by Lyndsey Cole
Annie extended her hand which he grasped lightly. “Of course we’re pleased to see everyone.” Leona walked by with a tray of her mouthwatering desserts. “Don’t be bashful about helping yourself.” Annie moved away from Marty to finish greeting the rest of the women in the room. Interesting development, she thought to herself.
Leona had her tray with rows of Christmas cookies, gingerbread women, and slices of cranberry coffee cake set up next to the coffee machine. The women wasted no time diving for the treats. The conversations picked up to a healthy decibel and Annie heard snippets of a new mystery or a spicy new romance.
Sheila sidled up to Annie, wringing her hands as she whispered in Annie’s ear. “Marty wants to talk to you. I don’t know what it’s all about but he’s not very happy.”
Perfect, Annie thought. She most certainly wanted to talk to Marty, too. She hadn’t figured out how to make it happen, but as so often was the case, the opportunity fell into her lap at the most unexpected moment. She pasted a smile on her face with what she hoped didn’t look too phony and said, “Of course.”
Annie approached Marty. “Sheila told me you have something to talk to me about?” Trying to lighten up his serious expression, she added, “I hope it’s a recommendation for the next book club meeting.”
Marty’s eyebrows met above his nose, giving him a dark bushy unibrow. “Don’t try to be cute. You know that’s not why I’m here. I came to give you a warning.”
Shivers leapt up Annie’s spine.
“Quit bothering my father. He’s told me you keep coming to his house, touching his things, and asking questions. Leave. Him. Alone.”
Annie stepped back, away from the anger spewing with Marty’s words. “Did he tell you to come here to warn me? Your father invited me into his home.” Not exactly true, Annie thought to herself, but he did leave the door open. “And, he enjoyed the Christmas cookies I brought for him.” Annie lightly put her hand on Marty’s arm. “It must have been traumatic for him to lose such a dear friend.”
Marty jerked his arm away. “What are you talking about?” he hissed. “Alice thought my father was a nosy old fool. She told me on several occasions to keep him away from her house. And I’m telling you to stay away from my father. It was your cranberry bread that sent him to the hospital with food poisoning.”
Annie was stunned. And suspicious. Suspicious about Marty’s motive for his warning. Was he hiding something? Was he involved with Alice Wolfe’s murder?
Chapter 13
Marty grabbed a handful of cookies on his way out the door, spilling a few on the floor in his haste. Annie jammed her hands into her pockets to stop herself from knocking the cookies from his hand. Who did he think he was? It was bad enough that he threatened her but he had the nerve to take cookies, too! She secretly hoped they made him sick.
Leona whispered in her ear, “Breathe. You have all these women watching you.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” Annie turned away from Marty’s retreating back to see a smirk the size of Santa’s bulging bag of gifts pasted on Phyllis’s face. “I think I may have jumped from the fire into the frying pan,” she whispered to Leona.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leona asked.
Annie jerk her head in Phyllis’s direction. “Phyllis has been biding her time to ambush me and here she comes.” Annie stood as tall as her five foot four inch frame allowed and ran her fingers through her strawberry blond curls. “How was your chat with the Police Chief, Phyllis?” Annie was sure to speak loud and clear so everyone could hear the question.
“Lovely. Such a shame about your mother. I suppose you’ll be too distracted to be able to focus on the book club so I’m offering to step in and take the presidency off your hands.”
Annie smiled. This could be fun. “There’s no need for that. I am quite capable of juggling many cookies at the same time.” To emphasize her point, Annie chose a cookie that had been dipped half in white chocolate and half in dark chocolate. “Have you tried these yet, Phyllis? I think Alice would have approved.” Annie studied the cookie. “They remind me of her white and black cat figurine collection.”
Phyllis’s mouth dropped open and a pink blush crept into her cheeks.
Annie knew she had hit a nerve. “Aren’t you interested in her collection? Too bad you got caught swiping one. What were you planning to do with only one cat figurine? Whack someone else over the head? Maybe me? Get me out of the way so you could be president of this precious book club?” Annie couldn’t stop herself until Leona took her elbow and pulled her away from Phyllis. Everyone in the room was watching silently, taking in every word.
Mrs. Delaney approached Annie. “Please come with me. You’ve caused enough drama for now.” She turned to the rest of the women in the room. “Phyllis is treating everyone to wine for the party. Phyllis, can you take over until I return?”
Annie saw a huge smile spread across Phyllis’s face as she uncorked a bottle of wine.
Mrs. Delaney pulled Annie into the hall and opened another door. Before she could remember Jason’s warning about not going into a dark room, Mrs. Delaney had Annie inside with the door closed behind them.
“You are becoming quite a problem for me and my Inn. I thought you got the message when I refused to book your wedding here. If your fiancé hadn’t already made reservations for the weekend, you wouldn’t have been allowed to set foot inside. And now you made a fool of yourself in front of all the women expecting a fun holiday party.”
“Phyllis has quite the hold on you.” Annie walked around the room, mentally checking for anything that could be used for a weapon if needed. Suddenly, she turned and faced Mrs. Delaney, thrusting her face so close to Mrs. Delaney’s that Annie could smell cinnamon on her breath. “Why don’t you stand up to her? Do you think she’ll stop once she gets what she wants from you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mrs. Delaney folded her arms across her chest.
Annie stared.
Tears threatened to overflow from Mrs. Delaney’s eyes. She sagged into a chair. “I know you’re right but I don’t know what to do. She owns more than half of our business, and if I don’t do her bidding, she’ll force me and my husband out. We’ll be homeless. This Inn is our life.”
Annie patted her shoulder. “Maybe Jason can help. First, we have to figure out what Phyllis’s motive is. And,” Annie paused, “do you think Phyllis kill Alice?”
“I don’t know but she’s certainly capable of anything. You better watch your back or you could be next. She wants Alice’s bookstore, and running the book club is her first step for building that business back up.”
Annie sat down opposite Mrs. Delaney. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll step down from my position as interim president of this book club but I’m going to take a gamble that there are a lot of unhappy women that just might be looking for something else.”
A smile started to form at the corners of Mrs. Delaney’s mouth.
“And those women love Leona’s baking.”
Mrs. Delaney’s smile grew.
“So I’m going to start the Black Cat Book Club. We’ll meet at the café. I’ll convince Leona to make the recipes from the books we read so it will be a chat and chew fest.”
“That’s brilliant. Phyllis will hate it.” Mrs. Delaney’s smile was as big as the grin on the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland.
“And don’t worry, Mrs. Delaney, Phyllis won’t know you and I ever had this little chat. I’ll announce my resignation. After Phyllis has her moment of glory as the new president of this book club, I’ll burst her bubble with an announcement of my alternate group and we’ll see where everyone’s taste buds end up.”
Mrs. Delaney broke out into a deep belly laugh. “Don’t worry about your wedding, we’ll work something out. I prefer to have you on my side, and besides, you’re too much fun to lose as a customer.”
“First things first, Mrs. Delany.” Annie stopped with her hand on the doorknob. �
�What about Sheila Sherwood? I can’t figure out if she’s friends with Phyllis or not.”
“Sheila Sherwood is friends with Sheila Sherwood, if you know what I mean. She is out for herself. Not exactly someone high on my list of trustworthy people. I did see her palling up with Marty Fleming before he left. She told him if he cleared up Alice’s back rent, he could take over the bookstore space.”
Annie opened the door. “Interesting. Marty Fleming wants the bookstore too?”
“He wants the space.”
The two women returned to the Book Nook. The wine must have done the trick of putting everyone into the Christmas party spirit. Even Phyllis looked happy until Annie walked in and her smile turned to a scowl.
Annie walked right over to Phyllis, picked up a wine glass, and tapped her fingernails on the glass to get everyone’s attention. “I have an announcement to make. Mrs. Delaney was kind enough to explain to me that she promised these facilities to the Catfish Cove Book Club if Phyllis was the president. Now that I’m aware of those conditions, I reluctantly must resign as interim president and turn the position over to Phyllis Morris.” Annie smiled sweetly. Phyllis blinked and then smiled as if the words hit her ears before her brain could register the meaning. She put her arm on Annie’s shoulder in a friendly gesture and it was all Annie could do not to shrink away from her touch.
Phyllis poured wine into Annie’s glass and proposed a toast. “To the Catfish Cove Book Club.”
There was polite cheering before everyone returned to their conversations.
Annie tapped her glass again. “I would also like to inform everyone that I have a new idea for all the voracious mystery readers here tonight. I, along with Leona, will host a chat and chew at the Black Cat Café where we’ll discuss the latest mysteries and Leona will prepare one or two recipes from the book for all to sample.”
Phyllis choked on her wine. Leona coughed to cover up a laugh, Mia clapped, and the rest of the room cheered. Enthusiastically.
“I’ll have a sign up at the café, and once I find out who’s interested in participating, I’ll pick a book and make a date for our first meeting.”
Phyllis stomped her foot and hissed at Annie. “You can’t do that. You’re bribing everyone with dessert.”
Annie smiled and lowered her voice so only Phyllis could hear her words. “Yes. Isn’t it a brilliant idea?”
Mrs. Delaney turned her back, but Annie could see her shoulders shaking.
Leona nudged Annie off to the side of the room. “What happened when you left with Mrs. Delaney? I was worried.”
“We did some bonding and strategizing. I hope you’re okay that I volunteered you to make treats for my new book club.”
Leona dismissed that comment with a flick of her wrist. “Sounds like fun but I can tell you something, Phyllis is not liking your idea.” She nodded her head in Phyllis’s direction. Phyllis and Sheila had their heads together planning something. Revenge?
Chapter 14
“Is Jason coming back tonight? Should Mia and I leave?” Leona asked Annie after they returned to the grand suite.
“He’s busy doing research. You can stay with me. Unless, of course, you’d rather go home?”
Leona burst into peals of laughter. “And leave this luxury to go home to an empty house? Danny won’t be home from his fishing trip until tomorrow. How about you, Mia?”
Mia had curled up on the sofa as soon as they returned and her answer was a snore.
“That settles it. We’ll stay here,” Leona said. “Another good night’s rest for Mia and maybe she’ll back to normal.” Leona slouched in the wing chair. “What do you want to do tonight? I’m too wired to hang around here waiting to get tired.”
“We could drive into town. All the shops are open late, and at ten there’s a tree lighting ceremony on the green with singing.”
Leona was on her feet with her coat on before Annie had finished talking. “Sounds slightly better than nothing.”
Annie scribbled a note in case Mia woke up, and they went downstairs. Half way down, they caught a glimpse of Sheila and Phyllis before the Inn’s front door clicked closed. Annie held Leona back. “Let’s follow them and see if they’re up to something. Mrs. Delaney told me that Phyllis owns more than half of this Inn. Phyllis pressured her to keep me from booking my wedding here. She’s up to something with all her money.”
Leona hesitated. For three seconds. “Jason will be mad at me but I’m with you. This is a perfect opportunity to try to find out something.”
They rushed to Leona’s car and followed the tail lights of Phyllis’s big black SUV. Phyllis was in a hurry and Leona almost lost them when a car cut in front of her at a crossroad. She leaned on her horn until the culprit pulled over and Leona flew by.
“Careful, Leona.” Annie’s white knuckles gripped the door. “It’s not worth getting in an accident.”
She had to slow down as they approached Main Street in Catfish Cove. Annie searched left and right but saw no sign of Phyllis’s car. Just as she gave up and began to settle against the seat, she lurched forward and pointed. “There. Find a spot to park. Phyllis and Sheila are walking into the Catfish Cove Pub with Marty Fleming.”
Leona swerved into a tight spot, drawing an angry look from a driver who had been waiting for the opening. She didn’t notice. The sidewalk overflowed with tourists enjoying the seasonal activities and slowed down their progress to the entrance of the pub.
“You go in and find us a spot,” Leona told Annie. “I want to send Danny a text.”
Annie pushed inside and waited several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Christmas music blared and mixed with the normal clinks and clanks of the pub. Her eyes searched the tables and spotted the back of Phyllis’s head in the far corner. Fortunately, Sheila and Marty were not paying any attention to anything beyond their table.
A jab in Annie’s side made her jump.
“What are you doing here?” Detective Christy Crank asked. “Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”
“Actually, I’m waiting for Leona to join me. What are you doing here?”
Christy pulled Annie to the end of the bar. She nodded to the bartender, her boyfriend Dusty, and ordered a couple more drinks.
“Don’t draw attention to us, I’m watching some customers,” Christy said as she clinked her mug against Annie’s.
“Fancy meeting you here, Christy,” Leona said as she settled on the empty bar stool on Christy’s other side.
Christy swiveled her stool so she faced Annie but her eyes focused over Annie’s shoulder. “What can you tell me about Marty Fleming?” Christy asked Annie.
“Besides the fact that he threatened me earlier tonight? Not too much.” Annie wasn’t surprised to see one of Christy’s eyebrows rise questioningly after her comment.
“What kind of threat?”
Annie sipped her beer. “Sam Adams. Nice choice.”
“Quit stalling Annie. How did he threaten you?”
“First tell me why you’re in here watching them. And how did you even know they would be coming here?”
Christy shrugged. “Lucky guess. I wasn’t watching Marty, just keeping tabs on Phyllis after her little break in episode. Let’s just say I’ve got a gut feeling there’s more than meets the eye with that one.”
“You followed her here from the Heron Inn?”
Christy rolled her eyes. “And you. Your turn to fill me in on what’s going on.”
“Marty showed up at the book club party tonight but he forgot to bring his holiday cheer. Basically, he warned me to leave his father alone.”
Christy’s eyes stayed on her target as she answered Annie. “Probably good advice. That guy’s an odd one. Did you poison his father with the cranberry coffee cake you brought him?”
“Funny joke, Christy. There would be a lot more people in the emergency room if he got sick from Leona’s coffee cake. He probably ate something past the due date from his own refrigerator
or cupboard. His eyesight is not twenty-twenty.”
Christy slid off her stool. “Sorry I can’t chat longer. Gotta run.”
Annie forced herself to wait before slowly turning around. Phyllis was standing, shaking her finger at Marty. Unfortunately, Annie was too far away and there was too much background noise to catch even a tidbit of the conversation.
Phyllis turned around. Alone. Her jaw clenched tighter than a dog playing tug of war. Her dark eyes locked onto Annie’s face before she pushed the door open and left the pub.
Annie shivered in the overheated pub.
“You must be coming down with whatever your mom has,” Leona said.
“I don’t think so. Phyllis just sent me a death stare that made my skin crawl. I’m ready to go, how about you?”
Leona finished her drink. “Sure. What’s next on the agenda?”
“How about a visit to my friend Edwin Fleming?”
Leona put her arm around Annie’s shoulders and grinned. “That sounds like a really bad idea but I know you. If I don’t go with you, you’ll go by yourself, so I’d better be your chaperone.”
“Just like old times—you and me breaking the rules. It will be fun,” Annie said, trying to convince herself that they weren’t walking into some kind of dangerous situation.
Leona squeezed Annie as they left the pub and walked to Leona’s car.
It wasn’t far to Edwin Fleming’s house. The house was dark except for the glow of some electronic gadget. Next door, Alice Wolfe’s house showed a sliver of light escaping from behind the closed drapes.
Leona stopped across the street but let the car idle in park. “What now?” she whispered as if the darkness hid someone nearby.
“Edwin is in the hospital. Should we peek in the windows?”
“Probably not,” Leona replied but she turned the car off and Annie already had her door open.
The street was dark and quiet. Annie half expected to see either Tyler or Christy staking out nearby. Nothing.
