Cinnamon and a Corpse

by Cindy Bell

  “He’s busy at the moment. He’s gone for a walk. But that tasting sounds great. When is it?” Phil pulled his phone from his pocket.

  “Tomorrow morning. The shop is closed tomorrow so we are having a private tasting at about ten. Do you think you’ll be able to make it?” Charlotte edged a little closer to him.

  “Oh sure, I think we could. How nice of you to offer.” He smiled at her as he tapped on the screen of his phone.

  “I hate to ask you this, it’s so awkward and rude, I know, but I’ve got to head back to Blue River, and I really need to use the facilities. Would you mind?” Charlotte tipped her head towards the interior of the motel room.

  “Sure, come on in.” Phil stepped aside, just as Rick stepped up to the room door.

  “What are you doing here?” Rick froze in the doorway.

  “She just stopped by to invite us to a private tasting session at her shop. I can’t wait.” Phil grinned. He didn’t seem put out. Did he notice her stepping out of Carlisle’s house? Would he guess that she was up to something?

  “I’m sorry, I just need a quick pit stop.” Charlotte stepped forward as her heart began to race.

  “Go on.” Rick gestured to the bathroom, but his expression remained stiff.

  “Thanks so much.” Charlotte stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. As soon as she turned the lock she wondered if she’d just put herself in a terrible position. The two could be outside the door discussing what to do with her. She looked over the counter in the bathroom. There were no drawers or cabinets. Other than a razor and a few bottles of shampoo she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. She was about to turn and leave, when she noticed something in the trashcan. As she crouched down to take a closer look, she confirmed that there was a tissue with smeared dark red lipstick on it. Someone had applied a fresh coat of lipstick in front of that mirror, blotted it on a tissue, and tossed it in the trash. She doubted it was Rick or Phil. She straightened up, washed her hands, then stepped back out of the bathroom.

  “So, can I count on you both to be there tomorrow morning?” Charlotte flashed them a warm smile.

  “Sure.” Phil nodded, though the friendliness in his tone had vanished. He held open the door of the motel room for her. “Thanks for letting us know.”

  “Of course, feel free to bring your wife.” Charlotte smiled. “I know Sharon loves our chocolates.”

  “Thank you, I’ll see if she can make it.” Phil smiled slightly, but his eyes remained cold.

  Rick watched from a chair beside the back window. He didn’t bother to pretend to be polite. A shiver crept up along Charlotte’s spine as the two of them stared at her. Yes, something had definitely changed while she was in the bathroom.

  As Charlotte hurried back to the car, she thought about the lipstick. Who could it belong to? A businessman, alone in a new place, he might have invited a girl home from the bar. Or perhaps that argument that Ally witnessed, was actually a lover’s quarrel. Had Jasmine been in that motel room?

  Chapter 13

  Charlotte drove a little over the speed limit on her way back to Blue River. She knew that Ally would be waiting for her when she arrived. However, when she pulled into the parking lot of the shop she saw that it was dark. She assumed Ally had walked to the cottage with Arnold. Charlotte headed there next. The light in the living room was on. She gave a light knock on the door then opened it and stepped inside.

  “Are you ready to go?” Charlotte smiled as she spotted Ally and Peaches in the living room. A quick snort from the kitchen indicated that Arnold was busy with his dinner.

  “Yes, I’ll be right there.” Ally set Peaches down, then leaned down to pet her one more time. “Thanks for the talk.”

  “Sorry I’m late.” Charlotte began to fill her in on what she learned from Carlisle. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he saw who left Gary’s body in the alley, but he couldn’t describe the person, or where he or she went.”

  “Just in a hole, hmm?” Ally crossed her arms. “Maybe the hole is a hiding place of some kind? Maybe he went into a window of a nearby building?”

  “Maybe.” Charlotte shook her head. “I can’t think of any windows low enough to crawl through in that alley, though.”

  “It’s interesting that someone put Gary’s body in that alley, don’t you think? We’ve been assuming that Gary was killed nearby and that’s why his body was dumped in the dumpster, but what if there was a different reason?” Ally grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder.

  “What do you mean? What reason?” Charlotte met her granddaughter’s eyes.

  “Maybe he was placed there to throw off the investigation. It’s not as if he was very well hidden. His hand was sticking out. I think that at the very least he would have been found when the dumpster was emptied, but I’m sure someone else would have found him before then if I hadn’t. Why go to all the trouble of moving a body, then not making sure it’s completely hidden? His hand was in plain sight.” Ally shrugged. “To me the only reason would be to make it look like someone else did it, or that the murder was committed someplace else.”

  “That’s an interesting thought.” Charlotte nodded. “The killer took the time to hose down the alley, too, to get rid of any evidence that might have been left behind. This was fairly well thought out.”

  “So, if Gary was killed somewhere else and transported to the alley, say, in a trunk, the killer would have needed to destroy that evidence, too.” Ally tipped her head to the side. “Honestly, it’s been sticking out in my mind how clean Rick’s trunk was when we put the boxes of chocolates in it. Remember? I could smell the cleaning products.”

  “You’re right.” Charlotte’s eyes widened. “It’s possible that he cleaned it up after the murder.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Ally pulled out her phone. “I’m going to send a text to Luke and suggest that he check out Rick’s trunk. Even if he cleaned it, there might be some trace evidence left behind.” She frowned. “At least I hope so.”

  “Honestly, I’m on board with the idea of it being Rick. I’m wondering if he had a partner in crime, though.” Charlotte followed Ally out through the front door of the cottage. “I hate to think it, but I wonder if Phil and Rick worked together.”

  “That actually makes sense.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” Charlotte sighed. “I wish it didn’t, but it really does. Especially after I saw what I did today. After I spoke with Carlisle, I decided to investigate something a little further on my own.”

  “You did?” Ally raised an eyebrow as she looked at her grandmother.

  “Yes. I spotted Phil at the end of Carlisle’s driveway, and he took off when I saw him. So, I followed him back to the motel Rick’s staying in, just inside of Mainbry.” Charlotte started the car and drove towards the center of town.

  “Mee-Maw! You should have told me, I would have come with you.” Ally frowned. “Why would you go by yourself?”

  “There wasn’t time, Ally. I wasn’t sure where he was going, and I didn’t want to lose sight of him. Don’t worry, I didn’t take any chances. I just wanted to get an idea of what he was up to. Phil was in Rick’s motel room. I invited myself into the motel room, and spotted some red lipstick smeared on a tissue in the bathroom trashcan.” Charlotte frowned. “I wonder if the lipstick belonged to Jasmine?”

  “I think it’s possible.” Ally looked into her eyes. “You really shouldn’t have gone into the motel room.”

  “I know that now. But at the time I thought it was the best way to get an idea of what he might be trying to hide. Anyway, I made up an excuse for being there. I claimed we were going to have a private tasting of a new chocolate flavor tomorrow morning, and I wanted to invite them.” Charlotte winced. “Pretty silly, huh?”

  “Actually, that’s pretty brilliant.” Ally smiled. “In fact, I think we should invite a few other people as well.”

  “You do?” Charlotte parked the car in front of the hall, then stepped
out and followed Ally towards the door.

  “Yes. What better way to try to draw out the killer than to get all of our suspects in one place, and see what happens?” Ally opened the door for her grandmother.

  “Yes, that does sound like a good idea. But now we’re going to have to come up with some new chocolate flavors and fast.” Charlotte laughed, then shook her head. “I’m not sure there is anything more that we can invent.”

  “We’ll come up with something.” Ally looked over the large audience inside the hall. “Quite a turnout for the meeting. I hope this leads to something positive, and not just more unrest.”

  “I’m not sure that it can with the town so riled up about the issue.” Charlotte crossed her arms as she swept her gaze over the many faces she knew. “All of this focus on the casino, but no one seems to be that interested in finding out who killed one of our own residents right under our noses.”

  “Maybe it’s better that way.” Ally frowned. “If everyone suspected each other, things could get chaotic pretty fast.”

  “That’s true.” Charlotte waved and smiled to someone across the room.

  “Is that Jeff?” Ally’s eyes widened at the sight of the man who walked towards her grandmother.

  “Yes, and his new hair.” Charlotte grinned. “He’s a blond now.” She leaned close to Ally and lowered her voice. “I really like it.”

  “I can see why.” Ally did her best to hold back a laugh as the shock of blond hair on the top of Jeff’s head was so different that it struck her as funny.

  “Charlotte.” Jeff smiled as he took her hand. “So glad to see you.” He placed a light kiss on her cheek. “And you as well, Ally.” He met her eyes. “Be honest, what do you think?” He gestured to his hair.

  “I think it suits you.” Ally looked straight into his eyes.

  “You’re a terrible liar.” Jeff laughed, then shrugged. “It was an experiment, but as long as Charlotte likes it, it’s staying.”

  “Oh, and I do.” Charlotte laughed.

  “We should find our seats.” Ally tipped her head towards the front row where only a few seats remained. “It’s filling up fast in here.”

  “You’re right. I saved us a few spots over there.” Jeff pointed towards the second row. “But if you’d like we can sit somewhere else.”

  “No, that’s fine.” Ally smiled with some relief at not having to pick through the crowded seats to find three together. As she glanced towards the entrance of the hall, she wondered if Luke would arrive. She hadn’t heard back from him since she’d sent the text, and she was curious about whether he would even be able to search Rick’s trunk. As she stared at the door, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Rick and Phil. They stepped inside and took seats near the back of the hall. If Luke had decided to search the trunk of Rick’s rental car, she didn’t think he had done it yet. She settled into a chair beside her grandmother and braced herself for whatever Harriet might have to say.

  “Excuse me a moment, I need to freshen up.” Charlotte stepped past Ally and headed for the bathroom. As she wove her way through the crowd, she noticed that Eric had shown up as well. He took up a position not far from the door, leaned back against the wall, and crossed his arms. She looked away before he could notice her, then headed for the bathroom.

  When Charlotte pushed the door open, she was surprised to see Harriet standing at the sink. She smiled as she stepped farther into the bathroom.

  “Harriet, all set for your speech?”

  “I hope so.” Harriet pulled a tube of lipstick from a small purse she grasped in one hand. “I just wanted to do a few final touch-ups. The news cameras never pick up my features unless I use enough make-up.” She popped open the lid of the lipstick, then coasted the lipstick across her lower lip.

  Charlotte noticed how dark the lipstick was as she stepped up to the sink beside Harriet.

  “It’s important to look the part.” Charlotte nodded, then glanced over at her. “Would you be interested in joining Ally and me at the shop tomorrow morning for a private tasting of some new chocolate flavors? I know how busy you must be, but we’d love to have you there. It’s at ten.”

  “I think I might be able to make it. I might have a lot less to do tomorrow if this meeting doesn’t go so well.” Harriet sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

  “I’m sure the meeting will go very well.” Charlotte gazed at the woman’s reflection. She really did look perfect.

  “We’ll see.” Harriet plucked a tissue from a box at the back of the sink. She folded the tissue in half, then tucked it between her lips, and pressed. She tossed the tissue into the trashcan beneath the sink.

  “Good luck.” Charlotte smiled at her, but her eyes locked on the tissue in the trashcan. The lipstick looked like the exact shade she had seen in the trash in Rick’s motel room. As her heart began to race, she realized that Harriet might actually be involved in the murder. What other reason could she have to meet with Rick?

  Chapter 14

  Ally shifted over in her chair as her grandmother returned to her seat.

  “Ally, I need to tell you something.” Charlotte leaned close to her.

  “It’s starting,” Ally whispered back, and tipped her head towards the stage in the front of the room.

  The mayor stepped up to the podium. She paused in front of it and waited for the smattering of applause to die down.

  “Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming today.” The mayor scanned the audience and smiled. “It’s nice to see such a good turn out.” She adjusted the microphone on the podium, then took a deep breath. “As you know, a tragedy occurred here in Blue River. We’re not accustomed to crime especially this severe, so I know that many of you have concerns about the safety of our town. I just want to assure you that you are safe, our police force is working hard on the investigation as we speak. Of course, if anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary on the day of Gary Bob’s murder, please do not hesitate to contact the police. Any tidbit of information can be helpful.”

  Ally winced at the thought of all of the calls that would flood the police station. Many people with good intentions would want to describe the traffic patterns, distant sounds, or even just an uneasy feeling that occurred at the time of the murder. She knew that the Blue River Police Department didn’t have the resources to handle such a large influx of calls, and she assumed that the mayor should know that, too.

  “It’s important that we all become active in our community after something like this happens. We all know our neighborhood best, and I’m sure that everyone here is interested in keeping Blue River the amazing community that we all know and love.” The mayor took a breath then gazed out across the audience. “Harriet Duluth is here to answer any questions you might have regarding the rezoning and development of land in Blue River.”

  “Thank you, Mayor Simmons.” Harriet took the podium. “Hello everyone. I understand that many of you have lots of questions.” She cleared her throat. “I am here to answer them.”

  Before Harriet could continue, Mrs. White, who sat in the front row, stood up with her hand high in the air. “I have a question.”

  “Yes?” Harriet smiled at her.

  “I’d like to know what you intend to do about this casino that is being built. I want it to be stopped, and I know that I’m not the only one.” Mrs. White glanced around at the others near her, then looked back at Harriet. “We need some real answers about what can be done to stop this. Why was Gary Bob allowed to buy so many pieces of land in such a short period of time?”

  “Ah yes, thank you for this question. This is a grave concern of mine as well.” Harriet paused and began to shuffle through some papers on the podium.

  “It’s no concern of yours.” Mrs. White glared at her. “You won’t have to live with it every day!”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Harriet set the stack of paperwork on the top of the podium and looked straight into Mrs. White’s eyes. “I will have to see it
more than anyone else here.” Her jaw clenched.

  “What do you mean?” Mrs. White took a step towards the stage.

  “The area where the casino is being built borders on my property. In fact, if it is built to the height that the plans have mapped out, it will be impossible for me to look out my windows and not see it.” Harriet sighed as she picked up the first piece of paper from the stack. “I’m sorry to say however, that this is all my fault.”

  “I knew it!” Mrs. White snapped her fingers.

  “Why is it your fault?” Mrs. Cale gazed at her.

  “Because when Gary Bob first came back to Blue River, he came to my office for a meeting. He presented several ideas of successful businesses that he could bring to Blue River to stimulate the economy, and hopefully help us to grow as a community.” Harriet took a long breath, then held up the piece of paper. “He began to fill out applications to purchase land, and shops. I agreed to fast track his purchases so that we could start to see improvement in our community as quickly as possible. Not once did he ever mention the idea of a casino. As far as I knew he intended to create several individual businesses, that he insisted would be operated by local employees. He said he would not place developments on the green spaces but establish them as recreation and leisure facilities for the community to use. I think we all know that we could use more facilities and jobs around here.” She pressed her palm against her forehead. “Unfortunately, I trusted Mr. Bob, I believed that he had what was best for Blue River at heart.”

  The door to the hall swung open and a stir carried through the crowd as Jasmine stepped inside. Seconds later it quietened as she sat down in one of the few remaining empty chairs.

  Harriet cleared her throat, then continued.

  “By the time I discovered what his true intentions were, it was too late, I had already signed the approvals for the purchases. There was nothing that I could do.” Harriet looked out across the audience. “But we, as a community, can rise up to make our voices heard, to insist that this casino not be built.”