by Rose Pressey
“Have you heard anything about the killer?” Tricia asked.
“I heard it was over money,” Amy whispered.
“Money?” Juliana scoffed. “I’m dirt poor. Where would I have any money?”
They didn’t mention anything else about the murder, changing the subject to the upcoming sale at Nordstrom.
“So much for friends,” Juliana said.
“Life goes on, Juliana. Life goes on,” Charlotte said.
“Look there’s Hunter.” Juliana waved. She put her arm down when she realized what she’d done. “Well, we can go stand beside him and hear what he has to say.”
“I take it you know Hunter,” I said.
“It’s called eavesdropping. I suppose that’s neither here nor there,” Charlotte said.
I stood near enough to Hunter to hear any conversation, but far enough so that he wouldn’t notice me. At first, he was alone and looking a little lost. Then another man approached.
Juliana recognized him. “Oh, that’s Cooper. They’ve been friends for a long time.”
After their initial chitchat, they changed the subject to Juliana’s murder.
“This is what I want to hear,” Charlotte said.
“Yeah, the police have been asking me a lot of questions,” Hunter said.
“Tell them you don’t know anything. Stay strong, man. Don’t let them get you.” Cooper patted Hunter on the back.
“What does that mean?” Juliana asked.
The conversation broke up so it was possible we would never find out.
I glanced across the room and spotted Aunt Regina. “There she is,” I said out of the corner of my mouth, hoping no one would notice me speaking.
Without saying another word, we headed over in her direction. Of course I had to find out what she might say.
“She’s talking to my cousin Jasmine.”
When we neared, I heard Regina say, “I just love the hat and all I wanted was for them to give it to me.”
“Mercy me, she’s talking about the hat again. Give it a rest, woman,” Charlotte said.
Aunt Regina had a one track mind and kept talking about the hat.
“Oh my stars,” Charlotte said.
“What?” I asked.
She pointed and I followed her direction. Dylan was there.
I forgot that the police would really show up. “How will I explain my visit?”
“You’re friends with Juliana. Of course you would come. Just calm down. Don’t panic.”
It was too late for that. I was already hiding behind that plant again.
“It’s a little more obvious to be hiding back here, Cookie,” Charlotte said.
I couldn’t see how it would be obvious. I was totally hidden. I didn’t think anyone could see me. Maybe I could just hide until the service started and then sneak out without anyone the wiser.
“Whatever plan you have twirling in that little brain of yours isn’t going to work,” Charlotte said.
“I’m going to assume that that wasn’t an insult, Charlotte.” I pushed one of the branches out of my face.
“Assume away. Cookie, I love you, but you have to come out from behind the plant.”
“I love you too, Charlotte, but no can do. I’m staying put.”
Someone cleared their throat from behind me. I spun around, almost knocking the plant over.
Dylan was standing there with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “Cookie, I guess you have a good explanation for why you’re standing behind a plant.”
No, not really. I quickly came up with something halfway plausible. “Is this a ficus?” I asked, touching the leaf.
Charlotte practically fell to the floor. “I’m so glad that I’m a ghost and he can’t see me. Cookie, please. You’re killing me all over again.”
Juliana was actually laughing. I had caused her to laugh at her own funeral—quite an accomplishment a lot of people couldn’t claim.
Obviously that question didn’t work. He stared at me. “You’re not here for the plants.”
I stood a little straighter. “All right. To be honest with you, I’m not here for the plants.”
“Please don’t say you’re here for the food. Please don’t say you’re here for the food.” Charlotte crossed her fingers.
“I came to see if the murderer showed up.”
Charlotte smacked her head. “Cookie, what are you doing? Why did you tell him that? You’re just here for Juliana. That would’ve made much more sense.”
Oh yeah. That would’ve worked better. Too late. “I suppose that’s why you’re here too?” I asked.
Dylan bit back a smile, trying not to laugh at me. “Yes, that’s why I’m here. So you found out anything?”
“Thank goodness he isn’t mad after that crazy explanation,” Charlotte said.
“Juliana’s friend Amy said she thought the motive might be money. Hunter said the police have been questioning him a lot. Cooper said for him to hang in there and not give into the pressure.”
Dylan looked at me. “Wow, that’s a lot of information. I didn’t know you knew so many of Juliana’s friends.”
“I’m just good with names,” I said with a smile.
“If he believed your other story then I guess he’ll believe that one. Thank goodness you’ve saved yourself a little,” Charlotte said.
“So what do you do now?” I asked.
He looked at the crowd of people. “Well, I’ll assess everyone and their behavior while they’re here of course. Plus, we’ve got the room bugged for recording.”
My mouth dropped. “Can you do that?” Had he heard me talking to the ghosts? That would make him think I was crazy for sure.
“We have permission.”
“I’m sure my parents would have gone along with that one hundred percent,” Juliana said.
Another officer arrived.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” Dylan said. “Don’t hide under any plants again.”
I smiled. “I’ll be right here.” I thought to keep that promise, but I spotted Hunter and Regina talking.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Charlotte said.
Juliana answered for me. “We have to go listen to them.”
Since Dylan wasn’t looking my way, I headed across the room to find out what those two were up to. They were still talking when I eased up behind them. Obviously, if they saw me they would recognize me and not say a word so I hid behind a tall woman until she gave me some strange looks. I had to think of some other way to get closer without Regina and Hunter seeing me. Unfortunately, there was no plant to hide behind. Taking my chances and hoping they didn’t look over and notice me, I stepped a short distance away from the tall woman.
“Have you made any progress?” Regina asked.
Progress on what?
“No, but I’ll let you know as soon as I find out anything.”
That just wasn’t cutting it. I had to find a better way to eavesdrop. Her cryptic messages weren’t giving me what I needed. Was Dylan finding out more? I glanced to the left to see where he’d gone but couldn’t find him. Was he looking for me behind the plant? Probably, since I’d told him I was staying put. He probably thought I never kept my word. I thought I was trustworthy and honest . . . until it came to solving a murder and then all of that went out the window.
Regina and Hunter were looking at me. I hurried away before they had a chance to say anything. I had probably made them mad. At the very least, they were suspicious.
“What did you find out?” Dylan asked.
I jumped and looked behind me. When I realized he was there, I said, “What do you mean?”
“Hunter and Regina. I saw you eavesdropping.”
I guessed I had been obvious. “Well, Regina was asking if he had made any progress. I’m not sure what that was about.”
The other officer called Dylan’s attention again. He said he’d be right back and didn’t even bother to tell me not to go anywhere.
; Everyone was taking seats. The service was about to begin.
Somehow I had worked my way up to the front of the room. “Why is everyone looking at me?” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth.
“They probably think you’re getting ready to speak, Cookie. You’re standing by the ashes.”
I stumbled backwards at the realization and lost my balance. Gasps rang out around the room. I quickly reached and grabbed the urn, catching it before it fell to the ground.
“Don’t worry. Those things are sealed pretty tight so none of the ashes come out,” Charlotte said.
“Good to know, Charlotte.” I placed the urn back on the podium and hurried for the door. My face was completely red. I wondered if Dylan had seen that chaotic scene.
“You’ll never be able to show your face around this funeral home again,” Charlotte said from over my shoulder.
I ran out the door toward my car. I looked around for Dylan’s car. I didn’t see it, but luckily he wasn’t out there waiting for me.
“Cookie, years from now you’ll have to go to the next town over when it’s time for your funeral. They probably will ban you from this place and others.”
“I guess there are worse places to be banned from,” I said. “Sorry I ruined your memorial service, Juliana.” I just couldn’t do anything right for her.
“It’s okay, Cookie. Things happen.”
I made it out of the parking lot and almost back to town before my cell rang. Dylan’s number was on the screen. I guessed I might as well take the call and get it over with. “Hello?”
“You left in a hurry,” he said.
I didn’t want to admit what I’d done. “I figured I’d caused enough trouble and it was time for me to leave.”
“Everything’s fine. It’s going lovely now. I just stepped out of the room.”
“Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about my plans,” I said.
“You actually got some valuable information and that’s a good thing. I have to go, but I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll talk to you later.”
By the time I hung up I had reached It’s Vintage Y’all. I was glad the funeral was behind me. Luckily, Dylan didn’t seem upset about what had happened. Not sure if Regina was involved or not, I needed to figure out what I’d discovered.
Chapter 15
Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Clothing Shopping Tips
Find pieces that make
you comfortable and happy.
I flipped the sign to CLOSED, locked the door behind me, and headed down the sidewalk. It was the slow time of the day, so I was taking a break after lunch. I needed to make a quick trip to the post office. The weather was still a bit warm, but I felt a change in the air. With Charlotte and Juliana walking beside me we were like a paranormal version of Charlie’s Angels. Especially since we were trying to solve a murder.
“You think Ken can find out anything useful from Regina?” Charlotte asked.
I didn’t answer, wanting to keep the conversation about Regina to a minimum when Juliana was around.
“I think if she’ll talk with anyone it would be Ken,” Juliana said.
Charlotte and I looked at her.
“She’ll definitely be charmed by him.” Charlotte looked at me. “You need Dylan to tell you more about what the police know.”
I stopped in front of the diner. “That’s unlikely to happen. He’s extremely professional.”
“Why are we here?” Charlotte asked.
I opened the door. “I thought I’d get a slice of that delicious cherry pie.”
“A moment on the lips, forever on the hips.” Charlotte patted her hip.
Juliana chuckled.
“Thanks for the fitness advice, Charlotte. It was just what I wanted.”
“She’s so sarcastic,” Charlotte whispered to Juliana.
Since we were about to step inside the diner with many people around, I couldn’t answer. As I walked through the doorway, everyone was watching me. It always happened when anyone walked in. Just like in small towns everywhere, everyone wanted to know what was going on and what everyone else was doing.
Cutesy signs decorated the walls with sayings like KISS MY GRITS and WHAT’S COOKIN’ GOOD LOOKIN’. Red-and-white checkered fabric covered the tables. Red leather booths lined the walls and tables and chairs were in the middle of the room.
Dixie Bryant was behind the counter. A petite brunette, she wore her usual uniform of white shirt, polka-dot apron, and jeans. She spotted me and waved me over. “Cookie! I’m glad you stopped by. I wanted to talk with you about buying an outfit for the fall festival.”
“Dixie, you know you can stop by any time and I’ll help you.”
“What brings you by? Early dinner? Late lunch?” She picked up a menu. “We have new daily specials.”
Charlotte tsk-tsked. “Pie is fattening.”
I rolled my eyes.
Dixie looked to my left. “Is she still around?”
Charlotte huffed. “She has a name, Dixie. It’s Charlotte. Just because you can’t see me doesn’t mean that I don’t have a name.”
“Actually, I just wanted to order a slice of cherry pie for later.”
“No ice cream?” Dixie asked as she removed the pie from the glass display case.
“Ice cream! That’s a lot of calories, Cookie. You’ll have a little too much butter on the biscuit if you eat that.” Charlotte patted her bottom.
Juliana laughed.
Apparently Charlotte was a comedian. She was just showing off for Juliana.
Dixie handed me the brown paper bag with the pie and looked around. “Is the murdered woman with you too?” she whispered.
I glanced around to see if anyone was listening. “She’s right beside me.”
Of course Dixie looked but couldn’t see her. She knew why Juliana was still there. “Do they have any leads?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have much information.”
Dixie motioned toward the entrance. “Well, here’s your chance to find out.”
Dylan was headed my way.
“Dixie’s right. Ask him now,” Charlotte said.
It wasn’t that easy. By the look on his face, I didn’t think he was there for a piece of pie.
“I’ll talk to you soon, Dixie,” I said as I headed over to him.
He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since he’d entered the café.
“This looks serious,” Charlotte said.
“Maybe he found my killer,” Juliana said with hope in her voice.
That broke my heart.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Dylan said. “You didn’t answer your phone.”
I pulled it from my pocket and saw that it was turned off. “Sorry. What’s wrong?”
He peered around at the faces looking back at us. “Let’s talk outside.”
“This isn’t good,” Charlotte said.
I went with him outside the café. We stood on the sidewalk with Charlotte and Juliana beside me. Charlotte was tapping her foot against the pavement, apparently frustrated that Dylan hadn’t told me what was wrong yet.
“I bet he has my killer,” Juliana said.
I hoped he did for her sake. “What’s wrong?” I asked again.
“I just found out that Victor has a criminal record. I’m concerned that this guy was in your shop and then your shop was broken into.”
“This is bad, Cookie.”
I looked over at Charlotte.
Dylan noticed my distraction. “Are you okay, Cookie? What are you looking at?”
I’d slipped. At least I hadn’t spoken to her. It was only a matter of time until I slipped up and did that too. It was getting harder and harder to keep her presence from him. I hadn’t told him because I just didn’t think he would understand.
I waved off his question. “I just thought I saw someone.”
He touched my arm. “If you’re worried about this guy finding you, don’t. As soon as I track him d
own, I’ll tell him to leave town. Unless we can prove he was the one who broke into your shop, I can’t arrest him.”
“Interrogate him until he breaks,” Charlotte said while pumping her fist in the air.
“Are you going back to your shop?” he asked me.
“Yes, I think it’s best that I go back right now.” I had planned on going to the post office, but the stamps could wait. I just wanted time to wrap my mind around what had happened. This Victor guy could be the killer. And he had been in my shop!
“I’ll walk you back,” Dylan said.
I clutched my bag of cherry pie as if it was my lifeline. We crossed the street and stopped in front of my door.
“Do you think this man is the killer?” I asked.
“Good question, Cookie,” Charlotte said.
Juliana stood next to Dylan, staring at him expectantly for his answer.
He stared at me for a moment. “We really don’t have any evidence that would back that up.”
“You don’t have evidence, but do you think it? I mean, he has a criminal record and then he shows up in Sugar Creek right after the murder? Plus, he was asking about a hat.” Okay, I sounded a little crazy, but I felt there was a connection.
“Good work, Cookie. You tell him,” Charlotte said.
Dylan took my in his arms. “Cookie, I promise we’ll solve this case. Please don’t worry.”
“He thinks you can’t solve this crime. We’ll show him, won’t we, Cookie?” Charlotte placed her hands on her hips.
We will?
“I’ll call you soon.” Dylan kissed me good-bye and headed away from the shop.
“I like Dylan, really I do, but he needs to realize that you know a little something about this case,” Charlotte said as we made our way into the shop.
It was still a bit spooky to think that the killer could have been inside. And that he still might be hanging around.
“I can’t tell him that Juliana is here. And that I have inside knowledge,” I said as I turned on my computer.
Charlotte sat on the settee and drummed her fingers against the arm.
I sorted through a few pieces of clothing I’d recently purchased at an estate sale. I knew she was contemplating her next comment.
“Cookie, at some point you’re probably going to have to tell Dylan about us.”
