Hospitality and Homicide

by Lynn Cahoon

  I got his order packed up and then rang up the charge. When I gave him the total, he pulled out his wallet and gave me a credit card without looking up from his scribbling. I guess this is the bane of the working writer. Ideas come when you’re sitting in front of your computer and when you’re not.

  I handed him the receipts and held it steady for him to sign. “Do you want me to send these over to the station? Or will you be okay carrying all of this?”

  Nathan looked up from the third napkin and whistled at the three bags of treats. The coffee was in a box with a pour spout on the bottom in its own bag with several cups and travel sugar and cream packets. He stuffed the napkins in his front shirt pocket. “I’ll be fine. Maybe I over ordered a bit, but man, I am so thankful for all the information. Having a real police detective as your live research buddy, it’s priceless.”

  I watched as he left the shop feeling bad for Greg. Nathan loved the guy and Greg could barely stand talking to him. I had hoped the writer would grow on Greg. That had been proven to be an overly optimistic feeling, but a girl could hope.

  I went back to finishing the chore list that Aunt Jackie had laminated and posted for each shift. I was about halfway done, when the bell over the door rang again, and Sasha came in. I waved from the back counter. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you today. Did Toby get the days wrong?”

  I reached for the schedule, but Sasha waved me off. “I didn’t come to work. I need to talk to you.”

  Crap. Ten to one she came in to give notice. Sasha worked way too hard, especially for a single mom. “Well, you picked a great time. I haven’t had a customer for hours.” I picked up a cup. “You want coffee or a mocha?”

  “Coffee would be great. I didn’t have time to make any this morning since I had to get Olivia to school before my early class.” Sasha pulled the strap of her tote over her head and sat the bag on the floor.

  “You want a slice of the Strawberry Swirl Coffee Cake Sadie brought in last week? I love it and it’s selling like hotcakes.” I pulled out two plates from the dessert case. “My treat.”

  Sasha groaned. “I can’t resist. Can we sit over on the couch?”

  “Perfect. You take over the cakes and I’ll bring the coffee.” I grabbed the two wide cups that Aunt Jackie had bought because she said they reminded her of Italy. I just knew they were crazy expensive to replace when chipped. “So what brings you in on a day off?”

  Sasha quickly took a bite of the coffee cake, appearing to avoid answering. As the fork returned to the plate, surprise filled her face. “This is amazing. It tastes just like fresh strawberries. With a dollop of whipped cream, it would be like a strawberry shortcake.”

  “That’s a great idea. We’ll start serving them that way.” I pointed to the poster of Nathan. “Are you going to be able to come to the event? I’m sure he’d love to see you again.”

  “I’ve got a study group tomorrow night. Finals and all. So I’ll be late, but I’ll be here as soon as I can.” She sat up straighter in her chair. “I wanted to talk to you about work. There’s no easy way to tell you this. I was offered an internship for the summer and if they like me, it would go part-time in the fall.”

  “That’s wonderful. Is it somewhere you’d like to work?” I hoped I was hiding my disappointment. I’d known this day would come; Sasha was too talented to stick with a minimum wage job with tips for the rest of her life.

  “Totally. It’s the marketing department for a regional publishing company. They mainly do the ‘charm’ books about local sites and stuff. They also produce magazines that the stores give away with a certain purchase level. I’d be involved in all their campaigns this summer, and then next fall, I’d be assigned to a specific department.” She rubbed her hands over her face like she was just waking up from a dream. “And the pay is crazy good. If I’m chosen to stay on, they’ll pay my last year’s tuition and books costs too.”

  “Wow.” I’d been meaning to set up some kind of educational fund for our employees but hadn’t gotten past the thought. With two of our staff going to school, well, three with me, we could use the program as a type of bonus to reward them for staying. But even I knew Coffee, Books, and More couldn’t offer Sasha the type of experience she’d receive with the internship. “I’m so happy for you. When do you start?”

  “They wanted me next Monday, but I told them I had to give you two weeks.” Sasha opened her phone app. “So my last shift will be on the fourteenth.”

  “Nick will be back from school and working next week. I’ll call up The Gazette and put an ad in today. If I find someone earlier, do you still want those shifts?” I sipped my coffee. “I don’t want to lose you, but I know this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

  “I’ll work until you find someone, but I guess it would be an easier transition to leave as soon as possible.” Sasha stood and hugged me. “Thank you for being so understanding and such a great boss. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you.”

  I patted her back. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. I knew from day one you were a star and wouldn’t be long in our little corner of the world. I hope I can find someone as good as you to run the book clubs, though. The kids are going to miss you terribly.”

  “If I was staying in town rather than moving north of San Francisco, I’d still run them. My new neighborhood’s just too far to run back after picking up Olivia from daycare.”

  “Wait, you’re moving into the city?” I leaned forward. “What about Toby?”

  Sasha sank back into the couch. “I haven’t told him yet. I mean, we’re just dating and I can’t ask him to wait for me while I go build a life in the next town over. What if I like it there and decide to stay with the company after the internship? He wouldn’t want to leave his work here and I wouldn’t ask him.”

  “So you’ve broken up with him?” That might explain Toby’s foul mood lately.

  Sasha shook her head slowly. “Nope, but that’s my next stop. Do you think he’s at the apartment by now?”

  I watched as she finished her coffee and put her cup and the half-eaten cake onto the trash tray. When she tried to finish cleaning up, I waved her away. “I can do this. You’ve got other places to be.”

  The conversation over, she hugged me one more time, then headed out the door. The girl looked like a death row inmate heading to execution. Another happy ever after destroyed. Sure Sasha’s career dreams were on the uphill climb, but her relationship was in the toilet. Why couldn’t someone have all of their cylinders running on the same beat? Both of these people deserved happiness, and yet, I didn’t think either one of them would be happy for a while.

  When Toby came into the shop to work a few hours later, I could see that Sasha had been able to catch up with him. He looked devastated.

  “Toby, I’m so sorry.” I reached out for his arm. “If you want, I can work your shift today.”

  He shook his head. “Nah. I’ll have to get back up on the horse that bucked me off sooner or later. Might as well be today.”

  “You might be in shock.” I’d read about people not processing what they’d heard for days or maybe even weeks. Toby could be on a delayed reaction status. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  The bell rang and a group of woman filed into the shop. They giggled and then came up to the coffee bar. “Hi, Toby,” they all said in unison.

  Toby looked at me and smiled, but the joy didn’t hit his eyes. “If I’m not now, I will be soon.”

  I watched as he put on his apron and leaned against the counter.

  “Who’s up first to order? Or are all of you on the same ticket?” The woman jostled to get into one line and a tall blonde won the struggle for the front.

  “Me, I’m first. But I’m not buying for the rest of them.” She leaned close and her low-cut top showed off the edge of a black lace bra. “However, if you need some refreshment, you just say so.”

  Toby’s girls were here to make him feel all better. As I gathered my stuff to leave, I real
ized he hadn’t told them he was back on the market yet. I guess the boy’s heart wasn’t quite as resilient as he wanted me to believe.

  I paused at the edge of the sidewalk. I could go to the police station and see Greg but he would be in a foul mood because of Nathan. And maybe because of the actual murder investigation. No way would he give me anything on his status with the case. Or I could keep walking past city hall and go home.

  There was a third option. I could stop by the mayor’s office and see if Amy wanted to go grab some lunch. I needed some deep fat fried food to even out my perfectly crappy day. And Amy was a no judgement kind of friend. She wouldn’t care if I ate a basket of fries for lunch. As long as I shared a few if she ran out.

  As I passed by Antiques by Thomas, I saw Josh through the window. Standing next to him was a woman. She was animated about something; her arms were flying so fast I wondered if she was trying to lift off the ground. When she turned her head and looked at me, I recognized her. It was Mandy from the produce stand. Or the soon to be produce stand. She waved at me through the window, and then turned back to Josh. He looked at me as if I had the last life jacket and the boat was sinking.

  I smiled and waved, leaving Josh to his own nightmare, being trapped in his shop, listening to Mandy.

  Opening the door to city hall, Amy sat at the reception desk outside Mayor Baylor’s office, reading a magazine. She stuffed it into a drawer when she heard the door open, then looked up to greet the visitor. “Oh, it’s you.”

  “Just me.” I leaned on her desk and pulled the drawer open. “What are you reading? The latest fashion mag? Let me guess, Glamour, Vogue, or Surfing, USA.” My friend had a mad surf habit, which kept her in dynamite shape. The cover of the thick magazine was a shot of a way-too-fluffy wedding dress. “Wait, you’re reading Bride? Is there something I need to know?”

  Amy moved my hand away and shut the drawer. “No. Nothing formal. Justin and I were just talking last night when we were painting the living room.” She bounced in her chair. “I think he’s going to pop the question soon and I just want to be ready.”

  I was floored. I liked Justin, don’t get me wrong. And the two of them had a lot in common. Both were avid surfers, both were total book nerds in the nonfiction sort, and they’d been dating for almost as long as Greg and me. “I didn’t realize…” I paused, I couldn’t say you were this serious, because I knew they were both totally in love. Finally, I just gave up on my weak excuses and went with the obvious. “I wish you well. So let’s go out to lunch and celebrate.”

  Amy pulled her purse out of the bottom drawer and hit a button on the intercom. “Hey, Esmerelda? I’m taking lunch. See you in an hour.”

  I heard the muffled “fine” as the one-word answer. “Man, she’s in a bad mood.”

  Setting the out to lunch sign on her desk, Amy shrugged. “She’s been in a mood for over a week now.”

  As we walked out the door, I filled Amy in on last night’s almost disaster. Amy listened thoughtfully, but as she opened the door to Diamond Lille’s, she said the one thing that had been worrying me for days. “She’s gone over the deep end with this spirit thing. She probably needs to see someone professionally.”

  The smells of a good diner overwhelmed me. The French fries, the juicy burgers, all mixed in with baking pasta and slow cooked soups. Diamond Lille’s was my second favorite place to eat in South Cove. Hey, I have to say my shop is my favorite. If I don’t, who will?

  We grabbed our favorite booth and two menus from the empty hostess desk. Looking over the menu, like I hadn’t read it at least twice a week for the last five years, I thought about Amy’s statement. “Who would step in if Esmeralda was really off her rocker? I supposed it would have to be Greg as her boss. I don’t think she has any family.”

  “She has a brother,” Amy said from behind her menu.

  “Wait, what?” I put my menu down. “How do you know that?”

  “We both have long boring jobs in the same building. What do you think we do? File our nails? We talk.” Amy put her own menu down. “He lives in the city and is apparently a very successful finance guy. She says he’s embarrassed by her gift.”

  Carrie showed up with glasses of iced tea for the two of us. When I looked at her, she shrugged. “So I guessed. What are you having for lunch today?”

  We gave her our orders and when she was out of earshot, I leaned in closer. “So do you have his name so we could look him up in case this gets worse?” Although I didn’t know how much worse it could get; I almost ran the woman down yesterday.

  “Better than that. I had to update the emergency contacts for everyone just last year. I have his name and phone number.” Amy took a sip of her tea. “So now that you don’t have to worry about Esmeralda, let’s talk about you and Greg. Maybe we could plan a double wedding?”

  CHAPTER 8

  I’d gotten her off the topic of my own love life by blurting out the story of Toby and Sasha’s demise. As we left lunch, Amy hugged me.

  “Don’t think you’re going to get off talking about this, I’ll just give you some room. Greg’s a great guy. You really should take the next step in your relationship. What are you waiting for?”

  When I didn’t answer, she waved and headed back to work. A few steps away, she turned and yelled back, “You’re going to regret it if you don’t take a chance.”

  Walking home, my mind turned over this statement. I did like Greg. Heck, I might as well admit it to myself at least, I loved the guy. But every time I took a chance, my heart had been broken. I liked where we were. It was comfortable. We had fun. We took overnight trips and had a lot of fun. My face heated a bit thinking about our last visit to Mexico a few months ago. We were definitely compatible in all ways. And yet, I froze when I thought of him moving in.

  No farther on this line of thought than I was yesterday, I decided it was time for a run. I had class tomorrow night so I needed to finish a paper later, but I could carve out some beach time with my favorite running partner.

  The wind, the crash of the waves, and the songs of seagulls filled my senses and pushed out all worries until we reached the cove. There, on the ridge, stood Esmeralda. Again. She must have come out to the spot for her lunch hour. Emma barked at something over near the cliff wall and brought her attention to us. This time she waved at us. The wave was a little halfhearted, but I knew she wasn’t in some sort of trance. Which of course, I never believed when she pretended to be anyway. Or so I told myself.

  I’d talk to Greg about Esmerelda the next time I saw him. This weirdness was going over the top for my neighbor and that was saying something. The rest of the run home, my worry list kept circling in my head. The run hadn’t helped. It had just delayed the thoughts. I saw Esmeralda walking back to her house as I ran by so at least she wouldn’t be late returning to work today.

  After grabbing a shower, I dressed in my typical stay-at-home outfit, yoga pants and a T-shirt. This one was from the Mexico trip. Greg and I had gone snorkeling, my first time ever. And I started giggling underwater when I realized I could actually breathe and see the ocean floor.

  I stopped in my home office and shot off an e-mail to the Gazette about running an ad for a new employee to replace Sasha. I copied Aunt Jackie on the e-mail and as soon as I hit send, my phone rang.

  “Why are you hiring a new barista?”

  “Good afternoon, Aunt Jackie, how are you today?” I flipped through my other e-mails to see if there was one or two that I could handle while we were talking. Sure, multitasking was frowned upon by recent studies. Something about we didn’t do anything completely correct when we were doing too much at the same time, but they hadn’t had to deal with my aunt.

  The sigh was long and filled with a lot of things she didn’t say. “Sorry. Hello, Jill. Why are you messing with my perfectly set up schedule by hiring another worker? You know Nick will be back in town in a week. Are you not going to work at all this summer?”

  “Your perfectly planned sched
ule has a new hole.” I told her about Sasha’s good news and our bad news. “So I was thinking about giving Nick her two book clubs for the summer. That way, when we hire someone, we can get them used to the idea by helping Nick and not totally throw them to the wolves.”

  Our youth book club members were veracious readers. We’d had to expand the Young Adult and New Adult sections of the bookstore after Sasha took over the clubs. Which was a great problem to have and I wanted to keep the kids coming in and buying books.

  “Well, I guess do we need a new employee then. I’ll go through the applications I’ve taken over the last year and see if there is someone local who needs a second job. You know we save a lot of money by hiring part-time employees who already have benefits from another job.” My aunt was already into problem solving mode.

  “I just feel sorry for Toby.” I marked another e-mail for deletion. “Hey, I’ll put a posting up on the website too. Maybe one of our customers is looking for part-time work.”

  “Well, isn’t that an out of the box idea.” My aunt sounded like she was too proud of me. “I guess taking classes is really helping your business savvy.”

  I wouldn’t go that far, but I had read about different ways businesses got good employees in my intro class. Too bad we didn’t have a referral program. That was a proven way to get solid applicants. With only me, Aunt Jackie, Toby, and soon, Nick, that didn’t leave a lot of referral potential. But I’d ask both Toby and Nick if they knew anyone. And I’d send an e-mail to Sasha too.

  I’d copy Aunt Jackie on the e-mails so she’d know and she could take more credit for my newly found business sense. What the heck, it made her happy.

  “Okay then, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Is there anything I need to do for the event?” I had planned on being available all day Friday just in case my aunt needed me to run some errands. Sasha had typically been her event assistant, but now that she was leaving, those duties would fall back on me.

  “I’ll e-mail you a list.” My aunt paused. “So why are you worried about Toby? Is he thinking of leaving to follow the girl?”