by Rose Pressey
“I’ll go check out the breaker box.” Ken headed toward the back of the shop.
I walked along beside him. “It’s right back here.”
Once in the back room Ken opened the panel and flicked the switch. Light flooded the room. Ken flashed his dazzling smile.
“Thank goodness,” Charlotte said.
I had no idea what had caused the lights to go out. It was probably just a fluke, but nevertheless I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Ken hadn’t shown up when he did.
“What did you want to show me?” Ken asked.
I’d left the note on the counter. “It’s up here. Follow me.”
I picked up the paper and handed it to him. “I found this slipped under the door. I think maybe it’s from the killer.”
Ken had a stunned expression as he read the note. “Have you showed this to anyone else?”
“He means Dylan,” Charlotte leaned close and whispered.
“Not yet. I wasn’t sure what to do,” I said.
“I think this needs to be reported to the police. I know you like handling things on your own, but sometimes it’s necessary to ask for help. This could definitely be a clue that leads to the killer. Plus, it could be dangerous if you don’t tell the police.”
“Maybe they can get fingerprints,” Charlotte said.
“Good idea.” Peggy walked a circle around Ken. Apparently she was full of nervous energy.
Was it that obvious that I wanted to do things without help? Even Ken had picked up on it now. A character flaw perhaps, but I couldn’t help it.
I took the note back from him. “I’ll make sure to give them the note.”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if I believe her.”
“She did look as if she was fibbing,” Peggy said, and looked me up and down.
“By the way, I’ve tried calling Heather, but she doesn’t answer. Have you talked with her lately?” Ken asked.
“It’s been a few hours. I can try to call her now.” I pulled out my phone.
He held up his hand. “It’s not necessary this late. Can you ask her to call me in the morning?”
“Is it serious?” I asked.
Was he withholding information about the murder from me?
Ken smiled. “Not serious. I just wanted to ask a few questions.”
“Sure, I’ll ask her to call you.”
Ken stared. “Well, I guess I should be going now. Can I walk you to your car? I don’t think it’s safe leaving you here alone.”
It was only a few steps away, but I suppose I didn’t want to hang around here alone any longer. Plus I had received a threatening note. The wise decision would be for Ken to walk with me.
“That’s sweet of him,” Charlotte said.
“What a gentleman,” Peggy said.
The ghosts swooned over Ken’s behavior. That was him. Ken was one of the kindest people I’d ever met.
“Sure, let me get my bag,” I said.
I would worry about the note in the morning. Things would be less scary in the light of day. There was nothing Dylan could do about it tonight. That was when I remembered Dylan was coming over for dinner later. I’d almost forgotten. After grabbing my things, Wind Song followed me out the door.
“I’ve never seen a cat follow commands like that,” Ken said.
Little did he know that she didn’t follow commands. Grandma Pearl would always do exactly what she wanted. Ken walked with me over to the car. Dark clouds had rolled in, covering the stars. Thunder rumbled in the distance. A strange feeling lingered in the air. I suppose I was just still bothered by the lights going off and receiving the note.
Ken opened my car door. “Do you have dinner plans?”
“He breaks my heart. Why does he look so sad like a lost puppy?” Charlotte asked.
She didn’t need to tell me. Looking in Ken’s eyes made me ask the same question.
“Actually I do. Maybe lunch soon?”
“Sure, sure. Lunch would be good.” Ken attempted a smile.
“So sad . . .” Peggy said.
After I got in the car Ken closed the door. I cranked the engine and waved as I drove off. I still had that strange feeling though. How would Ken walk to his car. Was it safe for him? Maybe I should turn around and check on him. I couldn’t shake the feeling, so I knew I had to do something about it. I made the next right. I wouldn’t be able to sleep unless I knew that Ken was okay.
“Where are you going?” Charlotte asked.
“I think I need to make sure Ken gets to his car safely,” I said.
“Did you see something?” Charlotte asked. Thank goodness Ken reached his car and I could go home.
* * *
Since Dylan was coming over for dinner I knew I had to serve something other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Although Dylan liked PB&J sandwiches. I’d decided to make blackened catfish, fried green tomatoes, and homemade buttermilk biscuits—traditional Southern cooking. After the last few days, we needed a treat. I’d just taken the biscuits out of the oven when the doorbell rang.
“I hope he likes hockey pucks,” Charlotte said.
“Oh yeah, you’re not exactly a gourmet chef,” I said, placing the pan of biscuits on the counter.
Peggy leaned close as if she would get a whiff of the freshly baked biscuits.
“She’s so snarky,” Charlotte whispered to Peggy.
As I walked through the living room toward the front door, I spotted Wind Song sitting in the hallway. She was hissing and staring at the door. She’d never had that reaction toward Dylan in the past. Grandma Pearl and Wind Song both liked Dylan. I hesitated on whether I should open the door. Finally, I eased the door open just a bit. No one was there. I knew someone had rung the bell. Anxiety raced through me. Thoughts of the note flooded back. I glanced around, but saw no one. Charlotte and Peggy were behind me.
“Should I go out onto the porch and look around?” I whispered.
“Normally I would say yes, but now I’m sensing a bad vibe,” Charlotte said, peeking outside.
“Hey, what are you doing out here? Waiting for me?” Dylan appeared from around the side of the house.
Of course he had startled me. I jumped and a scream escaped my lips.
“Are you all right?” Dylan asked.
I nodded but still hadn’t caught my breath enough to speak.
He noticed my expression. “What happened?”
“Did you just get here? I didn’t notice your car,” I said, trying to bring down my heart rate.
“I parked on the side.” Dylan walked up the steps.
“So you didn’t ring the doorbell?” I asked.
“Did someone ring the bell?” He studied my face.
He was trying to see if I was being truthful since he knew I wouldn’t want to worry him. Hiding my emotions was difficult. I’d never had a good poker face.
“Tell him.” Peggy motioned.
“You need to tell him about the note too,” Charlotte said.
“Yes, I heard the bell. Maybe it’s faulty.” I attempted a smile.
“I’ll have a look around. Wait inside for me.”
Normally Dylan didn’t wear his gun to dinner, but tonight was different. Why had he chosen to wear it? He pulled it from the holster and headed out into the dark night. I lost sight of him as he went around the side of the house with his gun drawn. Dylan had asked me to wait inside. Or maybe it was more like an instruction to wait inside. I rarely did what anyone told me, and tonight was no different.
“This is getting serious,” Peggy said.
“It’s always serious around Sugar Creek lately,” Charlotte said.
I fidgeted as I stood by the door and waited for Dylan to return.
“Where is he? What’s taking so long?” Charlotte asked. “I’m going to find him.”
“I’ll go with you,” Peggy said.
I liked having Charlotte and Peggy there to talk with me so it was less scary, but I al
so wanted to know that Dylan was all right. Clouds filled the dark sky. It sent a shiver down my spine to think someone could be out there watching me right now. After a few more seconds he returned.
“I didn’t see anyone or anything suspicious. Are you sure you heard the bell?”
I should be relieved, but that still didn’t explain the doorbell. I knew I hadn’t imagined it.
“I’m positive.”
Dylan stepped over to the bell and pushed the button. The bell chimed just as it had a short time earlier.
“Could be a short in the wiring.”
I studied his face. “I guess you’re right. I’ll have someone look at it.”
“I can take a look at it for you,” he said.
“Not now. I don’t want dinner to get cold.”
He smiled. “Let’s go inside then.”
Dylan looked back one more time. Was there something he wasn’t telling me? I suppose I needed to tell him about the note now. This wasn’t turning out to be the romantic dinner I had planned.
Chapter 10
Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Shopping
Just because something is a bargain price doesn’t
mean you should buy it. Sometimes they’re marked
down for a reason. Maybe missing buttons,
a broken zipper, or stained. If you’re willing to repair
or don’t mind the flaws, then it might be worth it.
Another beautiful sunny day and I’d decided to head to the theater on my lunch break. The top was down on the Buick as we barreled down the road toward our destination. Elvis Presley played on the radio. Peggy’s favorite, and mine too. My outfit of choice today was an Emilio Pucci orange and white cotton pencil skirt. Normally orange wasn’t a color I reached for often, but sometimes the pop of color was fun. Especially in the summertime. It reminded me of a Popsicle. The skirt had bits of gray in the abstract pattern as well. My button-down white short-sleeve shirt had a fitted waist and small rounded collar. Tiny white buttons ran down the front. My Manolo Blahnik white heels and white Gucci top-handle handbag completed the look.
I’d recently hired a part-time employee, so she was looking after the shop while I was gone. It was hard to let someone watch over the place, but I couldn’t be there all the time. Having help would free up time for me to find new inventory. Not to mention be able to keep Heather out of prison by finding the killer.
Charlotte sat in the passenger seat up front and Peggy was in the back. They were in an especially energetic mood this afternoon. As usual Charlotte donned her luxury fashion. With a Saint Laurent sea-green silk blouse with puffed sleeves gathered at the wrists. Her black Gucci wrap skirt hit just above the knees. Her stilettos were Gucci too. Peggy wore an adorable pink and black full poodle skirt and white cotton blouse with tiny pearl buttons down the front that was quite similar to mine. She wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“I have a good feeling about this trip,” Charlotte said.
“Me too. I think we’ll find good clues.” Peggy blew out a giant pink bubble and popped it, leaving the remnants on her face.
Who knew there was ghostly bubble gum?
“I sure hope so,” I said.
Only a few cars dotted the theater’s parking lot. I had hoped there would be more people so that I could easily blend in with the crowd. Though they wouldn’t be surprised I was there since I was working on costumes, I just figured it would be easier to eavesdrop if they didn’t know I was around. Would James Chrisman be here today? He’d seemed extremely irritated the last time he’d seen me.
Instead of parking out front, I parked the car in the back lot. It was for spillover cars during performances, although sadly there was never need to use it. The plays were mostly sold out, though, so that was good. I shoved the car into park and climbed out from behind the wheel. There was a back entrance that led into the kitchen. I hoped that someone had left that door open and I’d be able to slip in that way. Charlotte needed to get better at unlocking doors. She was having problems with using her ghostly thumbs. The theater sat atop a small hill, and the parking lot was below and in an area surrounded by oak, pine, and maple trees. Dense vegetation gave ample places for a killer to hide. Of course this added to my unease, as if I wasn’t already stressed enough.
“Stay strong, Cookie. I know you’re tense. I sense it,” Charlotte said as she got out of the car.
Charlotte’s intuition had increased over the past few months.
“I’ll try, but it’s hard,” I said, locking the car door behind me.
I hurried across the lot toward the back door. For the entire trip across the lot I told myself that I was just being paranoid. There was no one lurking behind the trees watching me. After receiving the note and someone mysteriously ringing the doorbell last night, I couldn’t hold back the feelings. I guess having the ghosts beside me helped somewhat. It made it feel as if I wasn’t completely alone. To everyone else I was all by myself.
With my anxiety increasing by the second, I reached the door in record time. It was cracked slightly. Thank goodness someone had left it open.
“Hurry up, Cookie.” Charlotte waved.
“You don’t want someone to catch you sneaking in this way,” Peggy said. “They’ll think you’re up to something suspicious.”
Before I could answer the ghosts were gone. No longer were they behind me. Now I really was all alone out there. Peggy and Charlotte were already standing in the kitchen. No one other than the ghosts was in the room when I stepped inside. To my left were the large refrigerators and on the right were the grill and ovens. A large stainless steel prep island took up space in the middle of the room.
The kitchen led into another space that was mainly used for a buffet-style gathering or whatever random event they needed extra room for. There were no windows into this space, so with the lights off it was almost pitch-black. Thank goodness there was a sliver of light coming from the main theater area so that I could see my way across the room.
“I can’t tell you how many times I roamed these rooms,” Peggy said. “I used to scare people just so I’d have something to do. At least I had all the plays to watch.”
“Yes, there is that,” Charlotte said.
I made my way over to the entrance to the main theater. Voices carried from the main room. I wasn’t sure how many people were in there. I wanted to get closer so I could make out exactly what they were saying.
“Maybe you can hide behind that stack of chairs in the corner of the room.” Charlotte peeked out around the edge of the door.
“I think they’d still see me,” I whispered.
“We can go listen in,” Charlotte said. “We’ll report back to you what is said.”
“No offense, but you have a tendency to get things wrong when you listen in,” I said.
She placed her hands on her hips. “I did okay last time, didn’t I?”
“That was an exception to the rule.”
“You two need to stop bickering . . . we have work to do,” Peggy said.
“Peggy’s right, we have work to do. On with the case,” I said. “Now that you mention hiding, I wonder if the killer was hiding?”
“Why do you ask?” Charlotte peered around the corner again.
“Because Morris was a tall and large man. He would have fought whoever was trying to attack him. That means the person was probably hiding and jumped out to surprise him. The killer probably stabbed Morris before Morris even knew what hit him,” I said.
“You have a good point,” Charlotte said.
“So you think the killer was hiding somewhere near the stage?” Peggy asked.
“Yes, I think that’s a good assumption. Now I need to figure out where,” I said.
“Here’s your chance, Cookie. The cast went around the curtain into the backstage area. Run out there and hide.” Charlotte gestured with her hands.
Without thinking on it too much I sped toward the stage. Once in the middle of the room, I didn�
��t know where to go. I stood there scanning the room like I was a lost child looking for my mommy.
“Do something,” Charlotte yelled.
“She’s like a deer caught in the headlights,” Peggy said. “It’s painful to watch.”
“I told you she does things like this. You thought I was making it up. She drives me crazy.” Charlotte gestured wildly with her hands.
Panic had set in. I didn’t know which way to run. I needed to hide before the cast members came back. Ghosts yakking in my ears didn’t help. I didn’t want the cast members to know I was here. If they knew I was listening they might not talk as openly. I suppose I had gotten a reputation lately for being a bit nosy.
“Over there.” Charlotte pointed. “Behind the curtain.”
There was a small section of the curtain that rested against the wall. I raced over and climbed behind the fabric. It was just in time, too, because the cast members returned. My breathing was heavy. I hoped they didn’t hear me. At least now I could hear everything that was said. Charlotte and Peggy stood next to me. I wasn’t sure why they felt the need to hide behind the curtain too.
“It feels so creepy to be standing here where they found Morris,” a woman said.
“Look out there and tell me who’s talking,” I whispered.
“No way. You didn’t want my help before, so why should I help now?” Charlotte shook her finger at me.
“Are you really going to pout at a time like this? Fine, I’ll look myself.” I reached for the curtain but didn’t grab it just yet. I’d give her time to change her mind.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes at me, but ultimately stuck her head out of the fabric. She didn’t even pull it back. She peeked back in at me.
“I believe that woman’s name is Rachel,” Charlotte said with an attitude.
“There were a lot of strange things going on that day,” the male voice said.
Charlotte poked her head out again for a second and returned. “Brandon? Is that his name? He has dark hair.”
I remembered fitting both of them for their costumes. At least now I knew who was talking. I hoped they would reveal more. An added bonus would be if it was something I hadn’t uncovered yet.
