Cold blooded brew

by Tonya Kappes

  “Did you see Bentley out there?” I asked him.

  “He’s cute. He’s laid up on the couch, barely giving room for people to sit. I thought he was one of those therapy dogs at first.”

  Patrick gave me a good idea. “Like an emotional therapy dog?” I asked.

  “Any kind of therapy.” He took the liberty of helping me bag up more of the treats. “But I’ve been hearing more and more about emotional support animals for college kids and stuff like that.”

  “I sure could’ve used a support dog like Pepper in law school.” I winked and rolled up on my toes to give Patrick a kiss. “But right now, you’ve got to support me and get out of here so I can work.”

  I loved how he always made sure I was okay and happy. He seemed to have taken that on as his life’s mission after we’d reconnected.

  After a few more tugs and pushes on Patrick’s arm, he finally headed out of the shop. I smiled and watched him walk down the boardwalk, stopping a couple of times to talk to people. Then I turned around to find Bentley. He was still sitting on the couch and taking up too much space. He was just a puppy, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to keep him from jumping around—and on people. I probably should have let him sleep, but I had other things in mind.

  “Bentley.” I gave a little whistle. “Here, boy,” I called, patting my leg.

  The jerk of Pepper’s head from his dog bed next to the counter caught the corner of my eye. I gave my sweet dog a couple of gentle blinks and a smile. For some reason, he just wasn’t happy with Bentley. Every other animal I’d featured in the coffeehouse, he’d cuddled up to and played with. Not Bentley.

  Bentley yawned and stretched his legs out in front of him. His paws hit the ground, and his body slinked off the couch like a snake. He trotted over to me, his wagging tail hitting anything in its path.

  I grabbed his leash from under the counter and clipped it on him. He jumped around in delight.

  “Bunny, will you be okay for a few?” I asked. When she nodded, I continued, “I’m going to see Babette. I have an appointment with her and Pam about the coffee bar.”

  “I’ve got it,” she said. “Find out what happened between her and Hillary.” Bunny smiled. “This is the last bit of soup. Do you have any in the freezer?” She scooped some into a bowl and put it on a tray to take out to a customer.

  “I do. It’s in the freezer in the white tub, and it’s labeled.” I quickly made a couple of cups of coffee to take with me, before I tugged on Bentley a little to let him know I was ready. “If you need me, I’ll just be at All About the Details.”

  Pepper had me spoiled. Juggling a curious puppy and a tray of coffee wasn’t the easiest or even the smartest thing to do. He’d jerk away to sniff something, and the coffee tray would jerk in my other hand.

  Emily Rich popped her head out of the Bee’s Knees Bakery. “Need some help?”

  “That’d be great,” I said with a little relief in my voice. “Thank you.”

  I was surprised that she took Bentley’s leash and not the coffee. Anyone in their right mind would’ve been scared to try to hold on to that dog. He still continued to dart around the people walking down the boardwalk, sniffing the posts and sticking his nose where it clearly didn’t belong.

  “Who’s this little guy?” she asked in a baby voice, the kind everyone puts on when they see a puppy.

  “Meet Bentley. He’s from the Pet Palace, and he’s a puppy.” I gave him an ear scratch after he came over to me when he heard his name. “He’s very active and needs some training.”

  “Someone is going to adopt him,” she assured me. “He seems very sweet. Where are you headed? I can take the coffees for you.”

  “All About the Details,” I said. “I’ve got an appointment with Babette and Pam about the coffee bar.”

  “It was awful what happened to Pam’s friend.” I heard the words come from her mouth, but she didn’t look as though she meant them. Her face was stern. “I heard you found her.”

  “She was sitting at one of the café tables in front of the shop.” I glanced over my shoulder and looked at the empty chair. Images of the early-morning find replayed in my head like a movie. My body shivered, and I closed my eyes to bring myself back to the present moment. “I’m not sure why she was there.”

  “The sheriff didn’t say anything?” she asked, and we took a couple of steps as Bentley led us down the boardwalk and closer to All About the Details.

  “Are you kidding?” I had to laugh. “His mouth was clamped shut. They did all the investigation between the time I found her and the time I opened the coffeehouse.”

  “I wonder how Pam is doing. Not that I can ask her. She dumped me like a hotcake after Hillary told her to.” Emily rolled her eyes and handed me Bentley’s leash. “Her family is awful. My dad talks about how shady her dad is, and after I told him what she did to me, he told me I shouldn’t be so angry. But I was. I hate to be called an amateur. I studied in Paris. She’s never even been there, though she wanted everyone to think she was so worldly… if you call going all over Kentucky worldly.” The bitterness in Emily’s voice was something I’d never heard before.

  In Hillary’s case, the apple must not have fallen too far from the tree, but who was I to judge?

  “I’d better get in there and get the donuts to Camey.” Emily referred to Camey Montgomery.

  “I’m so glad you’re doing well there.” I was doing a small order of pastries for Camey’s hospitality room, but when I talked Emily into opening up a bakery after she worked for me for a while and had gotten back from a pastry school in Paris, I introduced Camey and Emily. It was a big load off my shoulders for Emily to take over the order, though I still did the morning coffee for Cocoon Hotel.

  Emily headed into her bakery, and I walked into All About the Details.

  Pam hurried over to the door. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Bentley jumped around like a maniac. Pam grabbed the coffees just in time. Bentley had jerked me forward when he noticed Babette stand up when we walked in.

  “Hi there, Bentley.” Babette stood with her legs apart and her hand outstretched in a stop motion. Bentley stopped in front of her and sat down. He raised his paw in the air. “That’s a good boy.” She bent down and gave him a good rub, letting him climb all over her with kisses. He was a different dog around her.

  I sucked in a deep breath and took the coffee back from Pam. “I wasn’t sure if we were still going to sample some coffee, so I thought I’d just bring a regular cup, so we could chat a bit about Hillary.”

  “I can’t believe it.” Pam’s voice cracked, and tears came to her eyes. “When Spencer called me to see where I was all night, he told me that she was dead.”

  “They don’t think you did it, do they?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so, but she was in my wedding, and we did have a big fight yesterday in your shop. I don’t know. She was my best friend, and I knew she could be a pickle, but I just took her for what she was.” She gulped. “I really didn’t want her dead.”

  I couldn’t help but notice that it was a clear difference than what she’d felt the day before. Then again, the day before, she was mad, and people said and did the wrong things to others when they were mad… like murder.

  “Spencer practically accused me of it.” Babette stood and got Bentley situated on the rug next to the couches. “Have you thought about how you can help me with this?”

  I handed Pam a coffee and walked over to Babette to give her coffee to her.

  “Where is your coat that you bought from the boutique? The one the two of you were fighting over?” I asked, knowing if we could produce it then it would clear Hillary from having her coat.

  “I-I-I…” The corners of her eyes dipped. “I can’t find it.”

  “What do you mean?” With a shaky hand, I handed the cup to her.

  “I came back here last night to get some work done, and I left the coat here because I wanted to use it for the wedd
ing. I hung it right there.” She pointed to the coat rack she had nailed on the wall next to the front door and the display window. “Now, it’s gone.”

  “Do you think Hillary broke in here and took it?” I asked, hoping that was the best scenario.

  “I looked at the videotapes, and there’s nothing there. Granted”—her eyes slide up to a corner in the ceiling—“the cameras don’t focus on anything but the front door. No one else has a key.”

  “This doesn’t look good.” There was no reason for me to sugarcoat it. The facts were the facts. “I thought I’d stop by and see if Jana saw Hillary after we left.”

  “She locked the door behind us.” Babette’s voice was flat and sad.

  “That doesn’t mean that Hillary didn’t go back and knock on the door,” I suggested. “It can’t hurt to find out, if you want me to look into things.”

  “You’re the best!” Babette squealed and hugged me. “What can I do for you?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to pay you.” Pam eased herself onto the couch. “I’ll find the money.”

  I sat down next to Pam on the couch. The huge binder for her wedding was still on the table. “First off, I’m wondering if you can train Bentley for me. He seems to have really taken to you. He’s so wild and crazy that I’m afraid no one will want to adopt him.”

  “He’s really smart, and that’ll be easy. Besides, I’d like the company and the security of knowing there’s a guard dog here.” Babette looked down at him. His little tan body was curled up in a ball. His eyes were closed, but his tail was jerking as if he was dreaming. “He’s adorable.”

  “That’d be great.” That was a relief. “Secondly, what do you mean you’re going to pay her? Don’t the two of you have a contract?” I asked.

  “Yes, but Hillary’s gift to me was to pay for the wedding, what was owed after the down payment.” Pam fiddled with the lid of the coffee cup. “My parents and Truman’s parents can’t afford to pay for a big event. That’s why we had decided to have it at the gazebo with a basic cake, and that’s it. Then Hillary offered to pay. I guess that’s when she took the opportunity to plan the wedding the way she wanted it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday after your fight with her?” I asked.

  “I didn’t want Loretta Bebe spreading the gossip all over town. But it looked like she ran right down to the newspaper and had it stuck in ‘Sticky Situations,’” Pam said, reaching out to the coffee table to pick up the newspaper. “I saw it in there this morning.”

  She handed it to me, and the first thing I noticed was that Aunt Maxi had written it. There was a photo of the gazebo in Central Park, the park that was literally in the middle of Honey Springs’s downtown area. The headline read, Wedding Without A Hitch? Not in the upcoming Phillips wedding…

  I quickly scanned the gossip article. Aunt Maxi had added a little flavor to what had happened, and that was when I realized she hadn’t been to the Bean Hive that morning. There was no way she hadn’t heard about Hillary Canter’s murder, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was avoiding me. I would make sure to call her, using the excuse that I was encouraging her to be nice to Mama when she called her about people in the community and whatever issue Mama was having with her client.

  “I’m so sorry.” I laid the newspaper back down on the table. “I knew Aunt Maxi had gone down to the paper and gotten a job. I just didn’t realize she’d put something like this in there.”

  “It’s not fake. All of that did happen. I just wished I’d been smarter now that Hillary is dead, because it looks like revenge or something.” Pam took a drink. Those words coming from her mouth made her sound like a suspect.

  “I don’t suggest you say those words to Spencer,” Babette told her. “After I told him what I’d said about Hillary and how I didn’t like her, he really hammered me with questions. You don’t have a past like me.” Her words faded. “But I don’t want to talk about that now. I’ve gotten very fond of you over the last few months while we’ve been planning your wedding. Maybe we can work out a payment plan or something.”

  Pam’s lips rolled together, and she nodded. “If there is a wedding.” Pam looked down. “Truman and I are going to have our big, long talk. But as for now, I told you I would be here, and I’m going ahead with the planning as if everything is fine.”

  It was a bit odd that Pam appeared to have put all her ill will about Hillary on the back burner, and she was much more of a woman than I, given the rumors about Truman and Hillary out there, but it wasn’t my story. I stayed tight-lipped but not without making a mental note of how strange it was.

  “First, I think we need to discuss the coffee bar while Roxy is here. What are your thoughts?” Babette asked, flipping through the binder.

  “I was thinking it could be simple. We offer free regular and decaffeinated coffee, which I’ll donate as my gift to you,” I said, so the burden of having to pay that bill would be off of her. “I do suggest there be a couple of lattes and specialty coffees that I’ll charge the guests for. Like a cash liquor bar, only with coffee.”

  There was worry in Pam’s eyes. “I really didn’t want people to pay, but I know now that I can’t afford to not have them pay for extras.”

  “Pam.” Babette plucked some of the papers from the binder. I couldn’t help but notice most of the pages had scribbles and rewrites with Hillary’s changes. “All the weddings I’ve planned have had cash bars. The regular and decaf is already donated by Roxy. If they want a specialty, then let them pay.”

  Pam nodded, but the sadness didn’t leave her face.

  “I’d like to set up the bar using the theme to your wedding,” I suggested. “I’ll even use the milk-glass coffee mugs I’ve gotten from Wild and Whimsy Antiques.”

  “I’d love that.” Pam offered a smile and a bit of relief on her face. “I’d also like to talk to Emily again about doing the white cake I originally wanted. Truman and I are pretty basic. We just want to get married in front of our family and friends in our hometown that we love.”

  “I don’t see why we can’t pull that off in the next few days,” Babette reassured her. She continued to rip out the pages that were no longer going to be used from the binder.

  ***

  Pepper was one happy dog when he noticed I’d come back to the Bean Hive without Bentley. He bounced around and sniffed me. I could swear he had a smile on his furry face.

  “I left Bentley with Babette Cliff,” I told Bunny Bowowski as I tied the apron back around my waist. It appeared the crowd had died down, and a few tables were filled, but it wasn’t overwhelming. “He really likes her, and she seems to be able to get him to do things like sit and stay.”

  “Maybe she needs to adopt him.” Bunny’s eyebrows rose.

  “That’s exactly what I’m hoping,” I admitted. It was another reason why I’d taken him with me to All About the Details. I had noticed that Babette and Bentley had a bond. Though she never let on about it, Bentley did. Dogs never lied. Either they liked and trusted you, or they didn’t. He felt more than affection toward Babette, more than just trust—he liked her.

  “Patrick called. He also came by to see if you were back yet. I told him to go on down to get you, but he said that it would wait.” Bunny shrugged. “I think it was a little important because he was a kind of uptight.”

  “Really?” I was sure he was there to check on me because of the murder and to drive his point home that he didn’t want me to look into it. “Did he say for me to call him?”

  “Nope.” She shook her head and walked over to the counter when a customer walked up. “I told him I’d have you call him, and he said not to worry about it.”

  The bell over the door dinged, and I looked up. Aunt Maxi was rushing in with a pink turban on her head and platinum strands of hair sticking out of the bottom.

  “What on earth are you wearing?” I asked, knowing she’d give me some sort of off-the-wall excuse.

  “I’m a serious reporter now.�
�� She brushed her hands down her pink sheath dress and the scarf tied once around her neck, which freely flowed behind her as she sauntered up to the coffee bar. “Do you have a quote about finding Hillary’s body?” she asked.

  “No. And I don’t appreciate you putting that bit of gossip in the ‘Sticky Situation’ section of the paper.” I gave her the stare with no smile that let her know I wasn’t happy. “That really hurt Pam. You’ve got to think about those things.” I walked over and stood next to her.

  “Not if I’m going to be able to do investigative reporting. I’ve got to dig deep. If you think about it, Pam was the one with all the motive, from what I hear.” She took the liberty of pouring herself a cup of coffee.

  “What do you mean?” I whispered.

  “Now you’ve taken a sudden interest?” She looked down her nose at me.

  “Let’s just say there’s more than one person who had very good motive to kill her. I’m just looking around,” I said nonchalantly.

  “Who asked you to look around?” Aunt Maxi wanted to know. “Everyone knows that you’re a lawyer. If someone thought they were in trouble, they’re going to come to you.”

  “There are plenty of lawyers in town, but I can’t tell you because I’m scared you’re going to print it.” I glared back at her.

  “What if we work together?” She gestured between us. “I won’t print anything until we have some real hard facts.”

  “You’re ruthless.” A smile crept along my face. “And that’s why I love you.”

  EIGHT

  The rest of the afternoon was pretty quiet. Bunny had gotten to go home, and the afternoon girls had made it to the coffeehouse on time. Since they were there, I had time to get some more soup made and in the freezer, as well as some more scones. I also made pots of coffee to take to the Cocoon Hotel for the customers and staff to enjoy on their afternoon coffee-and-tea break while they waited for supper to be served.