“Yeah. That probably wasn’t the best move.”
“How about you?” I asked.
Shannon’s forehead wrinkled. “What about me?”
“You know Gavin better than I do,” I said. “Do you think he’s capable of murder?”
She corrected me. “You mean, I used to know Gavin. I can’t pretend to know what’s going through his head these days.”
“You still know him better than I do. Have you ever gotten the sense that he could kill someone?”
Shannon scratched her chin. “The old Gavin—not a chance. But this new Gavin—I really don’t know.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“He just seems so unstable. Which is a shame, because he was making such great progress. Everything changed when he started having those headaches. Then came the wild mood swings.”
“That’s all because of the pills that Gregory Morton was giving him.”
“Unfortunately, that gives you all the more reason to suspect Gavin of foul play. Gavin trusted Gregory to help him. Instead, Gregory betrayed that trust.”
“Yeah.” I let out a sigh.
Shannon grimaced. “I still can’t believe I once dated a murder suspect.”
“To be fair, he wasn’t a murder suspect at the time.”
“That doesn’t give me as much comfort as you seem to think it does. If anything, it makes me question my judgment.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself,” I said.
“Am I? Aren’t you questioning your judgment right now?” Shannon asked.
My forehead wrinkled. “Why would I do that?”
“I heard that Wally is a suspect in this case, too. That means you once dated a murder suspect as well.”
“True, but Wally wasn’t a murder suspect when I dated him.”
“So you’re not questioning your judgment at all?” Shannon asked.
I shook my head. “The only thing I am questioning right now is who the killer is.”
Shannon looked off into the distance. “That has to be so awkward, questioning your ex.”
“It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world,” I said. “Then again, interviewing murder suspects is never easy.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Sabrina, this is me you’re talking to. You can admit it. It was especially awkward questioning Wally, wasn’t it?”
I nodded.
“I’m sorry. What a terrible situation to be put in,” Shannon said.
“It could be worse. What if Wally or Gavin ends up being guilty?” I asked.
A horrified look came to Shannon’s face. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“Whether you want it to or not, that moment may come.”
Shannon shook her head in disbelief. “I do not envy you right now.”
“Thanks for the words of encouragement,” I joked.
“Hey, I give you plenty of encouragement. Speaking of, if you need brain food later, just let me know.”
“An open invitation for free food? Yes please,” I said. “I’m just going to warn you now. No sandwich in your shop will be safe from my taste buds.”
“If a free sandwich will help you find the killer, it’s a small price to pay.”
“A sandwich definitely can’t hurt.”
“In that case, I’ll be expecting you later.” Shannon started to head toward the exit. “In the meantime, I have a shop to run and some mouths to make happy.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Shannon wasn’t the only one who was going to spread happiness with food. I was determined to do the same. The problem with spending time around delicious treats was finding the willpower to resist stuffing my own face.
I managed to muster just enough restraint not to make a complete mockery of my diet. I was really proud of myself. Especially considering how easy it would be to plow through a few lemon bars.
Mmm, lemon bars.
I put a few bars into a plastic container then headed out, desperate to chase down a lead. Before I had the chance to get back to the investigation, life decided to throw another surprise my way.
As I left Daley Buzz, I found myself face to face with Ryan Davidson, who had just come out of Zabrinski’s Chocolate Shop next door. I hadn’t seen Ryan in a while, presumably because he had been busy planning his upcoming nuptials with his bride-to-be, Jocelyn Watson.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Ryan and I were headed for an awkward encounter. That seemed to happen more often than not when we ran into each other.
It certainly wasn’t by design. We just happened to have a strange history. Ryan had been dating my sister when she went missing eleven years ago. So, naturally, most of our conversations ended up finding their way back to Jessica eventually. Ryan and I both missed Jessica so much that it was difficult for our hearts not to get heavy with the mention of her name.
Would we be able to keep the conversation more lighthearted this time around? I desperately wanted the answer to be “yes.”
The muscular, hazel-eyed, oval-faced, five-foot-nine twenty-eight-year-old stopped when he spotted me. He glanced at the to-go container of lemon bars that were in my hand while I looked at the box of chocolates that he was holding.
As much as I loved lemon bars, normally chocolate made my mouth water even more. The rare exception was Zabrinski’s and their mediocre truffles. Not only was I lacking in envy as I eyed the truffles that Ryan was carrying, I was actually a little puzzled.
“Sabrina. It’s been a while,” Ryan said.
I nodded. “It sure has.”
He stared at the to-go box in my hand. “What have you got there?”
“Lemon bars.”
“Mmm. I’ll bet they’re delicious.”
“More delicious than anything from Zabrinski’s. I’m surprised that you gave them your money.”
“It turns out they don’t give away chocolates for free,” he joked.
“They sure don’t,” I said. “But what I meant was that you were around during the golden age of Stewart’s Chocolates. You have to admit—the truffles at Zabrinski’s pale in comparison.”
“You’ll get no argument from me,” Ryan replied.
“That’s a relief. If you told me you liked the chocolates from Zabrinski’s better, I’d have to question your sanity,” I said.
“Here’s the thing, though. It doesn’t do any good to compare Stewart’s to Zabrinski’s,” he replied.
“Why not?”
“Because Stewart’s Chocolates doesn’t exist anymore.”
I stared off into the distance. “And what a shame that is.” I took a deep breath. “Part of me wishes that I had bought fifty boxes of Stewart’s truffles before they sold their shop.”
Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “Fifty boxes?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Enough to fill up a freezer with nothing but chocolates. That way, I would have enough truffles to ride out every chocolate craving I have for the next year.”
“That actually isn’t such a crazy idea. Too bad you didn’t do it.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me. Then again, I was a little busy at the time to put my focus on chocolates.”
“From what I hear, you have been very busy recently,” he replied.
“Too busy. I would like things to go back to how they used to be. Any chance you can make that happen?”
He shook his head.
“That’s a shame.”
“You do realize that things probably won’t ever go back to how they used to be, right? The problem with the world is that it never stops changing,” he replied.
“I hope that wasn’t your attempt at a pep talk,” I said.
“No, it’s just a life lesson I’ve learned over the years.”
“You know, I thought that college graduation would mark the end of my education. Little did I realize that the most important lessons were yet to come.”
“Don’t forget the fact that life grades on a steep curve.”
My e
yes widened. “Tell me about it.”
“I would offer you a chocolate, but I get the feeling that wouldn’t cheer you up.”
“No. Although, these lemon bars are looking awfully tempting right now.”
He eyed the container of lemon bars that was in my hand. “They sure are.”
“Kind of makes you wish you had gotten a lemon bar instead of going to Zabrinski’s, doesn’t it?” I asked.
“Actually, these chocolates for Jocelyn,” he replied.
“I probably should have guessed that.”
“She never got a chance to have any chocolates from Stewart’s before they closed down.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Zabrinski’s is all she knows.”
“Poor her,” I said. “I can’t believe you never took her to Stewart’s. They were still open when you moved back to town.”
Not too long after my sister’s disappearance, Ryan had left Treasure Cove. He had spent the majority of the last ten years living in San Francisco before finally moving back to Treasure Cove a few months ago.
“In my defense, I didn’t think Stewart’s would ever close.”
“Talk about a classic case of not knowing what you have until it’s gone,” I said.
He nodded. “Yeah. Anyway, I should probably get these chocolates to Jocelyn before they melt.”
“Right. Of course,” I replied.
“Before I go, though, I wanted to ask you something,” Ryan said.
“What is it?”
“Jocelyn and I were finalizing some things for the wedding yesterday, and I happened to notice that you haven’t RSVP’d.”
“There’s a good reason for that,” I said.
A disappointed look came over his face. “Are you not going to come to the wedding?”
“I didn’t think I was invited. I never got an invitation,” I replied.
“I’m so sorry. I sent one out. It must have gotten lost in the mail. I’ll tell you what. I’ll send you another one right away,” Ryan said.
“Instead of waiting for my RSVP in the mail, I’ll just give it to you right now. Count me in,” I said.
Ryan smiled. “Great.”
“As long as you’re not serving Zabrinski’s at the reception,” I joked.
He chuckled. “We’re ordering our wedding cake from Hempstead’s.”
My mouth began to water. “In that case, I wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world.”
“I’m glad to know you that you approve of our choice of wedding cake,” he joked.
“Never underestimate the importance of cake,” I said.
He laughed. “Thanks for the life lesson.”
I smiled. “Anytime.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
After finishing up with Ryan Davidson, I headed toward my car, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted Wally Tuttle coming out of a convenience store across the street. Wally was carrying a six-pack of beer in his hand as he headed toward his dark-green sedan that was parked on the side of the road.
I was too far away to be able to cross the street and reach Wally, but I was easily in a position to get into my own car and follow him. That was exactly what I did.
Wally got into his sedan, pulled out onto Main Street, and then made a right on High Street. I followed a few car lengths behind him, curious as to where he was headed.
Unfortunately, fourteen blocks later, I realized that Wally was headed home. Wally pulled into the driveway of his south side rental. He got out of his car and headed inside his place, no doubt to drink more beer.
If Wally had gone anywhere else, following him could have produced a promising lead. Instead, I had hit another dead end.
***
I tried not to get down on myself. Not only was it still early in the day, but there was plenty of work to be done. Besides, I had a new idea.
I turned back around, headed over to a local pet store, and then drove over to the light-green ranch-style house that Melissa Wilcox was renting.
A few seconds after knocking on her olive-colored front door, I heard the sound of her West Highland terrier, Butterscotch, barking. The barking continued a few moments longer until the front door opened, revealing Butterscotch and his wagging tail. The little guy looked just as cute as ever.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Melissa Wilcox. The tall, thin twenty-eight-year-old had a wary look on her angular face. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which made her green eyes stand out even more as she stared me down.
Despite my previous attempts to thaw Melissa’s icy exterior, it was safe to say that she was not a fan of mine. When she had been an employee at Stewart’s chocolate shop, we had always gotten along fine. But when Andrew Stewart was murdered and Melissa became a suspect in the case, her opinion of me had changed forever. Never mind the fact that she’d had a killer motive and a lack of a verifiable alibi.
Ultimately, Melissa didn’t end up being Andrew’s killer. Once I had wrapped up the case, in an effort to smooth things over between us, I later apologized to her. For a short while, it seemed like I was making inroads with her and that perhaps we could be congenial with each other. I wasn’t so sure about that now.
Melissa was a hard woman to read. While she was not as openly hostile with me as she once had been, she was also far from being warm and welcoming to me.
“What do you want?” Melissa asked.
So much for getting off on the right foot. It may have been a hot summer day, but there was no indication of that as I stood on Melissa’s doorstep. I felt nothing but a cold breeze emanating directly from Melissa.
I handed Melissa a bag of dog treats that I had just picked up at the pet store.
“I thought Butterscotch could use a nice treat,” I said.
Melissa peeked into the bag. “Thank you.”
Her mouth said one thing, but her body language said another. I had never heard a less enthusiastic thank you in my entire life.
It seemed like a good time to switch gears. I decided to focus on her dog. Butterscotch wagged his tail as I bent over and gave him some pats. “How are you doing, you little cutie?”
“Butterscotch is fine,” Melissa replied.
“He’s going to be even better when he tries out those treats.”
“Why do I get the feeling that you didn’t just come here to drop off some snacks for my dog?”
“Who is the amateur sleuth now?” I joked.
I didn’t even get a smile, much less a laugh from Melissa. She was as tight lipped as ever.
“What do you want, Sabrina?”
I handed Melissa a small box filled with lemon bars.
“Don’t worry. I brought a few treats over for you, too,” I said.
Melissa didn’t open the box. Instead, she just kept staring at me. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Melissa, open the box. Trust me, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
She let out a sigh then opened the box.
“Wait until you try them,” I said. “Those lemon bars are amazing. That I can tell you from experience.”
“Why did you bring over all these treats?” she asked.
Ugh.
Apparently, the lemon bars weren’t as much of an icebreaker as I had assumed.
“Why don’t you try one?” I asked.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“Can’t a neighbor bring another neighbor a housewarming gift?”
“I have lived here almost a month. And you’re not exactly any old neighbor.”
“So I live a few streets away. We’re still neighbors—”
“That wasn’t what I was talking about,” Melissa replied.
“I would have brought the treats over sooner, but I’ve been busy.”
“Poking your head where it doesn’t belong?” Melissa asked.
“I think you have the wrong idea about me,” I said.
“Do I? Isn’t that why you’re here ri
ght now? Or are you going to tell me that you only came over here to give me a housewarming gift?” Melissa asked.
“Would it be possible to have a normal conversation without a whole bunch of accusatory statements being thrown around?”
“You tell me. Do you just want to make small talk and ask me how my day is going, or is there something else you want to know?”
“Why don’t you tell me how your day is going?” I said.
“Now that you mention it, I’m really excited. Norton’s Boutique is having this amazing shoe sale today.”
I forced a smile. “A shoe sale? Great.”
“Yeah. Then, after that, I think I’m going to stop by Antonio’s restaurant for lunch. Nothing like a shoe sale to work up a good appetite.”
“Sounds like you have a full day ahead of you.”
“That’s not all. I have a mani-pedi scheduled in the late afternoon.”
There was only so much interest that I could feign in listening to Melissa talk about her upcoming manicure and pedicure.
I broke down and blurted out what was really on my mind. “Okay. So there are a few questions that I want to ask you about this case I have been working on.”
Melissa scoffed. “I knew it. See, this is why we can’t have normal conversations.”
“I hate to do this to you, but these questions are really important.”
“Says you.”
“Trust me. They are. Now, I talked to your ex-boyfriend yesterday—”
Melissa groaned. “Great. That’s what I need. To talk about one of my ex-boyfriends.”
“I know it’s not an ideal conversation topic.”
She responded with the most sarcastic tone that she could muster. “You think?”
“Look. This isn’t a topic that I’m eager to approach, either.”
“Then let’s not talk about it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is. It seems pretty simple to me.”
“I just need to ask you a few quick questions,” I said.
“You just don’t get it, do you? In what world is it okay to just knock on my door out of the blue and start asking me about one of my exes?” Melissa replied.
Daley Buzz Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 53
