by Lyndsey Cole
Light poured out of Edwin’s big living room window. All the other windows were dark from drapes pulled tight. She pulled to the side of the road, hoping to see into his window. It was the wrong angle to see anything.
What to do? Her heart pounded.
Annie opened her car door and walked in the shadows to a spot that provided a view into his house. Edwin wasn’t in his chair. Should she linger or leave?
“What are you doing here?” a deep voice hissed from behind Annie.
This wasn’t part of her plan. What was she doing spying on Edwin Fleming?
Annie spun around to see Edwin glaring at her. She took a step backwards away from him only to bump into someone else.
“Annie,” Jason said. “You forgot something when you left.” He took her hand and led her back to the car.
“What did I forget?” she asked, patting her pockets for her wallet and phone which were right where they were supposed to be.
“Didn’t you listen to anything I said? Fortunately, Roxy needed to go out as you were leaving and I saw you turn in the opposite direction for the Inn.”
She hung her head. “I didn’t forget anything did I?”
“Yes. You forgot your common sense as soon as the door closed behind you.”
“But what was Edwin doing outside at this time of night?”
“Maybe he was waiting to murder you for spying on him. I don’t know, but it’s not a crime to be outside.” Jason opened the car door and pushed Annie into the driver seat. “How about you follow me back to Cobblestone Cottage and I’ll drive you to Heron Inn? I don’t want to spend the rest of the night worrying about you. Hang out with your mom and Leona. Drink more wine. Finish the wedding planning. But please don’t leave the Inn.”
Annie nodded. She felt like a little girl being scolded and it didn’t sit well but she knew there was no point in arguing. If she wanted to find out anything, she needed to work behind their backs. Her best avenue just might be her new position as president of the Catfish Cove Book Club.
Chapter 8
The Heron Inn served a breakfast buffet on the weekends. Annie was starving and ready to fuel up for the day.
The three women dressed in comfortable clothes and made their way to the dining area. Aromas of coffee, hash browns, and eggs, along with cinnamon and chocolate blended to make their mouths water with anticipation.
“I could get used to this,” Leona said. “You know, being served instead of doing the serving. It’s going to be hard to get back in the Black Cat Café kitchen on Monday morning after this treatment.”
Annie handed plates to her mom and Leona before poking along the buffet, loading up her own plate.
“That’s a lot of food,” Mia noticed.
Annie added a breakfast burrito and smothered it with an avocado tomato salsa and a sprinkling of grated cheese. “Breakfast is my favorite meal. I want to fill up in case I get too busy to eat later today.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted it. Of course her mother would suspect that she was planning some sort of expedition in search of information about Alice’s murder. She covered her mistake by quickly adding, “When Jason gets here, I’m sure he’ll have something planned.”
Annie moved away from Mia and added a mini cream cheese strawberry tart and a scoop of fresh fruit. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sheila Sherwood approach.
“Annie Fisher, I hear congratulations are in order.” Sheila put her hand on Annie’s shoulder and squeezed. A little too vigorously.
Annie cocked her head and pursed her lips. “Congratulations?” She wasn’t sure what Sheila was referring to. Annie only knew Sheila in passing from the few times she came into the Black Cat Café to order something special for an event she was hosting.
“Don’t be shy about it,” Sheila scolded. “President of the book club. Word travels quickly around here.”
Annie carried her plate to a table in the corner hoping Sheila would get the hint and leave. No such luck. Sheila followed Annie and sat across from her, even taking the biggest strawberry off Annie’s plate. The nerve! If Annie couldn’t shake her, she certainly could pump her for information.
“Sheila. Such a tragedy about Alice Wolfe. You must have known her quite well since you own the building where her bookstore is located.” Annie smiled sweetly. “What will happen now?”
Sheila’s eyes darted around the room. “Her bookstore? Well,” she leaned close to Annie using the half eaten strawberry to emphasize each word, “Phyllis Morris wants to buy the business but she thought it would work better if she was president of the book club instead of you. You know, the problem with your mother and all.” Sheila raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response from Annie.
Annie leaned back, away from Sheila’s smile with strawberry stuck between her two front teeth. “Did you and Phyllis work together to get rid of Alice?”
A deep pink crept up Sheila’s neck to her cheeks. “I don’t think I like what you are suggesting. Do you think you can pin Alice’s murder on someone else so your mother can walk free?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I plan to do. And you can tell your partner, Phyllis, that I have every intention of remaining president of the book club. As a matter of fact,” Annie’s voice rose with each word, “tell Phyllis, if she opens a bookstore, I’ll get everyone in town to boycott it.”
Sheila threw the remaining half strawberry on Annie’s plate and slid her chair back. When she stood up, she was trapped, face to face with Mia and Leona. And they were angry.
Leona looked down on Sheila who moved to one side to get around Leona. But Leona moved to keep her blocked in. “We need to talk. Sit down.”
Sheila sat.
Leona pulled out a chair for Mia and another for herself. Next to Sheila. “What’s this I heard you tell Annie about Phyllis wanting to buy the Book Worm?”
Sheila sighed. “It’s really none of your business, but Alice was head over heels in debt with that business.”
“Oh? Do tell,” Leona encouraged.
“I don’t know who she owed money to besides me. She was months behind in her rent.” Sheila shrugged. “I thought if Phyllis bought the business, I’d get my rent money at least. Maybe not all the previous months but at least going forward.”
Annie’s fingernails tapped on the table. “Phyllis was hoping to get the store for peanuts?”
“Probably.” Sheila’s eyes darted around the room nervously. “Listen, I don’t want Phyllis to see me sitting here with the three of you. I’ve already told you more than I should have.” She pushed her chair back and tried to squeeze by Leona. But Leona’s arm shot out and grabbed Sheila’s arm.
“Where were you after Roy’s funeral? You didn’t come to the Black Cat Café for refreshments. Maybe you and Phyllis stopped by Alice’s house to do a little arm twisting? Pressure Alice to sell the Book Worm? Maybe whack her over the head when she refused?”
Sheila’s face turned scarlet.
Leona continued. “Alice’s neighbor is quite the busybody, keeping an eye on all the comings and goings.”
Sheila’s eyes opened wide. “We didn’t kill her.”
Leona dropped her arm and let Sheila scurry away. As soon as she was gone, Leona sipped her coffee. “That went better than I expected.”
“What were you expecting? How did you know they went to Alice’s house?” Annie asked.
“I didn’t. We know Alice was at Roy’s funeral so she was alive and kicking then. Someone went to her house after the funeral. I’ve been thinking about who was at the funeral but not at the café afterwards and that got me to Phyllis and Sheila.”
Annie took a bite of her now cold breakfast burrito. “But the murderer might not have gone to the funeral at all. They could have been waiting at Alice’s house, or followed her home. Or, walked over from the house next door.” She couldn’t get Edwin Fleming out of her brain as the top suspect.
“We have to narrow this down somehow, and based on what Sheila told
you, both of them have a motive—Alice wasn’t paying her rent and owed Sheila money, and Phyllis wants to buy the bookstore.” Leona took a bite of a cider donut. “Delicious. Here,” she held half out for Mia, “finish this. You’ve just been sitting there in a daze. Maybe a sugar boost will get you fired up.”
Mia took the donut. “I’m not in a daze. I’m trying to remember who I saw when I was walking around town. Of course, at the time it meant nothing, but it could be important now.”
“Who did you see, Mom?”
“I saw both of them—Phyllis and Sheila—but they weren’t together.”
“That is interesting,” Annie said. This mystery just took a turn that could prove to be useful. Her mind raced with possibilities. The first idea was to plant suspicion in both Phyllis’s and Sheila’s minds that the other was the murderer. Only one would take the bait if the other was the murderer. At the very least, it would keep them looking over their shoulders with suspicion.
“Annie?” Leona reached her hand across the table to cover Annie’s. “I don’t like that look in your eyes. Jason made me promise to keep you safe, but I can see something is simmering in your brain.”
Annie smiled. “Mom just came up with the perfect strategy.”
Mia puckered her mouth. “Me? I don’t have any strategy.”
Leona smiled too. “I see where you’re going with this. Clever. This book club presidency is going to turn out to be very useful after all. We have all afternoon to plant suspicion and maybe some other members will spill valuable details about Alice and her enemies.”
Annie checked the time. “First, I have an appointment with Mrs. Delaney about our wedding. Jason should be here, too.”
“Sorry, honey. He texted me that he wouldn’t be able to make it and for me to go with you. And Mia if she wants to.”
Mia shook her head. “No thanks. I can’t focus on that right now.”
Annie clenched her jaw. Why didn’t Jason text her instead of Leona?
“He tried to text you but your phone battery must be dead,” Leona said as if she read Annie’s mind.
A big sigh escaped through her lips. “All right. Let’s go. I’m supposed to meet her at the office.”
As soon as Mrs. Delaney saw Annie approach, she fluttered her hands and acted nervous. “Oh dear. I forgot we had this appointment. Come in. You’re here about your wedding plans?”
Annie looked at Leona and raised her eyebrows. “Yes. Annie Fisher, and this is my aunt, Leona Robinson.”
“There’s a bit of a problem,” Mrs. Delaney began. “You see, with the, you know, situation, I don’t think we can accommodate you anymore.”
“Excuse me?” Annie stepped toward Mrs. Delaney. “Situation? What are you talking about?”
Mrs. Delaney rubbed her cheek. “Oh dear. Phyllis thought you would understand.”
“Phyllis Morris?” Leona spat out. “What does Phyllis have to do with Annie’s wedding here at the Heron Inn?”
“Oh dear,” she said again. “Mrs. Morris is one of our biggest clients and, well, I don’t know how to say this.”
“Just spit it out Mrs. Delaney,” Annie hissed. She knew what was coming but she certainly wasn’t going to make it easy for this woman who was obviously feeling completely uncomfortable.
“Your mother,” Mrs. Delaney whispered, as if she didn’t even want the walls to hear what she was about to say. “Your mother and Alice Wolfe’s murder. It doesn’t look good for the Inn.”
“My mother is not a murderer,” Annie told Mrs. Delaney in a dead calm voice. “But I can’t say the same thing about Phyllis Morris with any certainty.” She waited to see Mrs. Delaney’s mouth fall open before she grabbed Leona’s arm and left.
“Brilliant,” Leona whispered.
Phyllis stood near the front door of the Inn with a smirk on her face when Annie and Leona headed toward the stairs.
“How did your wedding meeting go, Annie?” Phyllis asked in a syrupy voice.
Annie smiled. “Extremely well, as a matter of fact, and now I’m looking forward to running the book club party. Will you be there?”
The smile was replaced with a scowl and her finger jabbed with every word she uttered. Phyllis moved several steps closer to Annie. “Of course I’ll be there. If you think you’ll be able to stay president once all the members show up, you have underestimated me.”
“Don’t worry about me underestimating you, Phyllis. I know you went to Alice’s house after the funeral. And I know you want to own her book store. Tell me,” Annie paused and moved right into Phyllis’s space. “Did you know that Mr. Fleming sits in his living room and watches the world go by? I had a very interesting chat with him about the comings and goings in Alice’s house.”
“That old man? He’s as blind as a bat. He wouldn’t know who was walking by his window. Alice always complained about how he snooped around and harassed her company if he was outside when a visitor stopped by. She told me he used to be a security guard.”
“I’m sure he can see well enough to recognize you and Sheila visiting Alice’s house before she was murdered.”
A smile crept back onto Phyllis’s face. “Nice try, but I’m not falling for your bluff.” She raised her hand to catch Mrs. Delaney’s attention and rushed off, leaving Annie and Leona at the bottom of the stairs.
“She didn’t take the bait, did she?” Annie remarked to Leona. “Or else she’s a really good poker player.”
“Also, why would Alice give Edwin Fleming a key to her house if she complained about him snooping?” Leona asked Annie.
“Since Alice is dead, Phyllis can say anything, can’t she?”
Chapter 9
Annie and Leona took the stairs two at a time to get to their suite. Annie won the race. By a lot. Leona huffed and puffed behind, catching up as Annie opened the door to find Mia stretched out on the bed, fast asleep.
“Wake up. We’ve got work to do,” Leona said to Mia as she tickled her foot and pulled the comforter off.
“You closed the café for the weekend,” Mia grumbled, pulling the comforter back up to her chin.
“We have to make desserts for the book club meeting. Annie needs something to bribe the rest of the members to vote for her. And you,” Leona pointed her finger at Annie, “can check in with Jason to see if he has uncovered any more information.”
Mia rolled over and groaned. “Can’t I stay here? Get Martha to help. She’s the one who got Annie into this mess anyway. I think I’m coming down with something. My head is throbbing and my throat is on fire.”
Annie felt her mother’s forehead. “You’re burning up. I’ll order a pot of tea with honey for you. Sip on it to soothe your sore throat.”
Leona already had Martha on the phone. “Martha’s on board and will meet me at the café in about a half hour. I’ll drop you at Jason’s house, Annie. Promise to stay out of trouble or Jason will have my hide.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. He read me the riot act already. What kind of trouble do you foresee?”
Leona picked up her purse, fishing around for her keys. “If I could foresee the trouble, I’d prevent it. That’s the problem. Where are my keys?”
Annie patted her jacket pocket and fished out Leona’s jumble of keys. “Here they are. I borrowed your car last night. Remember?”
“No, I don’t remember you borrowing my car. You stole it. And speaking of trouble, Jason told me he intervened last night when you were spying on Edwin’s house. He told me something about you leaving your common sense at his house?”
“Geez. You two need to stop talking about me behind my back. I can take care of myself.”
Leona rolled her eyes but said nothing.
Annie made sure the comforter was tucked in all around her mother. Leona got the tea from room service and placed it on the table next to the bed. Mia was fast asleep when Annie and Leona tiptoed out the door.
Annie felt one muscle after another relax as they got closer to Jason’s house. The Heron Inn was
an amazing place but she had a bad taste in her mouth after Mrs. Delaney suggested it would look bad for the Inn if Annie got married there. She would go to the book club party and find another venue for future meetings. She didn’t even want to spend a second night at the Heron Inn but she’d leave that decision up to Jason. If he already paid for the room, it would only be hurting him, not the Delaneys.
“Did you hear anything I said, Annie?” Leona asked as she turned into Jason’s driveway.
“I guess not. I couldn’t help but think about that awful conversation with Mrs. Delaney. Now I’ll have to hunt around for another wedding location. What about you and Danny? You got engaged before I did and you haven’t picked a date yet.”
“Sometime after you and Jason. We aren’t in any rush.”
“Where is Danny anyway? I haven’t seen him for a week.”
“He went on a fishing trip with a buddy. I’ll be glad when he gets home. I can’t believe how much I miss him.”
Annie hopped out of the car. “Are you picking me up to go back for the book club party?”
“Probably. Unless Jason heads in that direction. Or you could drive yourself. Let me know. I’ll bring the desserts and I’ll pick up some cider, too.”
Annie slid from Leona’s car and smelled wood smoke in the cold air. She smiled.
When she walked inside, she heard the fire crackle in the fireplace. Roxy leisurely stretched before greeting Annie with her tail wagging and her funny doggy grin. Wonderful smells met Annie’s nose but there was no Jason in sight.
Her stomach rumbled. She peeked in the oven to figure out what he was cooking.
“Hey! No peeking.” Jason put his hands over Annie’s eyes and pulled her away from the oven. He led her to the table, helping her sit. “Keep your eyes closed. It’s a surprise. I hope you brought your appetite.”
