“What is it?” Rachel asked.
“It’s missing!” Annie exclaimed.
“What!” Tricia’s eyes grew wide. “No! Really?”
“Truly. Someone stole Gina’s library records. They aren’t in there!”
“That’s… that’s horrible!”
Annie looked really upset. “We are in the middle of digitizing records and making our library more digital. But we still use old analog methods for our borrowing and lending. Well, someone stole her file. There’s no trace of it!”
“Who could have done it?” Tricia asked.
“Anyone, really.” Annie looked heartbroken. “I’ll have to call the sheriff and report a break-in. Do you two mind leaving? I mean, you shouldn’t even be here, and I really don’t want to explain to the sheriff why I let you in.”
“Yeah. That’s probably a good idea. I’d rather not have the sheriff asking me questions about why I’m poking my nose where it doesn’t belong.” Tricia agreed. She gave Annie a quick hug. “Keep your chin up, girl. This is actually a good thing.”
“It is?” Annie didn’t seem sure.
“Of course! It means we’re on the right track. We’ve spooked the killer, and he’s trying his best to destroy evidence. Sooner or later we’ll get there before him.”
“I wish it had been sooner this time.” Annie sighed. “I feel so guilty. These records are my responsibility. I’m the one in charge here.”
“You’re a victim of theft. There’s nothing to feel guilty about,” Rachel said. “Are you sure you don’t want us here with you?”
“No,” Annie said. “But thanks. Tricia, it turns out, it’s me who owes you one. If you hadn’t called me today, we might have overlooked this completely.”
*****
Chapter 9
A Midnight Knock
“There’s no way I’m sleeping tonight,” Tricia said, as she drove Rachel back home. “This killer is a mite too clever for my taste. He or she, but let’s just say he for simplicity, has been one step ahead of us thrice now. With Gina, the burning boutique, and the library records too.”
“It’s really depressing,” Rachel agreed. “Want to come in and talk it over?”
“Only if you give me some of that wine you’d promised earlier,” Tricia said. “I definitely need some now.”
Scooter woofed and jumped up and down when Tricia and Rachel entered through the kitchen door. His tail was wagging so hard it was a blur, and his entire body began quivering with delight when Tricia scratched him on the back of his ears.
“You’ve hit his secret spot.” Rachel grinned. “He could stay like that forever.”
Scooter’s eyes were shut and there was a look of sheer ecstasy on his face. His tail thumped against the floor. When Tricia stopped scratching him, he opened his mournful eyes, and placed one paw on her hand, beseeching her to continue.
“Aw, I’ll have to keep doing this till my arm aches. This dog has the best guilt-inducing look I’ve ever seen.”
“He’s a master,” Rachel said. “You should see him whenever I’m eating something nice. I feel like a monster for not sharing, even though I know he’s well fed already.”
“Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” Tricia put her nose against Scooter’s, and he started jumping around again.
“Well if only all questions were that easy to answer.” Rachel sighed. “What are we going to do, Tricia?”
Tricia sighed and shook her head. “I wish I knew.”
The two walked upstairs to Rachel’s living quarters above the bakery. Rachel’s upstairs kitchen was far too tiny, so they sat down on a window-seat near the landing that overlooked Main Street instead.
“I feel like we’re going about this backward.” Rachel popped open a bottle of zinfandel and poured some in two wineglasses, bringing it over to Tricia. Tricia swallowed hers in one gulp, and then sheepishly handed it back to Rachel. Rachel laughed and poured her another measure.
“Backward? How?” Tricia asked.
“We’re focusing on the killer’s actions instead of on Gina’s life,” Rachel said. “That’s where we’ll find our killer’s motive, really. Yet I feel like I know nothing about her, well, nothing meaningful. She owned a successful boutique. She was aggressive with her business practices, and had a fight with Mia. She served on the cake-off committee, and she agreed to let her place be used as a drop-off point for the cakes. That’s all I know about Gina.”
Tricia sighed and leaned back against the cushions. “Well, I guess that’s all there is to know.”
“Was Gina single? Married?” Rachel asked. “Does she have parents? Any family nearby? Any scorned lovers? I don’t know anything.”
“Hmm.” Tricia swirled the wine around in the glass and gave it a sniff. “Ahh, the smell of oak and cherries.”
Rachel sniffed hers too. “I can never smell anything but fermented grape, to be honest.”
“Peasant,” Tricia teased. Then, seriously, she said, “I think I can answer most of those questions, by the way. Gina was single. She had an ex-husband, but I think he’s in London now.”
“How long were they married? Any idea why they broke up?”
“Seven years, I think. Aaron was a banker, and a very ambitious one. Gina, on the other hand, loved living in Swaddle. She’s the kind who’d rather be a big fish in a small pond than lost in deep sea. Aaron wasn’t like that, I think. He loved big cities. He was always traveling, and so they broke up.”
“I guess if he’s in London, he’s hardly a suspect.” Rachel sighed. “Still, do you think he was angry with her?”
“He was furious when they divorced. He claimed Gina cheated on him. She denied it, of course.”
“Cheated on him? So Gina had a lover.” Rachel furrowed her brow. “Someone who could be obsessed with her and angry that she broke his heart perhaps?”
“If Gina had a proper relationship with anyone other than her husband, she certainly didn’t act like it. She’s been single five years now, and I’ve never heard of her being on a date. I think she was too busy with her boutique.”
“But that’s unusual too, isn’t it?” Rachel asked. “Gina was a good-looking woman, so why wouldn’t she date?”
“Maybe she was too wary after her ex-husband?”
Tricia shrugged.
“Okay. Family?”
“Her father passed years ago and her mother is in an assisted-living facilities upstate. No siblings,” Tricia said. “Poor Mrs. Graham. I don’t think she’s got the faculties to properly realize Gina is gone. But still, it’ll be hard.”
Rachel bit her lip. “That must have been tough on her. I mean, it had to have been a very lonely life—no family, no lovers.”
“No pets even,” Tricia agreed. “But Gina didn’t look lonely. Maybe she just kept herself busy. Like Annie said earlier, she was on half a dozen committees, and she ran her own business.”
“Which brings us to Mia,” Rachel said.
Tricia shifted uncomfortably. “Mia’s not the killer,” she said flatly.
“Very loyal of you, but that’s not how a good detective thinks,” Rachel said. “Nobody gets a pass just because you know them.”
“Well… maybe so. But poisoning? I’m telling you, that’s not Mia’s style,” Tricia said. “Look, Mia has got anger issues. I’ll be the first to admit that. She’s impulsive and lacks self-control sometimes. That’s probably why she wasn’t a very good fit for running a business. But murder? That’s too much, man.”
“Tricia—”
“No, look; hear me out. If Gina Graham had been found shot, or stabbed, or her head bashed in, maybe—maybe—I’d have been willing to consider Mia as the killer. But poison? That reeks of premeditation, and I’m telling you Mia isn’t capable of it. Besides which, where would she even get the poison? She’s not exactly...” Tricia hesitated. “Well, let’s just say she prefers reality TV shows to books. In fact, I don’t think she’s ever cracked open a book once she was out of high s
chool.”
Rachel was amused. “You’re saying poisoning is a smart woman’s murder method?”
“At least a well-read woman’s murder method,” Tricia said. “Mia isn’t our killer; I’m telling you.”
“Maybe I’m biased, too.”
Rachel pointed to her black eye. “But I don’t hear anything that tells me I can rule her out. Don’t judge people so harshly, Tricia. Some of the most cunning people I’ve met loved to go home to watch reality TV. It isn’t an indictment of their intelligence.”
Tricia sighed. “I’m not calling Mia, dumb. She’s really smart in her own way. Like when it comes to fashion, I swear she can do complex calculations in seconds to figure out prices, and she’s kind of an artist in her own way. Only her clothes are how she expresses herself. Mia’s just not a poisoner.”
“Why are you so loyal to Mia, anyway?” Rachel asked.
Tricia gave a bittersweet smile. “When I divorced my ex, I fell into a depression. I think Mia saved my life back then.”
“You’re...” Rachel bit back her words. She’d been about to say, “Too young to be divorced” but of course, there was no such thing.
“We married way too young.” Tricia sighed. “I was a romantic, and he was… deluded, I think. His idea of marriage was that he was gaining a servant or something. He hated that I had priorities other than him like work or friends. I wasn’t exactly a peach myself. I was jealous, and critical, and maybe even a little naggy at times.” Tricia sighed. “Anyway, we were together for five whole years. All that time, he was apparently, well… enjoying himself. We had a big circle of friends in his hometown, and I think he cheated on me with half of them.”
“That’s horrible… that must have been devastating.”
“It was.” Tricia nodded. “I didn’t just lose Mark, I lost my friends too. All of them. I couldn’t be around them knowing that they’d known what he was doing and chosen not to tell me. I gained like thirty pounds that year. I moved back to Swaddle and into my parents’ house and just laid around feeling sorry for myself. Annie came over to cheer me up, but she was so put together, I’d just feel more depressed around her.”
“So what happened?”
“Mia happened. She used to work at the bookstore back then. Mia has always been a hot mess, but she owns it. She doesn’t care that she’s a mess. She just shrugs and says, “Everyone is.” She was the only person I could feel comfortable around because I felt like the entire world was judging me. You know the really horrible thing about being cheated on? It makes you feel worthless. It’s supposed to make you feel angry, but I only felt… like I deserved it because I wasn’t good enough.”
“Oh, Tricia.” Rachel’s lip quivered a little, and she snaked out her hand to give Tricia’s fingers a squeeze.
“I know.” Tricia gave her a watery smile. “I was basically just in a funk, and Mia was like this firecracker, adding joy into my life. She’s so emotional and lively. It’s impossible to be depressed around her. She kind of knocked some sense into me and helped me dig into my emotions and find the anger in there.” Tricia grinned. “Then she took me to a few bars and boosted my ego considerably by making me flirt with all the cute guys. Thanks to her, I found a new confidence in myself. You know, I’d never colored my hair before then, but I did, and I found I loved it. It’s a little thing, but it brought me joy. Just like she did.”
“Okay. I’m convinced,” Rachel said. “Convinced that she’s a good friend, that is. Not so convinced about whether she’s a murderer or not.”
“I’d really lose faith in humanity if she turned out to be.” Tricia sighed. “Mia’s a lot of things, but she isn’t capable of calculated murder.”
“You have to face facts, Tricia. Annie and Emily both said she was hounding Gina, getting on to all the committees Gina was a part of. That almost sounds like stalking or obsession.”
“That’s different,” Tricia said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s a hot-blooded kind of anger. Poison is so cold blooded.”
“Hang on.” Rachel frowned suddenly. “Earlier at the café, you said we don’t know what Mia’s been through, and who she is. What was that about?”
“Like I said, it’s not my story to tell.” Tricia sighed. “Let’s just say that her life hasn’t been all roses and—”
“Whoa.” Rachel paused suddenly, her wineglass poised on her lips. “Tricia, I’m sorry to interrupt. But a light just went on across the street. Emily’s café.”
“So?” Tricia looked out of the window and saw the light illuminating the picture window with Bull’s Café written in calligraphy on it.
“So? What’s she doing out there so late? Hang on... wait a minute... she’s coming out now.” Both Rachel and Tricia had their noses pressed to the windowpane. “She’s crossing the street. It looks like she’s coming here.”
The doorbell rang, making both of them jump. Quickly after, there was a pounding on the door. Scooter began barking loudly, his voice agitated. Rachel and Tricia looked at each other, then raced down the stairs together. Rachel reached the front door of the bakery, and through the glass door, saw Emily shivering outside. Their eyes met, and Emily frantically motioned for Rachel to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Emily barged in and grabbed the wineglass out of Rachel’s hand. Throwing her head back, she drank the entire remaining contents of it in one motion, and squeezed her eyes shut. Rachel stepped back, alarmed. There were grass stains on Emily’s knees and a scratch on her face. Her hair, normally smooth and perfect, was frizzy and all over the place.
“You will not believe the night I’ve just had,” Emily said. “You'd better sit down before I tell you this.”
*****
Chapter 10
The Prank
Emily paced around a little, while Tricia and Rachel sat in front of her, alternately worried and curious.
“So here’s the thing,” Emily said. “When you left the café earlier today, I was steaming mad. Mostly at you, Tricia, for defending Mia Harris.”
“I told you—” Tricia looked annoyed.
“Never mind that. The point is, I wasn’t thinking straight. Every time I look at Rachel and see that black eye, a little storm ignites inside of me. The thought of Mia getting away scot-free was more than I could bear.”
“Em, that’s really sweet of you.” Rachel smiled. “But you don’t need to worry about me, you know.”
“Oh, I think I do,” Emily said. “Especially now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let me tell it my way.” Emily stopped and put a hand to her forehead, then sighed. “Okay. So. The problem with my life is I’m surrounded by all these cold-blooded men who insist on thinking things through and doing it by the book. Do you know how frustrating it can get having a sheriff for a brother and a lawyer for a husband?”
“Want some more wine?” Tricia asked sympathetically.
“No, not if I’m going to tell it all without slurring. But thanks.” Emily grinned. “Anyway, believe me, I talked to Scott and Jay both. Quite a few times. But since you were adamant about not pressing charges, there was nothing Scott could do.”
Rachel’s eyes grew wider. She stared at Emily, the grass stains on her clothes and the slight cut on her cheek taking on new meaning. “Em, oh no. Please tell me you haven’t gone and done something stupid...”
“Well, why wouldn’t I? What was I supposed to do, just sit back and watch someone punch you out?”
“Yes!” Rachel exclaimed. “Man, it hurt a little but I’m genuinely okay.”
“You’re so full of it,” Emily scoffed. “If someone had hurt me or Scott, you’d have been tearing the world apart to get at them, and you know it. But when it comes to protecting yourself, suddenly you’re all about turning the other cheek.”
“I... well...” Rachel was taken aback.
“Admit it,” Emily said. “If you were in my place, you’d have wanted revenge, too.”
Tric
ia burst out laughing. Both Emily and Rachel stared at her. Tricia tried hard to get it under control, but it just wouldn’t stop. She clutched her sides for relief. “I’m sorry,” she managed to stutter out. “It’s just so cute, Em. I always thought you were an ice queen, so remote and untouchable. Turns out you’re a real firecracker.”
“Speaking of which...” Emily said, “I’ll get back to us in the café today. Well, I've got an idea. A pretty brilliant idea.”
“You’re not the only one.” Tricia grinned. “But I’ll tell you about mine, later.”
“Thanks. See, I figured if I couldn’t punch out Mia Harris, because Scott and Jay both strictly forbade me to, then I could at least do something to make life a lot harder for her.”
“Oh no,” Rachel said. “I feel like we need a lawyer present here. Don’t drag it out, Em. What did you do?”
“I grabbed some salmon from my fridge, wrapped it nicely in paper, and headed out to Mia’s,” Emily said.
“Salmon?” Tricia frowned. “Salmon? What were you going to do? Fry it up with lemon and olive oil and hand it over to Mia as punishment?”
“Something like that.” Emily grinned.
“Oh, no,” Rachel said, guessing exactly what Emily had planned.
“Oh, yes.” Emily’s smile was borderline evil. “See, I know Mia’s house well. Real well. I used to rent it out myself before I married Jay, and we shifted to the new house.”
“Em… don’t tell me—”
“So the entrance to the cellar is pretty easy to pry open from the backyard if you have a nice thick wire and a small rod of some sort.”
Rachel slapped a palm on her face.
“Ooh. The fish sounds way more sinister now,” Tricia said.
“It wasn’t very easy getting in,” Emily continued. “For one thing, it’s a residential street, so people notice. Luckily there are some woods nearby, and I stood around there waiting for Mia to take her dog, Fluffy, out for a walk.”
“I don’t like where this is heading, one bit.” Rachel groaned.
“As soon as Mia came out with Fluffy, I jumped the back fence, and that’s where I got this nasty cut and all those grass stains. I didn’t quite land right.” Emily shrugged. “What can I say, I need more practice.”
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