The Tea Shoppe Mysteries

by Darlene Franklin

  “Stay here. I’m getting that police officer.” Before I could protest that the last person I wanted to speak with again that day was Rogen, he darted away.

  I stared after him, the shock of the paper I held in my hand fading a little. Had someone at the funeral left the warning, or had they come and gone? Were they still here, watching from a parked car? I slammed the door closed and locked it, slouching in my seat.

  The beep beep of the car’s fob sent my heart into overdrive. I knew no one would have the fob except for Brad, but I still screamed when he opened the door.

  Officer Rogen stared over Brad’s shoulder. “You got a warning?”

  I handed him the sheet of paper.

  He read it. “I hope you will at least heed this warning, since you won’t listen to me.”

  “Shouldn’t you put that in an evidence bag or something?” I narrowed my eyes. He was handling it without gloves.

  He stiffened. “Are you telling me how to do my job?”

  “No, but …” I sighed and clamped my lips shut. In his defense, he probably didn’t expect to find evidence at a funeral.

  He folded the paper and slid it into an inside pocket of his suit jacket. “Go home, Ms. Lawrence.” He whirled and marched away with military precision.

  Brad’s brows lowered. “You were right about the way he handled that paper.”

  Oh. I exited the car and raced after Rogen. I needed to tell him about the pillow.

  He turned as I called his name. “What now?”

  “Uh, I was walking … in the alley behind Miller’s Inc. and, uh … found a pillow.”

  “A pillow?”

  “Yeah. It belonged on Roy’s office sofa. It has a bullet hole in it. I think it was used to muffle the gunshot. That’s why Sue didn’t hear anything when she was in the closet.”

  “Why were you in the alley?” He cocked his head.

  “Walking.”

  “In the alley.” He exhaled heavily. “Listen closely. You are entering dangerous waters. If you get in too deep, I won’t be able to keep you safe.”

  “Do you want the pillow or not?” It sounded as if he was giving me a warning outside of his duty as a police officer. What was it about him that kept me from trusting him?

  “Of course I want the pillow,” he hissed through his teeth. “I’ll follow you home.” He turned again, this time to head for his car.

  Back at Brad’s car, I told him Rogen was coming for the pillow. “I didn’t have a good excuse for being in the alley. Hopefully he’ll chalk that up to my strange behavior.”

  “He didn’t ask why you didn’t bring the pillow straight to the station?”

  “No.” I tilted my head. “That is weird.”

  Brad was silent the rest of the way home. When we pulled up to the curb outside my apartment, he shoved open his door. “I’d planned on dropping you off and running some errands, but I’d rather you weren’t alone with Rogen.”

  My blood chilled. “You think he’ll harm me.”

  “I’m not sure what to think about him.” Brad slid from the vehicle as Rogen pulled up behind us.

  “I’ll go get it,” I called to Rogen.

  “I’ll come with you,” he called back.

  Brad followed me into the apartment. I froze. All our notes and photos were strewn across my table. “We need to hide this.”

  Behind me, Rogen cleared his throat.

  I spun, stunned by the ferocious glint in his eyes. “It’s a school project.”

  His gaze switched to Brad. “You’re involved in this too?”

  “Yes, sir. As she said, it’s a project we’re working on.”

  “You’re meddling in my investigation for a class?” Rogen approached the table, studying the photographs. “This is worse than I thought,” he mumbled. He took a deep breath. “I’m placing you both under arrest and confiscating all … this.” He waved his arm over the table.

  “You’re arresting us on what grounds?” Brad crossed his arms. “It isn’t against the law to keep up with an unsolved crime. You have no proof we’re doing more than that.”

  Rogen narrowed his eyes. “Are you resisting?”

  “Merely asking questions.”

  The fact Brad didn’t back down from the officer’s stare made him a hero in my eyes. “Please don’t take our notes.” I did my best to sound pathetic and pleading. “We’ve done so much work on this.”

  Rogen rolled his head on his shoulders. “I won’t arrest you, but I am taking all this.” He gathered up the photos and notes.” Get me a bag.”

  I wanted to refuse but got him two grocery bags. One for the papers and one for the pillow. I kept a resigned expression on my face, hoping he wouldn’t think we were smart enough to have copies.

  He stopped in the doorway. “You’re done here, Ms. Lawrence, Mr. Overson.” He turned and stormed from the apartment.

  “That was close.” Brad fell onto my sofa. “I’ll lose my job if I get arrested.”

  “But you didn’t back down.” I grinned and held up my hand for a high five.

  Brad returned it and laughed. “Maybe you should lock your door in case he returns. It looks like any further collaborations will have to happen at my place.”

  I sat next to him, toed off my pumps, and crossed my ankles on top of the coffee table. “That’s fine.” Curiosity about his home came over me. I’d love to see where he lived. “Now?”

  He shook his head. “We don’t have anything else to go on until I have a chance to nose around the office after school tomorrow. Do me a favor and stay inside the rest of the day. Things are going to start heating up. We have four suspects now.”

  “I can only think of three. Your two bosses and Connor.”

  “My gut tells me we need to add Rogen to that list. Tell me again what you saw on the case board at the station.”

  I told him of the very little I’d seen. “I don’t think I’m a suspect, since the board said I had no motive, but Rogen definitely believes I know more than I do.”

  “Which was proven when he came into your apartment. Do we know anything he doesn’t?”

  “If we did, he’ll know what we know now.” I bit the corner of my mouth as I thought. “He might not know about the safe or the two cleaning companies.” Should we tell him? That would get me into deeper water with the officer. He’d know I hadn’t stayed in the alley but had gone inside the building. That would most definitely result in my arrest.

  “Okay, let’s focus on those two things right now. What could have been in the safe?”

  “Money? Important documents?” What could have been important enough to kill Roy?

  “Could Roy have known something about someone and kept it in the safe?”

  I gasped. “Roy sold insurance. Maybe he caught someone committing fraud?”

  “Now you’re thinking.” Brad got up and paced my small living room.

  “How would we find out who?” We had our short list of suspects, but Roy’s company had stayed very busy with clients. If my assumption was correct, it could have been any of a long list of companies.

  “We need to sit down with Sue. She’ll know more than she thinks. As receptionist, she would have recorded all the appointments, made the calls, kept records.”

  I didn’t want to involve Sue, but Brad had a good point. “I’ll see if she’ll meet us for dinner.” I sent her a quick text, making a point of mentioning that Brad would be joining us. Sue struck me as a woman who liked men very much.

  Sure enough, she replied yes. I told her to meet us at a diner I liked that had outdoor seating. Summertime or not, we’d be less likely to be overheard if we sat outside.

  I went to my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a tank top. When I returned to the front room, Brad had changed into shorts and a T-shirt.

  “I always keep an extra set of clothes in my car,” he said, moving to the front window and peering outside.

  “Expecting someone?”

  “I’m not taking an
y chances. With Rogen knowing what we were up to, the questions we asked at the funeral home, the guilty party could be keeping a close eye on us now.” He let the curtains fall back into place.

  His extra caution filled me with dread. Lord, please don’t let me have gotten us into something we can’t handle. I thought it might be too late for that, so I added a quick prayer for safety and a quick capture of Roy’s killer.

  “Do you go to church?” I asked.

  “Yes. You?”

  I nodded. “My mind usually wanders, but I really do try and focus. I think we should have prayed before undertaking the task of finding a killer. I have a feeling we need divine intervention.”

  “It’s not too late.” He smiled, took my hands in his, and pulled me to my feet. His prayer went along the same lines as mine as he prayed for guidance and protection.

  A few minutes later, we sipped on cold sodas and waited for Sue at a round iron table outside the diner. A few cars drove by, but none seemed overly interested in us. I didn’t see a single squad car, so Rogen must be processing the confiscated evidence he’d taken off my kitchen table. A few other couples and a family occupied tables, but none sat close enough to hear our conversation.

  “There she is.” Brad nodded to where Sue got out of a brilliant red Mustang.

  I had a sudden case of car envy. “Thanks for joining us, Sue,” I said when she reached us.

  “I know you have an ulterior motive,” she said, taking her seat. “You’re going to ask me more questions, but I didn’t have anything else to do.” She fluttered her lashes at Brad. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Likewise.” He smiled. “And guilty as charged about wanting to ask questions.”

  We ordered our food—chicken fingers and fries for me—then I pulled a notebook from my purse. “Brad and I are thinking Roy might have some dirt on someone and that’s what got him killed. Anyone come to mind?”

  “Let me think.” She tapped a pumpkin-orange sculpted nail against her teeth. “Roy had become more reclusive the last few weeks, staying in his office for longer periods of time. He was surly, almost rude on occasion. He no longer held all his meetings in the conference room either. He started taking more in his office.”

  “Anybody in particular?” I poised the pen over the paper. “I know Connor said their meeting was canceled, but did you ever see him at the office?”

  “No, the funeral was the first time I laid eyes on him.” She sat against the chair back and stared into the distance. Her eyes widened. “The last meeting he held in his office that I’m aware of was the guys from Sea Side Construction.”

  “I thought you said that meeting got canceled.”

  “The one the day he died was canceled. The one a few days earlier wasn’t.” She leaned her elbows on the table and lowered her voice. “There were a lot of loud voices coming from his office that day.”

  CHAPTER 8

  I really wished I was snooping around Brad’s work with him instead of delivering scones and pastries, but bills had to be paid. I glanced at the bag in my hand. It ought to have SCONES TO DIE FOR written across the front. Talk about promotion, if a bit macabre under the circumstances.

  A lump formed in my throat. Roy hadn’t gotten to eat his favorite pastry before someone had brutally killed him.

  After making the delivery to the drugstore then making a much larger delivery to the bookstore for their weekly book club, I plopped onto a bench on Main Street. The deadline for our report loomed ever closer, and we were still a long way from solving Roy’s murder. Maybe I could bribe Professor Lyons with some raspberry scones.

  I smiled and lifted my face to the afternoon sun, closing my eyes and breathing deep of an ocean breeze. When was the last time I’d simply sat and enjoyed a beautiful summer day? Not since working and going to college. I needed to make time to relax a priority in my life. A time to sit, reflect, and pray. Maybe find a man to date.

  Like Brad. Would he enjoy spending time with me if we weren’t working on a project together? I really hoped so, because if he didn’t ask me out when we finished with this, I’d ask him.

  I stood and turned back toward Tea by the Sea. I looked both ways and stepped into the street.

  A dark van sped up and stopped in front of me. The door opened, and a masked man reached out.

  I reflexively punched him in the face and took off at a sprint in the opposite direction. Pounding footsteps alerted me to the fact he gave chase. Where were all the shoppers who usually strolled Main Street?

  Snatching a half-empty water bottle from a trash can as I raced by, I chucked it over my shoulder and heard him curse. I darted into the tea shoppe.

  “Call the police, Georgina. I was almost kidnapped.” I sagged into a chair, both pleased with my quick thinking and shaking from my near capture.

  “Here.” She handed me a cup of tea after placing the call. “You need this.”

  Tea had been the go-to comfort drink for generations. “Thank you.” I sat in silence, ignoring the coming and going patrons until Rogen marched in and took a seat across from me.

  “What happened?”

  I explained in great detail. “Look, my hands are shaking.” I held up a trembling hand. “I’m not normally a nervous person.”

  He looked at me as if I’d sprouted a second nose. “Of course you’re shaken up. Are you in shock? Do you need a doctor?” The hint of a smile teased his lips. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

  “Television.” I shrugged one shoulder. “Say what you will, there’s some helpful information on the tube.”

  He leaned across the table. “Do you see now why you need to stop sticking your nose in this?”

  “But I have a project due.”

  “Seriously.” He shook his head. “Pick a different topic. Anything besides an active murder investigation.” He pushed to his feet.

  “I was working, Officer. That’s it. Not asking questions, not roaming down alleys, just working.” Was that not safe anymore?

  “Keep your wits about you, like you did today.” He marched from the shop, paused on the sidewalk for a second, then disappeared out of sight. It almost seemed as if he actually cared about my safety.

  All my bravado disappeared when Brad arrived. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I launched myself into his arms.

  “Whoa. What’s wrong?” His arms tightened around me. He smelled like fabric softener and soap. He’d obviously taken the time to shower before meeting up with me.

  He helped me into a chair and ordered two large sweet teas. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  I blubbered through an explanation of the attempted abduction. “It isn’t safe for me to walk down the sidewalk anymore. Who knows about us investigating besides Rogen and Sue?”

  “That’s a very good question.” He folded his hands on the tabletop. “One of them must have said something to someone they shouldn’t have.”

  I nodded, wiping my eyes with a napkin. “Did you find out anything at work?”

  He grinned. “Jenkins and Olson canceled their out-of-town appointment the same as they did with Roy.”

  “That’s suspicious. How can we find out why?”

  “We need to do some digging into their files. Care for a nighttime excursion to a construction office?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Do you feel up to it?”

  “You bet. The sooner we solve this, the sooner life gets back to normal. Besides, thinking about that will keep me from dwelling on how close I came to getting hurt today. Would you come with me for the rest of my deliveries?” I’d noticed the orders coming in and knew Georgina would do them herself if I didn’t feel like I could. I didn’t want that to happen. Delivering was my job.

  Still, she protested as I loaded the deliveries into a box, only relenting when I informed her that Brad was going with me and working would take my mind off my ordeal. “I’ll be fine.”

  Brad took the box from me. “People around here really like these pastries, don’t they?”
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br />   “And the tea and coffee.” I glanced up at him. “I think you need to mention to your bosses how wonderful this place is so I can deliver to them and gauge how they react to seeing me.”

  I’d be able to get a hint of … something if they intended me harm. My instincts were rarely wrong, except in regard to Rogen. That man confused me. I couldn’t get over my suspicion that he was involved in some way outside of being the officer leading the investigation. But I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how he could be. He didn’t seem the type to be a dirty cop. Something weighed heavily on him, judging by how more rounded his shoulders seemed each time I saw him.

  The rest of the deliveries went smoothly with no sight of a masked man or a dark van. “Right before the van blocked my way,” I said, “I was thinking about how long it’d been since I’ve taken a day off to have fun.”

  “What do you like to do for fun?” Brad opened the passenger door of his car. “I thought you liked investigating.”

  “That was before someone tried to hurt me.” I slid onto the seat. “I like walks along the shore, movies and popcorn, long drives in the country … those sorts of things.”

  After he got in the driver’s side, he turned to me. “Do you want to stop this?”

  “Nope.” I flashed a grin. “We’re in too deep now. Might as well see it through to completion. Do you have a key to the office?”

  “Yes.”

  I raised my brows. “Did you steal it?”

  He rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t steal it. I’m a supervisor, remember? We haven’t done this before now because I had no reason to go in after hours. Now that we suspect Jenkins and Olson …”

  I wasn’t quite sure what I expected when Brad parked behind a trailer, but it wasn’t a module that could be moved from construction site to construction site. Mounds of dirt lay off to one side of the building. I guess I’d thought we’d be going to a regular building, not a place where building was actually being done. I glanced down at my gym shoes, glad I hadn’t worn my prettier flats that day for more than one reason. I wouldn’t have been able to run from my potential abductor or snoop around a big hole in the ground. If we didn’t find anything inside, I’d definitely want to look around outside. There had to be a clue here.