A Whisper of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 5)

by Alaine Allister

  All she knew was that she was dying to go home, kick off her shoes and relax!

  Chapter 08

  On a whim, Clarissa decided to stop by the local bakery on her way home. When she emerged with her arms full of goodies, she spotted none other than the eccentric panhandler who frequented Sugarcomb Lake.

  The dark haired, strange woman known only as Nora was always up to something peculiar. Today was no different.

  “Woof!” she screamed as she crawled around on all fours in the middle of the street. “Woof!”

  Some people ignored the odd woman who acted like she was insane. Others pitied her and gave her money as she gave her bizarre performances on Main Street. No one really seemed to know much about her.

  All Clarissa really knew was that her name was Nora and she had a flair for the dramatic.

  Clarissa paused for a moment, watching as Nora went to great lengths to act like a dog. When a little girl and her mother walked by, Nora began to whimper. The little girl cocked her head to the side inquisitively. Then she broke her candy bar in two and tossed half to Nora.

  The eccentric woman gobbled the candy bar up and spun in a circle.

  The little girl laughed and clapped her hands.

  The mother looked horrified and whisked her daughter away.

  “Thank you, thank you!” Nora said, jumping to her feet and taking a bow. “If you enjoyed my performance piece, please donate!” she added, pointing to an upside-down umbrella next to her. Inside it were an assortment of coins and bills.

  Clarissa could never really tell if Nora was crazy or super artistic in that offbeat sort of way that only true artists could understand. All she knew was that the weird woman really knew how to attract an audience – and she seemed to thrive on the attention.

  Against her better judgment, Clarissa walked over and dropped a few dollars in the umbrella Nora was now dancing around. Why not? It seemed like a nice thing to do, even if Nora wasn’t particularly nice. Actually she was kind of a nuisance what with the way she disrupted others’ daily routines…

  Suddenly Clarissa remembered the way Nora had barged into Liana’s coffee shop.

  She had stood on the table and screamed at Donnie that he was going to die.

  Moments later, Donnie had died!

  Clarissa’s eyes widened.

  “Excuse me?” she said, tapping Nora on the shoulder. “Can I talk to you about –”

  “Woof!” Nora barked emphatically, signalling that she was still in the midst of a performance.

  “It will only take a minute,” Clarissa tried again.

  Nora growled just like a wild beast. Then she drew her lips back in a menacing snarl. She gave Clarissa a warning look, as if telling her not to interrupt. It was clear that trying to get a coherent answer out of the quirky woman would be like trying to get blood from a stone.

  “Alright, I give up,” Clarissa shrugged to herself. Then she headed to her car.

  During the drive home, she was lost in thought.

  Had Donnie’s ex-wife been so upset about seeing him with his new girlfriend that she had slipped a peanut into his muffin? That certainly seemed plausible, though Clarissa currently didn’t have any witnesses to back the theory up.

  There were, however, plenty of witnesses to Nora’s shenanigans. While she often made people uncomfortable, Clarissa had always thought of her as being harmless. But was she? Had her theatrics simply been a ploy for attention, or had she made a brazen death threat…and then followed through?

  What about Donnie’s girlfriend? She had been present when he had died. And, while she had seemed panicked at the coffee shop, she hadn’t seemed particularly distraught after the fact. She had even gone into work shortly after Donnie’s death.

  “Maybe she’s just grieving in her own way,” Clarissa mused. “She certainly wouldn’t be the first person to throw herself into her work in the face of a tragedy. Or maybe she can’t afford to take any time off. It certainly didn’t look like she was living in the lap of luxury.”

  All Clarissa knew for sure was that she had to keep digging.

  Instead of going home, she decided to check out the bar Gigi worked at. Maybe talking to some of the young woman’s coworkers or regular customers would shed some light on the state of her and Donnie’s relationship.

  With any luck, Clarissa would soon be able to rule out at least one suspect.

  Then she could focus on catching the real killer.

  *****

  When Clarissa walked into the bar where Gigi worked, she was stuck by how empty it was.

  Then again, it was the middle of the afternoon. What had she expected?

  She made her way past the pool table. She saw a couple guys she had gone to high school with standing there acting like idiots. Well, they probably weren’t acting. They were idiots! Clarissa averted her eyes and continued on her way.

  When she reached the bar, the first thing she noticed was that Gigi wasn’t working.

  The second thing she noticed was that she recognized the bartender.

  He was all muscles and fake tan. It would have been difficult to not remember him, because there was no one else in town that looked like him. Clarissa had met him before. The bad news was he was denser than a bag of rocks. The good news was he tended to be very chatty!

  “Hi,” she said as she sat down. “I didn’t know you worked here. It’s Brad, right?”

  He grinned. “Yep…I moved here from Green City a while back.”

  “Oh, that’s nice! Why did you move here from the city?”

  “I moved here to be with my girl!” Brad announced, his grin getting even wider and cheesier. “We got married!” he added, showing off the gold band on his ring finger.

  “Congratulations!” Clarissa smiled. She loved a happy ending.

  “What can I get you?” Brad asked.

  “Oh, I’ll just have a glass of water, please.”

  He looked puzzled by that. “You came to a bar for a glass of water?” he asked as he poured it.

  “No,” Clarissa admitted as she dropped some money in the tip jar. “Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you about your co-worker, Gigi. I understand she’s a bartender here. Do you know her well?”

  He nodded. “I work with her sometimes. She’s alright. It sucks about her boyfriend.”

  “Yes,” Clarissa agreed. “Did you know him?”

  “He came in here sometimes,” Brad recalled. “That was how he and Gigi met, I think. She was his bartender. He started coming in here more and more, and eventually he asked her out. Gigi was pretty crazy about him. Like over-the-top crazy.”

  “How do you mean?”

  Justin shrugged. “She was obsessive about him. She was constantly texting him when he wasn’t around, checking in to see how he was and what he was doing. I guess it was cute? I dunno. I think it would have annoyed me, but whatever. She got over it after a while. I guess the newness of being in love wore off or something.”

  “She stopped being obsessive?” Clarissa asked.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say that. She stopped texting him every five minutes.”

  “Do you think their relationship was troubled?”

  Brad considered the question for a moment. “I dunno. I don’t think so? Donnie kept coming in here and stuff, so I guess things were fine between them. I never heard them arguing or anything like that.”

  “Thanks,” Clarissa smiled as she picked up her oversized handbag. “You’ve been very helpful.”

  “Hey! Is this for your newspaper thingy?” Brad asked excitedly.

  “Um, potentially,” Clarissa replied. “I’m looking into Donnie’s death.”

  “Cool! I hope you find out what happened,” Brad replied.

  “Was he a nice guy?” Clarissa asked, unable to contain her curiosity. Donnie’s ex-wife had painted an ugly picture of him, but her opinion was almost certainly biased. Clarissa wanted to know what a casual observer had thought of deceased man.

  Just
in hesitated. “I think Gigi could have done better,” he finally admitted.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “She’s young and pretty and every guy who comes in here tries to pick her up,” he explained. “I was never quite sure what she saw in Donnie. I mean, he wined and dined her. She was always talking about the big house they were going to buy and he sent flowers here more than once. Maybe that was why she liked him. He wooed her.”

  “You didn’t like him, though?” Clarissa pressed.

  Brad cleared his throat. “I see things, being a bartender and all.”

  “What sort of things?”

  “He used to come in here with his ex-wife, back before they split up.”

  “Okay. And…?” Clarissa prodded.

  Brad lowered his voice. “You didn’t hear this from me, but I think Donnie had his eye on Gigi before he and his wife got divorced. He had, you know, a wandering eye. It’s tough for me to respect a guy like that.”

  “Ah,” Clarissa nodded.

  Donnie had cheated. That explained why his ex-wife was so angry.

  But was she angry enough to commit murder?

  Chapter 09

  “It’s the middle of the afternoon! You’re still in your PJs!”

  Clarissa couldn’t hide her astonishment at her best friend’s appearance. Liana’s hair looked as though it hadn’t been washed or combed in days. Her pale blue pajamas were very wrinkled and looked like they were more than ready for the laundry heap. It was a shock seeing her like that!

  “Why bother getting dressed?” Liana muttered. “It’s not like I have a job to go to.”

  “You will. Things will turn around.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Liana sighed. “Why are you here?”

  “I need to pick your brain. I brought coffee!”

  Liana perked up at that. She loved her coffee. It was fitting, really, that she had wound up running a coffee shop. Now Clarissa just had to get the place opened back up again! She was certainly up for the task…and she hoped Liana could help shed some light on the Donnie situation for her.

  “Sit,” Liana said, clearing papers and magazines off the couch.

  Clarissa sat down.

  Liana plunked down next to her, cross-legged, and inhaled the scent of her coffee appreciatively. “What do you need to know?” she asked.

  “Do you know Kara Benton?” Clarissa demanded. “You may also know her as Kara Davis. She was married to Donnie Davis at one time. Medium height, blonde bob, pale complexion, glasses…does that ring a bell?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Liana nodded. “She started coming into the shop a few months ago. She said something about wanting to get out of the house more. She started coming in a couple times a week. She liked my croissants.”

  “Did she always come in alone?”

  “Yes, I think so. I remember her sitting there reading on more than one occasion.”

  “Was she ever there the same time Donnie was?”

  “I couldn’t say for sure. Why do you ask?”

  Clarissa hesitated. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I understand Kara’s divorce from Donnie was very messy. Apparently he left her for another woman. There were a lot of hard feelings on her end, from what I can tell.”

  Liana let out a low whistle. “Well no wonder,” she said with a shake of her head. “It doesn’t really surprise me that Donnie was a guy with a wandering eye, though. He’d been into the shop in the past. I always got the feeling he was flirting with me.”

  “Ugh,” Clarissa groaned. “Guys like that are so gross.”

  “So you think Donnie’s ex-wife could have had something to do with his death?” Liana asked.

  “Maybe,” Clarissa replied. “She was at the coffee shop the day he died.”

  Liana’s eyes widened. “No way!” she exclaimed. “That’s crazy!”

  “It could just be a coincidence,” Clarissa pointed out. “I mean, Sugarcomb Lake is a small town. Just Desserts is the only coffee shop around! So it isn’t completely out of the question that Donnie and Kara just happened to be in the same place at the same time.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Liana sounded skeptical.

  “Kara said she left before Donnie ate the peanut,” Clarissa said. “Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to verify that. There was so much chaos and confusion that day that I don’t know when Kara slipped out of the coffee shop.”

  “I don’t remember either.”

  “Darn it,” Clarissa sighed. “I’m kind of stuck,” she admitted apologetically. “Kara is my top suspect right now, but I don’t know how to prove her guilt. If she even is guilty, that is. All I can think to do is try to rule out the other suspects.”

  “Who are your other suspects?” Liana asked curiously.

  “Well…Nora, for one. Do you remember what she did the day Donnie died? She came into the coffee shop, made a big scene and pointed right at him. Then she told him he was going to die. Doesn’t that seem odd to you?”

  “Yes, but everything Nora does is odd. She’s a nuisance but do you think she’s a killer?”

  “Not really,” Clarissa admitted. “But the timing of her comment is pretty coincidental.”

  “Have you tried to ask her about it?”

  “Ha!” Clarissa chortled with a roll of her eyes. “I tried, but I didn’t get anywhere. She was in the middle of doing a performance piece when I saw her. Apparently she was too busy pretending to be a dog to help me investigate a murder.”

  “She’s a strange one,” Liana remarked thoughtfully.

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “Do you have any other suspects?”

  Clarissa shrugged. “It had crossed my mind that Donnie’s girlfriend had the perfect opportunity to slip a peanut into his muffin. I mean, she was sitting right across the table from him. But I don’t know what her motive would have been.”

  “I’m guessing you’ve looked into her relationship with Donnie?”

  Clarissa nodded. “I talked to her co-worker. He says that as far as he could tell, Donnie and Kara were happy. He said Kara was obsessively, head-over-heels in love with the guy at first. Then it sounds like, I dunno, they just settled into a happy relationship.”

  “Oh.” Liana took a sip of her coffee. “Thanks for this,” she said, holding up the Styrofoam cup. “And thanks for the visit, too. It cheered me up a lot. In fact, I think I should throw some clothes on and hit the gym. Moping isn’t doing me any good.”

  “Keep your head up,” Clarissa said, trying to be encouraging. “We’re going to get this mess sorted out and get Just Desserts re-opened. The investigation has hit a little roadblock now, but I’ll get it back on course!”

  “I’m sure you will!”

  “One more question?” Clarissa asked hopefully.

  “Shoot.”

  “What should I wear on my date with Parker tonight?”

  Liana cracked a smile at that. “You usually scoff at my fashion advice…even though you really, really need it. No offence, of course. But why are you suddenly so concerned about what to wear? What’s the occasion tonight?”

  “I don’t know. Parker said we’re going to have a romantic night out. It’s –”

  “Oh my goodness, he’s going to propose!” Liana suddenly shrieked as she leapt from the couch.

  Clarissa’s jaw dropped. “What? No! What are you talking about? That’s crazy!”

  “I’m just saying…maybe you should go get your nails done.”

  Clarissa snuck a peek at her fingernails. Liana had a point. Her hands looked like…well they looked like she had been spending a lot of time out in her garden, digging in the dirt. She could definitely use a manicure!

  Not that she expected Parker to propose, of course.

  That was crazy talk.

  “I’ve got to go,” Clarissa said. Then she raced off to the beauty salon.

  *****

  Forty-five minutes later, Clarissa emerged from the beauty salon feeling gorge
ous. She had a French manicure and fresh highlights in her long, dark hair. She’d even had her makeup done. She couldn’t help but walk with a bounce in her step!

  “Look out!” a male voice suddenly yelled.

  Clarissa screamed and jumped back, narrowly avoiding a nasty collision. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and landed right in a mud puddle. She broke a nail in the process, of course. Sometimes luck just wasn’t on her side!

  She looked up to see Justin Brown rolling away on his skateboard.

  Clarissa’s old high school friend – and hairstylist – Amy Owens rushed out of the beauty salon. “Are you alright?” she gasped breathlessly. Her thick auburn curls bounced wildly as she knelt down to help Clarissa up.

  “I’m fine…except for this,” Clarissa said, holding up her hand to display her broken nail.

  “Oh no,” Amy winced. “Come back inside. I’ll fix it for you.”

  Amy ushered Clarissa into the beauty salon and sat her down at a table. Then she grabbed a nail file. As she went to work, she was still angry about what she had witnessed. In fact, she was so annoyed that the entire salon could probably hear her ranting.

  “I can’t believe Justin Brown didn’t even stop to apologize or check that you were alright!” Amy exclaimed angrily. “That kid has no manners! It seems like every time I see him, he’s doing something stupid! He needs a swift kick, if you ask me!”

  Clarissa chuckled, amused by her old friend’s tirade.

  “He shouldn’t be allowed to own a skateboard if he’s going to mow people down on the sidewalks!” Amy huffed indignantly. “I’m going to tell Sam about this and see if the police can’t scare some sense into him!”

  “Ooh, one of the perks of being engaged to a cop!” Clarissa grinned.

  “Hi!” Jenny Porter called out as she walked into the salon.

  She was another old friend from high school. She looked as elegant and put-together as ever in a stylish mauve sweater and gray wool skirt. She had a black briefcase tucked under her arm and had apparently forgotten there was a pencil tucked behind her left ear.

  She was coming straight from the elementary school, no doubt.

  “Jenny! You’ve got a four o’clock hair appointment, don’t you? I’ll be with you in a second,” Amy promised. “Clarissa had a little nail catastrophe out front, so I’m just getting her fixed up. Stupid kids and their stupid skateboards,” she grumbled.