Hot Stones & Homicides

by Jenn Cowan

  A lump develops in my throat. I wasn’t close with Jamie, but it seems weird being in here without her behind the counter dishing out the latest town gossip. Her smiling face and blond hair tucked high in a bun atop her head. “Do you need any help with the funeral arrangements?” I choke out and cough to cover up my emotions. I don’t like showing emotion in public.

  A tear falls down his cheek as he shakes his head. “We each made living wills last year, so thankfully, it’s all pretty easy. The coroner plans to release her body today. The funeral is set for Monday at noon. Lunch will be served at the town hall after the burial then everyone’s invited back here for dessert.” He glances around the bakery. “I don’t have much room, but it will be easier to serve dessert here then hauling it all to the town hall. Everyone can stop by and take a pastry or two then head home.”

  I reach across the counter and squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry for your loss. Jamie didn’t deserve this.”

  He covers my hand with his and says, “Thanks, Autumn. Please find out who did this to her.”

  “I’ll try my best.” I give his hand another squeeze and slip off the stool when a thought pops into my head. “Did Jamie have any enemies?”

  He leans on the counter and says, “Talk to Ryder Meyers and Eva Pierce. They were the other two finalists in the talent competition and they were both at the church practicing when she was…” He stares up at the ceiling, his lower lip quivering as he takes a deep breath.

  I reach out and pat his hand. “Jamie was really talented. I think she would have won.”

  He smiles and meets my eyes. “Yeah, she would have. Planned to use the money to go on a mission trip. Wanted to go with the church to help build a school in Ecuador.”

  I try not to let me shock show, but know I’m failing miserably.

  Scott laughs. “Surprised me too. She was never one to volunteer for anything, but I think hanging out with Violet was good for her. They were going to split the money so they could both go.”

  “Wow.” I’m speechless and feeling guilty for thinking Violet poisoned Jamie over Josh. Seems kind of silly now that I think of it, especially, if they were splitting the money and going on the mission trip together. Without Jamie, Violet won’t be able to compete. Scott interrupts my thoughts.

  “She was dating someone. Broke it off when everyone realized you and Josh weren’t dating.”

  I roll my eyes. “We’ve never dated.”

  Scott scoffs and mutters something I can’t make out.

  I ignore him. “Who was she dating?”

  He shrugs. “Never would tell me.”

  “Why?”

  He sighs. “I never liked anyone she dated so she started keeping them from me.” His eyes fill with tears.

  I bite my lip and decide to not push the subject. The man just lost his sister. He doesn’t need me hounding him with questions. I toss a ten and a five on the counter. “The cinnamon rolls were delicious, as usual, and keep that juice on the menu. It was yummy.”

  Scott smiles and pushes the money back to me. “On the house.”

  I smile back and thank him as I head out the door. The police have cleared out. I spot Travis across the street talking to a couple business owners. I zip up my jacket to ward off the wind as I think about what Scott told me.

  Ryder and Eva are strong competitors. Ryder sounds and kind of looks a lot like Thomas Rhett and Eva could pass for Katie Perry’s sister and her vocals are incredible. I know Ryder’s Body Shop is struggling and Eva’s mom is dealing with some health issues. They could both definitely use the money, but need it enough to kill Jamie? I don’t know. I need to talk to them.

  My thoughts shift to the mystery man Jamie was dating. How come no one in town knew about him? Or maybe they did and I’m out of the loop. I find it interesting Jamie didn’t tell her brother about the guys she dated. Why didn’t Scott like any of these guys? Were they bad news? Could one of them have hurt her?

  My phone rings and I fish it out of my pocket. Josh. “Hello.”

  “Where are you?”

  I glance around. “By the craft store, why?”

  “There’s something you need to see.”

  “Where?”

  “At the spa. Come quick.”

  9

  My black scrubs are sticking to my skin by the time I reach the spa. I really need to get more cardio in my exercise regimen. Yoga six days a week is not cutting it. I’m struggling to catch my breath as I unlock the back door. “Josh,” I cough out and gulp in some air.

  “In here.”

  I make my way down the hallway and peek into the massage rooms. The tables are made, lights are on and hot towel cabi’s are warming up, but I can’t find Josh anywhere. “Where?”

  “Red room.”

  I pause and frown. No one goes in the red room. We basically use it for storage. After some weird things happening in that room, Vicky decided we’d quit seeing clients in there. What weird things? Well, let’s just say things would move around while we were giving a massage and the temperature would drop drastically in an instant. It was definitely not an ideal environment when you’re trying to help someone relax. I shiver just thinking about it.

  “Hurry up.”

  I take a deep breath and head to the end of the hallway. The door is open and a musty smell greets me. I cough and wave a hand in front of my nose in an attempt to get rid of it. “What are you doing in here?”

  Josh is standing in front of a roaster oven. “I went home to shower and get ready for the day, but kept thinking about the hot stones being thrown through the window at Harold’s and now Scott’s. I disinfect the stones every night and sit them out on a towel in the rooms to dry. I wasn’t here to do it last night so I came in to clean them this morning and decided to count them. They’re all accounted for…except for these.” He points to the roaster.

  I step into the room and am surprised that the room is actually warm. I make my way around a couple of old massage tables, some plastic plants and framed pictures of oils and flowers until I reach Josh standing in front of a wooden table with a white and black roaster oven on top of it. I peek inside. “It’s empty.”

  He nods. “Someone broke in here and stole these. They’re using these stones to try and frame me.”

  I groan. “How many stones were in here?”

  He shrugs. “Vicky bought a hundred stones from Eddie’s Landscaping company a couple years ago. We use five massage rooms and each of them have eighteen stones. A few stones had too many holes in them so we tossed them, but there were at least four or five in here for replacements if we ever needed them.”

  “So, whoever is doing this may have three or four more stones left to try and frame you.”

  “So, you do think I’m being framed?”

  I cock my head and frown at him. “Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

  “The look you gave me yesterday when I showed up at Harold’s and then this morning at Scott’s. I wasn’t sure if you believed I was innocent.”

  I reach out and squeeze his hand. “You’re my best friend, Josh. I know you didn’t do this. You have no reason to throw the stones through the windows, kill Jamie or poison Violet, right?”

  He nods and squeezes my hand. “Now, if we could just get the police and the new prosecutor in town to believe it.”

  “My dad should be home today. He’ll make sure you…” My cell phone rings and I let go of Josh’s hand to retrieve it from my pocket. A sinking feeling forms in my gut when I see my dad’s number on the screen. “Hi, daddy.”

  “Pumpkin, how are you?” His deep voice booms in my ear.

  “Ok. How are you?”

  He pauses. “We’re at the hospital.”

  “The hospital!” I shriek. “Here?”

  “No, no. In Florida. Your mom slipped getting out of the tub this morning. She broke her hip.”

  I gasp. “Is she alright?”

  He sighs. “She will be. She’s having surgery today. They’re going to
put a plate in it and then she’ll have to recover along with doing some physical therapy.” He pauses. “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to travel for a couple months.”

  I glance up at Josh. I know he can hear what my dad’s saying. His face is stoic and unreadable, but I know he’s worried. “I’ll book a flight right now. Hopefully, I can be there by tonight.” I can hear my mom saying something in the background to my dad.

  “Honey, your mom wants you to stay with Josh. Find out who’s framing him. I can manage his case from here, but he needs you there. She says she’s fine. We’ll call you when she’s out of surgery. The doctor just walked in. Love you and stay safe.” The line goes dead.

  “Is your mom ok?”

  I shrug and stuff my phone back into the front pocket of my scrubs. I want to ignore my mom’s request and jump on a plane to be with her. She’s always been so strong and now she’s lying in a hospital bed. I sigh. I know she’s right. I need to stay here and help Josh. I glance over at the empty roaster oven. “We should report the missing stones to the police.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I wrinkle my nose and gape at Josh. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “After yesterday, I’ve learned how Travis’s mind works. He’ll twist it around and say I stole the stones from here and threw them through the windows.”

  I open my mouth to object, but he interrupts me.

  “No one else knows about the red room being storage, right?”

  I throw my hands in the air. “Vicky was a total gossip. I’m sure she told everyone about this creepy room.” A cold breeze sweeps through the room and the door slams shut.

  Josh and I exchange a glance and hurry to the door. We both try it, but it’s locked or stuck. We bang on it, but know it’s useless. Maggie won’t be in for another hour.

  I pull out my phone and try to dial Regina’s number because I can hear country music coming from the salon next door. It’s eight thirty and she opens at nine so I know she’ll rescue us only I have no cell reception. That’s strange. I had full bars a second ago talking to my dad. I move around the room holding my phone in the air.

  Nothing.

  I glance over at Josh and he’s doing the same thing. “No reception either?”

  He shakes his head and shivers. “Is it getting colder in here or is it just me?” Steam escapes from his mouth to answer his question.

  I rub my hands up and down my arms. The thin jacket I put on this morning is doing nothing to ward off the cold. I glance around and spot a couple of fuzzy blankets in the corner. “These should keep us warm until help arrives or whatever is in here decides to let us out.” I grab the blankets and hand one to him. We wrap them around ourselves and sit down on one of the old massage tables.

  “What did this place used to be before Vicky made it into a spa?”

  I rack my brain trying to think back. “We were in kindergarten when Vicky bought this place. We’ll have to do some research once we get out of here.”

  Josh sighs. “Since we’re stuck in here, who are our suspects?”

  “Violet, old man Gus, Scott, Ryder, Eva, and some mystery guy Jamie dated a month ago. I have no clue if the stones are even connected to the murder. It could just be some bored kid.”

  “Hmm. Well let’s start with figuring out who killed Jamie. Why do you suspect Violet? Why would she kill Jamie and then poison herself?”

  “Josh, are you really that dense?”

  He looks at me like I just told him the rhomboid muscle is in the foot and not in the back.

  I laugh. “Violet likes you and wasn’t too happy about Jamie pursuing you.”

  “So, she poisoned her and herself?”

  “My theory is she got some of the poison inadvertently when she put it in Jamie’s water bottle. Don’t ask me how. I have no clue, but it’s my best guess for now.”

  Josh frowns. “Why would she do that? I was going on one date with Jamie. It’s not like we were getting married.”

  “Love makes you do crazy things.”

  “Love?” He scoffs. “Violet didn’t love me.”

  I roll my eyes. “Fine. Maybe she didn’t love you, but she was definitely smitten with you.”

  “So, it is my fault Jamie died?” He runs a hand over his face then rubs his temples.

  I put an arm around him and rest my head on his shoulder. “None of this is your fault. We don’t know if Violet poisoned Jamie. It’s just a theory. I have no proof. She could have snapped because Jamie was too demanding about the talent show although Scott said they were splitting the prize money to go on a mission trip.”

  Josh nods. “They really wanted to win and help make a difference for those kids.” He sighs and drops his hands as a tear falls down his cheek. “I can’t believe Jamie’s gone. This seems like a bad dream.”

  I squeeze his shoulder and feel something strange stirring in my gut. Jealousy? No, surely not. What do I have to be jealous of? Jamie was a client and a friend. Of course, Josh is upset. I am too. I just don’t show my emotions like he does. Plus, it’s Daysville. Everyone knows almost everyone, with the exception of a few traveling nurses at the hospital, but most of us have grown up together. We’re like family.

  Neither of us says anything for a moment. The only sound is the muffled music coming from the salon next door. “Maybe we should pound on the wall.”

  “Regina’s hard of hearing and with the music cranked up, she’ll never hear us.” Josh wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer to him before turning the conversation back to our suspect list. “Why would old man Gus kill Jamie?”

  “He knows Violet likes you. He told me Jamie kept bragging about going out with you. Maybe he killed Jamie to ensure Violet could date you although he wasn’t a fan of Violet dating anyone. Probably feared she’d get married and leave him. He knows he’d never survive without her. So, he frames you for her murder.”

  Josh pulls the blanket a little tighter around us. The temperature seems to keep dropping. If someone doesn’t find us fast, we may be popsicles when they finally do. His teeth chatter as he says, “Seems a little too complex for old man Gus and I don’t see him going into church to poison her. He hasn’t set foot in a church in years.”

  I frown and snuggle in closer to Josh. That’s exactly what old man Gus told me, but I’m not ruling anyone out as a suspect. “Then there’s Ryder and Eva.”

  Josh nods. “Ryder’s got a gambling problem. His shop’s in some serious financial trouble and Eva’s mother is struggling with Lyme’s disease. She’s been in and out of the hospital for years. Rumor has it Eva found a doctor in Arizona who could help her, but it’s pricey.”

  “I bet.” I cover my nose with the blanket. It’s going numb. “Both have strong motives and were at the church when Jamie was poisoned.”

  “Hmm. What about Scott? What did he have to say about them fighting over the bakery expansion?”

  “He said he needs more space with all their online orders coming in, but Jamie was afraid of expanding too quickly and going under.”

  “Makes sense. She mentioned how well they were doing, but wanted to give them a few more months before expanding just to be sure the money was there.”

  “Sounds reasonable to me.”

  “Did he say anything else?”

  “Scott told me she was dating someone about a month ago and then broke up with them when she found out we weren’t dating.”

  Josh snorts.

  “Crazy, right?”

  “What is?”

  “Us dating.”

  Josh doesn’t say anything.

  I lift my head off his shoulder and look at him. “It’s crazy, right?”

  He opens his mouth to say something when someone pounds on the door.

  10

  “Autumn, are you in there?”

  I jump off the table and rush to the door. “Adam, the door’s stuck. Can you open it?”

  “Hold on.”

  I glance back at Josh. He’s still sitting on
the massage table staring at a picture of oils in front of him. He appears deep in thought, maybe slightly troubled. This case is really getting to him. I know how he feels. Being accused of murder and trying to piece everything together is no picnic.

  The muffled squeak of shoes on the floor stops just outside the door. “Stand back.”

  I move over to the massage table and wait next to Josh. I have no idea what Adam is going to do to get us out, but at this point I don’t care if he takes the door off its hinges or chops through it with an axe. The sound of an electric drill cuts through the air and within a couple of minutes the door is off its hinges and we’re free. I’m so happy I bound out of the room and give Adam a big hug. “You’re a life saver. I thought we’d freeze to death in there.”

  Josh mumbles a thank you to Adam then heads toward the break room.

  I stare after him, completely confused by his behavior. We were on the verge of freezing to death, he could show a little more appreciation.

  “What happened?” Adam asks as he puts the door back up.

  I almost tell him to leave it down in case we need to go in there again, but I know we need to keep it closed up. We don’t want clients going in there, or worse, an inspector from the massage board. We’d never pass inspection with a room that has a mind of its own. “Old door.”

  Adam raises an eyebrow at me. “You sure it wasn’t the ghost.”

  I laugh a little too loudly and wave a hand at him. “Ghost. Who said anything about a ghost?”

  “Vicky did. The whole town knows about the ghost in the red room.”

  I shake my head and mutter, “Vicky and her big mouth.” I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but we don’t need any more bad publicity.

  Adam finishes screwing the hinges back on the door and then closes it before putting his drill away. “She got a little tipsy one night at Doug’s bar and ended up telling everyone about the ghost. Obviously, it hasn’t hurt business. Some people really dig the stuff. Doug, in particular kept bugging Vicky about having some guys come in and do some sort of paranormal activity reading or something like that.”