by Carol Durand
“Especially when these ignorant hicks couldn’t find a criminal if he came up and seated himself in their patrol car,” Safflower sneered from the other room. Echo glanced in her direction and ignored the comment as Missy frowned and pursed her lips, refraining from pointing out that at least “ignorant hicks” have better manners than certain visiting sisters.
“Well, now that I know who the victim is, I can help by asking around and trying to find out who might’ve been angry enough with Sid to kill him,” Missy assured her rattled friend. “I’m having dinner with Chas tonight, I’ll see if he has any ideas.”
“Thank you so much, Missy. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Echo hugged her friend gratefully, while Safflower sighed audibly from the other room.
Finishing her delicious tea, Missy stood to go. “Well, I don’t want to keep you. Hang in there, okay? We’ll get this figured out, and tomorrow I’ll stop by with some vegan cupcakes to raise your spirits,” she promised.
“Yeah, that’ll make everything all better,” Safflower drawled sarcastically.
Missy looked at her, raising a reproachful eyebrow and noting that the insolent girl didn’t even have the common decency to appear chagrined. She made her way to the front door, Echo trailing along behind. When she stepped onto the porch, she was surprised that her friend followed her.
“Look, I’m sorry about the way that my sister is behaving. She didn’t want me to move to Louisiana in the first place. We have different…priorities,” she explained awkwardly. She loved her little sister, but was mortified at her appalling unwillingness to be polite.
“It certainly seems that way,” Missy responded, choosing diplomacy over expressing how she really felt about the rude visitor.
“Thanks for understanding,” Echo hugged her again. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Missy texted Chas when she got into her car, letting him know that she was available for dinner. She wasn’t looking forward to another encounter with Safflower the sourpuss tomorrow, but was resolved to be there for her friend until this mess was resolved. She was relieved to open her own front door to an exuberant welcome from her golden retriever, Toffee. Sloppy kisses and running her hands through silky fur really helped melt the stress away at the end of the day, and taking the sweet and gentle animal to the park for some fresh air did both dog and owner a tremendous amount of good. Chas texted while they were in the middle of a game of fetch to let Missy know that he’d pick her up at 7:00 for dinner. Glancing at her watch, she noted that there was plenty of time to finish her game with Toffee, walk home at a leisurely pace and get showered and ready for dinner.
Chapter 3
Putting a small diamond stud earring in, Missy’s heart leaped when she heard the doorbell announcing Chas’s arrival. Toffee whimpered at the door until she opened it, then launched herself joyfully into the handsome detectives arms. Laughing at the dog’s enthusiastic greeting, he ruffled the soft tufts of fur behind her ears thoroughly before turning his attention to Missy.
“You look beautiful,” he observed, kissing her cheek. She had dressed in a swirly black floral skirt, topped by a fitted black cami and white cardigan.
“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” she sounded like she was teasing, but her heartbeat would indicate otherwise. She was still a bit miffed that he had not responded as she’d hoped to Echo’s situation, but it was so good to see him that she put those feelings aside and kissed him softly.
“Ready to go?” the handsome detective asked, after delighting in her kiss.
“Yes, I’m starving,” Missy admitted, her stomach growling. He offered his arm and escorted her to his car, opening the door for her.
They went to a local steakhouse that had booths suitable for private conversation and started the evening by selecting a Merlot that would complement their steaks. After they had ordered and were enjoying their salads with the wine, Missy broached the subject of Sid Hixon’s murder. She explained again what she knew of Echo’s pacifistic nature, and described Sid’s less-than-pleasant personality in enough detail to have the detective wondering about suspects other than her friend.
“So, how rough was this Sid character?” Chas asked.
“He had a reputation of a man with no friends and many potential enemies,” Missy answered truthfully. She hated speaking ill of the dead, but the bad taste that this man left in the mouths of most of the population could be an important factor in finding his killer.
“I’ll see what I can find out, but I’ll have to tread lightly. Dellville PD is handling this case, so they’re not going to appreciate a detective from LaChance poking into their affairs,” he warned.
“Thank you, Chas, you’re the best,” Missy smiled at him, relieved.
“I was beginning to wonder if you still thought that way after our ‘chilly’ conversation this morning,” he looked at her pointedly, taking a slow sip of wine.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said, stroking his bicep and enjoying the feel of thick muscle flexing beneath her touch as he lowered his glass. “I’m just trying to grow business at both stores and grooming Ben and Cheryl to take on more responsibility, and sometimes it makes me a little crazy,” she admitted. “I know we haven’t had much time together lately, and that bothers me.”
“Me too,” he agreed, gazing into her eyes.
Shy, as usual, Missy looked back for as long as she could, then dropped her glance to fiddle with her silverware. Chas wasn’t going to let her get away with avoidance this time, however, and putting his fingers under her chin, gently tipped her head up so that she’d look at him.
“This is new territory for me too,” he said softly. “Missing someone, caring about them and being scared of it…but we have to communicate if we want this thing to work out, okay?”
She nodded and bit her lower lip. “Thanks for putting up with me,” she half-whispered.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he replied easily, lowering his lips to hers. The subtle sound of a clearing throat ended their kiss all too soon as the server stood patiently waiting to put their dinners in front of them. Missy blushed, and Chas busied himself with placing his napkin in his lap as they both avoided eye contact with the amused waiter. The rest of dinner was spent in catching up and just having everyday pleasant conversation. They both felt much better by the time Chas dropped Missy off, kissing her soundly on the front porch.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked, a bit breathless.
“I certainly hope so,” he replied, kissing her one last time before heading down the steps toward his car. Missy waved as he drove away, disappearing inside when he turned the corner. Toffee was delighted to see her favorite person, and gave a more than enthusiastic greeting, her majestic plume of a tail swishing back and forth. Missy kicked off her shoes and scratched between Toffee’s ears affectionately until her phone rang, disturbing the moment. Thinking that it was probably Chas, letting her know that he’d arrived home safely, she was surprised to hear Echo’s voice on the line.
“Missy, I’m frightened. I don’t know what to do,” she wailed.
“Echo, what’s wrong?” she asked, alarmed.
“Safflower stormed out of here a few hours ago, and she hasn’t come back. It’s dark and she’s in a strange place and I’m just really worried about her,” she explained, her voice thick with tears.
“Just what poor Echo needs right now,” Missy thought, angry at Safflower’s ongoing petulance. “Why was she upset?” she asked, trying hard to mask her frustration.
“Well, I’m embarrassed to say…but when you left, she made a remark about you being provincial or something, and when I defended you, she got angry and left,” Echo admitted.
Missy sighed inwardly. She wasn’t upset by Safflower’s assessment, it took more than a snide remark to get her goat, but she hated the fact that the selfish twit was making Echo’s life even more difficult than it needed to be right now. “Well, I wouldn’t be too worried,” she reassured her fri
end. “She probably just needed some time to cool off. Dellville is a quiet, safe little town, I’m sure she’ll be fine and will come back when she’s darn good and ready.”
“I used to think Dellville was safe, but someone did get murdered here recently,” Echo reminded her, worried.
“Yes, but it’s well-known that the victim was disliked by pretty much everyone. Safflower doesn’t even know anyone,” Missy pointed out.
“True. Okay…I guess I’ll just wait up for her, but if she isn’t here by morning, I’m calling the police.”
“Good plan. Let me know when she’s safe,” her friend instructed.
“I will, thanks Missy.”
They hung up, and Missy headed for bed, Toffee at her heels. She read for a while, hoping to hear from Echo, but eventually closed her book and snapped off the bedside lamp, pulling the covers up to her neck. She tossed and turned for most of the night, falling in and out of sleep, until Echo at last texted her around 3:30, saying that Safflower had gone out for a snack and was safe. Because of the late hour and lack of sleep, it never occurred to Missy to reflect upon how strange it was that a young girl had gone out in the middle of the night to “get a snack,” returning in the wee hours of the morning. She was just glad that Safflower was safe and Echo was relieved. Feeling better herself, she went back to sleep and slept dreamlessly until just after dawn.
Chapter 4
Missy was baffled at the curt text that she received from Chas shortly after waking.
“Get dressed, I’ll pick you up in ten minutes,” was the cryptic message that she received from the detective.
She hurriedly threw on a pair of yoga pants and a loose, warm sweatshirt, pulling her golden curls into a hasty ponytail. She had just come back in from taking Toffee out when Chas knocked loudly at the front door. Her heart sunk within her when she saw the look on his face – she knew that something had happened.
“Chas, what’s going on?” she demanded, worried.
“I’ll tell you in the car,” he answered grimly. “Let’s go.”
Missy was aghast when she heard the reason that he had picked her up, and remained silent for the duration of the trip, holding her fragile emotions together as best she could. She leaped from the car when the detective pulled up in front of her Dellville store, her heart breaking. Someone had picked the lock on the front door, breaking in and wreaking havoc in the little shop. The police were on the scene, investigating, so Missy was unable to get inside, but, surveying the damage from her vantage point on the sidewalk, she saw that batch after batch of cupcakes, including the new Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes of the Day, that were prepared last night had been smashed and rubbed all over the walls of the shop’s pink and lime green interior. The glass display cases had been smashed, the cash register ripped from the counter and thrown on the floor. Whoever had caused the destruction had been very thorough – much of the furniture had been broken, and the custom barn-wood floor had deep gauges in it.
Tears rolled down Missy’s cheeks and her knees grew weak as she absorbed the enormity of what had happened. Chas stood behind her, an safe port in the sea of pain that threatened to drown her. He saw her knees start to buckle and led her back to the car so that she had something to lean against. An officer from Dellville asked her a few questions and assured her that they’d be working diligently to apprehend whoever had done the damage, but she was so numb that his words barely registered. Chas thanked the officer and helped Missy back into his car. He brought her home, but didn’t drop her off at the door, coming in to make sure that she was going to be okay.
Missy sank down into the couch, speechless, absently stroking Toffee’s ears. The perceptive animal laid her head down on Missy’s lap, gazing up at her with adoring brown eyes, willing her mistress to feel better. Chas went straight to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, and came back out a short time later with two steaming mugs of strong brew.
“I’ve called Ben and Chris to let them know that they won’t need to come in today, and told Ben to work with Cheryl and Grayson at the LaChance shop because you won’t be in,” he informed her, placing the cup in her hands.
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking a sip and still in shock. “Why, Chas? Why would someone do something like that?” she wondered, shaking her head slowly from side to side. “I try to be nothing but nice to everyone, why would someone try to hurt me like this?” she looked up at him, her kitten-grey eyes flooding with tears.
“It probably wasn’t personal, Missy. Most likely it was just plain vandalism – someone saw an opportunity to be destructive and took advantage of it. It probably had nothing at all to do with you personally,” he answered quietly, taking her hand. Toffee slipped up beside her on the sofa, nosing at her elbow.
“Why would someone do something like that, though?” she persisted, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
“Who knows? Often times, vandalism is an expression of rage or frustration. Maybe someone lost their job, or got served with divorce papers, or was given a traffic ticket. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to take much at all to set someone off,” he shrugged, feeling helpless.
Missy nodded, staring into space.
“Are you going to be okay?” Chas asked, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
“Yeah,” she replied weakly. “I’m going to take my coffee upstairs and take a bath.” The warm jets of water provided a refuge in which she could think, reflect and plan. Chas knew that the tub was her retreat when things got tough and stood to go, letting her know that he’d be back to take her to lunch in a few hours. She nodded, accepted a kiss and trudged up the stairs, coffee cup in hand.
When Chas picked Missy up for lunch, the Dellville police were still gathering evidence and investigating the vandalism, so they stayed in LaChance, hoping to give her a break from the glaring reality of her situation. She felt better after her bath, the shock and sadness evolving into the fierce determination that Chas knew and loved. After lunch, Missy started itemizing her losses, and came up with a plan to move forward. She was thankful that this terrible thing had happened well in advance of the busy holiday season. They’d easily be able to recover from this and get back on track before it was time to fill orders for family gatherings, school parties, and company functions. The police finally finished their work around 2:00, and Missy began the clean-up process with her assistant Chris’s help. Cheryl, Ben and Grayson joined in the effort after the LaChance store closed for the day. With so many helping hands, the mess was taken care of in record time, but Missy wouldn’t be able to reopen the shop until her new glass cases, which were scheduled for delivery two days hence, came in.
The gang lounged tiredly in the seating area and agreed to meet up at the same time the following day to paint the used furniture that Missy would purchase tomorrow morning. Before they left, she looked gratefully at each one in turn.
“I want to thank y’all for being there for me each and every time I need you,” she began tearfully. “You’re more than a staff, you’re the only family I’ve got, and I even begin to tell you how much you mean to me. I know that I can always count on you, and that’s something that few folks in this world can say about anyone. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Y’all are the best,” she said, tears of love rolling down her cheeks. Cheryl, who had been quietly crying as Missy spoke, jumped up to envelope her boss in a big hug, and the guys followed suit, wrapping her in love.
Chapter 5
The change in Missy after meeting with her team and getting Crème de la Cupcake back on track was dramatic. She and Cheryl invented new Cupcakes of the Day every single day, and actively sought out new customers through advertising and networking. The orders for holiday events were stacking up, and Missy was even considering hiring some temporary help. When she wasn’t meeting with business owners and party hosts, she was still badgering Chas about working on finding Sid Hixon’s killer so that Echo could return to what passed for normal in her world. An unfortunate consequen
ce of all of her success and busyness was that she had less and less time for the handsome detective who had finally started to consider opening up to another human being. She could tell that Chas would like to spend more time with her, and she missed him terribly, but she had to prioritize, and right now that meant focusing on her work.
So far the Dellville police had no leads on who had vandalized Missy’s store or why, but were supposedly continuing the investigation. She pushed the matter to the back burner and spent her time and energy moving forward rather than speculating about who had done the damage or why. Heading to her car, late one evening, after staying well after hours to bake some experimental cupcakes that she and Cheryl had been working on, she found that two of her tires were flat. Sighing at the inconvenience, she dialed the number for the auto club and waited for the truck to come rescue her by reinflating the tires. When she asked the technician what he thought had happened, the man shrugged and suggested that someone may have deliberately let the air out by depressing the center of the valves. Missy thanked him for his opinion, but inwardly dismissed the idea, thinking that it was more likely a result of temperature change or something. Early fall daytime and evening temps tended to fluctuate pretty dramatically, making one want to wear shorts during the day and a sweater in the evening. She got into her car after signing off on the service and headed for home, weary after another full day.
Chas Beckett sat on the front steps of Missy’s graceful yellow and white Victorian home, waiting for her to arrive. When she saw him, she checked her phone and saw that she had missed several calls and texts from him.
“Hi! I just noticed that I missed some calls and texts from you,” she said apologetically. “Sorry, I turned down the sound on my phone while I was in a meeting with a group of school teachers about an upcoming Fall social, and I forgot to turn it back on later,” she explained, coming up the steps and giving him a peck on the cheek. She could tell that he was upset, and wasn’t sure why.
