Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Laurie Anne Marie

  Nash was brusque. “Look, I’ll go talk to him. Let’s have a meeting later after your shift and see how it’s going. Just calm down.”

  “You’re supposed to take care of any harassment. There are laws about that. You’re in charge now. I really need you to get him to stop, or I’m going to the Labor Board,” Sara insisted.

  Nash narrowed his eyes at Sara. He leaned in close to her, but Ashley could still hear part of what he said.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Not after I know what you were doing with Darren. And what else you’re into…..now, I said I’d take care of it, so…”

  The sound trailed off. That was all Ashley heard, but it was enough to know that Sara was hiding something and Nash was threatening her. The question was, what?

  Nash went into the kitchen and slammed the door. Sara stood outside for a moment wiping her eyes. Ashley got out of her car and slammed the door really hard as if she had just arrived.

  “Hi, Sara. What’s up? You don’t look so happy,” Ashley said.

  “Nothing,” Sara replied. She glanced down at the ground.

  “Are you sure? It doesn’t look like nothing to me. Anything I can do to help?”

  “No. Except answer me a question. Does this new cook Chris creep you out?”

  “Yeah, a bit.”

  Ashley kept a straight face. She obviously couldn’t tell Sara any history of the tall and skinny Chris and how creepy she knew he really was.

  “Seriously. The guy keeps staring at me and making sexist remarks. I hate being around him,” Sara explained.

  “Have you told him off? And more importantly, have you told Mr. Nash?” Ashley asked.

  Again, Ashley kept a straight face. She hoped that Sara hadn’t noticed her drive up and that by playing dumb, she could get an answer to some questions.

  “Yeah. I told Chris off. He just laughed. And Nash is no help,” Sara muttered.

  “Sara, there are laws against this type of harassment, as you know. Why don’t you go to the Labor Board if Nash doesn’t help?”

  Ashley got just the response she was hoping for. Sara stood rigid, and her face got white as a ghost.

  “Uhhh, yeah…I guess. I’ll see what Nash does first. Maybe he can get it to stop.”

  Sara started to walk in the kitchen door.

  “You know, Sara, we haven’t talked much since Darren’s murder. Did you know his wife?” Ashley asked.

  “Why are you asking me that?” Sara blurted out.

  “Just that I heard that his wife thought you were having an affair with her husband.”

  Sara’s face went red with anger. “That witch can say whatever she wants. She has no proof!”

  “Hey, calm down. It was just a question,” Ashley said.

  “No, it wasn’t just a question. Who do you think you are, anyway? If you think you’re going to accuse me of sleeping with Darren, open your eyes. There are other people right here that were fooling around with him too,” Sara shouted.

  This time, Ashley stood rock still. Sara realized she had said too much and opened the door to the kitchen. But not before she delivered a parting shot.

  “You better stop asking questions, Ashley. None of this is your business. I’m warning you.”

  With that, Sara slammed the door.

  Ashley sighed. “Well, that didn’t go so well either.”

  ***

  Ashley decided to walk in the front and avoid whatever might be going on in the kitchen at the moment. Before she even took one more step, three cop cars screeched into the restaurant parking lot. Their sirens were deafening. The officers jumped out and started to run in. Two stayed in the back, and two went in the front.

  Chris Number Two, aka Chris Jackson, bolted out of the back door but was quickly apprehended.

  “Freeze!” shouted an officer.

  Within minutes, they had him in cuffs and put him in the car. Then they took off, sirens blaring.

  Ashley’s head was spinning the entire time. What had just happened? She had so many questions yet no answers.

  She decided to put a quick call in to the detective.

  “Detective Thompson?”

  She heard his voice on the other end of the line while he was talking to other people in the room.

  “Yes, what is it?’ Thompson asked. He was curt.

  “I just arrived at the restaurant and cop cars pulled in, and Chris Number Two came running out the back door and was arrested. Why was he arrested?”

  “I’m not at liberty to tell you that at this moment. Excuse me, but I have to get back to work,” he said.

  “Okay, maybe we can talk later?” Ashley said.

  “Maybe. Very busy now. Have to go,” Thompson said.

  “Wait! Will we still need to have the cop car watching us?” she asked.

  “We still don’t know where Chris Durst is or if he is involved in all of this. Until we do, I’m keeping the car on your family,” he answered.

  He hung up, and Ashley was left standing there wondering about everything that had just happened.

  She wasn’t the only one. Patrons had started to arrive for breakfast and stared at the scene of departing police cars. A few were shaking their heads in disbelief.

  “Comfortville used to be so quiet. What’s happening?” asked one patron.

  “Not so comforting anymore,” grumbled another.

  “Well, let’s go in and ask the help what this is all about,” said a little old lady.

  “You mean gossip about it,” said her husband.

  “Well, dear, if this place is going to continue to be the talk of the town, we might as well hear all about it from the horse’s mouth,” the lady said excitedly.

  Ashley walked in behind them with a stiff smile and nodded at the group. She then scrambled toward the kitchen. The entire dining room was all abuzz with the morning excitement.

  Ashley grabbed a chocolate croissant off the rack outside the kitchen door and started to wolf it down. When she got in the kitchen, she almost dropped her treat.

  Everyone in the kitchen was standing around watching a full-blown cat fight between Sara and Meagan. It was unreal. They were screeching at the top of their lungs.

  “I can’t believe you told that witch that I was sleeping with Darren!” Sara shouted.

  “You started it. You told her I was sleeping with him!” Meagan screamed back.

  “Because you were!” Sara retorted.

  Meagan took a swing at Sara, who ducked and crashed back into the stove. Ashley gasped, but she could hear laughing too.

  “Stop this now. Stop before you hurt yourselves!” Ashley shouted.

  Ashley didn’t mean to raise her voice, but the noise in the kitchen was so loud no one would have heard her otherwise.

  “Why are you laughing?” Ashley glared at the group standing around. “It’s time to get to work.”

  Ashley noticed everyone gossiping as they ran to their stations. Sara and Meagan huffed out to the dining room. Ashley thought this was the perfect time to talk to Nash, especially after what she had just seen in the kitchen and especially with Chris Number Two having just been arrested.

  Already the day was off to a dramatic start, but little did she know that there was more trouble ahead.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As Ashley walked over to Nash, she heard him talking in low tones on his cell phone. The minute he saw her, he terminated the call.

  “Gotta go,” Nash said quickly then hung up.

  He stared at her calmly, as if he hadn’t noticed one of his cooks getting arrested.

  “Mr. Nash, can I speak with you? It’s very important.”

  Ashley returned his piercing gaze. Keeping it cool was key.

  “Yes,” he answered.

  “What happened with Chris Jackson? Why was he arrested?”

  “Well, Ashley, I think the police have their reasons. They didn’t inform me of too much since it’s a crime issue. Something about fraud, something like that.”


  “Something like that? He was working here. Didn’t you hire him? Wasn’t a background check done?”

  “Look, between Darren’s murder and having to take over and run this place then get a partially new staff and reopen, it’s been very stressful for me. I really can’t remember if I paid attention to every detail about him. He also came well recommended. But I have to get back to work. There’s lots to do. Including hiring another cook,” Nash explained.

  He gave her a stiff smile and kept acting as if everything was la-di-da.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Nash, but have you thought that Chris’s arrest could be tied into Darren’s murder? Along with Chris Durst leaving town? Ashley asked.

  He attempted to give her a blank stare again. But she could see his facial and neck muscles tense up.

  “That’s only speculation, Ashley. The police and a detective are working on the case, and they already have a suspect in jail. Now don’t worry your little head about it. And I don’t need to remind you there is cooking to be done in the kitchen today. Please get back in there. That’s where you’re needed.”

  He gave her another bland smile and started to walk away, but he wasn’t going to throw her off so easily.

  “Well, do you know that Sara and Meagan were fighting over Darren in the kitchen just now and accusing each other of having an affair with him? Has anyone else told you about that yet? And Sara didn’t get along with the new cook, Chris, and considered going to the Labor Board about him harassing her. Did you know about that too?” Ashley asked.

  Ashley had decided to test him and see what reaction she got. She knew her job could be on the line, but something told her he wouldn’t want to fire her, at least not yet. It would arouse suspicion since she always did her job well. Plus, he had just lost one cook.

  Nash turned around, and every vein on his face and neck seemed to bulge. He let out a hiss between his gritted teeth.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I heard things here and there, but like you, I can’t be sure if there is proof or not. And your accusations are getting hard to stomach. I don’t need to remind you that you are not a detective, and I advise you to stop snooping around and get back to work. By not doing your job, you are setting the stage for grounds for dismissal.”

  Ashley quickly headed back to the kitchen. She could feel the daggers from his eyes in her back. As she put her apron on, she knew she had touched on something with Nash. First of all, he was lying about not knowing about Sara and Darren. He probably knew something about Meagan and Darren too. And secondly, she had heard him warn Sara not to go to the Labor Board herself.

  Nash had hired Chris Jackson and pretended he was too busy to do a background check and then acted nonchalant about him being arrested. So the question was, what was Nash hiding? More than ever, he seemed to have all the motives for Darren’s murder.

  Along with everyone else, Ashley thought.

  ***

  As Ashley cooked throughout the day, she realized that anything else she could get out of Nash would be like pulling teeth. He seemed to know a lot of everyone’s secrets that he wouldn’t want to spill, and now that he was running the restaurant, it turned out that things weren’t proceeding as smoothly for him as he might have thought they would.

  “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”

  Ashley mused again that Shakespeare had said it all. Nash might not be a king, but he was in charge now, and it seemed his “subjects” and his “kingdom” at the restaurant were out of control.

  ***

  As soon as Ashley finished her shift, she knew it was time for a visit to Babycakes. She needed a treat and wanted to see Sean. He would make her feel better.

  First she ran into Serena sitting outside the kitchen on her break. Serena seemed to be talking to herself since Ashley didn’t see her holding a phone.

  “Serena? Are you okay?” Ashley asked.

  “Not really,” Serena sniffled. She dabbed her eyes and blew her nose.

  Ashley felt that Serena had been crying a lot since they had all gotten back to work. Even though she didn’t know Serena well, she sensed she was the oversensitive type and decided to try and cheer her up. Plus, she hadn’t fished for any info from Serena yet, and maybe this would be a good time.

  “Care to talk about anything? You seem to be upset a lot lately. Can I help?” Ashley added.

  Serena kept sniffling. “I don’t think anyone can help.”

  Ashley smiled at her. “Oh, I don’t know about that. Give me a try.”

  “It’s just that, I don’t have much luck in relationships. I’ve never had a boyfriend for very long. I know I’m not pretty, but I’m not ugly either. And I’m a nice person, and I have some cool things that I’m interested in. And I can cook, well, not like you, but still, a little bit…” Serena’s voice trailed off, and she kept sniffling.

  “Hey. You should be able to find a guy out there that appreciates that. You can’t give up. My boyfriend left me a while ago, and it hurt, but life goes on. You have to put yourself out there again. Have you tried joining some groups that do things you’re interested in?” Ashley replied.

  “No, I feel weird about doing that. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just too shy. But I try to let guys know that I’m interested, but they just ignore me. Just like Chris did,” Serena blurted out. She stopped sniffling and looked angry now.

  Ashley’s ears perked up. “Chris? The cook?”

  “He laughed at me. And so did Meagan. I hate her. She flirts with everyone with her big boobs. Including Chris.”

  Ashley gave her a quizzical look. “You mean Chris Durst or Chris Jackson?”

  “What does it matter? They both ignored me. At least one’s gone, and the other one is in jail. That way I don’t have to see them every day. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

  “I’m sorry. We all get rejected, Serena. Feel better. And remember what I said. Just put yourself out there again. You never know when a nice guy could come into your life.”

  “Yeah, and then Meagan would be there to steal him from me,” Serena said angrily. “But thanks for talking to me anyway, Ashley. I have to get back to work.”

  Ashley felt sorry for Serena. She wasn’t very attractive, and she was very shy, almost timid. That must make it hard for her to meet someone. And of course, she could sympathize with Serena about Meagan flirting with everyone. Ashley didn’t know how long it had taken Meagan to snatch Ray from her, but it was obvious that Meagan was a pro at that sort of thing.

  What set Ashley to thinking was that Serena seemed to have a crush on both cooks. Could she have overheard Chris One or Chris Two saying what they were up to, either outside on break or on their phones? Or to Meagan? If Serena was that fixated on either of them, maybe she had noticed or heard something.

  Ashley would have to try and coax that out of Serena later. But now her stomach rumbled again. Time to boot it over to Babycakes.

  Chapter Twenty

  When Ashley arrived, Sean looked up from a customer’s table and gave her a smile. He made a motion he’d join her soon. She ambled over to the pastry case and instantly her mouth began to water. What to choose? There was something that looked lemony and creamy sitting there that looked too good to pass up.

  “It’s a lemon mousse with whipped cream and candied lemon peel,” Sean said. “Very light and perfect with hazelnut coffee.”

  Ashley laughed. “Twist my arm.”

  Just then, Ashley’s friend Lara walked in and dashed over to her side.

  “Ashley!”

  Lara gave her a hug, and they sat down together.

  “Imagine us both having our sweet tooths act up at the same time,” Ashley smiled.

  “Yeah, and yours looks delicious. What should I have?” Lara drooled.

  “Get something different, and then we can share.”

  “Good idea. Be right back.”

  Ashley looked around and noticed that Darren’s wife Julia was not there. Altho
ugh she wondered where she could be, she was relieved to have a break at the moment from thinking about the crime. Sean joined them after taking care of some customers, and the three friends sat and caught up. Both girls dived into their pastries and each other’s, and Sean added an old-fashioned chocolate pudding that was divine.

  Lara turned to Sean. “Do you ever get tired of sweets?”

  Sean laughed. “Take a look at my body and think about your question again.”

  Ashley moaned in delight. “Well, I never get tired of eating them.” She had eaten three spoons of everyone’s.

  “Thanks for wolfing most of mine down,” Lara said.

  “I’ll fix that,” Sean said. He ran up to the counter to get another treat and help some more customers.

  Lara quickly turned to her friend.

  “Ashley, Sean likes you so much. I know you’re drooling over that detective. But I think it’s just a crush. Look at Sean. He’s attractive, sweet, and caring. And he has it bad for you.”

  Ashley sighed. “And he owns a pastry shop. If we went out, I’d put on ten pounds in one week.”

  “Don’t be silly, Ash, you’re here all the time anyway. And he thinks you’re gorgeous just the way you are. Plus you two are so comfortable with each other. He’s perfect to mend your heart after that jerk Ray broke up with you.”

  “I just think of him as a friend, Lara. A great friend, but just a friend none the less.”

  “Ash, the best starting point is to be good friends first. It makes it so much better.”

  Ashley sat still and thought for a moment. She knew her friend was right.

  “Ash? Hello? Weren’t you supposed to go out with him to a movie this week?”

  “How did you know that?” Ashley said.

  “Sean told me. He was very excited about it. And then you blew him off.”

  “I didn’t blow him off. I just forgot. I’ve been busy at work and trying to help solve the murder. And keeping my parents from going crazy worrying about me while I’m living at home again. Oh, I feel so bad now.”