StrawBuried in Chocolate (Black Cat Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)

by Lyndsey Cole

  Great, Annie thought, now it wouldn’t seem odd if she went back to Curl Up and Dye. “I’ll finish up helping you and check if she still has time.”

  Mia got a batch of cinnamon rolls ready for the morning and they decided they would make the chili first thing the next day instead of making it now.

  “I’m off to see if Tess can squeeze me in. See you tomorrow.”

  Annie was glad it had been so easy to create another opportunity to talk to Tess without making her mother suspicious. Now, as long as Tess was around, maybe Annie could get some more information from her. Curl Up and Dye’s door jingled as she walked in.

  “Hey. You came back. I hope it wasn’t anything I said this morning that made you rush out.” Tess called out to Annie as she finished working on a client. “Take a seat, I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

  Annie sat down and picked up one of the styling magazines to try to find an idea that she could live with instead of letting Tess go crazy with her hair. She found a picture with thin streaks of blonde naturally mixed with darker red tones of the model’s hair and Annie thought that might work for her. Her hair was already strawberry blond so maybe some streaks of blond would make an interesting contrast.

  Tess appeared in front of Annie. “Okay, it’s just the two of us again. Are you ready?”

  Ready for what, Annie wondered anxiously, but tried not to act concerned. This was a business after all, anyone could walk in. She held up the magazine picture. “How about something like this?”

  “That will be perfect for you. Come on back to my chair.”

  As Annie followed Tess, she saw the sapphire bracelet on Tess’s left wrist that she had seen Lacy wearing the morning she was murdered. A shiver traveled up Annie’s spine.

  “What a beautiful bracelet. Can I see it?”

  Tess stopped abruptly, making Annie almost crash into her. She covered the bracelet with her right hand. “You’re not going to give me trouble about this are you?”

  Annie backed off with her hands up in front of her. “Of course not. Is that the bracelet from your grandmother?”

  Tess slowly held her wrist out, fingering each sapphire. “Yes. I don’t know why Brad suddenly changed his mind, but he decided to give it to me and asked Sherry to drop it off.”

  Annie studied it carefully. “I can see why you would treasure it, but what happened here?” Annie pointed to one of the silver settings that was missing a gem. The gem she still had in her pocket that she found in the snow after Leona was kidnapped.

  “I don’t know. I’ll have to take it to the jewelers for an estimate. I doubt I can afford to get it fixed yet.” She motioned to a chair. “Have a seat and I’ll get those highlights going for you.”

  Annie kept her senses on high alert, not believing what Tess told her about the bracelet. Why would Brad suddenly change his mind? He acted like he hated Tess. Something else she would ask Sherry about when she went back to Lacy’s house.

  “I heard your aunt was kidnapped last night. Any idea who would do that?” Tess asked as she wrapped a cape around Annie.

  “She doesn’t know who he was,” Annie answered, making sure to say he so Tess wouldn’t be suspicious that she could be a suspect.

  “A man, huh? I wonder what the point of that was. She’s locked up now, isn’t she? Did she confess?” Tess asked as she worked on Annie’s hair.

  “Why are you so interested in my aunt?” Annie was annoyed and getting angry at the cavalier way Tess was asking about Leona. “Are you about done? I need to get going.”

  “Stop fidgeting, you’ll be gorgeous for your hot date tonight. I have at least another thirty minutes or so.”

  Annie sighed and tried to relax her tense muscles. Tess continued to work, acting confident that all the attention for Lacy’s murder was on Leona so Annie didn’t want to do or say anything to make her suspicious. “Where are you living now?”

  “There’s an apartment over the garage at Lacy’s house and I sneak in after I’m sure Brad and Sherry are in for the night and I leave early and hang out here in the shop. It’s not ideal but I’m looking for something better. I have a couple of leads.”

  “So, Brad and Sherry have moved into Lacy’s house?”

  “Yeah, they didn’t waste a second moving in. Brad was already staying there a lot before Lacy was murdered, but Sherry didn’t stay. Lacy told me they were working out some marital stuff. I swear Sherry had her car packed and brought her stuff over as soon as she heard the news.”

  “Was Brad home last night?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, I was out with a friend and stayed at his house ‘til I came here early this morning.”

  Great. She had no clue where Brad or Tess were when Leona was kidnapped.

  “Do you plan to stay in Catfish Cove?”

  Tess expertly separated small sections of hair for the highlights. “Maybe. I haven’t decided. It all depends on how all this drama is settled.”

  “The drama of Lacy’s will?”

  “I suppose that’s part of it. If I end up with a big enough chunk of money, I’d like to start my own salon and I doubt this little town has enough business for two.”

  Interesting, Annie thought. Tess kills Lacy, gets a big chunk of money and leaves town. Revenge for her mother?

  “What do you think Brad’s plans are?”

  “Good question. My guess is he would love to move into Lacy’s house. That’s probably why he kicked me out. My opinion? He’s about as greedy as they come.” She took the cape off. “There. Take a look. I know you’ve been avoiding the mirror but you do look stunning. If your boyfriend’s mouth doesn’t drop to the floor when he sees you, he needs to have his eyes tested.”

  Annie gazed at her reflection and grinned. “Wow. It’s subtle, but different. I do like it, thanks.”

  “Aren’t you glad you came back to let me finish the job?”

  Annie moved her head from one side to the other. “Yes. I’m surprised to admit it, but I do like this new me.”

  Annie paid Tess and thanked her again for the new hair style.

  “Be sure to give me some feedback on what your handsome boyfriend has to say,” Tess said as Annie walked out the door.

  She headed back to the café to get her car for the short drive to her apartment. Roxy pranced around as soon as Annie opened her door. “Okay. You need a walk, don’t you?” Annie took a few minutes to say hello to Smokey before she bundled up for a walk on the Lake Trail.

  As she passed Thelma’s house, Annie looked up at the window and waved. Sure enough, Thelma waved back. Annie smiled at the memory of Thelma thinking of the people she saw walking by as her ‘friends’. She made a mental note to be sure to stop by with Roxy and visit Thelma on a regular basis.

  Annie’s phone beeped, disturbing the silence. She was surprised to see she had a text message from Sherry. Brad says to come tonight.

  “Let’s finish our walk and I’ll see what Brad and Sherry can tell me,” she told Roxy. “I like this better than going in the morning.”

  She texted back to Sherry, Be there in fifteen or twenty minutes.

  “Come on. We need to get a move on.”

  When Annie and Roxy returned to her apartment, she was relieved to see that Jason’s car was not in the driveway. “That makes this easier. I won’t have to come up with an explanation for where I’m going. And you won’t tell him, will you Roxy?”

  Of course, Roxy wagged her tail.

  Annie fed Roxy and Smokey, grabbed her bag and left for Lacy’s house.

  Chapter 21

  The house didn’t look as inviting in the dark as it did when Annie stopped by earlier in the day. She parked behind Lacy’s red Camaro and walked quickly to the door. Wind blew the branches, creating lots of moving shadows on the walkway.

  Sherry opened the door as soon as Annie knocked. The lights and warmth inside erased the scary mood on the outside.

  “Thanks for coming. Brad said tomorrow morning wasn’t good for him. He’ll
be right down. Would you like something to drink?”

  “No thanks. I’m sure you’re busy so I won’t take up too much of your time.”

  Sherry poured herself a glass of wine and held the bottle toward Annie. “Are you sure you won’t join me?”

  “All right. If you insist.”

  Sherry laughed. “I see you’ve done something with your hair. It looks lovely.”

  Annie had already forgotten about her new look and her hand went up to feel the shorter length. “Tess cut it for me. And she showed me the bracelet that Brad gave her.”

  Brad entered the room. “What bracelet are you talking about?”

  Annie spun around at the sound of his angry voice. “The sapphire bracelet from Lacy. Tess told me you changed your mind and gave it to her.”

  Brad stared at Sherry. “What’s she talking about? I don’t know what happened to that bracelet after Lacy was murdered.”

  Annie positioned herself closer to the door. “Do you think Tess murdered Lacy and took it?”

  “No. She didn’t do it. She was here,” Brad said as he looked from Annie to Sherry.

  It was Sherry’s turn to get angry. “Why did you tell the police you were here alone?”

  “I didn’t want to give her an alibi, and her parka was gone, so at first I did think she was gone.”

  “Her parka was gone?” Annie asked. “Thelma Dodd saw someone wearing a black parka walk along the Lake Trail around the time Lacy was murdered. Who could that have been?”

  Sherry set her empty wine glass down. She casually popped a piece of gum in her mouth.

  The scent of cinnamon hit Annie’s nose. It triggered a memory. She looked at Sherry, chewing her gum.

  Sherry moved between Annie and the door. “I guess you’ll be staying longer than you expected. You may as well get comfortable. You too, Brad.”

  “What’s going on Sherry?”

  “Oh Brad. You’re just as self-centered as your precious Lacy. Did the two of you think you could boss me around and be your little slave forever? Well, guess what? I’m sick of that role. I’ve played it for long enough. Now it’s my turn to have some fun with all that money.”

  Brad’s mouth was hanging open. “What happened to you, Sherry?”

  She opened a drawer and took out a gun. “This is the real me, dear. The question is, why did I put up with you for so long?”

  “Put up with me? I gave you everything you ever wanted.”

  Annie felt sweat trickling down inside her shirt. Her coat was draped over the arm of the chair where she had been sitting. If she could maneuver close enough, she might be able to sneak her phone from the pocket.

  “Don’t move another inch, Annie. You won’t need your coat.”

  Annie decided to try a different tactic. “It was you in the house, not Leona, who Johnny heard arguing.”

  Sherry waved the gun, herding Brad and Annie toward the front door. “I couldn’t believe my luck when Leona walked in. It was the perfect set up. I couldn’t have planned it better.”

  “But you were at Thelma Dodd’s house,” Annie said.

  “That was a brilliant move on my part. The perfect alibi with my car in her driveway and her notebook filled with her observations of who she saw walking on the Lake Trail.”

  Brad was confused and in shock. “You killed Lacy? Why?”

  “Brad. Didn’t you hear a word I said three minutes ago? I’m sick of being the second class citizen in this relationship. I want the money and freedom and I have it all planned out.”

  “She’s going to kill us too, in case you didn’t figure that out yet, Brad,” Annie said in a voice that sounded much calmer than she felt.

  Brad rubbed his face. “But we have the money now. Why couldn’t you just let Leona take the fall? Everyone thinks she’s the murderer.”

  Sherry pointed the gun at Annie. “Not everyone. Annie here thinks she’s a one woman detective agency, sticking her nose in everyone else’s business. Why couldn’t you leave it well enough alone?” Her voice rose with each word.

  “Let Leona go to jail for something she didn’t do? You are crazy,” Annie jeered at Sherry.

  Sherry shrugged. “I hope you’re happy knowing that even if she gets out of jail, you’ll be dead. Enjoy that thought for as long as you’ve got left.”

  Annie’s back was against the front door and her shoulder was jammed against Brad. Sherry was peering out the window. “We’ll wait a little longer. I don’t want to risk any nosy neighbors watching the rest of this drama unfold.”

  “How did you get into Jason’s house without anyone seeing you?” Annie asked, stalling for time.

  She flicked her left hand, the hand not holding the gun. “That was easy. I parked at Thelma’s house for the perfect alibi and followed the path next to the trees down to the Lake Trail. With Tess’s black parka and white hat on, I knew Thelma wouldn’t be able to tell who I was but she’d make a note with the time in her notebook that someone walked by. Lacy told me Jason hid a key by the front door, so I let myself in and waited for Lacy. Of course, Lacy wasn’t surprised to see me, I had told her earlier in the day that I might stop in to help.”

  “Clever. You were actually planning to incriminate Tess so she’d be out of your life too?”

  Sherry smiled and stuck a fresh piece of gum in her mouth. “You’re finally putting it together. When Leona stormed in, I was in the bathroom so she didn’t see me. I could hear her arguing with Lacy, mad as anything. That made my plan even easier. Leona left, I shot Lacy, grabbed a couple of those delicious strawberries, and let myself out the front door. It didn’t take more than a minute.”

  Annie felt Brad trembling. His hand went to his head. “I don’t feel good,” he managed to say before he slumped to the floor.

  Sherry kicked his leg. “Get up, Brad.”

  “I think he fainted. Or had a heart attack.” Annie crouched down to check for a pulse. “He feels kind of clammy.”

  “I hope it’s a heart attack. That would simplify things. He’s a fool anyway. Drag him away from the door. I’ll deal with him later.”

  Annie tugged and grunted, trying to pull Brad’s dead weight.

  “That’s far enough.” Sherry stepped over Brad to stand closer to Annie. “I only need to be able to open the door when it’s time for you to take your walk out on the lake. Move back to the door.”

  With Sherry’s gun following her, Annie slowly took a few steps backwards until she bumped into the door. “What about Leona’s glove in the snow?” Annie’s curiosity got the better of her.

  “Nice touch, wasn’t it? I guess she forgot them in Jason’s house, so I dipped one in the blood and threw it in the snow on my way back to the Lake Trail.”

  “You won’t get away with this, you know.”

  Sherry laughed. “Nice try. Leona’s already in jail for Lacy’s murder and you’re going to have an unfortunate accident. The ice is weak, as Tess found out the other night, but tonight’s darker and your knight in shining armor won’t see you fall through. Such a tragic end to your love story.”

  Annie’s eyes darted around the room, searching for anything to help her. A movement behind Sherry caught her attention.

  Sherry chomped on her gum. Annie’s lip started to curl upward. “Was it you who kidnapped Leona?”

  Sherry made a mock bow. “Another flawless move. You turned out to be much cleverer than I anticipated. How did you figure that one out?”

  Before Annie could answer, Brad’s hand shot forward and grabbed Sherry’s ankle.

  Everything after that moment seemed to happen in slow motion as Annie stood frozen to the front door.

  Brad’s yank was enough to throw Sherry off balance. As she began to fall, her right arm went up, firing the gun harmlessly into the ceiling.

  Annie felt herself falling away from the door as her hands covered her ears from the echo of the gunshot.

  What seemed like an eternity was actually only seconds.

  Before her
brain could process what was happening, people streamed through the door and filled the entryway. Tyler had Sherry in handcuffs. Brad was carried out on a stretcher. And Annie was wrapped in Jason’s strong arms.

  “How did you know I was here?” Annie mumbled with her face buried in Jason’s shoulder.

  He stroked her hair. “Tess called me.”

  Chapter 22

  Tess stood next to Jason and patted Annie on her back. “I guess we’re even now. Your knight in shining armor saved my life and I saved yours.”

  Annie turned her head to look at Tess. “How did you know I was here? And in trouble?”

  “Remember how I told you I would sneak into the apartment above the garage at night? Well, I saw your car and got curious so I peeked through the windows.”

  Annie pulled herself from Jason’s embrace and hugged Tess.

  “Hey, you’re crushing me.” Tess laughed and Annie released her.

  “You called Jason?”

  Tess nodded. “He knew what to do. I kept watching through the window, giving Jason updates.” She turned her head away from Annie’s stare. “To be honest, I thought they weren’t going to get here in time.”

  “The problem was, we couldn’t see where you were. We had just gotten into position outside when the gun went off so Tyler rushed through the door,” Jason explained.

  Tyler returned inside. “Are you okay, Annie?” His eyes studied her face.

  “Now I am. Thank you. Sherry told me everything.” Annie hugged Tyler. “Catfish Cove is lucky to have you as police chief.

  All of a sudden, the room went silent. “Hey, how come I wasn’t invited to the party?”

  Leona grabbed Annie away from Tyler and wrapped her arms around her. “I told you not to do anything foolish. You could have gotten yourself killed!”

  Annie laughed. “I’ll take that as a thank you.”

  “Do you feel up to giving your statement now?” Tyler asked.

  “Definitely. There’s no way I can sleep with all this swirling in my head.”

  Jason managed to get Annie back into his embrace. “I’ll bring her down.”