by Jinty James
“Okay,” Maddie replied with a smile before their regular customers kept them busy for the rest of the morning.
“I’ve been thinking,” Maddie said, when she got a chance to sit down and rest her feet. She unwrapped her turkey sandwich. “We should find out more about Richard.”
“Veronica’s missing husband! Of course!” Plastic wrap rustled as Suzanne unwrapped her own sandwich. Today she was indulging in peanut butter and raisins. “Thood idea,” she mumbled through a gooey mouthful.
Trixie had just finished eating her own lunch of sardines in spring water, and now sat up on her stool, giving them her full attention.
“Mrrow.”
“I think it’s really strange he didn’t come back to town with Veronica.” Suzanne pondered after she’d swallowed a bite. “Unless he was too embarrassed to run into Grace?”
“After thirty-two years?” Maddie frowned.
“But what if she was his one true love and he blew it by running off with Veronica?” Suzanne suggested. “He couldn’t face her again! So he stayed home – wherever that is – while Veronica came back here to visit Claudine.”
“Hmm.” Maddie nibbled on her sandwich.
“Or,” Suzanne paused dramatically, “he’s the killer!”
“What?” Maddie put down her sandwich and stared at her friend.
“Mrrow?”
“Just think about it,” Suzanne urged. “He made a big mistake marrying Veronica. She’s driving him crazy and he can’t take it anymore. So he sneaks into Estherville, kills her, and sneaks home. No one would suspect him, because Veronica hasn’t even mentioned him during her visit. Plus, all the stuff that happened with him and Grace was thirty-two years ago. There mightn’t be many people around now who lived here back then. I don’t think Detective Edgewater was here, for example.”
“Good point,” Maddie conceded.
“Mrrow.” Trixie sounded approving.
“But wouldn’t Detective Edgewater already be looking into this? He would know if Veronica was still married to Richard, wouldn’t he? Next of kin and all that kind of thing?”
“You’re right.” Suzanne looked a little deflated. “I bet Claudine would know but there’s no way I’m asking her.”
“Me neither.”
“Mrrow!” Trixie agreed.
“Next time we see Detective Edgewater we could ask him,” Maddie proposed.
“Definitely!” Suzanne munched on her sandwich. “Ath thoon ath I finith thith—” she waved her sandwich in the air “—I’ll make a note on our thuthpect litht.”
“I wonder if Pamela knows anything about it?” Maddie mused. “We should find a way to ask her.”
“Yeth!” Suzanne swallowed her mouthful and took a gulp of water. “I just hope she stops by when there aren’t any other customers.”
Suzanne’s wish was granted. Just after three-thirty, Pamela appeared at the counter, holding the coupon Suzanne had given her that morning.
“It’s so nice of you girls to give me this freebie,” she said, a smile on her face. “I love your coffee, Maddie. I’m so glad you set up your truck here.”
“Thanks, Pamela.” Maddie smiled at the trim fiftyish woman.
“Only our very special customers received one of these coupons,” Suzanne told her, not seeming to have an issue that Pamela had been the only recipient. “What would you like?”
“I’d love to try an iced coffee. My friends have been raving about them.” Pamela’s eyes lit up.
“Coming right up.” Maddie set to work, the machine grinding and hissing.
“And next time you’ll have to try our new iced mocha,” Suzanne said.
“You girls are too much!” Pamela grinned.
Suzanne made a point of squirting a huge mound of whipped cream on top of the icy beverage.
“Oh, Suzanne!” Pamela’s eyes widened. “You’re going to make me fat!”
“Nonsense,” Suzanne replied. “You’re very slim.”
“I do try to keep active,” Pamela replied, “although I don’t think I could get up at six to go jogging before work.”
“Who could?” Suzanne shuddered.
Maddie could almost see the moment that Suzanne had thought of how to lead into asking about Veronica.
“Did you pursue cheerleading after high school?” Suzanne asked.
“No.” Pamela shook her head. “I went to college, but since I hadn’t had any high school experience, I figured I wouldn’t pass the auditions. And what if somehow word had reached them from Estherville High about how I was accused of stealing a cheer? I decided I wanted a fresh start at college, so that meant not having anything to do with cheering.” Regret flickered across her face.
“That’s a shame,” Maddie said sympathetically.
“Mrrow.”
“It’s okay, Trixie,” Pamela told the Persian. “I’ve had a pretty good life. I like living here and my job at the bank suits me. And I have friends. They know I would never steal anything. And some of them have had problems with Veronica as well.”
“Really?” Suzanne asked.
“Amy and Grace.” Pamela nodded. “We were all at high school together.”
Maddie and Suzanne exchanged a glance. So far, they hadn’t learned anything new but ...
“I heard Veronica had a husband,” Suzanne began.
Pamela’s face clouded. “You mean she stole him.”
“Was he—” Maddie began carefully. She didn’t want to betray Grace’s confidence, but before she could worry about it, Pamela helped her out.
“She stole him from Grace.” Pamela took a big sip of her cream covered drink and sighed in satisfaction. “Now I know what my friends have been raving about. Mm.”
“Glad you like it.” Suzanne smiled. “But do you know why Veronica didn’t bring her husband with her to Estherville?”
“No idea.” Pamela shook her head. “No one had heard about them for years and years. I often wondered when Grace went off to college – a different one – if she would return with Richard. She could have hired a private investigator and tracked him down – but when I asked her one day if she’d done that, she’d said no. Even though her family was wealthy, her father didn’t give her a lot of spending money while she was at school.” She laughed mirthlessly. “Maybe he was afraid she would do that very thing.”
“So you never heard about Richard again?” Maddie asked curiously.
“No. Only that he and Veronica got married and were living in Idaho. That’s all.”
“Huh.” Suzanne looked thoughtful.
“I heard you were the one who found Veronica’s body.” Pamela patted Suzanne’s shoulder. “You poor thing.”
“Thanks. It’s something that I hope doesn’t happen again,” Suzanne replied soberly.
“Does the sheriff’s department have any news?” Pamela asked.
“If they do, they haven’t told us.” Suzanne shook her head.
“That’s too bad.” Pamela took another slurp of her drink. “Although I think murder is a terrible thing, I also hope – sort of – that the killer gets away with it. I’m sure they had a very good reason for killing Veronica, and to be honest, I don’t think anyone will mourn her – apart from Claudine and Richard.”
CHAPTER 17
“T hat was a bit of a bust.” Suzanne’s mouth drooped after Pamela left.
“Maybe this will cheer you up.” Maddie waved an iced mocha in front of her friend’s nose.
“Ooh!” Suzanne squirted cream on it, but not as much as she usually indulged in. “Thanks.”
“We’ve learned that Richard’s whereabouts are a bit of a mystery,” Maddie said.
“Maybe he’s run away!” Suzanne’s eyes lit up. “Maybe he saw Veronica’s trip here as his only chance to get away, so instead of killing her he tells her, “You go to Estherville, dear, and I’ll stay home and look after things.” And BAM!” Suzanne smacked her fist into her palm. “He runs off somewhere without leaving a trace – anywh
ere. He’s an official ghost.”
“I think you’ve been watching too much TV,” Maddie said wryly.
“What do you think, Trix?” Suzanne turned to the feline. “Do you think I’m right, or do you think Maddie is?”
Trixie wrapped her fluffy silver tail around her white feet but didn’t make a sound. She appeared to be thinking.
“Huh.” Suzanne seemed disappointed.
“You can’t be right all the time,” Maddie teased.
“Can’t I?” Suzanne made a moue, then sipped her drink, closing her eyes in appreciation.
“Maybe I should try the Tell the Truth spell,” Maddie said slowly.
“Yes!” Suzanne’s eyes flew open. “Honestly, Mads, I don’t know why you don’t use magic more often. We could solve our cases like that!” She snapped her fingers.
“You know I can only use the Tell the Truth spell once per full moon,” Maddie reminded her. “And if I use it on the wrong person then we don’t find out any new information.”
“True,” Suzanne said reluctantly. “But we could have used it on Pamela. Maybe there’s something she’s not telling us.”
“I promise to use it on the next person we interview,” Maddie said.
Suzanne pulled out her phone and frowned. “According to our list, we’ve spoken to all the suspects. Apart from the mysterious Richard, and the guy who was Luke’s customer.”
“And Luke told us that Detective Edgewater enquired about that man,” Maddie reminded her.
“Yeah.” Suzanne’s tone was glum. “So what do we do now?”
“I guess we should find out more about Richard,” Maddie replied. “And the best person to ask would be Detective Edgewater.”
“So let’s go and see him!” Suzanne jumped from the stool, looking ready to lock up the truck and go sleuthing.
“And say what? Give us all the information you have on Veronica’s husband Richard?”
“It’s a start!”
Before Maddie could reason with her, a looming figure at the counter snagged her attention.
“Detective Edgewater.” Maddie smiled. “We were just talking about you.”
“You’re not psychic, are you?” Suzanne asked mischievously.
“No. Are you?” He peered at both of them.
“Nope.”
“No,” Maddie said. She didn’t think she was. Apart from being able to do the Coffee Vision spell. Was being able to communicate telepathically with Trixie considered to be psychic? If she told anyone (apart from Suzanne) she didn’t think they’d believe her. They might even laugh. A disquieting thought arose. Would Luke laugh?
Trixie didn’t answer the detective’s question.
“Your usual?” Suzanne’s fingers were poised on the register.
“I thought I’d have another iced mocha.”
“Good idea.” Suzanne beamed at him. “I can put extra whipped cream on it for you.”
“Maybe just a little bit – not as much as last time,” he added hurriedly.
“No worries.” Suzanne handed him his change.
“So,” he said, tucking his wallet back into his pocket, “What were you two talking about – besides me?”
“We wondered if you knew about Veronica’s husband,” Suzanne said innocently.
“Yes, I do.” He looked a trifle smug.
“Well?” Suzanne demanded.
“Do you really need to know?” he asked.
“Yes!”
“Suzanne,” Maddie hissed. They had to remember that however genial the detective seemed to be – most of the time – he was still a law enforcement officer. Sometimes Suzanne’s curiosity got the better of her.
“It’s a matter of public record,” he told Maddie. “Richard Darin died a while ago. Cancer.”
“Oh.” Maddie didn’t know what to say.
“So that’s why Veronica came back to Estherville on her own,” Suzanne said.
“It looks that way,” Detective Edgewater agreed.
Suzanne squirted a small amount of cream on his drink.
“More?” she asked.
“No. That looks perfect.”
Suzanne handed him the drink, looking doubtful at his pronouncement.
“What other info do you have?” Suzanne asked.
“We’re making good progress with the case,” he told her.
“And you spoke to the guy who was in my brother Luke’s shop? The one who grumbled about Veronica?” Suzanne pressed.
“Yes.”
Maddie thought he refrained from rolling his eyes.
“We do know what we’re doing.” He sipped his drink, as if trying to stave off any more questions. “Delicious, Maddie.” He smiled at her.
“Thanks,” she replied.
“How are you, Trixie?” He glanced over at the Persian.
“Mrrow,” she said, as if she were deep in thought.
“She’s been pretty quiet all day,” Maddie said.
“She’s thinking,” Suzanne declared.
Detective Edgewater chuckled. “You’ll keep an eye on these two, won’t you, Trixie?”
“Mrrow!” Trixie opened her turquoise eyes wide and stared at him, as if to say, “I already am.”
CHAPTER 18
“W e should go over the facts of the case,” Suzanne said that evening. They sat at Maddie’s pine kitchen table, each sipping on a latte.
“Mrrow!” Trixie seemed to nod her head. She sat on “her” chair at the table.
“Okay.” Maddie glanced at Suzanne’s phone where she’d written down the information about the murder. “Veronica was killed by a heavy object.”
“Hmm.” Suzanne tapped her fingernails on the table. “Like a big rock or—”
“Maybe the lid of the garbage can?” Maddie suggested.
“Yes! Eww.” Suzanne sank back in her chair. “What if I touched the murder weapon when I lifted the garbage can lid to see what was inside?” She shook off the thought.
“Maybe the lid wasn’t heavy enough.” Maddie was sorry she thought of the notion. “Besides, it can’t have been that because Detective Edgewater didn’t ask for your fingerprints, did he?”
“No.” Suzanne brightened. “Good. She wasn’t killed by a metal garbage lid.”
There was silence for a few seconds.
“So what did kill her?” Suzanne looked stumped.
Maddie looked at Trixie, raising her eyebrow in inquiry. But her familiar didn’t say anything at all.
“Maybe we should leave that question to one side right now,” Maddie proposed. “Is there anyone else we need to interview?”
Suzanne glanced down at her phone. “No.” She sighed. “And now we know what happened with the mysterious Richard – so he couldn’t have killed Veronica. Poor Grace.”
“Do you think she knows he ... passed away?” Maddie asked.
“I don’t know.” Suzanne looked thoughtful. “It didn’t sound like she did when she spoke about him breaking her heart, but who knows?”
“And I don’t want to have to ask her if she did know,” Maddie said.
“Exactly,” Suzanne agreed. “I’ll just make a note here next to Grace’s name – not sure if she knows Richard dead.”
“What about Claudine?” Maddie said reluctantly. “Do you think she could have—”
“Yes!” Suzanne jumped up and paced in front of Maddie. “It makes perfect sense that Claudine is the killer!”
“Maybe because you want it to be so,” Maddie said gently. She didn’t like Claudine, but had she actually murdered her cousin? She’d genuinely seemed upset by Veronica’s death.
“Don’t you?” Suzanne demanded.
“Not really.” Maddie shook her head. “I thought I should mention the possibility but it would mean that Claudine is even scarier than we thought. Other than the argument she had with Veronica over their coffee stand—”
“Illegal coffee stand.”
“—she seems to have liked Veronica.”
“Hmm
.” Suzanne pondered. “I hate to say this, but I think you might be right.”
“Gee, thanks,” Maddie replied.
“But I still think we should question her just to make sure.”
“Okay,” Maddie said reluctantly. She’d love not to have to talk to Claudine.
After another moment of silence, Maddie said, “I guess I’ll have to use the Tell the Truth spell next time.”
“Do you have it ready?” Suzanne asked.
“In my pocket.” Maddie patted her shorts’ pocket.
“What about the incantation from the night of the full moon?” Suzanne inquired. “When are you going to use that?”
“When we need to find where someone is,” Maddie replied. “Maybe someone on our list that we need to question?”
“Cool!”
Suzanne’s ring tone sounded a jazzy tune. She looked at the phone curiously before she picked it up.
“It’s Ramon!” Suzanne looked like she couldn’t decide whether to grin or pass out.
Maddie gestured for her to take the call.
Suzanne picked up her phone, faced Maddie and Trixie, hesitated, then got up and walked over to the kitchen sink, turning her back to them.
Maddie glanced at Trixie. The Persian seemed to be smiling.
“Hi Ramon.” Suzanne used her “boyfriend” voice. The one that seemed to say to the caller, I may be bouncy and cheerful, but I’m also feminine and girly. Maddie hadn’t heard her use it in a while.
“I’d love to.”
Maddie tried not to overhear, but it was impossible to resist temptation. If she truly did not want to listen, she’d have to leave the room.
After a couple of minutes of Suzanne continuing to use her “boyfriend” voice, she ended the call, a big smile on her face.
“Ramon asked me out – to dinner!”
“That’s great!” Maddie smiled back at her friend.
“Mrrow!” Trixie sounded pleased.
“Oh, Mads, he’s taking me to this little Italian restaurant he’s found in a nearby town. And he’s picking me up!”
“Awesome!”
They high-fived, then Suzanne held her hand out to Trixie. The Persian put her paw out, and Suzanne gently high-fived the cat.
