by Sarah Fox
“Not my fault,” I said in my defense. “I wish I hadn’t been anywhere near the lodge when it happened.”
Ivan still glared at me. “You found the body.” It sounded like an accusation.
“You know about that?”
Ivan glanced at Tommy.
“Everyone knows about the murder,” Tommy said, “but I got that tidbit from Rob.”
I should have guessed. Tommy sometimes took photos for the local paper, the Wildwood Cove Weekly, and he’d become friends with reporter Rob Mazzoli.
“He wants to interview you, by the way,” Tommy added.
I probably shouldn’t have been surprised about that either. I’d been mixed up in several murder investigations in the past. Although my name had appeared in the paper on occasion, I hadn’t been asked for more than a quote or two. Rob was fairly new to town, and had already proven that he was intent on getting eyewitness accounts to add to his stories.
“I’m not sure I want to go over it in detail,” I said. “It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and I don’t want to be disrespectful to the victim’s family.”
“Rob’s a good guy,” Tommy assured me. “If you don’t want to answer some of his questions, he won’t hold it against you.”
“I’ll think about it.” I didn’t want to commit to anything right then.
Ivan had two crêpes prepared now. He scooped apple pie filling onto one and pumpkin pie filling onto the other. Then he rolled them up and topped them with a very generous dollop of whipped cream.
He slid the plate toward me. “Eat up.”
“Ivan, you’re the best.” I took the knife and fork he offered me and dug in.
I didn’t speak for the next couple of minutes. I was far too busy enjoying the scrumptious flavors of apple, pumpkin, and cream. Only once I’d eaten half of each crêpe did I pause long enough to ask Tommy a question.
“What else does Rob know about the murder?”
Ivan stopped in the midst of chopping up asparagus. “Why are you asking?”
“I’m just curious.” When Ivan didn’t stop glaring at me, I added, “And I want to know if the killer’s been caught. Finding Kevin’s body was unsettling, to say the least. So was staying at the lodge after the murder. It’s hard to get it off my mind.”
Ivan pointed his knife at me. “You need to stay out of this murder investigation.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “It happened in another county. I doubt I’ll have the chance to get mixed up in it.” I didn’t bother to mention that two of the other guests from Holly Lodge were now in Wildwood Cove, giving me an opportunity to talk to them about the crime if I decided that was something I wanted to do.
Ivan grunted and got back to chopping. I wasn’t sure if I’d appeased him or not.
Tommy had listened to us with a grin on his face. Now that Ivan had said his piece, Tommy spoke up.
“I talked to Rob yesterday afternoon. At that point, no one had been arrested. The cops haven’t even said if they’ve got any suspects, although I’m sure they’re taking a good look at the wife, since she inherits everything. As for the details, I know the murder weapon was a ski, the victim died of blunt force trauma to his head, and the killer tried hiding the body in a snowbank.”
A shudder ran through my body as I recalled the moment when Brett and I had uncovered Kevin’s lifeless face. I set down my knife and fork.
“Talking about murder isn’t good for your appetite,” Ivan grumbled.
I tried to push the unpleasant memories out of my mind. “Don’t worry, Ivan,” I said, picking up my cutlery again. “Nothing can stop me from finishing these crêpes.”
I fell quiet again, not saying a word until I’d cleaned my plate. Even after that, we only talked about the pancake house. Slipping into that normalcy made me feel better. After a while, I made myself a cup of tea and then left Ivan and Tommy to their work in the kitchen.
Out in the dining room, I knelt in front of the large stone fireplace and struck a match, holding it to the pile of kindling I’d set out. As the tiny flames grew larger, I added more wood until I had a good blaze going. The room immediately had a cheerier, cozier atmosphere. It was still dark outside, and I’d had to scrape frost off my windshield before leaving home that morning. I knew The Flip Side’s earliest customers would appreciate the warmth and comfort of the crackling fire.
The place would be even cheerier once I had a chance to deck it out for the upcoming holidays. At the moment, the mantel over the fireplace displayed a few Thanksgiving decorations, including a small cornucopia and a wicker turkey basket that held some fake leaves and acorns. I needed to take those down and replace them with Christmas and winter decorations. I didn’t have a tree for the pancake house yet, but I planned to get one soon. Hopefully Brett and I would have a chance to visit a nearby Christmas tree farm in the coming days. We needed a tree for our house as well.
I collected all the Thanksgiving decorations and put them away in a storage cupboard near the office. Then I checked over everything to make sure the restaurant was ready for customers. Leigh Hunter, The Flip Side’s full-time waitress, arrived and greeted me with a hug, the fresh scent of frosty air still clinging to her.
“Happy birthday, Marley!” she said as she released me. “Is your day off to a good start?”
“Definitely,” I assured her, remembering my delicious breakfast.
Her bright smile faded. “On another note, I heard you found another body.”
I wasn’t surprised that she’d heard the news.
“You can’t seem to get away from them,” she said as she unzipped her puffy winter jacket.
“I know.” I sighed. “I really wish I could. I’d love to never find one again.”
“At least your honeymoon wasn’t interrupted by a murder.”
“That was definitely a blessing,” I agreed. I had nothing but good memories from the few days Brett and I had spent in Victoria, British Columbia after our summer wedding.
As Leigh disappeared into the break room to put away her purse and coat, I smiled at the empty dining area. Even though The Flip Side had been closed for just a week, I’d missed my staff, who were like family to me, and our regular customers.
When the first diners arrived shortly after seven o’clock, I still had a smile on my face. It didn’t take long for the place to fill up. I happily helped Leigh with taking orders and serving meals. Chatting with customers was one of the many things I loved about working at the pancake house.
Ed and Gary, two of The Flip Side’s most faithful customers, arrived in the middle of the breakfast rush. Their favorite table was already occupied, but they didn’t mind sitting elsewhere. They always ordered the same breakfast—blueberry pancakes with bacon and sausages—so I relayed their orders to the kitchen before heading over to their table.
“We hear you had an eventful vacation,” Ed said as I filled their mugs with coffee.
Gary added cream to his cup. “And not in a good way.”
“I guess eventful is one word for it,” I said.
Ed shook his head. “It must have been awful for you and Brett.”
“It was,” I agreed, “but far worse for the victim’s family.”
“Bah!” A gray-haired man at the next table swatted the air with his hand, as if batting away my words. “They’re better off without that blockhead.”
I stared at him, shocked.
“Come on now, Dwight,” Gary admonished. “That’s no way to talk.”
Dwight pointed his fork at Gary. “You didn’t have to live next door to the man. It was a glorious day when he moved up that mountain.”
“You might not have liked Kevin,” Ed said, “but he didn’t deserve to get killed.”
“That’s what you think.” Dwight dropped his fork onto his empty plate and pushed back his chair. “But I know
differently. Kevin Manning finally got what he deserved.”
Chapter Ten
I stared in shocked silence as Dwight dropped some bills on the table and stomped out of the pancake house. Several customers watched him go, having heard his last words. A few whispered to each other once he was gone.
“What the…?” I was still at a loss for words.
“Don’t mind him, Marley,” Gary advised. “Nobody in Wildwood Cove holds a grudge quite like Dwight Zalecki.”
“But why does he have a grudge against Kevin?” I asked, still stunned.
Even though I’d overheard Kevin arguing with Rita and Wilson at the lodge, he hadn’t seemed like a bad guy. I didn’t really know Kevin, of course, but Dwight’s attitude shocked me nonetheless. I’d seen him at The Flip Side before, always eating alone, but he’d never said much of anything during his previous visits.
“They were neighbors for years,” Ed explained. “And Dwight’s the kind of guy who can find fault with anything and everything. He complained about how many cars Kevin had in his driveway, noise, the state of Kevin’s front lawn, you name it.”
Gary picked up his mug. “But things really came to a head when a windstorm knocked a tree from Kevin’s property onto Dwight’s garage.” He paused for a sip of coffee. “They exchanged a few choice words. Dwight never got over that.”
Ed fought a grin. “I believe Kevin called him an irascible old geezer.”
Gary let out a short chuckle. “I’d forgotten about that. And Dwight gave as good as he got. I won’t repeat what he called Kevin.” The smile faded from Gary’s face. “Things really went downhill after that.”
I glanced around the pancake house. I needed to get back to helping Leigh, but my curiosity kept me in place. “How so?”
Leigh stopped on her way past us, her arms full of dirty dishes. “Kevin dated Dwight’s niece.” She’d clearly been keeping tabs on our conversation. “The poor woman ended up moving to Seattle with a broken heart.”
Ed and Gary nodded as Leigh whisked off to the kitchen.
“Some say Kevin only dated Calista to annoy Dwight,” Ed said.
“And there might be some truth to that.” Gary took another sip of coffee. “But true or not, he ended up dumping her a few months later when Rita moved to town. Kevin couldn’t take his eyes off Rita from the moment he first saw her.”
As much as I wanted to stay and hear more, I really had to get back to work. A group of four customers was waiting to order and two tables needed to be cleaned. I should have been offering coffee refills as well.
I reluctantly left Gary and Ed’s table and attended to the other customers. As the breakfast rush wound down, I retreated to the office to catch up on some administrative tasks. Gary and Ed had left by then, so I didn’t have another chance to talk to them. Maybe there wasn’t anything else they could have told me about Dwight’s grudge against Kevin anyway.
In the office, I sank down into the chair behind the desk, but jumped back up almost immediately. Brett stood in the doorway, holding a bright bouquet of flowers.
“Happy birthday,” he said, taking my hand as we met in the middle of the office. He pulled me close for a lingering kiss. “Sorry I missed you earlier. You should have woken me.”
“I wanted to let you sleep.” I took the flowers from him. “These are beautiful. Thank you.”
I gently set the bouquet on the desk so I could put my arms around Brett. “I’m glad you stopped by.”
“Looks like I timed it well. I was hoping you wouldn’t be too busy.”
“Perfect timing,” I said. “Are you hungry?”
“I just ate, but that probably wasn’t good thinking on my part.”
I patted his flat stomach. “You should always leave room for Ivan’s cooking.”
“Next time I’ll remember to do that.”
I kissed him, and he ran a hand down my hair.
“Are you coming home after work?” he asked as he tucked a curl behind my ear.
“I want to put up some Christmas decorations, but after that I’ll come home. I can’t do anything more to my tree at the festival yet, so that will have to wait another day or two.” I eyed him suspiciously. “Why?”
“Just wondering.”
I didn’t miss the twinkle in his blue eyes. “Do you have something planned?”
“Maybe.” His grin told me his maybe was a definite yes.
“You’re not going to share?”
“Nope.”
“Not even a clue?” I pressed.
He laughed. “One clue would never satisfy you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re going to make me wait all day to find out? Torturing me on my birthday shouldn’t be allowed.”
He grinned and tugged me closer. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
I could feel myself getting lost in his eyes. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
“Please do.”
After another kiss, Brett headed home to work on the master bathroom. I would have liked him to stay longer, but I wouldn’t have got any work done if he had. He was very good at distracting me.
I fetched a vase from the storage room and filled it with water for the bouquet. At first, I left the flowers in the office, but later I moved them out next to the cash register so everyone could enjoy their beauty and bright colors.
Once the last customers of the day had left, I hauled a box of Christmas decorations into the dining room. Then I stoked the fire, enjoying the cozy atmosphere it created. Outside, the day had grown dark and rain pelted down from gloomy clouds, the occasional bit of hail or slush mixed in. The front windows of the pancake house gave me a great view of the choppy ocean. Whitecaps topped the waves and, from what I could see, the beach was deserted. It was a good day to stay indoors.
With rain pelting against the windows and the fire popping and crackling, I opened the box and set some decorations out on a nearby table. I’d barely started emptying the box when someone tapped on the front door. I hurried over to open it when I saw Patricia’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Sienna, huddled inside her jacket.
She darted inside as soon as I had the door open. “Happy birthday, Marley!” She quickly shed her wet jacket and gave me a hug.
“Thank you.” I returned the hug. “What made you brave this weather to come over here?”
Sienna worked at The Flip Side part-time, but during the school year she was scheduled to work only on weekends.
She scooted closer to the fire and held out her hands to warm them. “I wanted to wish you a happy birthday in person. Plus, I heard about the murder.”
I should have known. Sienna’s love for mysteries matched my own.
“Do you have any suspects yet?” she asked.
“Not really.”
She didn’t hide her skepticism. “Seriously?”
I removed bubble wrap from a lantern filled with red and gold baubles.
“Ooh! I love those lanterns!” Sienna hurried over. “Can I help you decorate?”
“I won’t say no to that offer.”
She unwrapped another lantern. “But, come on, you must have suspects.”
“Maybe I’ve thought about it a little bit,” I admitted.
“I knew it!”
She glanced toward the kitchen, where Ivan and Tommy were still working. Ivan didn’t like either of us getting mixed up in potentially dangerous mysteries.
Sienna leaned closer and lowered her voice. “We’ve got a guest at the B&B who was at Holly Lodge when the murder happened.”
I set the lantern I’d unwrapped on one end of the mantel. “Lily Spitz. Your mom mentioned that.”
Sienna put the other lantern on the opposite end of the mantel. “I know she’s a mystery writer and all, but she seems a little bit too excited about the whole murder thing. Is she on
e of your suspects?”
“I know what you mean about her excitement. And everyone who was at the lodge is a suspect in my mind.” I pulled a cute snowman ornament out of the box. “Well, except Brett.”
“And you.”
I smiled. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I don’t need to add my own name to the list.”
Ivan emerged from the kitchen then, so we abruptly cut off our conversation about the murder. I knew Ivan objected to our tendency to get involved in mysteries because he didn’t want either of us ending up in danger, but I preferred to avoid any extra-intimidating scowls and glares from him, if possible.
Ivan got his coat from his locker and then said goodbye to us. Tommy left a minute or two later, leaving me and Sienna alone at the pancake house.
Sienna set a couple of the snowmen on the windowsill and then fetched her phone from her coat pocket. “I’m going to look up Lily’s books. I love reading mysteries.”
“Me too.”
She smiled at me. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
I returned her smile. “Right back at you.”
Once all the snowmen were on display, I pulled two strings of lights out of the box and started untangling them.
“This sounds like so much fun!” Sienna said, her gaze fixed on the screen of her phone. “One of Lily’s books is a winter mystery set on Mount Baker.”
“Really?” I finally got the lights untangled. “Maybe I’ll buy that one.”
“Me too.” She tapped her phone. “Hold on…Yes! I have enough left on my gift card balance to buy the e-book.” She tapped the screen a couple more times. “There. I got it. I’ll start reading it this weekend.”
“Let me know if it’s good.”
Sienna assured me that she would. She put away her phone and we spent another half hour decorating the pancake house. When we were done, we admired our work.
“All we’re missing now is a tree,” Sienna declared.
She was right. We’d created a festive atmosphere, but a tree would make the dining room look even better.
“I’m hoping to get one soon,” I said. “I’ll have three trees to decorate this year.”
