Facials & Fugitives (A Cozy Spa Mystery Book 4)

by Jenn Cowan

  “What?” Now, I feel my face getting hot. “None of that is true. Yes, you’re my best friend, but…”

  Josh holds up a hand. “Don’t. I’m married to Hailey, now. She appreciates me and everything I have to offer.”

  I snort. “Yeah, right.”

  His face gets even redder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Don’t you think it’s a little strange how she married you after only knowing you for twenty-four hours? She knows nothing about you.”

  “When you know. You know.”

  I roll my eyes. “Do you know Josh? Because correct me if I’m wrong, but on Friday afternoon you still wanted us to be together.” I gesture back and forth between him and me.

  He doesn’t respond as he stares at me. “I have to go.”

  “Where?”

  “Home.” He turns and heads to the door. “With my wife."

  15

  My eyes are puffy from crying for the past hour. I tried to go over the books again but kept having to start over. Dr. Gregory isn’t answering his phone. I contemplated going over to the hospital to have a chat with him, but I’m in no mood. Things with Josh went from bad to worse. Now, he’ll probably never speak to me again.

  I sigh and step out into the night. The sun is gone, and the moon is rising into the night sky. Suddenly, it hits me. Martin never dropped off my new Jeep. I groan thinking about having to walk home in the cold. Why didn’t I think about this earlier? I should have called the dealership before they closed. It’s going on seven thirty, and they close at six.

  Once the spa is locked, I take off across the parking lot. Headlights sweep into the lot, and I squint to see who’s pulling in.

  Travis.

  “Need a ride?”

  I contemplate telling him I can walk, but my body aches and the thought of trekking three miles in the cold is not appealing. “Thanks.” I wave him off when he starts to get out to open my door.

  He tilts his head but doesn’t say anything as he reaches across the console to push the door open for me. “Your dad said Martin was bringing you a new Jeep. Did something happen?”

  My throat gets tight, and tears are about to fall, but not because I don’t have a new Jeep. When did I become so emotional? Maybe when you realized you’re in love with Josh and now, you’ve lost your chance with him. The realization slams into me like a linebacker into a wide receiver. I gasp as if one of them hit me.

  "Are you OK, Autumn?"

  I fan myself and cough out, "Air, please."

  He gives me a strange look and rolls down the window.

  I prop my head on the door frame like a dog and stare out into the night. The cool breeze hits my face as we pass through the empty streets. As I breathe in and out and try to come to grips with my feelings, I'm comforted by the smell of wood burning in a fireplace, even Pete's heavenly pizza aroma is wafting through the night. My stomach growls, but I ignore it. There's no way I'm picking up a pizza. It will just make me think about Josh.

  Travis remains quiet as we drive and for that I'm grateful.

  We’re sitting in front of my driveway in no time, and I stare at my house. It’s dark and depressing. I never come home to my house alone. Josh is always with me. We’re laughing and talking about the day. Usually, have some take-out or Josh is planning to cook a delicacy. Not tonight, probably not ever again. I’m officially alone. Sheesh, Autumn. Pull yourself together. It's not the end of the world. Why does it feel like it? “Thanks for the ride,” I mumble to Travis and push open the car door.

  He tugs on my arm. “What’s wrong, Autumn? I’ve never seen you like this. Did something happen?”

  I glance over his shoulder at Josh’s house. It’s all lit up. A silver sedan sits in the driveway. Probably a rental car. My stomach turns.

  Travis follows my gaze. “I heard Josh came by the spa earlier. Aunt Regina said he left in a huff. Did you two argue?” When I don’t say anything he continues, “He and Hailey showed up together at the café. Josh introduced her to everyone as his wife. The whole town is in an uproar. No one knows what to think. I figured I better give you a heads-up. I’m surprised your phone’s not ringing off the hook.”

  “I turned it off an hour ago,” I respond, not taking my eyes off Josh’s house.

  “I’m sorry, Autumn.”

  I blink and stare at him. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Travis. It's my fault. I thought I had time. Wanted to be sure. Didn’t want to give up on some crazy idea of us.” I gesture back and forth between him and me.

  His eyes grow wide. “There’s still a chance for us?”

  My face flushes. “No. I was confused, but I’m not anymore. We’re friends. That’s it.”

  He looks like a wounded puppy for a moment then mutters, “Friends. Guess that’s better than enemies.”

  I smirk. “We’ve never been enemies, more like frenemies.”

  “Frenemies, huh?” He huffs out a laugh.

  “Good night, Travis.” I move to push open the door, but he grabs my hand.

  “Aren’t you going to ask about Roger? The case? Maggie? You’re usually hounding me about it. I'm worried about you, Autumn.”

  “Is this your way of asking for my thoughts on the case?”

  He blushes. “Guilty.”

  I sigh. “Come on inside. Do you still make your delicious vegan blueberry pancakes?”

  He grins. “You know it. Cat’s been talking about going vegan, so I guess I have you to thank for that.”

  I get out and shut the car door. “Going vegan isn’t a bad thing.”

  “I’m not saying it is,” he replies, joining me on the sidewalk. “I’m just saying Cat looks up to you. She talks about you all the time. Did you talk to her about working at the spa after school and on Saturdays?”

  “I meant to talk to you about it, but with everything going on, I forgot.” I give him a sheepish look. “Sorry.”

  He waves me off. “What are you thinking?”

  We reach the porch, and I rifle through my purse for my keys. “We need someone to answer the phones, and we’ve been thinking about putting some items for sale in the front of the store. I’ve thought about hiring a receptionist full time, but it’s just not in the budget right now. I can only offer her minimum wage and about twenty hours a week. Is that too much with her school schedule?”

  Travis shakes his head. “Nope. It will be good for her. She’s been withdrawing lately.” He runs a hand over the back of his neck. “I don’t think she likes Allison.”

  Cat's very vocal about her dislike for Allison, but I don't plan to betray her trust by telling Travis. “Give her some time. She lost her mother earlier this year. I don’t think she’s looking for a replacement quite yet.”

  He winces as if I slapped him. “I know. Maybe we’re moving too fast. Allison’s been hinting about getting engaged.” Travis sighs. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that step either.”

  “Don’t rush it. You’re still young,” I push open the door as his phone goes off.

  “Not that young,” he mutters then answers the phone.

  I turn on the lights and bump up the heat. The nights are getting chillier. I start to head to the kitchen when Travis grabs my arm. The action startles me, and I spin right into his arms. My hands splay to his chest, and we nearly hit foreheads. A flashback of a couple of months ago when Josh did this same thing, and then kissed me, fills my mind. I step back and try to calm my racing heart.

  “Sorry.” His face is red, and his expression is something I can’t exactly read. “That was the station. There’s been a theft at the dealership.”

  16

  When we pull up to the car dealership, the first thing I notice is the lights are all off. That’s strange. “Didn’t Martin call in the theft?”

  Travis shakes his head. “An out-of-town customer was scheduled to meet Martin after hours to pick up his car. When he got here, the showroom bay door was open, Martin's classic 1964 Mustang was missing. Mart
in wasn't answering his phone, so he called it in.” Travis parks his SUV next to a red truck where an older gray-haired gentleman is sitting inside. The man waves and gets out.

  "So, why does he think there's been a theft?" I ask and step into the cool night air. I’m glad I grabbed a warmer coat before we left my house. "Maybe Martin just took it for a drive."

  Travis's eyes go wide, and he gasps.

  "What?"

  "Martin has never driven that car. It's his baby. He even had it delivered on a flatbed truck and rolled into the showroom floor when he bought the dealership. It's a classic. He would never drive it."

  I roll my eyes. "What good is a car if you don't drive it?"

  Travis gives me a look like I don't get it and to be honest I don't. He heads toward the customer while I peek inside the showroom.

  I make sure not to touch anything. It's dark, so I switch on my phone flashlight app then gasp. “Travis, come quick.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I point to the floor. It’s not a pretty sight.

  “Call an ambulance, Autumn.”

  My stomach turns, and I force back the bile rising in the back of my throat.

  “Autumn, call it in, NOW!” Travis crouches down to check for a pulse.

  I fumble with my phone and somehow dial the hospital.

  The night air is no longer cold. It’s hot, and I feel woozy. I tear my eyes away from the scene and turn my back on it, although, it will probably be ingrained in my mind forever.

  Roger's body is on the showroom floor. My guess is someone ran him over. He looks like a rag doll soaked in blood. I’m glad the lights are off because I don’t want to see anymore.

  The quiet night fills with sirens, and within minutes the police are taping off the scene and taking photos while the EMT’s check out Roger, not that there's much they can do for him, but I'm sure they're double checking to ensure he's dead this time.

  “Autumn, why don’t you go sit in the SUV while I finish up?”

  I don’t hesitate and make a beeline for the SUV. I’m just about to get in when I hear groaning. I pause, wondering if I'm imaging things, but when I hear it again, I head toward the sound.

  It takes me a few minutes to figure out where it’s coming from and I stop in front of dark blue Jeep. My guess is it’s my Jeep. “Hello? Is someone there?”

  I hear the groaning again and then the sound of someone vomiting. Ugh. That smell is never going to come out. “Can I help you?”

  More groaning.

  I open the door and find Gil lying on the floor of the back seat of the Jeep. He blinks up at me. Alcohol wafts off him. “Gil? What are you doing? Where’s Martin?”

  Gil blinks again. “I dunno."

  I cross my arms and lift an eyebrow.

  “Isn't he here? He said he had to take care of something for Roger.” Gil peeks behind me at the flashing lights. "What's going on?" He tries to get up, but falls back on his behind, right into the vomit.

  I cringe. "What are you doing in here? Is this my Jeep?"

  Gil nods. “Roger had a few drinks then had to use the john so I thought I would bring you your Jeep.”

  “You thought you would drive drunk.”

  He hiccups. “I’m not drunk. I had one beer.” He lifts the bottle as proof.

  “One at a time.”

  “No.” He cocks his head at me. “I had one. Roger gave it to me.”

  “Speaking of Roger, isn’t he supposed to be dead? He was in the morgue for two days then gets up and starts walking around town.”

  Gil begins to laugh hysterically. “Best Halloween prank ever!”

  I frown. “What do you mean it was a prank? You mean Roger wasn’t dead?”

  “No,” Gil says trying to reel in his laughter. “He wanted to freak out Maggie. She likes scary movies and all the gore so he thought it would be a cool stunt to get her back.”

  I blink and try to wrap my brain around his words. “Roger faked his death. Maggie took the rap for it then a couple of days later Roger gets up and walks around town as if nothing happened.”

  “Best prank ever.” Tears are streaming down Gil’s face.

  “So, all that stuff you told me in the spa about Roger owing someone money and all the stuff about the jewels was made up? To what, create an alibi for yourself?”

  Gil stops laughing. “Partly, but Roger and Maggie are in trouble. Roger thought faking his death would buy them some time. Keep Maggie safe in jail. If you think about it, Roger was smart. He was protecting Maggie and himself.”

  My head starts to pound. “So, who ran Roger’s car into my Jeep?”

  “Martin. He only meant to tap your Jeep, not explode it. Roger’s car was in pretty bad shape. Guess it was leaking oil, and the engine was always overheating. Martin said something about a leak in the gas tank too. We never intended for things to get so out of hand.” He bows his head. “Sorry about that, Autumn. Martin's upset about your Jeep. He practically gave this one to your dad when he called this morning.” Gil gestures to the vomit. “I’ll clean this up for you.”

  I shake my head. “It’s fine.” Then I ask, “Did you guys break into the mayor’s house?

  “Bobby? We didn’t break into Bobby’s house,” Gil slurs.

  I roll my eyes. “The old mayor.”

  “Oh, Roger said something about him having some rare jewels in there. Thought he could use them to pay off his debt. When we saw your Jeep, we hightailed it out of there and set up the perfect crime.” His eyes twinkle in the dim light like he’s excited to tell me everything.

  “The perfect crime?”

  He nods. “The police were looking everywhere for Roger, so we thought it was only fitting, to have him run into the town sleuth. I mean you’re always finding dead bodies, right?”

  I purse my lips to refrain from commenting.

  “Roger took some drugs, I can’t remember what, Lorazepam and something else, but it slows your heart rate, so people think you’re dead.”

  I frown. “I saw Roger in the car. There was blood all over him. Maggie had his blood on her too. The police tested it.”

  Gil grins. “Well, this is the awesome part. Maggie came out to the farm, and she and Roger got into an argument, she pushed him, and he pretended to fall onto an ax. He has a friend, who’s a phlebotomist and they drew a sack of blood for him, which he hid under his shirt. He popped it when he fell, and of course, Maggie tried to save him, so she, in turn, got his blood on her. She took off so fast. I could have sworn there was smoke coming off her shoes.” Gil cackles like this was the funniest thing he’d ever seen.

  “Then Maggie gets pulled over for speeding and charged with Roger’s murder. Only Roger isn’t dead.”

  Gil shakes his head. “Nope.”

  My head starts to pound. I really should have it checked out.

  “With the medical examiner out, it made it easy to sneak in and get Roger out of the body bag. He hung out in the morgue for a couple of days then dressed up as a cop and let Maggie out of her cell. They walked out the back door during a shift change. No one saw them. Bad police work, don’t you think, Detective Mills?

  I turn to find Travis behind me, glaring at Gil. “Did you catch all that?”

  “Enough,” he mutters. “You do realize everything you just confessed to is illegal, right, Mr. Gallahan?”

  Gil pales. “I-I didn’t do anything. It was all Roger’s idea. Ask him.”

  “I would, but I can't,” Travis sighs.

  “Why? He’s inside. Had to use the john.” Gil moves toward us and stumbles out into the parking lot. “Rog. Roger. Tell Detective Mills here your plan. Maybe he can protect you and Maggie.” Gil staggers toward the ambulance. “Why is there an ambulance here?” He glances toward the showroom, which is now lit up. “Why is there blood on the floor?” He rushes toward the ambulance and demands to see who’s in the body bag. A howl comes from him when he sees Roger, and Gil falls to the ground. “Nooo. Why? Why man?”

  “
How much has he had to drink?” Travis asks, taking in the scene next to me.

  "He said only one, but Roger gave it to him. Do you think he spiked it?"

  "Or he's drinking while on something else."

  I feel like I’m watching a twisted Halloween movie. None of this makes any sense. Roger was faking his death and framing Maggie for it in some declaration of love, but he was trying to protect them both from someone Maggie owes money too.

  Who?

  Martin?

  According to Gil, he was in on this, but where is he?

  Could it be Hailey? Maybe some mystery person?

  Travis sighs. “You OK if we take him to the hospital to get checked out?”

  “Sure.” I shiver against the cold wind as I watch Travis try to corral Gil. It’s like trying to pick up a half sleeping toddler. I slip into the passenger seat, and my thoughts turn to Maggie. Where is she? If she knew Roger was still alive, why didn’t she tell the police? She’s hiding something, but what?

  17

  I sit on an exam table and wait for Dr. Gregory. My headache is now a dull ache, but I still think I need to get it checked out, not to mention it gives me the perfect opportunity to ask Dr. Gregory about the missing funds at the spa.

  Travis is down the hall dealing with Gil, who's inconsolable and drugged. It turns out Roger spiked his cousin’s beer with some heavy drugs. Gil’s all over the place, and Travis is struggling to keep him in check.

  My thoughts wander to Martin. Where is he? Was he behind this or was he taken hostage by whoever stole the car from the dealership? Then I think about Maggie again. I know Hailey is with Josh, so I’m assuming if Maggie were there, Josh would tell Travis...or maybe not. Josh is pretty protective of the people he cares about…loves. Does Josh love Hailey? I mean he doesn’t even remember meeting her or marrying her. I groan, put an arm over my eyes and flop back on the table.

  “Long day?”

  I peek out from underneath my arm to find Dr. Gregory standing in front of me. Gosh, he sure does look like a young Keanu Reeves. He’s wearing a white lab coat over a pair of gray dress pants and a black button-up shirt. “You could say that.” I sit up and let him check my forehead. He asks about my symptoms, and I tell him about my dizzy spells and headaches.