Chapter Fourteen
“These muffins are the best things I’ve ever tasted in my entire life,” Dina said between mouthfuls of Mrs. Krispin’s latest creation.
“Really? You like them? I thought for sure that they were going to be a tad too out there,” Mrs. Krispin replied, filling out the label for the muffins.
“Me too, but I’m a brave little beaver, just ask Joss.” Dina’s eyes twinkled.
“Oh, wow. Yes, Dina, you are a brave little beaver, alright,” Joss said trying to hold back her laughter.
Mrs. Krispin had made Chocolate Pecan Pie Muffins and Apple Pie Zucchini muffins, both of which Joss had tried and enjoyed, just not quite as much as Dina had. The three women were the only ones on staff at the diner that day. Joss was cooking, Dina was taking tables, and Mrs. Krispin would do her best to help both of them.
“So, tell me what you ladies have been up to. You know I’m just a little old woman looking for something exciting happening in your lives so that I can live vicariously through you.”
Joss hesitated, thinking of mentioning how Mrs. Krispin and her laundromat secrets were more than exciting enough for everyone but instead, she decided she’d indulge the woman.
“Things with Ryan and me are going so well. Maybe we can go on another double date with you and Richie sometime,” Joss said, looking toward Dina.
“Oh, bologna. Save the lovey stuff for later,” Mrs. Krispin waved her hands, dismissing Joss’s comment. “Tell me everything you know about that poor girl’s murder.”
Shocked at Mrs. Krispin’s abruptness, Joss sighed. She should have known better than to think either of the women standing in front of her wanted to discuss anything but Jane’s murder. The thing was, though, Joss wasn’t entirely sure how Dina was involved, and as of recently, even Mrs. Krispin was being a little more mysterious than Joss would have liked.
“I think Luke did it,” Joss said, deciding to just get everything out of the way early. She didn’t want to admit her feelings but now was as good of a time as any.
“You think what?!” Mrs. Krispin balked.
“Luke, like our Luke?” Dina stopped mid-chew.
“Yes. He was in town the night Jane was killed, and he does have a pretty good reason to be upset with Becky,” Joss explained.
“You said it yourself. He had every reason to be upset with Becky, but what does that have to do with Jane?” Mrs. Krispin asked.
“I don’t know. You seem to know more about Jane than I do. Can you offer any insight, Mrs. Krispin?” Joss asked, hoping she didn’t overstep.
“Ahhh. Now, I see. I should have known you’d figure out that I was still going to the laundromat.” Mrs. Krispin softened. “I hope I didn’t cause any harm, I’ve just been feeling a little bored recently and I have to admit that I’ve been enjoying the gossip.”
“It might be much more than gossip. What if something you know can help solve the murder?” Dina asked, finally finished eating.
“What about you, Dina? Is there anything you might know?” Joss asked, looking Dina square in her eyes. That always made her tell the truth. Good thing Dina didn’t play poker, because she’d surely lose.
“What on earth would I know?” Dina asked quizzically. “I didn’t even know who she was.”
“Perhaps not, but what about how you were messing with Becky and her new place?” Joss began slicing a loaf of bread so she could busy herself and not act like she was as interested as she really was.
“I did one thing and I already admitted that. Jeez, you put a little superglue in someone’s door lock and then next thing you know you’re a homicidal maniac.”
Joss rolled her eyes at Dina’s theatrics.
“Alright, that’s enough from the both of you. Joss, if you have something to say, stop beating around the bush and just say it. It’s much easier that way, plus, we’re all friends, right?” Mrs. Krispin said, literally putting her foot down, adding to her statement.
“Fine. Mrs. Krispin, I think that you might know more than you realize.” Joss explained how she saw Sheila and Ashley with Becky, everything that she knew about the market and Eric, Niles, and Jane. “Something isn’t right. Of course, I don’t want to believe that Luke had anything to do with Jane’s death, but I just don’t know enough about everyone else yet.” Joss paused and turned toward Dina. “And you… just because you only vandalized one thing, doesn’t mean you are a killer, but you knew Luke was in town the night of the murder, and I didn’t know. Why would he tell you and not me?”
“Are you jealous?” Dina asked, a sly grin on her face.
“Now is not the time to pick which one of us Luke likes more, Dina. This is serious. Why was Luke in town?”
Dina groaned. “It was supposed to be a surprise. When Richie told him about what Becky had done, and about how she’d stolen our idea for the diner’s sign for her own place, Luke came back to help put a rush on the order I made for his surprise Christmas gift since he knows the guy I hired. He came back to make sure it was perfect, and then went directly back to Lorraine and her mom. My surprise was ruined, and now I need a new Christmas gift idea, but we wanted to get ours up before Becky did.”
“A sign? Really?” Joss folded her arms. “Why is that a secret?”
“Because you’re nice,” Dina muttered.
“I don’t know what that has to do with anything,” Joss replied, arms still folded.
“You are a nice person, and no matter what Becky did, you would feel bad and try to talk us out of putting a new sign up because it might cause trouble,” Dina explained.
Mrs. Krispin nodded.
“The secret was from me? How does it feel?” Joss asked.
“How does what feel?” Dina tilted her head.
“I’ve been struggling with the fact that you and Luke may have committed murder together, all because you two wanted to hide a sign from me.” Joss began to walk away.
“Murder? Me?” Dina scoffed. “That outrageous.”
“Wait!” Mrs. Krispin spoke, reaching out to Joss.
Joss had had enough of Dina and her secrets and was so frustrated that she didn’t even want to hear whatever it was Mrs. Krispin had to say. She hated secrets and couldn’t believe that something so silly was kept from her. On one hand, maybe they were a little right. She would have suggested that they reconsider putting up a new sign just to spite Becky, even though what she had done was awful. It was bad enough that people were talking bad and spreading lies about the diner’s food, what would Becky do if they put up a sign that matched hers before she got the chance? Sometimes you had to pick your battles, that was quickly becoming one of her new mantras, and the sign would have been one Joss chose to avoid.
Entering the office, Joss sat in Luke’s chair, prepared to call him and give him a piece of her mind. Mrs. Krispin had other plans. She stormed in the office, her finger out, wagging it at Joss.
Chapter Fifteen
Joss was still reeling from her scolding from Mrs. Krispin. It wasn’t that she was trying to blame her friends, it just wasn’t fair to see everyone get so caught up in unimportant things. She was taking a few moments to herself before heading into the kitchen to do some work, hoping there would be some customers to cook for when she heard a familiar voice.
“I was hoping we could chat,” Becky said, entering the office.
That was the last thing Joss wanted, but as she was just reminded, she was a nice person and that’s what nice people did.
“What’s up, Becky? I have a lot to get done today,” Joss said, reluctantly agreeing to the conversation.
“Doesn’t look like you have very many customers to worry about,” Becky pointed out with a shrug.
“Did you come here to make fun of us, or was there something else you needed?”
“I came for my last paycheck that you requested I come to get, and a bag of change that I left here from my tips. I’m also here to politely ask you to stop, or for you to ask whoever that works here, to stop m
essing with my bistro. I get it. I lied, I’m a horrible, terrible person and I should have been honest with Luke and everyone else about what I was doing, but I didn’t and I can’t change it all now. I just need you to stop. That’s enough. What can I do to get you to stop?” Becky pleaded.
“Stop what? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Joss said.
“Come, on. Quick dry cement in front of the doors, more graffiti, bags of trash surrounding the bistro… Don’t pretend you don’t know.” Becky put her hand on her hips.
Joss wasn’t entirely sure that she should stick up for anyone that worked at the diner, but she wanted so badly to believe that none of them were responsible for what Becky was talking about.
“Becky, did it ever occur to you that we weren’t the ones doing all that stuff?”
“Of course not. Who else would want me to fail?”
“Well, hopefully no one truly wants you to fail, but try to be honest with yourself for a second. Look past the fact that anyone here would be upset with you and think.”
Becky stared off into space for a few moments with no reply.
“How about the fact that you took multiple employees from the market? Do you think maybe that might make someone mad?” Joss asked, hoping Becky was catching on.
“Oh,” Becky finally said.
“You are excited about your business, and I can appreciate that, but it’s not okay to take everyone down in the process. Aside from the fact that you are competition to the diner now, you hurt our feelings. You’ve gotten yourself so caught up in all of this that there are people so upset with you that they think you may have killed Jane. Is your business worth losing friends, gaining enemies, and being accused of murder?” Joss felt chills up her spine as she spoke.
“Mu…murder? Someone thinks I killed Jane?” Becky stuttered. “Am I that awful? I was just trying to help some kids get a better job. Even when you are in your twenties, still finding yourself and figuring out what you want in life, it’s important that you can at least enjoy your job. Jane hated working at the market. All she ever did was complain about Eric and how awful he was to work for. The poor girl was dealing with so much. She hated her job, she and her roommate were struggling with money and had been getting in constant fights, and to top it all off, one of the people she worked with at the market was giving her trouble about coming to work for me. She didn’t deserve what happened to her, and I certainly wouldn’t have been the one to do it.”
“You mean Sheila, the one you hired the other day? You gave her a job because you felt bad for her, too, is that it? What about Niles? What’s the reason you took him from Eric?” Joss asked, wanting to know the real story.
“I want to ask how you know all of this, but I’d rather clear my name of murder. I tried hiring Niles before I hired Jane. I wanted a male waiter, and I knew Niles had experience, so I asked him if he was looking for a second job. He wanted to be honest with his boss so he asked if it was okay that he check with him first. Next thing I know, Niles says he can’t work for me. I was annoyed because I knew Eric had something to do with it, so I hired Jane.” Becky shrugged.
“What about Sheila?”
“I just wanted some staff. I haven’t even opened the bistro yet and I’ve have nothing but hassle every which way I go. I didn’t want to hire Sheila, especially after everything Jane told me about her, but like I said, I just needed staff and I was at my wits end so I hired her. You can’t fault me for that.”
“What do you mean everything that Jane said about her? Becky, you know how I feel about what you did, but you can’t just hire anyone just to say you have some staff. You’re smarter than that. You have Niles now, isn’t that who you wanted to begin with?” Joss asked.
Becky nodded. “Niles and Sheila. They are both okay, but I’m a little leery of Sheila and I’m not so sure about Niles. He seems to have this weird connection with Eric. Jane said Sheila was jealous, cunning, and manipulative. She told me they’d been fighting a lot about money and stuff related to the apartment they shared. I don’t know, until she lies or steals from me, I guess I’ll just deal. I do have another lead as well, a girl from the laundromat, but now that you tell me everyone hates me for stealing employees, maybe I’d better rethink hiring her. The last thing I need is Old Man Uxbridge mad at me for taking her away from him.”
Joss had just learned quite a bit from the chat with Becky she’d had no interest in having when it first began. Dina was right, Joss was a nice person, and she didn’t wish ill-will on anyone, no matter what they’d done wrong. She realized Luke wasn’t a killer, and neither was Becky, but it was looking more and more like it was someone from the market, or maybe even Jane’s best friend.
“Listen, Becky. I’m glad you came in, and I hope whoever has been doing things to hurt your bistro stops, and I’d like to believe that you weren’t the one that caused the trouble for us here with people saying we were serving bad food, but I have to get to work. Your check is under the drawer in the cash register, Dina will get it for you, and your tips should still be on the shelf. I wish you luck, and I hope that you can see now how you went about this was wrong. Luke deserves an apology and if and when he’s willing to see you, I hope you will consider offering him one.”
“I understand. Thanks for being honest with me. I should have come to you a long time ago,” Becky said, exiting the office.
“I wish you would have, too,” Joss mumbled under her breath, wishing all of this mess could have been avoided. All she had to do was get through the rest of her shift so she could process everything she’d learned.
Chapter Sixteen
Joss walked as slowly as she possibly could as she made her way to the entrance of what was soon to be Becky’s Bistro. She wasn’t sure how Becky would react to seeing her, but she had to try. There was still no solid leads about who had killed Jane, and Joss was feeling even more sad for Sheila. Even if she’d heard that Jane and Sheila had been in a few fights, Joss didn’t think it was that big of a deal. They were best friends, and sometimes that’s what happened, and since they were roommates too, it made even more sense. Even the best of friends could find a way to argue over money, especially when they felt like they were short on it.
She looked through the windows of the bistro, hoping to see Becky, but had no luck. Joss tried the door, pulling it open just enough to pop her head in and call out for Becky.
“Joss? What are you doing here?” Becky asked, coming out from the back area, most likely the kitchen.
“Hey,” Joss raised her hand in a wave. “I was just wondering if you could help me out with something.”
“Okay,” Becky took a few steps closer, wiping her hands on her apron. “What’s up?”
“Do you think you could give me some contact information for Sheila? I understand if you can’t, or don’t want to.”
Becky frowned. “I’m not sure if I should. I mean, I probably shouldn’t, but I guess I owe you. What do you want it for?”
Joss explained how she was feeling bad for Sheila and just wanted to offer her condolences.
“I know she just moved into a new apartment. I have her number and address. I should probably give her a call, too. I need to get her on the schedule since we’re going to be opening soon.”
Joss ignored the comment about Becky’s opening. She wasn’t there for that, and quite frankly, she didn’t really want to talk about it.
“That would be great,” Joss said, nodding. She wasn’t expecting Sheila’s address but it would work out so much better that way. She could stop in at the market and pick up some flowers, or a little plant and bring it along with her to Sheila’s. A perfect ruse for showing up; a housewarming gift. That, along with a free meal at the diner, was sure to get Sheila talking.
Becky handed over a piece of paper that she’d written Sheila’s information on.
“Do you need anything else?” she asked.
“No. That’s it. Thanks,” Joss replied, looking around.
&
nbsp; “Then why are you still standing here?”
“Sorry. Just checking the place out,” Joss cringed, mad at herself for getting caught up.
The two women said their awkward goodbyes and Joss went on her way. She could have walked to the market, but decided to drive. It was less than a six second drive across the parking lot, but the idea of having to walk back by the bistro and seeing Becky again was something that Joss hoped to avoid. She parked her car as far away from the bistro as possible and got out of her car. She slung her purse over her shoulder and pushed her car door shut with her hip, swearing she heard a man’s voice nearby.
Joss looked around, not seeing anyone, and took a few steps toward the market. She stopped, hearing the voice again, this time much louder.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but you aren’t going to get away with this. It’s bad enough you’ve been controlling me all our lives, you don’t get to do that to other people,” the voice said.
Breakfast and Bedlam Page 6
