Craft Circle Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Stacey Alabaster

  I stared into my cup. All I could think about was the fact that I still had to walk back home alone after this visit. I was happy to talk about something, anything, else.

  Gem stood up and took his coat off, throwing it over the back of his chair. So, the tea had worked like a charm after all.

  This is it. This is my chance.

  Well, almost. He was still sitting on the chair so it would take some considerable skill to reach on my behalf to reach into the pocket unnoticed.

  "I'll be back in a second," Gem said, standing up. "Just using the bathroom."

  I couldn't believe my luck. As soon as he was out of sight, I reached over and grabbed the coat, searching the pockets. I must have checked the wrong one first, because it was empty. In my anxiousness, I dropped the coat on the floor and by the time I had picked it up and found the right pocket, Gem had already walked back into the room.

  "What are you doing?"

  I dropped the coat. "I'm sorry," I said. "I saw you put something in the pocket before I sat down."

  "So you thought it was your right to see what it was?"

  I stared at him. "No. But I had to wonder what you might have to hide from me."

  "I can't have privacy in my own home?" he asked, storming over to take the coat from me. He put his hand in the pocket and produced the slip of paper that he had stashed in there.

  "This is what you wanted to see," he said, waving it around in the air. "And I don't just mean today."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Here," Gem said, handing me the receipt. "See, I did pay for that sewing machine I got from Julie's."

  I glanced over it. It was definitely a receipt for the price of the sewing machine. I placed it down on the table. "Why were you hiding it from me?" I asked.

  He let out a petulant little scoff that reminded me he wasn't much older than a teenager, despite his world-weariness. "I didn't want to give you the satisfaction."

  I could relate to that.

  "And what about the sewing machine you stole from me? Do you have the receipt for that?"

  Gem's face turned red. He sat down and shook his head.

  "I'm sorry, George," he said. "I never should have stolen from you."

  "Why did you do it?" I asked, leaning forward. "I thought we connected the other day, Gem... I actually trusted you."

  He let out a heavy sigh. "You wouldn't understand," he muttered.

  I raised my eyebrows and shook my head. "No. I don't understand stealing at all. Please, if there is more to the story then let me know."

  I sat and waited for his reply, wondering if I was going to get a heartfelt confession that explained everything—his life of poverty growing up, his attempts to better himself in a town that couldn't let go of prejudices, which led him to repeat the cycle of crime over and over again.

  Gem shrugged. "I just really love crafting." His answer was flat and heavy with sarcasm.

  I sighed. No heartfelt confession, then.

  I leaned forward and looked Gem square in the eye. "I'm not here about the robbery at my shop," I said. Gem just stared back at me in disbelief. "I know, I should be, but that matter is for the police and courts to decide on now." I leaned back again.

  "So what are you here for then?" The note of defensiveness had crept back into Gem's voice. No longer such a cocky little kid.

  "I wanted to talk about the day that Julie died. You were there," I said. "And not just to buy crafting items. My husband, my ex-husband, said you walked there together and he left you there alone, right before Julie died. You must have seen something."

  "Why do you care so much anyway?" Gem asked.

  "Someone I care about looks like he might be guilty," I said.

  "Who?" Gem asked, with a little note of hope that broke my heart a little bit.

  "Adam," I said. "I need to know, Gem, if he really left before anything happened. You were there with him. Did you see him leave?"

  "Oh," Gem said, in the same flat tone of voice I had used when speaking to Ryan.

  "Are you okay, Gem?"

  He shrugged. "Must be nice to have someone care if you are guilty or not," Gem said in a sad tone.

  I looked up at him. "I do care whether you are guilty or not, Gem," I said with a heavy sigh. "Believe it or not, I quite like you, even though you have given me absolutely every reason not to."

  Gem looked away, ashamed.

  "Please let me help you, and my ex-husband. Gem, did you see anything at the crime scene? Anyone who might have known Julie, or had a reason to hurt her?"

  Gem nodded slowly. It seemed to pain him to answer. "Yes. But you're not going to like the answer, George. Because it was that ex of yours. I never saw him leave that day."

  The bright lights coming up the hill were blinding me. I held my hand up and shielded myself, but as soon as I opened them, all I could see was stars.

  And Ryan.

  I'd been dreading a walk home down the hills all alone, but this wasn't the ride back to town that I had been hoping for.

  Ryan's face looked crushed as he stepped out of the car and delivered the news. "I'm sorry, George," he said. "But I'm going to have to ask you a few questions about the afternoon that Julie Williams was killed."

  I shook my head. "Not you too, Ryan. Tell me you haven't turned against me as well."

  He dropped his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to have to do this. New information has come to light."

  And so I was wrong. That time I'd caught Gem stealing from me was not the most disappointing moment of my life.

  This one was.

  Chapter 10

  "So what do you say, Jasper?" I asked him as we walked out of the parking lot of the small Belldale Police Precinct for the second time that week.

  He looked up at me, his ears pricked.

  "Are you ready to skip town with me? Up for a life on the lam?" We could be like Thelma and Louise, only one of us would be a dog.

  But Jasper wasn't listening to me. He only wanted to go home, and I didn't really blame him. I was lagging behind, still considering my new scheme of just making a run for it and skipping town for good. I tugged at one of my curls, musing as I imagined what I would look like as a redhead.

  I sighed. If I was going to run away—with two dogs, no less—I was going to need a car.

  "Okay, boy, I'm on my way," I called out to my frantic dog who was impatiently waiting for me at the house.

  Jasper was barking wildly at the front door.

  Thinking he was just hungry or eager to get to his water bowl, I told him to calm down and quickly fetched my keys from my purse.

  But the front door was already unlocked.

  I froze. Someone had broken in.

  Last time I was at the police station, Gem Dawes took the opportunity to break in to my shop.

  Had he really betrayed me again? I couldn't put it past him at that moment.

  Jasper shot through the front door, straight down the hall to where the sounds of footsteps on the floorboards made my blood run cold.

  I crept quietly after him, trying to find something to grab so that I could defend myself from the intruder. My house is kind of minimalistic, though. I don't leave baseball bats just laying around in the hall. I don't even own a baseball bat.

  I spotted a blue and white vase with a floral print. I'd hate to have to smash it against someone's head, it was expensive, but I edged toward it just in case.

  Footsteps quickly headed toward the hallway where I was still crouched, reaching out for the vase.

  I screamed, sure that I was coming face to face with the burglar.

  "Adam," I gasped, clutching at my chest. "I know that I am only forty-one, but I think you just almost gave me a heart attack."

  "I'm sorry," he said, taking a step forward. "I assumed you'd be home. The door was open..."

  Oh dear. I did have a terrible habit of forgetting to lock the door.

  "I might be a scatterbrain, Adam, but that does not mean that you can just let
yourself into my home after I asked you to leave."

  Adam's brow was creased. "You look terrible, Georgie,"

  "Thanks."

  "Where have you been?"

  "If you really must know—" I popped the cork from a bottle of red and poured it right to the brim of a wine glass that I didn't even bother to rinse. "I was at one of your favorite places in town. The police precinct."

  Adam nodded slowly like this didn't come as a surprise to him at all. "So they've turned on you now, have they?"

  "Who?" I asked once I had finished gulping down my wine and could finally take a break to breathe and speak.

  "This town," Adam said knowingly as he leaned forward against the counter.

  "What are you talking about?" I asked.

  "They don't like outsiders here."

  I shook my head and rinsed my empty glass before placing it in the dishwasher. A second glass was tempting, but it would only make me even drowsier. Jasper jumped up on my legs and I remembered I needed to feed him. "I don't need your help," I said to Adam when I saw him walking toward the cabinet where I kept Jasper and Casper's dry food.

  He held his hands up. "Suit yourself. Just looks like you've had a rough night."

  I poured food for the two hungry pups.

  "What I need from you is to give me an explanation. What are you doing here, Adam?" I stood up straight and looked him up and down. "What happened to your alternative accommodation? Did the money I gave you run out already?"

  "I was staying with a friend," Adam said, digging into his pocket and handing over the same hundred dollar bills I'd left for him a few days earlier. "So you can have this back."

  I pocketed the money. "Which friend?"

  "It doesn't matter," Adam said softly. "I just came by to check on you before I..."

  Jasper began barking wildly at something outside on the lawn and I jumped a mile. "For crying out loud, Jasper!" I said, almost collapsing against the sink. I caught Adam looking at me in concern. "I've just had a trying day," I explained. "I'm not usually this jumpy."

  Adam had that same knowing look on his face. "You never used to be...until you moved here."

  "This house has nothing to do with it," I said, pulling out the top shelf of the dishwasher to load it properly. I shook my head when I saw that Adam had clearly made himself a meal before I'd gotten there, going off the plate that was covered with ketchup and mayonnaise that wasn't mine. At least he put things in the sink this time, I supposed.

  "Isn't there a reason you were so scared when you walked into the house tonight?" Adam asked. "You were about ready to jump and attack me."

  I just stared at him blankly. "Yes. There is a reason. You broke in."

  Adam sighed. "You know deep down that this town isn't safe, no matter how much you try to defend it as a cozy, little loving community."

  The dishwasher made a loud howling noise that I was grateful for in that moment, because it allowed me to ignore what Adam was saying. I tried to find more chores to busy myself with—usually I hated cleaning, but I had a sudden urge for it—but Adam just trailed me around the kitchen as I opened doors and pulled out paper towel and sprays.

  "And this town is not safe in more ways than just the one, George."

  "What do you mean?" I spun around, holding the bottle of counter spray like it was a gun.

  Adam held his hands up. Don't shoot.

  "It's not a safe environment for you, George, for your individuality. I know you, and you need space to be yourself. Can you really tell me that Pottsville honestly gives you that opportunity?"

  "It does." I tried to speak confidentially, but even I could hear the note of uncertainty in my voice as I scrambled desperately to find evidence. "It’s a community for artists, for crafters, for writers...for people who want to express their creativity."

  Adam let out a soft scoff. "Maybe in theory it is. But I've seen these people up close. They are judgmental and small-minded."

  "You've met Brenda," I said. "They aren't all like her."

  "And what about your policeman friend? Is he as caring and supportive as you thought he was?"

  For the first time I had to wonder, seriously wonder, if Adam was jealous of Ryan. That was insane though, right? Adam and I hadn't even seen each other, much less been married, for over sixteen years. If he was acting jealous, surely it was just an alpha male thing. He couldn't still have feelings for me. I was sure of it.

  When I didn't answer, Adam shook his head.

  "Do you want to know the real reason I came to Pottsville?" Adam asked. His voice was soft now, and there was a twinkling in his eyes. Just for a second, I felt like I was twenty-one again, back in Greece, when we were young, and happy...and incredibly foolish.

  I shook my head. "I'm not sure I do, actually. I think there are a lot of things I don't want to know about you, Adam."

  Then he said something that truly shocked me.

  "I am still in love with you, Georgina."

  All I could think to say was, "No one calls me that." I was too shocked to think of a proper response. I shook my head and slunk away from him. Maybe if I just pretended he hadn't said that, the words would dissolve like smoke and be gone by the time I woke up.

  "George? Where are you..."

  I shook my head and backed away up the staircase. "You can stay here for the night," I said. "On the sofa."

  It wasn't until the next morning that I discovered Adam’s true reason for breaking in the night before. He had come to say goodbye.

  "You're leaving?" I asked, looking at his packed bags.

  Adam stood up straight and stretched, and I heard the bones in his neck crack. Looked like neither of us were so young anymore. "Not sure I can handle another night on the sofa."

  "But...but I don't understand." I said, shaking my head. This was too much before I'd had a chance to have a coffee.

  "Don't worry," Adam said. "I'm no longer an active suspect so you won't lose your bail money."

  "That's not what I am concerned about," I said, although of course it had been a bit of a concern.

  Adam finished tying his knapsack and looked up at me. "What are you concerned about then, George?"

  I wrapped my silk robe around me. "I'm...I'm concerned about you just leaving with no money to your name, for one thing," I tried to say as firmly as I could. "How are you even going to afford to travel?"

  "I've got enough for a bus fare," he said. "And I've always gotten by before."

  Were there tears springing to my eyes? I tried to fight them off as I spoke. "How can you just leave after what you said last night?" I said, trying to control the shake in my voice. I was angry as much as I was upset. In fact, I was downright furious. "How can you just drop a bombshell like that and then walk away from the carnage? Honestly, it is so typical of you, Adam..."

  He sat his bags down and walked over to me. "I had to see you. Say those things to you before I left," he said gently. "Or I never would have been able to live with myself if I didn't at least find out..."

  "Find out what?" I whispered.

  "Come with me, George," Adam said, brushing a strand of hair across my cheek. "We can start over. It can be just like it was twenty years ago. George, I never met anyone else that I loved since I was married to you. Come with me."

  "Am I crazy to actually be considering it?"

  Caroline had straightened her hair before our meeting this time. I wasn't sure if it was a deliberate attempt to differentiate herself from me, or whether she just happened to be trying another style. Either way, it worked. We no longer looked exactly like twins. And I noticed she no longer wore the same bold, brightly-colored jewelry that I did.

  Caroline shrugged at me over her coffee. "No, I don't think so. It sounds like nothing but trouble has found you ever since you arrived in Pottsville."

  "That's an understatement." I picked up my coffee and mused over it. "When I first moved here, I was duped into buying a house that someone had been killed in. Then the first friend I
made here in Pottsville was killed." I took a sip of my coffee. "And that's pretty much set the tone for everything that's happened since!"

  I really had to laugh. Adam had a point, didn't he? "In fact, I think I had a less tumultuous life when the two of us were married. And I never thought I'd say that."

  Caroline tilted her head to the side like she was sizing me up, but she spoke with the warmth and fondness of an old friend. "To be honest, George, it sounds to me like you have a taste for adventure. Isn't that what attracted you to Adam in the first place? And isn't that what makes you want to stay in Pottsville now?"

  I bit down on my lip a little as I considered this, staring out the window of the diner to the main street outside that looked so quiet in that moment, so still, now that the wind had started to settle. But I knew it was only a mirage, this stillness. When I'd moved to Pottsville, I'd told myself it was for a sea change. Or, well, you know, a forest change. A chance to leave my wild past behind. Convinced myself that was what I wanted.

  And when life in Pottsville had turned out to be surprisingly wild itself, I'd pretended to be appalled. 'This isn't what I signed up for!' I'd shouted. Inwardly, if not to anyone else.

  But deep down, maybe I'd been pleased. Thrilled, even.

  Was this one of the reasons I couldn't leave now?

  I shook my head. "Well, leaving with Adam would be a different kind of thrill," I pointed out to Caroline. "Though I'm not sure it's the kind of adventure I want now. It would be like re-living an old adventure, and that's never the same, is it?"

  Caroline shrugged. "I suppose it depends. You two don't know each other that well any longer. Maybe it would be like starting over. Perhaps there will be new adventures to come?"

  But I wasn't sure I wanted any new adventures with Adam. Adventures with him weren't always the fun kind. Sometimes they were the dangerous kind.

  "I've never told anyone in Pottsville this," I said, stirring another sugar substitute into my coffee. It seemed extra bitter right then. "But the reason that Adam and I split up sixteen years ago was because he was the suspect in a murder."