breath and opened the flower storage refrigerator, leaning in to run her fingers over the raised-letter labels on the buckets. Finding the correct container, she selected some leather leaf ferns and another bunch of yellow daisies. “Gina should be your primary focus. Family first, business second, remember?”

  “Yeah, family first. That’s why I want you to take more time for yourself. You can’t spend all your time stuck here. Go out on a date, or something.”

  “Like that’s ever going to happen,” she mumbled, then gritted her teeth, wishing she’d been able to keep her gloom from leaking into her comment.

  “If you’re thinking about Mark, don’t. I’ll break that guy’s face if he ever shows those dimples in this town again. He’s an ass for leaving you like he did, and always treating you like his personal bank account. You need to find someone decent, like Joey. I saw him checking you out earlier, so I know he’s still interested. Bet he’ll ask you out on a date this time.”

  This time? “What do you mean, this time?”

  “Give me a break. No way was I going to let an eighteen-year-old date my fifteen-year-old little sister.”

  She aligned the bottoms of the flower stems and considered how everything in her life had changed. Losing both parents and Sarah had created obligations that shouldn’t have been Tony’s responsibility. She didn’t like being someone’s obligation, and she absolutely refused to be a burden.

  “Since when did you appoint yourself my decision-maker?” Mara challenged.

  “Since Dad pulled me aside when I was fourteen and told me to look out for you.”

  Well, crap. She let the annoyance shrink into a minor irritation. “Fact is, I’m no longer fifteen, so you can stop with the fussing. Joey’s a sweet guy, but he’s just visiting for the funeral.” She picked up the rose he’d given her to take in the aroma that reminded her of love, mostly because her mom arranged a new bouquet of roses for her father’s office each week. “Joey’s made a bigger life for himself. This town will be way too small for him now.”

  “You never know. He might decide to come back. Maybe he’ll take over Sam’s job.”

  “Can you see him wanting it? I can’t. He was always in his brother’s shadow before he moved away. He resented Sam in many ways.”

  The contrasts between the Gaccione brothers could span the Royal Gorge. Sam was loud, always seeking praise, projecting the image of a tough guy when he wasn’t. He’d had the looks for politics—trim build, friendly smile, and empathetic eyes—and those traits were most likely the reasons he was voted in as Sheriff. Mara skimmed her fingers over the shelf of vases until she found the shape she wanted. “Tony, before you leave, would you mind putting these pink carnations in the refrigerator?”

  “Maybe you should have asked Gaccione to help before he left. The way he looked at you, I’m sure he would have done anything you asked.”

  She launched a wet rag in her brother’s direction. “Would you stop? He’s just a customer. I don’t need or want someone to feel sorry for me.”

  “Close, but you missed—nice try.” The rag landed on the counter beside her. “Joey might feel a lot of things for you, but sorry isn’t one of them. Want to wager on how long it takes Detective Gaccione to come back for more flowers? I wasn’t kidding about him checking you out. I considered ramming his head into the snowdrift outside, but let the looks slide since he might be able to have me arrested.”

  “Stop it.” Irritation over the teasing made her want to ram her brother’s head into something, and a snowdrift wasn’t her first choice. “He came in to buy flowers for his mother, and he’ll be gone in a few days. End of story.”

  “Do you think he’ll help with the investigation?”

  “I doubt it. He said something about not having jurisdiction. I overheard Deputy Ernie say they didn’t have any solid leads, so it’s too bad he won’t be allowed to help.”

  “And you wonder why I worry about you being alone in the store. Everyone’s wigged out.”

  That’s why I didn’t tell you about Sam bringing me home, or following me everywhere.

  “I’m fine,” she said carefully…carefully, because if she sounded too confident, stubborn, or appeared fragile, her brother would be over every night to check on her, and that was the last thing she needed. “Buddy will protect me,” she offered as a compromise.

  “Don’t overrate Buddy’s abilities. He’s a good mutt, but he’s no attack dog. Although he is smart. Who knows? He just might invite a stranger in, help them pick out some nice flowers, maybe even create an arrangement.”

  Hearing his name, Buddy lifted his head from Mara’s foot. Deciding no one had issued a command or was
offering dinner or treats, he laid his paw on top of her shoe again and resettled until the rear shop entrance door opened, his head popping up again.

  “Just me,” Kym Zhang said. “Hey, Tony. I figured you’d be home by now. It’s Valentine’s Day.”

  The smell of nail polish mixed with cherry blossom lotion meant her best friend had just repainted her nails for the third time that week. According to Kym, maintaining the nail salon’s image was a must. Mara imagined her wearing iridescent purple polish with tiny pink flowers, or neon blue with white polka dots, or sassy red with glitter. The clunk of cans on the counter meant dinner had also arrived.

  “Yeah. I’m late,” Tony grumbled before perking up. “What did you bring for dinner?”

  “Stuff to make burritos.”

  The sound of a paper bag rustling made Mara turn. “Tony, stay out of our food. Gina cooked your favorite meal, so don’t go poking your nose into ours.” She pointed in the direction of the mini-refrigerator. “If you’re hungry, your lasagna leftovers from last week’s lunch are still taking up precious space. Why don’t you take the box with you or flush the contents, one of the two?”

  “Gross.” Disgust saturated Kym’s comment. “I bet there’s slimy green mold growing on it.”

  The thought of mold made Mara want to gag. “Tell Gina she needs to teach you how to cook. You would eat better. Besides, ordering out several days a week is expensive.”

  “How is she going to teach me to cook when she can’t even bend over to get to the pots and pans?” His back-off irritation underlined his question. “The extra jobs I’m picking up in town will cover the costs.”

  The muscles in Mara’s neck and shoulders tightened. “Some, but not all the costs. Have you checked out the prices of diapers lately?”

  “Maybe you could install a storage system like Mara’s so everything is within reach,” Kym suggested.

  “Here’s an idea,” Tony grumbled at Kym. “Why don’t you go over and hand Gina the pans? That way I don’t have to spend my time buying and installing racks. Besides, why cook? That’s what sisters, wives, and delivery are for.”