Tea Room Toxin: Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mystery #5 (Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mysteries)

by Brianna Bates

  Missy pulled into the parking lot of the new strip mall. The sign of the all-night pharmacy was the biggest and lit up. At the far end of the strip, the chain eatery was bright. Stenciling in the windows announced they made delicious bread and served it all day. Before she parked, she spotted Noreen’s car.

  Missy took out her compact and pretended to check her makeup. But really, she was peering over the top to gaze into the eatery. It was crowded, and several families had brought small children with them, all of whom were now running laps throughout the place. Servers had to duck out of the way.

  Once she located Noreen and Roger inside, she put her compact away and pulled her still-wet hair back into a ponytail. Noreen must have picked the table. Though it was only the two of them, they were sitting at a four-top. Missy fired her a quick text.

  Missy got out of the truck and entered. The smell of warm bread overpowered her, but not as much as the noise. The kids were making an awful racket, oblivious to their parents’ barked orders. The menu was large and posted on a wall near the entrance. She consulted it for a moment, going through the motions. The wood-fire oven raged in the corner, while in front of it one of the workers kneaded a ball of dough.

  Missy got in line and waited her turn. She kept her eyes straight ahead, giving no indication she’d seen Noreen. When it was her turn, she ordered a veggie wrap from the fresh-faced high schooler at the register. She handed over her money and took an order card in return.

  She began the process of looking for a table in the crowded eatery. On cue, Noreen started waving her arm. Missy pretended not to see it.

  “Hey, Missy! Over here!”

  Missy took her time, like she was trying to pick Noreen out of the crowd and didn’t already know she was there. Then she made the appropriate face and surprised smile.

  Noreen waved her over excitedly. Roger, on the other hand, didn’t look so enthusiastic about seeing her.

  “Hey, Nor!” Missy leaned in to give her friend a quick hug. Then she turned her smile onto Roger. “How are you?”

  “Fine,” he said.

  Missy kept the smile fixed firmly, but inside she was getting a real bad vibe. Either Roger was annoyed that she’d intruded on their business discussion, or he really did not want to talk to her about Tonya.

  “Roger, you don’t mind if Missy joins us for dinner, do you?” Noreen paused, but not long enough for him to answer. “Great. Have a seat, Miss.”

  Normally, Missy would have protested but she didn’t want to give Roger an opening.

  “Thanks! I hate eating by myself.” She sat down and put her order card on the edge of the table so the server could spot it easily. “You’d think now that I’m engaged, I’d have somebody to dine with every night. But of course, I pick a cop.”

  She and Noreen laughed, but the best Roger could manage was a weak smile.

  “So,” Noreen said. “Roger and I are trying to figure out what to do here. Got any bright ideas?”

  Missy looked nervously from Noreen to Roger. “Me? Ideas?”

  Roger sipped his coffee and then very rudely took out his phone to check for messages.

  “Oh,” Missy said. “I don’t know anything about running a business.”

  “Sure you do,” Noreen said. She did a little thing with her eyes, and Missy picked up on the hint. “You’ve helped Brett manage Books and Crannies all these years.”

  “Well…I guess I’m okay with inventory management.” Missy smiled at Roger as he looked up from his phone.

  He nodded. “So is Noreen. That was one of the things Tonya was asking her to do.”

  Missy wanted to smack the guy. He’d been nothing but rude to her since she’d gotten here. But then again, he had a lot on his mind. He had to be worried about all the money he’d dumped into Do Re Tea.

  But was he worried about more? Like the cops arresting him?

  Noreen took her phone out and checked the caller ID. She frowned. “That’s odd.”

  “What is it?” Roger asked.

  “My cousin,” Noreen said. “I haven’t talked to her in a couple years. I hope everything’s…hey, I better take this.”

  Noreen answered the phone and walked quickly out of the noisy eatery. Missy smiled politely at Roger, who just went back to his phone. They had a ten minute window now. Missy had asked her friend from WiredFit, Marie, to call Noreen so she could invent a story about her cousin. Noreen had a cover story ready—a minor family emergency about a distant relation living several hours away. In other words, something that would explain the interruption but not require Noreen to drop everything and leave.

  “How are you holding up?” Missy asked.

  Roger finished typing his text. “What’s that?”

  “I asked how you were holding up.”

  Finally, the man looked up from his phone. “As good as can be expected.”

  She nodded. “Even though you’ve been divorced for a few years, it has to be difficult.”

  “We loved each other,” Roger said, his voice thick. “The divorce didn’t change that. We just weren’t good together.”

  “That must have been difficult.”

  “It was.” Roger sat back and looked around the eatery, like he was looking for an excuse to leave. “I hear you’re prime suspect.”

  Missy squeaked out a laugh. “Oh no, I wouldn’t say that. The police are just being thorough. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  He flicked his eyes back to her. “You sure about that?”

  “They’ll rule me out soon and I’m sure they’ll catch the killer.”

  “The rumor is you’re the killer.” His eyes narrowed. “You made her tea.”

  She shook her head. This conversation had gone from neutral to hostile, totally skipping awkward. It was time to fire her first shot.

  “Speaking of rumors,” she said. “There’s one going round about you and Tonya.”

  He said nothing.

  The server came by and put Missy’s dinner in front of her. Missy waited till the woman was out of earshot and the toddlers resumed their shouting.

  “I heard you and Tonya were seeing each other again.”

  Roger smirked. It was an ugly grin. “Is that the best you can do? I was expecting more from the great Missy DeMeanor, amateur gumshoe.”

  She ignored the barb. “So it’s true.”

  He was still smirking. “Why would I kill Tonya?”

  “You tell me.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll tell you why I wouldn’t. First, I invested in the business but I have no desire to run it. I earn half a million dollars a year as an executive vice-president in a large corporation. I don’t have time to mind the store. I needed Tonya to do that.”

  “With her dead, though, doesn’t her share in the tea room revert to you?” Missy asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Yeah. Which is why I met Noreen here tonight. I’m picking her brain to see if there are other investors she might know. I want out.”

  Missy hadn’t been expecting the answer. But she tried to hide her surprise. “You walked right behind us, right by the tea cup.”

  He laughed and his voice dripped with scorn. “How many tea cups were out that day? Two hundred? I had no idea which was hers.” He shook his head. “You on the other hand poured her the cup. And weren’t you in the back, where nobody could see you?”

  Missy hadn’t touched her food and had zero appetite now. This was going horribly wrong. “You knew she was dating Grant. You said yourself you still had feelings for Tonya. So when she rejected you for the second time, you had to be hurt. Angry with yourself for falling for her again, angry with yourself for not anticipating what would happen. And angry with her for treating you so shabbily.”

  One of his hands balled into a fist. “You poisoned her, Missy.”

  Missy ignored his accusation. “How could she do this to you, when you were good enough to invest your hard-earned money in her business? Didn’t she owe you? Didn’t she know how you
felt and that she would break your heart if she rejected you again?”

  Roger shook his head. “I knew what I was getting into.”

  Missy nodded. “I’m sure you did. And that’s why you’re so angry. You knew what would happen, but you got involved with her again while she was in a committed, long-term relationship.”

  Roger stood. “Is this how you make yourself feel important?”

  “I’m just trying to—”

  He leaned in, getting his face a foot from hers. “Because it’s pathetic. Your life must be incredibly dull.”

  Missy was at a loss for words.

  “Or maybe this is your way of going after the big man. Is this the crab bucket mentality?”

  She wanted to slap him.

  But he didn’t give her the opportunity. Roger strode out of the eatery.

  ***

  Noreen nodded. “He is kind of a jerk.”

  “Kind of?”

  Noreen smiled. “Okay, Roger’s a total jerk. I’m just used to defending him because we went into business together.”

  “Yeah. It sounds like you won’t be in business together much longer if he has his way.”

  Noreen shrugged like she wasn’t worried, but Missy could tell it was weighing heavily on her friend. Noreen sipped her red wine and slouched in the chair. Cody was lying between them in the back yard.

  Missy crossed one leg over the other. “What are you going to do?”

  Noreen just shook her head. “I can’t even think about it right now. He’s looking for a way out and I need serious help.”

  A pang of guilt stabbed Missy. She could see how worried Noreen was, and as her best friend Missy knew she should help with the tea room.

  But Missy just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Stepping into Tonya’s shoes felt wrong on so many levels. She didn’t want to profit off the woman’s demise.

  “You’ll think of something,” Missy said.

  “I don’t know,” Noreen said. “I really don’t know. I think I should just try to sell the place. I don’t know how to run a business like Tonya did.”

  “Nor—”

  “Come on, Miss. You and I both know it. I can’t run a business by myself. I’m not cut out for it. I was nervous enough to do this with Tonya’s help. I can’t do this alone.”

  Missy hated to hear her friend so down on herself. It was true that Noreen hadn’t had much responsibility while working at Books and Crannies, but she had a good head on her shoulders and she was good with customers.

  Noreen went on. “I have to sell the business. Even if it’s at a loss. But seriously, who’s even going to buy it?”

  “Noreen. Listen to me.”

  Her friend slowly turned her head to look at Missy.

  “I’ve known you all my life, and I know you can do this. You’re just overwhelmed right now, understandably. I’m sure you’ll find the help you need.”

  Noreen stood and put her glass of wine on the patio table. “I’m asking you for help, Missy. You. We can do this together.”

  Missy was surprised by Noreen’s anger. She stayed sitting, not wanting to escalate the argument.

  “Noreen, I’m sorry. But you know I can’t—”

  “Can’t or won’t?” Noreen shook her head. “Do you want me to fail?”

  “How can you say that?” Now Missy stood. “I’ve been nothing but supportive of this. You’re my best friend and I want to see you succeed.”

  “Missy, you and I were always one hundred percent with each other.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I think you know.” Noreen folded her arms. “If you really wanted me to succeed, you’d help. There is no reason for you not to. You’re about to lose your job!”

  “You know I can’t help!” Missy said. “The police think I did this and if tomorrow I show up there as a manager, how would that look?”

  “If you didn’t do this, you have nothing to worry about.”

  “What do you mean if?”

  Noreen shook her head. “You did make her tea, Missy.”

  “I can’t believe I’m hearing this!” Missy was furious. “I didn’t kill Tonya!”

  Noreen said nothing.

  Missy continued. “And you of all people should know that I have something to worry about even though I’m innocent. You were innocent but almost convicted of a murder. How can you not understand what I’m going through right now? I’m waiting for the police to burst through my front door any minute and lock me up.”

  “What you’re going through?” Noreen asked. “Your best friend didn’t just die. You’re not about to lose all your money.”

  As petty as it was, Missy couldn’t help but feel miffed that Noreen had just referred to Tonya as her best friend. She was seeing red and wanted to tell Noreen to—

  “Ladies, is everything alright?”

  Both their heads whipped around. Tyler opened the screen door and stepped outside. He approached slowly and put his arm around Missy.

  Missy and Noreen looked at each other, both of them speechless. Missy felt like a wide gulf had just opened between them. She didn’t trust herself to speak, fearing she’d say something she couldn’t ever take back. But part of her wanted to say something terrible. The weak part of her wanted to lash out.

  Missy took a deep, calming breath. “I don’t think either of us are thinking clearly right now.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Noreen grabbed her keys off the table. Without another word, she stalked to the driveway. Missy got the urge to stop her, but Tyler’s arm tightened around her.

  “You both need to blow off some steam.”

  As usual, he was right. Missy’s head was spinning with conflicting emotions. How had they gone from investigating Tonya’s death together to this…whatever this was? Ever since Noreen had met Tonya, their friendship hadn’t been the same.

  Missy turned to Tyler and buried her head in his chest.

  “She needs my help,” Missy said. “But I can’t help her.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “I’m supposed to. She’s my friend.”

  “Don’t do what you always do and take on all the world’s problems,” he said. “Melissa, it’s okay if you think about yourself right now.”

  “But she needs my help.”

  “And the police are breathing down your neck,” he said. “In order to be a friend to Noreen, you need to be in a position to help her, right? How can you do that if you get arrested?”

  “I hate men. You’re always so logical.”

  She could feel him smiling.

  “By the way, I love my ring.”

  He laughed. “Did I ever tell you what the three rings of marriage are?”

  “Is this a joke?”

  “No, this is serious. It’s a very old saying.”

  “If this is a joke, I’m going to kill you.”

  He pulled away to look down at her. “Just hear me out.”

  “Okay.”

  “There are three rings of marriage.”

  “Okay.”

  “The first ring is the engagement ring. The second ring is the wedding ring. And do you know what the third ring is?”

  “I swear to God I will kill you if this is a joke.”

  He couldn’t contain his smile anymore. “The third ring is the suffeRING.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh, as much as she wanted to kill him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  At lunchtime, Missy’s phone rang. The caller ID registered Noreen’s cell phone. Missy almost answered out of habit but changed her mind. She felt like she needed more time to blow off steam.

  She grabbed a quick shower and didn’t bother drying her hair because it was hot out. Petting Cody on the way out, Missy looked around the house. Tyler had brought more stuff over last night and seeing the cardboard boxes pushed into one corner of the foyer made her smile.

  After she climbed into her truck, Missy started the engine. All her life, she’d aimed to b
e at least fifteen minutes early to work, and today was no exception. But she wondered what the point was. Soon Books and Crannies would be closed.

  As she pulled out of her driveway, what was clearly an unmarked police vehicle pulled into the mouth and blocked her.

  Immediately, she took her phone out and dialed Tyler. Her first (and only) thought was that the Castleton Police were finally going to arrest her. Already, she was building her mental list of to-do’s, that included hiring Paul I.S. Gold as her defense investigator and Lee Goldberg as her attorney. She knew they’d do a good job.

  Putting her call on speaker, she listened to the phone ringing while Detective Bryant stepped out of the unmarked car. He wore a smile and waved at her like they were friends as he approached her window.

  “Pick up, pick up, pick up.” Missy watched in her sideview mirror as the detective took his time and glued himself almost to the side of her truck.

  “Hey, Melissa,” Tyler said.

  “Tyler…” She was almost in tears. She couldn’t take the constant threat of being arrested. “Bryant is here, I don’t know what he’s doing…”

  “Just keep me on speaker. Everything will be fine.”

  She took a deep breath, glad to have him at a time like this. “Okay.”

  Bryant tapped on her window, still wearing that false smile. Missy wanted to smack it off his face. She wondered at her hypocrisy though. This was how she’d acted whenever she’d questioned suspects. She’d always overlooked her own duplicity, because she’d done it in the name of justice. Even though Bryant was doing the same thing, she still couldn’t stand it.

  Missy rolled down her window. Inside her house, she heard Cody barking up a storm.

  “Sounds like you’ve got a killer dog in there,” Bryant said.

  Missy smiled. “Oh, Cody’s just very protective. I saved her, and then she saved me.”

  “Heard about that.” His eyes drifted to the house. “There’s no doggy door, is there? I’d hate for Cody to come charging out here. I wouldn’t want to have to do anything, Missy.”

  “No.” She couldn’t keep the bite out of her voice. “You won’t have to do anything.”