by Emmie Lyn
“Did you talk to her?” The last thing that I wanted to hear was that Tilly had any kind of interaction with a woman who was now dead. Especially after her dealings with Officer Walker about Ginger’s pocketbook.
“Are you kidding me? I zipped right by and waved.” Tilly demonstrated a little finger wiggle. “I don’t think she even noticed.”
That was a relief.
“And then I stopped here to pick up my hammer that Hitch borrowed.” She looked around the room. “Nice job hanging up your photos, by the way. It looks like a gallery in here. Anyway, I was so distracted hunting for my hammer that I couldn’t find by the way, that I think I left my smoothie in your kitchen. I’ll go check.”
I’d never been good at keeping a poker face. She stopped and stared at me. “What? Hitch doesn’t care if I come in his apartment. He wouldn’t have told me where he keeps the key if he minded. Right, Hitch?”
“That’s right, Tilly, but there’s something you don’t understand,” he said.
Sirens screamed on the street, stopping outside Hitch’s house.
I put my hand on Tilly’s arm to keep her from investigating any further. She looked at my hand, and her brow furrowed with confusion.
“When I said Ginger’s in the kitchen, I should have added, she’s dead. Hitch thinks she was poisoned,” I added, just before Hitch opened the door for Police Chief Bullock and Officer Walker. I didn’t want Tilly to be blind-sided by that detail and blurt out something to incriminate herself, like everything she’d just told us.
Tilly sank onto a chair. The knowledge that she’d been here, at the scene of a murder, and left possible evidence that could be incriminating must have hit as hard as if Jasper crashed into her from behind.
She looked at me with wide eyes, and I zipped my fingers across my mouth hoping she got my message. She bit her lip, so I guess she did.
“You found Ginger Ross?” Police Chief Bullock asked after he walked inside.
“What’s she doing here?” Officer Walker sneered. “I was with you and Sunny only a short time ago, and you said you didn’t know her whereabouts. Are you trying to tell us she just showed up at your house out of the blue?”
Before Hitch had a chance to answer, I said, “That’s exactly what happened and I’m glad you remember seeing us at Shakes and Cakes.” My voice sounded testy even to my ears.
“Okay, calm down. Where is she?” Chief Bullock asked, his face drawn. “A lot of people are concerned about her, so let’s get this mystery wrapped up. It’s been a long day, and I, for one, am ready to head home.”
That wasn’t going to happen.
“In the kitchen,” Hitch said. “She’s dead.”
That comment sucked all the air out of the house as the two policemen dropped their jaws and stared at him.
“She’s dead. Here in your house. How did that happen?” the Chief asked. I couldn’t miss his suspicion-laced undertone.
Hitch shook his head. “I have no idea. Sunny and I stopped here on the way to her house, and I found Ginger in the kitchen. I haven’t touched or moved anything.”
The Chief spun around. “And Tilly? What are you doing here?”
“Just visiting with my friends,” she said and added a smile that looked forced from my perspective.
“Wait here,” the Police Chief said. He motioned to Mick, and they disappeared into Hitch’s kitchen.
“What do we do now?” I whispered to Hitch. “Jasper’s in the car, I really want to take a shower and get some clean clothes on.” I couldn’t help myself, I shuddered, forcing back a sob. “It’s just creepy knowing there’s a body in your kitchen.”
I know I sounded whiny but, yeah, I was tired and feeling a little claustrophobic. And scared. And honestly? Sorry for myself.
Before Hitch had time to calm me down, Chief Bullock returned to the living room. “We’re going to seal this whole apartment and treat this as a suspicious death. Go to Sunny’s house and wait there. That way, I’ll know where to find you when we have more questions.”
That sounded perfect to me. Or as perfect as anything this messed up could be.
“Oh,” The Chief held his finger up. “Hitch, there’s a Shakes and Cakes cup spilled on the counter. Is it yours?”
“No. I suppose Ginger brought it and set it down there,” Hitch said without skipping a beat.
I hoped that lie didn’t come back to haunt any of us one day.
9
Without waiting for Police Chief Bullock to change his mind or ask more questions, we scooted out of Hitch’s apartment and drove to my house. It wouldn’t be easy to keep my mind off the crime scene and what it might mean for Hitch, but at least I’d be in my own house with Jasper, the two kittens, Hitch, and Tilly. We’d be able to wait and wonder what had happened to Ginger Ross together.
Once inside, Tilly, without a trace of her earlier fear, announced, “We need to make a list of every possible suspect before the police discover my fingerprints on that Shakes and Cakes cup.”
She had a point but one we could work around. “Of course, your prints are on the cup, Tilly, you served it. And that’s the story we’re sticking to.”
“Perfect.” She retrieved a bottle of champagne from her tote bag and handed it to me, “I bought this for you two to celebrate. Let’s have a toast to today’s success.”
“Great minds think alike, right, Sunny?” Hitch said with a grin across his face. “I’m referring to Tilly and me, in case you were wondering.”
I waved them both out to the back yard where I had a comfortable patio surrounded by my flower garden. “I’ll bring out glasses and whatever else I can find to go with champagne.”
“Strawberries? Isn’t that a thing?” Tilly asked holding the door open.
“It might be, but it’s not on my menu tonight. You’ll be lucky if I can round up crackers and cheese. Now, shoo.” I waved them out with both hands.
“First things first, right Jasper?” I said when they were gone. She’d been sitting patiently in front of her bowl. I poured a serving of her dry food and added a bit of water, just how she liked it.
“And, you, too,” I said to Princess Muffin and Stash. They mewed and looked up at me like they’d been neglected for weeks. With dinner chores done, I put three champagne flutes on a tray, found an unopened box of crackers in my cupboard, and inspected my package of cheddar cheese in my fridge. “Not moldy yet,” I declared to the animals. “It will do.” I carried it all outside.
The door slammed behind me. Tilly turned around in her patio chair with her finger to her lips shushing me as she nodded toward my neighbor’s yard next door.
“What?” I mouthed almost silently.
“Violet and her friends are talking about Ginger,” she whispered.
My ears pricked up. I set the tray down, hoping we’d hear some tidbit of important information.
“Shouldn’t we tell them she’s dead?” I whispered.
“Not yet,” Tilly hissed back at me. She tiptoed to the fence that separated my yard from Violet’s. Not that my neighbors could hear her silent footsteps on the grass, but Tilly loved to be overly dramatic.
Hitch opened the champagne with a loud pop, earning a dirty look from Tilly who stood between two shrubs with her ear against my cedar privacy fence. He filled two glasses, leaving the third empty. I guess he decided that Tilly was too busy eavesdropping, so why waste any on her. Then, he bent down and picked a few cosmos from my flower bed, handing them to me along with a glass of champagne.
I was touched by his gesture and this welcome distraction from Tilly’s outlandish behavior.
He held his glass up and whispered, “To us, Sunny Shaw, and to more success at Shakes and Cakes.” We clinked our glasses together.
This simple act, and Hitch’s dazzling smile, gave me a giddy feeling even before I tasted the bubbly.
Tilly returned just as we took that first sip. “I’m going next door,” she announced as she marched along the path to the front of
my house.
Hitch gave me a little tap. “You’d better go with her, Sunny. Who knows what kind of trouble she’ll start? I’ll wait here so it doesn’t look like a grand invasion.”
“Sure, Hitch. You just want to enjoy the champagne,” I teased. “Don’t drink it all. And keep Jasper here. Violet will call the cops if she even thinks Jasper might trample one of her posies.”
I quickly chugged half my glass of bubbly, hoping it would relax my tingling nerves before I dashed after Tilly. I caught up with her just as she reached the sidewalk.
“What’s your plan?” I asked, slightly out of breath.
“Who needs a plan? I like to wing it.”
Great. I had a sinking feeling about this expedition, but it was too late to back out and finish the champagne with Hitch. A much more enjoyable option.
Tilly marched right past Violet’s perennial flower bed filled with blues, yellows, and a splash of red blooms. She continued around the side of her house and proceeded straight to Violet’s backyard. We were practically on top of the three women before Violet startled at the sight of her intruders. She looked at us and shaded her eyes. “What are you two doing here?”
“Hello to you, too, Violet,” Tilly said in a sugary sweet tone. Without an invitation, which I knew wouldn’t come, she pulled over an empty chair and sat down next to Violet. Making a point of leaning away from Tilly, Violet set her wine glass down, sloshing some over the edge.
“What do you think you’re doing, Tilly?” Violet waved one hand around the circle of women. “As I suppose you can see, I have guests, and I don’t remember inviting you to pop over.”
I had to cover a laugh with a fake cough. Tilly had never just popped over to visit Violet.
“Oh. Sorry.” Tilly looked around the group, smiling an oversized apology but making no move to leave. I waited in the background to see what would happen next.
Carla, bubbling with energy, perched at the edge of her chair. She removed her floppy straw hat and fluffed her blonde curls like she was getting ready for a bit of entertainment. Laura, the third member of this trio, sat tall and still. She was the observer in the group, holding her cards close as she waited for events to unfold.
“Weren’t there supposed to be four of you?” Tilly asked with her brow in a quizzical line like this was just way too much for her to comprehend. “And what about that handsome man that came into Shakes and Cakes this morning with you all? What was his name?” She rolled her eyes to the sky as if it held the answer.
Carla lifted her hand like she was in a classroom. “That would be Greg, my husband. He volunteered to pick up chowder and lobster rolls from the Little Dog Diner in Misty Harbor. Violet said they have the best seafood around.” She took a quick look at her watch and scowled. “He should have been back by now,” and quickly covered with a, “maybe it was busy.”
With the way she nagged him when they were at Shakes and Cakes, I supposed she also kept an eagle eye on his comings and goings. If he didn’t have a good excuse for being late, I suspected he’d get a tongue lashing.
Tilly picked up the bottle of wine like she was the hostess and topped off all the glasses. “Just have more wine while you wait. I’m sure Greg just got sidetracked at the diner talking to the locals about all the attractions.”
Carla’s mouth dropped open, but Tilly was too quick for her.
“I mean, does he really want to sit here with you three gossipy women?”
I decided Tilly was here for the long haul, so I sat down next to Laura. She hadn’t said a word, smiled, or even sipped her wine. While Carla and Violet were more or less open books, I couldn’t figure out what Laura was thinking.
“So, Laura, do all of you get together often?” I asked, thinking it was the best place to start the conversation.
It took her a couple of seconds to realize I was talking to her, but she finally turned toward me. “It’s been awhile since all four of us planned a weekend together. But this was Ginger’s idea, and,” she rolled her eyes, “what Ginger wants, Ginger gets.”
“Interesting,” I said. “Where is Ginger?”
That question hung in the air as all eyes turned to me.
Violet took a sip of her wine. “I wish I knew,” she said when she had an audience. “She’s being very rude to keep us wondering about what she’s up to.”
“That’s right,” Carla piped in. “Don’t get me wrong because Ginger can be very generous but… I’m not sure how I should put this. She can also get a bug up her butt over nothing.”
She put her straw hat back on and pulled it down over her forehead as if it could hide her real feelings about Ginger which, by the expression on her face, I took to be quite low.
Laura pushed a few stray hairs away from her face and said quietly, “I’ve been wondering if Ginger invited us all to meet her but never even intended to show up.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Violet sputtered. “She sounded excited when she called me about seeing everyone.”
By now, it seemed as if the three women had forgotten that Tilly and I were part of the group. They threw their comments back and forth, not worried about hiding any secrets.
“Why would she do that?” Carla demanded. She leaned forward like she was about to attack Laura. “You sound just like when we were in college and you always thought you knew better than the rest of us.” She checked her watch again and mumbled, “Where the heck is Greg? I have a mind to just go home when he finally shows up.”
“I wonder,” Tilly said, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, “if Greg and Ginger met up and decided to go off for some sightseeing together.”
Did I hear right? What was Tilly up to?
Laura smirked. Violet’s eyes popped open wide. The color of Carla’s face flared like an overripe tomato.
Oh boy, this group wasn’t as kissy and cozy as I thought.
Did one of them dislike Ginger enough to kill her?
10
Tilly’s outrageous suggestion linking Ginger and Greg no doubt had everyone imagining them on an outing together, judging from the shocked silence that hung in the air. Finally, a car door slammed outside Violet’s house.
Carla jumped to her feet, threw her hat on the chair, and fluffed her curls back into place. “That must be Greg,” she said, Relief flooded her face and her voice, giddy with delight, rose an octave. Instead of taking the path, she jumped over Violet’s flower bed and ran to the front of the house.
Tilly leaned over to Violet. “Is her marriage in trouble?” she stage whispered so everyone could hear. “She acts so desperate. I mean, she doesn’t even give the guy a little bit of rope. I’d guess she doesn’t trust him for a second.”
Violet’s mouth dropped open, but no words came out. I still couldn’t figure out the game Tilly was playing.
Laura laughed, the first show of emotion I’d seen yet. “Greg’s a big flirt,” she said. “You’ll see when he gets here. I think he does it to annoy Carla. But, marriage trouble? No idea. I have no experience on that subject.”
With her brusque personality? No surprise there.
I waited expectantly, almost believing the couple would arrive hand in hand and hoping that Tilly would finally decide this was the time for us to exit. But, from what I could tell, she was settling in and not making any move to depart.
Voices drifted ahead of the people walking toward us.
“I hear Carla, but that other voice doesn’t sound like Greg,” Violet said. She looked at Tilly and frowned. “This is all your fault.”
“Me? What on earth are you talking about?”
And then, Carla, escorted by Police Chief Bullock and Officer Walker, appeared around the corner.
“Ladies,” the Police Chief said, nodding to each of us.
Violet jumped out of her chair. “What’s going on?” Did something happen to Ginger?”
“Or, Greg?” Laura added, showing a spark of emotion.
“I have a few questions, so please be seat
ed.” Chief Bullock patted the air in a calming gesture. He looked at Tilly and me with one eyebrow ticked up but didn’t say anything about our presence. Yet.
Violet plopped back onto her chair, looking none too happy about the Chief’s command.
“Just a friendly hello to Sunny’s neighbors,” Tilly offered, without being asked, as she stood up. “We’ll be right next door at Sunny’s house in case you need us.”
I noticed a bit of nervous trembling in her voice. Having the party crashed by the police was not part of her neighborly visit when we’d interrupted Violet’s get-together.
“Sit down Tilly. I need to talk to you and Sunny, too.”
Officer Walker stood just behind the Chief with his arms crossed and the toothpick in the corner of his mouth bobbing ferociously. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up with splinters in his tongue.
The image made me smirk a little until he glared my way.
The Chief took out a notebook and pencil. “Okay. Violet, how about you tell me who’s who here.”
She cleared her throat as if she were about to give a speech. Then she went around the group clockwise. “That’s Carla Singleton with the curly hair and that’s Laura O’Brien next to her. We were roommates in college along with Ginger Ross. The four of us were as thick as thieves as the saying goes,” she rattled on in a nervous chatter. “We—”
The Chief interrupted. “Pleased to meet you ladies,” he said and nodded politely. “Now, about your friend Ginger. Violet? You called in a missing person alert this morning. Tell me what you know about Ginger’s plans.”
“Like I already told you,” she said sounding put out by having to repeat herself. “She promised to stop here at my house this morning by seven. You don’t know Ginger but, believe me, she’s the kind of person who is never late.” She looked around the group for corroboration. “Right girls? I mean Carla sashays in at least a half hour late, and Laura is usually on time. But Ginger? Never, never late.”
That was Violet, mistress of tact.
