Sure. Chinese or pizza?
After she unlocked the car door and slid in behind the steering wheel, Liv’s reply came.
Thai.
Thai?
Different. But Kelly was good with the choice. She’d have to search for a Thai restaurant on the way back to town. She replied and then started her Jeep after searching on her phone’s map for a restaurant. She found one and set her route.
Breena had stayed until closing, and in return, Kelly gave her the next day off. Now, with Wendy arrested for the murder, it appeared Kelly was no longer obligated to clear her. The whole matter was now in the hands of the police and the district attorney’s office. There was nothing left for Kelly to do.
Well, there was one thing left for her to do, and that was to finish watching the episodes of LIL. She hadn’t intended to get hooked, but she was and hated herself for it. Though a gal needed a guilty pleasure, and with her tight budget, reality television was within her means.
* * * *
Kelly parked behind the row of shops just north of her boutique where Liv rented an apartment. It was more economical to rent an apartment above the retail stores for young working women like Kelly and Liv, though what they gave up were views of the beaches, dunes, and marshes. Being young and building a life wasn’t for the faint of heart.
Night had laid a thick blanket of darkness over Lucky Cove. As a kid, Kelly had loved the longer nights. She curled up on her bed with a Nancy Drew book and an afghan crocheted by her granny over her lap and read for hours. There was no reading or snuggling under an afghan tonight. Instead, she’d have yummy Thai cuisine and watch a couple of movies with her bestie.
Being young and single was fun . . . sometimes.
With her Jeep shifted into park, she climbed out of the driver’s seat. Her phone rang. It was Liv’s ring tone. Kelly swiped her phone and pressed the speaker button.
“Checking up on me? I’ll be up there in a minute.” She dashed around to the passenger side to get the bag of food—two orders of pot stickers, pad thai, and steamed mixed veggies should be enough for their dinner. Then again, she didn’t know how hungry Liv was.
“What are you talking about? Where are you?” Liv asked.
“Your apartment. I picked up the Thai food. I’ll be right up.”
The parking lot was a lot like the one behind her boutique—a communal area for shop owners and customers to park, with easy access to all the businesses along Main Street. The one thing the town could improve on was the lighting. The tall lamps seemed not as bright as they needed to be, and on a cold winter’s night, with the businesses closed for the day, it felt a little eerie.
“When did you get into Thai food?” Reaching for the handle of the car door, Kelly realized how alone she was in the lot and was grateful she’d be upstairs in Liv’s apartment within minutes.
“I’m not. What are you doing there? I’m not home. I’m at the church for the gingerbread house decorating contest.”
The annual gingerbread house competition. A flashback swept Kelly to the church’s community room the night of her first time entering the contest. Her dream of winning first place with her masterpiece of a gingerbread house crumbled, just like the walls of the elf-sized building, thanks to watery icing. Eve Whitney gloated when she won the first-place ribbon.
“Why did you text me you wanted me to pick up dinner and bring it over to your place?”
Kelly pulled opened the passenger door and bent over the seat. Juggling the phone and key fob while reaching for the bag at an odd angle was too much and something had to fall. The key fob.
Shoot.
The interior was dark, just like the key. She groaned as she patted the floor mat with her free hand, searching for the key.
“Kelly! Are you still there?”
She either needed to turn down the volume on her phone or Liv was upset. Wait, a minute. Why was she upset? She was the one running late.
“Yes. I dropped the car key. How long are you going to be? I’m hungry.” Kelly’s fingers gripped something. “Ah ha!” She’d found the key fob. Victory was hers.
“I’m going to be here for hours judging. I didn’t text you about dinner.”
“What?” Kelly rested her other hand on the seat. “I have your message on my phone. You asked for Thai.”
“I don’t like Thai.”
“I know. I figured you were expanding your palette. If you weren’t going to be here for dinner, why did you ask me to pick it up?”
“I didn’t. Kelly, I have a bad feeling.”
Chapter Twenty
The hairs on the back of Kelly’s neck prickled. Her heartbeat kicked into overdrive. There had to be a logical explanation. A simple mix up. Liv sent the text by mistake.
A noise from behind her made her heart thump, and she froze.
“Kell, you need to leave and go home.”
“Good idea.” Kelly stepped back and grabbed the car door. “I’ll call you when I get home.” She swung the door shut and screamed at the sight of a person—dressed in black from ski mask to shoes—standing there, just feet away from her.
“Kelly! What’s going on? Someone call the police! Kelly’s in trouble.”
Kelly stumbled backward as she stretched out her hand holding the key fob. “Here, take my car. My wallet is inside. Take it!”
The person didn’t move.
Kelly swore her heart stopped beating as they held the standoff.
“Kelly! Are you okay? The police are on their way.”
Kelly heard Liv’s voice. She wanted to reply, but she couldn’t speak.
The person reeled around and ran to the lot’s exit between Liv’s building and the nail salon.
Kelly pried her feet from the pavement and started to chase after the figure. Her arms pumped at her side as she sped up. She wanted to catch the person. What she’d do next was up in the air. She’d figure it out. When she reached the sidewalk, she stopped and looked right, then left.
The person was gone.
“Talk to me, Kelly!”
Kelly lifted the phone up to her face. “I’m okay. He . . . she . . . whoever . . . is gone.”
“Thank goodness. You didn’t get a look at who it was?”
“No. The person was wearing all black, including sunglasses.” Kelly turned and headed back to her car. “Someone wants to scare me.”
“Whoever it was certainly scared me.”
Kelly reached her car and leaned her back against it. She became light-headed and blamed the adrenaline rush that pumped through her. She exhaled controlled breaths in hopes of keeping herself from fainting.
“It’s not going to work. I’m more determined now to find out who killed Diana.”
“Oh, boy.”
“I know it wasn’t Wendy because she’s in police custody.”
“I heard. Maybe she made bail.”
“I don’t think it would happen so fast.” Police sirens perked up her ears. “You really did call the police?”
“Mama called.”
A police vehicle came speeding into the parking lot with its strobe lights flashing and sirens blaring.
“Thank your mom for me. I’ll call you later.” Kelly ended the call and took a moment to regroup. She’d had the daylights scared out of her by a stranger donned in black who’d lured her to an empty parking lot. Regrouping was necessary.
The officer approached and, after making sure she wasn’t hurt, took her statement. He said it sounded like the unidentified person spoofed her cell phone by making her believe Liv was texting her. Uneasiness bubbled in her belly as the officer explained how spoofing worked, and she eyed her phone warily. It was far too easy to be lured into a dangerous situation.
* * * *
The next morning came quickly for Kelly. The events of the past days, including t
he confrontation with the stranger clad all in black, left her waking with what felt like a hangover—throbbing head, heavy eyelids, and zero energy. All she wanted to do was pull the covers over her face and stay here for a day or two or three. Yet, she didn’t have the option, thanks to the ten-pound cat sitting on her chest and meowing in her face.
She forced one eye open and stared at Howard, who stared back with what she perceived as irritation. He was hungry and wanted Kelly to do something about it.
“Fine. I’ll get up.” Kelly yawned and removed the cat from her chest.
He didn’t go far. She guessed he wanted to make sure she didn’t change her mind.
“I’m getting up. See.” She tossed off the covers and sat up, taking a big stretch with her hands overhead.
Howard looked disinterested, jumped off the bed, and sauntered out of the bedroom.
She was tempted to close the door and climb back into bed, but she resisted. It was her day to work in the boutique. No errands, no questioning murder suspects, no being followed by a killer. As she stood and slipped into her slippers, she conceded it would be a nice change of pace.
In the shower, she welcomed the hot spray of water against her back and lingered there longer than she should have. She had to be at work on time, and she was jonesing for a Holly Jolly coffee from Doug’s. The water and the coffee kept her mind from drifting back to the worst-case scenario of last night. She didn’t want to go down that path again. Most of the nightmares she’d had overnight were because of all the things that could have happened to her.
Out of the shower and dressed casually in a chunky, nutmeg-colored sweater and skinny jeans, she pulled on her brown suede ankle boots after feeding Howard and was all set to dash across the street for her coffee fix when she heard a knock at her door.
There were only three people who had keys to the building: Breena, Pepper, and Gabe. Breena had the morning off, leaving either Gabe or Pepper as the probable person at the door.
Kelly opened the door and found Pepper standing on the welcome mat, holding a basket covered by a blue-and-white-checked cloth.
“After the night you had, I figured you could use something yummy to start your day.” Pepper breezed by Kelly and set the muffins on the dining table. She unzipped her quilted parka, revealing a deep-rose-colored turtleneck sweater over black slim pants. “How are you doing?”
“Me? I’m good. How about you?” Kelly closed the door and followed Pepper to the table. She lifted the cloth; the fragrance of homemade cranberry and walnut muffins wafted in the air, and she smiled. “I love these. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Martha would want me to look after you.” Pepper pulled out a chair and sat. “We need to have a chat.”
And there it was—the Pepper glare. She looked over the rim of her glasses and telepathically transmitted her disapproval of what had happened last night.
Kelly was in total agreement with her. She disapproved of being deceived and led to a deserted parking lot by a stranger and scared out of her wits. Maybe that person should have been subjected to the Pepper glare. Trying her best to ignore the look, she plucked out a muffin and sat. She pulled back the muffin paper and sank her teeth into the moist, light muffin and chewed the bigger than normal bite. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was.
“From what I heard, you’ve managed to find yourself in danger again. First, the note left for you on your car.”
Kelly’s head swung up. “Gabe told you?” He had to have been the one to rat her out.
“I don’t reveal my sources.”
“You’re not a reporter.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you. You haven’t been feeling well.”
Pepper shook her head. “I thought we cleared this up. I’m not dying. I had a cold. Besides, you’re like a daughter, which means there’s no way I’ll never not worry about you.”
Kelly dipped her head. “You’re right. I should have told you.”
“Someone is warning you to mind your own business. This is serious, Kelly.”
There went her appetite. Kelly set the muffin down. “I know, and I’ve received the message loud and clear. I was at Wendy’s house when she was arrested.”
“I wasn’t aware.” The Pepper glare took on a whole new level of disapproval. Yikes!
“When Summer and I left the house, I was certain I was done with . . . investigating, asking questions, whatever it was I was doing. I was finished.”
“Because they arrested Wendy?”
“Exactly. While I had a hard time believing she left the threatening note on my car, it was possible. But last night when someone lured me to a place he or she knew I’d go without question and be alone, I knew it wasn’t Wendy. She didn’t kill Diana. The person who framed Wendy is the person trying to scare me off.”
Pepper leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “I’m sensing you’re not scared off.”
“I’m not. What happened last night has made me more determined now to find out who the killer is. He or she sent me the text message to pick up Thai food and bring it to Liv’s apartment.”
“Thai? Liv doesn’t like Thai. Remember when we went into the city and made reservations at the Thai restaurant?” Pepper laughed at the memory.
The memory flashed in Kelly’s mind. It was a couple weeks after Martha’s funeral, and Pepper had sensed Kelly needed a pick-me-up. Pepper decided a girl’s day out was in order. The three of them took the train into the city, and they’d had a mini shopping spree followed by lunch. Liv had barely eaten anything at the restaurant and ended up buying a pretzel from a street vendor on the way back to Penn Station. How could Kelly have forgotten that?
“I should’ve sensed something was amiss. I appreciate your concern and promise to be careful. I hope you can understand why I need to see this through.”
“It’s hard for me to wrap my head around why you insist on putting yourself in danger for someone you barely know.”
Kelly reached out and covered Pepper’s hands with hers. “Ten years ago, I should have been a better friend to Ariel. A better person.” She stopped Pepper’s objection. “I failed her. I can’t change what happened. I do know I never want to feel like that again, so if someone needs my help, I’m going to help. And if someone is coming after me—well, then, I will take them head on. I won’t be scared or intimated.”
“Wendy still needs your help?”
“Not now. What she needs is a good attorney. I will be careful. You have my word.”
“You better be.” Pepper stood and kissed Kelly on the top of the head. “I’ll see you downstairs. Oh, and pick me up a Holly Jolly when you go to Doug’s.”
“How . . . ?”
“I know everything.” Pepper smiled and headed for the door.
Kelly grabbed the muffin and finished eating it. It was too good not to eat. After she scarfed down the muffin, she grabbed her coat and tote bag. She hurried down the stairs and dashed across the street to get two coffees and put in a solid day of work at the boutique.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kelly hurried around to the front of her boutique and headed to the curb. Her wristlet was clutched in her hand. The wind gusts had kicked up since last night, and she regretted slipping on her pale blue wool-blend coat. She needed her sub-zero puffer jacket.
“There she is!”
Kelly turned at the sound of Liv’s voice. Liv was bustling down the sidewalk with Gabe behind her.
“Thank God you’re okay!” When Liv reached Kelly, she pulled her in for a hug. “You could have been killed last night. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I was getting us dinner.” Kelly wriggled in her friend’s tight hold. “I. Can’t. Breathe.” She survived an ambush by a stranger, possibly a killer, only to be squeezed to death by Liv.
“Liv, she’s okay.” Gabe put a hand on Liv’s shoulder. “Kell, she’s right, though. You got lucky.”
Kelly was able to break free of Liv’s hold. “I know she’s right. But if the person wanted to kill me, why did he run away?”
“Why did you chase after him?” Liv asked.
Kelly shrugged.
“Are you saying it was a man? Are you sure?” Gabe let go of Liv’s shoulder, and his worried looked morphed into professional cop mode.
“No, I’m not certain. It was too dark, and I wasn’t close enough.”
“Thank God!” Liv’s head swung upward at Gabe. “Her life is in danger. What are you going to do to protect her?”
“The best way to keep her safe is for her to back off of the investigation.”
“Not much of a plan. Or a way to make her feel safe.” Liv shoved her gloved hands into her coat pockets and frowned.
“He doesn’t have to come up with a plan. I’ll be fine.” Kelly definitely wouldn’t be going places based on text messages. No, next time she’d confirm with an old-fashioned phone call. “I appreciate your concern, but I need coffee, and I’m freezing.” Her teeth were chattering, and her eyelids were heavy. She needed a jolt of caffeine. An extra-large jolt.
“It’s cold, and I have to get back to the bakery.” Liv threw her arms around Kelly and hugged her, this time not squeezing the life out of her. “Call me later.”
“Yeah. I have to get to work. Talk to you later.” Gabe turned and headed down the street, while Liv took off in the opposite direction and Kelly dashed across the street.
Inside the warm store, Kelly found herself at the end of a long line of caffeine-deficient individuals like herself. After a few minutes, the line moved up one person, and Kelly took a step closer to her coffee and bagel. She needed something more substantial to balance out the cakey muffin. A toasted bagel slathered with cream cheese seemed to be a good choice. By the time she’d returned home last night, it was late, and she didn’t feel like eating. She’d tossed the takeout food into the refrigerator but now doubted she’d be able to eat it. It came with a bad memory of being lured to her potential death. It was enough to make any food unappetizing.
Silenced in Sequins Page 19
