Sam squinted at Liana. “Is there something wonky with your eyebrows?” he asked.
“Never mind that. Sit down. I’ll grab you some coffee.”
“And some strawberry cheesecake.”
“Actually, strawberry shortcake was on the menu today,” Liana told him. “I decided to go with something a little lighter for a change. It seemed to be a big hit...I had to whip up a second batch partway through the day. There’s still a little left. Want it?”
“Sure,” Sam shrugged.
He eyed Fluffy warily as the cat jumped up into the booth next to him. Apparently the little critter had finished scouring the floor for crumbs. Now he was very interested in Sam.
“Does this thing still bite?” he asked Liana, recoiling as Fluffy rubbed up against him.
“Only if you’re wearing a hat,” she replied. “He really, really hates hats.”
“Well I’m guessing you didn’t summon me here so you could inform me that your cat is insane. Let me guess: I’m here because you want to talk about the Chester Atkins case.”
“Yes!” Liana exclaimed. “Good guess!” She brought a cup of coffee and plate of dessert over. Then she sat down in the booth across from Sam. She rested her head on her hand and stared him down. “Okay, I’ve bribed you with food. Now tell me everything you know.”
“You know I can’t do that. I have to follow -”
“Protocol,” Liana interrupted with a sigh. “I know, I know. You’re a stickler for rules. I don’t want you getting fired or anything. But at least tell me everything you’re allowed to disclose,” she urged. “I want whatever information you can give me.”
“You first.”
“Fine. Let’s see…where to start?” Liana thought for a moment. “By all accounts, Chester was a jerk. He had lots of enemies: his estranged wife, his teenage son and his former business partner all despise him. Oh, and his girlfriend seems questionable, too. Do you know Delia Day?”
“The name sounds familiar. She works at the hair salon, doesn’t she?”
“Yep, that’s her,” Liana confirmed. She leaned forward eagerly. “What can you tell me?”
“Not much. I think Amy rants about her to me sometimes,” Sam shrugged. “I mostly tune it out, because emotions are annoying and the drama at the hair salon is usually petty. Don’t tell Amy I said that,” he cautioned.
Liana snorted. “Okay, deal. Look, I have a lot of suspects. And I’m not sure how to start ruling people out. I was hoping you could help me. I know the police department isn’t very interested in solving the case, but there must have been some sort of investigation into Chester’s death, right? Maybe you know something I don’t?” Liana asked hopefully.
Sam looked disgusted. “Last I heard, my boss was planning to rule Chester’s death an accident. Can you believe that? There’s undeniable proof that the guy was poisoned, and yet all the local police department cares about is sweeping any unpleasantness under the rug. It’s awful.”
“I can’t believe how lazy your co-workers are.”
“Ugh, tell me about it. And my boss would rather I sit by the highway catching speeders than investigate a homicide. In fact, I’m under strict orders to focus on catching speeders. Speeding tickets bring in money, you see. Murder convictions don’t. It’s disgusting.”
“So you don’t have anything for me?” Liana sighed. “This is terrible. I did some research and it sounds like Chester could have been poisoned over days, or even weeks. That’s a pretty broad timeline. How am I supposed to narrow it down?”
“Well that’s easy,” Sam replied. “Chester likely didn’t die where his body was found.”
“What?”
“Chester’s back was covered with mud, which suggests someone dragged him through the muck. He was likely already dead when he was dumped off by the lake. Someone was probably trying to make it seem like he’d had a heart attack while he was out running.”
Liana sat up straighter. “That’s huge!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Now all I need to do is retrace Chester’s final hours! And rule out my suspects one-by-one, of course.”
Sam smirked. “Oh?” he asked, sounding amused. “Is that all?”
“You don’t think I can solve this thing. But I can and I will,” Liana declared. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. She tossed it to Sam. “I’ve got to go! Lock up when you’re done your strawberry shortcake, would you?”
Liana grabbed her coat and her cat. Then she ran out to her car, eager to investigate.
***
“Mew!” Fluffy complained from the backseat.
“I know you don’t like riding in your carrier, but you have to,” Liana tried to explain as she pulled up outside the gym. “Otherwise you’ll climb on my head while I’m driving, and that’s not safe for either of us.”
“Mrow,” Fluffy protested.
“Don’t even try to deny it,” Liana cautioned. “You know you will. You get way too excited about car rides for your own good. Sometimes I could swear you’re part dog. Anyway,” she said as she parked the car. “I’ll be right back.”
Fluffy yowled in response.
“Okay, fine! You can come inside with me,” Liana relented. She opened up the carrier and scooped the cat up under her arm. She looked down at him thoughtfully. “Maybe I need one of those gigantic purses like the Real Housewives of Wherever have. Then I could carry you around in it!”
Fluffy looked unimpressed.
“Yeah, I think it would be weird too,” Liana said. “You’d probably try to eat my lip gloss. Besides, I can’t afford a designer handbag. Not unless I stop paying my mortgage! I still can’t get over what a gold digger Delia Day is. Why would Chester have dated her?”
Fluffy yawned.
“You’re right,” Liana agreed. “It was definitely an ego thing. Chester got fit for the first time in his life. He wanted a young, attractive woman on his arm. Kind of stupid if you ask me. It’s no surprise she used up all his money from the restaurant in a matter of months, is it?”
“Mew.”
“I don’t understand women like Delia...or men like Chester. Thank goodness Luke isn’t like that, huh? He isn’t superficial. But between you and me, I’m relieved he hasn’t seen my eyebrows yet. Or should I say my lack of eyebrows? I wish they would hurry up and grow back!”
Fluffy didn’t bother to respond. He was too busy staring up at the leisure center with wonder.
To be fair, it was a pretty impressive structure. It looked like a small castle, or perhaps a fancy stone-accented mansion. The building boasted a swimming pool, tennis court and track. It even had a rock climbing wall. The leisure center offered more fitness classes than Liana could count. In fact, she didn’t even know what some of them were.
It was especially impressive to think that the leisure center was in a town as small as Sugarcomb Lake. That was virtually unheard of. But when the community banded together to get something done, great things could be accomplished. The fundraisers had paid off in a big way.
“We’re going into the gym,” Liana informed Fluffy as she entered the building. “There might be big, freakishly muscular men in there who holler at the top of their lungs when they lift weights. Don’t be alarmed. They’re only making all that noise because they want attention.”
Fluffy stared up at Liana inquisitively.
“You don’t believe me? Fine. You’ll see for yourself. Most gym goers are just normal people. But there’s a certain type of gym goer who likes to strut around. Have you ever seen a male peacock parade around with his feathers on display? It’s essentially the same thing.”
Liana entered the gym and looked around. It wasn’t packed, but there were a decent number of people using the treadmills. She wasn’t exactly sure where to start. Maybe, she reasoned, her bet bet was to speak with a gym employee.
“Um, excuse me?” a young man said, tapping Liana on the shoulder.
She turned around.
The kid standing there couldn’t have been older than
sixteen. His voice even cracked a little when he spoke, as though he wasn’t quite finished going through puberty. But he was wearing an employee uniform - black athletic shorts and a t-shirt with the gym logo on it.
“Hi,” Liana said. “Do you work here?”
“Yes. It’s my first week on the job,” the boy informed her proudly. Then he remembered what he had set out to do. A nervous look came over his face. “I’m - I’m sorry but you can’t bring your cat in here,” he stuttered timidly.
“Okay. I’ll only be a minute. Could you watch him for me? Please?”
With that, Liana deposited Fluffy into the poor, confused teen’s arms. Then she rushed into the gym in search of...well, she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Maybe she would know it when she saw it.
As Liana had predicted, there were two attention-seeking young men over in the weightlifting area. They both wore sleeveless tank tops to show off their bulging muscles. They pranced and preened in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, flexing their biceps proudly.
As Liana watched, one of the young men leaned down and picked up a heavy looking barbell. He let out an ear-shattering grunt as he lifted it above his head. Then he immediately looked around to see if anyone had noticed. He clearly wanted everyone to watch him.
Liana rolled her eyes and continued on her way.
“He sounds like he’s constipated,” she muttered under her breath as she walked.
Somebody behind her burst out laughing.
Liana whirled around to see Lily Myers standing there. Today she was decked out in purple workout gear, from her sneakers right up to her sweatband. And she had obviously overheard Liana’s not-so-nice comment.
“It’s so true,” Lily snickered. “You wouldn’t believe how conceited some of these guys are. When I first started working out, a couple of them made fun of me. They said I would quit after week. Then I started losing weight and they shut up. Last week, one of them asked me out.”
“Wow,” Liana replied. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She was happy for Lily, but she was also angry that the idiots would be so cruel and shallow in the first place. She prayed Lily hadn’t agreed to go on a date with a nimwit.
“Turning him down was the highlight of my entire month,” Lily grinned. “Of course, he didn’t take the rejection well. He said he was only kidding and he’d never want to be seen in public with a fatty like me. But he was only saying that to try to save face.”
Liana nodded. “You’re impressive, Lily, you know that? I wish I had been as confident as you when I was eighteen.” Then she paused and looked around. “Where is your workout buddy? Ray, right?”
Lily made a face. “I had to call that arrangement off,” she said. “He was so negative all the time. It was dragging me down. Chester used to say that weight loss and fitness are nothing more than discipline. He always said Ray was lacking in discipline.”
“So Chester was your personal trainer?” Liana asked.
Lily nodded. “Ray and I met with him three times a week.”
“What was Chester like?”
Lily hesitated. “My mom always taught me to keep negative opinions to myself. She said if I don’t have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all. She told me this town is too small for cattiness and that gossip always, always comes back to bite a person.”
“Your mom is a smart lady. But it’s okay to be honest with me. I promise.”
Lily thought for a moment. Then, choosing her words carefully, she said, “Chester was pretty intimidating. The first time I met him, I didn’t know what to think. He didn’t have a lot of patience or tact. But he was really focused on fitness. He knew his stuff and he was motivated.”
“I understand he spent a lot of time here at the gym?”
“Oh yes,” Lily nodded. “I think he turned into one of those people who was addicted to exercise. He got hooked on the adrenaline rush, you know? He practically lived here at the gym, so it was only natural that he started working as a personal trainer.”
“Did he talk about his personal life much?” Liana pressed.
“No, not really. Sometimes a lady with long dark hair would come work out with him. I think she was his girlfriend. I noticed her because she always wore designer workout clothes. And I think her gym bag was an actual Louis Vuitton.”
“Delia,” Liana said knowingly. “Did she and Chester seem to get along?”
“I don’t really know,” Lily replied. “When I’m working out, I pretty much listen to my music and tune everything else out. Oh, but one time they did get in a kind of heated argument,” she remembered. “I heard it even with my headphones on.”
“What were they arguing about?” Liana demanded, her interest piqued.
“Money. Child support. Chester’s girlfriend told him he’d be able to buy her more stuff if he stopped paying child support. She said his son was an ungrateful mooch who was nearly an adult anyway. I thought the ‘ungrateful mooch’ remark was rather ironic, to tell you the truth.”
“You and me both,” Liana replied. Did Delia have no shame? Her greed was mind boggling.
“I’m not sure what ended up happening. Chester’s girlfriend stormed off in a huff. He ran after her. It made me think maybe he was considering doing what she wanted.” Lily confided. She looked disgusted, and rightfully so.
“Did Chester ever talk about his son? I think you two are about the same age.”
“I didn’t even know Chester had a son until I overheard that argument,” Lily replied. “Like I said, he didn’t talk about his personal life much. He mostly focused on training.”
“How was Chester as a trainer?”
“He was tough...unforgiving. The workouts were grueling, to say the least. And Chester wasn’t exactly an easy guy to get along with. He would push us to our limits and scream insults at us the entire time.”
Liana made a face. “That doesn’t sound very positive.”
“I know it sounds terrible, but in a weird way it was effective. It was motivating, you know? Well, it was for me.” Lily sighed. “I think Ray might be a lost cause. He wants to be thin but he doesn’t want to put in the work. I heard he canceled his gym membership.”
“That’s a shame.” Liana murmured. Then a thought occurred to her. “Lily, you mentioned you met with Chester three days a week. When did you meet?”
“Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,” Lily replied as she grabbed a water bottle and had a drink. “We met in the evenings. That way Ray had time to drive into Sugarcomb Lake after work.”
“Ray isn’t local?”
Lily glanced across the gym. “I don’t mean to be rude, but as soon as that rowing machine over there is free I’m going to have to run and grab it. I’ve been waiting to get on it all night - it’s in high demand right now because the other one is out of commission.”
“Understood,” Liana assured her. Lily’s focus was admirable.
“Okay. To answer your question, no. Ray isn’t local. He’s from Green City. He works at a sandwich shop there. You know the one across from City Hall? It’s actually where we met. He was working the day my friends and I went in there.”
“I think I know the sandwich shop you’re talking about.”
“Then why do you look so confused?” Lily asked.
“There are tons of gyms in Green City. Why doesn’t Ray go to one of those? It would be way more convenient than driving all the way to Sugarcomb Lake three days a week, wouldn’t it? And fuel isn’t cheap either - especially on a sandwich maker’s wages.”
“I know.” Lily sighed. “At first, Ray said he needed a workout partner to stay motivated. I agreed to be his gym buddy and didn’t think anything of it. But lately...well, lately I’ve started to suspect that wasn’t the whole truth. I think Ray has a thing for me.”
“Ah,” Liana nodded.
That was understandable. Lily was a vivacious, bubbly young woman with an infectious smile. It was no surprise Ray had taken a shine to her. No wonder he was
willing to devote so much time and money to seeing her. People did all sorts of crazy things for love.
Liana grinned, thinking to herself that Ray’s infatuation was cute. She opened her mouth to tell Lily exactly that. She reconsidered once she noticed Lily’s glum facial expression.
“So I take it the feeling isn’t mutual?” Liana guessed.
Lily shook her head. “I don’t know how to tell him I’m not interested. The past couple of months, I’ve been in this constant state of fear that Ray is going to ask me out. I don’t want that. But I don’t want to hurt him, either. I don’t know how to let him down gently.” She looked at Liana hopefully. “Any suggestions?”
“That’s a tough one,” Liana admitted, wishing she had an easy solution for the worried teenager. “Rejection is going to sting no matter what. I suppose all you can do is try to be compassionate. Be as kind as possible, you know? And be prepared for him to not take the news well.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Lily sighed. “Why is dating so complicated?”
“I wish I knew.”
Chapter 11
“Mom, this is nuts.”
It was a sunny day, and Liana had taken a seemingly innocent afternoon drive with her mother. She had thought they were going to spend the day shopping in Green City. But as it turned out, Anne had other plans.
“Hurry up!” Anne ordered, ushering Liana out of the car. Then she paused. “What happened to your eyebrows?” she asked curiously, having only just noticed Delia’s handiwork.
“It’s a long story.” Liana was aggravated. “Mom! We’re not supposed to be here!”
“Shhh. Someone might overhear.” Anne looked over her shoulder. Then she raised her gigantic, dark sunglasses and peered at Liana. “When you said you were investigating a murder, I just had to help! How exciting! You’re like a female detective!”
“You mean...a detective?”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
Liana shook her head. Then she looked at Green City High School nervously.
“Exactly what do you think we’re going to do when we get inside?” she asked her mother. “This isn’t a small town school in the 80s. Times have changed - and we’re in the city, Mom. There are security measures and privacy policies. No one will tell us anything about Chester’s son.”
Strawberry Shortcake to Die For (A Liana Campbell Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 7
