by Lynn Cahoon
“She ran to get some lunch at Diamond Lille’s. I’m keeping her here late today, so I told her I would watch the phones. What’s up?”
I explained Amy’s dilemma with the instructions. “So can you fax that page to me?”
“Sure. Give me a minute and I’ll walk over to her desk. What do the instructions look like?”
“How should I know?”
He chuckled. “So you’re helping her with a craft project? Has she ever met you?”
“Are you going to help or not?” I hated to admit it, but Greg was right. I’d tried and failed at a lot of different craft activities over the years, but at least I’d tried.
“You’re going to owe me. I’m putting you on hold and going to her desk now.”
I heard the canned music come over the line, with the mechanical voice telling me how important my call was and someone would be right back on the line. I didn’t believe the sentiment, but I heard the click as Greg picked up the line.
“I don’t see anything…Wait, here it is.” I could hear his laughter. “Are you sure you want the instructions? I don’t think you’re going to be able to help.”
“Just fax them to me.” I was about to tell him to hurry when I heard other voices.
“I knew it; you’re spying on me.” Mayor Baylor’s high-pitched voice came over the speaker easily.
“I’m not spying on you. I came to get something for Amy.” He must have realized I was still on the line because he spoke into the phone now. “Jill, I’ve got to go. I’ll fax this to you as soon as I get back to Esmeralda’s desk.”
The phone disconnected and I went back into the kitchen to get my coffee. “Your boss is crazy.”
“Yeah, so what else is new? Did you get ahold of Esmeralda?” She handed me a cup of coffee.
“No, but Greg is faxing the instructions to me. Let me go boot up my computer and wait for the transmission.” I looked at the pile on my table in fear. This was not going to be a fun afternoon. Not fun at all.
Chapter 5
Walking into work the next morning, my fingers still hurt from where I’d burned myself—and not just once or twice—with the glue gun. Finally, Amy had mercy on me and changed my assignment. But for some reason, when we finished the first fifty near six o’clock, I’d offered to take on the rest of the decorations on my own. Two hundred and fifty more. As long as Amy didn’t get married for five or so years, I might be ready.
As I got closer to the shop, I saw a shape sitting at one of the outdoor tables. I glanced at my watch, thinking I must be later than I thought, but no, I still had thirty minutes before I had to open the shop. Whoever was waiting was just early. Really early.
Reaching the shop, I realized it was Paula sitting in front of my shop. Her hair looked like a rat was still sleeping in its nest, and I swore her shirt was inside out. “Looks like someone really needs coffee this morning. Come on in while I get everything set up.”
“I’m sorry to be here so early, but they won’t let me back in the house, and I didn’t want to go to the lobby of the motel where I stayed last night to get coffee. Silly, right?” Paula followed me into the shop.
As I turned on the lights and started coffee, I realized what she’d said. I took a piece of peanut butter cheesecake out of the display case and handed it to her. “Why are you not allowed in your house?”
Tears filled her eyes, and for a second, I thought she was going to break down in front of me. Instead, she grabbed a napkin from the counter and wiped them away. “Funny, after all the tears I’ve cried since I heard, you’d think my well would be dry.”
“Paula, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” I was afraid I already knew.
She threw away that napkin and stuffed more in her purse. “When I went home on Wednesday, Ben was dead. Someone killed him in our living room.”
This had to be the case Greg was working on. I hadn’t realized Ben and Paula even lived in South Cove. I poured her coffee and put it in front of her. “Oh, no. Are you all right?”
“I’m alive.” She poured sugar into the cup, then stirred it, watching the spoon circle the china. “The police officer, he said that had I come home when I was supposed to, I would be dead too. But I had to take one more call. Help one more person.”
“You’re lucky you did.” I took my coffee and sat next to her. “Eat the cheesecake. You probably haven’t eaten since you heard.”
She stared at the fork like she didn’t know how to use it. Finally, she took a sip of her coffee. “Am I lucky? Or should I be dead like Ben?”
This wasn’t going well and I was way out of my depth. I grabbed my phone. I was going to bring in the expert. “Paula, I’m calling Sadie, if that’s all right. I think you need someone to talk to and she’s better at this than I am.”
“If you think that’s for the best. I don’t know what to think anymore. Ben always made the decisions. I didn’t even know what shirt to put on today, so I put on the same one from yesterday. Isn’t that funny? I should know how to dress myself.”
“You’ve had a big shock. Hold on a minute while I call Sadie.” I walked into the back office and stood where I could see Paula sitting. I didn’t want her going anywhere. Sadie would know what to do.
“Hey, girl, you caught me just before I was heading to take a nap. The baking’s done, and this afternoon I’ve got to help Pastor Bill at the food pantry,” Sadie chatted brightly, especially for someone who was just about to go to sleep.
“Hey, I hate to ask, but can you come down to the shop?” I went on to tell her what had happened. “I’m not really good at this; can you help?”
“Of course. I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Let me change clothes and lock up.”
I exhaled a sigh of relief. My brand of comforting circled around food. If Paula didn’t even want to take a bite of the problem solver that was called cheesecake, I was out of ideas. “Thanks, I appreciate this.”
“No problem. And Jill, you are good at this. You just don’t give yourself enough credit.”
I started to disagree and realized I was talking to dead air. I glanced at the back stairs. I’d call in Aunt Jackie, but she had enough on her plate. No, this time, I was going to have to deal with Paula on my own. At least until Sadie changed and got over here. I prayed she was a fast dresser.
“Well, that’s done. Sadie will be here in a few.”
Paula just looked at me.
I glanced at her cup and picked it up. “Looks like you need more coffee. I love coffee. It’s the perfect drink. It’s warm and comforting at the same time.” I continued to chatter as I refilled her cup and then sat next to her with my own.
“Ben didn’t like coffee. He said it was a stimulant and against God’s teachings.” Paula sipped more coffee. “I drank it at the office when he wasn’t there. Hiding something like that is probably more of a sin than actually drinking coffee, don’t you think?”
Now, see, this is why I wanted Sadie here. My religious upbringing was spotty at best. My mom had sent me to vacation bible school, mostly because it got me out of the house. And unlike horse camp, it didn’t cost money. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I guess because I run a coffee shop, I can’t believe that drinking coffee is a sin.”
Paula seemed happy with that statement. She looked around the dining room. “It’s a good shop.”
Before I had to respond, the bell over the door rang, and I looked up to see South Cove’s Methodist preacher striding into the shop. Thank God for Sadie. Not only had she promised to come, she had reached out to someone to come save me in the meantime. I was going to owe her big-time.
“Jill, so nice to see you today.” He turned toward Paula, holding out his hand. “I’m Pastor Bill. Sadie asked me to come talk to you. I understand you’ve had a rough few days.”
Paula nodded silently as she shook his hand.
�
�Do you want to come over and sit on the couch with me and we can talk?” Now, he covered her hand with his other one, a comforting gesture that made me misty-eyed. The guy was good.
“That would be fine.” Paula looked at me. “Don’t you think it would be okay?”
“Yes, Paula, I think it would be perfectly fine.” I wondered if the shock was still running through her, or if she’d taken some sedatives. She acted like she was drugged. I caught Pastor Bill’s gaze. “Can I bring you over some coffee? Black or…”
“Black is perfect. Thank you, Jill, that’s very kind of you.” He smiled at me, and for just a second, I could see the man behind the collar. The man Sadie saw and had fallen in love with, even if she hadn’t admitted it to herself.
I set up a tray with a carafe and three fresh coffee mugs. Sadie should be here soon. Then I added cream and sugar to the tray, along with a plate of cookies. I’d throw it all on the marketing budget. My aunt seemed to know when I ate a cookie and didn’t write it down. I was still betting she had installed security cameras in the shop and just hadn’t told me about them. I took the tray over to where they were talking. Or at least Pastor Bill was quietly talking to Paula. I’d brought more napkins and set one on Paula’s lap before going back to the coffee bar.
When Sadie arrived, she paused at the bar to get her own cup of coffee. “Thanks for calling me. I’m so glad William got here quickly. I called him as soon as we hung up.”
“Thanks for sending him over. I didn’t know what to do. She looks so wrecked.” I snuck a glance over toward the couch. I’d lost a friend to a tragic death, but I’d never lost someone I was building a life with. Sadie, on the other hand, had lost her husband. If anyone could understand Paula’s grief, she could. “Can I do anything?”
Sadie smiled and patted my hand. “You did exactly what you needed to do. Go on and run your day. I’m going to see if we can move this conversation over to the church. The counseling office has a lot of material she’ll need. You’ve got a good heart, Jill.”
As I watched Sadie join the group on the couch, I doubted her words. I’d called her because I knew I was out of my depth, not because I had a good heart. But the end result was the same; Paula now had people to talk to and to get her to the next step.
Long after they’d left the shop to go to the church, I thought about what Paula had said. That she didn’t know what to do because Ben made the decisions. Decisions that apparently had her sneaking a cup of coffee at the office every now and then. Relationships were hard, and they were worse when one person was on a power trip.
* * * *
Toby Killian came in at noon for his shift. The barista/deputy looked like an alpha male from one of the romance novels from the shelves. And if his muscular body, dark hair, and piercing eyes weren’t enough, the guy had a sharp wit and was kind as a puppy. Toby worked full-time on the weekends for Greg as a deputy, so he only picked up a few midday shifts at the coffee shop during the week for extra money. And because I was renting him the shed apartment in the backyard, his expenses were pretty low. Last I’d heard, he was saving money for a down payment on a house. But that was before he and Sasha had broken off their relationship.
“Hey, Jill. I used my key and let Emma out for a bit this morning when I did my laundry.” He slipped on the CBM apron and washed his hands at the sink. “Thanks again for letting me use your machines. I could go to the laundromat in Bakerstown if you get tired of me.”
“Doesn’t bother me. Besides, Emma gets some attention while I’m working.” I tucked a new book into my tote. With Greg on an investigation, I knew I’d have plenty of time to read this week, especially because I was stalled on this Aunt Jackie thing. “I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to Lille’s for lunch.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. Esmeralda stopped by on her way into the station. She said she had some information about your aunt.” He adjusted the coffee cups to the other side of the espresso machine. Aunt Jackie would move them back when she came on shift. I think he liked knowing he was messing with my aunt’s process. “What’s going on that I don’t know about?”
“Nothing I can share right now.” Aunt Jackie was already upset that I’d brought Greg into the mystery of the man posing as Uncle Ted. It would all come out, but I didn’t want my aunt to feel foolish when it did. “I wonder why Esmeralda didn’t come here. She knows I work the morning shift.”
“Yeah, and being a fortune-teller and all, she should have known, right?” Toby laughed as he leaned over the counter, his dark hair framing a too-good-looking face and deep blue eyes that were sparkling with humor. “Anyway, she seemed surprised when I answered the door. I guess she saw Emma out in the yard and thought you’d stayed home for some reason.”
“Well, I guess I’m going to the police station on the way to lunch now.” My stomach growled in protest, but the side trip wouldn’t take long. Or shouldn’t. Maybe she’d traced the guy’s number and we could actually finish this up today. “Have a great shift and thanks for letting Emma out.”
“No problem.” He nodded to the door. “I got here just in time. My girls are here.” He stood and started making coffee drinks as ten women who went to class at the cosmetology school in Bakerstown piled through the door.
I hated to break it to Toby, but the women had started to come on days Deek was handling the midday shift as well. Hiring two good-looking guys had been good for my business. Especially when one was a total alpha hero and one a classic, hot nerd hero. I shook my head. I’d been reading too many romance novels in the last few weeks. But as I left, I saw several of the women pause at the bookshelves before going to the coffee bar. Maybe they were reading about finding true love too.
My good mood stayed with me as I made my way down Main Street to City Hall and entered on the north side, where the police station took almost half of the building. It was an efficient set-up, but one that Mayor Baylor hated. Luckily, the council liked the lower cost of having one city building that met both needs.
Esmeralda was at the desk and, from what I heard, on a call. Today, her black, curly hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she was dressed in a short-sleeved polo with South Cove Police Department on the pocket. She looked completely normal. Not like when she wore her gypsy outfit when clients came to her in her home studio across the street from my house. She waved me closer. “Okay, Mr. Adams. I’ll have Tim come over as soon as he gets on shift this afternoon and take a report. Hope your day gets better.”
She hung up the call and made a second one. “Amy, would you handle the phones for an hour? I’m taking a lunch with Jill. Thanks a lot.”
Confusion must have shown on my face because she laughed as she grabbed her tote and came around the desk.
“I didn’t know we were doing lunch.” I followed her out of the building, trying to keep up with her long strides.
She turned back, realized I was falling behind, and slowed her pace. “I need to talk to you and I don’t really want to do it in public. I’ve got potato soup and a quiche at my house, if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine.” I tried to keep the shock from showing, but Esmeralda had never invited me over for more than a cup of tea in all the years we’d been neighbors. I didn’t even know she cooked. “So what do you need to tell me?”
Esmeralda looked around the empty street before crossing over on the other side from Diamond Lille’s. “I think I can shed some light about what’s happening with your aunt.”
Chapter 6
We walked in silence to her house. Every time I’d try to say anything or even ask a question, she’d shake her head. Whatever Esmeralda wanted to tell me, it must be a doozy of a story. Finally, we reached her house, and as she let me inside, her cat jumped on my legs, asking to be picked up.
“She likes you. She’s always staring over at your house. Maybe she should have been your cat.” Esmeralda nodded to the kitchen. “We can eat in
there.”
I reached down and scratched Maggie behind the ears. “Hey there, girl. What’s been happening in your world?”
The cat leaned into my hand, then followed me into the kitchen, meowing all the way, like she was telling me a story. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand cat language.
“Soda or iced tea?” Esmeralda picked up a glass from the already set table. She must have done it that morning.
“Iced tea is fine.” I glanced around the sunny kitchen. It had been painted a bright orange. Not my favorite color, but somehow, it looked right for Esmeralda. I put a hand on one of her ladder-back chairs. “Can I help with anything?”
“That’s kind of you to offer, but I have it. I woke up early today and couldn’t get back to sleep. It happens, but for some reason, you and your aunt were on my mind. Then I realized the similarities.” She set a glass of tea down at both places. “Sit, I’ll get lunch going, then we can talk.”
I glanced around the kitchen. All the appliances were upgraded, like in my own kitchen. The houses had been built in the 1930s, but they were sturdy and, with a fresh coat of paint and new flooring, better put together than the new ones they were building now. The china was one of my favorite patterns, an English rose. Very feminine and fancy. I had colorful Fiestaware, but someday, this was the formal china I wanted. Of course, that seemed like something out of the past. Probably by the time I decided to buy new china, everyone would be eating off paper plates all the time.
The soup was in a Crock-Pot and already warm. I could smell the creamy goodness as I waited. Esmeralda cut two large slices of quiche, filled the bowls with soup, then brought it all to the table. When she finally sat, I watched as she closed her eyes and whispered something.
She caught me watching and laughed. “A bit of gratitude to the goddess. It’s not much different from what you would consider a prayer, just more nondenominational.”
