“Right? Yeah, I was sorry to hear about Logan. And I know Mariah is a grieving him, but I just can’t understand who would kill him. For that matter, who would kill anyone?”
“I feel the same way. I can’t imagine what would push anyone to kill. Hopefully the police will find his killer soon.”
She hesitated a moment as she set her own bunch of bananas into her shopping cart. “Is Ethan working on the case?”
I nodded. “Yes, he’s on the case.” I looked over the display of bananas again, hoping she would continue.
“That must be hard, since they were friends. Does he have anyone in mind as the killer?”
I turned back to her. “I’m not really sure. I know he’s working on the case and I’m sure he’ll arrest the killer as soon as he can.”
“Well, I hope he figures it out then.”
She made as if she was getting ready to push her cart off to the next display of produce and I didn’t want to let her get away from me before I got the information I needed.
“Tara, you said you were friends with Logan. Were you close friends with him?”
She hesitated a moment, considering what she was going to say. “Why do you ask that question?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, I was just hoping that somebody had insight into what happened to him. And if you were close to him…”
She nodded, narrowing her eyes at me. “I bet you heard that the two of us had an affair, right?”
I hesitated, sensing the change in her demeanor. I didn’t want to make her angry, I just wanted her to give me any information she might have. “Well, you know how things are around here. It’s a small town and people like to talk. Not that I’m listening to that kind of gossip, but well, you know how it is.” I was embarrassed that I had brought it up, and that she had caught on to me so quickly. But I needed to know.
She nodded slowly and gripped the handles of the shopping cart. “I did not have an affair with Logan. I have never had an affair with anyone. I hate cheaters, because I’ve been cheated on and I wouldn’t do something like that. Especially not to my sister.”
I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Of course not. I knew the rumors couldn’t be true.”
She hesitated, softening. “It’s true that my sister and I don’t always get along, but I would never do something like that to her. Not even if she deserved it.”
“What do you mean, not even if she deserved it?”
She glanced away and then looked back at me again. “There was a reason the two of them broke up so often. It was because Mariah was always itching to be with someone else. Honestly, what kind of men do you think go to the gym? Men who are fit and attractive, and she’s always got her eyes on someone. I wouldn’t blame Logan if he did have an affair, but he certainly didn’t have one with me.”
I nodded and forced myself to smile. “Of course not. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel that I was accusing you of anything. I’m just sorry that this happened to Logan, and to Mariah. I’m sure the police will find Logan’s killer soon.”
“I hope they do, and I hope they put them away for a long time. Logan deserved better than to die the way he did, and the killer deserves to be put away for a very long time.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. “Logan was a good guy. He was Ethan’s friend, and I know Ethan is broken up over his murder.”
“You know, if I were to take a guess at who may have killed him, I would point at Amber Gleason. I’m sure you already know about the rumors of her saying nasty things about Logan’s barbershop, but did you know that she had a thing for Logan?”
I looked at her. “I think somebody may have mentioned that,” I said. “Do you really think she might harm him?” Mel had said that Amber and Tara were friends. It didn’t sound like it to me.
She nodded. “I do. That girl is twisted. We used to run around together in high school, and there was just something about her that wasn’t right. I tried to break off the friendship when we were seniors and she went nuts. She demanded my attention and practically forced me to remain friends with her.”
I didn’t know that about Amber. “What do you mean, she forced you be friends with her?”
Her mouth made a straight line, and she was quiet a moment. “It was high school. You know what that was like. She threatened to make my life miserable if I hung around other girls. And I knew she would make good on it by rounding up other girls to be ugly and hateful to me. Let’s just say I didn’t have it in me back then to stand up to her.”
I was surprised at this admission. “High school was great for me, but I know it wasn’t so great for everyone.”
She nodded. “Exactly. Sometimes it only takes one person to make high school miserable, and Amber was one of those people. If she didn’t like someone, she went after them.”
“I didn’t know that, but I guess that explains her behavior toward Logan and his barbershop.” Some people might graduate from high school, but their behavior never changes. And maybe Amber was one of those people.
“You bet it explains it,” she said, tightening her grip on her shopping cart. “It’s been nice talking to you Mia, but I’ve got to run. Sometimes the trip down memory lane isn’t so sweet.”
“I’m sorry Tara, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She smiled and loosened her grip on the shopping cart handle. “It’s okay. Honestly, I just hope Ethan finds Logan’s killer, whoever it is. See you around.”
I watched her go as she pushed her shopping cart out of the produce department. Amber sounded scary. If she had been scary in high school and she had never changed, then she may have done something as scary as kill Logan.
Chapter Seventeen
“All right. Where are we on finding Logan’s killer?” Christy asked me as we headed over to Little Coffee Shop of Horrors.
I sighed as a breeze blew my hair across my face and I pushed it back. “I don’t know. Ethan doesn’t say a lot about it, but I can tell it’s really wearing on him. Not only did he lose one of his good friends, but he’s trying to solve his murder case and he won’t admit it, but I think he’s really frustrated. I hope he finds the killer soon.”
“I can imagine how hard it is for him. I don’t know how he’s managing to sleep at night.”
“I doubt he is,” I said as I reached for the coffee shop door and pulled it open, allowing Christy to go ahead of me. I stepped inside behind her and inhaled the scent of freshly ground coffee beans. “One of my favorite smells.”
Christy chuckled. “Mine too.”
Fred Tillman was the only customer in the shop, and as he stood at the front counter, he turned to look at us and grinned. “Well, hello Mia and Christy. Fancy meeting you two here.”
I shrugged. “If you don’t find us at the candy shop, it’s a pretty good bet we’ll be here.”
“Well, here is a good place to be,” he said, nodding. “They’ve got the best coffee in town.”
Amanda grinned at us. “How are you two doing today?”
“We’re doing great,” Christy said. “The sun is shining, and even if it’s still freezing outside, at least it’s sunny.”
“Right? I hate when it’s cloudy day after day,” Amanda said as she worked on Fred’s order.
Fred turned and eyed me. “So Mia, I know I’ve asked this before, but how is Ethan doing on Logan’s murder case?”
“I guess as well as can be expected. He’s been working a lot of extra hours trying to bring the murderer in and I’m sure he’ll have them behind bars before we know it.” I tried to sound more positive than I felt. The truth was that I missed being able to spend time with Ethan.
He nodded. “If you ask me, Ethan’s got his work cut out for him. Logan was a good guy and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him. So my guess is that it isn’t going to be somebody obvious, if it wasn’t Mariah.”
I nodded. “You may have a point there. How have you been, Fred?” I wanted to change the subject. Everyone
wanted to know how the case was going and I was frustrated at not knowing much about it. Not that I would have told what I knew, of course. But I wanted this thing solved so life could go back to normal and Ethan could have closure.
He shrugged. “I guess I’m getting by. Business has been slow with the cold weather. Like I said the other day, people are only getting the work done that they can’t get by without.”
“I guess I never thought about a garage having slower seasons,” I said.
He nodded. “Oh yeah. For the month or two following Christmas everyone has spent all their money and they don’t want to get any work done that they don’t absolutely have to have done. Makes it hard on me, but I guess I understand.” He chuckled. “I wouldn’t spend any money I didn’t absolutely have to, either. I’m still paying off Christmas myself.”
“That’s true,” I said thoughtfully. “Everyone has probably spent all their money and are just trying to recover from the holidays.”
He sobered. “Yeah, but it’s about to kill me. I’ve got bills too, and I don’t have money to pay them unless I have customers.”
We turned as the door opened and Polly walked through the door. She smiled and got in line behind us. “This is the place to be this afternoon, isn’t it?”
Christy turned to her. “It is. A nice warm pick-me-up for a cold afternoon.”
I turned back to Fred. “I hope things pick up for you at the garage.”
He shook his head slowly. “I do too. I hate to lay off one of my guys, but this has been the slowest January I’ve had in years.”
“I wonder why this January is slower than others?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “I guess I don’t know, but things have sure been tough. I told Mel the other day I might have to get a part-time job.” He chuckled. “I haven’t worked for anybody in so many years, I don’t know if I could handle that.”
“It does take some getting used to if you’re used to working for yourself,” I said.
His brow furrowed. “I tell you, things have been slow. I don’t mean to go on and on about it, but I’m just surprised it’s been drawing out the way it has. December was bad, too.”
“Paying for car repairs is the last thing I want to pay for. Ever,” Christy said.
He looked at her and sighed. “I’m serious about maybe having to lay someone off. If you ladies need any work done on your cars, be sure and stop by and I’ll give you a good deal.”
“I need two new tires and an oil change,” Christy said, brightening at the mention of a good deal. “I’ll try to bring in my car in the next couple of days.”
He smiled at this. “That would be fantastic. If we don’t have the size of tires you need, I can get them ordered. You just stop by anytime. We’re rarely busy enough to need an appointment these days.”
“I’ll do that,” Christy promised.
Amanda finished with Fred’s order and he paid for it and left.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Polly asked as we stepped up to the front counter. I turned toward her.
Christy looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”
“Fred’s the crookedest mechanic in the state.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked. She said it with such assurance that I had to wonder if he had cheated her.
She shrugged. “He’s always overcharging people. He comes on with his good old boy exterior, but deep down, he’s a thief.”
“Those are strong words. How do you know he’s a thief?” I asked. I’d heard the rumors, and Polly wasn’t one to gossip.
“I took my car to him a couple of months ago for an oil change and I thought he was very fair in his price,” Amanda said.
“An oil change is one thing, but anything else and you’re taking a risk. Those tires he’ll order for you, Christy? He’ll order the cheapest ones he can find and tell you that they’re the good ones. And believe me, he’s going to charge you a good price for them.” She looked at Christy knowingly.
“Well I don’t have money to throw away,” Christy said slowly. “But I’d hate to take it someplace else now that I’ve already said I’d bring my car to him.”
She shrugged. “It’s your money. But honestly, I wouldn’t trust him. He’s always overcharging people. He’ll give you one price and then when you come to pick up your car, he’ll charge another.”
That struck a chord. That was what Angela Karis had said he had done to Logan. I thought it must be true.
“It sounds like he took advantage of you,” I said.
She nodded. “It’s been a couple of years ago, but I took my car in to get a new radiator and he quoted me one price, but when I got there, he said some other parts were bad and he had gone ahead and replaced them. My bill was almost four hundred dollars more than what he quoted me.”
“That’s terrible,” I said. “What did you do?”
“I sent my husband down there to talk to him. But Fred wouldn’t back down, and we ended up paying the money. Later I heard other stories of him doing the exact same thing to other people. Never again will I take a car him.”
What she said made my stomach sink. I hated to think that Fred or anyone else in this town would cheat their customers, but I knew Polly well enough to know that she wouldn’t make this up.
“Maybe I’ll tell him I don’t have enough money for tires then,” Christy said slowly. “I can take my car in for the oil change. He can’t overcharge on that, right?”
She shrugged again. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he tries. He may say he noticed something else was wrong when he gets in there. But don’t leave the garage while he’s working on it so he can’t go ahead and do the work without first talking to you.”
Christy nodded. “I’ll do that. I’ll stay there at the garage so that if he says something’s wrong, he’ll have to come and ask me before fixing it.”
I turned to Amanda, as I thought about this. “I’d like a raspberry mocha.”
“And I’d like a regular mocha,” Christy added.
She nodded and got to work on our drinks. “I hate to hear that about another business owner. I’d like to think Pumpkin Hollow has honest business owners,” she said over her shoulder.
“You and me both,” I said, leaning on the front counter.
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t know it for a fact,” Polly said. “Honestly, I’m not just gossiping. If it hadn’t happened to me, I wouldn’t tell you about it the way I am.”
“I believe you,” I said. “I’ve known you long enough to know you aren’t going to make this up.”
If Polly said Fred had cheated her, then I believed it. I needed to talk to Ethan about it and see what he thought. If Fred really had cheated Logan, and Logan had threatened to file a complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repairs, then maybe Fred had gotten back at him by cutting his brake line and killing him.
Chapter Eighteen
“What do you think about what Polly said about Fred?” Christy asked me, turning from the shelf she was straightening.
Fred’s auto shop might have been slow, but he wasn’t the only one. We’d had several slow days at the candy store, and it was a good thing we also had Internet sales, or we might’ve been in the same position Fred was in.
“I don’t know. I always thought Fred was a good guy, in spite of what people have said about him. It’s not the first time I’ve heard something like this, of course, and Logan’s parents sure don’t like Mel. But sometimes I wonder if that’s just because they are mechanics and people always think that mechanics are trying to cheat them.”
She came over to lean on the front counter. “It’s hard to know if they’re charging you a fair price when you don’t know anything about the mechanics of a car.”
“Exactly. How do you know if they’re cheating you when you have no idea how things are supposed to work under the hood?”
“Still, I’m a little worried about buying my tires from him after what Polly said. I don’t have mon
ey to throw away and I’d hate to think that he was giving me cheap tires if I pay for a better grade.”
“I guess you can solve that by just paying for cheap tires,” I said and gave her a cheesy grin.
She rolled her eyes at me. “I guess that would solve things. And honestly, that’s probably all I can afford anyway.”
“I guess you don’t have to worry about him cheating you then,” I said. We both looked up as the front door opened and Amber Gleason walked in.
She smiled. “Hi ladies,” she said and walked up to the front counter. “How are you two doing today?”
“We’re doing great,” I said. Her hair was striped with lavender and it looked good on her. “Who did your hair? It’s cute.”
“I did it myself. I know, I know, hairdressers aren’t supposed to do their own hair, but I do.”
“Wow, I really like that,” Christy said, admiring her hair. “It’s really pretty. Maybe I should do something like that.”
“Well I can hook you right up,” she said, nodding. “If we lightened your hair a little, and added the lavender highlights, I think it would be really cute.”
She sighed. “Except I’ve got to pay for an oil change and tires. Darn it, why do I have to be responsible?”
“Oh there’s that responsibility thing,” Amber said and chuckled. “I’m not too keen on it myself.”
“I can do your hair for you, Christy,” I said leaning on the front counter. “It doesn’t have to look good, right?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “As a matter fact, it does need to look good. I don’t want people staring at me when I walk down the street, unless it’s because I look good.”
I shrugged. “Suit yourself. What can I help you with, Amber?”
“I’ve been itching for some more of your mom’s fudge. That raspberry white chocolate fudge was delicious, and I’ve got to have some more,” she said and moved over to the display case. “What are those?” She pointed at the truffles that were coated with white chocolate. Mom had drawn pastel colored flowers on with royal icing.
Chocolate Heart Killer: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 14 Page 9
