by Amber Crewes
“Well,” Kayley began as she chewed her gum in annoyance. “I was working on the sale of that new bakery, and well, you know what happened! Real estate just gets sticky when someone dies while a deal is in process, you know?”
Meghan dropped the box of donuts on the floor. “Oh no,” she mumbled as she bent down to pick up the box.
“Are you okay?” Kayley asked, then gesturing at the officers who were now strapping Karen into the back of the police car. “What’s going on with her? Is Karen okay?”
Meghan shook her head. “I don’t know, but I need you to repeat what you just told me.”
Kayley bit her lip. “About the deal that’s fallen through with the dead lady?”
Meghan’s face paled. “Yeah. What’s up with that, Kayley? Stephanie was selling her bakery?”
Kayley shrugged. “The details were murky, but yeah. All I know is that Stephanie Cameron moved to town, bought that bakery, turned it into a wild success, and then, she wanted it out of her hands as fast as I could help her.”
Meghan gasped as Kayley reached for the box of donuts. “I must be going,” Kayley said, turning on her high heels and walking toward the door. “Thanks, Meghan. I’ll see you later.”
“Wait!” Meghan called out. “Kayley! Wait! You know something, and I need to know what that something is right now.”
6
E ven though Kayley was wearing high heels, Meghan was surprised at how fast she was walking. She had never been a fan of high heels but admired women who wore them, especially for workday functions.
“Kayley, wait!” Meghan yelled as she followed Kayley outside. A gust of salty air blew Meghan’s hair into her eyes, and she pushed it back as she moved toward Kayley. Meghan’s heart lurched as she saw Karen being loaded into the police car, but she walked toward Kayley with her head held high. “What do you mean, Stephanie wanted the bakery out of her hands?”
Kayley turned and raised an eyebrow at her. “Meghan, I am late for a meeting with a client. I am leaving.”
Before Meghan could speak, she saw two tiny balls of fur run past her. “Fiesta! Siesta!” Meghan shrieked as she realized her little dogs had gotten loose. “Kayley! Wait! My dogs are following you.”
“I don’t have time to wait!” Kayley yelled as she stomped away down the sidewalk on her red high heels, the large breeze rolling in from the ocean flipping her skirt to and fro. “I have a client, Meghan.”
“Kayley! Look down at your feet!” Meghan shouted.
Fiesta and Siesta had caught up to Kayley, who was fifty feet in front of Meghan. Both dogs were barking good-naturedly at Kayley, but she was perilously close to crushing them with her tall, pointy shoes.
“Meghan, I don’t have time for this.” she replied.
“Kayley! My dogs are at your feet!” Meghan called out as Fiesta nipped at Kayley’s heel.
“Ouch!” she cried, stumbling, and then falling on the sidewalk. The box of donuts tumbled out of her hands, and Fiesta and Siesta began to lick the loose desserts.
“Meghan!” she screamed. “You have to be kidding me. Look at this! Your dogs tripped me, and now, they are eating the treats for my client.”
Meghan caught up with Kayley and kneeled beside her. Meghan tried to stifle her laugh as Kayley brushed the dirt off of her expensive leather pants, and Meghan offered her a hand to help her up.
“I’m sorry,” she said earnestly as Kayley rolled her eyes. “They mean well. I’ll send over some free donuts later, too. I’ll make sure you have donuts to last you the year, Kayley.”
Kayley scowled. “Any other tricks up your sleeve today, Truman? First, you drop the donuts, then you send your dogs after me, and then, they ruin my desserts.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Since we’re here….” she began. “Can you please tell me more about the sale with Stephanie? Please? I’ll throw in pies for a year! What do you think, Kayley? I’ll send over a fresh pie to your office for you once a week for a year.”
Kayley gritted her teeth and looked down at her watch. “Fine,” she conceded. “I’ll give you two minutes. What do you want to know?”
Meghan bit her lip. “Why was Stephanie selling the bakery? She was doing so well.”
Kayley sighed. “She told me that her divorce was going south; she hadn’t anticipated it getting so expensive, and her jerk of an ex-husband is--was--making the finances difficult to sort out. She was going to sell the bakery to pay him off and be done with him forever.”
Meghan frowned. “That’s terrible,” she said quietly. “Poor Stephanie. From what she said, and from what you’ve told me, it sounds like her ex-husband was a terrible man.”
Kayley nodded. “Yeah, Stephanie said he was a player. She said he had a nasty streak and a wicked temper, and that she was afraid of him. I know that she was ready to be done with him, once and for all.”
“Done with who, ladies?”
Meghan and Kayley turned to find a tall, muscular brunette man glaring at them as he stepped out of a rental car.
“Hello,” Meghan said. “Can we help you?”
The man nodded. “Yeah, I think you can. Are you Kayley Kane?”
Kayley nodded. “Yes? Do I know you?”
The man grimaced. “I saw your photograph on the website; you’re the real estate agent who is freeing up the money for my divorce.”
The color drained from Kayley’s face. “And, you are….?”
The man stepped forward toward the women, and Meghan could smell his sour breath as he grew closer. “I’m Jeremy Cameron,” he hissed. “Stephanie’s husband, or rather, her ex-husband.”
7
M eghan puffed out her chest and stood in front of Jeremy. She had had her fair share of altercations with individuals of questionable character since arriving in Sandy Bay and was not going to be intimidated by the man standing in front of her.
“Why are you here?” Meghan asked him. “Shouldn’t you be back in Indiana?”
Jeremy laughed. “And who do you think you are?”
Meghan shook her head. “I was a...friend of Stephanie’s,” she answered. “It doesn’t matter who I am. Who do you think you are, coming around here when Stephanie’s been murdered?”
Kayley placed her hands on her hips and glared at Jeremy. “Mr. Cameron,” she began, her voice business-like. “I had been working nonstop with my client, Mrs. Cameron, to free up the money you requested. We’ve been compliant with your demands. Why exactly are you here to see me?”
Jeremy smirked. “Now that Stephanie’s gone, everything she had belongs to me,” he insisted. “I flew here, first-class, to collect my money.”
Kayley wagged a finger at Jeremy. “That’s for the lawyers to decide,” she informed Jeremy. “I don’t take orders from you. If your lawyer, or Stephanie’s lawyer, wants to give me directions, I will happily take them, but for now, I have no business with you.”
Kayley turned and stormed away from Jeremy and Meghan, her hands balled into fists as she walked down the sidewalk.
“Well, wasn’t she a treat,” Jeremy said sarcastically. “You were a friend of my wife’s? Well, what do you know about her assets?”
Meghan grimaced. “I think it’s pretty clear what happened to Stephanie,” she said evenly as Jeremy watched her. “It’s convenient that her ex-husband just happens to show up less than a week after her murder….”
Jeremy crossed his arms. “I loved her,” he said softly. “Our divorce was ugly, but I wanted her back. I came all the way here to bring my gal home, and as soon as I arrived, I found out she had been killed.”
Meghan shook her head. “If you loved her, you wouldn’t be complaining about her assets,” she said under her breath. “You would be upset!”
Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Meghan, and she felt her chest tighten. He was a large man, and Meghan was intimidated as he moved closer to her.
“My business is none of your business,” he declared. “Stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.”
Later that evening, Meghan paid a visit to the jail to see Karen. “You’re looking tired” she said, surveying Karen’s worried eyes. “How are you holding up?”
“Not good,” Karen admitted. “They’re holding me until they run some lab tests to confirm if any of the DNA found on Stephanie’s body was from me. They’re saying that given my physique, I could have easily taken Stephanie down and strangled her. It’s awful, Meghan. Just awful!”
Meghan held back tears as she stared at her dear friend, clad in a bright orange jumpsuit and sitting behind a thick plastic screen. “I’m so sorry, Karen.”
Karen shook her head. “I’ve been in worse pickles,” she assured Meghan. “I know that I am innocent, and soon, after the testing comes back, they will too! My name will be cleared. For now, I just have to get used to nasty jail food and their terrible workout room here.”
Meghan laughed. “Only you would be concerned about working out in jail, Karen! You are too much. Now tell me, is there anything I can do for you?”
Karen’s eyes widened. “Actually, sweetie, I have an idea….”
“Go on,” she said.
Karen sighed. “Remember Trudy, Stephanie’s assistant? I just have a bad feeling about her. She was so insistent on my guilt, and it was clear to everyone in the shop that I was joking about doing away with Stephanie. I just have a notion that she may know something, Meghan. I think you should check her out…”
“Trudy,” Meghan said slowly. “Trudy. Jack says she is the one who found the body. She must know something.”
While Meghan could understand why anyone would remotely take Karen’s empty threat seriously, she still couldn’t shake off the fact that Trudy appeared over dramatic in her outburst at the police station the other day. Could it be she was trying to overcompensate for something or someone involved in this murder investigation?
8
M eghan bit her lip as she peered into the windows of Duly Doux. She cocked her head to the side when she noticed the lights where on, hoping she would find Trudy, or at least some sort of evidence that would absolve Karen. Her heart pounded in her chest as she noticed the shadows of two figures in the corner of the dining area. Who was in the bakery, and what were they up to?
Meghan slowly pushed open the front door. “Hello?”
Meghan heard a gasp. “What are you doing here?” Trudy cried out as Meghan placed her hand over her mouth. Trudy and Jeremy were standing together, his arms wrapped around her waist.
“I’m sorry,” Meghan said softly, her dark eyes wide as she looked from Jeremy to Trudy. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You again,” Jeremy groaned as he walked into the back room. “Trudy, I’ve dealt with her enough. I’m going to run to the store and pick some things up. Be back later.”
Meghan cringed as Jeremy slammed the back door on his way out. She looked at Trudy, who was shaking as she stared at Meghan. “That wasn’t what it looked like,” she said, her voice thin.
“I’m in no place to make judgements,” Meghan informed her. “I just wanted to talk with you. May I sit?”
Trudy nodded. “Just be careful,” she warned Meghan. “The police said that they are done here, but you never know….”
Meghan nodded. “Of course. I’ll be careful.”
The two women sat down at a small wooden table, and Trudy looked down at her feet. “It’s only been going on for a few days,” she confessed to Meghan. “Jeremy showed up in Sandy Bay, and I have been drowning in work trying to keep Stephanie’s shop open.”
Meghan gave Trudy a sympathetic look. “You don’t have to explain,” she soothed. “It’s been a wild week for everyone.”
Trudy began to cry, and Meghan noticed the wrinkles around her hazel eyes. Trudy looked to be a few years younger than Karen, and Meghan couldn’t help but to pity the older woman as she rocked back and forth in her chair.
“Trudy,” she murmured. “What can you tell me about Stephanie’s death? You were the one who found her here, yes?”
Trudy nodded. “I did,” she wept. “Stephanie was so good to me. We had our troubles, of course, as any boss and her employees do, but she was a good lady.”
Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Troubles?”
Trudy shrugged. “Stephanie had a temper,” she began. “She snapped at me a few times, and once, she got in my face when I had painted the wrong letters on a banner. It wasn’t pretty.”
Meghan bit her bottom lip as she processed Trudy’s story. “Did you two ever have any physical altercations?”
Trudy frowned. “I think you’ve asked enough questions,” she said, wiping the tears from her face. “I’m embarrassed you caught me with Jeremy, but I didn’t forget that you and Karen Denton came in here like a lot of harpies. I think it’s time for you to go. If there are questions, the police will ask them.”
Meghan smiled sweetly and walked to the door. “Thanks, Trudy.”
As Meghan closed the door of Duly Doux, she dialed Jack’s cell phone.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Jack,” Meghan said breathlessly. “Trudy, Stephanie’s assistant, and Jeremy, her ex-husband, were involved in some way!”
“What?”
“Yeah! I walked into Duly Doux, and they were standing close. His arms were on her waist, and they were clearly embarrassed when I caught them.”
Jack sighed. “Oh, Meghan…”
“There’s more.” she cried. “Stephanie was not kind to Trudy; it sounds like Stephanie paid Trudy well, but from what I gathered, they went round and round a few times about the dumbest little things. Maybe it’s time you look into Trudy, Jack; she got really mad when I started asking her difficult questions, and I think she may have some answers.”
Jack groaned. “Meghan Truman,” he said in admiration. “You are going to put me out of a job, someday, Miss Detective. It sounds like Meghan Truman has uncovered some clues for me….again!”
9
S ome shop owners can be very superstitious about their dealings with the first customer or client at the start of any business day. They believe dealing cordially with that first customer sets the tone for the rest of the day. Meghan wasn’t the superstitious type and was ready to confront the first customer that stepped into Truly Sweet with the candidness he deserved.
“Can I help you?” Meghan asked sharply as Jeremy barged into Truly Sweet, his face twisted in a grimace.
“I didn’t like the way things went down yesterday,” Jeremy said slowly as he ran a hand through his dirty brown hair. “What you thought you saw…”
Meghan took a step back as Jeremy strode up to the counter. She glanced around, trying to determine if any of her nearby utensils could be used as weapons in case things turned ugly with Jeremy.
“What you saw...I came into town a few days ago to settle matters with my ex-wife, and when I found out she was dead, I was devastated,” Jeremy explained, his face dark. “What you saw….that’s only been going on a few days. Trudy and I….”
“It’s none of my business,” Meghan declared as she threw her hands up in the air. “It’s none of my business how you and Trudy conduct yourselves, and I am staying out of it.”
Jeremy raised an eyebrow at Meghan. “That’s a pretty judgey tone you have there, girl,” he hissed at Meghan as he leaned across the counter. “You’d best watch your tone.”
Meghan pasted a smile on her lips. “I apologize,” she said evenly. “Is there anything else I can do for you today, Mr. Cameron?”
Jeremy smirked. “No, I think that’s all,” he said as he turned to walk out of the bakery.
“But hey,” he said, turning around and walking back to Meghan. “One more thing.”
Jeremy reached across the counter and grabbed Meghan’s hand. He gripped it tightly, and she cried out in pain as Jeremy squeezed harder and harder.
“Let go of me!” she demanded, writhing in agony as the color drained from her thin, delicate hand. “What are you doing? Stop it!”
“I just want you to understand who you are dealing with,” he whispered to Meghan, staring into her dark eyes as she began to breathe heavily.
“Please!” she pleaded. “Let go of me! You’re hurting my hand!”
Jeremy held on even tight, and despite moving her arms back and forth, Meghan could not break free of his grasp. Jeremy gently stroked Meghan’s cheek, and she shuddered.
“You’re dealing with me, dollface,” he murmured. “Don’t forget it. Stephanie ran away, all the way across the country to get away from me. Don’t you forget that when you think about meddling in my business…”
