Two Scoops of Murder

by Gretchen Allen

  “Of course. What’s up?” Yvette stopped walking, worried there would be another conflict of interest.

  “I just wanted you to know that I heard why Fred wanted to stop working with you. I get it. It’s hard for me, too. I loved Melody, no matter what happened between us. But, a job is a job, and I’m a professional. I’ll be honest and say that I’d rather not spend any time where she was found, and I’ll probably not ever come in for ice cream again.”

  “Oh, Liam. I completely understand. There’s no need for you to go in the dining room at all and if you ever decide you want ice cream, you just let me know, and I’ll make sure you get your fix without ever even having to step foot inside the building.”

  “Thanks, Yvette.” Liam smiled and began making his way to the back of the truck.

  Yvette really admired the younger man. He was putting his feelings aside, no matter how difficult, to make sure that he took care of his responsibilities.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Yvette said.

  “Thanks. I’m pretty sure she didn’t want anything to do with me, anyway. She and Fred Jr. seemed to have something going on between them, but I haven’t seen him around in a while.” Liam shrugged and kept walking.

  Yvette paused, letting what she’d just heard register. She didn’t even know Fred had a son and definitely wasn’t aware of Melody having something going on with anyone else. All Fred had told her was that Melody was excellent at her job and that there were relationship issues with her and Liam after she got the job. Not that she expected Fred to tell her that much, never mind that Melody and Fred’s son had a thing. Deciding that it wasn’t her place to press or really ask any questions about it at all, Yvette followed Liam’s wishes and made sure he didn’t have to get too close to the dining room.

  “Well, there we have it. I think we’re just about done,” Stella said, holding the OPEN sign, prepared to stick it to the window.

  “No, thanks. I don’t need anything.” Yvette absently waved a hand.

  “What are you talking about? We aren’t opening today?” Stella was confused.

  “What? Why not? What happened now?” Yvette asked, popping her head up from the register.

  “Ohhh, boy.” Stella came closer. “What’s going on? Are you feeling a little scatterbrained today?”

  “I’ve got a lot on my mind is all,” Yvette said.

  “Is it about the job?”

  “No.”

  “Is it about the murder? I’m sure people will come in,” Stella said.

  “It’s not that.”

  “Well, good grief. What is it then? I can’t work with you like this all day. Tell me so I can fix it.”

  Yvette laughed at Stella’s honesty. “I just can’t stop thinking about what Liam said.”

  “So, it is about the murder then. What did he say? He wasn’t rude to you, was he?” Stella stood tall.

  “No.” Yvette chuckled. “He just mentioned something that I wasn’t aware of before, and it’s stuck on my mind. But, you’re right. Today isn’t about that. Today, we plaster smiles on our faces, and we open those doors.”

  “Let’s do it!” Stella put up the OPEN sign and unlocked the doors.

  The women looked at one another, peered out the windows and then back again.

  “I don’t know what I expected,” Stella said, walking behind the counter. “We always have people waiting to come in.”

  “I think it’ll be different for a while. For now, we can…”

  “Yoohoooo!!!”

  Yvette turned to face the door. “Oh, wow! What are you all doing here?”

  Her parents, Charlie and Abigail Lockhart, led the way into the shop, followed by Nate, and Amelia, Yvette’s best friend.

  “We’re here to see you!” Amelia exclaimed, giving her a quick hug. “Mark couldn’t get away from the farm, so I’m taking him something to-go.”

  “My dad couldn’t get out of work, so I’ll bring him something to-go as well,” Nate said.

  “And, I’m picking up something for Audrey,” Abigail told her daughter, referring to Nate’s mom. “We have a book club meeting, and she’s hosting, so she needed to stay behind and finish getting ready.”

  “You have a great support system,” Stella said.

  “I really do. You guys are great, you included,” Yvette said, wanting Stella to know how important she was.

  “Why don’t you sit down with them and I’ll take care of the orders?” Stella offered.

  “Are you kidding? I haven’t worked in what feels like forever. I’m not sitting down, even for a second!”

  Chapter 12

  That was nice of everyone to come,” Joey said, clearing one of the tables.

  “Yeah. It was a relief to see them. I was afraid no one was going to come in,” Yvette replied.

  Joey looked around the dining room. “But… you were wrong. There are people here. Regular customers, and even a couple we haven’t seen in here for quite a while.”

  “It’s been a good day,” Yvette agreed.

  “I totally forgot to tell you. When you were taking care of the outside tables earlier, someone called for you. She said her name was Kristen.”

  “I think that’s a catering order, but I’ll call her back to find out. Thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. When she called, it reminded me that there had been a few calls from another woman before the shop closed. I never caught her name, but she asked when you were working.”

  “Joey!”

  “I know. I’m really trying hard not to forget phone messages. I don’t know why I can’t ever seem to remember.”

  “It could have been Kristen calling. I know she wanted a meeting with me about her event. I’m sure it’s fine. But, do your best to remember things like this next time,” Yvette told him.

  “I will.” Joey’s face was red, and he dashed into the kitchen.

  Yvette continued filling the napkin dispensers and making sure that the drink cooler was stocked before she returned the phone call. The catering event was a decent sized one, and she wanted to make sure that everything was taken care of before she got settled in to chat with Kristen. She liked to be prepared and make sure every last detail was taken care of.

  As Yvette went around the dining room, and then behind the counter to check on the ice cream stock, she noticed something was missing but couldn’t, for the life of her, figure out what it was. She stood there, looking around the building, realizing that something was out of place.

  “Hey, Joey. Can you come here for a sec?” she asked, poking her head into the kitchen.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Does something look different in here to you?”

  Joey looked around, scanning the area. “I mean, there are fewer people than normal. Vanessa isn’t here. We’re running low on chocolate ice cream,” he tried guessing.

  “Not that. Something looks different, but I can’t put my finger on it.” Yvette frowned.

  “Ummm,” Joey began, turning in a circle. “Yeah, boss. I have no idea.”

  “Okay. Maybe it’s just me,” Yvette said, crossing her arms and looking around again.

  Joey shrugged. “Let me know if you figure it out.”

  Joey headed back into the kitchen while Yvette took care of a customer that came in. Yvette used a freshly made chocolate waffle bowl, filled it with three scoops of butter rum ice cream, and was about to top it off with hot fudge when she finally realized what was missing. She quickly finished the sundae, delivered it to the customer, making sure she was happy and raced to the back.

  “My trophy,” she said breathlessly.

  “Your trophy,” Joey repeated.

  “Yes. My trophy for best sundae. The one that I got last year at the Taste of Heritage. It’s gone.”

  “Where’d it go?” Joey asked.

  “That’s what I’m saying. It’s gone. Why would it be gone?” Yvette asked.

  “I really don’t know. Do you think someone stole it
or something?”

  Yvette looked at Joey, a thought occurring to her. “What if…” she paused. “What if it was the murder weapon, and that’s why it’s gone?”

  “What?! Why would you immediately think that?” Joey was stunned.

  “You didn’t see Melody. It could have been my trophy that was used, and we’ll never know because stupid me forgot to plug the cameras back in.”

  “You need to stop being so hard on yourself for that. In any other situation, it wouldn’t have mattered. It’s not like you knew a killer was going to come in here and that’s why you left things unplugged. And, you’re right. I didn’t see the body, and I’m thankful for that.”

  “Think about it, though. Someone came in here, only had a few minutes to do it, so they grabbed the closest thing to them and then they killed Melody. Of course, they took the trophy with them, so there were no fingerprints left behind.”

  “Hundreds of people have probably touched that trophy. It just sat there on the shelf. There’d have been fingerprints all over it, anyway. That’s why they didn’t really come up with anything when they checked the door and tables and stuff. There are too many people in and out of here,” Joey reminded her.

  “I still say it’s possible. From what I hear, they haven’t found a murder weapon yet, and my trophy is missing. Maybe that’s something we can go on.”

  “We?” Joey raised a brow.

  Yvette grinned. “Well, no. Not we. But, the police.”

  “Right, the police.” Joey shook his head, knowing better, and got back to his task.

  Yvette knew there was no way she’d be able to just randomly find her trophy, but if it really was the murder weapon, it may be at least a little helpful. She wondered, assuming that it was, if it held any significance. Did they use the trophy for a specific reason, or was it just the closest heavy object they could find?

  Chapter 13

  Yvette knew it was going to be a good day. While she still had a few worries, everything seemed like it was coming together. Customers didn’t seem to be afraid of the shop, and no one was coming in just to see where a body was found, at least not as far as she knew. She still had no idea if she was going to accept the Vice President position at the National Ice Cream Alliance, but her plans for the day included trying to call Emma again. Yvette might have been upset with her, but those feelings were slowly going away, although nothing had changed, she still had to tell her. Unfortunately, getting in touch with Emma had been next to impossible lately.

  Looking around the shop, Yvette saw that everything was ready to go. Leslie had gone above and beyond and made sure that there was very little work to get done for the shop to open. Everyone on her staff had come together in the time of crisis. She was proud of that, and them. Sundae Afternoon was opening in less than one hour, and she had a meeting scheduled with the members of the alliance board in just a few minutes. She wanted to have something made for them but was sure they wouldn’t want a rich ice cream sundae at ten o’clock in the morning. The coffee was brewing, and coffee floats sounded like the perfect treat for her guests.

  It wasn’t long before they’d arrived and Yvette was prepared. She’d made a list of questions to ask about the convention and what it entailed.

  “Good morning!” Yvette said, greeting Glenn and another woman.

  “I’m Maria.” The woman hugged her.

  Yvette was taken aback, trying to hide her surprise.

  “She’s a hugger.” Glenn laughed. “It smells amazing in here.”

  “Thanks.” Yvette grinned, being paid what she considered one of the highest compliments. “Would either of you like some coffee? I can drop a scoop of ice cream in there as well, for one of our coffee floats.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Maria said.

  “It does,” Glenn agreed.

  “You two can have a seat right over there.” Yvette pointed to where she’d been sitting. “Any preference on ice cream?”

  “Anything is great,” Glenn said, ushering Maria to the table. The two chatted quietly while Yvette made their floats.

  Yvette remembered when she’d spoken to Glenn before. He’d said that one of the board members had purchased a home in Heritage. She wondered if it had been Maria. She was a bit older, and perhaps, if she was looking for friends, Yvette could introduce her to her mom and Nate’s mom, Audrey. Dashing in the kitchen for some caramel sauce, Yvette finished up the floats and carried them on a tray to the table, surprised at who else was sitting at the table.

  “These look outstanding, Yvette. Where on earth did you come up with such an idea?” Haley asked.

  “They look great,” Maria said.

  Glenn nodded his agreement, already sipping his warm beverage.

  “I think Glenn forgot his manners,” Maria chided. “Yvette, this is Haley Sanders.”

  “We’ve met,” Haley said. “How are you, honey? It’s been so long!”

  Yvette was surprised for the second time that morning by members of the board. She and Haley weren’t ever particularly close, but finding out that she was on the board was a shock. Even though they weren’t friends, Yvette thought she would have known for sure that Haley was interested in a career related to ice cream.

  “Yes. Wow. It has been a long time.” Yvette nodded. “Speaking of manners, have my float. I’ll make one for myself later.”

  “Thank you!” Haley grinned. “How kind of you. I apologize for being late. My sprinklers were going off right where I needed to walk to get out to my car. I just bought this house, and I have no idea how to shut them off, so I had to carry an umbrella outside to protect myself. Yvette, if you know anyone that does any sort of handyman or landscape work, I’d love to get their names. I need help figuring out how to adjust the times they go off.”

  Yvette’s question had been answered. Haley was the one who bought the house in Heritage. Not that there was anything really wrong with that. It had been quite a few years since she’d seen her, let alone talked to her. Haley and Emma were friends at one point, and for all she knew, they still were. She had no idea what had happened in their friendship over the years.

  “So, you’re the one that bought the ranch house up from my parents? I’ve always loved that house, it’s so beautiful,” Yvette said.

  “Thank you. It feels good to be back.” Haley sipped her float.

  “Alright, everyone. Let’s get down to business. We want to hold the convention here. We wavered a little after the murder, but when we got the okay from Kline’s Farm to hold the event there, we knew we had to do it. It’s a perfect location, fits in with the event since they produce ice cream right there on the property. I’m thinking tours of the buildings, the land, I mean, heck, there’s even a built-in petting zoo for the kids.”

  “This is great news,” Yvette said, thrilled that Mark had agreed to have the convention at the farm.

  Glenn nodded. “Now, we just need to nail down the details, and we can get planning. As you know, the convention is held in the summer, and normally we already have everything ready to go by now. So, if you have any ideas or suggestions, we are more than willing to listen.”

  “Definitely. It’s not every day we have a soon to be VP in our midst, helping us plan.” Haley’s eyes twinkled.

  “She hasn’t agreed to anything,” Glenn said.

  “Yet. I know Yvette would be perfect for the job and I look forward to working with her.” Haley drank the last of her float and pushed the mug aside. “What was in that glorious thing?”

  “Freshly brewed coffee and butterscotch chip ice cream. It’s a new flavor, and I think it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites,” Yvette answered.

  “I’ve never had anything like it,” Maria chimed in. “I love it.”

  “Thank you,” Yvette said, excited the board members had enjoyed their floats. “So, is there something specific I can help with? Anything I need to know as far as Sundae Afternoon is concerned?”

  “Well, as you probably assumed, Sundae
Afternoon would be the featured shop. Which is why it’s so perfect about the farm. Your ice cream will be the main event, the big to do. Your staff will work the convention, and typically the shops stay closed for the day so everyone can participate. I know you aren’t the owner here, so will we need to contact Ms. Kline?” Glenn asked.

  Yvette thought for a moment. She knew that Emma would already know that the convention was being held in Heritage. Mark would have informed her right away, even via email. She’d also have assumed that the shop would be featured, but Yvette had been having such a hard time getting ahold of her.

  “I’m sure Emma would be perfectly fine with it. She has so much trust in Yvette. They are quite the team from what I remember,” Haley said.

  “I still think we should give her a call,” Yvette said. “She’d love to know the details, even though she’s not here.”

  “She’s not?” Maria asked.

  “She’s been in Florida. There is another Sundae Afternoon there,” Yvette explained.

  “Wow. Good for her.” Glenn nodded.

  “Busy lady,” Maria said.

  “She made things happen for herself. She always said she would.” Haley smiled, clearly reminiscing.

  “Well, I’ll email you some information. We can contact Ms. Kline, and I won’t plan to see you until our meeting next week,” Glenn said, referring to the meeting they scheduled after her job offer.

  “Sounds great,” Yvette agreed.

  Chapter 14

  Thanks for coming in a little early,” Yvette said.

  “Not a problem at all. I was just sitting around the house waiting to come in anyway,” Stella told her.

  “Party animal,” Yvette joked.

  “That’s me. Hey, before you go. There’s something I wanted to share with you.”

  “Okay. Let’s sit for a minute,” Yvette said, looking around to make sure that Joey had everything ready to open the shop.

  “I realized something last night that struck me as odd, and I just wanted to let you know. It seems like no one really knows much about the murder that happened here. Everything has been really quiet, and I know you sometimes, umm… try to work out the details on your own, and I thought this could possibly help.”