“I appear to be lost. I’m looking for Rose Avenue,” the woman said.
“Oh. Just go up to the stop sign at the end of the street and make a right. Rose Avenue should be four streets down,” I replied.
“Bless your heart. Thank you so much,” the woman said.
The woman then rolled up her passenger-side window and drove away.
Meanwhile, I took a huge sigh of relief. I had never been happier about a false alarm in my entire life.
***
When I finally arrived at Daley Buzz, I got my caffeine fix, but my stomach wanted to get in on the action as well.
Ultimately, my frustration overcame my willpower, resulting in an odd early-morning dessert indulgence. A mere croissant or muffin wasn’t enough to fulfill my craving.
I had a yen for a lemon bar and gave in to the tasty temptation that made my stomach rumble. It was a total calorie bomb, but I didn’t regret it for a second. The way I saw it, there was only so much willpower to go around when investigating a murder case. If anything, I exerted a surprising amount of restraint considering that I was able to stop myself after having only one bar.
What a delectable lemon bar it was. The crumbly, crunchy base. The zing of the lemon filling. The sugary top layer. It was almost addictive in how delicious it was.
It was so good that as I ate the lemon bar, I was transported to a different world. For a moment, everything else faded away—my surroundings, all thoughts about the case, and all my worries and frustrations.
I became so wrapped up in savoring the lemon bar that when my mother began speaking to me, it startled me to the point where I nearly jumped out of my shoes.
“It’s nice to see a smile on your face,” Elizabeth said.
I glanced at my mother, who stood behind the counter next to my grandmother.
“Few things can turn my frown upside down as quickly as a lemon bar,” I replied.
My grandma Betsy reached for the tray of bars that was inside the display case. “Does that mean you want another?”
“Of course I do—” I started saying.
“Tell your taste buds to get excited. Some delectable lemon magic is about to come your way,” Betsy replied.
I put my hand up. “I’m afraid that I’m going to have to stop you there.”
Betsy shrugged. “Why? What’s the matter?”
“Those bars are too delicious.”
Betsy’s eyebrows knitted. “I’ve heard a lot of crazy things in my life, but that takes the cake.” A look of longing came to her eyes. “Speaking of, I could really go for some German chocolate cake right about now. Mmm.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “Leave it to my mother to get distracted by sweets.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Let me tell you something. If life has taught me anything, it is that dessert can never be too delicious,” Betsy replied.
“Grandma, don’t get me wrong. I’d like to eat the entire tray of lemon bars. That’s why I’m exerting my willpower now while I still have some left,” I said.
“I can’t say that I agree with that decision,” Betsy said. She grabbed a bar from the tray and took a bite. “These bars are so good that I’m going to take a few for the road.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “A few? Mom, why don’t you leave some for the customers?”
“It’s moments like this when I regret teaching you to be such a good businesswoman. There’s more to life than the bottom line,” Betsy said.
“Like eating the profits?” Elizabeth joked.
“I’ll let you worry about things like sales. I’ll worry about my stomach.”
“I’m not sure that worried is the right word. You don’t seem the least bit concerned about anything,” Elizabeth said.
“Why would I? I’m retired.”
“Unfortunately, some of us don’t have the luxury of being retired.”
“You’re right. That is unfortunate. You are really missing out on a good time. Talk about living the life without any strife,” Betsy said.
Elizabeth chuckled. “I would like to live a life like that someday. Unfortunately, that day has not come yet.”
“I’ll save you some lemon bars for when it does.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Although, to be fair, it’s never too early to start living a delicious life.” Betsy grabbed a lemon bar and held it out for Elizabeth. “Trust me. These are to die for.”
“Could you please not say the word ‘die’?” I asked.
“You’re right. That was a poor choice of words. But it’s not a poor choice of pastries,” Betsy said.
Elizabeth shook her head. “You’re such a bad influence, Mom.”
“What’s wrong with this family all of a sudden? Passing up on the magic of a good dessert is not the Daley way,” Betsy said.
“Can we get back to what’s important?” Elizabeth asked.
“I thought we were talking about what’s important. What’s a good life without a few indulgences every once in a while?” Betsy said.
“I have already done my indulging for the day,” I said. “Unfortunately, it’s time to get back to reality.”
“Reality is overrated,” Betsy said.
“It’s also unavoidable,” I replied.
“I don’t know. I have gotten pretty good at avoiding things that I don’t like.”
“You should teach me how to do that.”
“Maybe later. Right now a spa day is calling me.”
My eyes widened. “Grandma, you really are living the life.”
Betsy smiled and nodded. “One deep tissue massage at a time.”
“Speaking of living the life, what ever happened to that vacation to San Diego that you were going to take me on?” I asked.
Betsy fell silent. I could see the gears spinning in her head. After a few seconds, she finally mustered a response. “Aren’t you in the middle of a case?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I wouldn’t want to pull you away in the middle of your investigation,” Betsy said.
I didn’t believe her for a minute. “Uh-huh.”
“I’ll tell you what. Finish up this case and we’ll talk.”
“Why don’t we just talk now?” I asked.
“Investigative work requires patience. The sun and sand of San Diego is just the kind of costly distraction that you can’t afford right now,” Betsy said.
“Or is it that the cost of paying for the vacation is weighing a little heavy on your wallet?” I asked.
“Sabrina, I have to hand it to you,” Betsy said. “You really do have a knack for sleuthing.”
“If you don’t have the money to pay for the vacation, don’t worry about it. I don’t want to put any strain on you,” I replied.
“No. If anyone deserves a vacation, it’s you. So I’ll tell you what. Solve this case and the vacation is yours. Sound good?” Betsy asked.
“It sounds great.”
“It’s settled, then,” Betsy said. “In the meantime, the spa is calling me.”
“All right. Have fun.”
Betsy headed for the exit. “I always do.”
Chapter Eighteen
As my grandma left the coffee shop and got into her car, I realized that I should make some tracks as well. If I was going to make any headway on this case, I would need to head out.
But before I had a chance to take a single step toward the front door of the shop, my mother focused all of her attention on me.
“So you’re having a rough time with this case, huh?” Elizabeth asked.
My mom had an uncanny way of always knowing when things were bothering me. That didn’t stop me from trying to keep some things hidden from her. Even though I knew that my mother only had my best interests at heart, I was in no mood to discuss the investigation with her. It was a frustrating enough case without having to go over every irritating detail again.
I tried to play dumb. “What makes you say that?”
“I’ve ne
ver known you as the type of person who eats dessert food for breakfast,” Elizabeth replied.
“Today I decided to make a delicious exception.”
“Because of the case?”
I exhaled. “Your instincts are amazing. You seriously could have been a detective.”
“Unlike some people, I prefer to leave the detective work to the professionals,” Elizabeth replied.
“It turns out that I’m not half bad at detective work myself,” I said.
“What kinds of results are you getting with this case?”
“Would you mind passing me another lemon bar?” I deadpanned.
“I thought you were going to exert what little willpower you have left.”
“I’m reconsidering that decision.”
“Is this case going that bad?”
“It’s no spa day,” I joked.
“That’s how life goes sometimes. Too many days spent toiling in the mud when you’d rather be taking a relaxing mud bath.”
“Or getting a massage. Now that’s living it up,” I said.
Elizabeth peered deep into my eyes. “Sabrina, I understand if you don’t want to talk about the case. I just want you to know that if there’s anything I can do to help you, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask.”
I grimaced. “Unfortunately, other than putting the rest of that tray of lemon bars into a to-go box for me, there isn’t much you can do.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“That’s just the way investigations go every once in a while. Some cases take longer than others to come together,” I said.
“What are your instincts telling you about this one?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not a whole lot. They have picked a strange time to be quiet,” I said.
“Wow. You’re just not catching any breaks right now, are you?” Elizabeth asked.
“How about you, Mom? You usually have great instincts,” I said.
“Yeah. About you and how to keep you safe. Not about murder cases.”
I took a deep breath. “I just thought I’d ask. It’s that point in the case when I’m willing to listen to random gossip that you might have heard from one of your customers.”
Elizabeth grimaced. “I hate to admit it, but there are limits to a mother’s instincts. And to the power of gossip.”
“That’s a shame,” I replied.
“Tell me about it.”
I exhaled. “All right. Well, I gave it a go. I should be getting back to work now. This case isn’t going to solve itself.”
“No, it won’t. That said, I’m not sure that you’ll be able to get back to the case quite yet,” Elizabeth replied.
I scrunched my nose. “Why not?”
Elizabeth pointed toward the front door of the shop, where my friend Shannon Smith entered with her boyfriend Joe Marlowe.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’ve had a lot of coffee in my life, but none of it was as good as what you serve here,” Joe said.
The six-foot-two, short-haired, thirty-one-year-old muscular man gave me a big smile before he took another sip of his drink.
Joe was effusive with his praise while Shannon quietly savored her latte as she always did when she first arrived at Daley Buzz. It was safe to say that my petite twenty-eight-year-old redheaded friend was not a morning person. But, with a little espresso and some foamed milk in her system, Shannon always went from groggy to abuzz with energy.
While I waited for my friend’s caffeinated transformation to take place, I beamed over Joe’s compliment. “Why, thank you.”
“You are quite welcome,” Joe said. “What’s your secret?”
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret, now would it?” I replied.
“No, it wouldn’t. But I think we can agree that this town is harboring too many secrets for its own good.”
“You got me there. Although, I will say that unlike so many of the other mysteries in Treasure Cove, the secret to our coffee isn’t anything that will make your head turn.”
“In that case, why don’t you just tell me the secret?”
“I’m afraid it’s not very jaw dropping,” I said.
“Why don’t you let me decide?”
“Fair enough,” I said. “It’s all about the beans.”
“What about them?” Joe asked.
“Top-quality beans lead to a tastier cup of joe.”
“Or in your case, the best cup of coffee.”
“My grandma opened this place with high standards. We’re just following her lead,” I said.
“Well, thank you for spilling the beans,” Joe replied.
My eyebrows arched as I turned to my friend. “Shannon, are you going to let him get away with a joke that corny?”
Shannon glanced at Joe. “I’ll reluctantly let that one slide.”
“Really?” I asked.
Shannon gazed into Joe’s eyes. “Let’s just say it’s a good thing you’re cute.”
“I didn’t think my joke was that bad,” Joe said.
“Do you really want to go down with that sinking ship?” Shannon asked.
Joe bit the corner of his lip then responded, “On second thought, let’s go back to talking about how cute you think I am.”
Shannon chuckled.
“I’d rather talk about something else,” I said.
“Like what?” Joe asked.
“Very important stuff. For example, whether you are taking good care of my friend,” I replied.
“I’d like to believe that I am, but that’s not really for me to say.” He turned to Shannon. “What do you think? Am I doing a good job?”
“It’s not just the espresso talking when I say that you make my heart abuzz,” Shannon said.
I put my head in my hands. “Oh dear. There’s no stopping the puns, is there?”
Shannon flashed a smile. “I was just messing with you, Sabrina.”
“Or maybe he’s rubbing off on you,” I replied.
“For the record, I liked that joke,” Joe said.
“Of course you did,” I replied. “But hey, maybe your love of puns just goes to show that you two are perfect for each other.”
“You won’t hear any disagreement from me,” Joe said.
Shannon took her boyfriend’s hand. “In all seriousness, Joe is taking great care of me.”
I smiled at the happy couple. “I can’t tell you how nice that is to hear.”
“It is pretty wonderful. Which makes it such a shame that I have to be heading off to work,” Joe said. He leaned in and gave Shannon a kiss. “See you later, all right?”
Shannon smiled at him. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Joe reluctantly headed off to work, leaving Shannon and me alone at the counter of the shop.
Chapter Twenty
As I glanced at Shannon, I recognized the look in her eyes. She was smitten. After all the problems she’d had with men over the years, it was so good to see her with a man who was taking care of her heart. Who put her first. That was a true rarity. Something that could not be overstated.
“It took you a while, but it looks like you’ve finally found ‘the one,’” I said.
“I think you might be right,” Shannon replied.
“It’s good to see you happy. Especially after all you’ve been through.”
“Don’t remind me. I mean, how many people can say they once dated a murder suspect?” Shannon asked.
“I was wondering if you were going to bring Gavin up.”
“How could I not?” Shannon replied.
“I guess you’re right,” I said.
“Especially when he called me out-of-the-blue yesterday,” Shannon replied.
“Wait a minute. He called you?”
Shannon nodded. “Last night.”
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He didn’t like all of the questions that you and David fired at him.”
“I’ll bet.”
“He wanted me to come and talk t
o you.”
“Did he ask you to vouch for him?” I replied.
Shannon nodded. “He was really hoping that I would come to his defense.”
“What did you tell him?” I asked.
“That you are the fairest person I know. That your questions weren’t some personal attack on him. And that you’re just interested in discovering the truth,” Shannon said.
“Thanks for saying that,” I replied.
“Of course. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be in the mood to listen to reason,” Shannon said.
“How did he respond to you?” I asked.
“He got really frustrated and hung up on me.”
“I’m sorry he tried to put you in the middle of this.”
“I’m used to it. When we were dating, he used to put me in the middle of sticky situations way too often,” Shannon said.
“All the more reason to be happy that you have Joe in your life.”
“I can’t disagree with that,” Shannon said. “But forget about Joe for a minute. I was brutally honest with you. Now I want you to be totally honest with me. Is there a chance that Gavin killed that hypnotherapist?”
I took a deep breath. “Are you sure you want to talk about this?”
“It’s not that I want to. I have to. So, tell me, could Gavin have actually done it?”
I nodded. “Unfortunately.”
Shannon’s eyes widened. “That’s unbelievable.”
I let out a sigh. “I know. At first, the thought of adding Gavin’s name to the suspect list was too chilling to even consider.”
“And now?” Shannon asked.
“It’s impossible not to suspect him.”
“Why is that?”
“To start, he has a motive for wanting Gregory dead. Then there’s the fact that Gavin has no verifiable alibi for the time of the murder. In the investigative world, those are two big strikes against him.”
“Yikes.” She put her hand on her chest. “I know he’s a suspect, but do you actually think that he’s guilty?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow. I didn’t expect that answer.”
“Neither did I, but Gavin didn’t do himself any favors when David and I questioned him. And now that I know that he called you last night, things look even worse for him.”
Daley Buzz Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 52
