A Sprinkle of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 4)

by Alaine Allister

  Saying “hello, I was just in the neighborhood and would love to dredge up the past” didn’t exactly cut it. Times like this, Clarissa wished journalism school had taught her how to tactfully handle delicate situations. But perhaps there was no way to be tactful about it.

  Just as Clarissa was contemplating ringing the doorbell, a car pulled into the driveway.

  She whirled around to see Jo getting out, a couple paper bags of groceries in her arms.

  “Hi!” Clarissa exclaimed, rushing over. “Let me help you with those!”

  “Thanks,” Jo replied. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was just in the neighborhood,” Clarissa told her lamely. “I know we’ve had a tough time connecting lately. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

  “That’s nice of you,” Jo said. She looked tired. “I’d invite you in, but unfortunately I have to rush out to another appointment,” she said. “I’m just here to put the groceries in the fridge and then I’m off again.”

  “Oh, I see.” Clarissa had trouble hiding her disappointment – Jo was very difficult to catch at home! She shifted the bag of Jo’s groceries she was holding to her other arm. Then she observed, “It sounds like you’ve been keeping busy lately.”

  “Yes, that’s an understatement. But I really do have to go,” Jo said as they approached the front door. “The realtor won’t be pleased with me if I’m late. You can just set the bag down here,” she added. “Thanks for the help.”

  Jo had given Clarissa a hint that she ought to leave. But Clarissa chose to ignore it.

  “Realtor…? Are you moving?” she asked.

  “I am,” Jo nodded. “There’s nothing for me here in Sugarcomb Lake anymore – no offence. I’m going to head back east. This house and my father’s condo are both going on the market first thing tomorrow. I’m not sure yet what’s happening with the donut shop.”

  “Where is your father’s condo?” Clarissa asked eagerly.

  Jo gave her a curious look.

  “A friend of mine is in the market for a new place,” Clarissa fibbed.

  “Ah. It’s that new lakefront condo development,” Jo said, pausing to rub her bloodshot eyes. “The name escapes me at the moment – I’ve had a lot on my mind lately,” she explained apologetically.

  “No worries. I know the one you’re talking about,” Clarissa replied. “I’ll uh…I’ll be sure to mention it to my friend,” she said. Immediately, she felt guilty. She hadn’t meant to lie, and she certainly didn’t want to give Jo false hope about a non-existent prospective buyer!

  “Take care,” Jo said.

  “Maybe we can get together before you leave!” Clarissa began. Then she trailed off.

  It was too late. Jo had already disappeared inside the house.

  It was a shame Jo was leaving town, though Clarissa really couldn’t blame her. It would have been nice to make a new friend. It wasn’t often that young women Clarissa’s age moved to Sugarcomb Lake!

  “Oh well,” Clarissa whispered to herself as she headed off to retrieve her broom. “It was still a good day. I found out who’s been joyriding in Morris Norman’s jeep! And I kept my broom in the air while I was doing it!”

  Her spirits lifted, Clarissa continued walking with a bounce in her step.

  When she reached the alley, she was pleased to find the two men from earlier were gone.

  Clarissa hopped on her broom. Then she flew off toward Al Moreno’s vacant condo, feeling like the best sleuth in the world.

  Well, maybe second best. She had a feeling the best sleuth in the world would have found Al Moreno’s killer by now. But she wasn’t about to give up. She was determined to get to the bottom of things no matter what it took!

  Chapter 20

  “Guess what I did today?” Clarissa asked Parker when he arrived at her house that evening.

  “Hello to you too,” Parker joked.

  “Yes, hi,” Clarissa said impatiently. “Guess what I did today?!”

  “What, no kiss?” he asked, feigning disappointment.

  “Oops! Yes, you get a kiss.” Clarissa stopped pestering her boyfriend long enough to give him an affectionate smooch hello. Then, the second the kiss was over, she resumed her harassment.

  “Parker, guess what I did today!”

  “You terrorized a young boy,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “What? How did you know?” Clarissa sputtered in surprise.

  Parker grinned. “When I got into town I stopped to fill up with gas. I overheard a couple ladies talking at the gas station. I guess you’re right that people tend to talk a lot in small towns.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “So? Did it feel good to cause a child lifelong mental scars?” Parker teased.

  “Hey, don’t say that! The kid lies and steals! He’s been going joyriding in someone else’s vehicle! What I did was completely fair, and he totally had it coming,” Clarissa insisted, crossing her arms defiantly.

  “Based on what I know, turning him over to the cops would have been kinder than turning him over to Barbara Norman,” Parker mused. Then, upon seeing Clarissa’s pout of displeasure, he added, “I’m only teasing you. I think what you did was awesome. Good for you!”

  He paused then and looked around in confusion.

  “What’s the matter?” Clarissa asked.

  “Nothing,” he replied. “It’s just…usually by now your cat is wound around my leg.”

  “Oh, right. Well the cat isn’t speaking to me,” Clarissa blurted out without thinking.

  Parker smirked.

  Immediately, Clarissa realized how stupid that had sounded. Technically it was true, but of course Parker didn’t know the cat actually could talk. Thinking fast, Clarissa added, “I mean, the cat has been acting like I don’t even exist.”

  “Ah, I see. Should I even ask?”

  She shrugged. “I scolded it. The little brat had it coming. It’s currently sulking under the bed because I disciplined it for scratching up my doorframes. I’ve been dishing out tough love to everyone lately.”

  “Should I be worried?” Parker joked.

  “Only if you plan on misbehaving,” she shot back.

  “Well I wasn’t planning to scratch up your doorframes, but…you say if I do I’ll get tough love? That sounds tempting. I’ll take whatever I can get from you,” Parker winked.

  Every fiber of Clarissa’s being was screaming at her to tell her boyfriend she loved him. They were just three little words. On the surface, it seemed like no big deal. But it was A Very Big Deal. Funny how three simple words could be so complicated…

  “Clarissa?” Parker asked. “Are you still with me?”

  She blinked. “Yes!” she said brightly.

  “Ah good,” he grinned. “For a second there I thought you were a million miles away. So what’s our plan for tonight? Do you feel like going out or staying in?”

  “I actually ordered us a pizza a few minutes before you got here, so it should be here soon.”

  “Perfect!” Parker exclaimed, licking his lips. “Pizza is the best. You’re the best.”

  “I’m not sure I am,” Clarissa admitted. “I nearly got arrested today.”

  Parker’s eyebrows shot up. “Dare I ask?”

  Clarissa pursed her lips. “I found out where Al Moreno lived. He bought a very nice, very expensive condo over in that new area at the edge of town. So I went over there to see if his neighbors could tell me anything about him.”

  “And…?” Parker pressed, listening intently.

  “It was a waste of time,” she sighed. “The guy across the hall said Al was rarely home and when he was there, he kept to himself. And the woman downstairs said the only time she saw Al, he was heading out for a fishing trip.”

  “Okay, but what’s this about getting arrested?” Parker demanded.

  “Oh, that. I was almost arrested,” Clarissa corrected him.

  “And what were you almost arrested for? Were you harassing Al’s neigh
bors?”

  She made a face. “Al’s condo was on the second floor, so I kind of…climbed up onto the balcony. I just meant to peer through the windows. But the door was unlocked, so I sort of let myself inside.”

  “You broke into a dead man’s condo?!”

  “Don’t say it like that!” Clarissa said defensively.

  “Well what happened?”

  “The condo was empty,” she grumbled. “Al’s daughter is trying to sell it. All the furniture and personal effects had been cleared out. Oh, and then somebody who knew the unit is empty saw the light on. That was why the police were called.”

  “Oh Clarissa,” Parker sighed, shaking his head.

  “Sam Swanson responded to the call,” Clarissa said dismissively. “When he got there and saw it was me inside he…well, he wasn’t happy…but he agreed to let me off with a warning. So it was no big deal.”

  “Clarissa!” Parker laughed. “You’re going to get arrested for real one of these days!”

  “That’s what Sam said.”

  “Poor Sam,” Parker chuckled. “You really test his patience, don’t you?”

  “He’ll be singing a different tune when I figure out who killed Al,” she insisted.

  “I hope you’re right,” Parker replied. Then, in an effort to be supportive, he corrected himself. “I’m sure you’re right. Just promise that you’ll be careful, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt…or arrested.”

  “I’m always careful,” Clarissa assured him cheerfully.

  It was a good thing Parker didn’t know about her shenanigans with her broomstick. The poor guy would have had a heart attack if he knew she had been flying way up above rooftops in hot pursuit of a teenaged hooligan!

  Parker knew better than to argue with Clarissa.

  Instead, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Let’s sit down,” she suggested.

  “Okay,” Parker agreed, following her over to the couch.

  “How was your day?” Clarissa asked as she took a seat.

  Parker sat down beside her and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Don’t ask,” he groaned.

  “That bad, hmm?” she murmured sympathetically.

  “Worse.”

  She cringed. “Let me guess: your father?”

  “What else?” Parker replied. “My job would be so much easier and so much more enjoyable if he’d trust me to do it. But the constant hovering and lecturing and criticizing is making me hate every second of being at the office. That’s a problem when I spend so much of my time there!”

  “I’m sorry,” Clarissa sighed. “I wish I knew how to help.”

  “You’re helping,” he assured her. “Talking helps. Thanks for listening to me vent.”

  “Any time,” she smiled. She got up and walked around to the back of the couch.

  “What are you doing?” Parker asked curiously.

  “You seem tense,” she replied. “Would you like me to massage your shoulders?”

  A grin broke out across Parker’s handsome face. “Have I ever told you how amazing you are?” he told her appreciatively. “I have the best girlfriend in the entire world! I would gladly suffer through a million years of working for my father if it meant keeping you.”

  “You don’t have to, though. I’ll be here no matter what,” Clarissa vowed. “You could quit.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” Parker chuckled.

  “Isn’t it?” she asked innocently.

  “Believe me, it isn’t easy at all. It’s complicated. My father loves blackmail. Emotional blackmail, financial blackmail, you name it. He’s made no secret of the fact that he will disown me, cut me off and write me out of his will if I don’t cater to his every whim.”

  Clarissa made a face. “That’s terrible,” she said, though it really wasn’t surprising.

  “My father is like some sort of tyrannical supervillain,” Parker joked. But neither he nor Clarissa laughed at the observation. It hit far too close to home for either one of them to find the comment humorous.

  “I know it’s not my place…” Clarissa began hesitantly before trailing off.

  “No, say it,” Parker urged. “I want to know what you think. Whatever it is, tell me.”

  “Well it’s just…is it worth it to have this kind of stress in your life? You hate your job, you’re miserable and your relationship with your father is awful. At some point, maybe you need to take a stand,” Clarissa told him tentatively.

  “What kind of stand do you have in mind?” he asked curiously.

  “I don’t know,” Clarissa admitted. “I don’t have any answers. But right now your father thinks he can call all the shots. Maybe you need to put your foot down,” she suggested. “Call his bluff. Maybe he’s making empty threats to try to make you bend to his will.”

  “My father doesn’t make empty threats,” Parker assured her. “But you’re right about everything, as usual. Money isn’t everything. And honestly, my relationship with my father is probably beyond repair. He’s a broken, angry man.”

  “Well just know that whatever you do, I’ll support you,” Clarissa said.

  She meant it…but even as she said the words, her mind was somewhere else. Something she’d said had made alarm bells sound off inside the recesses of her brain. Now she was struggling to figure out what was bothering her.

  Parker was still talking, but Clarissa was basically oblivious.

  Something was nagging at her.

  She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was on the cusp of something big.

  Suddenly she jumped to her feet.

  Parker looked up at her in confusion. “Clarissa?” he asked. “Is everything okay?”

  “I think I know who killed Al Moreno!” she gasped, racing toward the door. “I have to go!”

  Chapter 21

  “Slow down!” Parker called, chasing after Clarissa.

  She ignored him. She also ignored Cat, who appeared out of nowhere and went charging out of the house toward the woods. There was no time to spare.

  Now that the truth had hit her, she felt so foolish! Why hadn’t she seen it earlier? The writing was on the wall, and yet she had been blind to it. All she could do now was drive like a maniac and hope that she wasn’t too late.

  “Clarissa, wait!” Parker exclaimed as she dove into her car and stuck the key in the ignition.

  “No time!” she told him breathlessly.

  “Well then at least unlock the passenger side of the car!” he replied. “I’m coming with you.”

  Clarissa obliged. No sooner than Parker was seated next to her, she slammed the car into reverse and backed out of her driveway. She went screeching down the street towards the heart of Sugarcomb Lake.

  “You’re going to get us killed!” Parker protested as she took one corner a bit too sharply.

  “Hold on,” she said through gritted teeth, her eyes glued to the road.

  “Where are we going?” Parker asked.

  Clarissa didn’t reply. She couldn’t. She was too busy making sure the car stayed on the road.

  “Clarissa?” he pressed. “You said you know who the killer is?”

  At that moment, Clarissa narrowly avoided hitting a trash can that had been set out at the side of the street. She swerved, almost collided with a white picket fence and then somehow managed to get the car back in its proper lane.

  Thankfully, they were in Sugarcomb Lake.

  That meant no one was around to witness the close call.

  Once the near-crisis had been averted, Clarissa opened her mouth to say something.

  “Don’t!” Parker ordered, looking pale-faced and afraid. “Don’t talk. Don’t get distracted. Whatever you do, just don’t get us killed!”

  “I wasn’t planning to,” she retorted.

  Suddenly they stopped with a screech right outside the house where Patricia and Joe Porter lived.

  Clarissa and Parker got out of her car. He looked around, taking in their surroundings. H
is gaze fell on the quaint little mailbox at the end of the Porters’ driveway. It had their name on the front of it. Parker’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “You think Patricia Porter killed Al Moreno?” he asked in confusion. “I know she’s a little unhinged but Clarissa, are you sure…”

  “No,” Clarissa said quietly.

  She jerked her head in the direction of the house across the street…the one with the red door.

  Parker stared at her blankly. Then the truth dawned on him.

  “You think Jo Moreno murdered her own father?” He looked horrified.

  Clarissa nodded grimly. “All the signs are there. I should have caught them earlier. I just hope we can catch Jo,” she said, rushing across the street. “She’s moving out. Well, she says she’s moving out. I say she’s fleeing town.”

  Parker stopped in his tracks, right there in the middle of the street.

  He reached out and caught Clarissa by the elbow, effectively stopping her.

  “Wait a second,” he said.

  She turned to look at him, impatient. “What is it?”

  “Clarissa,” he said solemnly. “You know I trust your judgment. You’re an amazing reporter and the best detective I’ve ever met. But accusing someone of killing her own father is a really big deal. What if you’re wrong?”

  She bit her lower lip. She saw his point. It was a good one. If she mistakenly accused a grieving woman of murdering her own father, Clarissa would be the lowest of the low. She would be one of those sensationalistic, reckless so-called reporters she despised.

  Doubt began to creep in.

  Clarissa took Parker’s hand and led him the rest of the way across the street. There, they hid behind the same hedge she and Liana had sought refuge behind the day Vinnie had turned up unannounced at Jo’s house.

  “Okay, let’s talk this through,” Clarissa whispered.

  “Alright,” Parker agreed.

  “Al Moreno was a jerk. Pretty much everyone says so. I think there was a power struggle between him and Jo. He wanted her to run his business. Well, he wanted her to do all the heavy lifting. But he wanted to call the shots,” Clarissa explained. “I talked to a handyman who did some work at the donut shop. It sounded as though Al liked to undermine Jo’s decisions.”