by Lyndsey Cole
“And, as his waitress told you, there were hardly any tips to steal. So, he could have used his visit to the café as a way to have an excuse to be near the Lake Trail. Danny said Heather told him that she was meeting someone. Could it have been Brian?” Leona asked.
“Let me get this straight,” Jason said. He set his coffee cup on the table. “Heather stayed at Randy’s house but as far as you have figured out, they didn’t have a bad history. Randy and Brian have been friends for years and Brian bullied Heather. Heather threatened to call the Health Department about Brian’s café, but here’s what I can’t figure out—she couldn’t have known about his unsanitary conditions before she came, so did she also have something else on him?”
“That’s a great point,” Annie said. “Maybe Thelma can shed more light on the issues from the past between Brian and Heather.”
“One thing that will be interesting is to find out who that gun belongs to,” Jason added.
“Would the murderer put a gun that can be traced back to him or her in Leona’s car? I predict it will only be another diversion,” Annie said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think this murderer is careless.”
Leona clapped her hands. “All this talking and speculating has me hungry again. I shared Christmas cookies with Christy but I didn’t offer the real dessert when she was here. Anyone interested?”
“Now you’re talking,” Jason said. “I’ve been wondering when someone would remember this important part of my dinner.”
“Your dinner, Jason?” Leona raised her eyebrows and sent him a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding glare. “As I recall, you called me in a panic when your dinner got burned to a crisp.”
Jason swept his hand around the cozy downstairs. “It’s my house and you are my guest so by default, it’s my dinner.” He met her glare and held it for five seconds before his face broke into a grin. “Okay, my dinner, catered by the best cook in town. How’s that?”
“Better, I guess. But you’re just splitting hairs.” Leona walked to the kitchen and carried a covered plate to the dining room table.
Mia got dessert plates off the shelf, counted out five forks, and brought them to the table.
“Ta-da!” Leona lifted the cover off a beautiful strawberry cheesecake with chocolate drizzled over the top. “I know how much Annie loves cheesecake . . . and strawberries . . . and chocolate, so I pulled this out of my freezer for tonight.” She slid her knife through the rich creamy thickness. “I even brought a bowl of whipped cream if anyone wants to be completely decadent.”
Leona slid a generous slice onto each plate and Mia added a dollop of cream on top. With dessert in hand, coffee mugs refilled, and everyone comfortable in the living room around the fireplace, Annie tried to relax and enjoy the moment. The Christmas tree twinkled, forks clinked on plates, and sighs of satisfaction with the delicious dessert filled the room.
Annie took a bite. The rich creamy vanilla flavor, mixed with tart strawberries and semisweet chocolate, almost distracted her from her thoughts. Almost, but not quite. “What about Olive? We’ve only touched on her possible role so far.”
“Can’t we finish eating first?” Leona whined. “I don’t want my mind to be distracted for even one second away from savoring the incredible deliciousness of this cheesecake. That I made, don’t forget.” For extra dramatic effect, she slowly slid a bite off her fork, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes.
Annie chuckled. “Your acting skills need a bit of work, but I will give your cheesecake an A-plus. It’s perfectly delicious . . . even for you.”
Leona beamed. She patted herself on her own shoulder. “Just sayin’—no one makes a sweeter cheesecake than I do.”
Annie held her tongue and took Leona’s advice. She focused on the flavors as they blended in her mouth with each bite. Unfortunately, it didn’t take anyone long to enjoy the cheesecake. As Mia and Camilla gathered up the empty plates, Annie’s brain jumped right back to Olive.
She leaned back on the couch and let one arm drape over Roxy, who snored next to her. She broke the silence. “Brian has a very obvious motive because of Heather’s threat to contact the Health Department, but something that might be much more subtle—”
“And sinister?” Camilla added.
“Yes, and sinister,” Annie continued, “is going on with Olive that we need to figure out.”
Camilla grabbed her enormous bag that, as far as Annie was concerned, could hold an entire wardrobe. She dug around inside muttering to herself. “I really need to clean this thing out. Oh, here’s what I’m looking for.” She held up an object wrapped in a bright pink silk scarf and carefully unwound the scarf. “The beaded clutch that I took from Heather’s hobo bag.”
Like a teacher in front of her classroom, Camilla waited for everyone’s eyes to be focused on her. She held up the clutch. “This,” she pointed to a ruby red gem, “is not just any old bead. It’s a genuine ruby. And here,” she pointed to two sparkling gems, “are two diamonds.”
Annie held her hands out, palms up, indicating she wanted Camilla to give it to her. With great care, Annie studied the clutch.
“It’s not fragile,” Camilla said. “You can touch it.”
Annie flipped it over. The beads sparkled in every color but now that Camilla had pointed out the real gems, she could see a much brighter shine. “Wow. Why would someone add these?”
Camilla took the clutch back. “I can only come up with two options. First, the gems have always been on the clutch and whoever owned it didn’t know.”
“That owner would be Liz, the girl who works for Olive,” Leona said. “If she knew, why on earth would she let Olive borrow it just to use as a prop in her window display?”
“Exactly. It doesn’t make any sense. So, either she didn’t know or,” Camilla paused and looked at everyone, “someone added the gems after the clutch was in the store for some sinister reason. Maybe a way to move the gems to a jewel thief?”
“That could connect with your stolen necklace, Camilla.” Leona took the clutch and examined it. “It is a piece of art.”
“Heather stole the beaded clutch. She set up the meeting with the mysterious person on the Lake Trail. They got the necklace gems from her, followed her to her car hoping to get the clutch too, killed her, and planted the murder weapon in Leona’s car,” Camilla suggested.
“It still doesn’t make sense. Heather couldn’t have known about Camilla’s jewelry shop. It didn’t exist when Heather lived in Catfish Cove,” Annie said. “Unless someone in town kept her updated.”
“Randy?” Leona asked.
Annie shrugged. “That’s possible, or it was an unplanned theft.”
“I don’t know the why, but Heather Davis had a beaded clutch with a ruby and diamonds plus my necklace with an opal and diamonds,” Camilla said.
As if a lightbulb flashed in her head, Annie jumped up. “If Heather was the jewel thief and she had a partner, she could have come because someone in town told her about these items. She used Leona and Danny’s open house as an excuse to be here while she wandered through all the local shops, stealing a little here and a little there to leave a confusing trail,” Annie said. “When Danny showed up unexpectedly, she had a change of heart and asked him to make everything right.”
“All we know for sure is that someone has the gems from Camilla’s necklace. The beaded clutch is more than what it first appears to be. A gun was planted in my car. Other than that, everything else is just speculation. The partner idea doesn’t seem to fit with Heather’s loner personality.” Leona pulled on her coat. “I need to get home.”
Before Leona had her second arm in her coat sleeve, her phone buzzed. With her coat dangling at her side, she fished her phone out of her bag. “It’s Danny.” She slid her finger across the screen. Her face fell. “He wants to postpone our wedding. I’m out of here.”
Annie felt a sudden chill from Leona’s words, followed by a blast of cold air blowing through the house when she pulled the door open an
d left.
After hurried goodbyes from Mia and Camilla, Annie and Jason were finally alone. “Do you think we’re on the right path about Heather?” Annie asked.
“I hope so,” Jason answered.
20
Annie was out of bed early Sunday morning. Not so much because she was excited to get a jump on the day, more because she just couldn’t sleep.
She walked quietly downstairs, pulled on her warm boots, jacket, gloves, hat, and mittens, and opened the door to the cold and stillness. At least Roxy was eager to get moving.
The early morning light, just beginning to peek over the mountains, hinted of a clear blue sky to come. A cloud formed with every breath Annie exhaled and her lungs complained with every inhale.
But the cold air did its magic. Annie’s head cleared as she walked along the Lake Trail.
The cold and the movement filled her with a renewed energy that she hadn’t been able to find in her snug warm bed.
“This is a real messy situation for Leona and Danny,” Annie said to Roxy.
Roxy turned her head back for a second before her nose returned to the more interesting scents on the trail.
She walked to her normal spot where the land jutted to a point extending into Heron Lake, providing a stunning view of the mountains beyond. It was always a gorgeous view but with the sun slowly rising over the peaks, it was even more spectacular than usual.
“This puts everything in perspective.” Annie stood with her hands jammed deep in her pockets. “Whether we like what’s happening every day or not, the sun keeps coming up and we have no choice but to do our best.”
Roxy barked.
“And you want your breakfast.” Annie chuckled.
The walk back toward Cobblestone Cottage was always quicker since Roxy had already smelled all the good smells. She glanced up the path to Thelma’s house, expecting Annie to turn there.
“It’s too early. Thelma’s house is still dark. We’ll stop by later, okay?”
Roxy barked again and dashed to their house.
Lights were on inside and the comforting smell of wood smoke drifted to Annie’s nose as she stomped her feet on the porch. She smiled.
Jason was puttering in the kitchen. Coffee dripped into the glass carafe. The Christmas tree lights twinkled. All appeared as normal as possible.
“How was your walk?” Jason asked. “I bet you’re cold.”
Annie stood in front of the fire and rubbed her hands together. “Cold but refreshed. It’s a quiet time for a walk; just me and Roxy out there surrounded by the day’s beauty.”
“The calm before the storm, I imagine,” Jason said. He carried a cup of coffee to Annie. She cradled it with both hands, letting the heat finish the job of warming them. Steam tickled her cheeks.
She sighed. “I suppose you’re right. With Leona rushing out last night after the text Danny sent, I hate to even find out how her night was.”
“But you will.”
“Of course.”
“Something has to be figured out so the wedding goes forward.”
“I’ll stop and talk to Leona and Danny before I go to the Black Cat Café. She said she was going to help again today, but now I’m not sure what she’ll decide to do.” Annie sipped her coffee. “Delicious. You do make a mean cup of coffee, Mr. Hunter.”
“Thank you.” Jason smiled. “It’s the least I can do to get your day started off smoothly.”
Annie finished the coffee. She turned and looked out the window toward the lake. “The sun is up, no more procrastinating.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Jason asked. “I thought you were enjoying my company.”
“Enjoying your company while I procrastinate.” Annie tried to make the best of her original comment. “I’m going to make a quick stop at the Blackbird. Wish me luck.”
“I’m sure Leona smoothed over any of Danny’s concerns about the wedding going forward. She’s hard to argue with when she has her mind set on something.”
Annie nodded, slipped into her warm jacket, grabbed her bag, and went out into the cold air.
Frost covered the landscape and everything glistened from the sun’s rays. It really should be a magical time of year, if only Heather’s murder wasn’t consuming all the merriment.
Leona’s bright yellow Mustang glowed in front of the Blackbird. The walkway to the front porch was cleared of every snowflake and the Christmas lights twinkled a greeting.
Annie let herself in.
At least the aroma of coffee and something sweet met her nose as soon as she stepped inside. She followed the mouthwatering scent past the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, down the hallway, and into the warm kitchen.
Leona turned around when Annie pushed the door open. “I’m glad my efforts here in the kitchen have brought someone in.”
“What are you baking?” Annie dropped her coat next to the door and helped herself to half a cup of coffee.
“Only half?” Leona dipped her head and stared at Annie over the rims of her reading glasses.
“I already had coffee with Jason.” She sat at the kitchen table and sipped her coffee. “Where’s Danny?”
“I’m hoping my fresh-from-the-oven blueberry muffins with extra streusel topping will motivate him to get out of bed. He’s depressed, to put it bluntly.” Leona slipped her hand into an oven mitt and extracted her pan of muffins. The blast of aroma made Annie’s mouth water.
“That will do it.” Annie propped the kitchen door open partway with the door stop so the aroma could drift upstairs. They both heard a thump on the floor above.
Leona smiled.
“Should I leave?” Annie asked.
“No. Maybe between the two of us, we can get him back on track.”
“The wedding track?”
“Yeah. It’s tomorrow and he says he can’t focus on making it the event he thinks I want. But, the event I want is for us to be married with all of our friends. What’s so hard about that? And besides, all the preparations are already done.”
Annie lifted one shoulder. “He’ll come around. After last night, I think Detective Crank will be on the right track to finding Heather’s killer.”
The kitchen door swung all the way open. Danny, with his nose in the air, inhaled deeply. “I think I smell a bribe.”
Annie clamped her lips together in an attempt of stifling a chuckle and turned away from Danny.
Leona placed the two biggest, juiciest muffins on a plate and waved it under Danny’s nose. “Now, what makes you say that?”
Danny cracked a smile. “It worked. I’m out of bed, my stomach is running out of patience for a taste of your blueberry muffins, and I’m all done moping around. Enough is enough. It’s time I forgive my mother.” Danny looked first at Leona, then at Annie. “With you two as my witnesses, I forgive Heather Davis.”
Leona set the muffins on the table and wrapped both arms around Danny’s neck. “That’s more like it. No more sticking your head under the pillow. We’ve got a wedding tomorrow.”
And a murder to solve to really clear the air, Annie added to herself.
The front door of the bed and breakfast slammed closed.
“Who can that be?” Danny asked.
“Sit down and enjoy your blueberry muffins, I’ll get rid of whoever is here,” Annie said.
“Thanks.” Leona carried two cups of coffee to the table and sat next to Danny. Their heads were close together when Annie pushed through the kitchen door.
She was feeling so much better until her eyes met the visitor.
“Annie, I wasn’t expecting to find you here,” Detective Crank said. She sipped on a tall cardboard coffee cup. “This tastes like mud. Do you think Leona has any fresh coffee to spare?”
“What are you doing here?” Annie felt the hairs on her neck rise. She was positive that Detective Crank showing up early on a Sunday morning couldn’t be a good sign. “Maybe you got mixed up and meant to stop at the Black Cat Café for coffee.”
“Listen, unless this is something that can’t wait, Leona and Danny are pretty busy finishing the last-minute details for their wedding.” This was an exaggeration but it was the best Annie could come up with.
“It can’t wait.” Christy walked toward the door.
“You found Heather’s killer?” That would be the only reason Annie would welcome Christy’s visit.
Christy stopped next to Annie. “Not exactly. We traced the gun from Leona’s car. The murder weapon.”
“Oh.” Annie realized that was all the detail Christy was going to share with her and she wasn’t going to be able to persuade Christy from bothering Leona and Danny now.
“I’ll just find my way.” Christy walked past Annie.
Annie followed Christy through the kitchen door.
“I’ve got a couple of questions, Danny.” Christy rarely bothered with normal niceties like hello or good morning.
“Not a good time, Detective Crank.” Leona stood and glared at Christy. “Can’t this wait?”
“Nope. We traced the gun’s ownership.”
“What gun?” Danny asked.
There was an uncomfortable look between Leona and Danny. Annie wondered if Leona had even shared the discovery of the gun with him when she got home last night. She guessed not.
“The gun found in Leona’s car,” Christy answered.
“The murder weapon?” Danny asked, a hopeful tone creeping into his voice.
“The murder weapon,” Christy confirmed.
“That’s good news, then, isn’t it?” Danny looked at the women staring at him. He seemed to be the only one who hadn’t picked up on Christy’s tone. The tone that indicated she didn’t have good news to share.
“It might be good news for someone. Do you own any guns, Danny?”
