4 Cupids Curse by Kathi Daley Page B

have killed him.”
    “You think I did?”
    “No, not at all,” I quickly assured him. “I just figured the two of you might have talked while he was here. Maybe you have some insight as to who might have wanted him dead.”
    Johnson rubbed his chin , which was covered with stubble, as he thought about it. “We chatted a bit. Shared my stew with him a time or two. Can’t recall him mentioning anyone who had a beef with him. He was a real nice kid. Can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt him.”
    “How exactly did you meet him?”
    “Willa Walton sent him around. She’d been by to ask about my tree-cutting permit and noticed how cold it was inside. Boy did a real nice job, and it didn’t cost me a penny.”
    “He didn’t charge you anything ?”
    “Nope. Said I reminded him of his grandpa and he was happy to help out.”
    It seemed strange to me that a man who was as attached to his family as Trent seemed to be would move to a place where he didn’t know anyone. I had to wonder if there was a reason for his departure from the place where he’d grown up.
    “Did Trent ever tell you anything about his grandparents, or anything else for that matter, about his past?”
    “ Not a lot. Guess his mom grew up poor but married into some sort of rich and powerful family. It sounded like he didn’t really get on with either of his parents or his dad’s family, but he would go to stay with his mother’s parents every summer. Seems like they lived on a farm in upstate New York. I think when he got older the visits stopped, but he mentioned a time or two that those summers were the best times of his life.”
    “Did he ever mention a sister?”
    “Mentioned someone he referred to as Reenie.”
    “Reenie?”
    “I got the feeling it was some sort of nickname for a close friend or maybe a sibling. He never elaborated and I never asked.”
    “Did he ever mention where he lived or what he did for a living prior to moving to Ashton Falls? ”
    “Can’t say that he did. Other than stories about his grandparents and the farm , he didn’t say much at all about his past.”
    “Okay, well , thank you for your time. I’ve enjoyed looking at your photos. I especially love this one of the store my pappy built.”
    “Your pappy is a good man. I remember when he first moved to this area. There weren’t much of a town back then. Most folks came for the summer but returned to their homes in the valley once the first hint of snow was in the air. Your pappy cut and milled those logs himself. Took him a couple of years, but he built himself a right nice place.”
    “So you knew Pappy before he married my grandma?”
    “I did. Never seen a man fall so hard or so fast as he did for that little spitfire who made it her business to tell him what for.”
    I smiled. “She did have spunk.”
    “Real looker too. Might have tried taking her for a spin myself, but your pappy had a ring on her finger quicker than you can say lickety-split.”
    “He’s always told me it was love at first sight.”
    It occurred to me that my dad had told me the same thing about the first time he met my mom, although that hadn’t worked out quite so well. If Zak was indeed my one true love—and it was a bit early to determine that—the family tradition would be broken with me. The first time I met Zak, the golden boy of Ashton Falls, I wanted to tear his eyes out. That thought gave me pause. Maybe love was supposed to be instantaneous. Maybe what I had with Zak wasn’t love at all. . . .
    “Heard you’re opening the shelter back up.”
    “Yeah, tomorrow, I hope.”
    “Been thinking about another dog. Grover is getting old and Tumbler is going blind. Might want to take on a younger dog I can train to hunt.”
    “If we get in a dog that I think will work out, I’ll call you.”
    “Appreciate that.”
    After leaving Johnson’s, I headed back toward town. I was learning a lot about the man Trent had been since moving to Ashton Falls, but not much