“Y’all are crazy.” Vic leaned against the wall.
Marissa did feel kind of crazy in the jumpsuit and boots. She was, for the first time in her life, completely uninhibited. She didn’t have to worry about wobbling on high heels or slipping in snow. She didn’t have to sit like a lady and cross her legs at the ankles as if she was in a skirt. She didn’t have to suck in her tummy the way she did when wearing a stretchy sweater. She had the freedom to tromp and flail all over the place. No matter how she acted, she couldn’t possibly make herself look any more ridiculous than she already did.
“We’d be crazy not to suspect you,” Marissa pointed out.
Vic stared her down, the dimples he flashed for Tandy nowhere to be seen. “You really think that if I was guilty of stealing cars and killing a local that I would draw attention to myself by coming to the police department with another local in my trunk along with evidence from the investigation?”
Marissa huffed. “It’s a super way to throw suspicion off yourself.”
Vic shrugged. “There wasn’t any suspicion to throw.”
“There is now.” Greg stood poised as if presenting his case to a jury, not fighting over a girl.
If Marissa had ever mastered that kind of poise, she would have been the reigning Miss Ohio…and she’d be missing out on the freedom of wearing coveralls twice her size.
Greg cleared his throat. “You still haven’t answered my question. Where were you the morning of February 11th?”
Vic stood. He sauntered over until the men were face to face. He grinned the kind of grin that could get him almost any girl he wanted. Almost being the operative word. “I was at my apartment in Toledo, packing to drive out here and reconnect with my ex. You may think stealing Tandy makes me a thief, but, sorry, you can’t arrest me for it.”
The office door swung open. Tandy stopped and eyed the men in front of her.
Sheriff Griffin propelled her forward through the doorway. “Mr. Whitaker, come in please.”
Vic lifted his chin as if to say he was done with Greg. He smoothly pivoted toward the door and headed that way until he reached Tandy. He faced her, smiled a smile that could put Cupid out of business, and stooped his head like they were having a private conversation. Then he spoke loud enough for all to hear. “After you have that talk with the attorney you’re dating, give me a call to let me know the verdict.”
Tandy didn’t have a comeback, which was telling in itself. But maybe she was only experiencing momentary speechlessness. Marissa had warned her not to look directly at Vic’s smile. It had even struck her silent. She covered her mouth, cheeks burning for her friend.
Griffin broke the silence by ushering Vic into his office then stepping into the front room with them and closing the door behind him with a thunk. “You are all free to go. Marissa, you’re going to bring me the jumpsuit and the other half of the device tonight?”
“Yes.” She wouldn’t argue. Though she had kinda been hoping to sleep in the jumpsuit. It was even more comfortable than pajamas.
“If any of you find something else suspicious, bring it directly to me. Due to this new evidence, I’m going to reopen the case.”
Greg focused on Griffin, his purposeful avoidance of eye contact with Tandy making Marissa squirm. “Are you saying my client, Derrick Snodgrass, might not be prosecuted for murder, after all?”
Griffin huffed. “What I’m saying is that you all should take extra precaution to make sure your vehicles are safe. Lock your car doors. Park them in the garage. And if you have remote start, keep your key fobs in your freezer at home so a device like the one Marissa found can’t access the code and turn on your engine.”
Marissa tapped her chin. If Vic had only been after the Corvette, and he was the criminal, then why did they have to worry about other cars getting stolen? Was it because of the device she found?
Tandy let Greg open the car door for her. Even though he wouldn’t look her in the eye, he was still being a gentleman.
She sank into the chilly leather interior and shivered. Greg’s heart seemed to have turned every bit as cold toward her. Hopefully once she explained, it would warm as quickly as his seat warmers.
He opened the door and slid in beside her, starting the vehicle and adjusting the knobs for radio and heat so she could hear him over the volume. They needed to talk.
“You don’t think he did it?” Greg asked.
Tandy assumed “he” meant Vic and “it” meant murder, but then, she also would have assumed Greg would ask about her relationship with Vic before discussing the case. “Is it too hard to believe that he’s only here because he wants me back?”
Greg shifted into drive and pulled into the street, headed toward her apartment. “If he killed George, the whole story about trying to win you back could be an excuse for coming to town. It’s really too much of a coincidence.”
Tandy nodded in mock agreement. “So, you’re not jealous.”
Greg shrugged. “Do I have anything to be jealous about? Have you been talking to him or texting him? Are you planning to date him?”
“No to all of the above.” There. Hopefully that would make him—and her—feel better. Despite Vic’s spectacular smile, she’d already determined she wasn’t going to go out with him. She was already in a relationship.
She’d simply refuse to think about how Vic had driven hours to see her whereas Greg worked across the street and hadn’t even stopped in for coffee on her opening day. Instead, she’d remind herself that Vic’s leaving was the whole reason she was so insecure in her relationship with Greg.
Greg nodded. “Even if you do plan to date him, you should wait until the real killer is arrested. To be safe.”
Tandy swallowed an icy bite of air, coating her guts in a cold frost. “I just told you I don’t plan to date him. Don’t you believe me?”
Greg didn’t answer until he’d turned into the apartment parking lot and pulled into a spot below her unit window. “I want to believe you, but…” He shook his head. “Yesterday you kissed Connor. Today you have an ex-boyfriend show up. Do you know how awkward it is to be in a room where every man there has kissed your girlfriend except you?”
His words punched Tandy in her frozen guts. They shattered within like an icicle, leaving her cold and empty. “I’m sorry you had to be in that position. It was awkward for me too.”
Greg twisted to face her and ran a hand through his hair. “Is that why you didn’t say anything? Why you didn’t tell Vic right there that you were done with him?”
She should have, huh? That might have been better than trying to pretend everything was normal.
Of course, she also wanted to believe that Vic was truly in town for her, in which case, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. But the excuse Greg gave her sounded better. “Yes.”
He studied her. “Is there anything else I should know? Perhaps why you and Vic broke up in the first place?”
She thought she’d told him already. Though there wasn’t much to tell. She shrugged. “He moved to Toledo for a job.”
Greg reached across the seat and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You didn’t want to do long distance?”
Tandy gave a dry laugh at the memory. “He didn’t want to. And I’m glad. Because then I wouldn’t have ended up here.”
His fingers grazed her cheek, and she wasn’t cold anymore. She rested her face in his palm. Leaned forward.
Greg tilted his nose to the side of hers. His breath brushed her skin, sending chills down her spine. “Tandy?”
Her eyelids grew heavy. She let them drift downward, taking her closer to her dreams. “Yes?”
“Since you don’t care about Vic anymore…” They were still talking about Vic? “Then you won’t mind that I’m going to try to prove he’s George’s killer.”
They were still talking about Vic.
Chapter Nine
Marissa leaned over the counter to kiss Connor good morning, though he didn’t notice because he
was too busy staring up at the loft and all the work he still needed to finish before the next night.
“Happy Valentine’s Eve,” she said to snag his attention. “I’m almost finished making your drink. You want the té con leche again?”
“Um…yeah. Thanks.” He stepped to the side so she could help the patron behind him. “Is Tandy here?”
Pots and pans clanged from the back room in response. Either Marissa’s business partner hadn’t had her coffee yet that morning or she’d had a fight with Greg the night before. Marissa would have preferred to stay out of the way, but she needed help. “Tandy, I could use you out here,” she called before focusing on her next customer, the stern organist from church. “What can I do for you this morning, Opal?”
Opal scowled—the only expression Marissa had ever seen on her face. “You can start by not yelling at people. This isn’t Wall Street.”
“Sorry.” At least Marissa knew this woman would not be ordering coffee. She was already dressed for high tea with her Kate Middleton hat. “May I recommend the té con leche I’m making for Connor? It’s how they drink tea in South America. It has part tea and part steamed milk—”
“No, you may not. I’m lactose intolerant.” Opal got the intolerant part right. “If you want me to keep coming here, you need to know that I only drink Earl Grey, steeped for exactly four minutes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Marissa rang up the sale on the cash register then got to work, turning her back to shield the fact that she was making Connor’s drink at the same time.
Tandy joined her, grinding coffee for an espresso shot. With the way Marissa’s morning was going, she could use the extra dose of caffeine too. Once Tandy went into the kitchen to create another racket, she’d pretend to prepare more espresso for a customer.
For now, Marissa poured tea into one of the special teacups she’d ordered for Valentine’s with the red hearts painted on clear glass. She would have preferred to give the heart cup to Connor, but she couldn’t risk one breaking upstairs, so he got the paper cup. One more day of renovations.
Tandy eyed the drinks. “Is that té con leche?”
Marissa poured and popped the lid on. “Yes. You want to try it?”
“No need.”
“Afraid you might like it?”
“I already know how I feel about it.”
Marissa shook her head. She’d let Miss Hyde drink her coffee so she could turn back into Barista Jekyll. “Well, Connor loves it.” She lifted the warm cup and turned to hand it to him.
He accepted, his gray eyes flashing between her and Tandy. Apparently, he was a little scared of the barista too. “Thanks, hon. There’s something I need to talk to you about when you get a chance.”
“Oh yeah?” She smiled, excited for whatever surprise he had in store. Though a little crusty on the outside, Connor’s heart was gooey for her on the inside. Kind of like a chocolate croissant. Her fave. She should make some of those for tomorrow’s grand opening of the tea house.
The timer rang four minutes, and she retrieved Opal’s Earl Grey. Usually Marissa would serve it still steeping, but she didn’t want to mess up the discerning new customer’s demands on her first visit. She removed the infuser and planted her feet firmly before picking up the delicate cup.
One hot pink suede calf boot slipped. Her belly fluttered, but she caught her balance before any tea sloshed over the side. She made sure to avoid Connor’s gaze as she pivoted to serve Opal. She wouldn’t give him the chance to suggest she wear snow boots inside, though it might not be such a bad idea. If only he’d bought her pink ones instead of brown.
Opal extended shaky, wrinkled hands to accept the drink.
Marissa scrunched her face, debating whether to offer to carry the drink to Opal’s seat for her or not. The chance that she would spill it would probably be equal to that of Opal spilling, but at least if Marissa spilled on herself, there wouldn’t be any lawsuit. “I can carry it for you. Where would you like to sit?”
Opal tucked her hands into her chest. “I’d like to sit in the tea room. This area of your shop is too industrial and primitive.”
Tandy twisted to face Opal, her head tilted and eyes bulging as if to say, Reallllly?
Marissa balanced the cup in one hand to wave her business partner down with the other. “Drink your coffee, Tandy.” She reset her smile before addressing Opal. “I’m sorry. The loft is where we will be serving high tea. It doesn’t open until tomorrow.”
Opal’s thin lips practically disappeared when she pressed them together. “But I’m here now.”
Marissa blinked rather than let her smile slip. “It’s not complete. Connor is finishing up renovations today.”
Opal turned her scowl his direction. “It doesn’t look like it to me.”
Marissa’s favorite contractor didn’t move from his position, leaning against the counter, cup in hand. He wasn’t a lazy person, but it might look like it from Opal’s perspective. “Go ahead, Connor. I’ll come up and talk when I get a break.”
He pushed to his full height with a grimace. Maybe the surprise he had for her wasn’t a good surprise after all. She squinted at him curiously before leading Opal to the table in the farthest corner.
Finally. Tandy had been afraid Opal would never leave. Or more importantly that Marissa would never turn away.
Tandy breezed past Connor, exchanging cups and continuing to the chalkboard by the front door to rewrite the part of their drink specials that had somehow been smeared. Though none of the drinks listed could compare with this drink in her hand.
She lifted the cup to her lips and sipped at the rich creamy tea inside. It filled her internal emptiness with hope. And peace.
So what if Greg wanted to try to pin George’s murder on Vic? That had nothing to do with her. She’d probably never see Vic again anyway.
The front door swung open. Vic entered, dimples on display. “I thought I might find you here.”
She tilted her head back farther, turning her sip into a guzzle. Gulp after gulp, she wished on all the tea in China that Vic would disappear before she had to face him again. The warm liquid sloshed down her throat and heated her from the inside out until there was nothing left in the cup. Slowly, she lowered it to find amusement sparkling in Vic’s dark eyes.
Marissa appeared beside her. “She needs her morning coffee to deal with you.”
Usually Tandy hid behind her own snarky remarks, but with Vic, she’d let Marissa make them for her. If Tandy wasn’t the one defending herself, then there was less chance her ex could penetrate her defenses.
Vic smirked. “Is that any way to treat a new customer?”
“Only new customers who have a history of stuffing me in the trunk of their car,” Marissa retorted.
Opal gasped from the corner. Her cup clattered. The eavesdropper.
“Marissa, you didn’t give me a napkin.” Opal’s harsh tone came out a little more wobbly than usual. Was she afraid of sticky fingers or was she worried that the business owners associated with a kidnapper?
Marissa shot the suspected criminal one last glare before turning to help the older woman.
Tandy would have to stand on her own. “What can I get you, Vic?”
“I’d like a kiss.”
Well, that was honest. Or was it? Could Greg be right that he was using her as an excuse for being in town when the truth was that he was only there to steal cars? Had he not hurt her enough?
She tossed her cup in the recycling bin and planted her hands on her hips. “You can’t dump me and not talk to me for months then reappear and demand we start again where we left off. That is the most arrogant—”
“Yes. That would be arrogant.” Vic pointed towards her feet where the giant chalkboard easel displayed half their menu. The chocolate part of “Chocolate Kiss Coffee” had been smudged into a white streak. “I’m just trying to order a drink. What would your boyfriend say if he knew you were thinking about kissing me?”
Tandy lifted
her chin. The triumphant glint in Vic’s eyes told her he’d set a trap for her, and she’d fallen right in. She could do better than that.
“I might believe you if you ever drank anything other than sweet tea.”
Vic’s grin grew.
Marissa reappeared, eyelashes fluttering. “You drink tea?” When she decided to turn on the charm, there was no artificial sweetener needed for her drinks.
“I drink tea.” Vic turned his big ol’ personality toward the dog dancing inside the fence with excitement. “But I don’t love it as much as I love Cocoa!”
Tandy stepped between Vic and the gate. “You don’t get to pick back up with me or Cocoa.”
“Aw, don’t be like that.” Vic stepped closer. “Cocoa and I have a connection. You even named him after me.”
“He is not named after you.” Either she would have to let him pass to see her dog, or she’d have to be okay with him invading her personal space. Being close enough to smell his mossy scent was already a little too personal. She stepped aside.
Vic pumped the air in triumph then bent over to scratch her dog behind the ears. “Yes, he is. He’s named after my skin color.”
Marissa watched with wide eyes.
Tandy shook her head at the ludicrous claim, so her friend didn’t get the wrong idea. Cocoa was already traitorous enough with his over eagerness and his licking. How dare he lick Vic. “He’s named after his fur color.”
Vic held his hand still against Cocoa’s fur. “We do match.” He stood up with a grin. “It’s like we’re family.”
“You’re a customer.” Tandy rolled her eyes toward Marissa. “Why don’t you seat him with Opal, and they can have a tea party?”
Vic looked past the women toward Opal in the corner. “Is this the Opal you’re talking about?”
Opal scowled his direction—like a supervillain pitted against his heroic smile.
“Yes,” Tandy confirmed. “And she’s more likely to give you that kiss you asked for than me.”
His dark eyes lit with the challenge. “Don’t get jealous now.”
A Cuppa Trouble Page 9
