Missy didn’t even consider the ridiculous possibility that Noreen had poisoned Tonya. The women had been extremely close and just starting out in this business venture. Besides, if Noreen had planned to kill Tonya she would have planned out what to do for the business. She wouldn’t be begging Missy for help.
“That’s right,” Noreen said. “I didn’t kill her.”
“Sorry.” Missy smiled apologetically. “Sometimes I just can’t help it.”
Noreen shook her head but she was smiling. “You are an investigator. You should just get the license and get it over with.”
“Ha.” Missy laughed, but was the idea that silly? “Even if Tonya had other cups, they’re still looking at me closely.”
“Why?” Noreen asked, even though she had to know.
“It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Tonya and I didn’t get along. You and I have been best friends forever. I’ve been in danger of losing my job for a long time. If you connect all the dots, you can pretty easily think of me as a suspect.”
Noreen snapped her fingers. “Which is why you can’t come to work at the tea room.”
“One of the reasons,” Missy said. “If they already think of me as a suspect, then that would just make me look guiltier. But everything else I said is true too. It would just feel wrong to step into Tonya’s shoes when I wasn’t willing to work with her before.”
Noreen swung her feet around and planted them in the grass. “Okay, Missy. I’ll make you a deal then.”
“What?” Missy was immediately on her guard.
“I’ll help you solve this case. After we find the real killer and hand them over to the cops, then you come work at the tea room on a temporary basis. If you like it, you can stay. If not, you can just find another job. Is it a deal?”
“No.” Missy shook her head. “If the police find out I enlisted your help to pin this murder on someone else in exchange for working at the tea room, that wouldn’t look great either.”
“Fine.” Noreen folded her arms. “If you’re going to be difficult, like always. But I’m still going to help you because I know you didn’t do this.”
“Thanks, Noreen.” Missy was grateful. “I actually had a few ideas of where to start.”
Noreen shook her head. “Of course you do.”
Missy smiled. “Now I have another favor to ask.”
“Okay…” Noreen had no idea where this was going.
Missy took a breath and held out her finger. “Would you be my maid-of-honor?”
“Missy!”
Chapter Eleven
Tyler got home later than usual. Cody jumped up and met him in the foyer, while Missy lounged on the sofa. After her conversation with Noreen, she was feeling a lot better. She turned off the TV and sat up.
Tyler carried a big cardboard box into the living room.
Missy laughed. “It didn’t take you long to start moving in.”
Tyler winked. “You and I both know I started moving in here months ago.”
She laughed again. “Did you bring more than one box?”
He waved her away. “You sit down and—”
She got up. “The big, strong man doesn’t need any help?”
He started to protest, but she just walked right past him and headed outside. The liftgate of his SUV was open. She stepped around the vehicle and peered inside. Tyler must have stuffed twelve boxes in there.
“So this is why you’re late tonight,” she said.
Tyler came around and hugged her from behind. She loved his smell and how his arms held her tight.
“Part of the reason,” he said. “Vinnie and I caught a break in the robberies.”
“Oh, great!” She turned and gave him a kiss. “Do you think you’ll arrest someone soon?”
“Don’t want to jinx it, but I think so.”
They went to work on the boxes. They decided to pile them for now in the dining room, where they rarely ate anyway. Most of the time they dined in the kitchen, or in front of the TV, or on a nice night in the backyard.
Ten minutes later they’d gotten the boxes situated.
“What exactly did you bring?” she asked.
“These are all my Star Wars toys from when I was a kid.”
She did a double-take. “I never knew you were that into—”
“Kidding.”
They left the boxes and went into the kitchen. Tyler heated up some leftovers from the other night while she sipped on a glass of wine. She loved that he was here and would be here forever. The idea of him coming home made her so happy.
“So, Tyler, there’s something I wanted to talk about.” All afternoon, she’d been building up to this. She knew she would have a hard time convincing him of her decision. He always thought it best when civilians left the police work to the professionals. But she had worked on her argument the whole day. And since Tyler was a good listener, she knew he’d at least hear her out. She was pretty confident she could make him see reason—
“You’re going to investigate Tonya’s death,” he said.
“How did you…?”
“Melissa DeMeanor, I told you before that I know you better than anyone. Just like you know me better than anyone.”
Her mind went blank. She’d had all of her reasons why lined up, but since he’d caught her off guard now she was tongue-tied.
“They think I did it, Tyler. I can’t just sit back and do nothing.”
“I agree.”
He had to be kidding. “What happened to the Tyler Brock I know and love so much?”
He smirked. “Melissa, you’re going to do this with or without my blessing, right?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “And you’re right. You might be the prime suspect right now. I’ve been thinking about it all day, arguing with myself. But then I realized if I was a cop, looking at this thing objectively, and if I didn’t love you, let alone know you, then I’d think it was you. I would. So they’re going to come after you, and the best thing you can do is find out who really did this.”
“Tyler Brock, I hardly recognize you.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “Cops aren’t infallible. I learned that lesson time and time again in Philadelphia, watching how others operated. I thought I was better than that, but then I had to eat a big helping of humble pie when I wrongfully arrested Noreen for murder.”
Missy smiled. “That wasn’t your fault.”
“I know. But same situation, right? Right now a lot of the evidence is pointed at you, Missy. So like you said, you can either do nothing or you can try to solve this thing yourself.” He smiled. “With my help of course.”
“Tyler.” She shook her head. “You can’t. The town would fire you if for a second they thought you were interfering in an investigation centering around me. They wouldn’t be able to trust you. You’d be done.”
“Missy, if I have to choose between the job and you, that’s no choice at all.”
“When did you start calling me Missy?”
He smirked. “I’m serious. I’m going to help you here. You’re going to be my wife.”
He said it so passionately, she could have died from joy. “All the same, I’d never forgive myself if you lost your job. So officially you can’t help me. And in public, we should argue about what I’m doing so it looks like you don’t approve.”
He laughed again. “When did you become so devious?”
Chapter Twelve
The long line snaked all the way back to the entrance of the funeral parlor. Missy saw people from all walks of life. A group of women in their early twenties were just in front of her, all of them of college age. Missy didn’t think they were family and was wondering at the connection when she recalled that Tonya had coached—in her spare time of course—softball at the local community college. How Tonya found any spare minutes in her day, Missy had no idea.
It took almost an hour to reach the coffin. Missy paid her respects, moving from the parents to the siblings. Beth was th
e last sibling in line. Missy gave her a knowing look and retreated into one of the side rooms where Noreen was sitting with her mother.
“Big crowd,” Missy said.
Noreen nodded. “She impacted a lot of lives. There was so much she did but didn’t talk about. You have no idea.”
Missy again swallowed any ill-timed retort she was inclined to say. They made small talk for a little bit, until Missy spotted Detectives Evanski and Bryant in the main room. The sight of them made her blood run cold. Missy smoothed the dress that had miraculously fit her, knowing it was just a nervous gesture to keep her own hands occupied. She bided her time, and when she saw Beth peel away from the receiving line Missy made her move.
Beth was a few inches shorter than her younger sister and her hair was dark brown compared to Tonya’s light blond color. Missy followed her to the porch. The woman stared out into the parking lot in the bright summer sun. The floorboards creaked when Missy came out, causing Beth to look around quickly.
Missy approached with a friendly smile. “Hi, Beth. We haven’t met but I know who you are. I’m Missy DeMeanor, Noreen’s fri—”
“I know who you are.” Beth turned away to look once more at the parking lot. Missy kept her smile in place and stood beside the other woman, resting her hands on the railing.
“I’m very sorry,” Missy said.
“Thank you,” Beth said absently.
“She was a very nice woman.” Missy had to force the words out.
Beth shot her a look. “You hated her.”
Missy hadn’t been expecting this reaction. “Whoa, Beth. I did not hate your sister. We didn’t get along, but even I could see she was loved and will be missed.”
Beth’s eyes nearly burned a hole in Missy’s face, but she managed to hold the woman’s stare. Finally, Beth looked away.
Missy took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about what happened. I mean, it’s just so…poison? Who do you think would have done that?”
Beth shook her head, a rueful smirk playing on her lips. “You’re so obvious, lady. Do you realize that?”
“What do you mean?”
Beth turned to face her. “I know who you are. You like investigating murders in your spare time. So now you’re out here asking me questions during my sister’s funeral, like I don’t want her killer brought to justice. You’ve unbelievable.”
Missy saw no harm in lying at this point. “It must have been difficult for you when Tonya opened the tea room with Noreen.”
Beth’s eyes grew fierce. “Not really. I gave up the idea of wanting to go into business with Tonya years ago. I imagine this was more difficult for you than for me.”
Missy shook her head. This was going badly. “Not at all. Noreen gave up her position at the bookstore so I could stay on. And when she asked me to join them, I turned her down. But you, on the other hand, were Tonya’s sister. And you had no problem getting along with Noreen. So this must have burned bad.”
Beth leaned forward. For a moment Missy thought the woman was going to hit her. Instead, she pushed past, almost knocking Missy’s purse out of her hands.
Beth said, “I didn’t kill my sister. I think we both know who did.”
Beth walked away. Before she got inside, Missy said:
“I know it was you that called me.”
Beth stopped in the entrance to look back at her for a moment, before heading in. Missy smiled. The way Beth had said I think we both know who did reminded her of the anonymous call from yesterday. She was pretty sure now it had been Beth, even though the number led nowhere.
Missy waited outside. The viewing was going longer than planned due to the sheer number of people that had come to pay their respects. A few minutes later, Grant stepped outside.
He was tall and broad with a movie star smile. Missy would have expected no less from a woman like Tonya. She watched him from across the porch. They’d seen each other out a few times but had never actually had a meaningful conversation. She waited a minute, then made her way over.
“Hey, Grant.” She smiled sympathetically. “I’m real sorry.”
He nodded and looked down for a moment before speaking. “She was really special.”
Missy nodded. “This must be really difficult. You and Tonya were together for awhile, right?”
His eyes were moist. “I had a ring picked out.”
Instinctively, Missy put her left hand in her pocket. She could feel the engagement ring around her finger.
“I’m sorry.”
He nodded his thanks, unable to speak.
“How long had you been planning on asking her?”
Grant frowned at what was admittedly a strange question, but Missy smiled innocently like she was just making conversation.
“I picked out the ring a couple months ago.”
Missy hid her surprise, wondering why he’d been walking around with a ring in his pocket for two months.
“I’m so sorry. Did you have an elaborate plan for proposing?”
This time he didn’t frown so much as scowl. “Why are you asking me this right now?”
Grant pushed away from the railing and walked into the parking lot. She considered following, but thought better of it. Her questions had already ticked him off, and Missy couldn’t think of a good cover story for them.
Eventually, the crowd filtered out of the funeral home. Missy headed for her car.
***
The funeral lasted an hour. Many people got up to say something: Tonya’s parents, all her siblings, Noreen, one of the college girls Missy had stood behind in line, her ex-husband Roger, her almost-fiance Grant. The pastor spoke for awhile, falling back on what Missy found to be the old standby explanation for senseless death: the Lord worked in mysterious ways.
Missy hadn’t been to church in a long time but still considered herself religious. But at times like these, she found it difficult to have faith. Tonya’s murder was awful. The woman had been robbed of many years of a good life. Even if they caught Tonya’s killer, she’d still be dead, her family and friends heartbroken.
The ceremony over, the mourners slowly filed away. Missy had been watching Roger and moved to intercept him before he got to his Mercedes-Benz two-door sport car.
“Hey, Roger,” Missy said.
“Hello.” He regarded her strangely, not understanding why she’d come up to talk to him.
She’d already planned out what to say. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” He opened the door to his car. “Thanks.”
“Even though you guys were separated, I figured this had to be difficult for you too. Especially since you remained so close all these years and lately.”
He had one foot in the car. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The tea room,” Missy said. “I know you were the angel investor, so you must have been working very closely with Tonya. And Noreen.”
She made sure to keep her voice level, but she could tell by his reaction he’d picked up on the subtext. He’d been having an affair with Tonya while she was dating Grant, at a time when the man was getting ready to propose.
Roger’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know what an angel investor is, Missy?”
She chuckled nervously. “Not really.”
He nodded like he’d expecting to have to explain it to her. “That’s someone who has the money to start a business but wants no parts of running it.”
“Oh.”
“So to answer your implied questions, I haven’t been working closely with Tonya while she was getting the tea room up and running. I basically handed her some money and asked that I see a return on it in the future.”
Roger’s eyes drifted away from her, and Missy glanced over her shoulder to find Grant walking by. The two men stared at each other, their eyes saying everything their lips weren’t. They looked ready to duke it out. Missy waited till Grant had gotten far enough away, and Roger finally looked back at her.
“It must have been a lot of money,
though,” Missy said, not willing to let it go. “Even if you weren’t going to actively run the business, you still probably spent a lot of time with her recently talking about it. I mean, I won’t pretend to understand business like you do but I would have thought—”
“No, you don’t understand business obviously. Goodbye, Missy.”
Roger got into his car and shut the door. He fired up the engine and pulled out of there, the tires inches from her toes. She watched him blow past people as they stepped into the street, his tires squealing as he turned at the exit to the cemetery.
Missy hurried back to Noreen’s car, where her friend was helping her mom get in. Candy sat stiffly in the passenger seat, while Noreen closed the door and folded up the walker to put it in the trunk.
“How did it go?” Noreen asked.
“Everybody seems guilty,” Missy said. “Did you know Grant was going to propose?”
Noreen’s eyes popped. “No.”
Missy nodded. “He’s had the ring for two months. Do you know if Tonya and he were planning on going on a big trip or anything? Because I couldn’t think of any other reason to wait.”
Noreen thought about it. “No. We just opened. Tonya wasn’t planning on going vacation. She planned on being here.”
Missy nodded. “That’s what I thought. So why is Grant walking around with a ring for that long?”
“He had second thoughts,” Noreen said. “Maybe he found out…?”
“You should have seen the exchange between him and Roger. They were ready to kill one another.”
Noreen pieced it together. “So maybe Grant found out and decided not to propose?”
“But then he stays with Tonya?”
“Maybe he just found out?”
“Maybe.” Missy still didn’t think it made sense. “But why come to the grand opening if you’re that angry with Tonya?”
“I don’t know.”
“How long were Tonya and Roger having an affair?”
“Missy, honestly, I wouldn’t call it an affair.”
Missy took a deep breath and remained calm. She should have realized Noreen was going to excuse Tonya’s behavior as opposed to calling it what it was.
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