Chair Massage & Chaos (A Cozy Spa Mystery Book 5)

by Jenn Cowan

  “Well Liam and Cat are both on it, but so is someone else.”

  “Who?”

  “Vivian.”

  “When did she show up?”

  “Right after Liam, but there’s just one problem.”

  I frown. “What?”

  “She didn’t go inside.”

  “Huh? What was she doing?”

  “Pacing.”

  I quirk an eyebrow. “Pacing?”

  “Yes.” He points to the screen. “Check it out.”

  I hit play and watch as Vivian moves back and forth biting her thumbnail while casting glances at the spa then she disappears. “Where did she go?”

  “Probably to the church, but you’ll have to ask her.”

  I sigh as my father’s phone rings. My mother’s face lights up the screen when my dad hits accept.

  “Where are you two? Dinner is ready and getting cold while you two are gallivanting around the town.”

  “We’ll be there shortly, dear,” my father says while putting the truck in gear.

  “Hurry, please. It doesn’t feel like Christmas without you two.” She hangs up before we can say another word.

  I close my eyes and lean my head back against the seat, letting the motion of the truck soothe me. Liam and Lindsay’s stories swirl through my mind. I’m pretty sure Lindsay didn’t have anything to do with Jana’s attack, she wasn’t on the tape and I don’t think she would risk her future over Jana, but I’ll keep her on the list just in case. I want to believe Liam, but can I? I’m not sure. He seems sincere, but if he didn’t hurt Jana then who did? Then there’s Vivian. Why was she pacing around in front of Harold’s? Was she waiting for Jana to come out? Was she following her? Maybe she saw something that could help us. After dinner, I’ll have to find her and ask her.

  19

  “Is Vivian home?”

  A little boy probably about seven squints up at me underneath his round frames. “Who are you?”

  “Autumn Fisher. I’m here to see Vivian.”

  He pushes his glasses up his thin nose. “She’s not here.”

  “Do you know where she is or when she’ll be back?” I pause wondering why his parents haven’t come to the door yet. “Are you parents’ home?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I speak with them please?”

  “No.”

  I blink. “Wh-why not?”

  “They’re taking a nap and Vivian went to the hospital.”

  “The hospital? Why?”

  He shuts the door in my face without even answering me.

  I blink again, wondering what just happened then holler to the wood door, “You shouldn’t answer the door to strangers.”

  Nothing.

  I sigh and make my way down the stairs, avoiding the piles of snow still on the sidewalk. Doesn’t anyone shovel sidewalks anymore? The hospital isn’t far from Vivian’s house, but I wonder why she went there. Did she go visit Jana or is she there for another reason? To hurt Jana. I pick up my pace, dodging more snow piles as I go. When I reach the hospital, I’m panting and I’m sure I look a mess. Sweat drips down my face and I wipe it away. I really need to do more cardio.

  The doors to the hospital slide open and the waiting room is empty. My phone vibrates and I see it’s my father calling. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

  “Bad news,” his voice low. “Fingerprints on the knife came back.”

  “Well we knew Cat’s prints were going to be on there.”

  “Cat’s prints are the only ones on there.”

  I quit walking and stagger to the closest chair. “What?”

  “There are no other prints on the knife. So, either the person who stabbed Jana wore gloves or…”

  “Don’t say it.” My stomach churns. “Have you told Travis?”

  “He knows.”

  “And what’s he doing?”

  “Trying to make himself bald.”

  I smirk, imagining Travis running his hand through his hair and tugging on the ends then frown, thinking about Cat. “How can her prints be the only ones on the knife?”

  “She picked it up, which is strange because she knows better.”

  “Did you ask her why?”

  A blast of cold air blows in behind me and I turn to find Cat walking in. “Tell Mom, she’s with me,” I say quickly then hang up without further explanation. They’ll figure it out soon enough. I glance around to ensure Brooklyn isn’t anywhere nearby. If she sees Cat, she’s going to flip. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at my house. Did you tell anyone where you were going?”

  Cat hangs her head. “No. I just wanted to see Jana. Make sure she was ok. Ask her what happened.”

  I sigh and put an arm around her. “How did you slip out?”

  “Your mom and aunt Regina were bickering over some recipe and my dad was on the phone and yours disappeared so I slipped out the garage door. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. It’s just driving me crazy sitting around not knowing what’s going to happen.”

  I give her a side hug. “I know, but we have to get you back before Brook-”

  “You! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be locked up!” Brooklyn screams at Cat. Her blond hair is pulled up in a messy bun and she’s wearing the same black dress from yesterday. Her make-up is smeared and dark circles rim her eyes. She lunges for Cat, but I step in front of her.

  “Now, Brooklyn. Cat’s here with me. She just wants to see how Jana’s doing.”

  Brooklyn glowers at me. “See how she’s doing? See how she’s doing! Are you kidding me! My baby was stabbed in the back with a knife and she did it.” She points at Cat. “Now, she’s back to finish the job, am I right? Someone call the police. This girl is trying to kill my baby!” Brooklyn screeches.

  A couple of doctors and several nurses seem unsure what to do. One nurse gets on the phone. This won’t end well.

  “Brooklyn, please. We’ll leave. We came to visit Jana, but see now isn’t a good time.”

  “There will never be a good time. Never. I repeat, NEVER get anywhere near me or my daughter again. I’m going to have you locked up or sent off to a place where troubled children go. Do you hear me Cat?”

  Cat bursts into tears and hurries out of the hospital.

  I resist the urge to punch Brooklyn and rush after Cat. The nerve of that woman. I spot Cat a few feet away and she’s talking to someone. It’s the girl from the surveillance tape. Vivian. I approach slowly, not sure how skittish the girl is, I don’t want to scare her off before I have a chance to question her. “Cat are you okay?” I squeeze her shoulder.

  She sniffles and nods. “Autumn, this is Vivian. Vivian, Autumn.”

  Vivian smiles shyly at me. “Hi.”

  “Nice to meet you. What are you doing here on Christmas Day?”

  She shifts back and forth on her feet. “I came to see Jana.”

  “Are you two friends?”

  “No.” She tucks a strand of curly brown hair behind her ear and pushes her glasses up on her nose. “Jana has something I need.”

  “A video.”

  Her brown eyes grow wide. “H-how do you know about that?”

  “I told her,” Cat confesses.

  “You know about it?”

  Cat bites her lip. “Pretty much everyone knows about it.”

  Tears well up in Vivian’s eyes. “I’m ruined. If that tape gets out, I’ll never get into college and then I’ll never get into medical school. I’ll spend my life here in Daysville waiting tables at Pete’s. My life is over.” She breaks down into sobs.

  Cat pats her back and tries to convince her that things will be alright, but Vivian isn’t having it.

  Suddenly, Vivian stops crying and darts for the door. “I have to get it.”

  “Wait!” Cat chases after her.

  “Oh, no,” I take off after both of them, knowing if Brooklyn sees Cat again, there will be a scene and we’ll probably all end up in jail.

  Vivian stumbles before she re
aches the sliding glass doors and Cat has a chance to catch up to her. I’m huffing and puffing when I reach them both.

  “What are you,” I gulp and take a breath, “doing? You can’t go in there right now. Jana probably doesn’t even have the jump drive.”

  Vivian swipes at her eyes. “Yes, she does. She always keeps it in her purse.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “To taunt me with. To keep me doing her homework. She waves it in front of my face every chance she gets.”

  “Is that why you were waiting for her in front of the spa yesterday?”

  Vivian blinks. “How do you know that?”

  “Security cameras at Harold’s still work. I have the footage.”

  “I was going to steal her purse and get the disk, but she never came out. My mother kept texting me to get to the church so I had to leave then I heard what happened so I knew I’d have a chance to get it while she’s sleeping.”

  “And you think Brooklyn will just let you in her daughter’s room and watch while you go through her purse?”

  Vivian chews on her lower lip. “I hadn’t gotten that far. I’ll figure out something.”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Teenagers. Never thinking anything through. “Did you see anyone go into the spa before Cat and after Liam?”

  “Liam? What was Liam doing at the spa?” Cat inquires, her brows drawing together in a frown.

  “Jana texted him from your phone. He thought he was meeting you.”

  “So, Jana took my phone and my key to the spa?”

  “Wait, what?”

  Cat turns red then tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I forgot to tell you my key to the spa was missing. I thought maybe I left it on the front desk and would just get it on Tuesday, but Jana had it lying beside her when I found her.”

  I groan. “You picked it up, didn’t you?”

  Cat turns red. “I know I shouldn’t have, but I didn’t want you to think I was irresponsible.”

  I give her a hug. “I wouldn’t think that. We know what Jana is capable of. The police think you coerced her into coming to the spa. If you would have left the key, it would have shown she stole it. It makes you look even more guilty, Cat and you picked up the knife, why?”

  Cat sniffles and wipes her eyes. “It was the second thing I saw when I walked into the spa. The key was on the floor in front of the door so I picked it up. Then I saw the knife. I thought the blood was paint at first so I was going to wash it off. I was so worried about Jana destroying things, I went into instant cleaning mode before I realized what I was doing. I know I shouldn’t have picked it up, but it was too late then I saw Jana and I guess I went into shock. I don’t remember much after I texted you. I guess I should tell all of this to the captain.”

  I sigh. “No. You should tell my dad and let him handle it. The last thing we need is anyone getting wind of this.” I eye Vivian suspiciously. “Can we trust you to keep this under wraps?”

  She nods furiously then narrows her eyes. “If you help me get the drive, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

  “Really? Blackmail? Haven’t you had enough of that?”

  “My future depends on getting that drive.”

  I glare at her. “Fine, but take Cat to my house. Go straight there. No stops and text me when you get there.”

  Both girls nod and hurry off toward my house.

  I take a deep breath and re-enter the hospital. Thankfully, the waiting room is still empty. No Brooklyn in sight and no nurses or doctors either. The receptionist is on the phone, but hasn’t looked up. I quickly make my way down the hall and check the names on the doors. When I spot Jana’s, I peek inside.

  A gray-haired doctor is chatting with Brooklyn. Their backs are to me, but I can hear them loud and clear. I probably shouldn’t be eavesdropping, privacy policies and all, but I need to hear Jana’s status.

  “She’s actually very lucky. The knife didn’t go in that deep, almost more of a gash then a stab wound and didn’t hit any arteries or organs.” He scratches his head. “I know based on her medical history, she faints at the sight of blood and has a low pulse. We’re monitoring her just to be on the safe side, otherwise, just bring her back in about week and we’ll take out the stiches. She should be able to go home tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, doctor. I’m so relieved.” Brooklyn shakes his hand then sits down next to a sleeping Jana and strokes her hair away from her face.

  The doctor makes a few notes on his tablet, still shaking his head and mumbling to himself.

  I can’t make out what he’s saying, but know I need to make myself scarce before he blows my cover. I slip into the room next to Jana’s until the doctor leaves. A phone rings next door and I hear Brooklyn answer. Her heels click on the tile floor as she whispers into the phone while leaving the room. Now’s my chance to grab the drive. I tiptoe into the room and scan it for Jana’s purse. A black designer purse is in a plastic bag next to the door. Shoot, that’s going to be loud. I unwrap it as carefully as I can, sneaking glances at Jana to ensure she’s still sleeping. I almost have the purse out of the bag when someone calls my name.

  20

  “Autumn, what are you doing?” Travis whisper yells at me.

  I drop the purse and step away from the bag. “Nothing. Why? What are you doing?”

  He crosses his arms and lifts an eyebrow. “Looking for Cat. Your dad said she was with you.”

  I frown. “I didn’t tell him where I was.”

  Travis smirks. “He overheard a hospital page in the background and figured it out.”

  “Ah. Cat went home.” I eye the bag then cast a peek at a still sleeping Jana. Is she faking it or is she really asleep?

  “Home?”

  “Well to my house. Vivian took her.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I had something I needed to do.”

  He gestures to the bag. “Steal?”

  “What? No.” I place a hand to my chest as if I’m offended, but I’m really trying to calm my racing heart. My palms are sweaty because I’ve never been good at lying, especially not to Travis. “I wasn’t stealing. I was recovering an object that was in violation of someone else’s privacy.” Wow. That sounds weirdly lawyer like.

  He crosses his arm. “Mmmhmm.” He opens his mouth to say something else when someone interrupts him.

  “Travis? What are you doing here?” Allison asks, standing just outside the door. She has a bouquet of mixed flowers with a Get Well Soon balloon tied to the vase.

  “Um. Well.” He runs a hand over the back of his neck.

  I roll my eyes and save him as usual. “We came to see how Jana’s doing.”

  “We?” Allison raises an eyebrow and her eyes ping pong back and forth between the two of us.

  “No, no, no. Not we, as in me and him. Like we’re not a couple or anything. Just we as in best buds, Travis and Autumn came to check on Jana.” My face is hot and I’m rambling. I need to quit talking.

  Travis stifles a laugh with a cough and says, “Actually, we were looking for Cat, but got word she went home. We should go before…”

  “What are you doing here?” Brooklyn sneers at Travis then when she spots me, she loses it. “I told you to never show your face in here.” She pushes her way into the room and hurries to her daughter’s side, checking all the equipment. “Jana? Jana? Can you hear me? Did that awful woman do anything to you?”

  “Seriously?” I throw my hands up in the air. “You really think I would come in here and hurt your daughter. Are you delusional?”

  She glares at me. “Get out! Don’t come back. Either of you. Allison is better off without you, Detective or are you even one anymore? April’s probably rolling over in her grave at how you’ve raised Cat this past year. The child is crying for help while you spend all your days and nights ‘working’. Are you even ‘working’ Travis or are you spending time at the spa ‘checking up on Cat’ while you’re really trying to win back your ex-girlfriend? You’ve p
robably been cheating on Allison this whole time. Only dating her to make Autumn jealous. Now that Josh is gone, you have another chance. Am I right, Travis?”

  I gasp. The weight of her words slicing me and suddenly all the anger, sadness and pain from the last few days unleashes and I lunge at Brooklyn. The air leaves my lungs as two arms wrap around my waist and pull me back.

  Brooklyn’s eyes go wide as if she’s shocked I would attack her. “See! See, Allison. It’s true. She wouldn’t be so angry if it weren’t true.”

  “It’s not true,” I hiss. “I would never do that to Allison. Travis would never do that to Allison.”

  Brooklyn snorts. “He did it to you with April. What makes you think he’s changed?”

  Now, it’s Travis who starts toward Brooklyn and gets right in her face. “I made one mistake. A mistake that cost me my life. My future. My happiness. I would never make that again and I would never do that to anyone. I may still be in love with Autumn, but I would never cheat on Allison.”

  The room goes silent.

  Travis takes a deep breath and turns around to face Allison.

  She’s hovering by the door, gripping the flower vase so tightly I’m afraid it might crack. “You still love Autumn?”

  Travis hangs his head then nods. “Yes. I’ve never stopped.”

  “Then why did you ask me out? Why did you propose?”

  “Because I want to move on. I need to move on.”

  “But you’re not ready.” Her bottom lip quivers and she bites it to stop. “Will you ever be ready?”

  He sighs. “I don’t know.”

  Allison nods and sets the flowers down on the table then slowly pulls off her engagement ring and hands it to Travis. “Here.”

  He shakes his head. “You keep it.”

  “No. I can’t. It hurts too much.”

  Travis takes the ring and tucks it into his pocket. “I’m sorry, Allison. I really care about you.”

  She studies him for a moment. “You just don’t love me.”

  He shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”