by Lynn Cahoon
The phone woke me to a sunny Saturday. Bleary-eyed, I glanced at the clock and jumped out of bed, knocking the half-read book off my chest. I’d slept through my alarm and in ten minutes I was supposed to open the shop.
I clicked the phone on, using the speaker function. “Hello?”
“I thought you might still be asleep.” Aunt Jackie chuckled. “No need to hurry in, I’ve already opened the shop and made coffee. Snuggle back with that hunk of yours.”
I pulled my pajamas off as I talked. “Greg isn’t here.”
“Oh. Well then, get your butt down here. I shouldn’t have to cover your shifts, too.” Aunt Jackie paused, then asked, “Did you get in a fight?”
“No. Greg and I are fine.” I shook my head at the phone, not caring she couldn’t see my action. With my aunt it was all or nothing. She made no bones about the fact she thought Greg should man up and ask me to marry him. Even though I’d told her time and again, I liked our situation right now. “Look, I’ll be down in a few minutes. We can talk then.”
I hung up the phone before she could respond. Sometimes conversations with Jackie were better handled with bluntness. That way I got my point across. At least half the time.
I pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, and finished my morning bathroom ritual. Emma was already sitting at the door, staring at the chair blocking her way.
“Better safe than sorry,” I said to my dog, who looked at me like I was the crazy one. As soon as the door opened, she bounded down the stairs and sat at the back door, waiting for me to let her out.
I filled her food and water dishes and then locked the back door. Emma loved staying outside while I worked. Looking longingly at the empty coffeepot, I grabbed my keys and purse and after locking the front door, half-jogged up to the shop.
The smell of cinnamon, spice, and strong coffee hit me as soon as I opened the door. Jackie stood at the counter, talking to Brenda.
“There she is.” Jackie smiled at me. “Your friend stopped by to see you. I told her you’d just be a minute.”
“Actually that was a half hour ago.” Brenda glanced at the clock. “Your aunt is entertaining.”
I kissed Jackie on the cheek as I buzzed by, stashing my purse in the back office before I returned to fill a cup with our dark blend. I held up my hand to stop any additional comments, then took five sips. Finally, with the caffeine starting to run through my body, I felt close to normal. I took a stool next to Brenda. “I didn’t expect to see you today. Don’t you have to get back to the city?”
Brenda’s smile widened. “No, actually. I’m thinking about staying. I took a short vacation. They think I’m broken up about Craig’s death, they didn’t even question my need for two weeks. I’m looking around for a place here in South Cove.”
I took another sip of coffee. The day was becoming much more interesting. “Wow. I thought you hated it here.”
Pain shot through Brenda’s eyes, and I wished I could have taken the words back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to question. Let’s forget what I said. How about, ‘Wow, you’ll love it here in South Cove’?”
“And I will. Especially with Craig not around to tell me how stupid I am or how fat.” Brenda held up her hand. “I know I shouldn’t have let him get to me, but when the man who says he loves you treats you like that, it’s hard to separate truth from fiction.”
“Well, you’re definitely not fat now. And you were never stupid.” I reached over and gave Brenda a quick hug. “What were the two of you huddling about when I came in?”
“Cloaked in Mystery. I was telling Brenda we already have over fifty people confirmed. I can’t believe it. We’ll have to take out the tables to make room for more chairs.” Jackie glanced around the coffee shop, already moving things around in her mind.
“I can’t believe it’s next week.” I finished my coffee and handed my cup to Jackie. “More, please.”
“You always were a polite child.” Jackie smiled as she refilled my cup and set it in front of me. “You want something to go with that?”
“I’ll grab a bite later.” I turned my attention back to Brenda. “So you’ll be here for the uncovering.”
She frowned at me. “What?”
“I think she means the uncloaking.” Jackie put a piece of pumpkin pie in front of me with a fork. The pie had been drowned in whipped cream, exactly the way I liked it. “Eat, your brain cells will thank us.”
Brenda nodded. “I’ve got some things to settle with Craig’s estate. The good news is, he never changed anything when we separated, and I still have access to our accounts. Tomorrow, I’m driving into Bakerstown to finalize things with Doc Ames and empty the safety deposit box.”
I’d been scarfing down the pie, but Brenda’s mention of a safety deposit box got me thinking about Craig’s hollowed-out books. “What did he keep there?”
Brenda shook her head. “No clue. The man never even told me we had one, and according to the paperwork I found, he’s had this since we moved here.”
I finished the pie and brushed my hands together. “Maybe you’re a wealthy merry widow.”
Brenda barked a laugh. “A life insurance policy would be amazing, but I’m hoping I’m not a broke widow. Do you think Craig had any clue he might die before me?”
She had a point there. With Craig’s arrogance, he probably thought he’d live forever. “Sorry, forgot who we were talking about.”
Brenda glanced at the clock. “Damn, I didn’t realize it was that late. Look, I need to ask you a favor.”
I almost said “anything” but thought better of it. “What do you need?”
“I need someone to watch Fifi for a couple of days. I’ve got to go in to the city and get some of my belongings. I’ve scheduled a mover to come and put my stuff into storage until I figure out where I’m going to go.” Brenda’s eyes filled with tears. “I’d take her with me, but I can’t have her at my apartment. And I don’t need the landlord to have any reason not to give me back my deposit.”
I thought about the fenced backyard and considered Emma’s territorial reaction. “When are you leaving? I need to see if Greg will take her or Emma. Having them together wouldn’t be the best idea.”
“I don’t have many friends I could even ask.” Brenda watched as Jackie sprinted toward the back room. After she’d disappeared, Brenda smiled sadly at me. “See what I mean?”
“She probably …” I paused, trying to think of an excuse.
Brenda laughed. “She doesn’t want to have to tell me no. That’s okay, I get it. I’m heading back in to town on Thursday after the party. Then I should be back next Monday.”
“We’ll figure something out.” I patted her on the arm. “No worries.”
But as Brenda left, I wondered if her life with the less-than-petite Fifi would be the heaven she’d always imagined. Craig could take care of the large dog mostly because he lived on site at The Castle and the property backed up to national forest land. Fifi had lots of room to wander, hunt, and just be a huge dog. No apartment Brenda could afford would give Fifi the same life.
Not my worry, I thought as I started my day at the shop. Soon, tourists started flocking in, keeping me busy making coffee drinks and serving up treats. Customers were buying more books today, especially mysteries.
“So, this is the author who’s coming this week, right?” A local teenager smiled and handed me a twenty.
I glanced down at the paperback. It was a cozy author who wrote knitting mysteries set in Colorado. I loved her stuff and now brought in the hardbacks for her die-hard fans, like me. “This book is great. Have you read her other stuff?”
The girl peered at me like I’d grown two heads. “Duh. I’m in here as soon as I know it’s available. I have the entire collection.” She pulled up her phone. “I keep her digital editions on my phone in case I need something to read.”
I glanced down at the paperback she was buying. “This came out a year ago, are you sure you don’t
have this already?” I hated buying something I’d already read.
“I have it. This is a gift. And I’m coming in from Santa Maria with a friend for the Uncloaking.” She glanced behind me. “So is Toby working today?”
Now I knew why I didn’t know this frequent customer. She was one of Toby’s girls. The guy brought in more traffic during his shift that I did on the morning rush when people really needed coffee.
“He’s coming in at noon.” I glanced at the clock; it was almost that time now. Funny, Toby usually showed up early for the Saturday shift, knowing I was often busy.
The girl took her change and her coffee and nodded. “I guess I’ll browse for a while. Maybe there’s another book I need.”
She wandered off and I focused on taking the next customer’s order. Toby was a lady-killer, that was for sure. I had to admit, hiring him was the best decision my aunt had made when she first showed up and took over the day-to-day shop management.
Fifteen minutes after noon, Toby rushed in. He glanced around the nearly empty room and sighed. “Sorry.”
He stepped behind the counter, slipping his jacket off and throwing it into the back. As he washed his hands and put an apron on, he focused on me. “I would have called, but we kind of lost track of time.”
“We?” I dumped out coffee and added more to the espresso maker. Double shot latte—caramel—one of my favorites and it appeared it would be the last drink I’d make for the day. Traffic had been slow for a Saturday, and Toby could take over without a problem.
He stood next to me and heated milk for the latte. “Greg asked me to come in this morning and go over the results we got from the crate breakin last night. I hear you slept through the whole thing.”
I reddened. “Hey, it wasn’t like he even let me get out of the car. What would you have me do?”
He grinned and poured the coffee into the cup, then topped the drink with whipped cream and a cover. Toby handed it to the waiting customer. “There you go.”
I leaned against the counter watching the few stragglers wandering around the shop scanning the shelves. I liked my life. Toby stood next to me. “Did Greg tell you the drug dogs found a trace?”
I nodded. “I would have never guessed Craig was into that scene.” I didn’t like the guy, but being a drug supplier? That fell into a whole ’nother category of slime.
“I know, right? I’ve been arresting DUIs and breaking-and-entering kids for years and there was a drug dealer living right in our town?” Toby shrugged. “He must have kept that part of his life out of the town. I wonder what other secrets are hiding in our little community.”
I wondered that, too. “I guess there’s at least one more.”
Toby cocked his head and focused on me. “What’s that?”
“Someone murdered Craig.” I glanced around the quiet shop. “And unless they came from the outside to do the deed, they live here with us.”
CHAPTER 18
Greg’s promised day together failed to materialize on Saturday so after I took Emma for a run on the beach, I sank onto the couch with a book and settled for canned soup for dinner. Locking up the house when I went to bed, my thoughts went back to Greg’s parting comment Friday. I guessed now that they’d found a drug connection, I’d lost my status as Suspect Number One, as Greg teasingly called me. At least, I hoped he was teasing.
As I climbed the stairs, Emma on my heels, I considered Craig’s murder. Killing a successful drug mule was like killing the goose for the golden egg. Craig had kept this part of his import business under wraps. The only reason anyone knew now was because he was dead. So why would he be killed after one shipment? Someone would have to be stupid to cut off the supply.
Brenda’s face floated into my mind. “What if he was trying to change for her?” I asked out loud. “He’d have to go straight if he was going to repair the marriage.”
Sometimes Emma could be a great sounding board. Tonight, the dog glared at me like my idea was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard a human say.
I slipped the chair back under the doorknob and patted her on the head. “You’re right. Craig wasn’t the changing type.”
Emma let out a quiet yip like she agreed with my statement, then went to lie on her bed, pawing at the cedar shaving–stuffed pillow making it just right before she plopped down.
Sunday morning came quickly, my sleep having been dream-and crisis-free. I moved the chair, feeling stupid for the extra security, and Emma raced me downstairs.
After letting her out and starting coffee, I sat at the table with my notebook. I wrote down the day’s chores, mostly because I knew if I didn’t, something would be forgotten. I only had two days to get the home stuff done before I went back to the grind on Tuesday.
Of course my job now was enjoyable, not like when I’d been a lawyer and had kissed the floor of my apartment every Friday night when I walked in the door. I’d loved the weekends then. Now I loved most days. I still put off most of the chores until I had a day to myself. Today, Toby had volunteered to take my shift and I’d let him.
A knock sounded at the front door. Glancing through the window, I saw Amy with bags from Diamond Lille’s in her hands. When I opened the door, she breezed through past me and toward the kitchen.
“Great, you already have coffee going,” Amy called out. I closed and locked the front door again, feeling stupid for the extra precautions. I expected Greg sometime today, and I knew he’d check before he knocked. I didn’t feel like getting a lecture on personal safety.
“Come on in,” I said to the empty living room. By the time I got to the kitchen, Amy had plates set out, orange juice and coffee poured, and an assortment of breakfast items laid out on platters in the middle of the table. “Whoa, are we expecting the guys?”
Amy’s face screwed up and she burst into tears. She plopped down into a chair and, covering her face, sobbed. I grabbed some tissues from the box on the counter and pulled a chair up next to my friend. Rubbing her back, I handed her the tissues and she loudly blew her nose, wiping her eyes with a clean tissue. Finally, she took in a shuddering breath and the tears slowed.
“Was it something I said?” I figured this had to be about Hank, but I’d let her tell me in her own time.
Amy took her juice and drank down the full glass. She squared her shoulders, then said, “Hank broke up with me.”
I tried to put a shocked look on my face instead of the smile that wanted to fight its way out. I’d hoped the couple wouldn’t be long for this world, but I’d always thought Amy would be the one to wake up and realize what she was doing to herself. I thought about my next words, finally going with, “That’s awful. What happened?”
Amy picked up a piece of toast and smeared raspberry jam on the top. “He thought I was sleeping with Justin. Can you believe that?”
Well, I could, but this was Amy’s story to tell. And she didn’t wait for an answer anyway.
“He said he didn’t trust me to even surf alone because he knew I’d slept with some of my surfing buddies. The guy totally went off on me, accusing me of the most terrible things.” She pointed the toast at me, and I saw a drop of jam fly off onto the kitchen wall. I watched it slide down the wall, wondering if jam hurt paint.
Amy poked me with the toast. “Look at me. Hank accused me of sleeping with the mayor.”
I burst out laughing. “Mayor Bird? He thinks you slept with him? What is he, crazy?”
“I know, right?” Amy fell back into her chair and sighed. “I guess he didn’t understand me or my personality. I’m not a total flirt, am I?”
Smiling, I pulled a plate closer and started loading it with eggs and bacon. “No. You aren’t a total flirt. You like people. It shows when you talk to anyone.”
Amy nodded to the bacon. “Hand that this way. After the morning I’ve had, I deserve some fat. Crunchy, pork-filled fat.”
“Hank’s an idiot.” I took a bite of the scrambled eggs and smiled. Maybe we had a chance of getting Justin as p
art of our group sooner than later.
A knock sounded at the door. “Busy place this morning.”
Aunt Jackie stood at the door this time. She whipped in, kissed me on the cheek, and sniffed the air. “Good, you’ve already made coffee.” She took her bags and went into the kitchen, as well.
Seeing Amy sitting there with all the food didn’t even faze my aunt. She pulled out three different coffee cakes, set them on the table, and then went to get a plate and a cup of coffee.
“You won’t believe who came by Saturday during my shift.” Jackie cut a larger-than-normal slice of the blueberry coffee cake.
Amy was lost in thought, shoveling food in, one fork at a time, so I answered. “Who?”
“Josh Thomas brought me a box of chocolates and more flowers.” Jackie sniffed. “He said he had a marvelous time and wanted to thank me.”
I put a slice of coffee cake on my plate, then handed one to Amy. She picked it up with her fingers and ate it without a word. I turned back to Jackie, who was sampling the French toast. “So, that was nice.”
“Nice?” She snorted, then stood and went to the pantry. Pulling out the maple syrup, she poured some into a cup and put the cup into the microwave. While the machine did its magic, she stared at me. “You know, he’s just going to ask again.”
“Would that be so bad?” I knew my aunt was lonely. She needed some companionship, even if it wasn’t from someone who would be the love of her life.
Jackie seemed ready to tell me all the reasons having Josh court her would be one of the signs of the end of the world when a knock sounded at the kitchen door. She went back to her chair, pouring the hot syrup over the butter she’d spread on the French toast. This time I could see Greg standing in the window, holding a bag from the Bakerstown Bakery. Bagels and cream cheese. I wouldn’t have to cook for days.
