Hot Stones & Homicides

by Jenn Cowan

  My heart speeds up in my chest at the thought of people actually finding out what exactly is in that room. I’ve chalked it up to an old heater and air conditioner and finicky doors and possibly us being absent minded when things have been moved, but to actually find out something is in there…I shiver at the thought. “He’ll have to run it by Sally since she owns the spa now.”

  “I’m sure he’s on it. He’s obsessed with the stuff.” Adam gestures for me to go first down the hallway.

  I head toward the office. “Do you need me to write you a check for this week’s linens?”

  “That’d be great. You’re not usually here this early. I saw your jeep in the parking lot. I let myself in the back and put the linens and extra towels in the closet.” He gestures to the door beside the break room. “When I couldn’t find you in the office, I went looking for you.”

  “For that I’m…we’re so thankful.” I glance over at Josh, who is busy eating some yogurt and granola at the break room table and doesn’t look up. I frown at him, hoping he’ll snap out of his funk and properly thank Adam for rescuing them, but he just keeps on chewing.

  “It’s my pleasure, Autumn.” Adam winks at me as we move toward the office. “The new esthetician is sure making herself at home around town.”

  I stop in front of the office door and turn to face him. “What do you mean?”

  “She’s dropped her business card off to all the businesses, even offered them a ten percent discount to come in and see her.”

  My jaw drops open. I never gave her permission to give any discounts. I’d have to clear it with Sally. If word gets back to her about the discounts, I could get fired. Not that I think she would fire me since she doesn’t really have anyone else but Josh to manage the spa, it’s still not the point. She’s trusting me to take care of her business and here I have an esthetician who’s going rogue on me.

  “I take it you didn’t know about this.” Adam scratches the back of his neck.

  I close my mouth and try not to grind my teeth as I force a smile. “Thank you for telling me and for helping us get out of that room.” I glance toward the red room at the end of the hall before entering the office and sitting down at the desk. My hands are shaking so badly I can barely write out the check. I rip it out a little too forcefully and almost tear it in half. When I hand it over, Adam places a hand over mine.

  “Autumn, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  I pat his hand and take a deep breath to calm myself down. “You didn’t. I’m glad I know so I’m not blindsided when a client comes in insisting on the discount.”

  Adam smiles, revealing the cute gap in between his front teeth. “Well I’d better get back to my deliveries. Let me know if you need any more sheets or towels before next week’s delivery.” He waves and heads out the door.

  I sigh and tuck the check book back into the drawer. Then I remember something. Didn’t Jamie and Adam go on a date around Christmas time? I think Josh and I ran into them at the movies one night. I hurry out to the break room just in time to hear Adam’s truck pull away. Shoot, I missed him. Josh has finished his breakfast and is sitting at the table sipping a cup of chamomile tea. The warm aroma is already filling the room and instantly soothes me. Another cup is sitting next to him. “Is this for me?” I plop down next to him and wrap my slightly thawed hands around the mug.

  He nods, but doesn’t look at me. Maybe he’s still frozen or in shock. I glance at the clock on the stove. Almost nine thirty. We were in there for almost an hour.

  I take a sip of tea and let the herbs work their magic on my senses. The thought of cancelling my day and taking a nice long soak in a hot tub of lavender water is really tempting. I glance over at Josh. He’s staring into his tea and appears to be deep in thought. I wonder if I should be forcing him to take the day off again. Maybe he needs time to grieve.

  Vicky closed the spa when April was murdered although she was kind of forced to since the murder happened here. Travis took all our water bottles and even sent a couple officers over here after Violet was poisoned, but never told me to close the spa so I didn’t…was I making a mistake? I’ve been so focused on keeping the spa running like a well-oiled machine, I didn’t even stop to think maybe we should close our doors for a few days as a sign of respect for Jamie. Although her brother didn’t close up shop, so now, I’m torn on what to do.

  “Autumn.”

  “Josh.”

  We grin at each other and he gestures for me to go first.

  “I was just thinking maybe we should close the spa until after Jamie’s funeral. We’re closed tomorrow anyway, but I wonder if being open is the best thing for us…for you.”

  He rubs his eyes and sighs. “I am exhausted after trying to get a hold of you all night and fielding calls from everyone in town.”

  “I’ll call our clients and reschedule. They’ll understand.”

  Josh shakes his head after glancing at the clock. “No, our ten o’clock appointments will be here any minute. We can’t cancel this late on everyone. We’re only open until four. I can last that long if you can.”

  I bite my lip. The bags under his eyes and slumped shoulders indicate he’s about ready to collapse, but it is kind of late to be cancelling on clients. “You’re right. We can make it through the day.” I take another sip of tea and then remember Josh was going to say something to me. “What were you going to tell me?”

  “Oh, nothing.”

  I study him. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, it’s nothing.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  He nods and gets up to wash out his mug then leaves the break room without another word. He’s acting really strange. My phone beeps signaling a text message. I check it and find Maggie’s texted me she’s sick and can’t make it in. I groan because her day is full and I’m sure the spa voicemail is full of potential clients wanting to take advantage of the ten percent discount she was shouting from the roof tops last night. I’m tempted to text her back and inquire about the discount, but I know it’s probably more professional to have that talk in person. I sigh, take one last sip of my tea, leaving the rest for later and head to the front desk to check the schedule and cancel her day.

  The bell above the door chimes and Regina waltzes in. Her red hair seems to be even redder today if that’s even possible. She’s dressed in jeans and her black smock with combs tucked into the pockets. “Morning, Sugar.” She smacks her gum and leans against the counter. “Adam just told me he had to rescue you from the red room ghost.”

  I groan and fight the urge to bang my head on the desk. I forgot to tell Adam to keep this little incident between us. I’ll have to text him after I cancel Maggie’s clients. Then I remember my epiphany in the office. “Regina, did Adam and Jamie ever date?”

  Regina smacks her gum again and says, “Well, of course, they did, sugar. For several months, actually. Jamie broke his little heart when she dumped him. He moped around for weeks.”

  “When was that?”

  Regina taps a red painted finger nail against her chin as if thinking really hard about the timeline. “Probably around Easter. Maybe a little after that. I remember asking him if they were going to the church’s ice cream social. That was a little over a month ago and the poor thing nearly broke down in tears.”

  My heart cracks a little hearing that. Adam’s a sweetheart and I remember how smitten he looked at the movies even though Jamie told us they were just friends. I wonder if she said that to keep her brother from finding out about them or to let Josh know she was available.

  “Autumn. Autumn.” Regina snaps a finger in front of my face.

  Ugh. I really have to stop zoning out. “Yes.”

  “What are you going to do about Maggie?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean she was passing out business cards and discounts last night like they were Halloween candy. Vicky never gave discounts and I bet Sally isn’t going to be happy about it either. Before she went t
o jail, she indicated she wanted to keep everything at the spa the same…just like her mother.”

  “I know. I didn’t know anything about the discounts. I’ll have to talk to Maggie when she gets back.”

  “Gets back? Isn’t she here? It’s almost ten o’clock.”

  “She just texted she’s sick.”

  Regina rolls her eyes. “My ten o’clock cancelled so I can cover for her while you reschedule the rest.”

  “Really?” I perk up at her offer.

  “Of course, sugar. I never wanted to compete with Vicky so I always kept to hair, but I kind of liked working on Betty yesterday. I’ll go get the room ready.” She snaps her gum again and moves toward the door.

  I rush around the counter and engulf her in a hug. “Thank you so much. You’re the best.”

  She pats my back before heading toward the purple room. I make quick time calling and rescheduling Maggie’s clients. A few people grumbled about it, but most were understanding and rescheduled for Tuesday since we’re closed Monday for Jamie’s funeral. After rescheduling everyone, I take a minute to catch my breath and think about what Regina told me.

  Adam and Jamie dated and it kind of matches up with the timeline Scott gave me. Adam knew about the red room and he has a key to the spa so he could take the hot stones without anyone being suspicious. Did he kill Jamie and is framing Josh as some sort of revenge?

  11

  I sigh as I turn the Open sign to Close at the end of this crazy Saturday. Everyone had some sort of gossip they wanted to share with me. My suspect list should be as long as Santa’s naughty and nice list with the town accusing each other of killing Jamie. Of course, when I mentioned the hot stones being thrown through store front windows, everyone became stumped and the rumblings about various murder suspects stopped.

  “Ready?” Josh leans against the door frame holding out a cup of Chamomile tea for me. “I noticed you didn’t finish yours earlier. I warmed it back up. Thought we could grab a pizza on the way home since we didn’t get to last night.”

  “Thanks.” I take a sip of tea. It tastes a little different, but it’s still yummy. I take another sip then set it down on the counter and smile at him. “Actually, I want to go check on Violet at the hospital. Nikki texted me earlier and said she was asking to see me. I thought maybe I’d take Violet some dinner and visit with her. Old man Gus has been moved to the ICU so I thought I’d stop in and see him too.”

  Josh frowns. “What if one of them killed Jamie?” He pauses. “You might be in danger, especially if either of them thinks we’re together.”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Haven’t I made it crystal clear Josh and I aren’t together? I mean, he was planning on going out with Jamie and I’m supposed to go on a date with James. Speaking of James, he texted me earlier and I’m planning to meet him for a walk in the park after my visit at the hospital. He even mentioned a moonlight picnic. Romantic, right? I need a little more romance and a lot less murder in my life so hopefully, I don’t have to cancel on him again.

  “At least let me go with you.”

  I open my mouth to object when there’s a knock on the spa door. I turn to find Travis’s face filling the window. Great, now I’m going to have to deal with two overprotective men. At this rate, I’ll never make it to the hospital or get my moonlight picnic. I sigh and unlock the door. “We’re closed.”

  He smirks at me. “I know. I’m here to check out the red room.” He holds up a search warrant. “Word around town is you two got trapped in there today and there’s suspicion the hot stones sailing through business windows are missing from that room.”

  My jaw drops open. “Who told you that?”

  “I can’t give away my sources.”

  I cross my arms and glare at him.

  He glares right back and we end up in a staring contest or glaring contest before Travis blinks and gives in. “If you must know, it was anonymous tip left on the police hotline.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “An anonymous tip?”

  He nods and holds up his right hand. “I promise.”

  “Fine.” I throw up my arms and stomp toward the red room. Josh catches my arm as I pass him and shakes his head. I’m not sure what he’s trying to convey, but I shrug him off and lead the way to the red room. Both men follow me and we stop just outside the door. I motion for Travis to have at it. He hesitates and I almost laugh out loud. I forgot how afraid Travis is of ghosts or anything supernatural. “It won’t bite.”

  He narrows his eyes and squares his shoulders before reaching for the door handle then jumps back when his hand touches it.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s ice cold.”

  I try the knob. “No, it’s not.” I turn the knob and open the door. “After you.”

  He moves to enter the room when the door slams in his face. We all gasp and jump back. He reaches out, tries the knob, but it won’t budge. “Come on, Autumn. This isn’t funny.”

  I blink and shake my head. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “So, the door has a mind of its own. I come in here with a search warrant and can’t search the room. That’s a little too convenient.” He glares at Josh. “Did you do this? Trying to hide the fact you stole the hot stones from this room and have been chucking them through store windows.”

  Josh holds up both hands like he’s surrendering. “I didn’t do this or steal the stones. We didn’t even realize they were missing until this morning.”

  I groan. He’s said too much.

  Josh turns red when he realizes his mistake.

  “And you didn’t report them missing?” Travis’s nostrils flare as he glares at both of us.

  I have to think fast or we’ll both end up in serious trouble. “We were going to, but the door got stuck. Then Maggie called in sick so I had to reschedule her day and we’ve been back to back with clients all day. I was just planning to call you when we closed.” I know I’m lying through my teeth, but if Travis decides to lock us up, I’ll never find out who is behind all this.

  Travis pursues his lips and tries the knob again. It still won’t budge. “I’ll be back tomorrow with tools to take this door down. Ten o’clock sharp. It should give you time to make it to church and go home and change, right?”

  I nod and watch as he stomps toward the door. Josh and I exchange a look. I’m tempted to try the door myself, but don’t want to deal with anymore drama tonight. I need to get to the hospital before visiting hours are over. “Call in a pizza and two salads. We’re going to pay Violet a visit.”

  Josh takes out his phone and heads toward the front to lock the door behind Travis as I start clicking off lights. I hear a creaking sound and turn around. The door to the red room is cracked open. A shiver runs down my spine and I hurry down the hallway, shutting off lights as quickly as I can. There’s no way I’m going into that room tonight. I make a mental note to do some research on the building when I get home.

  “Our order should be ready in ten minutes.” Josh holds open the back door for me and I hurry toward the jeep while he locks up.

  A siren sounds a couple blocks away. I groan. “Not again.”

  “Let’s check it out. It sounds like it’s right by Pete’s Pizza Palace anyway.”

  “Fine.” I huff and flop down in the passenger seat.

  Josh turns on the Jeep, but doesn’t put it in drive. “What’s wrong with you? You love this stuff.”

  I shrug. “This whole case has me rattled. There’s no connections. The poisonings, old man Gus ‘shooting himself’, the stolen hot stones, the broken store front windows.” I leave out the creepy red room because it really doesn’t have anything to do with the case, but I still need to find out more about it. “I feel like someone is throwing me off on purpose, but who?”

  Josh reaches out and squeezes my thigh. “You’ll figure it. You always do.”

  I give him a weak smile and nod. “Sorry I’m being such a Whiny Whitney.”

  He laughs. “Whitney
is definitely whiny, but you’re nowhere close to that. She came into Pete’s last week and whined about the crust not being crisp enough and when Pete cooked her pizza longer, it was too crisp. Poor Pete ended up making her a new one and it still was too crisp. He gave her both pizzas for free and then she still whined about having to eat two free too crisp pizzas.”

  I giggle. “We’ll have to give Pete a big tip tonight. No one should have to put up with Whiny Whitney.”

  “Unfortunately, she’s on your schedule for Tuesday.”

  I groan again. “Really?”

  He nods. “She called in at the end of the day and insisted she see you Tuesday.”

  “Usually she requests you.”

  “I think she’s convinced I poisoned Jamie.”

  I frown. “What do you mean?”

  “She asked if we still gave out free water bottles at the end of the massages. I told her we were currently out, but should be restocked by Tuesday. She insisted there was no need to hand out water bottles to clients because they can just get a drink of water at home after their massage.”

  I roll my eyes. “She’s so dramatic. Didn’t she hear about how all the water bottles in the mini fridge were all free from antifreeze?” The captain left a message on the spa phone earlier today letting us know the other bottles weren’t poisoned. Surely, that tidbit of information got around town by now.

  “Yes. Didn’t matter. She said we could have prevented this scandal if we didn’t offer water bottles to clients to begin with.”

  My stomach growls. I press a hand to it. Then my head starts to hurt so I rub my temples. I think I’m dehydrated. With no water bottles at the spa, I didn’t drink much today, which always leads to a headache.

  “Are you alright?” Josh squeezes my thigh again.

  “Fine.” I try to meet his eyes, but my head begins to spin and my vision blurs. Shoot. I hope I don’t get sick. I really need to make it to the hospital and to my romantic moonlight picnic. I squeeze my eyes shut and take a couple deep breaths. “Just thirsty and hungry,” I say, opening my eyes slightly to prove I’m okay.