by Lyndsey Cole
Camilla’s hand shot out to touch Annie’s arm. “Yes. A handsome, sexy guy came in. He said he saw me at the Halloween party last night but didn’t have a chance to say hello since he was working.”
“How did he find you here?” Annie walked into her office with Camilla following on her high heels.
“He said he asked around at the party. Do you know anything about him, Annie?”
Annie chuckled. “I don’t even know who you’re talking about, so I can’t help you.” She shuffled through some mail on her desk.
“Oh, I’m so scatterbrained sometimes. His name is Dusty Reed.” Camilla waited for Annie’s reply with her hands folded in her lap.
Annie leaned back in her chair. “No, I don’t know him. Wasn’t he working as the bartender last night?”
“Yes. That’s what he told me. And he wasn’t too happy because the other bartender bailed out and he barely had time to take a break. Do you think he’s a decent guy?”
Annie shook her head. “Sorry, I heard he was hired for the party. I don’t know anything else.” Annie stood up. “But be careful, Camilla. Don’t jump into something all willy-nilly like you have a habit of doing. ”
Camilla jumped out of her chair, put her hands on her hips, and waggled her shoulders making the black cat earrings bounce back and forth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you know, you fall for a guy at the drop of a handsome dimple and you’ve been burned.” Annie shrugged. “I’m only saying, take it slow. He might be a genuinely decent guy. Is he going to be in town for a while?”
“I think so. He said he was visiting some friends before heading back to someplace or other.”
“See, that’s what I mean. Pay more attention to the details he gives you. Sometimes they come in handy.” Annie threw the empty mail envelopes in the recycling bin and checked her watch. “I’m going back to the café. It’s almost time for the brunch to start.”
Camilla walked back into the gallery with Annie following.
“By the way, I love your outfit. It’s creative and perfectly appropriate for the gallery,” Annie said.
Camilla beamed as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I didn’t overdo it with the black hair? I’m not sure it works for me.”
“Oh no, it works. It makes you look a bit sinister I suppose, but maybe that’s not a bad thing with all these men that are attracted to you like a magnet.”
Several couples entered the gallery, wandering slowly around and commenting on Annie’s photographs and the rest of the show. A new artist in town, Summer Sky, was the featured artist with her hand-dyed fabrics made into beautiful wall hangings and purses. Camilla answered questions about the artist and her work.
Annie took a last look around, proud of herself for bringing her dream of the art gallery to life. When she turned back toward the door, she bumped into Samantha Nichols. Annie grabbed Samantha’s arm to help steady her.
“Sorry,” Annie said.
“You’re exactly who I’m looking for. Do you have a minute?” Samantha whispered, her eyes darting around the gallery.
Annie didn’t have a minute but her curiosity won. She checked her watch. “A minute, but that’s about it.” She led Samantha back through the gallery into her office.
“Have a seat.” Annie stood behind her desk and waited for Samantha to get comfortable before settling into her own chair.
Samantha’s eyes took in the small room as she twisted her hands together. “You were with Christy last night. When the police chief found Eddie,” she said, not a question, but stating what they both knew.
Annie nodded. She squirmed in her chair, trying to be patient. It was killing her, waiting for Samantha to ease into her story, knowing Leona would be furious if she didn’t get back to the café, like, five minutes ago. She wanted to hit Samantha with a million questions, but she bit her tongue.
“You’re probably wondering why I had Eddie’s dog.” She didn’t meet Annie’s gaze, her eyes fixated on her lap. “Eddie contacted me about a month ago. Ya know, just a friendly email. We’ve kept in touch ever since we met at bartender school.” She finally looked up at Annie.
“Right. Did you know Christy too?” Annie asked, even though Samantha and Christy said they didn’t know each other when they met the night before.
She shook her head. “I never met her. Eddie told me about her, but he said he liked to keep his worlds separate. Ya know … keep the bartending people separate from his and Christy’s friends.” She stood up and walked to the bookshelves and pulled out one of Annie’s books. “Are you a photographer?”
“Listen, Samantha. I’d love to hear what you’re trying to find the nerve to tell me, and I don’t think it has anything to do with photography.” She stood up and walked to the door of the office. “I have to leave. How about we meet later when I’m not so pressed for time?”
Samantha’s hand shot out and took hold of Annie’s arm. “Wait. I feel terrible. I’m the reason Eddie came here to Catfish Cove.”
Annie’s nerves jumped into high gear. “What do you mean?”
“I told him Christy was living here.” She finally met Annie’s stare with fear-filled eyes. “He wouldn’t be dead if he hadn’t come to Catfish Cove.”
Chapter 6
Annie checked her watch again. It was a quarter to eleven. She sent a text to Leona saying she would be there as soon as possible.
“You knew they weren’t together anymore?” Annie asked.
“Oh yeah. Eddie called me the night Christy left him. He was brokenhearted. A complete basket case. When I saw the article in the Catfish Cove Chronicle about her getting hired here, I let Eddie know.” Samantha rubbed the back of her neck. “Do you think Christy killed him?”
“Why would you say something like that?” Annie certainly wasn’t planning to give Samantha any information. Her goal was to get whatever she could out of Samantha. Any background details she could provide about Eddie might come in useful.
Samantha shrugged. “Eddie said Christy stole some of his stuff when she left Cape Cod. That’s why he wouldn’t give Blue back to her. I think he came here to make a swap.”
A big red flag flew across Annie’s brain. She suspected Christy was hiding something about her past with Eddie and Annie was pretty darn sure Christy wasn’t planning to share this tidbit of information with her.
“And Eddie asked you to bring Blue to the parking lot? Why didn’t he just bring Blue himself?”
“He didn’t explain that, but my guess is he wanted to be sure Christy brought whatever it was he wanted back. Her being a detective and all made him feel like she had the upper hand.”
Annie’s phone beeped with a new text message, which she ignored for the moment. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Like I said, with Christy being the detective, she might just sweep some evidence under the rug or plant evidence on someone else.”
“Like you?”
Samantha nodded. “I’m worried. Someone has to look at the situation from Eddie’s perspective, too. Will you do that?”
Annie held up her hands. “Wait a minute. I’m not involved in this investigation.”
Samantha’s eyes turned hard and cold as she stared at Annie.
Annie looked away. “Okay. I’ll do what I can.”
Samantha gave the tiniest of nods and left the office, never looking back.
Annie leaned on her desk for a minute, trying to organize her thoughts and make sense of what Samantha told her. Annie had no connection to Eddie Crank or Samantha Nichols, but she had developed a friendship with Christy. She certainly didn’t want to jeopardize that fragile relationship but she couldn’t turn a blind eye if Christy figured out a way to deflect evidence away from herself.
And what about Tyler as police chief? He and Christy had a romance starting; would he be swayed by his personal feelings for Christy? Annie shook her head.
Camilla poked her head around the doorway. “You okay?”
<
br /> “I’m not sure.” Annie’s phone beeped again with another text. “But I need to get to the café before Leona sends the cavalry out to find me.”
Camilla put her hand out to stop Annie as Annie hurried past to get to the café. “Listen. Something was odd about that girl. I know I’m not the best judge of men—well, you’ve made me realize I’m closer to the worst judge of men—but I can read women. That girl had an agenda. Don’t let her bully you into something you don’t like.”
Annie paused. “You weren’t even in the office with us. How did you pick up on that?”
Camilla rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say it’s my gift. Trust me on this, Annie. Don’t be too naïve. She wants something from you.”
“Thanks. Gotta run.” Annie trotted from the gallery as her phone beeped again. She didn’t have to look at the message to know Leona was losing her patience.
A line was forming at the door of the Black Cat Café. Annie had to endure nasty stares as she maneuvered past everyone and let herself in. The door smacked into Leona as she reached to open the door from the inside.
“Whoops, sorry about that.” Annie smoothed Leona’s lime green gown and straightened the crown that was threatening to topple off her strawberry blond hair.
“Where have you been? I’ve sent you a hundred text messages,” Leona said through her clenched teeth.
“Uh, I’m here now so let’s get this show on the road.” Annie deflected Leona’s frustrated question. “Wow, the cafe looks fantastic.”
Martha was putting the finishing touches on the pumpkins. Some were carved with lights inside and others were filling in as vases for beautiful yellow, purple, and orange fall flowers. Mia was on the deck adding more carved pumpkins to the railing and on top of hay bales.
Leona grabbed Annie’s arm. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you later.” She tilted her head toward the door and smiled. “People are waiting to come in. Open the door and be the hostess with the mostest.” She forced her face into a broad smile, hoping it looked genuine to Leona.
Leona frowned at Annie but replaced her grimace with a smile and a huge welcome when she pulled the door open. “Come on in. We have so many Halloween treats for you today.”
Witches and clowns, beggars and cowgirls, soccer players and cheerleaders all shuffled their way into the café. Leona had all the drinks on one cart—coffee, tea, hot cider and a spicy pumpkin latte with a bowl of whipped cream for topping. Another cart had Annie’s pumpkin soup and a turkey pumpkin chili. The pastry case was overflowing with spicy pumpkin muffins—iced or plain—pumpkin scones with cranberries, pumpkin shaped sugar cookies decorated like jack-o-lanterns, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and pumpkin pie. Leona even had homemade pumpkin ice cream to go with the pie. From the grill, Leona offered pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup.
The booths and counter stools filled quickly and more people waited for a place to sit or took their treats to go. It was a hectic, crazy rush of customers, keeping the four women on their toes until around one o’clock when the crush died down.
Annie refilled the pastry case, wondering how many muffins she had handled that morning. When she straightened, she faced Tyler Johnson, bringing back all the memories of Eddie’s murder and the odd conversation she had earlier with Samantha.
“Tyler, I hope you’re not too hungry, we’re sold out of some of the sweet treats.”
“How about a muffin? Do you have time to sit with me for a minute?”
Annie wiped her forehead with her sleeve and looked around the café. Mia wasn’t busy so Annie asked her to take care of the pastry case. She put a muffin on a plate for Tyler and a slice of pumpkin pie with homemade pumpkin ice cream on a second plate for herself.
He sat gazing out the window, tapping his fingers on the table. Annie set the plates down. “I’m having a spicy pumpkin latte, do you want one, too?”
Tyler looked at her as if he had forgotten where he was. “A what?”
“Spicy pumpkin latte with whipped cream. It’s good.”
Tyler’s lips turned down at the edges. “No thanks, black coffee works for me.” His head turned back to the window.
Annie slid into the booth opposite Tyler after setting down the two mugs. She followed his gaze and realized he was looking toward the spot where they had found Eddie the night before. In the sunshine, everything appeared normal as usual. The water lapped against the shoreline. A few boats bobbed on Heron Lake. A young couple walked along the sand hand-in-hand.
Annie reached across the table, touching Tyler’s hand. “You’re lost in thought. What’s going on?”
“Hmmm?” He picked up his mug and sipped the steamy coffee. “Oh, this murder has me puzzled.”
“How so?” Annie stuck a piece of pie covered with ice cream into her mouth. She pushed her plate toward Tyler. “You should try this. It’s delicious. Well, the muffins are fantastic, too, but take a bite of the pie with some ice cream. You look like you need a distraction.”
Finally, Tyler focused on Annie. “That’s an understatement. Just when I thought my love life was going in the right direction.” He shook his head.
“What’s going on with Christy?” Annie kept her voice light but her stomach dropped with concern for her friend.
“I wish I knew. Things were going great yesterday with the costume stuff. Especially when she tricked you with her fake injuries. But ever since I heard the name Eddie Crank, she changed. She’ll barely talk to me now that I took her off the investigation. I wish I could work with her to solve this murder. People in town get kind of edgy if they think there’s a killer on the loose.” He took a bite of Annie’s pie. “Did you make this?”
Annie smiled. “Not sure if I made this exact pie but it is my recipe. What do you think?”
He nodded his head as he stole another forkful. “You can finish it.” Annie pushed the plate in front of Tyler. “Any idea what’s going on with Christy?”
“No. She’s always on her phone but hangs up as soon as she sees me. What do you think? You always have feelings about this sort of stuff. I need someone to bounce some ideas off of and Christy is avoiding me.”
Annie looked around the café. “You’re right. I do have a funny feeling about Christy, but I don’t want to talk about it here. Can you meet me after two? That’s when we’re closing.”
“Yeah.” He slid off the seat. “I’ll be back.”
“Tyler? I think Christy might be in some sort of danger. Try to keep an eye on her.”
Chapter 7
The café was emptying out. Finally. It had been a successful brunch but way too hectic as far as Annie was concerned.
Leona busied herself cleaning the grill and work areas. Mia scrubbed all the tables, and Martha chatted with the last few departing customers.
“Any food left for a starving fan?” Annie heard a familiar voice, and her heart quickened. Jason leaned over the pastry display. “Are you hiding from me, sweetheart?”
Annie straightened and arched her back, twisting from side to side, working the kinks out from all the bending in and out of the shelves while serving customers. “And if I am?”
He patted his pocket. “You won’t get this surprise I have for you.”
Annie’s face broke into a big smile. “You do know how to lay on the charm, Mr. Hunter. How about I trade you something delicious for a peek at the surprise?”
“Hmmm. What are you trading?”
She leaned close to Jason and whispered, “Me.”
His eyebrows shot up and his eyes popped into huge round spheres. “It’s a deal. And I’m getting the better half of this bargain. I’ll be waiting at the booth by the window over there.” He tilted his head to the booth farthest from everyone.
Annie cut a double piece of pumpkin pie, added a healthy scoop of pumpkin ice cream and a spoonful of whipped cream for good measure. She carried it to the booth, sliding in across from Jason. Their knees met under the table, sending tingles through her body.<
br />
“Looks delicious,” he said, staring at Annie. His eyes never left her face as he shoveled a forkful of pie into his mouth. “The pie is good, too.” He grinned as his knee rubbed against hers and she felt a calmness settle into her core.
“It’s been a hectic morning.”
Jason nodded as he continued to enjoy the pumpkin pie.
“First, I had to deal with Christy at my apartment when she picked Blue up, then Samantha found me when I was checking on Camilla at the gallery.”
Jason held a finger up. “About Camilla. I did visit her earlier but she was swamped with customers. I hope you have some food left to bring over.”
Annie slapped her forehead. “Oh dear, she’s going to be mad at me. I promised I’d give her a break but I never had a chance. Maybe I’ll bring her something now. Okay?”
“I guess so, but hurry back.”
Annie threw some pumpkin muffins in a bag and poured a big pumpkin latte for Camilla. Mia was finished cleaning tables so Annie begged her to bring the food and drink over.
“Are you avoiding Camilla?” Mia asked.
“Yeah, sort of. She’s going to be starving and mad. Do you mind?”
Mia took the bag. “Not at all. I’m glad to get out of the café for a few minutes and see something else.”
Annie slid back into the seat across from Jason.
He looked up in surprise. “That was quick.”
“I begged my mom to bring it over. So, where were we?” She pressed her knee against Jason’s again and smiled.
He swallowed the last bite of pie. “You were telling me about Samantha.”
“This is interesting.” Annie rested one elbow on the table with her chin nestled between her thumb and forefinger. “Samantha is afraid Christy will target her as the murderer.”
“Maybe she is the murderer. She knew Eddie would be meeting Christy. No one remembers seeing her at the pub when she was supposed to be working. Did she tell you where she was?”
Annie shook her head. “Actually, I didn’t even think to ask. She acted so upset and felt guilty for telling Eddie that Christy was here in town. She thinks if she hadn’t told him, he would still be alive.”
