Single Elimination: A Cozy Mystery (Brenna Battle Book 4)

by Laney Monday

  “Brenna? What’s the matter? You two aren’t having problems, are you?”

  Were we? I wasn’t sure. But I was pretty sure Blythe and I were about to. “No, not really. It’s just that something came up. Will started asking me questions and I wasn’t going to tell him, but he guessed it, and…” My voice was shaking, really shaking.

  Blythe grabbed my hand. She was seriously concerned now. “And what? He guessed what? Are you okay?”

  I swallowed hard. “He guessed that there was someone else, before I met him.”

  Blythe’s forehead crinkled. So did her dainty little nose. “Who else?”

  I shut my eyes. I couldn’t look at her. “Jake.”

  “Brenna, it sounded like you just said Jake.”

  I nodded.

  She let go of my hand. “My Jake?”

  I opened my eyes. The color had left Blythe’s cheeks. She shrank back, away from me. Her Jake. Oh, no. Was I resurrecting the Blythe who loved Jake? It was hard enough to break this to the Blythe who’d moved on.

  “Before you two were ever a thing,” I said quickly. “It was just one time.”

  Blythe just blinked at me for what seemed like an eternity. Then she said, “And you’re telling me this now because you already told Will.”

  “He figured it out. I wasn’t going to tell him. I wasn’t going to tell anyone.”

  “Are you in love with him?”

  “Yes! Otherwise I wouldn’t—”

  “Wait! You’re in love with Jake, my ex-husband?”

  “No! Will. I’m in love with Will. Not that it even compares to my only sister…Blythe, you’re the most important person in the world to me.”

  “Were you ever in love with Jake?”

  “I thought I was. For years, I thought I was. But then he showed me who he really was.”

  “And when was that? At what point did he show you who he really was? Before I married him, or after?”

  “After. Please, Blythe. You have to believe I would’ve told you everything if I thought it would save you heartache. If I thought it would make you happier in the end. If I knew what he was going to do.” I could see it all crashing down on her at once. She didn’t know what to be mad about first, what to be mad about the most.

  “So, you still thought Jake was a great guy? You were still in love with him when I married him and you didn’t think that was something I should know?”

  “He didn’t love me back!” My tears spilled out, and I was angry. So angry at myself. So angry at Jake for acting like he had feelings for me today. “He wanted you. I didn’t want to take that away from you.”

  Abruptly, Blythe got up from the couch.

  “Blythe?”

  She walked calmly but quickly to the little bedroom we shared. I hurried after her. She pulled a pink duffel bag out of the closet and began filling it with clothes.

  “What…what are you doing?” My voice sounded so small to my own ears. “Bly, please. Don’t go.”

  Her eyes were shiny with tears, but she wouldn’t let them fall. “I’m going to Lourdes’s house. I’ll talk to you about this later, Brenna. Right now I just need—I need—” Her voice caught. A tear escaped.

  I reached for her, but she held a hand out, gently but firmly. “No. Not now. I can’t now.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t try to stop my tears.

  That feeling. That awful, awful feeling I’d buried under a ton of bricks in my soul, whooshed out. The bricks flew everywhere inside, like a wall shattered by floodwaters. How could I? How could I keep something like this from her?

  One day at a time, step by step, that’s how. I couldn’t speak of it. Of how completely devastated I was. I’d told myself I would, later. That I’d tell my sister eventually, when I was strong enough.

  And then it was too late. Jake had asked her out. She wanted to know what I thought. She was so happy, and I was so confused. What happened between us had just been a mistake, Jake had said. We’d both always known it would be a bad idea, hadn’t we? That was why we’d never made any romantic moves toward each other in all these years, wasn’t it? Why should I let a mistake stand between my sister and happiness with a great guy? And at the time, that’s how I still thought of Jake. As a great guy. A guy I was still in love with. A guy who’d made it clear he wouldn’t even consider trying to make it work with me.

  I hadn’t even gotten to tell Blythe the details of how it had happened. How Jake had “comforted” me the night I lost everything in the Olympic Games. Jake had been disappointed too, hadn’t he? No one had worked as hard as I had in my quest for Olympic Gold, but Jake had certainly invested a lot in me. All for a heart-wrenching defeat due to a devastating injury. We’d both been vulnerable.

  Remembering that, I forgot, for just a moment, to hate Jake. I caught myself trying to understand him again, starting to empathize with him. No! That was too close to liking him. Too close to feeling other things for him. Things I never wanted to feel for him again. Things that, until Will Riggins, I hadn’t wanted to feel for anyone again.

  I picked up Blythe’s pillow pet—half pillow, half stuffed animal—in the shape of a purple platypus, and settled it on top of the stack in her arms. “Here. You might want Platy.”

  Blythe sniffed and nodded. She even tried to smile. She didn’t hate me, totally. But she couldn’t stand to stay here with me. And I had no idea what to do with that.

  20

  The next morning, I headed for Will’s house, not to see him—he was at work—but to see Chloe. Jake was on a plane, headed back to Arizona at this very moment, thank God. Hopefully he’d stay out of our lives this time. What I needed right now was some genuine puppy love. Someone I hadn’t hurt lately. Someone who’d be happy to see me. I ran my fingers over the key to Will’s front door, remembering when he’d given it to me, wondering if the day would come when I’d have to give it back. Will had shrugged and given me that beautiful, crooked smile. “Take it. I trust you. Just text me and let me know whenever you want to come and get Chloe.”

  He trusted me with his house. He trusted me with his dog. I had a key. I’d never had a key to a man’s house before. It seemed like a big deal. Was that just because I wanted it to be a big deal? Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I didn’t really want it to be a big deal. The way this relationship was moving forward, the way my feelings for Will kept deepening, before I spilled my history with Jake, it had left my stomach feeling all weird and swirly, mostly in a good way. I’d felt like a kid eating pop rocks for the first time, not sure whether the sensation scared me or whether it was the best thing ever.

  Maybe that was why Blythe was always looking for a new relationship. That feeling. I could see how a girl could get hooked on it. Was that what she was looking for? Was she trying to feel this again and again? Now a little bolt of panic poked at my stomach. If that was it, then did that mean what I felt wasn’t the real deal at all? I mean, Blythe wasn’t really in love with every guy she ever fell for. How would I ever know if what I felt was different? If Will was really The One?

  Or was I just trying to convince myself of that, now that there might be a problem? Now that Will actually might not want to go forward with this relationship? Enough of that! I needed a chocolate lab fix. The name of Chloe’s breed suited more about her than her chocolatey color. She was velvety soft and sweet, like chocolate melting in your mouth. And I was getting just as addicted to her as I was to chocolate. Almost as much as I was addicted to Will. I could already hear her barking inside the house, her toenails scratching the hardwood floor as she spun in anxious circles.

  I opened the door and knelt down to wrap my arms around the wriggling bundle of doggie joy that was Chloe.

  “Hello, there, Chloe-girl. No, I didn’t forget about you. I wouldn’t forget you, would I?”

  Chloe and I had a nice little chat, and then I leashed her and locked the door behind us. She was ready to run, and so was I. We took off down the front path, only to run into Ken, the young hair stylist w
ho worked with Gunter Hatton at the barber shop.

  “Oh. Hi, Ken.”

  “Hey, Brenna. What are you up to?”

  “Taking Chloe for a run.” Chloe whined, and I told her to sit and be patient. She sat and pouted. “She and I both need the exercise. Will’s been pretty busy with the murder investigation.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet. Hey, do you mind if I join you?”

  I hesitated, noticing for the first time that Ken was wearing sweats and running shoes. I’d never seen him out jogging or walking. “A little early for a New Year’s resolution, isn’t it?”

  Ken laughed. “Okay, so I don’t really want to run. I came here to talk to you.”

  For a moment, I was speechless. He came over to Will Riggins’ house and waited for me to come out with Chloe, just so he could talk to me? I might’ve been creeped out. I guess it was pretty creepy, to realize Ken had been observing my schedule. It was common knowledge that I often came to get Chloe for a run. But the exact timing? But, to be fair, Ken never really struck me as a creeper, and what he was doing was an awful lot like the kind of thing I did when I was trying to sniff out a murderer.

  Chloe made an entreating, sing-song sound in her throat. She nudged my hand. When all she got was an absent nose rub, she made circles around my legs. I carefully held the leash down and stepped out of its trap. “Let’s walk for a few minutes. Chloe wants to move.”

  As though to illustrate my point, Chloe lurched forward.

  “Sure,” Ken said as he skipped to catch up. “Walking sounds good.” He looked relieved that I hadn’t suggested we run.

  No doubt keeping up with us would’ve been a challenge for Ken. Chloe and I liked to alternate sprinting with jogging. Ken was slim and young, but as far as I knew, he wasn’t involved in any regular exercise.

  “Better make it quick. Chloe’s used to a faster pace.”

  “Okay,” Ken said, “I’ll get to the point. I know you’re looking into this murder.”

  I raised my eyebrows and tried to look incredulous. “You mean Officer Will Riggins is looking into it, and unfortunately, he can’t share the details of the investigation with me.”

  “Right. That’s why you’re looking into it yourself.”

  I started to shake my head.

  Ken laughed, but he was already breathless and it came out half cough. “That’s why I know you’re doing your own investigation. Nobody doubts Will Riggins’s integrity. But everybody knows—” He stopped short and his face reddened. It wasn’t just from the brisk walk I maintained, with Chloe straining for more. He’d realized he was about to insult me. I sighed.

  “Everybody knows you’re a great sleuth.”

  Yeah, right. What were you really going to say, Ken? Everybody knows you’re a meddlesome nosy-pants?

  “So what if you’re right? What’s your point, Ken?”

  “Look, I know you know about Gunter. I know you know what he’s into. But he didn’t do this thing.”

  What thing? The murder? And what, exactly, was Gunter Hatton into? I covered my confusion. “Oh? He didn’t?” I said skeptically.

  “No! There’s no way.”

  “How can you know for sure?”

  “I guess…I guess I don’t. I don’t have any proof. I just know Gunter, and he’s capable of a lot of things. He’s done a lot of things. But murder? There’s no way.”

  So, he was talking about the murder. Gunter had done something that Ken thought might make him a suspect in the murder. What was it, and how could I get Ken to tell me what he thought I already knew? Why did Ken even think I knew? Just because I was snooping? Or was there some other reason? If I could figure that out, maybe I could figure out what it was. I decided to take a chance. “So, wanna guess how I found out about Gunter?”

  “Probably the same way I did.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I just want to confirm my suspicions.”

  “College kids aren’t very discreet. Dina Hermiston’s grandson is friends with one of the kids who’s involved. He told her grandson, and Dina found out and confronted Gunter about it at the barber shop.”

  “Dina’s grandson Zack?”

  “Yeah, that’s his name. I saw you talking to Zack and Dina at the salmon bake. I’m sure they told you about it.”

  “Oh, they told me a lot of things.”

  “But Gunter wouldn’t kill Dina.”

  I wondered if Ken would think that, if he’d seen that argument between him and Dina. What was Gunter up to, and did Will know about it?

  I was more suspicious of Gunter now than ever, but I wasn’t going to let on to Ken. “Don’t worry about Gunter,” I told him. “I heard he has a solid alibi.”

  “You heard that from the police?”

  “From a reliable source with the police, yes.”

  Ken winked at me. “I see. I was afraid the alibi wouldn’t be enough. That makes me feel better.”

  “Glad I could help.”

  “Thanks, Brenna. Have a good run!”

  I waved and took off running with Chloe. Gunter Hatton was up to something and I was going to figure out what it was. Once I was around the corner, out of Ken’s sight, I texted Will and asked him if he knew anything about Gunter Hatton being involved in something illegal. The answer came right away: Nope.

  It looked like I had some work to do. But before I did any more snooping, I needed to keep my promise to Harvey to help him with his meeting with the town council tomorrow. He was going to have to prepare some sort of statement. Something persuasive. Something tactful. Hopefully, something sane. I could do sane, but I wasn’t so sure about persuasive and tactful. I needed to go to my go-to girl, Blythe. The problem was, I wasn’t entirely sure we were on speaking terms, let alone helping terms, right now.

  21

  After I took Chloe home and showered, I walked to the tiny Bonney Bay Barber Shop, one of the original businesses established in old Bonney Bay. Through the big front windows, I saw Gunter Hatton at work on an older man, seated in one of the shop’s antique barber chairs.

  Before I resorted to trying to pry more information out of Evelyn Random, which would mean revealing to her that I’d only pretended to know what she was talking about, or trying to find Zack at Coastal University, I decided to see if I could find out anything from Gunter himself. Maybe poke around his office a little…okay, as usual, I had no idea what I was doing. Maybe once I was inside, something would come to me.

  “Hey, Gunter.”

  “Brenna!” Gunter left his customer for a moment and came to give me a quick squeeze.

  I wondered if he’d heard about me joining one of his opponents’ campaigns.

  “Are you ready for a trim? Or maybe something different?”

  “No, not today. I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything’s alright. I know you were one of the last people to talk to Dina Hermiston. That would really shake me up.”

  Gunter nodded. “Thank God I have an alibi. I was really afraid they were going to lock me up. I can’t believe I didn’t see anything. I feel terrible about that. I keep combing through every memory, and I can’t come up with anything. I was so angry, it was like I was in a fog.”

  “I heard you two argued.”

  Gunter nodded regretfully. “It’s true. And now I feel awful. Honestly, Dina was pretty nasty to me, but she didn’t deserve that. No one deserves that.”

  “It’s not your fault, Gunter.” Unless you really did it.

  The door to the barber shop opened and two familiar figures entered. Sammi had a smile on her face and a determined gleam in her eye that I knew meant trouble. Without day camp to keep them busy, these two were bound to get into it.

  “Hi, Sensei Brenna,” Katie said sheepishly. The guilt was written all over her face. She knew they shouldn’t be here, and she knew I wasn’t going to be happy about it. And that could only mean one thing. They were here to snoop, either on their own, or because they’d fol
lowed me. It wouldn’t be the first time Sammi had followed me.

  “Hi, girls.” I tried my best to sound cheery so Gunter wouldn’t think anything was up.

  “Can I help you ladies?” Gunter said.

  “Yeah, Katie here is thinking about going blond.”

  Sammi smiled and nudged Katie, who nodded reluctantly. She looked terrified at the prospect of “going blond.”

  For goodness sake, Sammi better not be planning on coercing Katie into actually going through with this.

  Gunter raised his eyebrows. He regarded Sammi. “Blond, hmm? I think maybe some highlights…”

  You know, if these two were here being a nuisance, I might as well make some use of their distracting Gunter.

  “Can I use your bathroom?” I asked Gunter.

  “Of course. It’s right back there.” He pointed a comb in the right direction.

  “Thanks.”

  A little passageway led to a tiny office space on the left, a bathroom on the right, and straight ahead, a door to the alley where Gunter and Ken kept their cars parked. As I entered the passageway, I couldn’t help noticing that a phone lay on a chair against the wall, plugged into an outlet. I’d been planning on ducking into the office instead of the bathroom, but Gunter’s phone just might prove a more valuable and less risky source.

  From the main area, Katie gave me a little frown behind Gunter’s back. Good; she knew I was up to something. I motioned for her to keep him talking.

  I plucked the phone from the charger, slipped it under my shirt, and locked myself in the little bathroom. First I switched it onto silent, just in case. Of course the screen was locked. Okay, Brenna. You can do this. You can crack this thing, I told myself. But I didn’t know Gunter’s birthday. I didn’t know any important days in his life. I tried hair. Nope. What else was really important to Gunter? It came to me. Millie! The woman he’d obsessed over. The sweet lady who, sadly, was no longer with us.

  I tapped in her name, and the screen opened. Yes! Seriously, someone should’ve been there to give me a fist-bump for that one. I quickly found his text messages and began going through them. Ken, talking about ordering more gel and other work stuff, some guy named Barry wanting to get a beer. Hold on!