by Carol Durand
“I can understand how you might have reached your conclusion, but being upset isn’t against the law…” Chas said carefully.
“I know that,” she retorted. “But think about it…I have something that he wants, I said no to his supposedly generous offer, and he wants revenge. It makes sense.”
“Maybe. But why, if his goal was to buy out the Sweet Crème portion of your business, would he want to ruin your reputation and cause the public to think that your product is dangerous?” the detective countered reasonably.
“Because maybe he figured that if he ruined me financially and by reputation, that I’d have no choice but to give in to his demands and sign the papers. Creamy Delight could always change the name of the Sweet Crème Sandwiches and totally leave out any association between me and the product,” she explained patiently.
Beckett sighed. Missy could hear the tap, tap, tap of his pen on the desk as he mulled the situation over. “Okay,” he agreed finally. “I’ll do some checking, but in the meantime, since you think that Michener might be a dangerous character, I’d appreciate it if you’d avoid him at all costs – no phone conversations, no meetings, no communication, okay?”
Breathing a sigh of relief now that the detective finally trusted her instincts, Missy agreed not to have contact with Jonathan Michener until further notice. She hung up feeling much better knowing that Chas was chasing down a probable lead, and spent the next couple of hours wearing out her furry best friend with a rollicking game of fetch. She had just mounted the steps to her front porch, happily tired, when her phone rang again. Seeing Echo’s number, she picked up and heard her friend’s hysterical voice before she could even say hello.
“Oh my gosh, Missy, the blood…it’s so terrible. I can’t stand it, I can’t stand it…” Echo babbled incoherently.
Missy’s heart pounded at her words. “Blood? What? Echo, slow down, honey. Tell me what’s going on. Where are you? What’s happening?” It sounded like the phone was dropped at that point, and she heard her friend moaning and sobbing in the background. “Echo? Echo, can you hear me? What’s happening, honey?” she asked frantically.
A male voice came on the line. “Miss Gladstone, I presume?”
Heart in her throat, Missy responded boldly, her protective instincts rising within her. “Yes, this is Melissa Gladstone. Who are you and just what is going on?” she demanded, fearing for her friend’s safety.
“This is Detective Richard Keller of the Dellville PD,” he responded professionally. “Your friend has had a bit of a scare, but she’s unharmed. She’d like you to come out and keep her company for a while if it’s not too much trouble.”
The adrenalin coursing through Missy’s body made her more suspicious than usual, and the man’s request sent off alarm bells. “How do I know that you are who you say you are? For all I know, you could be holding Echo hostage and setting a trap for me as well,” she challenged, before thinking.
The detective sighed. “Look, do I need to have Chas Beckett call and verify my identity?” he asked, impatient but understanding.
The mention of Chas’s name provided some measure of relief. “No, of course not. Just give the phone back to Echo so that I can talk to her.” More sounds of fumbling, then Missy heard sniffles and hiccups on the line.
“Echo, honey, are you okay?” she asked again.
“Mmhmm…” her friend responded. “Can you please…come down and…have tea…with me?” she asked pitifully, her breath hitching.
“Of course I will, you just hang on. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Missy dashed up the porch steps, staying in the house only long enough to grab her car keys. She wanted to take Toffee with her because her warm, loving presence brought such comfort, so she opened the back door and the delighted canine hopped into the car. Taking back roads in order to get to Dellville faster, Missy sped to Echo’s eclectic home, scared and curious. Her friend met her with an embrace at the door, her face ravaged by tears. Missy wrapped an arm around her waist and helped the distraught woman back into the house. Settling Echo on the couch and insisting that she stay there while she went to the kitchen to put the teakettle on, Missy surveyed the house subtly. There didn’t seem to be anything out of place, which made her wonder what on earth had happened to prompt such a dramatic response in her typically laid-back friend. She came back to the couch with two steaming mugs of lavender tea, hoping that the brew would help Echo to relax, and settled down next to her.
“Tell me what’s going on, sugar,” she prompted gently as Echo wrapped her hands gratefully around the mug.
“Oh Missy, it was awful. I know that our shops have to stay closed until this whole thing gets settled, but I just wanted to go create something, you know? I thought that I could go in there, maybe develop some new flavors, and just take them home to put in my freezer so that we could have a little treat on occasion.”
“Sure, that makes sense,” she nodded supportively, sipping her tea.
Echo continued. “So I went to the shop and unlocked the back door, and it smelled awful. I flipped on the light and saw that the entire kitchen floor had been covered with blood. Missy, I’ve been vegan my entire life, and when I saw all that blood, I just fainted dead away,” she shuddered at the memory.
Horrified, Missy’s hands unconsciously went to her throat. “Echo, that’s awful! Where did the blood come from?”
“I have no idea, there was no body found,” she shook her head. “Detective Keller and the police are there now, taking samples. They said that they’ll let me know when I can call a company to come in and do cleanup. I’m going to have nightmares for a very long time,” her eyes welled with tears, remembering the heinous sight.
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry…do you want me to stay here tonight?” she asked, as Toffee wandered over, placed her furry head in Echo’s lap and looked up at her with soulful brown eyes.
“I’d really appreciate it,” Echo nodded. The two sat up talking until the wee hours of the morning, and when the traumatized woman trailed down the hall on her way to bed, Missy texted Chas, briefing him on what had happened, knowing he’d get the message upon waking.
Chapter 7
“It was pig’s blood,” Chas announced when he joined Missy for lunch at a local café the next morning.
“Pig’s blood? Why on earth would someone do that? And where would you even get such a huge amount of it? That makes no sense whatsoever,” Missy shook her head, puzzled.
“How do I put this delicately…” Chas began. “There are some folks who think that there’s something fundamentally wrong with anyone who chooses to live in a manner that’s significantly different from them. Echo is from California and bought an ice cream shop that’s been a family favorite in Dellville for more than 80 years and turned it into a vegan ice cream shop. It may just be that some ignorant and angry person was trying to make a statement.”
“With blood? What kind of message could they possibly hope to convey with that?” Missy was disgusted.
“Well, if you think about getting a point across in the most profound way possible, of course a vegan would be horrified by blood. It was probably a narrow-minded prank that someone took way too far,” Beckett hypothesized.
“So, what are they doing about it?” she asked, referencing the Dellville police.
“Right now, Keller has officers out questioning every pig farmer in the area. That amount of blood had to come from somewhere, and the farms are the most logical places to start looking.”
“But…what if it wasn’t something local?” Missy mused, frowning.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that maybe we should check to see where Jonathan Michener was last evening,” she gave him a pointed look.
“Did he really seem like the type of man who would get his hands dirty by spilling pig blood in an ice cream shop?” Chas returned skeptically.
“Do the perpetrators of heinous crimes always fit the profile of a stereotypical villain?
” she shot back, smiling sweetly.
“Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll check it out,” he kissed her and stood to go.
“Chas?”
He turned back, enjoying the sight of the most beautiful woman he knew. “Yeah?”
“Thank you,” she smiled.
“Always a pleasure, ma’am,” he grinned, tipping an imaginary hat.
Missy returned home from the café to find her yard buzzing with activity. Since Ben, Cheryl, Chris and Grayson were all currently “on vacation” until her cupcake shops opened again, they had decided to surprise her by having a leaf raking party at her house.
“Hey Ms. G.!” Ben was the first to greet her, leaning on his rake handle. “We thought you could use some help with all of these leaves.
“Awww…y’all are so sweet,” Missy grinned.
“Let’s be real, Ben wanted to have a bonfire and lives in an apartment,” Cheryl joked, nudging her boyfriend in the ribs.
“I brought hotdogs and marshmallows,” Grayson contributed shyly.
Missy chuckled with delight. “Well team, you keep up the good work, and I’ll head inside to make some sweet tea and side dishes. Did you bring buns for those dogs, Grayson?” she asked the pale youth.
“Yes ma’am,” he nodded.
“Spectacular!” she approved. “Carry on, I’ll be out to join in the fun a little later. Toffee will be glad to supervise,” she teased, noting the attention that was being lavished upon the affectionate animal. Climbing the porch steps, she turned to look at the group, who had returned to their work/play and was thankful to be surrounded by such wonderful people.
Missy hummed to herself as she brewed tea and boiled potatoes to make potato salad. Thankful that she had eaten lightly at lunch, she rummaged through her pantry looking for tasty dishes that she could use to supplement the impromptu feast. Her phone rang, and she was delighted to see Echo’s number on the screen.
“Hey girl,” she answered cheerfully. “I’m so glad you called, I know you don’t eat hotdogs, but the gang is over here raking leaves and I thought that it would be fun to…” she began, before her friend could say a word.
Echo broke in tearfully. “Missy, something weird is going on, and I’m really scared.”
Missy’s mood changed instantly. “What is it, honey? What’s wrong?”
“I went out to the market to get some veggies, and when I came back, all of the windows on the back of my house were broken. Someone had been inside and moved some things around. I don’t know if anything is missing or not, but I just feel so…violated,” she cried.
“Oh no! Echo, that’s awful. Did you call the police?”
“Not yet, I just wanted to talk to someone who cares, you know?” she said sadly. “Why is this happening to me, Missy? I mind my own business, try to make a living and be a good citizen, and these horrible things keep happening. I just don’t understand.”
“I know, honey. I don’t understand either, and I’m glad you called me, but you need to contact the police right away. Did you go inside?”
“No, I couldn’t make myself go inside. I just put the groceries back into my bike basket and went to the park,” she confessed.
“Well, that might be a good thing,” Missy reassured her. “You didn’t disturb the crime scene. I’m going to hang up now, and head over to your house. You need to call Detective Keller so that he can try to help us figure out what’s going on, okay?”
“Okay,” her friend agreed, scared and upset.
“I’ll see you in few,” she promised. Missy went to the front door, and beckoned for Cheryl to come inside, giving her instructions on how to make the sweet tea and potato salad and directing her to make use of any other food that she could find in the house, promising to be back as soon as she could, hopefully with Echo in tow.
Chapter 8
Detective Keller had arrived at Echo’s house before Missy did, and had cordoned off the area after Echo had collected a few things, planning to spend time at Missy’s until her windows could be replaced. The two friends hugged, with Missy providing much-needed support as Echo talked with the police for the second time this week. After some brief questions, Detective Keller said that he had all that he needed for the moment, and Missy put Echo’s things in her trunk.
The gang paused in their raking when Missy pulled up and stood in line to welcome Echo with hugs. She was so overcome by their sweetness and concern that tears ran down her cheeks as she gratefully received their embraces. Knowing that there was nothing like a little manual labor to take one’s mind off of troubles, Grayson offered Echo a rake and quietly returned to his task. The guys soon had the troubled woman smiling despite herself as a result of their playful banter and teasing, so Missy slipped inside to see how Cheryl was progressing with the potato salad and side dishes.
“Everything okay?” the young woman asked when she saw her boss.
“As okay as it can be,” Missy smiled at her kindness and surveyed the kitchen with approval. “Looks like you’ve been taking care of business in here,” she observed, eyeing the pitchers of sweet tea that had been prepared, the potatoes waiting to be tossed into a salad and the various pots and pans from which emanated a series of delicious aromas.
“I love to cook, so when you set me loose in here, I just had a ball,” Cheryl confessed with a grin.
“With the appetite that those guys are going to have, I’m thinking that’s a very good thing,” Missy nodded.
The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the fine Fall weather, the company of good friends and the deliciousness of food eaten outdoors. The impromptu event was just what the doctor ordered to keep Echo’s mind off of her troubles, and she relaxed for the first time in quite a while, safely and securely surrounded by love and good ole Southern hospitality. Toffee dashed from one guest to the next, reveling in the seemingly unlimited cuddles, finally settling under Missy’s feet at the picnic table. Chas dropped by a few hours later, and grabbed a hotdog before beckoning Missy away from the table for a chat.
“Is there news?” she asked, when they were out of earshot of the party.
“Not really,” he admitted. “The only thing I’ve been able to determine is that if Jonathan Michener committed the acts of vandalism, he did it long-distance. He has an alibi for both of the days in question that is airtight. He’s been in France the entire time.”
“Undoubtedly trying to buy secret family recipes from the owner of a small patisserie,” Missy muttered bitterly.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but do you think it’s possible that Echo is creating these distractions for some reason? Like maybe she made a mistake with her ice cream the day of the murder and is trying to cover it up?” Beckett asked gently.
“Absolutely not!” Missy exclaimed, jumping to her friend’s defense. “Echo is the most tender-hearted, compassionate person I know. If she even thought that she had accidentally killed someone, she’d turn herself in and ask to be sent to prison. Besides, she’d never have the stomach to deal with pig’s blood,” she added, practically.
“People do strange things in desperate situations, sweetie. I know we’d never want to think that something this terrible could’ve happened, but it might be worth exploring with her. Just slip it into the conversation somehow,” he suggested.
“Slip it into the conversation? Seriously, Chas? And just how would that work? Compliment her outfit and ask if she accidentally dumped arsenic into her ice cream mix?”
The detective raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, levelling his gaze at her.
Missy sighed. “I know, I know, you’re just trying to help. I’m sorry I got a little ugly there, I’m just so frustrated by this whole situation. When are the autopsy and lab results going to be back?”
“Probably in another week or so. Until then we won’t even know whether the poison was in the cupcake or in the ice cream.”
“Or neither of the above,” Missy reminded him.
“Yes, in the best cas
e scenario, neither of the above,” Beckett agreed grimly.
“Well, I’ve got my thinking cap on,” she assured him. She moved in and gave him a sweet little kiss on the lips, eliciting catcalls, whoops and hollers from the group that was too far away to hear their conversation, but close enough to see them. Chas blushed slightly, waved to the group and trotted back to his unmarked vehicle. Missy returned to the festivities making no mention of their conversation but eyeing her friend speculatively.
After her guests had gone, Missy stocked the refrigerator with groceries that Echo had bought at the market, and the two women sat down on the couch to relax. When she tactfully tried to broach the subject of the vandalism, Echo said that she was tired and just really wanted to watch a movie and go to bed. Missy handed her friend the remote and headed upstairs to bed after taking Toffee out one last time. She turned to look back, seeing Echo staring blankly at the television, flipping through channels as though on automatic pilot.
Things had settled down a bit, with no new occurrences over the past couple of days, and Missy was hopeful that there would be no further ugliness to endure while waiting for the murder to be solved. Her phone rang as she was walking Toffee back from the park on a crisp Fall morning, and when she saw an unfamiliar number, she sent the call to voicemail, not wanting to disrupt the pattern of relative peace that she’d been experiencing. Echo’s new windows were being installed today, so her friend would be returning home with the assurance from the Dellville PD that they’d be keeping a close eye on her home.
Checking the message later, she heard from a very conciliatory Jonathan Michener, who was attempting to assure her that he only had her best interest at heart. He requested that she return his call at her earliest convenience. Missy sighed and deleted the message, wondering why he couldn’t just leave her alone. She’d made her position perfectly clear and was tired of having to deal with him on top of everything else. Whether he was the cause of recent events or not, she just wanted him to go away. She told Echo about the call when she got back to the house and was shocked at her response.
