RaspBuried Torte (Black Cat Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 5)

by Lyndsey Cole

  The front door opened and closed and footsteps clumped toward the small office with the dogs. “Where’s my girl?” Detective Crank said in a sweet, sing song voice as she opened the door. Her face turned bright red when she saw Annie sitting on the floor. “I didn’t know anyone was in here.” Her voice returned to its normal business tone.

  Annie was surprised to see Detective Crank in jeans and a fleece jacket with her hair loose around her face. She patted the blanket next to where she sat. “I’m meeting Bella’s pups. They love to be cuddled.” Annie picked up the black puppy and offered him to the detective.

  Detective Crank hesitated, then sat cross legged next to Annie. She tenderly accepted the puppy, holding him next to her cheek.

  “Don’t worry about him peeing on you, he already peed on the blanket.” Annie saw a tear slide down Detective Crank’s cheek but she looked away, pretending not to notice it. “He likes you.”

  Bella stood up and plopped down in front of Detective Crank, putting her head in her lap.

  “Ready to head home with me?”

  Karen said, “They’re all set to go if you still want the responsibility.”

  “Definitely.” Detective Crank looked at Annie. “I could use some help if you have time.”

  “Okay, I’d love to.”

  “And call me Christy. At least when I’m not in my uniform. No more Detective Cranky?” Christy stared at Annie who had to look elsewhere. Christy laughed. “You’re not the first one, don’t worry. And with any luck, you won’t be the last.”

  “With any luck?”

  Christy patted Annie’s leg. “I know I’m doing my job when I get that nickname.” She grinned when she saw Annie’s guilty face. “Let’s go.”

  Annie stood up, turning toward Karen. “Did you ever find Bella’s owner?”

  “I did.”

  “And they don’t want her back?”

  “Nope. Bella belonged to old man Harper and his grandson wants nothing to do with her. So Christy can adopt her with no worry of an owner showing up out of the blue.”

  Annie was speechless. Henry Harper the third kept popping up in connection to his grandfather’s house. Did he leave the door open so Bella could keep getting back inside?

  Karen nudged Annie. “Are you going to help us or day dream?”

  Christy already had the puppies in a box and was heading out the door to her car.

  Annie held Karen’s arm, forcing her to stop in her tracks. “What did Henry the third say about Bella?”

  “I shouldn’t repeat it, so don’t tell anyone else.” Karen paused. “I can’t stand people with this attitude. He said the dog was a pain in the neck and he kept bringing her back to his grandfather’s house in the hopes that someone would find her and get her out of his life.”

  “He must have had a key to the house still,” Annie said, more to herself than to Karen.

  Chapter 17

  Annie followed Christy to her house. It was a tidy white ranch on the edge of town. Gardening season was over for the year, but Annie was impressed with the raised beds Christy had at the side of her house. All the leftover plant material was cleaned up and the beds were ready for a new batch of transplants the following spring. A round compost bin stood guard next to the beds. Annie felt a tug. As much as she loved her apartment above Jason’s garage, there was no room for a garden.

  Christy waited for Annie to get out of her car before she opened the door to let Bella out. “Here.” She handed the leash to Annie. “You can walk Bella around while I bring the puppies inside.”

  Bella tried to follow Christy and looked mournfully at Annie when her puppies disappeared inside. “Don’t worry. We’ll be going inside too.” Annie gave Bella’s leash a gentle tug and led her around the yard. Bella sniffed and did her business quickly, then focused her attention back on the house. “Okay. I get it. We’ll find where Christy has your pups.”

  Christy was already at the door when Annie and Bella arrived. “She’s not interested in being out here until she knows what you did with her pups,” Annie said to Christy.

  Christy held the door open. “Come on in. I have a space set up in my office. I think they’ll be comfortable there.”

  Annie looked around as she followed Christy. Getting a glimpse of her private life was less revealing than Annie had hoped. Not surprising, Christy’s house was as uncluttered on the inside as on the outside. No knick knacks to indicate her likes and no photos anywhere. Did she have any friends, Annie wondered?

  Bella charged forward into the office, knocking Annie off balance and forcing her into the door jamb. “Ouch,” she said as she rubbed her shoulder. “I guess Bella has her priorities figured out.”

  Bella sniffed each pup as if she was counting them to be sure Christy hadn’t misplaced one or two. Satisfied, she walked in a circle around the pup pile and lowered herself around them.

  Christy smiled. “Comfy Bella?”

  Bella’s tailed thumped as she looked up at Christy.

  Annie touched Christy’s arm. “She looks completely content here. You didn’t need any help at all, but thanks for letting me watch her settle in. I’ll get out of your way now.”

  “Would you like some tea?” Christy asked Annie.

  “Okay,” Annie replied to this unexpected invitation. “Should I wait in here or do you need some help?”

  Christy waved her hand indicating Annie should follow her as she headed to her small kitchen. She pointed to a stool at the counter. “Sit here while I turn on the water. Herbal tea okay with you?”

  Annie nodded as she slid onto the oak stool. The kitchen cabinets were sparkling white and the counter was dark granite. “Your house is cozy,” Annie remarked.

  “I was lucky to find this place when I got hired as detective. It suits me perfectly—small, a garden area outside, and now with Bella, I’ll have some company.” Christy dropped a selection of teas in front of Annie, next to a mug with I heart Cape Cod written across sand dunes. She chose a peach tea to try.

  Looking at her mug, Annie decided to see if she could gather any information about Christy’s past. “You love Cape Cod?”

  A dark shadow momentarily crossed Christy’s eyes. “Not anymore. I forgot I kept that mug.” She dropped a tea bag into her mug and poured hot water into the two mugs.

  An awkward silence fell in the kitchen before they both started to blurt out a question.

  Annie laughed. “You first.”

  “It’s probably none of my business, but what’s the deal between you and the police chief?”

  “Tyler? We’re friends.”

  Christy raised one eyebrow. “Just friends? The way he talks about you, I guessed there was a lot more to it.”

  “Oh. We were engaged a few years ago.” She looked down at the counter. “But I broke it off. I thought he moved on since he’s been dating JC.”

  “That relationship isn’t going anywhere from what I’ve observed. My acutely trained detective opinion? He’s still in love with you.”

  “I had no idea.” Annie’s shoulders drooped and she scrunched up her lips.

  “Haven’t you noticed how he ignores Jason when the two of you are together? And how Jason always touches you to claim you as his?”

  Annie shrugged her shoulders. “No, I guess I didn’t read too much into any of that.” She sipped her tea. “So, what about you?”

  Again, the fleeting shadow. “What do you mean?”

  “You can’t just work all the time. Any significant other in your life?”

  “Not at the moment. I try not to let my mind go there. All I’ll say is it was difficult and I’m certainly not ready to put myself in a position of trust again.” Christy gazed out the window, seemingly lost in some past experience. “Except for Bella and maybe you.” She met Annie’s eyes with a look of desperation.

  “Me? I thought you hated me.”

  Christy leaned both elbows on her counter opposite Annie. “No. I don’t hate you.” She sucked in a deep
breath, trying to gain strength. “It’s envy, I’ve realized. Everyone likes you and you manage to put information together to help solve the murders in town. I want that connection too.” Her eyebrows raised in question.

  “I don’t know what I know that you don’t know,” Annie said, then laughed. “Let me try again. I don’t see how I could have any information that you don’t have. You have all the tools and resources of the police department to analyze all the evidence. All I do is ask questions.”

  “See? That’s what I don’t have. I don’t have the connections to people in town. They see me as an outsider and it’s hard to gain their trust. You could help me. Help the police with your common sense approach.”

  “All right. I thought I was doing that, but you and Tyler don’t always want my opinion.”

  Christy nodded. “True. I’m working on changing that attitude. You’ve proven yourself to be right more often than not even if you do get yourself into dangerous situations at times. The outcome has always been the best for everyone.”

  “Except the murderer,” Annie added.

  “Well, yes, there is that.” She laughed. “We need to be on the same side, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, but what about Tyler? If what you say is true, I don’t want to put him in an uncomfortable position.”

  “Don’t worry about him. This is an informal relationship. I’ll share what I can and you tell me what you learn.” She leaned her right hip against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest.

  Annie wasn’t sure what she was agreeing to. Could she trust Christy who admitted she had trouble trusting anyone herself? Or should she assume Christy turned over a new leaf and they were headed toward a friendship? Christy’s posture could mean anything—worry as to what Annie’s reaction might be, or worse, intimidation. Annie’s eyes searched the kitchen for a clue. A clue of what she might be jumping into if she allowed herself to trust Christy.

  Annie focused on a photo. “Was that your dog?” She pointed to a photo of a black lab on a small magnet on the refrigerator.

  Christy pulled the magnet off and handed it to Annie. “This is my dog, Blue. My ex won’t let me have her back.” Her eyes blinked rapidly before a tear spilled over. She quickly wiped it away.

  Annie’s heart ached for Christy’s situation and she decided to trust her and work on being her friend. “Did you know that Bella belonged to old man Harper? Henry Harper the third’s grandfather?”

  “That sleaze ball. I knew there was a good reason why he made my skin crawl when I interviewed him. I hope he has no intention of trying to get her or any of her puppies back.”

  “You don’t have anything to worry about. He’s not interested in Bella.” Annie stood up and brought her mug to the sink. Giving Christy plenty of space, she asked, “Did Henry Harper the third have an alibi for the time frame when Claire was murdered?”

  “No.”

  Chapter 18

  “Is he a person of interest?” Annie asked with her back still facing Christy.

  “He’s on the list but I have nothing to actually bring him in on.” She banged her mug on the counter. “Why the questions?”

  Annie turned around and shrugged. “You know me. I have a feeling.”

  They both laughed and Annie was pleased that Christy didn’t make a disparaging comment about her feeling. Christy couldn’t investigate on a feeling, but there was nothing to stop Annie. Maybe they could help each other. She walked back to the counter. Christy held her ground, waiting.

  “Here’s the thing. Henry said he saw Cody and Larry at the Harper House around the time Claire was murdered. What was Henry doing there?”

  Christy nodded. “Interesting. Cody said he was with his wife, Abby, and Larry said he was with his mother, Violet.”

  “Exactly!” Annie shouted. “Who’s lying? And if Henry was there, why? All of a sudden he’s been showing valuable gold coins and jewelry to Camilla Rockwell.”

  Christy’s eyes squinted. “Slow down. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “There’s a rumor that his grandfather hid valuables in the house and there’s been plenty of treasure hunters looking for it.”

  “Feelings and rumors. I can’t work with that but it’s something to keep in mind.”

  They both turned to the sound of nails clicking on the wood floors. Bella looked up at them and wagged her tail. “Do you need to go outside?” Christy asked in a sing song voice.

  While Christy and Bella checked out the yard, Annie kept the puppies company. When she heard the door open and close, she returned to the kitchen. Bella found her way back to her puppies and Christy sat at the counter, writing in a notebook. She looked up after she filled several pages. “Anything else in your feeling and rumor department?”

  “Have you looked into the home inspection report yet? It may have been doctored in Claire’s favor, according to Henry. Another reason for him to want revenge.”

  Christy wrote as fast as possible. “How do you find out this stuff? No one tells me anything.”

  Not wanting to insult Christy’s less than friendly approach when she was on the job, Annie ignored answering and instead fished for some answers to her own questions. “I’m curious about one thing.”

  Christy set her pen down and waited.

  “You arrived after we found Claire dead but before we had a chance to call 911. Why were you already on your way?”

  Christy tapped her pen on her chin. “We did get a 911 call, an anonymous, untraceable call. Male. He said there was something in the kitchen at the Harper House and hung up.” Christy jotted some more notes. “Then I found you and your gang looking like you had all just seen a ghost.”

  “I’ll put money on the call coming from Henry Harper the third. The guy is a lurker and seems to know everything that’s going on with that house.” Annie picked up her tote. “I better get going. Bella is content, and you,” she nodded her head toward Christy’s notebook, “have a few things to work on.”

  Christy pulled her hair back into a ponytail, transforming into Detective Crank instead of plain Christy Crank.

  Annie stopped. “Oh, one more question. Do you know anything about a life insurance policy that Claire had?”

  “Yup. Her son is the beneficiary. Nice amount of money too. Since he had an alibi, he was off the list. But if his alibi doesn’t hold up he’ll be a person of interest for sure.”

  “So, Danny Davis is off the hook?”

  Christy tapped her pen on the counter. “He’s the only suspect that we know who was definitely in the house at the time of the murder. His fingerprints are on the murder weapon and his blood is in the sink. It still doesn’t look good for him.”

  Annie walked toward Christy. “His blood is in the sink, but was his blood on Claire or the murder weapon?”

  “Good point, and the answer is no but he’s still a suspect.”

  “He didn’t do it.”

  Christy met Annie’s eyes and they both stared without blinking. “How can you be so sure?”

  Annie looked away. “You don’t know Danny, do you?”

  “No, which is a good thing. My judgment isn’t clouded.”

  “Mine isn’t clouded either. He’s about the kindest guy you’ll ever meet. Focus on someone else,” she answered before finally walking out of the house.

  Annie gripped the steering wheel and sucked in a calming breath before heading back to the Black Cat Café. She couldn’t decide if she made any progress with Christy or if she was being played for a fool. Either way, she wasn’t going to let Danny be railroaded into something he didn’t do. For his sake and Leona’s, she thought with dread filling her body.

  The café was humming with the lunch crowd. At this time of year, with colder mornings, it was not an early morning crowd like summertime brought in. Annie ignored Leona’s glare and took over the pastry display, filling empty spaces with fresh muffins, scones, cupcakes and Leona’s raspberry torte. She couldn’t help but notice Violet and
Larry huddled in one of the booths while Larry’s wife, Margery, talked to herself as she studied the books on the freebrary shelves.

  When there was a lull in the customers at the pastry display, Annie grabbed a fresh carafe of coffee and carried it to Violet and Larry’s booth.

  “Refill?” Annie asked in her best friendly voice.

  Larry kept his head hanging and his hands clenched in front of him but Violet looked up in surprise. “Oh, I thought it was self-serve,” she said as she held her coffee toward Annie.

  “If I have time, I like to offer refills. It’s an easy way to say hello to customers.” She smiled. “Everything okay with you two?”

  Larry looked away from Annie, out the window toward the lake. Violet fluttered her hands around. “Yes. Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t everything be fine?”

  Annie slipped in next to Larry in what she assumed had been Margery’s spot. He slid away from her. She leaned toward Violet and whispered. “I heard someone may have found some hidden valuables from old man Harper’s estate.”

  Without looking toward Larry, Annie could see from the corner of her eye that he was now staring in her direction. Violet cleared her throat. “You don’t say. I hadn’t heard anything about that. Any more details?”

  Annie leaned back. “Unfortunately, no. Do you think there’s any truth to it?”

  “No,” Larry said and returned his gaze to the window view.

  Annie slid out of the seat. “If anyone knew about it, I thought it would be you. Or what about Henry Harper the third?” Annie cocked her head, waiting for a response.

  “It would be just like that little worm to spread a rumor about hidden valuables. He’s been nothing but a thorn in our sides through this whole real estate deal. For some reason, he thinks he still has some kind of right to his granddad’s place,” Larry mumbled under his breath.

  Violet patted her son’s hand from across the table but he pulled it away as if he’d been stabbed. “Don’t think about him, dear. Now all we have to worry about is Cody McClaven.”