Missy’s eyes filled with tears. Outside of working at a coffee shop in college, this was the only job Missy had ever had. She had spent her entire adulthood working in this little store that had survived much longer than anybody would have thought possible. But now it was over…
“I’m sorry, Miss,” Brett said.
“It’s okay.” She forced a smile while a lump formed in her throat. “We held out as long as we could.”
Brett smiled sadly. “Yes, we did. We really did.”
His eyes drifted away, and they both retreated into their memory of the bookstore. Missy thought back to when she’d just started, fresh out of college. Back then they’d been a bona fide indie bookseller, the new releases flowing in on a steady basis and local authors coming in for readings. Not long after, though, Brett had turned the store into a used book shop as he was unable to compete with the chains. Now several of those chains he hadn’t been able to compete with were gone too.
Missy got up. “Brett, do you mind if I go out for a little bit?”
“Sure.” His eyes were misty too. “If you want to take the rest of the day, I’ll understand.”
She wanted to, but she also needed the money. Oh God, what was she going to do without her meager, but steady, income from the bookstore? It was time to finally get a job. One with job security, and a 401k.
But she had no idea what she’d do. Missy couldn’t imagine starting over at something new when she was almost forty. Where would she go? She couldn’t imagine working for a big company. Or a medium-sized one. She had enjoyed her time here, working with the small staff at Books and Crannies. Sure, there had been plenty of disagreements over the years, but it had always felt like a team, like a family of sorts.
She couldn’t go to work for some soulless company where she just punched in and out…
The walls began to close in. Missy felt lightheaded. Brett was saying something, but she could barely hear him. Maybe something about her engagement ring?
She couldn’t hear. Missy hurried outside.
Chapter Nine
“Hey, babe,” Tyler said over the phone. “Had a nice time with you last night.”
She immediately started sobbing. “The bookstore is closing.”
“Aw, hon. I’m sorry.”
Once she was able to calm down, Missy shared the details. Tyler listened without interrupting. Missy was surprised to discover she was angry with Brett. Even though he’d given her plenty of warning over the last couple of years. As unfair as it was of her, she couldn’t help it. In her mind, she went over all the strategic decisions he’d made that had led the store to this point. Along the way, she hadn’t disagreed with a single one.
“I mean, he could have asked if I wanted to buy him out,” Missy said.
“Would you have?” Tyler asked.
“What? No. Obviously I don’t have the money, Tyler!”
“What if you did?”
“I don’t! So what’s the point of talking about it?”
“Easy, hon. I’m just hearing you out.”
“Sorry.” She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was getting hot in her old truck, so she started the engine and turned on the AC, hoping this was one of those days where it actually worked.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Tyler said. “How about we take the weekend and head up to the mountains?”
His parents still had a place in the Poconos, which they rarely used because they spent most of their time in Florida. While she appreciated his thoughtfulness, going to the mountains for a weekend felt like running away. And more importantly, all her problems would be right here waiting for her when she got back.
“I don’t think so, hon. I really need to roll up my sleeves and find a job. I have to…God, I have to create a resume. I’ve never had one.”
He chuckled. “I can help you with that. Every time a new position opened in the department I had to submit mine. Government, you know? I got pretty good at it.”
She always counted herself lucky to have Tyler, but even more so right now. She didn’t want to think about losing her job while being a murder suspect without his ever-calm attitude and level head.
“Thanks, babe.” She sighed. “I just have no idea what I’m going to do.”
“You know, we didn’t talk much after you said yes. We were too busy doing other things.”
She laughed, recalling the intimate details of last night with him. It raised her spirits. “Yeah. We were busy.”
Tyler laughed. “We might as well move in together, right?”
She hadn’t had a chance to even think about that last night. She’d been so carried away with the proposal and the day’s events.
“What are you thinking?”
“I like my place, but honestly? I prefer yours.”
She smiled, somehow knowing all along he was going to say that. “Me too.”
“Alright.” His voice brimmed with excitement. “It’s settled then. I’ll put my place up and move in with you.”
For a moment, she forgot about everything. All that mattered right now was that Tyler was moving in with her and they were getting married.
“It’ll be an easy move for me,” Tyler said. “I never even got fully unpacked since I came back.”
They both laughed. Missy pictured the moving boxes that were still stacked in his spare room on the first floor. They had been sitting there, untouched, for two years. And Tyler wasn’t big on decorating. He’d brought furniture, a widescreen TV, and a computer. She couldn’t think of what else he had there, actually.
“I’m so happy, Tyler.”
“Me too, hon. It’ll save us money,” he said. “My mortgage is twice what yours is. So you won’t have to worry about a thing.”
She was so happy. Tyler just made everything better.
Tyler said, “What I’m saying is, don’t feel like you have to get a job. We’ll be fine.”
“I have to do something. I want to contribute.”
“You will, Melissa. I’m just saying don’t put all this pressure on yourself. I’d hate for you to run out and get a job you’re going to hate. You can be picky.”
She was so happy, she almost forgot about the strange phone call from earlier. “Not to change the subject, but there’s something I have to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Missy shared the details of the phone call from the person who would not identify herself. Again, Tyler listened without interrupting her. When she was done, he said:
“You need to call the detectives.”
“I know, I know.”
“Everything is going to be fine, Melissa. I promise.”
“Thanks, Tyler. I’m glad I have you.”
“And you’re always going to have me.”
***
“Hello?”
“Detective Bryant? It’s Missy DeMeanor.”
“Hi,” he said it pleasantly enough, though she detected a serious undertone in his voice.
“Listen, I got this weird call at the bookstore.”
“Weird call, huh?”
Missy took a deep breath and steeled herself for the difficult conversation. She gave Bryant all the details, and when she was done the detective said:
“Why didn’t you tell me this before I left?”
She’d known this was going to be an issue. Missy could easily show him the electronic proof of the call and how long it was. But the delay in her getting the call and sharing the information with him made it look like she’d needed time to come up with a story.
“When Brett came out of the office, he said he needed to talk to me and it sounded urgent,” she said.
“This was urgent too. That person might have information that can help us,” Bryant said, disappointment filling his voice.
“I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you but it sounded pretty serious what Brett wanted to share.”
“I hope it was, Missy. Because this is a murder investigation and—”
She couldn’t help it. “Sorry, detective, but the reason Brett wanted to talk to me was because the store is closing. I just lost the only job I’ve ever had.”
“Gee, sorry.” But he didn’t sound sorry. “I guess I found out before you then. It’s a shame. I always loved bookstores so I hate to see them go.”
“Yeah.” Her emotions were building inside her, just thinking about the sixty days she had left at Books and Crannies.
“Brett mentioned he’d been keeping you up to date on the business though,” Bryant said.
Really? She wanted to call this guy a jerk and hang up. “I told you that yesterday.”
“Right.” He said it like he’d just remembered. “But I guess what I’m saying is, you’ve known all along this was going to happen, just not when exactly. Right?”
“It’s still scary.” She couldn’t keep the edge out of her voice. “Detective, I just lost my job. Do you have any idea what that’s like?”
“Personally, no. But I understand how difficult that must be. Especially when you’ve got no other real options right now.”
This was spiraling out of control. “I told you, I supplement my income in a number of ways and I applied for a job at the chain.”
“How long ago was that?” he asked.
She had to think and didn’t like the answer. “Three months ago, I guess.”
“Three months ago, huh? Well, ninety days is a long time. Have you heard back from them?”
“I called them a couple weeks after just to see where they were in their decision.”
“And what did they say?”
“They were still thinking about it.”
“And no contact with them since?”
She shook her head. Her minimal effort to find another job did not look good if the Castleton police were thinking she’d killed Tonya to get the woman out of the way so she could go to work at the tea room with her best friend. It sounded absurd to Missy, but these detectives didn’t know her at all other than hearing the well-traveled stories about her amateur sleuthing.
“No, they never got back to me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Bryant said. “You must have been real worried the last few months.”
She caught the implication before she answered yes. “Losing my job here has been in the back of my mind for awhile, but I wasn’t real worried until today.”
“Hmmm. I gotta be honest, Miss, if I were you I would have been fretting ever since Brett told me it was only a matter of time. I probably would have had another job lined up.”
His condescending tone irked her, but she quelled her anger. “Detective, I have to get back to work. Can I answer any other questions for you?”
“I can’t think of any right now, but I’m sure I will later. Can you text me the phone number of the unidentified caller?”
“Yes. Goodbye, detective.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Missy.”
A chill ran through her body.
Chapter Ten
Missy sat in the parking lot for twenty minutes, completely paralyzed. She knew she should get back to work because she needed the money. But she also knew that Bryant and Evanski were considering her a person of interest, if not an outright suspect.
She wanted to go home, climb in bed, and curl up under the covers. She felt like she could have slept for a day straight. But that wouldn’t get her anywhere either.
She wanted to call Tyler again, but they’d just talked and she knew how busy he was with that string of robberies in Grove City. They could always talk later.
Looking out of the car, her eyes lingered on the exterior of Books and Crannies. She couldn’t believe it would be gone soon, another store taking its place. Idly she wondered what kind of business was moving in. Not that it really mattered. The bookstore would be gone, it was over, nothing she could do to save the sinking ship that was Books and Crannies.
Miserably, she shook her head. Missy was feeling sorry for herself and that made her angry. She wasn’t powerless. She’d been on her own since graduating college and though some months were difficult financially she’d always made ends meet. Always doing what had to be done.
So she’d find another job. People did that all the time. She could do the same.
But that wasn’t the most important thing to do. Right now, she had two cops looking at her like she was a murderer. She had time to find a new job. What she didn’t have time for was clearing her name. What did employment matter if she was going to be locked up in jail awaiting a trial anyway?
With that, Missy made up her mind. There was only one thing to do. She’d rejected the idea out of hand yesterday and even now she didn’t relish the thought of diving into another murder investigation. But she also didn’t want to sit idly by while two cops who didn’t know her personally would decide her fate.
Missy took out her phone. “Hey, Noreen. You mind if I come over?”
***
Noreen had left the front door open for her. As a matter of fact, Missy couldn’t remember the last time she or Noreen had knocked before entering each other’s homes.
Noreen’s mom, Candy, smiled at her from the armchair in the living room. Her thick glasses bugged her eyes.
“Hi, Candy,” Missy said. She bent to hug the woman, feeling mostly skin and bones on the tiny body. Candy was whittling away to nothing, and with a sad eye Missy saw the walker standing next to the chair. “How are you?”
“Old.” She smiled. “I hate it.”
Missy smiled back. “I heard you were feeling a little better?”
Candy shook her head. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another. The hip, my arteries, the sleeping, now I’ve got peripheral vascular disease so it hurts to walk…but you didn’t come here to listen to me complain. Noreen is in the hammock.”
Missy squeezed the older woman’s shoulder affectionately. “I’m sorry to hear all that.”
Missy walked through the house. She and Noreen had spent so much time here. She recalled with vivid clarity the phone calls they’d made late at night to other friends or boys they liked. They had talked endlessly about the dances, and who they would go with, and what dresses they were going to wear. Missy loved sharing stories about the field hockey and basketball teams she’d played on, while Noreen had spilled the beans on everyone they knew in her dance classes.
So much time spent in these four walls.
Missy went through the kitchen and stepped outside. Noreen was facing away from her, suspended in the hammock between the two maples, one of which looked like it was dying. Seeing that old tree like that sent a stab of sorrow through Missy’s heart.
“Hey, Miss,” Noreen said, without looking back or getting up. “Thanks for coming.”
“How are you doing?” Missy stopped beside the hammock.
Noreen shrugged. “Want to join me?”
Missy laughed. They had shared the hammock back in high school. Noreen hadn’t gained a pound since then, but Missy couldn’t say the same thing.
“I don’t know if that’s going to work.”
Noreen nodded and didn’t put up much of a fight. She was wearing sunglasses and her face shifted skyward again. The sun was high overhead right now. Missy could feel it warming her skin.
Missy grabbed a lawn chair and turned it so she could face Noreen and the sun would be behind her.
“So what’s going on with the store?” Missy asked.
“Health inspector officially shut us down, pending an investigation. So far nobody else has gotten sick or…so far everybody else is okay. But they have to go through the whole process.”
“God, sorry to hear that.” Missy knew how much of a strain that was going to put on the business. They’d spent the last few months just to get it opened, so right now they probably needed the money. “Do you know how long it’s going to take?”
“A week, maybe two. Maybe longer. Who knows?” Noreen was totally dejected. “And Carter…”
Oh no. “Wh
at about Carter?”
“Things just hadn’t been right between us since Tonya and I decided to open Do Re Tea. Carter complained about how I was spending too much time there…”
“Really?” Missy had no idea they’d been struggling. Noreen would have shared something like that with her before… “Well, that’s not very understanding of him.”
“I think he felt threatened,” Noreen said. “He liked me well enough when I worked at the bookstore, but he couldn’t handle dating a business owner.”
“Did he say that?”
Noreen shook her head. “I said it for him.”
Missy was suddenly very self-conscious about the engagement ring on her finger. “So is it…”
“It’s over.” Noreen shook her head.
“God, I’m so sorry.” Missy frowned. “You two made such a cute couple and he seemed nice.”
Noreen said nothing. Missy couldn’t read her expression, which was partially obscured by the big sunglasses. She folded her hands so her engagement ring was hidden.
“He turned out be just like every other guy I’ve dated. Great for the first month or so, okay for the next month, and a total jerk for the rest of the relationship.”
Missy didn’t know what to say. She leaned back in the lawn chair. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve lost my job.”
Noreen’s head came up. “What?”
Missy nodded. “I’ve got sixty days. Brett is selling the place.”
“No.”
“Afraid so.”
Noreen frowned like she’d just lost her own job. “Jeez, Missy. You and I are a mess right now.”
Missy chuckled, appreciating the gallows humor. “Have you heard anything else about Tonya?”
Noreen put her head back down. “Nothing. I really hope they catch whoever did this. Tonya was a great woman.”
Missy didn’t agree but now was hardly the time to discuss their differences of opinion about the woman.
“Who do you think did it?” Missy asked.
“It could have been anybody.” Noreen propped herself up by pushing her elbows underneath her. “Hey, Missy, I’ve got an idea.”
Tea Room Toxin: Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mystery #5 (Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mysteries) Page 6
