Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Collection

by Laurie Anne Marie

  They both stood there staring at each other and then he looked down at the floor and sighed.

  “You’re stubborn; you know that don’t you? I hope you don’t get hurt in any way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “You did. Warning taken.”

  She started to walk to the door, then turned and looked at him again.

  “And by the way, that news of Julia Short kissing another man so soon after her husband was murdered could mean she had been plotting something. I’m sure you thought of that for a second before you dismissed what I had to say. And the question is, who is the man? Maybe he knew Darren too? I’d give the hobby lady a call. You never know,” Ashley suggested.

  She smiled at him. He smiled back.

  “Take care of yourself out there,” Thompson said.

  This time, Ashley left his presence with a spring in her step instead of a red hot face. She had spoken her mind and stood up not only for herself, but her mom and her friend Betsy too. And she didn’t feel upset at all. More importantly, she wasn’t feeling weak in the knees. He belonged to someone else anyway. She let out a long sigh.

  “His spell is broken.”

  Well, almost. What a hunk. But if he spent less time making fun of her while simultaneously giving her and every other woman he met those smoldering looks and being so sure of himself, he might have made more inroads on the case already.

  Ashley looked at the time on her phone and hit the gas.

  “I’m going to be late for work!”

  The image of Nash’s angry face was not a pleasant thought right now.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  As soon as she walked in the restaurant, things felt different. A bit lighter. A bit more calm. The lunch rush had just ended, and the servers were relaxed and restocking the tables with sugar, salt and pepper and talking among themselves. She could hear the busboys joking.

  Wow. Was this what the later shift felt like? It had been quite a while since she had worked one and made a mental note of asking for more. However, working the late shift meant having to close and no one likes that. Still, today seemed like a nice change from the tension of days gone by.

  “Hi Carrie, what’s up?” Ashley asked a new server.

  Carrie smiled back. “Great.”

  “It feels so peaceful today. Lunch went ok?” Ashley asked.

  “Breakfast and lunch were great. Nash isn’t in today, so we all could relax.”

  “Oh? Where is he? Did he call?” Ashley asked.

  “Yeah, he talked to Sara. She said he had an important appointment. In any case, it was cool. Best day ever here.”

  Before Ashley got started in the kitchen, she looked for Sara. She knew Sara wouldn’t be easy to talk to after Ashley brought up her sleeping with Darren outside the restaurant the other day, but she wanted to find out more about Nash being absent if she could. She glanced around but didn’t see her.

  “Carrie, do you know where Sara is?” Ashley wondered.

  “Yeah, she’s on break. Probably eating outside.”

  “Thanks.”

  Ashley went through the kitchen waving at the busboys and walked out the back door. As soon as she started to turn the corner, she heard Sara on her phone.

  “Look, I’m giving my two weeks’ notice. Don’t try to talk me out of it. I can’t stay here after what happened with Darren and with Meagan always giving me the evil eye. And I told you to keep Julia Short away from me, but she was waiting for me in the parking lot the other day to tell me off. I’m sick of it. And Ashley is stalking me, I’m telling you. She’s badgering everyone with questions. You better do something about it because I’ll be gone, but she’s gonna be bad news for you,” Sara said.

  Ashley stood rock still and held her breath.

  “No, it’s over. Two weeks. That way it won’t look suspicious. Unless it gets too stressful. Then I’ll just leave immediately. Bye.”

  Sara clicked off her phone.

  Ashley quickly scooted in the back door and rushed to the stove. She was tying on her apron when Sara walked in on her way to the dining room floor. But first, she glared at Ashley.

  The busboys noticed and started to whisper to one another. They were fascinated with all the drama going on.

  Ashley started to prep her menu for dinner tonight. Her heart was beating fast, but she knew cooking would help calm her nerves. Her mind was in overdrive, however.

  “That must have been Nash she was talking to,” Ashley thought.

  First of all, he wasn’t at the restaurant, so that made sense. And secondly, Sara gave her notice. And lastly, she had heard Sara say ‘do something about Ashley,’ before she hung up.

  Ashley felt sick to her stomach. She started to sweat.

  “Do something about Ashley.”

  What could that mean? It could just be that Sara meant he should fire Ashley and get rid of her snooping around. Or something worse? She decided to call Detective Thompson later on her break.

  She didn’t have to do that. Just before the dinner rush started, the kitchen door opened, and Carrie popped her head in.

  “There’s a Detective Thompson here to see you Ashley,” Carrie yelled.

  Great. Why not shout louder so everyone in town could hear it? She took off her apron and walked out to the dining room.

  ***

  Thompson was sitting in a booth in back looking as hunky as ever. She noticed all the females in the place staring at him, including the servers and a few customers left over from lunch alike. Of course. The man was eye candy after all. And he sat there grinning like he knew it.

  “Hi, I decided to come during off hours so hopefully you could talk for a bit,” Thompson said.

  “How did you now I was working this shift?” Ashley asked.

  “I’m a detective, remember? It’s my business to know.”

  He paused. “And it’s pretty easy when I have a cop tailing you to know where you are.”

  He gave her another wink. She sighed and sat down.

  “Of course. Duh. Good thing you can always fool me,” she said, sarcastically.

  “Listen, I know you think that I’m always making fun of you and dismissing your help. And I’m sorry about that. But I came here because I’ve decided to let you help me. I hope we could start over.”

  “Really? You’d really like my help? Not that I was going to stop anyway, but with your approval it makes it so much better.” She beamed at him.

  “I see that makes you really happy. Great. So we’re on.”

  He stretched his hand out to shake hers.

  “So that means that some of the info I gave you must have been on target. Yay, I knew it. And that also means that I’ve been helping you all along solve this case.”

  Ashley couldn’t stop grinning.

  “Well, let’s put it this way. Yes, your information has helped. I can’t give you all the police findings at this point. But yes, you’re on to something. But no, I can’t go into too many details just yet with you. But yes, we will need to meet on a regular basis, and you can let me know what you’re finding out.”

  Ashley laughed out loud.

  “Detective, you’re beginning to sound like me! Are you secretly a ditz too?”

  Detective Thompson cleared his throat and sat up straight with a serious look on his face.

  “I’m not a ditz. Please don’t say that. I’m a professional, and I’m just doing this to solve the case.”

  “Of course. Please don’t be offended. I wasn’t making fun of you. I’m just happy that we can work together. Shake?”

  She extended her hand back.

  He held onto her hand a bit longer than he should again. She slipped hers out. Then she gave him a quick wink.

  He looked really surprised for a second; then she thought he blushed a bit. Nothing like turning the tables on someone. He smiled and got up.

  “Thank you Miss Crane. Nice to see you and I’m glad we’ve got this all worked out. I’ll give you a call soon.”


  “Wait, I have more info for you, but I can’t tell you here,” Ashley whispered.

  “Call me when you’re off work,” he said.

  Detective Thompson then walked out the door with all eyes on him.

  Sara suddenly approached Ashley.

  “Are you in trouble with the police? It couldn’t happen to a nicer person,” Sara hissed, sarcastically.

  “I’d love to talk Sara, but I have to get back to the kitchen,” Ashley said.

  Ashley walked away and, unfortunately, ran into Meagan.

  “Isn’t it nice with Nash gone all day? So agreeable around here. Hope you’re not stirring up trouble with the police. That would be a shame,” Meagan smirked. She bounced away.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ashley shook her head as she cooked. What pieces of work Sara and Meagan both were. She wished Meagan would give her notice too like Sara had so she didn’t have to look at her anymore, but she also knew that the longer Meagan stayed, the more info she might be able to get. Meagan almost seemed itching for another fight. And not just with Sara.

  The place soon got crowded for dinner, and Ashley and another cook were going top speed. She felt it was busier than ever. Was it her food or the notoriety the restaurant had gotten with the murder? She was too exhausted to care at the moment, but some of the newer servers were coming into the kitchen telling her all the compliments that customers were giving them on the food. Hopefully, they would go online and give rave reviews too. Maybe that would make Nash happy and stop him from being so cold with her.

  “Who am I kidding? He doesn’t like me. He knows I’m snooping, and he wants me out of the way,” Ashley thought.

  Ashley looked around and saw Jose staring at her. They were alone on the far side of the kitchen.

  “Jose, what’s up? When did you come in? I didn’t notice; it’s been so busy,” Ashley asked.

  Jose kept staring at her and nervously wringing his hands.

  “Jose, why are you staring at me? Are you ok?” Ashley continued.

  “You know that cook Chris that got arrested? Well, he no good. He was a bad man,” Jose whispered.

  “Oh? Really?” Ashley said. She instantly knew to play dumb and see what Jose had to say.

  “Si, he was into drugs,” Jose said. His eyes were darting around the kitchen as he lowered his voice.

  “Anything else bad about him?” Ashley asked.

  “Well, he just didn’t take drugs, he made them, you know, in a place, a big warehouse, you know…”

  He stopped abruptly when the other busboy came into the kitchen, then lowered his voice again.

  “Ashley, I need help, I’m in trouble, I do something no good, I think…” Jose’s voice trailed off.

  Ashley could see he was shaking.

  Ashley whispered back to him when the busboy walked over to the sink.

  “Where was the place he made drugs? Here in town?”

  Jose looked as if he was about to jump out of his skin.

  “No, outside of town, you know, that place up north, over near the…near the…Chris a very bad man. He was working with…”

  Just then, Nash burst in through the kitchen door. He shot a look at Jose that made him scramble back to work. Then he stared long and hard at Ashley.

  “How has dinner been? Quite a crowd out there,” Nash said.

  He kept his eyes locked on her face.

  Ashley knew he was trying to find out something. She looked back at him nonchalantly.

  “It’s been great. Really busy, but that’s the way I like it. Makes the time go fast.”

  The server Carrie walked in with another order, and then Sara put an order on the board too. She glared at both Nash and Ashley before huffing out.

  “Wow, we both got dirty looks. Wonder what’s wrong with her?” Ashley made a quizzical face.

  Nash kept looking hard at Ashley as if trying to figure out something.

  “Not our business. She’s entitled to a bad mood day,” Nash said.

  He switched gears. He was back to wearing his mask again.

  “Heard customers are really liking the food. Keep up the good work by the way.”

  “Thanks!” Ashley gave him a big smile.

  Nash went around the stove and talked to the busboys about work and left. Jose shot her another nervous look, but she gave him a look back that said ‘not now—later,’ and went back to cooking the orders that were piling up.

  ***

  As soon as Ashley’s shift was over, she started to close with the servers and busboys. The place was empty of customers, and everyone just wanted to finish their work and get home. They had the place cleaned in no time and one right after another filed out the doors. She wiped down the last of the kitchen counters and headed to the door. She had hoped Jose would be waiting for her to finish telling her what he knew about Chris.

  Instead, Nash met her as she came out of the kitchen. They were the last two people to leave.

  “Nice work today. Great new menu you’ve created. I’d like to keep you on the dinner shift for a while now and not let your talents go to waste with eggs and muffins in the morning. Starting next week, your schedule will mostly be evenings,” he said.

  He shot her a creepy smile.

  Ashley looked around the darkened parking lot. Only her car and Nash’s were left. She quickly thought of poor Darren all alone and locking up the evening he got murdered.

  Nash’s face was close to hers, and she could smell a faint whiff of something unpleasant. Her heart began to thump in her chest.

  Just then, a cop car pulled in. Her bodyguard! Nash quickly backed away from her. He turned and locked the restaurant door.

  “Good night,” Nash said brusquely, and clipped it to his car.

  Ashley got in her car and waved to the policeman. She let out a sigh of relief. The cop flashed his lights at her once, and they drove towards home.

  “I’m so happy that Detective Thompson and I are buddies now,” Ashley thought.

  Which reminded her. She’d have to call him as soon as she got home and tell him the news of Sara’s conversation on the phone and what Jose had to say.

  It would be a long night.

  ***

  She dialed him as soon as she got in the house. She talked quietly into the phone as her parents were asleep. It went to voicemail.

  “Detective Thompson, this is Ms. Crane. Actually, please just start calling me Ashley. And I’ll call you Nathaniel. After all, we’re working together now. Well, not really, but sort of. In any case, I have lots of news, so call me. I’ll be up late.”

  After Ashley had left the message, she got ready for bed and then laid there with two purring cats draped over her lap.

  “Hey you two, I was going to read, but I’ll pet you instead.”

  Susie Q looked up and yawned then put her head down and kept purring. Charlie gave Ashley a look as if to say ‘Susie’s cute, but don’t forget I’m #1 mom,’ and draped his long paw over her arm. They were so comforting. She felt sorry for people who didn’t like animals. Look what they were missing.

  She reached over and turned off her bedside light.

  Ashley started to think about the case again and how she’d have to pick up her game now that she had won the trust of Nathaniel Thompson. But she also had misgivings about doing night shifts after what happened with Nash tonight. He had creeped her out. Should she be even more afraid? Or was the thrill of helping solve the case getting the better of her judgment?

  Her parents and best friends Lara and Sean had all told her to back off for her safety, and here she was getting ready to ramp things up instead.

  As she lay in bed thinking about everything, she suddenly realized that Thompson hadn’t called her back yet.

  “Well, it is late,” Ashley thought. “The man has to sleep sometime.”

  Her clock said 12:45 a.m.

  Just then, she heard a noise outside her window. An audible crack. A branch? The cats both snapped their
heads up and looked towards the sound. Charlie hissed. His hair was up on his back, and his tail was puffed.

  Ashley froze and stopped breathing for a minute. Then she heard the sounds of footsteps, soft but discernable. Oh my God.

  Ashley slinked out of bed while grabbing the flashlight on her bedside table. Crouching over, she started down the hallway and then the stairs.

  The cop must still be parked outside, wasn’t he? She went to the living room window and peered out carefully. The car was there, but she didn’t see anyone inside.

  The porch light was on, but it only illuminated near the front door. She decided to shine the flashlight towards the car to see if she could see anything. Her beam couldn’t quite reach, but it appeared no one was there. Oh wait. She did see someone! But he was slumped over. It looked like he was asleep.

  “I don’t mean to complain when we’ve had such great protection from the department,” Ashley thought. “But falling asleep on the job? I’ll have to let Thompson know about this.”

  Ashley put on her shoes and thought about opening the door and going out to tap on the cop car window, then thought better of it since she had heard the noise in back. She checked the lock on the front door again and put on the inside hall light. Maybe whoever was out there would see that someone was up.

  “I’ll call 911,” Ashley thought. Before she could dial, she heard the back door open. It was soft but unmistakable. Someone was coming in the house.

  She ran to the living room closet and shut the door and dialed 911. The minute the dispatcher answered she whispered urgently.

  “Someone is breaking into my house. I’m in my living room closet. 4455 Petunia Lane. Please hurry. My family is all here.”

  Ashley then heard a thud in the kitchen.

  “Hurry please!”

  Her heart raced thinking of her parents asleep and vulnerable. She would have to face the intruder rather than let him get upstairs. All of a sudden she remembered her father’s swords in the cabinet. She opened the door quietly and crept into the living room to the hallway trying not to bump into anything. She reached up to his sword cabinet and tried to open it. It didn’t budge.