A Sip of Murder (Japanese Tea Garden Mysteries Book 1)

by Blythe Baker

  “No. Not at first.”

  “Is that when you called me?”

  I nodded, still keeping my eyes closed. “Yes. I dropped my phone while I was running.”

  “And what happened when you caught up to the person you were chasing?”

  “I pointed the gun at her. She confessed to being with Angela when she died. It was an accident. Then she—” My voice faltered.

  “It’s alright, Maddie. You’re safe here. What did she do?”

  “She held the knife to my neck. Then you got there.” I opened my eyes and let out a shaky breath.

  “What was so special about the picture?”

  “It showed Angela and Agatha together. Agatha had told you guys that she and her sister were having lunch, but that was a lie. They were in the garden defacing the rocks. The picture proved it.”

  “Is there anything else you want to add?”

  I shook my head. “No. That’s everything.” A small sense of relief hovered in my chest.

  “Okay. Well, thank you for your time.” He pressed down on the stop button with a click.

  “That’s it? It’s over?” I blinked, unable to process everything.

  “That’s it.” Michael tilted his head to the side. “What’s wrong? You look confused.”

  “I guess I just thought I would feel instantly better once the killer was caught and my name was cleared.”

  “You’ve been through a lot lately. Give yourself some time to recover.”

  I started to stand up, but the cut on my neck shot pain through me. Wincing, I reached my hand up to touch the bandage. “Great.”

  “Is your neck hurting?”

  “Yes. I think whatever they gave me at the hospital for the pain is wearing off. Can you just take me home now?”

  “Sure.”

  “Oh, I think this is yours.” He pulled my phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. “One of the other officers found it in the grass. It should still be working fine. There was some dew on it, but other than that there was nothing wrong with it.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” I rubbed the screen of the phone on my skirt to clean it off. It felt good to have it back in my hand again. The small electronic had been a sort of lifeline to me when I had needed it. Clutching it made me feel a little better.

  The detective walked to the door and held it open for me. My body felt suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline rush from earlier was gone now. My knees ached where I had banged them on the windowsill while I was climbing out of the giftshop. I would no doubt have bruises there to mark the occasion. A throbbing sensation in my wrist told me I had gotten hurt during the conflict with Agatha. A purple bruise ringed my wrist like an unhealthy bangle. The cut on my neck stung from the salt on my skin. As bad as I felt now, I knew it would be even worse in the morning. I winced at the thought of the pain to come.

  I lowered myself into the police cruiser. All I wanted to do was fall into my own bed and let the worries fade away. My mind was bombarded with signals of discomfort that showed no sign of easing up soon. Detective Sullivan slipped in beside me and threw another glance in my direction. The car purred to life and slipped onto the road. I found my mind getting lost in the scenery flying by.

  “You know, for what it’s worth, I never thought you were the killer.”

  “Huh?” His sudden words caught me off guard. It took me a moment to process what he had said.

  “When you’ve been in this business as long as I have, you learn to trust your gut. You may be many things, Miss Morgan, but a killer isn’t one of them.”

  “Then why were you questioning me so hard?” I couldn’t help the indignant tone that seeped into my voice.

  “That’s just part of the job. Plus, I may have had my own reasons.”

  “What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what he was implying. I was too tired to make very many assumptions. Plus, I didn’t exactly trust my judgment at the moment. Too much had happened. My brain needed a break to think properly again.

  “Maybe I just wanted to spend some time with you. Since you were a suspect, the only way I could do that was if it was in an official capacity.”

  “Wait…are you saying you like me?” My eyes widened in skeptical surprise. That couldn’t be it, could it? Had I misunderstood him?

  “I’m saying now that this case is closed, I’m wondering if you would like to grab some coffee with me sometime.”

  The thundering of my heart faltered for a moment. I had always thought Michael was attractive, but the fact that he was trying to pin a murder on me—or at least that’s what I thought was happening—had been a bit of a turn off. My mind was racing trying to process this new information. It took me a moment to realize he was still waiting for an answer.

  I swallowed hard. My stomach was in knots. “I’ll have to think about it awhile and then get back to you.” Part of me thought I was in some sort of twisted dream my addled brain had concocted.

  “Well, that’s not as good as a ‘yes,’ but it’s not as bad as a ‘no.’ I’ll take it.” Michael flashed me a smile as he pulled into my grandmother’s driveway. “Have a good night, Miss Morgan. You look like you could use it.”

  “Thanks.” I offered him a weak smile before climbing out of the car and walking up to the front door. His headlights only swung away from the house after I opened the door to go inside.

  As soon as I was inside, Mamma Jackie was on me in a heartbeat. Her slippers slapped the floor with each step. The cacophonous sound made my head hurt worse. “It’s about time you were back! What happened? Why did it take so long?”

  With each question, I felt a pressure building inside me. It pressed against every nerve. The inside of my mind was raw, and she was grating against it with every steel coated word. I couldn’t take it anymore. “Stop! Just stop.”

  “Well, I never!” Mamma Jackie huffed at me.

  Suddenly, something clicked in my brain, a suspicion that must have been growing in my subconscious for some time. All of her questions stung like lemon juice. “Have you been keeping tabs on me for Drake? Is that the real reason you came here? You’re not very helpful for someone who is supposed to be here to support me.” My eyes narrowed at her.

  “Where would you get an idea like that?” she asked. “Are you calling me a spy and a liar?”

  “I don’t know. Are you both?” My voice rose in agitation. My nose shot up into the air in defiance.

  “Maddie, I will thank you not to talk to me like that.”

  “And I will thank you to mind your own business, old woman!”

  Mamma Jackie stumbled backwards as if I had pushed her. “I never expected to hear something like this out of you. And to think my grandchildren could have had you as a mother!”

  I glowered. “Get out. Go pack your things and go.”

  “But it’s the middle of the night!”

  “I said go!” My hand shot out, pointing towards the stairs.

  Mamma Jackie’s eyes glinted in anger. She turned and started walking towards the stairs.

  Watching her back retreat, I felt a small wave of shame. Even if she had been helping Drake, did that justify the way I had just spoken to her? The cut on my neck ached as I swallowed anxiously. Something from the other room fluttered.

  “Rawk! Go!”

  “Hush, Moonshine!” The last thing I needed was to be heckled by a parrot.

  The length of my ex-mother-in-law’s stay must have worn on me more than I had realized. Her constant presence mixed with my raw nerves was like a match on a pile of dry leaves. I tried to stay mad at her, but even if she was lying about not reporting to Drake, my hostility wasn’t all her fault. I had a bad habit of bottling up my emotions and letting them explode over the person closest to me at the wrong time. It was one of my biggest flaws, and every time it happened I hated myself for it. If I could just see the signs sooner, maybe I could prevent so many harsh words from leaving my lips.

  Before Mamma Jackie had sho
wn up on my doorstep, I had been uncomfortable living alone in such a big house. After she had shown up, I was relieved. Gradually that relief had melted and withered into annoyance that must have been digging under my skin long before I even noticed it. Drake’s family had a tendency to do that. It was one of my least favorite things about my in-laws and my ex-husband.

  Sparked by thinking his name, I plunged my hand into my pocket to call the man himself. While I was still angry, I might as well put that emotion to good use. I set my jaw and clenched the fingers on my free hand as the line rang. I didn’t care what time it was, or if I was interrupting him in the middle of something. I felt he owed me at least one inconvenient call. My lips puckered from the force of my sour attitude.

  “Hello?” Drake’s voice sounded sleepy.

  “Hey.” My voice was cold. I knew he would be able to tell something was wrong as soon as I spoke. I didn’t care.

  “Maddie? What is it?”

  “I don’t need you to look over my shoulder, Drake.”

  “What?”

  “I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself. I don’t need you meddling in my affairs. How dare you?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s going on? I think you missed some steps in your explaining process here, Maddie. At least tell me what you think I’ve done, so I can defend myself.”

  Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I pulled myself together. I chose my next words carefully. “Did you or did you not send your mother here to spy on me?”

  Drake paused for a minute. It was a pause I knew well. He was mentally preparing his rebuttal. “No. I didn’t send her there to spy on you. She may have arrived at my behest, but the intention behind the action was only to help you. I was concerned after you told me about the incident at your grandmother’s tea garden. I wasn’t able to be there for you—not that you would have accepted my presence anyway—so I thought sending Mother was a good compromise. Divorced or not, I do still care about your safety, you know.”

  “Oh.” He was being reasonable. He was always reasonable, and I hated that he was always reasonable. I pursed my lips together. “I appreciate your good intentions, but I’m still not happy about you keeping tabs on me.”

  “I’m not. Like I said, my mom is there to keep you company. You’re in a new town with a new job and no friends. I thought it might be good for you to see a familiar face. Besides, I didn’t want you to have to face the murder investigation on your own.”

  My anger seeped away and I felt suddenly weary. “I need to go.”

  “Okay. If you need me, I’m only a phone call away. Good night, Maddie.”

  “Night.”

  I hung up and placed a hand over my stomach. I was so conflicted! Part of me wanted to thank him for still caring and being a support system for me, but the other part just wanted to blindly hate him. How could one man bring all of that out in me? No matter my feelings for Drake, I was secretly thankful that I had someone to turn to when times were dangerous.

  With a sigh, I leaned against the back of the front door. My body slid to the ground in a defeated heap. The coolness of the night seeped through from outside and soothed my back. It made a simple salve for my agitated demeanor.

  The sound of feathers ruffling and talons scraping against a metal cage brought me back to the present. Unfortunately, when I married Drake, I hadn’t just married him. I had married his family, too. My thoughts drifted back to my mother-in-law who was upstairs packing because of me. Pushing myself off of the floor, I groaned. My body was still aching from my encounter with Agatha. I ascended the stairs to the second floor in dread, as if I were going to do battle with a dragon. Or to apologize to one.

  When I arrived at her room, I gently knocked my knuckles on the door frame. Mamma Jackie spun around at the sound and quickly wiped at her cheeks. Surely she hadn’t been crying?

  I cleared my throat awkwardly. “I’ve just talked with Drake and straightened things out. I know now that you didn’t come here to spy on me, but to help.”

  She lifted her stubborn chin. “Well, isn’t that what I’ve been telling you all along?”

  Despite her offended tone, something in her eyes told me she had been hurt by my assumptions against her, hurt more than she would show.

  “I guess what I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to go,” I said. “If you want to stay for another few weeks, that would be okay by me. The only thing is that you have to let me have some personal space, and no more inviting strangers into the house.” I felt like I needed to clarify what was expected of her. It was only a matter of time before we started to grate against one another again.

  I could see her bite back the retort that must have been on the tip of her tongue. It was probably the only time in her life she had ever bothered to hold anything back. “I think I can just manage to do that,” she agreed.

  “Good,” I said.

  “Good,” she echoed.

  I wasn’t sure she would remember my ground rules tomorrow. The dragon was anything but tamed. If anything, she was just waiting for the next time she could interfere in my life. But I wouldn’t let it get to me. In the future, when she pushed I would just have to push back.

  “Well, I’m going off to bed now. I could use the rest. I have a big day ahead of me.”

  “You can’t seriously be thinking about going to work tomorrow, can you?” she asked.

  “Life doesn’t stop just because I had a bad day”

  “Maybe not, but I think if you end up in the hospital you deserve a day off.”

  Shaking my head, I smiled determinedly. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Besides, I think getting back into a solid routine will be good for me.”

  “If you say so.” Her eyebrows knitted together, but I paid her no mind.

  On my way to my room, I felt lighter than I had in a long time. The realization that the killer had been caught settled into my bones. The wind outside rattled the shutters. The creaks of the old house no longer seemed as swathed in shadows and mystery as they had when I had first arrived. I had become used to the noises. Any ghosts of memories that had haunted the cracks of the floorboards before seemed content to leave me be. The house and I had grown accustomed to one another.

  I let out a sigh as I glided into my bedroom. The cold sheets wrapped their arms around me and held me close. My pillow cradled me in a soft embrace. I drifted into the darkness of sleep. Emotional and physical exhaustion pulled me into a deep slumber.

  Chapter 19

  Sunlight stretched its fingers through my window and touched my eyelids. A red pulsing in my head woke me up. Everything hurt. The bandaged cut on my neck stung and muscles I didn’t even know I had ached. Groaning, I rolled onto my side and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The cold floorboards made the arches of my feet recoil. I schlumped my way to the closet and pulled on some mostly matching clothes. I wiggled my hips into my favorite pair of jeans and massaged my temples. Whipping my hair up into a ponytail, I tromped down the stairs as quietly as I could manage.

  The smell of rich, warm coffee drifted up the stairs to me. At least something was going right finally. I groaned thankfully. Mamma Jackie poked her head out of the kitchen as she heard me walking down the stairs. An uncharacteristically chipper smile was draped across her face. She waved a spatula at me.

  “I made breakfast!” she called.

  Breakfast? I didn’t even know she could cook. The most I had ever seen her do in the kitchen was microwave a frozen dinner and mix a drink. The afternote of burnt batter trailed after the coffee smell now. But at least she was trying.

  I forced a smile. “The coffee smells delicious.”

  In the kitchen, I gripped the handle of the pot and poured some of the steaming liquid into my favorite coffee cup. I took a sip and felt the caffeine rush across my tongue. Coughing, I set the cup back down. My eyes were wide from the bitterness.

  “It’s good, right? I made it extra strong for you.”

  “Yeah. Perfe
ct.” I croaked out the words and reached for the milk.

  “Have a seat. I’ll make you a plate.”

  “Rawk! Make a plate!” Moonshine’s voice seemed to taunt me from the living room. I was surprised she hadn’t brought him into the kitchen to have breakfast with us. Apparently, he was being spared this travesty.

  “Oh, I’m really not that hungry.” I tried to motion her away, but she was not to be dissuaded.

  “Nonsense. You need your strength.” She piled some pancakes onto a plate. The doughy discs were charred a little around the edges. Mamma Jackie tossed a few slices of floppy bacon onto the corner of my plate. They landed on the porcelain with a sick, wet sound.

  In my head, I was calculating just how much breakfast I needed to eat in order to avoid an argument. Her eyes were trained on me, waiting impatiently for me to take a bite. Grimacing, I sawed off a hunk of pancake and scooped it into my mouth. There was a very noticeable crunch to her pancakes. Not even the syrup was able to soften them. I thought I felt one of my fillings come loose. For the first time, I understood why Drake had never said anything about my cooking while we were married. Compared to his mother’s, my cooking must have tasted like a five-star restaurant.

  “Well? How is it?” she demanded.

  “I can truly say that I’ve never tasted anything like it.” I tried to swallow without choking. That was easier said than done.

  Her eyes narrowed, as if she suspected sarcasm, but before she could say anything, a buzzing in my pocket saved me. I fished my phone out of my pants and answered it. “Hello?”

  “Hey, are you coming in today?” Kelly’s voice twittered in my ear.

  “Yeah. I’ll be in shortly. Is everything okay?”

  “There’s something I think you should see.”

  My heart pounded in my chest. What could possibly be going on now? Any flicker of appetite that I might have had vanished. “I’m on my way.”

  “On your way where? What’s going on?” Mamma Jackie was on me instantly as soon as the phone left my ear.

  “That was Kelly. Something came up at work. I need to go.” I hastily raked the rest of my food into the trashcan and placed my plate in the sink.