Chloe wouldn’t stand for that. She knew the police were wrong on this one. Detective Todd Thicke disagreed. He refused to listen to reason. The detective was stubbornly sticking to his guns on this one.
That left Chloe with no choice. She couldn’t let one of her friends go to jail for a crime they didn’t commit. She had to take matters into her own hands. There was only one way to do that. To prove her friends innocence, Chloe would have to find the real killer herself.
Chapter One
One Day Earlier
“What a night,” Dylan Robertson said.
Chloe couldn’t disagree. In her case, it was a wonderful evening. In her boyfriend’s, she was convinced that he was just being nice. Dylan had taken her out to dinner and a movie. The food was fabulous. Then again, it was hard to go wrong with a bowl of New England clam chowder and some homemade pie.
The movie they saw was a completely different story. They’d gone to a chick flick, which was right up Chloe’s alley. Dylan’s cinematic tastes leaned more towards blockbuster popcorn fare with plenty of action sequences and explosions. Watching a whimsical female heroine with an addiction to sweets and a slew of sassy best friends at her side trying to find Mr. Right wasn’t exactly his preferred way to spend ninety minutes.
That being said, he didn’t complain like a man who’d been reluctantly dragged to the mall on a Sunday shopping trip when he’d rather be home watching football. Instead, Dylan had been a good sport about seeing the chick flick. Was that all about to change?
“I imagine it was much better for me than you,” Chloe remarked.
Dylan looked confused. “What makes you say that?”
Chloe’s boyfriend was either better at hiding his true feelings than she thought, or going to the romantic comedy truly didn’t bother him.
“It was nice of you to go to ‘Single Woman In Search Of A Soulmate’ with me, but it clearly wasn’t your first choice,” Chloe said.
Dylan gave the best possible answer. “It didn’t matter what movie we went to. All I cared about was spending the evening with you.”
“You sure have a way with words, but I can read between the lines. Be honest, wouldn’t you have preferred to see some other movie?”
“Well, yeah. That movie wasn’t my first choice, but seeing the smile on your face makes it all worthwhile.”
“Wow. That is a seriously smooth answer. I’m impressed.”
“Why do you seem so surprised?” he asked.
“Do you know how many men have belly-ached about me dragging them to chick flicks over the years?” she replied.
Dylan laughed.
Chloe became curious. “What’s so funny?”
“If they were putting up a fuss about something as innocuous as going to a romantic comedy, they were obviously the wrong men for you.”
“Do you think you’re the right man?” she asked.
“I hope so,” he replied.
They got caught up in each other’s gaze. Just as it seemed like they were about to lean in for a kiss, another thought pulled Chloe’s mind away.
Dylan noticed her mind off in the ozone. “Is something the matter?”
“I was just wondering, if your comment earlier wasn’t about the movie, then why did you say ‘what a night’?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Apparently it’s not obvious enough.”
“I’m falling for you,” he revealed.
Chloe gazed deep into her boyfriend’s eyes. “How did you get to be so sweet?”
“What can I say? You bring out the best in me.”
Chloe then leaned in and gave Dylan a kiss.
Chloe smiled. “Forget chick flicks. When I’m with you, I feel like I’m starring in my own real-life romantic comedy.”
“Speaking of, what do you say to going out to dinner again tomorrow?”
Chloe shook her head. “Actually, I can’t.”
Dylan was surprised. “Oh…ok.”
“Hope Callahan and I are having a girl’s night out.”
Dylan furrowed his brow. “I thought you were supposed to do that a couple of weeks ago.”
“We were. Her job keeps getting in the way.”
“Well, you two have some fun.”
“We will. How about a rain check on that dinner?”
“Of course.”
“So, what are you going to do tomorrow then?” Chloe wondered.
“Maybe I’ll go see ‘The Swift Bullet Of Justice.’”
“The Swift Bullet Of Justice” was a check-your-brain-at-the-door action flick that was heavy on explosions and light on emotional complexity.
“That’s what you really wanted to see tonight, wasn’t it?” Chloe asked.
“I told you, what I wanted to see tonight was you. Since I won’t be seeing you tomorrow, it seems like a good time to watch stuff get blown up,” he explained.
“I can’t argue with that logic.”
“Are you kidding? It’s an action movie. There’s no room for logic. They have too many explosions to fit in.”
Chloe shook her head. “I’ll never understand your fascination with those kinds of mindless movies.”
“I can’t say I’m wild about chick flicks either, but I respect your affinity for them.”
“And I’m happy you do.”
“The fact is, there are some things men and women will never see eye-to-eye on, but there is one thing we can both agree about,” Dylan said.
“What’s that?” Chloe asked.
“There’s nothing quite like a good kiss.”
Dylan leaned in and gave Chloe a deep kiss.
Chloe’s heart fluttered as Dylan pulled back.
She smiled. “That’s so true.”
“Goodnight,” he replied.
Usually, Chloe was the one who had to cut things short. This time, she didn’t want the night to end.
“How about one more for the road?” she suggested.
“I can’t turn that down.”
Dylan leaned in and gave Chloe another kiss. What a perfect way to end the evening. After a kiss like that, Chloe knew she’d have sweet dreams.
***
When people thought of Cape Cod, images of sandy beaches came to mind. Tourists flocked into town during the summer with carefree rest and relaxation on their minds. They had no idea how much the Cape changed in the winter. It was a good thing, too, as it would be a shame to have their pristine memories tarnished.
The Cape turned into a bit of a ghost town in the offseason. That’s how the townies liked it. They had the whole place to themselves, including the peace and quiet that came with it. The locals-only atmosphere of the offseason meant a steep drop in business. Some restaurants and corner shops closed outright until the spring. Others had limited hours. From October to April, the Cape took on a homey, small town atmosphere that was surprising, considering there were still over two hundred thousand full-time residents remaining in town.
With all the changes in the area, the only thing the locals didn’t like was the drastic change of weather. Cape Cod winters were bitter affairs, with dismal temperatures and snow banks often piled high. It was hot chocolate weather, for sure. At the same time, there was only so much that hot cocoa, and bite-sized marshmallows could do.
In her thirty-plus years in the Cape, Chloe had learned to take the good with the bad. The harsh winters made her appreciate the spring, summer and fall all the more. Considering it was early January, spring was far off. Chloe tried not to think about that. She wanted to take each day as it came. It was better to live in the moment, rather than to dream constantly of a warm spring day that was months away.
That particular Friday put Chloe’s normally sunny disposition to the test. She’d had a rough day at work. Chloe was in cosmetics sales, so unlike an office job, her commission-only, day-to-day income could fluctuate wildly. Luckily, she had cultivated a nice core of loyal clients. Unfortunately, some of her regulars were more demanding than others. Somehow, Chl
oe seemed to meet with all her challenging clients on the same day.
That made reaching nighttime all the more sweet. It was girl’s night out, which meant she could cut loose. The evening was crisp and clear with not a cloud in the sky. It was one of those nights when the sun had completely set by five-thirty. As Chloe looked at the clock in her car, she could hardly believe it was only six o’clock. It was dark enough to be midnight. Luckily, the remaining snow pack had made itself scarce. No doubt there would be another round of flurries soon, but in the meantime, the roads were clear.
Chloe didn’t contemplate the sky for long. Her stomach knew it was dinner time and began rumbling impatiently. The plan was for Chloe to meet up with her old friend, Hope Callahan, grab some dinner, then spend the night drinking cocktails, laughing, and having a ball.
Chloe had gone to grade school with Hope. Like most of her friends, they’d known each other almost all their lives. Those were the best kinds of friends. They had been through the ups and downs; not to mention the thick and thin that life had to offer.
Unfortunately, Chloe ended up driving over to Hope’s rental town home for nothing. She received a text just as she turned onto Hope’s street. Chloe pulled over to the side of the road to read it. It turned out Hope was running late at work.
Chloe sighed. “Again.”
Chloe wished it was an uncommon occurrence. That was far from the case. Some jobs were more trouble than they were worth. Hope had one of them. That was the other problem with living in a seasonal place like the Cape. Good, year-round jobs were difficult to come by. With the employment pickings so slim, sometimes sacrifices had to be made to pay the rent. An employee often held on to their bad job because there was no alternative.
Hope’s boss took full advantage of that fact, squeezing the most work out of her that she could. What Hope’s boss didn’t realize was that payback always came eventually. An old saying came to Chloe’s mind, “what goes around, comes around.” Things just hadn’t come around yet.
Hope’s text said for Chloe to meet her at the club she worked at. They could head straight out from there. After her unexpectedly extended work day, no doubt Hope would be ready for a girl’s night out more than ever.
Chloe turned her car around and headed over to the comedy and magic club. Unfortunately, what she found when she got there was nothing but trouble.
Chapter Two
What a rocky start to the evening. The owner of the comedy and magic club, Victoria Ryan, was a total pill. Victoria was desperately in need of some cutting loose of her own. She was high-strung, bossy, and aggressively unpleasant to be around. The kind of person who had authority, and wasn’t afraid to abuse it.
Victoria was a short, pear-shaped woman in her early fifties with shoulder-length black hair, blue eyes, an affinity for glittery outfits, and the raspy voice of a lifelong chain smoker.
Chloe would recognize Victoria’s voice anywhere. As it was, Chloe had just parked her car behind the club and could hear Victoria chewing out one of her employees at the backstage door. Victoria either had no awareness of how much her voice carried, or she just didn’t care.
Chloe was parked a good twenty feet away, yet could hear every word Victoria said to Isaac Hunter. Her employee looked like he didn’t know what hit him.
Isaac was usually the strong, silent type. He was a brawny man in his late-twenties with a shaved head that looked like he spent all of his spare time at the gym. His intimidating physique made him a perfect fit to work as a doorman and bouncer, as was his deep, booming voice. All were on display right now as Isaac was uncharacteristically livid.
The next two words out of Victoria Ryan’s mouth made it all-too-clear to Chloe why Isaac was so worked up.
“You’re fired,” Victoria barked.
Isaac went completely nuclear. “You can’t do this to me.”
“It’s already done.”
“You’re going to regret this.”
“Oh, really? Do you regret stealing from me?”
Isaac stammered as he answered. “It wasn’t stealing.”
“You were skimming money off the top. Don’t deny it. I know you were taking a cut of every cover charge you took in at the door,” Victoria revealed.
Isaac tried to throw the blame back at her. “You gave me no choice. I only did it to pay for my medications. If you gave me health benefits like you promised when I was hired, this wouldn’t have happened. Do you have any idea how much prescriptions cost?”
“I don’t want to hear it. You’re a thief, plain and simple. There’s nothing else to say, except get lost.”
Isaac was defiant. “This isn’t over.”
Victoria didn’t back down. She stood toe to toe with him. “I don’t ever want to see you around here again. Now, get out!”
Isaac stared her down, looking like he was angry enough to punch a hole in the nearby brick wall. Instead, he trudged away, with steam practically coming out of his ears.
If Victoria was even the least bit intimidated, she didn’t show it. She looked angry enough to take him on with her bare hands if she needed to.
As Isaac walked away, Victoria stared daggers into his back.
When Isaac got into his car, she finally turned back to the stage door. On her way inside the club, Victoria tripped on a snow shovel that had been left a little too close to the door.
It was like something out of a slapstick movie. Victoria was able to keep her balance enough not to fall on her face, but now she was more upset than ever.
“Stupid shovel,” Victoria snapped.
Normally, Chloe would have laughed at a scene like that. Given Victoria’s volcanic mood, Chloe didn’t want to draw attention to herself.
Victoria kicked the shovel away, then went back inside the club, slamming the door shut behind her.
Yikes. Chloe felt bad for the employees that had to deal with Victoria going forward. Unfortunately, Chloe’s friend, Hope, was one of them.
***
Chloe entered the front of the club, praying there would be no more drama. Either way, she was on guard. Once inside, Chloe looked for Hope. She was surprised by what she saw.
There was Hope, with her long, curly red hair, blue eyes, and slender frame. The surprise was who she was talking with. Noah Bryant seemed to be putting some strong moves on her.
Noah was a stand-up comic. He was a rising star at the club, a household name in the making. Unlike most comics, he wasn’t socially awkward or self-deprecating. Noah had the look of a future leading man in Hollywood. His short, sandy hair looked carefully tussled, his crystal blue eyes sparkled, and he had the body of a heartthrob.
Hope was always complaining about how hard it was to find a good man. She’d managed to catch the attention of one of the most handsome, under-thirty men the Cape had to offer. Maybe her luck had finally turned around.
Chloe watched Hope and Noah flirt.
“You have a great sense of humor. Have you ever considered doing stand-up?” Noah asked.
“Me? No. You’re the funny one. I’ll leave the jokes to you,” Hope said.
“You like my act then?”
“Are you kidding? I love it. You’re going to be a big star one day.”
“I hope so. You know, you could have big things in your future, too.”
“You really think so?” Hope replied.
Noah nodded. “At the least, you deserve more than spending the rest of your life working for a sour grape like Victoria Ryan.”
Hope chuckled. “Victoria doesn’t agree.”
“Forget her. She’s a fool. You know, she may not appreciate you, but I do.”
Hope blushed. “That’s really nice of you to say.”
“Anyway, I was wondering, how would you like to go out to dinner with me on Monday?”
Hope smiled. “That would be great.”
“Fantastic. It’s a date, then. Anyway, I should get back to working on the new material for my act. Call you later,” Noah said.
&
nbsp; “I can’t wait,” Hope replied.
Hope smiled to herself as Noah walked away.
It was a moment of great joy—for Hope, at least. The same could not be said for Victoria Ryan. Apparently, Chloe wasn’t the only one watching Hope and Noah’s conversation. Victoria stood on the other side of the club, with a perturbed look on her face.
Chapter Three
Once Noah Bryant was across the room, Chloe stepped in and approached her friend. Chloe greeted Hope with a big smile.
“So much for your problems finding a guy,” Chloe said.
Hope’s eyes opened wide. “I still can’t believe that just happened. I didn’t even know he was interested in me.”
“Sometimes good things happen when you least expect them to.”
Hope remained in a state of disbelief. “And to me, no less.”
“It looks like we suddenly have plenty to talk about tonight. Are you ready to go?” Chloe wondered.
The smile on Hope’s face quickly evaporated and was replaced by a grimace. “I wish, but it looks like I’m going to have to be here a little longer than I expected.”
Chloe exhaled. “What did Victoria do now?”
“The same thing she always does; make my life hell.”
“You should tell her to lighten up.”
Hope was part of the back office staff, the nine-to-fivers that never seemed to actually work nine-to-five schedules. Victoria had a nasty habit of making her staff come in early and stay late. Hope’s list of job duties was continually expanding, from scheduling acts to data entry, managing ticketing, taking customer service calls, and assorted other behind-the-scenes tasks that Victoria assigned at her latest whim. Too often Hope’s day shift extended deep into the night. It happened so frequently that Hope had to cancel their two previously-planned nights out together. Chloe feared that could happen again this evening.
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