Lois Lavrisa - Chubby Chicks 02 - Murderous Muffins
Page 16
We raced toward the door, but it suddenly burst open, and José and two uniformed officers rushed in, guns drawn.
“No one move. Hands up!” José said.
Cat and I raised our arms. We were both panting.
I wept. “José, you are a sight for sore eyes.”
“Smart move with the phone. I traced it,” José said. “Are you okay?”
“You have no idea what we’ve just been through,” Cat added.
The two officers stood over Frank.
“That man lying on the floor killed Mr. Phong,” I said.
“And nearly hung us,” Cat added.
As José took notes, we explained everything to him. Shortly after, Frank was handcuffed and led out by the officers.
As I exited the locker room, the same teenager who had tried getting in a while ago approached me.
“Are the bugs all gone now?” the teenage boy asked me.
“I guess you could say that.” The stress and tension drained; I began to laugh hysterically.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Cat greeted me in the kitchen as I poured the freshly brewed coffee into the carafe. The aroma filled the air. It was comforting to be back in my home, performing my daily routine, after all that had happened. Now Frank was in jail for the murder of Mr. Phong. To think my life had been a minute away from ending last night. I shuddered.
“I have to admit, this has been one heck of a sleepover party.” Cat made herself a cup of coffee.
I giggled. “Sure enough.”
“You know what I decided to do?”
“You taught me how to be an amateur sleuth, now are you going to teach me mind reading, too?” I smiled.
“No, smarty pants.” Cat grinned. “Andrew, my mom, and the girls still have a week left in Korea, and I am going to join them. I’m dragging the boys along, too.”
“Well, good for you. I’m glad you came to your senses.”
Cat sipped her coffee. “We need to be together. And there is no time like the present. And everything is fine around here. The Sunshine Market is running smoothly, I’ve played superhero sleuth again and solved another crime. I think it’s okay for me to leave for a while. What I need now is to be with my family.”
“After what we’ve been through, it’s made me rethink what is important. Having dear friends like you, Annie Mae, and José, and having my health. Really, that is all that matters.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Cat grinned as she added cream to her cup. “What about your house?”
“Well, of course it’s important to me, but not as important as people.”
“But it’s still important.”
“Yes, and I know that I still have a list a mile long of things that need to be done. But my life having almost ended did put things in perspective. Mending this house doesn’t seem as urgent as it once did.”
“But the good news is that you can start some repairs on it, now that you got some money from your necklace.”
My hand automatically went to my neck. “That’s right. It’s just a matter of which project to tackle first. Maybe I’ll just write each repair needed on a piece of paper, fill a jar with them, and reach in and pick one.”
“Great strategy.”
“Anyway, in time, it will all get done. I just have to have faith that things will work out. They always do in the end, whether I worry myself silly over them or not. Listen, I don’t want you to worry about me.”
“But that is what I do best.”
“I know.” I squeezed her hand.
“It seems so quiet here now, doesn’t it?” Cat asked.
“Yes. Just you and me. No Lily. No Frank. No Luiz,” I said.
Cat rinsed her mug out. “Hey, that reminds me. I wonder if Luiz ever got those company papers we found in Mr. Phong’s room.”
“I don’t know. I’ll go and check to see if he retrieved them.”
“While you do that, I think I’ll go up to my room and start to pack,” Cat said.
I gave her a hug. “I’ll miss you being here with me, but I’m glad you will soon be with your family.”
***
Cat climbed the stairs as I opened the drawer in the foyer desk. A thin white box replaced the envelope for Luiz, and sticking out under that was a DVD—Sudden Impact.
As I opened the box, my breath caught in my throat. Tears swelled in my eyes as I looked at my pearl necklace, tenderly touching the clasp. It was as if I were reuniting with a long-lost relative that I’d thought gone forever.
A note tucked inside the box read: Dearest Barbara Elizabeth Susan Gordon, I can never repay you for your assistance in solving our business challenge, but please accept this as a small token of my sincerest appreciation. I do hope we can have dinner soon—you can bring the movie. With warm regards, Luiz.
The front door handle jiggled. A blast of warm, humid air blew in as Luiz entered the house.
“Those belong on you, not in a pawnshop,” Luiz said.
Seeing him sped my heartbeat. “I don’t know what to say to you. I mean, you didn’t have to get these back for me. It was so very kind of you, but really unnecessary.”
“Trust me, it was the least I could do. You have no idea how much money it would have cost us if those papers got in the hands of The Emro Company. Come to find out that Joseph owed a lot of people money. He knew that stealing and then selling our company secrets could get him out of debt.” Luiz’s gorgeous green-blue eyes gazed into mine. “And I could not see your family heirloom going to anyone else but you. We really appreciate what you did for us.”
“I still can’t believe sweet Mr. Phong was involved in betraying your company.” I had to look away from Luiz for fear I’d swoon. Just being near him made me light-headed.
“He didn’t take them from us.”
“But we found them in his room.”
“Yes, that is true. However, after we questioned his cousin Joseph, Joseph told us that Mr. Phong took the papers from him, then hid them. He knew what his cousin was trying to do was wrong,” Luiz said.
“But how did Mr. Phong know about them in the first place?”
“Joseph had offered to cut his cousin in on the deal, but Mr. Phong would have nothing to do with it. He instead took it upon himself to steal the stolen documents from Joseph and return them to us.”
My heart sank. “But he died before he could get them back to you.”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I know you liked him.” Luiz’s eyes lowered.
I took in a breath in order to suppress a tear. “He was a very loveable man, killed by a very angry one.”
“I heard what happened. The newspaper ran a big story on it. You are quite the famous person now.”
“Yes, I’m the talk of the town. I don’t know if I like all this attention. It’s rather unsettling.” I smiled. “My phone has been ringing all morning. I had to put it on silent.”
“But what you did was so very noble. Finding justice for a friend. Although I have to admit, I was worried sick thinking about you putting your life in such danger.” Luiz caressed my cheek.
His touch was gentle and warm, sending shudders through my body.
I thought of Lily. “Oh, and do you still need employees at your company?”
“Yes.”
“I have one for you. Lily.”
“The young lady who lives here?”
“Yes. After what her boyfriend did, she’s ready to change her life for the better. And she’s a great young lady.”
“Consider it done.” He picked up the strand of pearls. “May I put these on for you?”
“Thank you.” With trembling hands, I lifted my hair. Could he hear my heart beating out of my chest?
He fastened them. “There. Now they are exactly where they belong. They’re magnificent, like you.” He leaned in and kissed me, his lips brushing mine, softly at first, then deeper and more passionate. I sank into his arms, our kiss intensifying as he pulled me close.
Feeling the muscles of his back and the heat from his body made me weak.
Footsteps clicked down the stairs. I pushed out of the embrace.
Cat waved her hands as her face flushed. “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt you. I’ll be out of your way in a minute. Please ignore me and continue on.”
Luiz stepped away from me and cleared his throat. “Pardon me.”
I fussed with my hair for a second. My body felt warmed up by ten degrees. “We were just, um…”
“Please, no need to explain.” Cat smiled. “This time I know what I interrupted, and I am glad to see you two together.”
“If you ladies will excuse me, I do have to get back to work,” Luiz said. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Let’s continue later, if that’s okay with you.”
I blushed as I nodded. With that, Luiz said good-bye to us and left.
“Wow, holy smokes, good for you, Bezu!” Cat beamed. “Hey, is that what I think it is?” She pointed to my neck.
“Yes. Luiz gave this to me, as a sort of reward,” I said.
Cat said, “Getting him is the reward. What a nice guy.”
Just thinking of him made me giddy. “Yes, he is the gentleman.”
“And a cutie, too.” Cat tapped my arm.
“Really, I didn’t notice his gorgeous eyes, boyishly handsome dimples, and his incredible sexy body as well as his magnetic personality.” I giggled. “I guess some girls might fall for that.”
Cat laughed. “Yes, but not you.”
“I can’t trust myself with men; you know that.”
“C’mon now. You need to let go of that bull from your loser ex-fiancé.”
“I did,” I stammered.
“Sometimes I think that you might have actually let yourself move on. Like it seems that you did when you were with Luiz. But then you only allow yourself to get so close before you run away or shut down.”
“I do not.” She was right. I held men at an arm’s length for fear of getting crushed again. “I am completely over Bradley Dwight Rabren.”
“Hmm. I think not.”
“If he came crawling back here, I’d slam the door in his face,” I insisted.
Cat arched an eyebrow. “Who are you trying to convince by saying that? Me or you?”
Shaking my head, I said, “Cat, you really don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
Cat smirked. “Okay then. Well, Miss Mysterious Gal, I will finish packing, then get out of here.” She climbed the stairs.
The doorbell rang. I opened it.
Bradley stood there, his sandy-blonde hair hanging in front of his crystal blue eyes. He wore a navy blazer over a button-down white oxford shirt. His khaki slacks and Sperry topsiders finished his outfit. My stomach flipped, and I felt myself melt looking at him and remembering our intense chemistry. A few more crow’s-feet around his eyes made him look even sexier and more distinguished. But he was a dirty rat. A low-down good-for-nothing rascal.
My gut clenched. I wasn’t about to let him back in my life. And now he was back to apologize for leaving me and betraying me. I would not make it easy for him. He’d humiliated me, and now was my opportunity to gloat over him because he obviously still had feelings for me or he wouldn’t be at my house. I didn’t care. I had a hot new Latin guy in my life.
“Well, after all these years, look who is here groveling at my door,” I said, trying to sound smug and indifferent when I really wanted to punch him in the face.
His eyebrows rose. He shifted his stance as he looked at me.
“Well?” I folded my arms on my chest.
“I’m not back to renew our relationship.”
“Oh?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Good, then. Because I do not want you back,” I stammered. “So did the money run out? Is that why you’re here?”
“No, uh, that’s not it.” He looked down at his Sperry topsiders.
“Well, you’re just a scoundrel.” I huffed. “Anyone who would take a payoff to leave their fiancée is just plain immoral.”
“But, but…your dad offered and I said…”
I interrupted him, sticking my finger in his face. “Leave my dad out of this. What he did was wrong, and, trust me, I was mad at him for a long time. But he was sincerely sorry and only did what he did because he knew you were wrong for me. And he loved me too much. Not that I’m saying that justifies what he did. No, that took a long time for both of us to heal from that. But his heart, God rest his soul, was in the right place. And boy, oh boy, was he right about you.”
I took in a deep breath and continued my tirade. “Yes, indeed. You showed your tail and who you really were. I am kind of glad you did something like that before I married you. That way I saw your true character—or in your case, lack of character—before we walked down the aisle in front of God and family and society. You did me a favor.”
“You’re welcome?” Bradley’s voice rose.
“Humph.” I stomped my foot on the hardwood floor. “If I weren’t such a lady, I would slam the door in your face. So why are you here? Because I refuse to take you back, no matter how much you beg. Although I may accept a request for forgiveness if you are offering one.”
Bradley lowered his eyes. “I’ve already established this. I didn’t come here to get you back.”
“Then you want to apologize.
“No.”
“Then why in heavens are you standing on my doorstep?” I demanded.
He looked sheepish.
I stared at him. “Cat got your tongue? So why are you here? Are you returning my father’s bribe money?”
“I work for the city now.” He pulled papers from his blazer pocket. “You’ve been served.”
“How dare you,” I screamed.
“I’m only doing my job.” He turned and marched down the sidewalk, as Annie Mae walked past him toward me.
Rushing emotions collided in me: fury at Bradley and pure joy at seeing my dear friend Annie Mae.
“Welcome back.” I gave her a big bear hug as she entered the house.
Annie Mae smiled from ear to ear. “So, did I miss anything?”
THE END
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading MURDEROUS MUFFINS. If you enjoyed this story, please do me a huge favor. Go back to Amazon.com and please leave an honest review. It only takes a couple of minutes and will help me a great deal.
Thank you again!
Lois
Additional Works by Lois Lavrisa
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One dead body, two girls with a secret in the Kindle Bestselling mystery thriller LIQUID LIES. What happens when a night of celebration turns deadly?
To find out, CLICK HERE to purchase your copy.
“A fast paced ‘who done it’ full of twists and turns-a winner!”
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A Prequel to LIQUID LIES
One Christmas Eve. One missing body. Too much Mayhem in the short story mystery suspense CHRISTMAS CORPSE CAPER, a prequel to LIQUID LIES.
To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.
“Halfway through his apprenticeship at the Kincaid funeral home, Mark Stevens is spending his first night alone at work. It turns out to be an eventful night, complete with strange noises, disappearing bodies, hidden jewels and finally a date with the colleague he has had a crush on since fifth grade. This was a great short story.” Somi, Amazon Reviewer.
PICTURE NOT PERFECT (Short Story/YA Mystery Romance)
Volume One of Thomson Twins Tales
Chubby Chicks Club Spinoff
She loves me? She loves me not? Find out in the young adult mystery romance short story PICTURE NOT PERFECT.
To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.
“Who wouldn’t love this story about a guy working at an ice cream joint
solely to earn enough cash to take his girlfriend to prom? A modern fairytale that offers a wonderful morale of the story.”
Usako, Good Reads Reviewer.
TURNABOUT TWIST (Short Story/YA Romance)
Volume Two of Thomson Twins Tales
Chubby Chicks Club Spinoff
Can a vampire and a superhero save this young couple’s relationship? Find out in this romantic short story TURNABOUT TWIST.
To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.
“Wow I loved this YA short story! Well written with fun characters and a unique entertaining plotline-I thoroughly enjoyed it!”
Patricia Mason, Bestselling Award winning author.
TREAT OR TRICK (Short Story/YA Suspense)
Volume Three of Thomson Twins Tales
Chubby Chicks Club Spinoff
It’s a game of Cat and Mouse in the short story TREAT OR TRICK.
To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.
“I’m a fan of Ms. Lavrisa’s first novel, LIQUID LIES, so was pleased to see she’s introducing new characters for what I hope will be yet more entertaining, contemporary stories.”
D. Shea, Amazon Reviewer.
“Set in Savannah Georgia, this quirky little tale is big on fun!”
Patricia Mason, Award winning bestselling author.
DYING FOR DINNER ROLLS: Book One (Cozy Southern Mystery)
“Chubby Chicks Club” Mystery Series
Summer 2013
Dinner gets deadly. THE CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB are a rag tag group of Savannah, Georgia friends who find themselves investigating a club member’s mysterious death, with time running out for them to find the killer before the killer finds them.
MURDEROUS MUFFINS: Book Two (Cozy Southern Mystery)
“Chubby Chicks Club” Mystery Series
Winter 2014
Singing pop songs can be fatal. In Murderous Muffins, Bezu finds one of her tenants dead. The murder weapon? Muffins. Book Two in THE CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB mystery will keep you guessing who done it.
HOMICIDE BY HAMLET: Book Three (Cozy Southern Mystery)
“Chubby Chicks Club” Mystery Series
Arriving Spring 2015