by Diana Orgain
Mona racked her brain, every minute of that morning replaying in her mind, “No. I can’t say that I noticed anything unusual except for the phone call from Lacey and her insistence that I go to the bakery at once. I asked her if it could wait, and she insisted that it couldn’t. You know how Lacey is, she can be ...” Mona bit her lip. She remembered Leo had dated Lacey. Maybe he didn’t know what she meant at all.
“That Lacey can be pushy,” Aunt Bee said.
“Go on,” Leo said to Mona.
“I don’t mean to suggest anything,” Mona said uncomfortably. “Only that she can be demanding at times, at least she can with me.
“Who was at the bakery when you arrived, and is there anyone who can vouch for how long you were there?” Leo asked.
“Vouch for her?” Aunt Bee shrieked. “What do you mean? You can’t possibly think Mona had anything to do with that fire or with Collin’s death.”
Leo looked unfazed, his expression unchanging as Aunt Bee berated him.
Mona tried not to let her annoyance show.
Does he really think I’d lie about being at the bakery?
“Yes, there are people who can vouch for me. Lacey and one of her employees,” Mona said. “And there were customers at the bakery when I got there, they could confirm my whereabouts.”
Lacey can definitely vouch for my whereabouts at the time of the fire, but will she?
Mona twisted the handkerchief Leo had given her, her sorrow slowly turning to anger.
Leo closed his notebook and finished his coffee. “That’s it, that’s all I need for now. I’ll be in touch.”
“I bet you will,” Aunt Bee murmured.
“Do you have my number?” Mona asked.
“No, let me get that from you,” he said.
She gave him her number and absently wondered when he’d call.
Ugh! It feels like high school all over again.
Leo opened his wallet and handed her a card. “Mona.” He glanced at Aunt Bee and cleared his throat. “This is strictly off the record, I talked to the fire chief, and the building isn’t a total loss. The fire destroyed the warehouse and the kitchen, and there’s some smoke damage to the shop, but the fire department managed to save the shop. Does that help?”
“Will it help her pay back Cecelia?” Aunt Bee asked.
Mona cringed.
“I suppose that will depend on the insurance company and the findings from the arson team.” He tapped his notebook, “but my records show you turned off the burner.”
“Thank you, Leo,” Mona said, as she held herself back from hugging him.
She walked him out the front door and stood on the porch as he drove away.
It’s not fair, how he could come home to Magnolia Falls after all those years and climb right back into my heart?
Looking at the mountains, she realized that Leo didn’t have to climb back into her heart, he’d never left.
Chapter Four
Mona walked back into her house and poured herself and Aunt Bee another cup of coffee.
“A murder,” Aunt Bee breathed, clutching the lacy neckline of her blouse. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she quirked a heavily penciled brow in Mona’s direction. “Who do you think done it?”
Mona sighed. “I can’t believe you’re taking delight in this!”
“Not the murder part,” Bee said, doing her best to look offended. “The mystery part! We can help Leo figure this thing out.”
“What do you mean we? Leo’s a police officer. He doesn’t need our help.”
“He does so! Anyway, you better insert yourself, if you ever want to get his attention.”
It was Mona’s turn to be offended. “What do you mean by that?”
Bee patted her hand. “None of us are getting any younger dear. Tick Tock.”
“Thanks a lot, Aunt Bee. I know I can always count on you for a shot of confidence!”
“Don’t be so sensitive darling. A man like Leo needs a strong woman by his side, and now that Collin is out of the way, it’s just a matter of time until that widow gets her hooks into him.”
Mona chewed on the inside of her cheek. A part of her knew Aunt Bee was right. “Do you think Collin was the target?” she asked.
Aunt Bee leveled a gaze at her. “Well, I’d rather think it was Collin than you. I can’t fathom anyone would want to hurt you!”
A chill crawled up Mona’s spine.
Who would want me dead?
Mona sipped the hot coffee, trying to shrug off the growing uneasiness in her gut. “I didn’t know Collin was in the warehouse and neither did Vicki, so ...”
“If no one knew he was there, and then whoever set your place on fire was ...” Aunt Bee suddenly looked around the room as if she expected someone to jump through the front window.
“Vicki wasn’t in the shop yesterday, so ... was I a target?” Mona asked, sitting heavily down on the couch next to Aunt Bee.
Aunt Bee clucked, “Who’s got it out for you girl?”
Mona pressed her fingertips to her forehead and sighed. “I’ve lived in Magnolia Falls all my life. I never thought anyone was out to get me! I’m not rich and never cheated anyone out of money or messed around with anyone’s husband. Who have I made so mad that they’d want to kill me?”
Aunt Bee fiddled with her empty coffee cup and saucer. “Let’s see. What about the fellow that owns the Cheese Shop?”
“Alexander Kaas?” Mona asked. “What about him?”
Aunt Bee made a face. “Yeah, him. I never liked him. Do you know he’s never given the Coupon Clippers a deal?”
Whether it was nerves or the look on her Aunt’s face, Mona collapsed into a fit of giggles.
Her shrill laughter must have frightened Aunt Bee, because she squeaked. “Should I call a doctor?”
Mona collected herself. “No. Sorry. It’s just that if I don’t laugh, I might cry. You’re right, Alexander is at the top of my list of suspects.”
Aunt Bee gave her a knowing nod.
“You know, he had quite a markup on my jams and Vicki’s honey products. In fact, last summer, if it hadn’t been for my blackberry ginger jam and Vicki’s honey scented candles, his shop would never have turned a profit.”
Aunt Bee stiffened. “Ah ha! The man is going broke without you!”
“Well, I don’t know about that, but last summer was tough—”
“So he burns down your shop, and that ends the competition for his store!” Aunt Bee shrieked.
“We weren’t really competition though, I mean, we weren’t going to sell wine or cheese, it’s just that—” Anger flared in Mona’s chest as she remembered the day she told Alexander that she was resigning. He told her she was nothing but a dreamer. Told her she would fail, which was why he was happy to forget her resignation and give her a modest raise.
A modest raise, thought Mona.
What a jerk!
A little more money was no incentive for her to stay, and certainly not with his attitude. She’d wanted her freedom and independence.
She sighed.
Be careful what you wish for. Now the shop is gone, and you have no obligations, free as bird, but no closer to your goals.
Mona sipped her coffee, now cold, and said. "Alexander is temperamental, but is he capable of committing a murder or burning down my shop?”
Aunt Bee shrugged. “Who else is mad at you?”
Mona let out a bitter laugh. “Cousin Stewart.”
Aunt Bee frowned. “Stewart’s angry with you? Why?”
Stewart was Aunt Cecilia’s only grandson. There was no doubt in Mona’s mind that Stewart was mad at her and had been ever since her Great Aunt Cecilia had loaned her the money for the shop.
Mona bit her lip, but Aunt Bee read her like a book. “What? Is he mad that Cee gave you the money for the shop?”
When Mona only shrugged Aunt Bee shook her head. “What the heck did he want the money for? To fritter it away on girls and booze?”
“I do
n’t know,” Mona muttered. “But Stu wouldn’t burn down my shop. I’m sure of that.”
Aunt Bee looked like she didn’t agree, but she pinched her lips together and didn’t say another word.
Mona let her mind wander in the silence. She loved to read a good mystery, and she knew that most of the crimes in her favorite novels were motivated by money, as in the case of Alexander or Stewart. The other motivation for murder was love. If the motivation was love, there could be only one person as a potential suspect, Lacey MacInroy.
Lacey made a logical suspect. Leo had come back to town, Lacey was married, but who was to say that she didn’t want to be free to pursue Leo once more? The only two people standing in her way were her husband, Collin and her old rival, Mona.
Could Lacey be that cold and clever?
“What about Lacey?” Mona asked out loud.
Aunt Bee smiled, holding up a triumphant finger. “Now that lady knows how to give a discount! Did you know she double stamps the Coupon Clippers membership card every time we buy a donut at her bakery?”
“Oh my lord, Bee. Not everything is about coupons.”
“Why not?”
Mona giggled. “Stop it. I mean, what about Lacey as a suspect? You said so yourself, that it was only a matter of time before she had her hooks into Leo. Do you think she could have killed Collin?”
Aunt Bee scratched her head and looked lost in thought. “Hmmm. Her husband Collin is found dead in the warehouse of Jammin’ Honey, a mysterious fire killing. And not only killing him and destroying your business, but casting suspicion on you, Mona. Why, it’s diabolical and perfect. Killing two birds with one stone.”
Mona’s stomach churned in anxiety. “Casting suspicion on me? You don’t really think anyone’s going to believe that I would have set fire to my own store!”
“It was insured, right?” Aunt Bee asked.
Mona covered her face with her hands, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Of course. But the only part of your theory about Lacey that doesn’t make sense is why she called me and was so insistent that I come to her bakery right away.
“Maybe she wanted to make sure you were out of the way?” Aunt Bee.
“Right. Because she likes me so much,” Mona said, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t think Lacey likes anyone,” Aunt Bee said.
“She likes you,” Mona said.
“She does?”
Mona laughed despite herself. “She gives you double stamps!”
Aunt Bee waved her hand around, annoyed. “That’s not because she likes me. It’s because she thinks the Coupon Clippers are good for business. Which we are.”
“Fair enough. So why did she call me to rush over to the bakery?”
“Maybe she wanted to make sure poor Collin died and no one was there to save him, and if you died in the fire, she couldn’t shift the blame to you.”
Mona grimaced.
It was all so awful. She hated the thought that someone would have intentionally burned down her shop, especially if that fire was meant to kill Collin.
Yet, Lacey as a suspect made sense.
“The only problem with the Lacey theory is the timing,” Mona said. “How could Lacey set the fire and then be back at the bakery in time to meet with me?”
“Did you stop anywhere on the way to the bakery?” Aunt Bee asked.
Mona shook her head. “No, I went directly there.”
“Were you chatting on the phone to Vicki or anyone after you parked? Or did you have any trouble finding parking?”
“No, I didn’t really delay. I was busy and in a hurry. It did take me a couple minutes to find parking though ...”
“That’s it!” Aunt Bee declared loudly. “It was her!” She stood and collected her purse.
“What?”
Aunt Bee crossed the living room toward the front door.
Mona jumped off the couch in alarm, trailing her to the front door. “Where are you going?” Mona asked, imagining her Great Aunt rushing over to police headquarters and demanding to speak Leo.
“It’s almost 10 O’clock. I have to facilitate our Coupon Clipper meeting at the library. “You should come.”
Relief swept over Mona. She didn’t have the strength to rein in her Aunt if she got into a stubborn streak about Leo.
Mona opened the door for her Aunt. “No, thanks Aunt Bee. I think I need to lay low and lick my wounds.”
Aunt Bee pressed her cheek to Mona’s. “Don’t let ‘em keep you down too long darling. The world needs you.”
Mona watched as Aunt Bee shuffled off her porch and settled herself into her behemoth rusting Cadillac. She waved as the Cadillac slowly rolled out of sight. She couldn’t believe her aunt actually encouraged her this time.
Mona’s house sat back from the main road on a large piece of property surrounded by trees. Her nearest neighbor was over a quarter of a mile down the mountain. She always found solace in the privacy of her home, but now a dreaded thought snaked into her brain.
If anything happens to me, if I scream for help, no one will hear me.
If someone is trying to kill me, I’m way more vulnerable at home where there are no witnesses.
She gazed out at the oak trees surrounding her. The bucolic country setting always settled her mind and soothed her nerves, but not this time. Feeling vulnerable, Mona’s senses heightened, every noise in the forest sounding ominous.
A sense of dread overwhelmed her.
She rushed back inside the house. Her hands trembled as she locked the front door.
Anxiety bubbled in her belly, and for the first time Mona could remember, she didn’t want to be by herself; she was afraid.
Should I call Vicki to come stay with me? Mona thought.
But then she could be putting Vicki in danger.
I should call Leo!
And what would she tell him? She didn’t have one shred of evidence against Alexander, Stewart, or Lacey.
A surge of determination bolstered her. She had fought long and hard for her dream to open the shop. She wasn’t going to let anyone take it away from her, not her old boss, not her jealous cousin and certainly not Prom Queen Lacey. She wouldn’t let a fire stop her.
“I’m going to find the culprit,” Mona said to herself through gritted teeth.
Or ... what?
Die trying? She shivered at the thought.
Chapter Five
The phone in Mona’s kitchen rang jolting her out of her Miss Marple reverie. She shook her head and raced for the phone.
Who could be calling me on my landline?
It seemed no one ever called that number anymore. Everyone she knew always dialed her cell.
She answered the phone with a careful, “Hello.”
“Mona, I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time?” asked a voice on the other end of the line that Mona immediately recognized.
“Mrs. Fletcher,” Mona considered lying to the woman, but she detested lying, and so she gritted her teeth and answered truthfully, “No, I’m not busy, I’ve a few minutes, how are you?”
“I’m fine, my dear I just wanted to call you and tell you not to worry, there are people like me in this town, that don’t believe a word of it, not a word.”
Mona was confused by Mrs. Fletcher’s response, “Mrs. Fletcher, I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“You don’t have to be strong with me, you can cry all you want. I won’t tell a soul.”
A bad feeling oozed into Mona’s gut. “Um. I’m still not sure what you are talking about.”
“If that is how you are coping at this terrible time, I understand, but I don’t believe a word of it, all that talk about arson and insurance money, it’s just terrible.”
Mona slowly sat down on a kitchen chair, “Arson?” she managed to ask in a squeaky voice.
How in the world has word traveled so fast?
“You are a brave one, putting on a front, but it’s alright, I know you would never have left the burner on or did a
nything to start a fire for a huge insurance check, not you.”
The tone of Mrs. Fletcher’s voice gave Mona the impression that the woman was pandering to her, trying to find out information that could be used as currency among the other town gossips.
Mona swallowed her rising nausea and said, “Mrs. Fletcher, I’m lucky to have a friend as faithful as you, you implied earlier that everyone was talking about this, does everyone think I’m an arsonist?”
“I’m sorry to have upset you and I can’t speak for everyone ... but many people think ...” her voice hitched down a notch and she practically whispered, “They think you’re guilty of setting the fire. But you know how misguided people can be. I would never suspect you of committing such an act. Unless, of course, you were due to get back a real big insurance payout. Then well, who could blame you. Did you have the place insured for a lot of money?”
Mona held the phone away from her ear for a moment, she couldn’t believe the nerve of this woman. Was she really asking, how much money Jammin’ Honey was insured for, it was inconceivable.
Taking a deep breath, Mona said, “Mrs. Fletcher, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I absolutely did not set fire to my own shop. I would never do that, no matter how much insurance money.”
“Oh dear, I’ve upset you. I certainly didn’t mean to suggest—”
“Yes, you did!” Mona said, irritated with herself for taking the bait.
“Now, no need to upset yourself. Listen, dear, I’ve got a casserole I need to prepare—”
“Well, just a minute, Mrs. Fletcher,” Mona said, biting back her frustration. After all, maybe there was a use for gossips. “Did you know that Collin MacInroy was killed in the fire?”
Mrs. Fletcher let out an exaggerated gust of breath. “I did hear that. Yes, dear. What a shame. A real shame.”
“Um hum,” Mona agreed. “Well, Mrs. Fletcher, do you know anything about Colin and Lacey?”
Silence greeted Mona and for a moment she thought the line had disconnected. She stared down at the phone and remembered it was a landline. “Mrs. Fletcher?”
“Yes dear.”
“Did you hear my question?”
“Yes dear.”
“Uh ... well, do you know anything about Collin and Lacey?”
