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

by Brianna Bates

  “Okay.” He grinned. “Would you mind turning off the truck and stepping out of the car? So we can talk for a moment.”

  Missy checked her rearview again. She didn’t see Evanski sitting in the unmarked car. Just as Missy began to relax a little bit, though, she heard another car pulling up.

  As Missy got out of the truck, Evanski parked in front of the house on the street. The other detective got out of the car.

  Missy kept her phone in her palm, angling it so Bryant didn’t know that Tyler was listening in. She had no idea what Tyler could do for her, but if the element of surprise helped them at all she wanted to take advantage of it.

  Missy closed the door and leaned back against the truck. The sun was high overhead and bright today. She wondered what jail was actually like, if it was just as bad as she imagined.

  Or if it was worse.

  “Thanks, Missy.” Bryant turned to look at Evanski as she approached cautiously up the driveway.

  “Good afternoon,” Evanski said.

  “Hi.”

  The two detectives formed a triangle with her, maintaining a couple yards between them. This visit was beginning to feel very official.

  But if they were here to arrest her, they would have probably done so already. And since the cat was out of the proverbial bag regarding their suspicions of her, Missy decided it was time to come at them head on.

  “I’m on my way to work. What can I help you with?”

  Bryant was still grinning. Evanski’s mouth twitched. If she hadn’t been watching the woman so closely, Missy would have missed the look altogether.

  “We talked to Roger last night,” Bryant said. “He told us some interesting things.”

  “Did he tell you about how he implied he was going to hurt me if I kept asking him questions?”

  They didn’t answer. Evanski shifted her weight to her other foot.

  Bryant said, “We also talked to Noreen this morning.”

  Oh no. Missy’s stomach bottomed out. Depending on when they talked to her, they might have gotten very different reactions and accounts from Noreen. Missy wondered if that was the reason behind Noreen’s call at lunchtime—maybe she’d tried to warn Missy?

  “Like I said, I’m trying to get to work. So if you have to ask me something, please go ahead.”

  Bryant frowned like her words had stung him. “Missy, you of all people should appreciate what we’re trying to do here. We just want to get to the bottom of Tonya’s murder.”

  “Then you should focus on the right people. I’m not one of them,” she said. “I’m not a killer. I solve murders.”

  “Why don’t you want to help Noreen with the tea room?” Evanski asked.

  Missy almost blurted out, Because then I’d look guilty. But she thought better of it. “For a lot of reasons.”

  “Such as?”

  Missy sighed. She hadn’t forgotten about the phone in her hand and hoped that the call hadn’t dropped.

  “I don’t know the first thing about running a business.”

  “That’s not what Brett told us,” Bryant said. “He was thinking about offering the bookstore to you back when he thought he could keep it going.”

  Brett had told them that? Missy wondered. Maybe they were just making it up now, using the old prisoner’s dilemma against her.

  Or maybe Brett had actually said that, in a harmless context. She could see that. Brett was a nice man and a fair boss. If Bryant had asked him general questions about her, Brett would have said good things about Missy.

  “I didn’t know that,” Missy said. “And while it’s very nice to hear, I don’t know if I’d be able. Or want to.”

  “Why not?” Bryant asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “The opportunity to run your own business, be your own boss, and realize most of the profits? A lot of people would kill for that chance.”

  Missy grimaced at his use of the word kill. “I don’t think I’d be cut out to run a business and don’t think I’d want the stress of it.”

  “But you already do run your own businesses, don’t you?” Evanski asked.

  The world felt like it was spinning. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “All the furniture you repurpose for flea markets, the scrapbooking advice you offer, the copy editing you do on the side for local businesses and self-published authors. All of these things are businesses. The flea market flipping requires you to understand budgets, costs, and supplies. And Brett told us how much you’ve helped out over the years in managing the inventory.”

  “All my hobbies are small ventures and barely bring any money in. They’re not the same thing as running a real, live business.”

  “They sure sound like it.”

  “I don’t think I could run the tea room,” Missy said. “I don’t know that business and honestly I wouldn’t want the stress…I prefer to go to work and let the boss worry about that stuff. I enjoy my life the way it is—”

  “But Noreen has asked for your help,” Evanski said. “Isn’t she your best friend?”

  It didn’t feel like it at this moment. “And I told her why I couldn’t help.”

  Bryant took out a notebook and read from a page. “Because you didn’t want to benefit from Tonya’s death.”

  Missy was dumbfounded, shocked, and astonished that Noreen would have told the detectives that.

  “That’s right. I really didn’t like the woman and it felt wrong for me to step into her shoes. It just wouldn’t be right.”

  Evanski arched an eyebrow. “You said the other day that you two didn’t care for each other, but now you’re telling us it was much deeper than that. It sounds like you hated one another.”

  “No, that’s not true. I don’t hate anyone.” Missy knew then that things would definitely go bad. The detectives had convinced themselves of her guilt, and now they were filling in the details so the facts fit with their theory. Now she was running up a steep psychological hill in their minds.

  “If you’re innocent of the crime, why not help Noreen with the tea room?”

  “I already explained, it would just feel wrong.”

  Bryant shook his head. “It’s only wrong if you killed her. If you’re innocent, though, you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. Your best friend is asking for your help. Why aren’t you helping Noreen?”

  “I didn’t kill Tonya,” Missy said. “I would never do such a thing.”

  Evanski and Bryant shared a look. Missy was convinced they were going to arrest her on the spot. But the detectives hesitated, uncertainty flashing through their eyes.

  “In that case, you wouldn’t mind us looking around.” Bryant broke into a smile again. “Would you?”

  “She would, actually.”

  Missy wanted to cry tears of joy as Tyler’s voice came loudly and clearly through the phone.

  Both detectives took a step away from her, as if she’d just spoken in a male voice. Missy held her cell out for them to see.

  “Detectives, you can both go get a warrant,” Tyler said through the phone. “If you’re going to do this to an innocent woman, then you’re at least going to do it the proper way. Get your warrants, and then you can come back.”

  Missy smirked. “I was on the phone with Tyler when you pulled up. I thought we were going to have a quick conversation.”

  Their posture changed, their backs stiffening. Bryant dropped the smile, and Evanski’s thin lips somehow grew thinner. Now it was official.

  “Tyler,” Evanski said. “You and I both know that cooperation goes a long way in an investigation. Your feelings for Missy are clouding your judgment here. If we—”

  “I don’t know how they do things over in Castleton,” Tyler said. “But in Grove City we follow the letter and the spirit of the law. So go get your warrant. I want you to know I’ll be onsite for your search too.”

  Evanski’s face reddened. If Missy hadn’t been so scared, she would have reveled in seeing the woman react like that.

 
“Fine, Brock. If that’s how you want to do this.”

  “You’ve both wasted time pestering Missy. She’s innocent. So now you can go waste your own damned time trying to get a warrant.”

  “Oh, we’ll get the warrant.” Bryant sneered. “Bet your ass we will.”

  Tyler laughed. “You would have had it already. We all know why you don’t, though. Because the evidence, for lack of a better term, is circumstantial here. No judge in their right mind is going to give you a warrant. Unless you’ve got them on the payroll.”

  “You’re way out of line, Brock,” Evanski said. “I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt as a fellow law enforcement official, but now I’m wondering if you’ve been an accessory after the fact.”

  Tyler laughed. “That’s cute. You can investigate me all you want—after you get your warrant.”

  “We’ll be back,” Evanski said.

  “I’ll see you at the front door then,” Tyler said.

  The detectives backtracked to their cars, watching Missy the whole way. For a moment, Missy thought one of them would stay while the other went to court or wherever they had to go to get the warrant, but both engines started and the detectives pulled away.

  Missy took the phone off speaker and brought it up to her ear. “Thanks, Tyler.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” he said, his voice grave. “That was gamesmanship on my part. They’ll get a warrant pretty quickly.”

  “What?” Missy hadn’t been expecting that.

  “Yes,” Tyler said. “They’ll go to a judge they like and spin the facts in a light most damaging to you and get their warrant. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re back inside of an hour.”

  For the first time since this began, Missy felt the urge to run. Her mind started coming up with a list of things to pack—

  “Melissa,” Tyler said. “Are you still there?”

  No, she wasn’t going to run. The guilty ran. And she wasn’t. She was innocent. She was going to find out who did this. That would be the ultimate revenge against Evanski and Bryant. Making them look foolish would be so sweet.

  “I’m here,” Missy said. “But not for long.”

  “Wait—where are you going?”

  Missy didn’t answer. In case she did change her mind and decided to run, then Tyler wouldn’t know where she’d gone and wouldn’t have to lie for her.

  “You’ll be here,” Missy said. “So you can keep an eye on them.”

  “If you’re not there it’s going to look bad,” Tyler said. “Real bad. You might as well just flee.”

  “It just shows them I’m not worried and going about my day.”

  “I’m your fiancé, hon. Don’t lie to me. You and I both know you’re not going to the bookstore.”

  She chuckled. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But I don’t want to tell you what I’m doing because I don’t want you to have to lie.”

  He sighed. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’d lie to the police for you.”

  It broke her heart to hear Tyler say that. He was a good, honest man who’d always done the right thing. All these years of hard work on the police force, catching criminals and being just…she didn’t want him to betray his own conscience.

  “No, sweetheart. You can’t do that. I love you for being willing, but I can’t let you do that.”

  “Let me help you.”

  “I’m not going to let you ruin your career for me, Tyler. I love you too much for that.”

  “Melissa—”

  Missy ended the call and jumped back into her truck. Tyler called her back, but she forced it into voicemail. As she pulled out of the driveway, she noticed for the first time how many of the neighbors were watching her through their windows. Undoubtedly, the rumors were flying all around Grove City by now about the cops coming to Missy’s door.

  She got on the road and called Noreen. Her friend answered right away.

  “Missy, I was trying to get a hold of you ever since lunch. We need to talk—”

  “The police were already here,” Missy said.

  “Missy, I’m so sorry, but they just took everything I said and twisted it. They heard what they wanted to hear and ignored the rest. I’m so sorry.”

  “Noreen, forget about it. I’m running out of time and need your help.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Missy gave her the highlights of her last conversation with the detectives. “They’re getting a warrant now. That buys me a little time, and then they’re going to waste even more searching my house since they’re not going to find anything. But I figure I have till this evening before they make the decision to arrest me or not. I’m assuming right now they’re going to.”

  “Oh my God, Missy, I can’t believe this. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry about everything.” Noreen was crying. “I said some awful things last night.”

  Missy shook her head and laughed. “You know what the funny thing is? I thought helping you with the tea room would make me look guilty. But Evanski and Bryant thought just the opposite. They thought I wasn’t helping because the guilt was getting to me. I can’t win with these two.”

  “How can I help?”

  “I think Roger killed Tonya,” Missy said.

  “You’re going to talk to him again?”

  “Yes, but not before I get more ammunition,” Missy said. “I need to talk to Grant. Do you know where I can find him?”

  “Let me come with you,” Noreen said.

  “No, I don’t want to get you too involved. Right now, you haven’t done anything wrong. But if you start helping me question suspects, then the detectives might start looking at you weirdly too. I don’t want that.”

  “I don’t care, Missy. You’re my best friend forever.”

  Missy smiled as tears filled her eyes. Despite their drifting apart ever since Noreen had met Tonya and despite all the harsh words from the night before, Noreen was willing to do anything for her. She really was a true friend. Missy only hoped she was half as good a friend. And if Missy found her way clear of this mess she was in, she vowed to help Noreen with the tea room. It was the least she could do.

  “Thanks, Nor. But you’ve got a business to run. I need to do this alone.” Her cell buzzed with another call. Tyler again. It pained her to ignore it, but she did. “Can you tell me where to find Grant?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Missy pulled into the corporate park and scanned the addresses on the signs as she followed the long, curving road. Grant’s office was located in the third complex she came to. Missy pulled in and parked as close to the entrance as she could and dialed.

  “Hello?”

  “Grant? This is Missy DeMeanor.”

  “Oh. Hi.” He lowered his voice. “Is something the matter? You sound…frazzled.”

  That was one way to describe it. Panicked, terrified, and despondent were others. “Grant, I think I know who killed Tonya.”

  “What? Have you called the police?”

  “They don’t believe me,” Missy said, which was partly true. She had told them she was innocent, but they weren’t listening to her. “And that’s why I’m calling.”

  “Why don’t they believe you?”

  “It’ll take too long to explain, Grant, and I’m working against the clock here.”

  “They think you killed her,” he said.

  Missy laughed. “That’s a good way to sum it up.”

  “To be honest, I don’t blame them,” Grant said. “You gave her the tea she was poisoned with.”

  Missy shook her head. So that rumor was flying around now. Wonderful. She hadn’t even been arrested yet, and already she was being viewed as guilty.

  “I didn’t poison her, Grant. Please. Please, I need to talk to you.”

  “We’re talking now.”

  “In person,” Missy said.

  He grunted. “Not sure I should be talking to you right now, Missy. Especially if the cops think you’re the murderer.”

  “In your atrium then.
I’m already here.”

  “You’re already here?”

  Missy realized how desperate she sounded and how off-putting that must have been. But the truth was, she was desperate. She needed to talk to Grant about his relationship with Tonya. Grant might have had information that would exonerate her.

  “Yes, Grant. Please.”

  He sighed. “Okay.”

  “Thank you!”

  “We’ll meet out front of the building. But just so you know, Missy, there are a lot of offices on the ground floor. People will be watching.”

  “Grant, I’m not a killer. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “We’ll see, Missy.”

  She hopped out of her truck and walked as fast as she could without running to the front of the building. Peering inside, she spotted the bank of elevators in the lobby and waited impatiently till one of them dinged. Grant stepped out a moment later and made a face when he saw her.

  Missy peeled her face away from the glass by the entrance and backed away from the door, keeping her hands in plain sight. Grant approached slowly, cautiously, pausing before he opened the door.

  Missy held her hands up. “It’s okay, Grant.”

  He hesitated another moment and Missy feared he’d turn around and get back in the elevator. If he did, she’d run inside and grab him. She had to talk to this man.

  She backed away another step, and Grant finally came out. He kept plenty of space between them, needing only one big step to get back inside. The guy wasn’t taking any chances.

  “I have ten minutes before my next meeting,” Grant said.

  She took a deep breath, trying to organize her jumbled thoughts. “Let me be clear up front. I think Roger killed her.”

  Grant slowly nodded, as if he didn’t believe her. Missy had never been a great liar. It was possible he’d seen through her statement, because honestly Missy wasn’t really sure who’d killed Tonya. To her, it was a toss-up between Grant, Roger, and Beth. She wanted to see what she could shake loose with Grant then take it from there.

  “Why?” Grant asked.

  “You know why,” Missy said. “Don’t you?”

  His arms hung loose by his sides and he looked over his shoulder. “Why would I?”