by Jenn Cowan
I study the stem and lean down to get a closer look at what’s on the end of it. A daisy.
“What else do you see?”
“Is that a daisy? There aren’t any daisies in the spa. Only roses, carnations and poinsettias.”
“Liam.”
I hold up a hand. “Don’t jump to any conclusions. Girls like flowers too. Maybe Lindsay or Vivian had them for…” I gulp. “The funeral. One of them could have followed Jana here to try and get her to quit blackmailing them. When she refused, they well…you know.”
“Hmm. Maybe. How did Jana even get in?” He scratches his jaw. “I bet she picked the lock. I wonder if the tech crew checked for that.” He walks to the back door and opens it. “Huh?”
“What?”
“There’s no scratch marks like she picked the lock.”
I shrug. “Jana’s resourceful. My guess is she stole a key.”
He sighs. “Cat’s key?”
“Maybe.”
“Cat would have told us though, right?”
“Maybe.”
“Is that all you’re going to say?”
“Why do you think Jana was at the spa?”
He glances around the room, which is no longer a mess. “The text Cat received said she was vandalizing the place, which from the looks of things yesterday, I’d say it could have been right. Broken mug, knocked over chairs, pillows on the floor. So, either she was messing up the place or there was a struggle.”
I quirk an eyebrow. “You read the text?”
He rolls his eyes. “The tech guys are all over it. They found all the texts Cat told us about. We just have to prove they were from Jana.”
“And what will that do? Make a stronger case against Cat?”
He rubs the scruff on his chin. “Maybe, but we have to start somewhere. I think we need to pay Liam a visit and find out what secret Jana had over him. He’s at the top of my list.”
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Only because he likes your daughter and you would prefer to see him locked up rather than dating Cat.”
He winks at me. “Exactly.” Then his face turns somber. “I can’t be a part of this. You and your dad need to drop me back off at your house. Plus, I need to check on Cat.”
I nod and stand then glance around the break room. There’s a cardboard box from the last oil shipment by the coat rack. I scoop it up and begin to stack cups into it. I sigh when I’m done. “I guess this is it.” I take one last look around the spa and feel the weight of what’s about to happen crash down on me. The tears begin to flow and I let them fall.
Travis takes the box from my hands. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I follow him out into the snow as the tech van pulls into the parking lot.
Travis puts the box in the cab of the truck and opens the door for me before going to meet them.
My father comes a few minutes later shaking his head as he tromps through the snow. He hops in the driver’s seat and bangs on the steering wheel then turns to me. “I’m sorry, honey. She wouldn’t even consider my offer.”
I swipe at the tears. “It’s okay, Dad. Did she say what’s going to happen to the building?”
“She wouldn’t tell me.”
Tears fall onto my hands and my heart cracks a little bit more. First, I lose Josh, my best friend, all of my hopes and dreams for a future together and now, I’ve lost my job, my passion, my life’s purpose. “What am I going to, Dad?”
“You’ll figure it out, sweetie. You always do.” He squeezes my hand. “At least you’ll have time to help me solve this case without having to worry about running the spa too.”
I nod and wipe away the tears. “We need to talk to Liam.”
“Because of the daisy?”
“You saw it?”
“Kind of hard to miss.” He clears his throat. “Sally is going to send all the flowers over to the house if you want them.”
“Have her send them to the hospital. I’m sure the patients will like a little holiday cheer.”
My father smiles and pats my hand. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll go tell her and round up Travis then we’ll go pay Liam a little visit and those other two girls. I hate interrupting anyone’s Christmas, but time is of the essence.” He jumps from the truck and heads inside.
I sigh and look out of the side window. To my surprise I see someone I need to talk to. I jump out of the truck and hurry down the hill, calling out to her, “Lindsay?” I recognize the purple coat and the purple stripe in her jet-black hair from the Hot Chocolate festival. She got a chair massage from me and well she’s kind of hard to forget. Her nose and eyebrow are pierced with tiny diamond studs and her black combat boots have spikes around the bottom of them. I’m surprised Jana isn’t afraid of her. I have to admit, she’s kind of intense and intimidating.
“Yes.” She narrows her hazel eyes at me. “You’re the massage lady, right?”
I nod. “Merry Christmas!” I try to express some excitement even though I’m not feeling any.
“Bah hum bug,” Lindsay mumbles.
“Not much of a Christmas fan I take it.”
Lindsay shrugs.
I bite my lip, not knowing exactly what to say to her or how to approach the subject of Jana. The direct approach seems to be the best one. “So, I’m sure you heard about Jana. Is she a friend of yours?”
Lindsay eyes me suspiciously. “You really are out of the loop, aren’t you, massage lady?”
“Autumn.”
She holds her palm up to the sky as flakes of snow fall onto her hand. “Winter.”
I smirk. “No, my name is Autumn.”
“Right. I’ve heard about you. You’re some kind of sleuth too. I didn’t stab Jana if that’s why you’re talking to me.”
Shoot. Maybe the direct approach isn’t the best approach. Oh, well, too late now. “Rumor has it Jana has something on you. You’re quite the tech genius. Changing her test scores.”
Her eyes widen and she glances around nervously. “Who told you that?”
“It’s Daysville.”
“So, everyone knows.” She starts to pace back and forth in front of me. “My parents are going to kill me. I’ll never make it into the CIA if this gets out.”
I put a hand out to stop her. “You want to be in the CIA?”
She nods. “My dad’s…” Clearing her throat, she rephrases. “It’s my dream.”
“And if Jana told your secret, you wouldn’t be able to get in. What does she have on you?”
Lindsay shakes her head. “No one knows. No one can know. It’s dangerous. Jana was going to tell everyone and it would put my entire family in danger.”
“Your dad is…”
She stiffens and her eyes flicker to the street and then to the security cameras behind me. “I have to go.” She takes off down the alley.
“Wait, please.” I start after her, but slip on some ice. “Ahh!” I scream before the right side of my body smacks the ground.
“Autumn, are you okay?” Travis skids to a stop next to me and helps me to my feet.
“Fine.” I brush the snow off and wince when I touch my thigh. There’s going to be a nice bruise there tomorrow. Then I stare down the empty alley way. “Shoot.”
“What?”
“I saw Lindsay. She told me what Jana has on her.”
“She did?”
“Well not really, but I’m pretty sure I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
I pat his chest. “It’s not my secret to share. The only thing you need to know is, she didn’t do it.”
“And you know this how?”
“The girl’s got big dreams and I don’t think she would risk them or her family over Jana.”
“But Jana was blackmailing her. If she has big dreams and Jana could ruin them or tell a secret that could cause harm to her family, it sounds like a pretty strong motive to me. Plus, the girl is wicked scary.”
I snort. “Travis Mills, are you afraid of a teenage
girl?”
He smirks. “They terrify me. Especially a certain red headed teenage girl seventeen years ago. She was a handful.”
I smack his stomach. “I was not.”
He rubs his stomach. “Oh, yes you were… still are.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m crossing Lindsay off the list. There’s no way she stabbed Jana.”
“I’m going to need an alibi to cross her off.”
I glance up at the security camera then over at the spa. “Do you think these cameras of Harold’s still work?”
“I think the judge still keeps them on to keep an eye on the store especially since it’s empty.”
“Then it’s time to pay the judge a little Christmas visit.”
18
“Maybe he’s not home.” I shift back and forth on the balls of my feet to keep warm. The temperature keeps dropping and the wind’s picking up.
“There are lights on and your mother talked to him last night. He didn’t say anything about traveling for the holidays.” My father steps back and peers up at the second story windows of the stone house.
I peek in through the side glass by the door. There’s no movement. “Do you think we should call the police? What if he’s hurt… or worse?”
My father frowns and reaches into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone when the door flies open.
The judge is wearing a black bathrobe, which wouldn’t be surprising if it wasn’t after lunch time. He’s always dressed in a suit every time I see him. His white hair is sticking up in all directions and dark circles rim his eyes. This past year has to be getting to him. Losing Harold and finding out his other brother was responsible for it, it’s heartbreaking. “Here,” he says as he shoves a flash drive into my hands. “I knew you’d come looking for this. I have an extra copy for the police too. It’s all there. Everything you need is on it.”
My jaw goes slack and I blink before staring down at the black flash drive. Before I can utter out a word of thanks, he slams the door in our faces. “Um, well… that was unexpected. Do you think we should check on him?”
“I’ll have your mother call him. He’s got a soft spot for her. She’ll make sure he’s okay.” My father motions for me to head out to the truck then dials my mom.
I slip into the truck, rolling the flash drive around in my hands. I brought my laptop with me so I wouldn’t have to wait until we got back home to see what’s on it. I’m surprised it was that easy to retrieve the footage without a warrant, but I guess the judge wants this case solved as quickly as we do. There’s no way I can let Cat go down for this crime. I know without a doubt she didn’t stab Jana. Now, let’s find out who did. I grab my laptop and stick in the drive.
“Anything?” my father asks, getting into the driver’s seat.
“It’s loading.” I tap my fingers impatiently on the keys. “Come on.”
“Breathe, Autumn. We’ll figure it out.”
I open my mouth to respond when something hits my window with a thump. I turn to see snow dripping down and a person running down the street. “Was that Liam?” I hand my father the computer and fling open the door.
“Autumn, wait. What are you doing?”
“I’m going to talk to Liam. You check the drive.”
I hustle down the street, careful not to slip on any ice. The streets are clear, but the sidewalks are a different story. Why is Liam throwing snowballs at my father’s truck? He knows what my father drives, everyone in town does. Is he trying to get my attention? Picking up a phone or texting Cat is a lot easier. Although if he is guilty and trying to frame Cat he wouldn’t be calling her, right? I’m breathing hard as I turn the corner and run smack into a solid frame. “Umph.” Two hands reach out to steady me.
“Whoa there.”
I right myself then glace up at the person. “Liam! Why did you throw a snowball at my father’s truck then run off?”
He runs a hand through his dark hair and stares at me with sad looking brown eyes. “I’m sorry. I need to talk to you and didn’t know how to get you alone. Someone is always with you and I didn’t have your number. Detective Mills will murder me if I show up at your house. I’m dying to talk to Cat, but I know her dad probably has a tap on her phone or something.”
I frown and cross my arms over my chest. A part of me feels bad for him. He looks miserable, but the other part, the sleuth in me, is suspicious. “Where were you during the funeral?”
He stares me straight in the eye and says, “At the spa.”
“What?” My eyes grow wide. “You’re admitting to being at the spa.”
“I know you have the video surveillance so you’ll see me go in, but I didn’t attack Jana.”
I narrow my eyes. “Then why were you there?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Jana is blackmailing me. It’s the only reason I went out with her. She’s an awful person.” He shudders. “I finally couldn’t stand hanging out with her any longer so I broke up with her. Plus, I like Cat.” His cheeks turn pink.
A part of me melts thinking about Cat having her first boyfriend then I snap out of it and interrogate him like it’s my job… because right now it’s the only one I’ve got. “Why is Jana blackmailing you?”
He sighs. “Jana overheard a scout offering me a scholarship for baseball.”
I lift an eyebrow. “And that’s a problem because…”
He shakes his head. “It’s not a problem, it’s what he asked me to do in exchange for the scholarship.”
“Which was?”
“He wanted me to throw the game.”
I frown. “Why would he ask you to do that?”
Liam shrugs. “I didn’t ask. I told him ‘no’. I play a clean game and don’t want to be associated with any school or team that doesn’t.”
“Good for you.” I bump his arm lightly with mine. “So, I don’t get it. If you said ‘no’ why would Jana blackmail you about it?”
“We lost the game. She thinks I purposely lost.”
“But you didn’t?”
“No. We lost because the other team was better. Period. I didn’t throw the game. I actually played harder than I ever have to ensure we would win, but we lost. So, Jana thinks I accepted the scholarship. Even has a recording of the conversation with the scout. If this gets out, I’ll get kicked off the team and any chance of getting a scholarship will be out the window.”
I tap my chin and consider his words. “So, you have motive and you admit to being at the spa.” I pause. “Why were you at the spa? You brought the daisies, right?” My eyes go wide with realization. “Jana texted you from Cat’s phone, she stole it from her purse when she caused that mess at Pete’s. She pretended to be Cat and asked you to meet her at the spa before the funeral. You brought the flowers for Cat.”
Liam nods then frowns. “How did you… wait, I took the daisies with me. How did you know about them?”
“You dropped one. I found it.” I shrug then ask, “What happened when you got to the spa?”
“Jana let me in the back door. She was angry I brought flowers for Cat. She grabbed them out of my hand and threw them on the ground then started throwing pillows at me and even knocked off a mug. I scooped up the flowers and ran.”
“You texted Cat that Jana was vandalizing the spa?”
He kicks at the snow. “Yes. From my work phone. I didn’t want Cat thinking I met Jana to rekindle anything, especially not at the spa.” He peers up at me. “Jana was fine when I left. Angry, but unharmed. There’s no way I would hurt her even though she was blackmailing me. It’s not worth it. It would ruin my life.”
“So, did Jana say anything?”
“At first, she was all sweet and trying to talk me into going back out with her then when she spotted the flowers, she went crazy. Ranting and raving about how everyone loves Cat and she’ll never be good enough. That’s when I left.”
“Did you see anyone else go into the spa?”
Liam shakes his head. “I went straight to the chur
ch.”
“Hmm.”
“You have to believe me, Autumn. You have to help me. You have the tape so it’s me going in first and then Cat unless someone else came after me, but Cat would have been on her way shortly after I sent the text. She loves the spa. There’s no way she would let someone destroy it, especially not Jana.”
I nod then say, “Thanks for your help Liam. I’ll be in touch. In the meantime, I think you need to come clean to your parents and your coach. I’m sure you’re not the only kid this scout is putting pressure on. Then once Jana wakes up, she’ll have no reason to blackmail you or keep you and Cat apart.” I give him a knowing look then add, “That is if your story checks out and you didn’t harm a hair on Jana’s head.”
He holds up both hands. “I didn’t. I’ll do anything to prove it. Anything for Cat. I never should have texted her. She wouldn’t be in this mess if I hadn’t.”
I pat his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. There’s no way we’ll let Cat pay for this.”
Liam smiles. “She’s lucky to have you. She’s always talking about you and even says she wants to go to massage school so she can work with you every day at the spa.”
I cringe.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um. Well, Sally’s closing the spa.”
Liam’s eyes grow wide. “No. Cat loves that place. I think it’s the only reason she’s kept it together at all this year after her mom and everything.”
I bite my lip and blink to keep the tears at bay. “I know. Me too.”
“Can’t you buy it or something?”
“I wish,” I mutter.
“I’m sure you’ll figure out something, you always do. Cat says you’re the smartest woman she knows.”
I smile. “Cat’s slightly biased, but I appreciate the compliment.”
“You’re her saving grace, Miss Autumn.”
I feel my cheeks get warm. “That’s sweet, thanks Liam. Now, get home and celebrate Christmas with your family and tell them what’s going on. Okay?”
He nods then takes off jogging toward his house.
I sigh and turn to head back to the truck when my father pulls up next to me.
“Everything okay?”
I hop into the truck. “I think so.” I fill him in on what Liam told me and then ask, “What did you find on the security footage?”
