“Either way, though, he had to get that picture. He couldn’t have anybody else seeing it because the photo implicated him in Ren’s murder.”
Missy nodded. “I don’t think he was supposed to kill her. I think Sharon asked him to talk to Olivia, because she didn’t know how.”
“Because?”
“Because of how distraught Sharon has been the last few days. It seemed sincere, to me at least. I don’t think she planned for Olivia to die. It had probably taken her the last ten years to make peace with the fact she’d killed Ren, and now she’d basically done it again? Killed another one of her friends?”
“She can’t live with it and blames herself for Olivia’s death. So she shoots Kevin.”
“And the whole time, Kevin was very worried about what I was doing. That’s why he took an active interest in me, any time I was around.”
Missy looked up at him. In the darkness, she wondered what expression he wore. Was he proud of her? Glad it was over? Was he thinking about his wife? Was he thinking about the past, or about the future?
Or both?
Missy stood. With her on the porch and him on the first step, she was almost his height.
“Are you okay, Melissa?”
“I think so.” She gave him a quick hug and went back inside.
She had work to do.
Chapter Nineteen
M issy walked down the long row of entries for the scrapbooking competition. Some were noticeably better than the others, but they were all good. And there were so many too. Missy feared hers would just get lost in the mix. The convention center was packed, row after row of scrapbookers lined up, with breakout sessions and seminars running throughout the day.
One spread stood out from the others on the third table. Missy stopped to examine it. The photos were all professionally done, the paper was the most expensive stock, and the designs looked like something an artist would have done. Even the layout was perfect. Missy couldn’t help but be impressed. When she read the name tag under the spread, she shook her head.
Tonya.
Noreen’s new BFF. Missy’s replacement. She’d never get what drew Noreen to this woman, who was so very different than Missy. Then she realized that might have been part of the draw, the sheer difference between the two women.
She had to admit, though, the pages were well-designed and the pictures popped. Tonya was in a good position to win the competition. And she would have deserved the accolade too.
“Hi, Missy.”
She turned and smiled at Noreen. Her oldest friend was wearing capris, a t-shirt, and a friendly smile. They hugged.
Missy held onto her for a little bit longer than usual. When they let go, Noreen gave her a knowing look.
“Another murder solved, huh?”
It saddened her to think of Olivia dead, but she felt good about helping to bring the case to a close. It had been an ugly death, but at least this way the Oakleys got some measure of peace knowing their daughter’s killer was dead.
They started walking down the long row of entries.
“Tonya’s spread looks great.” Missy nodded at the tables. “Where are your pages?”
“As always, I saved everything till the last minute and didn’t actually get it done.” Noreen made a face. “Don’t you say a word.”
Missy smiled. Noreen was notoriously late—with everything. “I would never.”
“I know that look.” Noreen smiled back. “Where are your pages, by the way? Or did you not get to finish them because you were busy fighting crime?”
“They’re here.”
Noreen looked over at her. “That’s weird. I was looking for that spread of you and your mom. But it didn’t jump out at me.”
Missy walked two more steps and came to a stop. “I decided not to enter that one.”
Noreen’s eyebrows slid together like they were magnets. “Why not?”
“I decided to go in a different direction instead.”
“So where are they?”
Missy smiled. “Right here.”
She pivoted out of the way. Noreen stepped forward, her eyes searching.
Missy watched her friend’s reaction. Noreen’s eyes lit up as she took in her pages.
“Where did you find these pictures?” Noreen asked.
“Mom had some stowed away. I had the rest.”
“It’s…” Noreen finally peeled her eyes away from Missy’s pages. “…perfect.”
“Thanks.”
Missy looked down and admired her work. Mom had given her the theme and Sharon, of all people, had given her the idea last night while she was screaming.
Missy had known exactly what Sharon meant about friendship. One minute you were fighting and the next you were closer than ever before. A deep relationship was one of the most intense experiences ever that forced you to experience every emotion and examine yourself on a frequent basis.
And Missy had shown that in her pages.
Her theme was a lasting, long-term friendship between two women, first as girls, then as teens and young adults, and later as adults. But instead of just showing two smiling women throughout, Missy had pulled those pictures that captured all the raw emotions across the broad spectrum of friendship.
“Mom had these.” Missy pointed at the pictures of the plays they had put on during their youth group years. Of course, they were just playacting in the images, but they looked real enough.
In one: Missy was whispering to another girl behind Noreen’s back. Cattiness personified.
In another: Noreen was choking Missy.
In another: the girls had their arms around each other as they held up their diplomas.
And in another: both of them standing back-to-back, fists raised, as they prepared to take on a gang of other women. Two warriors, two best friends.
Noreen wiped under her eyes. “They are really perfect.”
“Thank you, Noreen.”
Her friend looked up with teary eyes, and Missy knew their relationship had changed again and realized that it had always been changing. In grade school they had been friendly, in high school inseparable, in college friendly but not close, and as adults the best of friends.
“Missy, I wanted to apologize for how I’ve been acting.”
Missy smiled. “There’s no need.”
“There is.” Noreen took a deep breath. “I just haven’t been myself. I think I’m going through a third-life crisis or something.”
Missy laughed. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not. You’re my best friend forever, Missy.”
Missy gave her a hug. “And you’re mine, forever.”
They held onto each for a long time. The hug was heartfelt but also bittersweet. Deep down, Missy knew that things were evolving between them. She was no longer Noreen’s first call—actually, she wasn’t even Noreen’s second call. She was in a committed, long-term relationship with Carter, who was an absolute great guy. And when she was looking to socialize now, Noreen called Tonya because they shared similar interests.
“I’m sorry too,” Missy said, as they let go and walked down the row of pictures. “It’s unfair of me to expect you to be like me.”
“Friendship is the best thing, but it’s not always easy.”
“No.”
They came to the end of the row. More people were gathering near the entries for the competition. Missy checked her phone for the time. In just a few minutes, the judges would arrive to announce the winners.
“Good luck, Missy,” Noreen said. “I hope you win.”
“Thanks.”
Noreen gave her another hug and took her phone out, either to call Carter or Tonya, as she melted into the crowd.
A booming male voice came on over the PA system in the convention center. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are just about ready to announce the winners of the Amateur Competition.”
Missy looked around and saw a lot of familiar faces crowding the area where the entries were. Tonya had pushed her wa
y to the edge of the crowd and stood near the Little Old Ladies. Missy frowned at the thought of not seeing Olivia here. The woman had been so excited for the event, having planned to submit pages herself.
The male voice spoke again. “We were fortunate enough to receive over one thousand submissions this year, a record for the convention!”
Applause erupted throughout the convention center. The excitement in the air was palpable.
“Now without further ado, I’m going to announce the winners of the Amateur Competition. In third place…”
Missy’s phone buzzed. She really wanted to hear the results, but it was Brett calling from the bookstore. He’d kindly given her the day off but had asked that she be on call in case something happened and he needed to leave the store.
“Hey, Brett.”
“Hey, Missy…”
Polite applause sounded as the announcer named one of the winners. It was loud enough, however, to drown out whatever Brett had said.
“What was that, Brett?” Missy asked. “Sorry, it’s really loud here.”
“I wanted to talk to you for a minute, about the future.”
Missy’s heart sank. Was this the call she’d been dreading for awhile now, where Brett informed her of the imminent closure of the bookstore?
“And second place goes to…Tonya LaMott!”
Polite applause sounded again. Missy took the phone away from her ear to clap, even though it was difficult to cheer for the woman. Missy brought the phone back up to her ear.
“I can’t really hear you right now, Brett. What’s up?”
“As you know, it’s getting difficult to keep the lights on and so I’m at the point where I can only keep one employee.”
Missy gasped. That meant either she or Noreen had to go.
“Let Noreen stay,” Missy immediately said, without thinking about it. “Let her stay.”
Brett laughed. “It’s funny you say that because she already said the same thing.”
Missy tipped her head back and smiled. So that had been the call Noreen must have just received.
“She’s already given her notice,” Brett said. “So I’m calling to ask if you’ll stay on.”
Missy didn’t know what to say. She was touched that Noreen would give up her job so Missy could stay on. She was a true friend.
“Brett…” Missy’s voice was thick. “I just need…can I call you back?”
“Sure, Miss. Take your time.”
“And first place goes to…Missy DeMeanor!”
This time the applause wasn’t just polite, it was thunderous. Before she knew it, Missy was surrounded by a mob of cheering women. She knew most of them and it made this humongous, airy convention center feel like home.
Next thing she knew, Tonya had come over to congratulate her. Overcome by emotions and overcome by everything that had happened in the last week, Missy hugged her.
A few moments later, the judge pushed through the crowd to hand her a check for a nice chunk of change. She couldn’t believe she’d won, just couldn’t believe it. She could use the money for a down payment on a new car…or dump some of that money back into the truck.
***
Missy drove Mom’s car to the police station. After she saw Tyler’s SUV parked in the designated spot, she parked in the corner of the lot and steeled herself.
Mom was right. In this life, you had to go after your own happiness.
Missy got out of the car and entered the station. The desk sergeant looked up from her computer at Missy.
“I’m here to see Tyler.”
The sergeant nodded and hit the button to open the door. “He’s in his office.”
Missy stepped through the door and literally bumped into Vinnie.
“Hey there.” He smirked.
“Vincent…” She hadn’t planned on seeing him but felt like she should say something.
He smiled. “I know. You still love Tyler.”
Her instinct was to deny it, but today Missy didn’t. It felt wrong to lie about it. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Vinnie moved out of her way. “I’m not interested in competing with him for your affection when you’ve got all that history.”
Missy made a face. “Wow, am I that easy to get over?”
He laughed as she walked by, headed for Tyler’s office.
Outside the doorway, she took a deep breath. Her high school sweetheart, the love of her life, was sitting in that office. She knew he still had some feelings for her, but she didn’t know how deep they were. And he was just getting over a divorce too, which would complicate everything.
But she decided not to care today.
Missy opened the door. Tyler was standing in front of his desk, as if waiting for her.
“Melissa.” He looked her up and down, and she knew.
She closed the door behind her. Since they’d last been together, she’d battled with her weight but right now, with the way he was looking at her, she felt like the sexiest woman on the planet.
“I heard you w—” He started to say.
She held up a hand. “Tyler Brock, I want you to know some things about me.”
“Okay…”
“I’m in my late thirties. When we dated in high school, I was a little chubby but these days I’m what everybody calls B-B-W.”
He looked her up and down again, and she knew he liked what he saw. “You are the sexiest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”
She tried not to blush but failed miserably. “Uh, more importantly, I have no career to speak of. The only steady job I’ve ever had will probably soon come to an end and I have no idea what I’m going to do next.”
“You’ll think of something, Melissa. You’ve solved bigger problems than that.”
She smiled. “I can barely cover my mortgage some months and honestly, I don’t see that changing any time soon.”
He smiled. “So what?”
Missy felt jittery as she met him halfway and they kissed. His lips were firm against hers, and a moment later his tongue came to life. Her insides turned to jelly and she felt tingly all over.
And like that, the years melted away and she was for those moments back in high school. She molded to him and he wrapped his arms around her. He clung to her and she held on for dear life, this time determined not to let him slip away again.
Ever since he’d come back, she’d waited for him. But not today.
Today she couldn’t wait any longer.
**************
Tea Room Toxin is the fifth story in the Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mystery Series, but these books can be enjoyed in any order. However, if you absolutely must begin with the first book in a series, please check out Flea Market Fatal.
Missy DeMeanor is so happy for her best friend, Noreen. Today is the grand opening of Noreen’s new tea room, Do Re Tea.
Hundreds of people have shown up to celebrate. The tea is flowing. Everyone is having a good time. Things are going great for Noreen.
Things for Missy, on the other hand, have been up and down. While her and Tyler’s rekindled romance is growing more serious, the bookstore is closer than ever to closing. And things are about to get even crazier…when Noreen's business partner, Tonya, dies during the grand opening of the tea room!
The rumor going around is that poison killed Tonya. And everyone—including the police—suspects Missy. Not just because she and Tonya never got along, but also because Missy gave Tonya the cup of tea that contained the poison!
With the net closing in, Missy has no choice but to once again don her amateur sleuth hat. But can she solve the murder before the police arrest her?
Tea Room Toxin is a cozy mystery with plenty of twists, turns, humor, and a little bit of romance.
Tea Room Toxin
Brianna Bates
Chapter One
Melissa, a.k.a. Missy, DeMeanor said, “Yes, I’ve lost a little weight.”
Ellen Stein looked her up and down again, as if she’d been
expecting a different answer. “Oh. OH. Congratulations.”
Ellen pretended like she’d just seen someone else she knew across the room and excused herself. Missy got a kick out of watching her try to butt in on a conversation in order to keep up with the lie.
Missy smiled.
She was happy.
It had taken a reunion with her high school crush, now Chief of Police in Grove City, Tyler Brock, to make her realize just how blah the last few years had been. Sure, she’d helped the police solve a few murders. And sure, she had her own home and pursued her many hobbies and had some great friends. But something had been missing.
Missy wasn’t the type of woman that needed to be with a man. She’d always gotten by fine on her own. Being with Tyler, though, was a dream come true. He made everything better. He was so level-headed, and funny, and sweet. The man made life sweeter and more interesting.
As if he’d read her mind, Tyler Brock stepped into the tea room. Off-duty today, he wore a pair of old jeans and a nice button-down shirt. He smiled when he saw her, just like he was seeing her for the first time.
“Hey there,” she said.
Tyler’s powerful arms hugged her, and when they kissed her insides felt like liquid.
“You look nice,” he said, like always.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
He took the tea room in. It had a country style to it, with lots of comfy armchairs and small tables.
“Interesting,” he said.
“Bet you never thought you’d find yourself in a tea room.”
“To have thought that, I would have had to know there was such a thing as tea rooms in the first place.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
He shook his head.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” He smirked. “That’d be like me expecting you to know what a murder book is.”
Missy put her hand on his side, feeling the solid muscle under the skin. “Detective Brock, you forget one important thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I read a lot.”
Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mysteries Boxset Page 54
