Of course, Snickerdoodle didn’t listen to me. Even with an obedience class behind him, taking order from me was not Doodle’s strong suit. The female dogs in his class had taken to the lessons just fine. Was it his male stubbornness, or just his dogged personality that was more to blame for him not listening to me? I wasn’t sure.
Thankfully, with the squirrel now long gone, Doodle relented and allowed me to take him home.
***
A few minutes later, I dropped Snickerdoodle off at home and headed over to Daley Buzz for my morning caffeine fix. Perhaps a little coffee would spark some inspiration in my mind regarding the case.
Thankfully, I arrived at my family’s coffee shop during a down period. It wasn’t just quiet when I came through the front door, there was a mysterious nature to the silence. I looked behind the counter. That’s when I saw my slender jet-black-haired mother, Elizabeth Daley, and my feisty eighty-three-year-old grandma, Betsy Daley, huddled around my grandmother’s smartphone.
I immediately wondered if some breaking news had occurred that I had missed out on. Was it some sort of global calamity? A natural disaster? Or had something jaw dropping happened locally? It couldn’t have been a new development in the case, could it? Surely, David would have notified me.
I approached the counter with an equal dose of curiosity and caution. I tried not to be negative, but with the way the world was going lately, the odds were that my mom and grandma were staring down some bad news.
Whatever it was, Elizabeth and Betsy were sure captivated by it. I was able to make it all the way to the counter without them noticing me.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
The difference is my mother’s and grandmother’s reactions were striking. My mom was so startled by my voice that she nearly jumped right out of her shoes. My grandma, meanwhile, was so unfazed that she didn’t even look up from her phone.
Elizabeth placed her hand on her chest as she tried to calm her breathing. “What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that? You almost scared me half to death.”
“Mom, I didn’t mean to. I just walked up to the counter. It’s not my fault you didn’t notice me. Now, do you want to tell me what’s got you so captivated?” I asked.
Betsy briefly looked up from her phone. “Can you two take the chitchat somewhere else? I’m trying to focus here.”
I threw my arms out. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Betsy clenched her hand into a fist and groaned as she stared back at her phone. “Drats.”
Elizabeth turned her attention back to Betsy’s phone again. “Wait. Does that mean that we got nothing?”
“Don’t rub it in,” Betsy said. “It’s already bad enough that Lady Luck turned her back on us when we needed her the most. But don’t worry. I’m going to get her on our side if it’s the last thing I do.”
I waved at Elizabeth and Betsy to get their attention. “Anyone want to fill me in on what’s going on? Or are you going to make me guess?”
Unfortunately, they both ignored me.
“Are you saying that we didn’t even win a dollar?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not this time, but they’ll be drawing again in a couple of days and we’ll be ready,” Betsy said.
Elizabeth scoffed. “That’s what you said last time.”
“Hey, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to win,” Betsy said. “It just hasn’t happened yet.”
“That’s a pretty interesting statement to make considering that you’re holding ten losing lottery tickets,” Elizabeth said.
I shook my head in disbelief. “Wait a minute. This entire conversation has been about the lottery? I thought you were discussing something important.”
Betsy’s eyebrows rose as she turned toward me. “What’s more important than becoming a millionaire? Come on, Sabrina, where are your priorities?”
“It turns out I’m in the middle of trying to solve a murder case,” I said.
“Right. Never mind. Your priorities are in the correct place,” Betsy said. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you there.”
I became deflated. “Trust me. You aren’t the only one who is coming up short with this investigation.”
“What I can say, though, is that in a short time, there will be a lot more money in all of our bank accounts,” Betsy said.
Elizabeth folded her arms. “Mom, let’s not get crazy now. How do you go from winning nothing today to talking like you’re going to hit the jackpot next week?”
“Because I know we’re just a little bit of luck away from becoming millionaires,” Betsy said.
Elizabeth squinted. “Don’t you mean a lot of luck?”
Betsy shrugged. “Why are you being such a naysayer this morning?”
“How about because I hate losing? Or maybe because I know how long the odds are of winning. Let’s be honest here. We both know there’s a better chance of Valerie Olson’s killer walking into the police station and turning themselves in than there is of us winning the lottery,” Elizabeth said.
“The odds of winning have always been terrible, but that hasn’t stopped you from playing before. If you didn’t believe that you had even a small shot at winning, then why have you been putting a few bucks into our family lottery pool all this time?”
“If we ever do hit the jackpot, I don’t want to be left out,” Elizabeth said.
Betsy held her pointer finger up. “Not if. When.”
“Right. You just keep on believing that,” Elizabeth said.
“I will,” Betsy said. “But seriously, is the only reason you keep playing because you’re afraid of missing out?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No. Sometimes I dream of how good it would feel to actually win. So, I guess what I’m saying is that a dollar is a cheap way to dream big.”
Betsy smiled. “It sure is. Now take my word for it. Our dreams are going to come true. I can feel it.”
I cleared my throat. “Do you happen to know when that’s going to happen? Because I think the sooner the better.”
“I second that,” Elizabeth said.
I looked at my grandmother. “So, do you have a good feeling about when it’ll happen?”
“Soon, I hope. After all, I’m not getting any younger,” Betsy joked.
Elizabeth and I both laughed.
Chapter Twelve
I grabbed my coffee and was about to leave the shop when Shannon Smith entered Daley Buzz.
“I can’t believe it,” Shannon said.
I gave her a quizzical look. “Believe what?”
Her eyes filled with concern. “Oh no. This case must really be doing a number on you. I’m talking about Valerie Olson’s murder.” Her nose crinkled. “Unless, did some other crazy thing happen that I don’t know about?”
“No,” I replied.
Shannon breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“Sorry. I was just distracted. You see, my grandma is still worked up about not winning the lottery this morning, so there’s a lot of disbelief going around,” I said.
“She’s in good company. I’m working on a flawless streak. Somehow, I’ve managed to lose ten years in a row.”
“I can tell you how it’s happened. The odds of winning the lottery are something like two hundred and seventy million to one.”
Shannon groaned. “Trust me, I know the odds. And I’m reminded of how long they are every time I lose.”
“You sound like you could use some coffee.”
“What I could really use is eighteen million dollars, but I guess I’ll have to settle for some coffee this morning…and maybe a little chocolate,” Shannon said.
Shannon was so caught up in lamenting her latest lottery loss that she hadn’t noticed her ex-boyfriend, Gavin Zeller, approaching our table.
The athletic, brown-haired, round-faced, thirty-year-old was full of swagger as he reached us.
“Coffee is on me,” Gavin boasted. “Chocolate too.”
Shan
non turned to Gavin and scrunched her nose. “Really?”
Gavin outstretched his arms and addressed the whole coffee shop. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to buy a coffee for everyone here.”
The other customers in the shop cheered as Gavin slapped a hundred-dollar bill on the front counter.
“You’re welcome,” Gavin said, speaking to the whole shop again.
Shannon looked more confused than ever. “Gavin, are you okay?”
He smiled wide. “I’ve never been better.”
“Well, thank you,” Shannon said. “But what’s gotten into you? I’ve never known you to be this generous.”
“What can I say? I’m living the dream,” Gavin said.
Shannon folded her arms. “Did I miss something? Like, the part where this makes any sense?”
“I have to admit, I’m pretty confused too,” I said. “Gavin, I’ve never heard you talk like this before.”
“Well, I’ve never felt like this before. Then again, I’ve never been a millionaire until now, so maybe it’s going to take some getting used to,” Gavin said.
Wait. Did I just hear that right? Because I was almost certain that I just heard Gavin say that he was a millionaire.
Before I was able to open my mouth to get him to clarify his statement, Shannon held her pointer finger up and replied, “Let’s rewind for a second. Since when are you a millionaire?”
Gavin threw out his arms. “Since I just won the lottery last night.”
My jaw dropped.
Shannon replied with disbelief in her voice. “Are you serious?”
Gavin chuckled. “It’s funny. That expression you have on your face right now—that’s exactly how I looked when I checked my lottery ticket last night and realized that I won the jackpot.”
Shannon put her hand on her chest. “So, this is real, then?”
“You better believe it. I just won eighteen million dollars,” Gavin said.
Shannon’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Wow. Congratulations.”
Gavin did a celebratory fist pump. “This is the best day ever.”
Shannon’s face was still filled with disbelief. “It’s certainly a day that you’ll never forget.”
“Or that any of us will ever forget,” I added.
“It’s pretty amazing to think that I just over drafted on my checking account last week, and now look at me. I never have to work another day in my life,” Gavin said.
“That is amazing,” Shannon said.
“I’ll say. Working is overrated, anyway. Partying is so much better. This is going to be so epic,” Gavin said.
“So, what are you going to do with the money?” I asked.
“Live large, of course. Get a big old mansion on the water. A whole slew of sports cars. Maybe my own yacht too. I have all kinds of awesome ideas,” Gavin said.
“It sounds like it,” I said.
“Anyway, you ladies enjoy your free coffee on me. I’m going to get a double espresso. I have a busy day ahead of me,” Gavin said.
“Oh yeah? Doing what?” I asked.
“Thinking of more incredible things to buy with all my money,” Gavin said.
Chapter Thirteen
The coffee shop was usually buzzing with conversation, but when Gavin grabbed his double espresso and left, Shannon and I just stared at each other in shocked silence.
Our jaws remained agape until my friend finally untied her tongue and spoke up.
“Did that really just happen?” Shannon said.
My face strained. “I was asking myself the same thing.”
“And?”
“As much as this feels like a surreal daydream, it’s not,” I said.
Shannon pinched herself.
I squinted at her. “What did you do that for?” I asked. “Didn’t you believe me?”
“I had to make sure I wasn’t just imagining this,” Shannon said.
“Fair enough.”
“Actually, fair isn’t the word I would use to describe this situation.”
“I know what you mean. Gavin may believe that working is overrated, but we aren’t all lucky enough to win eighteen million dollars,” I said.
“We sure aren’t.” Shannon groaned. “Even so, some of us are unluckier than others. I mean, it’s one thing not to win the lottery. It’s another for my ex-boyfriend to be the one to take home the jackpot.”
“That does seem to be the kind of salt that your wound doesn’t need right now.”
“Exactly. Of all the people in the world who could have won, why did it have to be Gavin?”
I shrugged. “I wish I had an answer for you.”
“I don’t know about you, but I never thought one of my exes would become a millionaire.”
I chuckled. “Are you kidding? I still don’t think any of my exes will ever be millionaires.”
“Yet, here Gavin is, eighteen million dollars richer.” Shannon took a deep breath. “Do you know what the crazy part is?”
“That he ended up hitting the jackpot after you decided to pick Joe over him?”
“Well, yeah, there’s that,” Shannon replied. “But the other crazy thing is that Gavin only started playing the lottery because of me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Back when Gavin and I were dating, I’d play the lottery every week, but Gavin never bought a single ticket. He kept telling me it was a fool’s game. That I had a better shot of getting hit by lightning than ever winning the jackpot.”
I chuckled. “And now look at him.”
Shannon shook her head in disbelief. “I know, right?”
“When did he start buying tickets?”
“He used to chew a lot of gum. I’m talking a pack a day. So, one afternoon, I asked him, wouldn’t the dollar that he used every day buying gum be better spent on potentially winning millions of dollars?”
“I guess we know the answer.”
She nodded. “That day, he stopped buying gum and started purchasing lottery tickets.”
“He probably doesn’t think it’s a fool’s game now.”
“No. Instead, I’m the one who feels like a fool.”
“Don’t.”
Shannon groaned. “It would sure be nice to have eighteen million dollars right now.”
“You can say that again.”
“I have plenty of experience with not being a millionaire and it is vastly overrated.”
“You know, maybe we should talk about something else,” I said.
“You’re probably right,” she said.
But instead of discussing a different topic, Shannon just got quiet and stared out the window.
I wasn’t much help. I was so caught up with my thoughts that I didn’t say a word.
Finally, Shannon broke the silence. “It’s just so hard not to talk about it.”
“I know. I mean, I should be focused on the murder investigation right now. After all, a killer is still out there. Yet my brain just keeps focusing on the lottery,” I said.
“In your case, that’s understandable. It’s much more pleasant to think about money than murder,” Shannon said. “I, meanwhile, can’t get over the fact that I used to date a millionaire.”
“To be fair, Gavin wasn’t a millionaire when you dated him,” I said.
“Don’t remind me. After all, at one point in our relationship, Gavin was so poor that he stole money out of my wallet to buy a six-pack of beer. Now he has enough cash to open his own brewery if he wants.”
“Hey, money is great and all, but love is even better. Joe is the love of your life. You don’t love Gavin. You love Joe. And Joe loves you.”
“I know. I just can’t help but think—”
I interrupted her. “Wait a minute. Shannon, if you could go back, knowing what you do now, would you have chosen differently?”
Just then, the front door to Daley Buzz opened.
Shannon’s fiancé, Joe Marlowe, entered.
“You won’t believe what just happened,
” Joe said.
“Did you run into Gavin?” Shannon asked.
Joe’s nose crinkled. “No. Why?”
“Because he just won the lottery.”
Joe’s eyes widened. “No way.”
“I know. It’s hard to believe, but he is now a millionaire,” Shannon said.
“Wow. That sure beat my news,” Joe said.
“Which is?” Shannon asked.
“I, uh—just landed a big client at work,” Joe said.
“That’s great,” Shannon replied.
Joe got a faraway look in his eyes. “Yeah, it’s nice. Although, it doesn’t really compare to winning the lottery.”
“No, but what does?” Shannon asked.
“True,” Joe said. He took a seat at our table and just stared out into the distance, slack jawed.
“Not sure what to say, huh?” Shannon asked.
He shook his head.
“Join the club,” Shannon said.
Chapter Fourteen
It was hard to keep lotto fever from taking hold of me. Never mind the fact that there were absurdly bad odds of hitting the jackpot. This wasn’t a time for being rational. Not when the impossible had just happened to Gavin.
Wild daydreams took hold of my imagination. Oh, the things I could buy with eighteen million dollars. I had always wanted to have a house right on the water. To be able to smell the salty ocean air from my kitchen. To hear the crashing waves from my bedroom. To me, that was what dreams were made of.
For Gavin, it was more than just wishful thinking. It was in his grasp. Perhaps I was just a ticket away from making my dreams a reality as well. For the price of a single lottery ticket, I was willing to find out. Thankfully, there was a mini-mart only a few blocks away from Daley Buzz. It was close enough that I could walk there.
I checked my wallet, saw that I had twenty bucks on me, and decided to head over to the mini-mart to splurge on tickets.
Fifteen minutes later, I returned to Daley Buzz with tickets in my hand and daydreams dancing in my head.
Chocolate Cake with a Side of Murder Page 4
