by Rose Pressey
I laughed. “Well, it worked out well for you.”
His body felt perfect pressed next to mine. I rested my head on his chest and soon became lost in the moment. When the music stopped, I had to force myself to move away. Dylan didn’t act as if he was in a hurry to move either. Silence filled the air for a moment.
I decided to speak first. “Oh, I forgot to tell you about someone who came into my shop today.”
Dylan quirked an eyebrow. “Was there a problem?”
“Well . . . not exactly.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” His eyebrows furrowed.
“He just acted strange, I guess. He asked about a hat.” My voice was full of suspicion.
Dylan studied my face for a moment. “And that’s a bad thing?”
I chuckled. “Okay, that sounds crazy, but it’s just that Juliana’s aunt Regina had asked about a hat too. I thought it was an odd coincidence that someone would come in and ask for the same kind of hat. Especially the kind of hat that was in the murder victim’s possession.”
“Tell him the hat is in the box at the police station and you want it,” Charlotte said from the kitchen.
I knew they had been listening.
“So what did you find out about this man?” Dylan asked.
“I got his name. Victor Patrick.”
Dylan looked a little surprised that I had found out that much. He really shouldn’t have been shocked.
“I’ll see what I can find out about the man. In the meantime, we shouldn’t talk about the case tonight.”
“He’s right. It’s not romantic,” Charlotte yelled from the other room.
I wanted to yell back that her interruptions and eavesdropping weren’t romantic either. I figured she was selectively remembering that. Juliana was quiet and let Charlotte do the talking. If I could just get Charlotte to be quiet too . . .
Dylan walked back to his phone and turned the music back on. “How High the Moon” was one of my favorite songs.
“I didn’t know you knew so much about old music,” I said as we swayed back and forth.
“I’m learning,” Dylan said with a smile.
“Isn’t that the sweetest thing?” Charlotte added.
Just then his phone rang, cutting off the music and breaking up our dance.
Dylan paused and then said, “I guess I should answer that.”
I really didn’t want him to but said, “It could be important.”
He answered the call. By the sound of his responses, I knew it wasn’t a good one. He had the strangest look on his face when he turned around.
Chapter 11
Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Shopping
Vintage fashion will make
your wardrobe unique. No one else
will have your one of a kind piece.
“I don’t like the sound of this.” Charlotte peeked around the kitchen doorway.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I have to go.” Dylan stuffed his phone into his pocket. “I’m sorry, Cookie.”
That didn’t answer my question. “That’s okay. I understand if you need to go.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “No, it’s more than that.”
Charlotte and Juliana reappeared in the room. I knew Charlotte wouldn’t want to miss out on this.
His gaze didn’t leave mine. “Someone broke into your shop.”
My heart sank.
“What?” Charlotte’s voice echoed around the room.
Dylan touched my arms. “Try not to worry. I’ll call you as soon as I find out anything. I’m going there now.” He rushed out the door, leaving me confused and upset.
“You know what you have to do, don’t you?” Charlotte asked.
“I know exactly what we’re doing. We’re not staying here.” I grabbed my keys. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“See, I like the way she thinks,” Charlotte said to Juliana as we rushed out to my car.
I cranked the engine. The fuzzy dice hanging from my rearview mirror swayed as I hurried out the driveway.
“Dylan can’t possibly think you’ll stay put when something has happened to the shop,” Charlotte said from her usual spot in the passenger seat.
“What do you think happened? Who could do this?” Juliana asked as she leaned forward from the backseat.
“I hope they catch the spineless lizard who did this.” Charlotte pumped her fist.
“If anyone can, I think Dylan will,” I said.
I made it to the shop in record time. I figured all the police would be there so I wouldn’t get a speeding ticket. Plus, I had a good excuse for punching the gas. My father would be upset if he’d known I was driving recklessly. He said to never go more than five miles per hour over the speed limit. Under the circumstances, I figured six was a safe number.
Quite a few police cars were parked in front of the shop. That made it so much more real. I had hoped it was just a false alarm.
I parked the car as near the shop as I could and hopped out. Charlotte and Juliana were slightly in front of me. They didn’t want to wait and moved a lot faster than me. I rushed up to the store. An officer tried to stop me.
“I own the shop.” I pointed to it.
Dylan spotted me and rushed over. “Cookie, what are you doing here?”
“You didn’t think I’d stay behind, did you?”
“I didn’t want you to be injured if someone was still here.”
My eyes widened. “Is the burglar still here?” I looked over his shoulder into the shop.
Several officers stood around, but it didn’t look as if anyone was in danger.
“Everything is okay now. Your alarm was tripped. The door was open.”
“How did they get in?”
“That’s what we’ll try to figure out. We’ll check for prints.”
“Is anything missing?” I asked.
“You can come in and tell us if anything looks out of place.” Dylan ushered me into the shop.
“This is terrible. Why has crime come to Sugar Creek?” Charlotte asked.
“It’s everywhere, Charlotte,” I said.
“Did you say something?” Dylan asked.
Oops. “I was just talking about the break-in.”
“What about the surveillance?” Dylan asked.
“I can check that now,” I said, moving to the back of the store.
As I passed the hat display, I noticed that they were missing. “Some of the hats are gone.”
Charlotte gasped.
“This is bad,” Juliana said.
I pointed to where they’d been. “It’s not a coincidence that the man was asking about hats and now they’re gone.”
“We have a hat burglar,” Charlotte said with complete seriousness.
“Why would someone take only some of the hats?” I wondered aloud.
“Are you sure?” Dylan asked.
“When it comes to my inventory, I have a photographic memory.”
Dylan called an officer over and instructed him to do a search on Victor. I hated to get someone in trouble if they had absolutely nothing to do with the break-in. Better safe than sorry though. I moved to get the surveillance device I’d recently added after some strange events had occurred. It recorded everything in the store.
When I reached the door to the back room, I realized that it was open. “I left this door closed.”
“The officers have already been back here,” Dylan said.
“Oh right.” I stepped inside the tiny space and knew right away that the thief had been back there. “The equipment is gone.” I pointed to the empty spot on the table.
“The surveillance is gone?” Dylan asked.
I nodded. “All gone.”
Dylan checked the room. “This just doesn’t make sense, Cookie.”
“Maybe they wanted the money,” I said.
“You don’t keep any money here at night, do you?” he asked.
“No way. But I guess they thought somethi
ng was here.”
“I think it’s the hats,” Charlotte said.
She was probably right. I was thinking that too, but it just didn’t sound reasonable. One thing was for sure—no way was I getting any sleep tonight. What if the person broke into my house? What if I was home at the time?
Dylan touched my arm. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”
“I’m calling to get someone to change the locks right away.” I called a friend of my father’s. Any time I needed maintenance help, Clark was right there. His wife had passed away several years ago and he was always trying to stay busy.
I was definitely upgrading my surveillance video tomorrow. I wanted something that would let me check in on the shop from my smartphone. If the technology was there, I needed to use it.
Luckily, Dylan stayed with me until the locks were changed then followed me home. He checked the house while I waited by the door. I was pretty sure no one had gotten in while I was gone, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t scared that someone would show up in the middle of the night.
“Call me if you need anything,” Dylan said.
“I will.”
Dylan gestured. “And lock the door.”
I felt so cared for. “Always.”
He leaned down and kissed me. I was all too aware of Charlotte and Juliana standing behind me in the foyer. Dylan stepped off the porch and got into his cruiser. I closed the door and flipped on the porch light. If anyone was lurking around, I wanted to be able to see them.
“And it had started as such a romantic evening. Maybe you can pick back up where you left off,” Charlotte said.
I peered out the door. “With any luck.”
Chapter 12
Charlotte’s Tips for a Fashionable Afterlife
Avoid the outfit you were wearing when you died.
It will only bring back bad memories.
Ken Harrison walked through the door of the shop the next morning. His blue eyes lit up when he smiled. His blond hair was styled in a short cut. The little bit sticking up in the front gave a slight mischievousness to his otherwise conservative style. As usual, he looked dashing in his blue suit, white and navy pinstriped shirt, and pale yellow tie.
We actually had on almost matching outfits. My pencil skirt was navy blue with white pinstripes. I wore a white blouse with a boat neckline and fitted through the waist. I had a red rose clip in my hair and nude-colored, closed toe stilettos on my feet. My hair was styled with victory rolls and my lips were covered with crimson red lipstick.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Charlotte said. “Cookie, his eyes said Va-va-voom when he saw you.”
She made me blush.
Wind Song meowed as if to say she had nothing to do with bringing Ken to the shop. He was an attorney in town. We’d sparked a friendship over one of the most morbid things possible—murder. He’d defended someone recently who had been accused of murder. In addition, he was definitely one of the most eligible bachelors in Sugar Creek.
I was about to introduce him to Juliana, but then I remembered he couldn’t see her. When I could see her so well and speak with her, it was hard to remember others couldn’t. One day I was going to get myself into trouble with that.
“Good morning, Cookie.” Ken reached down and rubbed Wind Song’s back.
“What brings you by this morning?” I asked.
“Look at the big smile on her face when she sees him,” Charlotte said.
Juliana agreed. “He is handsome.”
“I wanted to come by and see you anyway, but I also had some news that I thought you might be interested in.”
“Oh yeah? What?” I asked.
Charlotte moved closer. “Oh, this sounds juicy.” She loved gossip.
“I know you knew the woman who was recently murdered.”
I cast a look toward Juliana. She moved over to the counter and looked at Ken.
“Her Aunt Regina has retained me as her attorney, but I don’t know why.”
“That is interesting,” Charlotte said.
“Aunt Regina always was an odd one,” Juliana said.
I thought this was a little bit more than odd. “She hasn’t been named as a suspect so why would she need an attorney?”
Ken shrugged. “I don’t know. I tried to convince her otherwise, but she insists. I don’t think there will be any need for my services.”
“Well, I guess it’s no harm. If she really doesn’t need you, you won’t have to do anything.”
“You should look into this, Cookie. Something’s wrong.” Suspicion filled Charlotte’s voice.
“What are you saying about my aunt?” Juliana narrowed her eyes.
I didn’t want the two of them arguing.
“I found one thing curious,” Ken said.
Charlotte and Juliana were hanging onto his every word. I suppose I was anxious with anticipation also.
“She’s insistent that I help her get the items that were in Juliana’s car. She said there were some vintage items that should rightfully go to Juliana’s heir.”
Juliana shook her head. “It’s not like I was a princess or something. The clothes aren’t worth much.”
“The hat,” Charlotte said with a click of her tongue.
“Is there something wrong?” Ken asked.
I was hesitant to say anything because maybe it was nothing. I guessed Charlotte picked up on that.
“You have to tell him, Cookie. Tell him now.” She pounded the counter, but her hand went straight through. Of course it made absolutely no noise. She was a master at ghostly activity, but when she was upset, sometimes she couldn’t control herself and went back to her old ways. Then her hands flew through walls and everything else.
“I feel like you’re not telling me everything,” Ken said.
Finally I said, “I went to see Regina.”
His eyes widened. “Why would you do that?
“Well, I wanted to ask her more about Juliana.”
“Because you’re trying to solve this?” Ken asked.
“Someone has to help Juliana.” Without thinking I motioned toward her.
Ken followed my gesture and then frowned. “This is true, but maybe you should leave it to the police.”
The topic of the police was something he didn’t mention often. He knew I was seeing Dylan.
“Sometimes they need a little help,” I said.
Always happy when the police needed a little help, Ken smiled at that.
“Regina was interested in a hat . . . and it was more than just a little interest. Not just something mentioned in passing. She seemed like she wanted a particular hat. She even asked for it.”
He didn’t understand. “Why would she do that?”
“I think the hat is worth some money.”
“So you think she knew about the hat before the murder?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe so.”
Juliana waved her hands so I’d pay attention. “That’s not possible. I never told her about the hat.”
Even Ken seemed a little suspicious of Regina’s motives.
“I don’t even want to hear about this,” Juliana said as she walked away from the counter.
“Go ahead and continue talking to Ken about this, Cookie. Maybe you two can figure it out. It doesn’t hurt that you get to look at his handsome face in the process.” Charlotte wiggled her eyebrows.
She was always trying to push me into a date.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Ken said. “I’ll let you know.”
“I’d like that. Thank you.”
“That’s not the only reason I stopped by,” Ken said.
“Oh, do tell.” Charlotte propped her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her hands.
I didn’t look over at her. Best not to encourage her.
“Is there something else you need?” I asked.
“As a matter fact, I came here for shopping.”
“That’s sweet,” Charlotte said.
/> I couldn’t hold back a smile. “Shopping? This is a treat.” I was a bit surprised Dylan had bought some stuff and now Ken too. I’d have the whole town dressed in vintage. “Sure, why don’t you pick out an outfit?” I said with the wave of my hand.
“You’re the one with the style. I’d love to see what you pick out.” Ken touched a necklace on the display near the counter.
Charlotte studied her red fingernails. “He’s just doing this because he saw Dylan wearing vintage clothing.”
Not necessarily, I thought. Then again, maybe Charlotte is right.
I motioned for Ken to follow me. “I have some great new shirts over here that I think you’ll like.”
“Put him in royal blue. I think it will look great with his eyes.” Charlotte winked.
He would look good in that color.
“Don’t you think he has sexy eyes?” Charlotte asked Juliana.
“He’s gorgeous,” Juliana said. She had been so quiet.
I knew the transition was tough on her. I wished I could do more to help. Finding her killer was all that I could do.
I pulled a blue and white striped cotton shirt off the rack. “Do you like this one? It’s from the fifties.”
Ken held the shirt up to his chest. “You know I’ve been thinking maybe you could come with me and speak with Regina. Convince her that the items really aren’t necessary for her to worry so much about.”
“I’m not sure if she’d want to hear that from me, but I can definitely go.”
“Great. I’ll set up something and give you a call.”
“That doesn’t sound like a very good date to me,” Charlotte said.
I’d have to remind her that it didn’t sound like a date because it wasn’t a date.
After I rang up his purchases, he handed me his credit card and flashed his gorgeous big smile at me. “I’ll call you soon, Cookie.” He turned and left the shop, a happy customer.
Wind Song meowed as if saying good-bye. Or maybe it was because she didn’t want him to leave.
Charlotte was leaning against the counter. “I really like that guy, but I don’t know what will come of this meeting with Regina.”
“It’ll be interesting,” Juliana said.
She should know.
