Two Scoops of Murder

by Gretchen Allen

  “I hope you find it,” Amelia said, entering Gavin’s door behind Yvette.

  “If Artie says he sent something, I don’t see why I wouldn’t have gotten it. Look! This has to be it!” Yvette grinned, showing off a large manila envelope addressed to her. She gently opened it and pulled out the papers that were inside.

  “I kind of feel like the bearer of bad news here, but I think you should check this out…” Amelia said slowly.

  “What is it?”

  Yvette peered over Amelia’s shoulder. “Where did you get that?!” she exclaimed, ripping it from Amelia’s hands.

  “It was just lying there. I probably should have minded my own business, but it is sort of big news.”

  What Amelia had found was big news. It was an official letter of resignation from Drew Ross to Gavin. He’d hired Drew to work on some of the stagings for the several apartments and homes that Gavin owned and had as rental properties. Initially, Drew had agreed but backed off stating that a member of his team would help Gavin since Drew had been spending so much time in Florida with Emma. This letter basically stated that Drew’s company no longer existed as he was leaving the state, and would be residing in Florida from now on. If Drew was moving there, and the only reason he was in Florida to begin with was because he was dating Emma, did that mean Emma was also planning on making the move to Florida permanent?

  Chapter 6

  It was a new day, but Yvette didn’t feel any more cheerful about things. On one hand, she’d found the information that Artie had sent, which was potentially a great opportunity for her. He’d shared with her the job description, several of the requirements that the VP would fulfill, and other achievements that the previous VPs had received over the years when they held the position themselves. On the other hand, the shop was still closed, and there was literally no news about the case. It hadn’t occurred to Yvette until that morning that maybe there had been news, but since it wasn’t publicized, there was a good shot that people were purposely keeping it from her. She’d tried calling Heath at the station, where she was given a blanketed message that he was out of the office and would return her call soon. She’d tried calling his personal cellphone, after all, he’d been a friend of the family since before she was born, but he just ignored her calls. She’d asked Nate, Heath’s son and her sort of boyfriend, but he claimed he had no idea what was going on. As if being ignored by them wasn’t bad enough, Yvette had also been trying to call Emma. She didn’t even know what she was calling for at this point. The fire at the Connecticut shop, the opening of the Vermont shop, the body found in the Heritage shop, to ask if she was moving to Florida permanently, to tell her Sundae Afternoon may be the featured shop at the convention? Or, maybe Yvette was just losing her patience and was going to share with Emma that the board was going to offer her a job and she was considering taking it.

  That was spiteful though and would be one of those bite off your nose to spite your face sort of situations because Yvette didn’t really know if they were going to offer her the job at all. Artie was knowledgeable, and she trusted him, but it wasn’t for sure yet. And even if it was, she wasn’t sure she’d accept. Instead of getting ahead of herself, Yvette decided she’d take a long walk. The weather was beautiful, and she could use a bit of fresh air to help clear her mind. She grabbed her phone from her purse, slipped on her sneakers, and headed out the front door.

  Just a few short minutes into the walk, Yvette heard her phone beep. The battery was dying. Seeing that there was two percent left and that she had four voicemails, she could only hope she was able to check them all before the phone died completely.

  The first was from Vanessa. She was worried that Yvette was upset with her for leaving the front door of the shop open when she left since that was probably how the killer got in. Yvette didn’t even know that Vanessa had left the door unlocked, so that was important information. Of course, it wasn’t Vanessa’s fault that someone had killed that poor woman. Whoever she was.

  The second voicemail answered that very question. It was Fred from Fred’s Food Delivery. He wanted to talk about the death of his employee that had occurred in her shop. He claimed he was uncomfortable continuing to serve as Yvette’s delivery company and wanted to discuss ending the contract they’d had.

  Before Yvette’s brain even registered that she’d learned the identity of the body, the third voicemail began to play. This time it was Heath requesting that she come to the station to talk. Not even bothering to listen to the final voicemail, Yvette hung up and made her way back to her house. She’d be heading directly to the station to see what Heath wanted. The person that was killed in her shop was a young woman by the name of Melody. She’d recently started working Yvette’s route and had seemed like a very nice person the few times Yvette had seen her. Heath must have found the killer and had some questions for her. Maybe he wanted to know if she knew anything about who it was. Either way, the moment she was done with Heath she’d be contacting Vanessa. The poor woman was blaming herself, and Yvette wanted to ease her mind.

  “Thanks for coming in,” Heath said, standing behind his desk.

  “Of course. What’s going on? What can I help with?” Yvette asked.

  “How about you start by telling me what you know about Melody Rooks.” Heath gestured for Yvette to take a seat.

  “I don’t know what there is to tell,” Yvette said honestly. “I didn’t really know her.”

  “So, you know who she is, then?” Heath verified.

  “I do.” She nodded. “Actually, just before I got your message, I received one from the owner of the delivery company.”

  “Oh?” Heath’s eyebrows raised. “What about?”

  “Fred, the owner, and typically the one that I work the closest with, requested that I find a new delivery company. He said he no longer feels comfortable delivering to Sundae Afternoon because of what happened.”

  “So, he’s the one that told you about Melody?” Heath pressed.

  “Yes. And I’m glad he did. I had no idea who it was and, well…”

  “And you wanted to know who it was so you could try to solve the case yourself. I know. But, Yvette….” Heath began.

  “You guys already know who killed her, right? You saw something on the security footage, so you called me in to tell me to stop worrying about it because it was already all taken care of?” Yvette was hopeful.

  “I did call you in about the security footage.” Heath frowned. “There was a problem. We knew you had cameras installed, so naturally, that was the first thing we checked.”

  “Right. You wanted to know who did it and how they got inside. I can tell you part of that. When Vanessa left to pick up her son from school, she mistakenly left the front door unlocked, and the shop wasn’t open yet. That’s how they got in. I bet Melody tried getting in the back door, but Leslie had her music on pretty loud, even when I got there it was loud. She’d locked the door after Vanessa left, not thinking about the delivery, so Melody went around front and found the door unlocked and let herself in. That makes sense, right? Poor Vanessa was so worried that this is all her fault.”

  “Yvette. Slow down and listen to me for a second. I didn’t call you in because I needed you to provide me with information about the case. I called you in to ask you if you knew why there was no security footage to be found.”

  “What? What do you mean?” Yvette stuttered.

  “We attempted to check the video and found nothing because it was shut off and unplugged. Do you have any idea how that might have happened?” Heath asked.

  “Oh, no. Oh, my gosh. It was me. This is all my fault.” Yvette panicked. “I’d been cleaning my office the night before, and I unplugged everything when I was cleaning the floor. All the cords were in the way. I told myself I needed to remember to plug everything back in. I can’t believe I forgot. This means you have no idea how she actually got in the store or who killed her. Heath, I am so sorry.” Yvette put her head in her hands.

  �
��Are you sure that’s all it is?” Heath spoke slowly.

  “What are you asking me?” Yvette felt her face turning red.

  “Nothing yet. I just wanted to see if there was a reason for the cameras being unplugged. There is. For now, that’s all I need. Off the record.” Heath looked Yvette in the eye. “Are you okay? I’ve spoken to a few different people now that have all stated the same thing. They’ve noticed you are stressed out and, well, I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay.”

  Yvette was stressed out, but why were people telling the police that? she wondered. Was her name coming up when people were being questioned about the murder at Sundae Afternoon? She knew it was a small town, and most everyone she knew had known her family since long before she was born. People talked, some gossiped, but Yvette wasn’t sure what any of this meant. Was Heath concerned about her because he was a friend of the family or because he thought she knew more about the death of Melody than she was letting on?

  Before her paranoia got the better of her, Yvette clarified that there was nothing more Heath needed from her, and she left, headed back to her house in hopes that the day would get better from there on out.

  Chapter 7

  Yvette sat on the porch of her childhood home, looking across the table at her mother. She’d decided that sitting at her own house and staring at the walls wasn’t in her best interest. She hoped that being with her mom would help make her feel better.

  “You haven’t heard anything from Glenn or anyone about the convention?” Abigail asked her daughter.

  “I haven’t heard anything about anything, and I feel like I’m being pulled in four hundred different directions.” Yvette poured her heart out to her mom, hoping she’d have some sound advice.

  The two women sat quietly for a few moments, enjoying their freshly squeezed lemonade and sugar cookies.

  “Let’s go down the line and see what we can solve. Not everything that is happening is something you have control over, and sometimes you forget that. Sundae Afternoon is closed until further notice, right? That means you don’t have to worry about work,” Abigail pointed out.

  “That’s true, but not really. Someone needs to handle the after effects of the fire in Townsend, and someone needs to be at the Vermont shop for opening day,” Yvette grumbled.

  “Exactly. Someone needs to do those things, but why does it have to be you?”

  “Because Emma asked me?” Yvette stated, not sure why her mother didn’t understand.

  Abigail nodded. “She asked about the Vermont shop, but that doesn’t mean you need to say yes. I know you are loyal to her and I’m certain she appreciates that. Sundae Afternoon, all the locations, even Heritage, are her responsibility, not yours. Emma made the choice to expand, and it seems like she didn’t really ask you to take over, she just assumed that you would.”

  “She was right.”

  “But she doesn’t have to be. You should give her a call and see if you two can work something out. Maybe she can find someone else to be at the opening or switch some things around and open the Townsend shop a bit later so everything with the fire can be worked out in its own time. It’s not a race.”

  Yvette nodded, taking in everything that her mother had said. Emma compensated Yvette well, but when there was so much more work on her plate, it felt like she was being taken advantage of, and maybe she was feeling a little resentful about that. She’d give Emma a call later that day and see what they could figure out. Being upset with her boss certainly wasn’t going to make things any better. They’d been working together for most of Yvette’s life, and there was no reason for that to stop now.

  “Okay. You’re right. That only solves part of the work thing, though. What if they offer me the job like Artie said?”

  “I love you, Yvette, and I can appreciate your excitement about that, but you simply don’t know if it’s going to happen. I think you are using that bit of information from Artie as a means to let yourself get more upset with Emma. Until you know if you are actually going to be offered the job, you need to try to forget about it.”

  “Forget about it? How on earth do you expect me to do that? It’s all I can think about. Do you know what a job like that would mean for me? It could change my life.” Yvette beamed at the thought.

  Abigail smiled. “So, if Glenn called and offered you the job right this minute, you’d accept?”

  “Well, no. I’d have to think about it.”

  “So, let it go.” Abigail smirked. “Wait until it happens… if it happens. You are stressed out, and it’s showing.”

  Yvette tried coming to terms with that. She wasn’t often stressed out. She’d always considered herself as pretty even-keeled, but everyone was right. She was stressed out, and it was only making things more difficult.

  “What about the murder, Mom? What about the fact that the reason the shop is closed is because someone was killed there?”

  “You know I find it fascinating that you seem to have an eye for solving these things, but if you are asking me if I think you should use your free time to solve this one, my answer is no.”

  “I’m not asking. I’m just saying… Who would have come into Sundae Afternoon to kill the delivery driver of all people? She was new on the job, and no one even really knew her. I’d never even seen her before she started working for Fred, so she’s most likely new to town as well. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  “What about the woman that was in the shop? Your employee?” Abigail asked.

  “You mean Leslie? What, she saw Melody, killed her for no reason, then went back to work making hot fudge? That’s ridiculous.” Yvette sat back in her chair.

  “Well, without that footage, that’s all there is to go on. There were at least four people in the shop that morning. One is dead, one was in the building, one left the building in a rush, and the other one was you,” Abigail stated matter-of-factly.

  “I didn’t do it!” Yvette exclaimed a little more loudly than she’d meant to.

  “I know that, dear. And I’m sure Vanessa didn’t either. But you have to remember that the police only have what they know for sure. Keep your nose clean, and just let them do their jobs.

  “Ugh,” Yvette groaned.

  Abigail passed her daughter the plate of cookies. “I’m sorry.”

  Yvette definitely didn’t think that Vanessa or Leslie were killers, so someone had to have come in after Vanessa left and right after Melody came inside. The first thing Melody would have done was go into the kitchen looking for a staff member. If someone had been following her and entered the shop right after she did, it was possible that’s who the killer was. They’d have had to be quick and good at guessing games because there was no way they could have known who was in the building at the time.

  “It’s okay. You’re right again. It’s all a big mess that I don’t have control over. Just like you said. For now, I’m going to make a plan to call Emma again. Hopefully she’ll answer this time. I’d also like to spend some time with Nate and Amelia and then wait and see what happens. Heck, maybe Amelia has heard about the convention. She’d be the one working with the alliance to set it up. Maybe I can even give Glenn a call and see if he wants to meet somewhere else. I’m assuming they won’t want to hold the convention here after the whole murder thing, but I can at least talk to him and thank him for thinking of Heritage as a location.”

  “Good idea. You might even find out about the job if you meet with him. See, you just needed a little venting time with your mom, and now all is right in the world,” Abigail teased.

  “I dunno if all is right in the world, but I do feel better after talking to you. Thanks, Mom.”

  “Anytime, honey. Here, have another cookie,” Abigail said, pushing the plate a little closer.

  Chapter 8

  Fred Stetson was a serious man. Some might say he didn’t have much of a sense of humor and was even a little brash, but Yvette had always thought of him as a good guy. They’d been working together for a
s many years as Yvette had been the manager at Sundae Afternoon and she’d known him for even longer. When Fred called to request an official meeting with her to discuss the future of their business relationship, Yvette couldn’t help but agree with some of her coworkers, and even the delivery drivers that worked for Fred. He was a little intimidating, and Yvette hoped that her worry wasn’t coming through on her face.

  “So, you do understand where I’m coming from, right?” Fred asked, looking Yvette directly in the eyes.

  The two had agreed to meet at the local business center that had several rooms where people could hold business meetings.

  “Of course. I just wish that we could figure something out. You’ve been our delivery company forever. I hate to have that end just because… well, yes. I suppose I do understand where you’re coming from,” Yvette replied honestly. She really couldn’t fault him for not wanting to continue working with the shop knowing that one of his employees had died there. And, if she was being really honest with herself, it wasn’t exactly easy for her to think about working there either. Murder can do strange things to people.

  “We’ve had a good run, and I don’t have anything bad to say about you, your shop or anyone in it. This was a tragic thing, and I’m having a hard time coming to terms with it. Melody was a lovely young woman, and I was thrilled to have her on our team. I finally get her to come and work for me, and this happens. You can imagine how I feel.” Fred frowned.