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“Is it crazy that I feel a little sorry for Daniel Swift?” I said.

“No,” she said. “It just shows that you have a good heart.”

“All he had was his grandson,” I said. “I have all of you.” I suddenly had a lump in my throat again. I looked over at the table, where Rose was telling Jess how she’d gotten the shovel and crept up the stairs.

“We’re very glad we have you,” Charlotte said.

There was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it, my dear,” Mr. P. said.

It was Nick. He was carrying a brown paper shopping bag.

“Come join the party,” Jess said, waving at him from the table.

“I just wanted to see for myself that Sarah is okay,” Nick said.

“I’m fine,” I said, hobbling over to the door.

He frowned when he noticed how gingerly I was moving my shoulder.

“It’s just a little road rash,” I said.

“I thought you were out of the detective business,” he said, lowering his voice.

I shrugged. “So did I.”

Nick handed me the shopping bag. “This is for you. Open it later.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s no big deal. Just . . . just look at it later.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe Daniel Swift killed Lily. And tried to kill you.”

“He thought she knew what happened to his grandson.”

“Do you think she did?”

I rubbed my shoulder. It still ached where Swift had wrenched it up behind my back. “I don’t know,” I said. “I guess we’ll never know now.”

Nick smiled. “Did Rose really clobber Swift with a snow shovel?”

“She has a swing like Ted Williams.”

Charlotte came over to us. “Come sit down, Sarah,” she said. “You were supposed to stay off that ankle.”

“Would you get Nick a cup of coffee?” I said. I looked at him. “Do you have time for one?”

“I’d love one.”

Mr. P. had heard the conversation. “I’ll get it,” he said. “Nicolas, how do you take it?”

Jess got to her feet. “Sit,” she said, putting both hands on my shoulder and steering me to her chair.

I sat, gratefully, because my ankle did hurt. I set the shopping bag at my feet. Jess pulled over the footstool. “Put your foot on that,” she said. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee. And I’m spending the night, by the way. And Rose is cooking breakfast in the morning, because I’m not eating sardines.”

There was a meow at her feet. She bent down and lifted Elvis into her arms. “You are my hero, Mr. King of Rock and Roll,” she said. She scratched under his chin and he started to purr. She kissed the top of his head and set him on the footstool next to my foot. “Watch her,” she said, pointing at me.

Elvis immediately turned and stared at me.

Jess laughed and went into the kitchen to get my coffee. There was another knock at the door.

“I’ll get that,” Charlotte said before I could move.

It was Liz with Avery and Mac in tow and probably half the food Glenn McNamara had had.

“Are you all right, child?” Liz said. I could see the concern in her eyes.

“I’m fine, thanks to Rose,” I said. Rose had gotten to her feet and was looking in the two large paper shopping bags Mac was carrying.

“You really clocked the old dude with a shovel?” Avery asked.

“I wouldn’t quite put it that way, dear,” Rose said, “but essentially, yes.”

“Hot damn!” Avery said, high-fiving Rose.

Liz shot her a look. “Sorry, Nonna,” she said, ducking her head.

“Take those bags from Mac and put them in the kitchen, please,” Liz said, making a shooing motion with one hand.

Mac handed her the bags and then put an arm around Rose’s shoulders. “I’m so proud of you,” he said.

Her cheeks flushed pink. “Thank you,” she said.

Liz looked at Mac. “Have a seat,” she said. “Talk to Sarah. I’ll get you a cup of coffee as soon as I find out if there is any.”

“There is,” I said. “Mr. P. made it.”

Mac pulled off his gloves and dropped into the chair opposite me. Everyone else was crammed into my tiny kitchen.

“Are you really all right?” he asked.

“I am,” I said. I held up my hand. “The bandage is twice the size of the scrape, and I only twisted my ankle.”

“I’m glad,” he said. He hesitated. “If you need anything, later on or tonight, call me? Please?”

I nodded, suddenly feeling . . . awkward.

We all managed to squeeze around the table with our coffee and tea. Liz had brought rolls and Glenn’s chicken corn chowder and probably every cookie in the place. Charlotte and Mr. P. served us all while Rose told her story again, with Elvis adding commentary from his perch on the footstool. Nick managed to eat a bowl of chowder and two peanut-butter cookies before his phone rang.

“I’ve gotta go,” he said. He came around the table, leaned down and kissed Rose on the cheek. “Promise me from now on you’ll let someone else do the shoveling,” he said.

She laughed, reached up and patted his cheek.

“If you or Jess need anything, I’m as close as the phone,” Nick said to me. He reached out with one hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

The gesture felt oddly intimate. I had to swallow before I could speak. “Thanks,” I said.

Charlotte walked Nick to the door. When she opened it, Caroline Carter was standing there.

“Is this a bad time?” she asked uncertainly.

“Of course not,” Charlotte said.

“I’m on my way out,” Nick said. “I’ll call you later,” he said to his mother.

I struggled to my feet. “Caroline, come in, please,” I said.

“Detective Andrews called me,” she said, her fingers playing with the fringe of the long, rust-colored scarf she was wearing. “I just wanted to see if you and Rose were all right.”

“We’re fine,” I said. “Please sit down.”

She took Nick’s empty chair. Mr. P. quietly got up and headed for the kitchen. In a moment he was back with a cup of tea for Caroline. I mouthed a “Thank you” at him.

“You’re hurt,” Caroline said to me.

“A twisted ankle and some skin off the back of my hand,” I said. “It’s nothing.”

“Did you really go after Daniel with a shovel?” she said to Rose.

Rose nodded.

Caroline smiled. “Good for you.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe he killed Lily.”

“I’m not making excuses for the man,” I said carefully. “But I think his grandson’s disappearance broke something in him. He thought Lily knew what happened to Caleb, and he got fixated on that.”

Caroline pressed her lips together and looked at the ceiling for a moment. I saw her swallow a couple of times, and it was clear she was fighting back tears. And in the split second before she spoke, all the pieces fell into place for me.

“She did know what happened to Caleb,” Caroline said. “I killed him.”

Chapter 24

I think you could have heard the proverbial pin drop.

“What happened?” I said finally.

Caroline put both hands flat on the table. “He came to the bakery to talk to Lily. He wanted to get back together, but she didn’t like how possessive he’d gotten. He grabbed a knife off the counter, backed her into a corner in the basement and cut her, right here.” She put hand to her collarbone. “There was a pair of scissors I’d been using to cut string to put around the recycling on top of a box. He was going to cut her again. Or worse.” She dropped her head. “I stabbed him.”

Liz reached over and laid a hand on Caroline’s arm. “You were protecting your child. No one would have faulted you for that.”

“Daniel would have,” Caroline said. “Lily was terrified about what he’d do.”