He dropped his head on his chest, sighed, and walked away.
I almost tripped over Puff as I stepped inside. I picked her up and locked the door. “Kibble or paté for dinner?”
After I’d tended to my kitty’s needs, I prepared a cup of chamomile tea. Mug in hand, I settled at the kitchen table to wait for Grams’ call.
Twenty minutes later the phone rang. “Made it home in one piece,” she said, her voice weak and scratchy. “You can stop worrying. Did you call Lizzy yet?”
“I’m just about to. Please get some sleep. I’ll tell her all about today’s drama.” I took a sip of tea and felt the warmth seep into my chest.
“I’m going to Jaimie’s in the morning. No matter how much Chip objects,” Grams grumbled.
“Lets not make him mad. How about I get Jaimie and bring her to the shop with me? You can continue your bodyguard duties there.” So much for keeping Heckle and Jeckle out of our way.
I hung up and dialed Lizzy. Her phone rang at least seven or eight times before she answered. “We had a good day at the shop,” she said. “How did things go with Sophia?” Ice tinkled in a glass. She gulped.
“We reached an agreement.” I glanced at all the cold cream equipment on my counter and shuddered. It would take a couple of hours to put it all away.
“So you had a good day?”
“Nothing a big bowl of Greek yogurt couldn’t solve.”
Lizzy went silent—waiting.
“I’ll explain it all to you tomorrow. I’ll be at the shop by nine-thirty. The Greek yogurt has nothing to do with Sophia. If you have any extra patience please bring it with you. Jaimie and Grams are spending the day with us.”
“Nuts! Raelyn set an appointment for Sophia. They’re coming to the shop at noon tomorrow. I offered to have lunch delivered. Crabby—I do mean crabby—Dave is delivering fried fish take-out boxes as a favor to me.”
“He’d better not snip at Sophia!”
A sigh whispered through the phone line. “I warned him if he can’t be Prince Charming then he’d better find another glass slipper gal.”
“Who knew Nancy’s gifting him with her restaurant would turn him into such a beast?” I finished the last sip of my tea.
“I’m making my cheesy olives tonight. It’s very tedious covering five hundred individual olives in the cheddar cheese batter. I need a favor. They should be baked shortly before serving. Heather has a soccer game on Saturday afternoon. I won’t have time to bake them before the party.”
I glanced at the kitchen counters sensing Lizzy’s favor.
“Can you bake them for me? I’ll bring them to you tomorrow at the end of the day. They’ll be frozen. You just need to pop them in the oven at three-fifty for fifteen minutes.”
“Glad to help. I’m curious to taste your legendary canapés.” After a quick goodbye, I attacked the scullery turning it from a cold cream laboratory into a useable kitchen.
An hour later I congratulated myself on a job well done. I’d earned a nice cool shower with our lavender soap.
As the water sprayed over my shoulders, I wondered about Jaimie’s shadow. What would Chip have to gain by her death? Was there something I wasn’t seeing?
I dried off, put on my robe, and wrapped a towel around my head. Then I gathered my clothes from the hamper and carried them to the laundry room. The aroma of car exhaust hit me like skunk spray.
Holding my breath I opened the washer lid. I’d forgotten about our clothes from the garage incident. I put aside Jaimie’s negligee and robe to be hand washed. Then pulled my stinky pants from the machine. They hit the rim of the washer with a slight clunk.
I reached in the pants pocket and pulled out Jaimie’s Lucky Elf garage door opener. She’d handed it to me right after her crash. I put it in my pocket and forgot about the little gadget.
Why had the opener failed? I rolled it over in my palm. The battery compartment was clearly marked but the cover was difficult to operate. After pressing so hard that my thumb hurt, it finally slid open with a soft click.
No battery!
Chapter 25
No battery! Fortunately, my eyelids were strong enough to keep my eyeballs from popping out on their stalks. As difficult as it was to operate the lid, the battery compartment couldn’t have opened, dumped the battery, and closed itself accidentally.
Someone removed the battery.
I carried Jaimie’s Lucky Elf to the kitchen admonishing it for falling down on the job. Lucky piece, my eye. I sealed the opener in a plastic bag for Kal and placed it next to my purse.
Sleep eluded me as I tossed and turned trying to think of motives and opportunities. I finally nodded off lulled by Puff’s purring in my ear.
It seemed I had just dozed when the sun peeked into my bedroom. Puff poked me with her cold pink nose. “Breakfast?” I asked. She blinked her blue eyes.
I called Jaimie, holding my breath until she answered. “I’m up. I’m up,” she growled.
“How are you feeling? Are you hurting?”
“Do chickens have teeth?”
“No, they don’t”
“Well they should.” She groaned. “I’m more stiff than stinging.”
“I’ll pick you up at eight-thirty. We can use your help at the shop.” Another Pinocchio. We needed Jaimie’s help like chickens need teeth.
Two sunny side up eggs, a slice of buttered toast, and two cups of coffee later, I was ready to go through the drill, shower, makeup, hair, and outfit for the day.
Lizzy and I usually wear black at the shop for a sophisticated look but the temperatures were expected to be in the nineties and dark colors absorb the heat. I donned tan cotton slacks and a man-tailored white shirt—fitting for my meeting at the police station. With the bagged Lucky Elf in my purse I headed out the door.
I arrived at Jaimie’s at exactly eight-thirty. She met me at the front door wearing a gauzy beach dress over a blue bikini. Not exactly appropriate for the shop but I intended to keep her in the back room anyway.
She called goodbye to Chip and gingerly made her way down the stairs and into my car. When we arrived at the shop, Grams’ Edsel was parked alongside Lizzy’s Beetle.
“Let me see your phone.” I extended my hand. An idea had been nibbling at me.
Jaimie gave me a questioning look but passed her phone.
I looked at her recent calls. Most of the numbers had caller ID tags—names of folks she knew. Four calls down I spotted a number that looked vaguely familiar. I took out my phone and looked at the picture I snapped of Chip’s phone. The mysterious number on his phone matched the unknown caller on hers.
Whoever called Chip posing as the assistant dock master also called Jaimie within the same time frame. I could tell by the little arrow that she didn’t answer. The call to Jaimie was placed shortly before Grams and I arrived to find her trapped in the tanning bed. The would-be killer had called to confirm Jaimie was in the broiler and unable to answer her phone.
I snapped a photo of Jaimie’s calls. “Do you recognize this number?”
She shook her head. “Probably one of those computerized calls. I’d love to get my hands on the guy who invented them.”
“Let’s get inside the shop.” I returned her phone.
Exiting my car like a robot she said, “I wore this beach outfit thinking it wouldn’t hurt as much. Not sure it’s working.” She took the stairs stiffly and entered the shop.
“Jaimie, you poor thing,” Lizzy said. “It must have been terrifying. Thank goodness Olive was able to save you.”
“I helped, too!” Grams adjusted her fedora as she stepped from behind the counter.
“You sure did,” I said. “Now we have a special job for you ladies. Lizzy and I haven’t been able to get to it. It would be a great help.”
I led Jaimie and Grams to the backroom and demonstrated the fine art of gluing labels on cold cream jars. They began labeling while I excused myself to prepare for customers.
It felt almost norma
l to be standing in Nonna’s Cold Cream shop watching the slow moving morning traffic cruise past our windows. The lack of a good night’s sleep began to wear at me.
“Great idea putting Jaimie and Grams to work in the backroom,” Lizzy leaned over the counter and whispered, “Makes them feel needed. Now tell me all that happened yesterday. Start with the good stuff and don’t leave anything out.”
I speed-talked my way through the highlights finishing with, “Jaimie was standing in the shower dripping yogurt when Kal walked in.”
Lizzy broke into giggles. She struggled to stop but snorted instead. She bit her finger till tears came to her eyes.
“It’s not funny,” I whispered. “Jaimie could have been—” I caught Lizzy’s giggle fit and couldn’t catch my breath. I covered my mouth with both hands to muffle my laughter, gasped and finished with— “and then Chip walked into the bathroom. He looked at me, Grams and then Kal. His eyes bugged out when he saw his wife covered in yogurt. This is serious-s-s! Stop laughing.”
“It is serious-s-s!” Lizzy waved her hand as if to brush away the giggles.
Wiping the tears from my eyes, I lowered my voice so soft even I couldn’t hear me. “I found further evidence against Chip. Kal’s going to interview him in the stationhouse today. He wants me there to do my profiler thing.”
“What’s the evidence?”
“The Lucky Elf garage door opener. Someone took the battery out. That’s why it didn’t work. It’s in my purse to give to Kal.”
“I just hope Sophia and company come and go before you have to leave for the police station.” Lizzy glanced towards the curtain that hung between the shop and the backroom. “Keeping those two behaving sanely while she’s here is going to be a challenge even with you holding their leashes.”
My phone rang. The caller ID read Kal. I turned it to show Lizzy. She groaned.
“Pick a time between noon and two,” Kal said. “I told Chip we want to compare information—maybe come up with a suspect.”
“Set it for two but I’ll be there by one-thirty. I have something to show you before he arrives.”
“We’re finished pasting those labels on.” Jaimie entered the room as I pocketed my phone. “I should be home getting ready for the party. This is a time waster. You won’t use all those jars today.”
We wouldn’t be using the jars but we did keep Jaimie safe for a few hours.
Grams came at me tapping the fingers of each hand against her thumbs. “How do you get this stick-um off?”
The bell over the door jingled. We looked up as Sophia Napoli and company entered the shop. This time the film star wore a tent-like printed dress that disguised her shapely form and wiggle-walk. A large brimmed floppy hat covered her profile while the same oversized sunglasses covered most of her face. A silk scarf covered her neck to chin.
Raelyn’s freckled cheeks were pink from the sun. Her blonde hair was pulled up in an elastic at the top of her head like a perky ponytail. She wore an ankle-length white cotton dress and a happy smile.
The sight of fabulous Fabio roused Grams into action. Despite her sticky fingers she cuddled to his side and looped her arm in his, leaving glue-globs on his tan safari shirt. The pained expression on his face said it all.
“Perhaps I’ll stick around,” Jaimie said. “My party stuff can wait.”
“So, we are to have a picnic here at the shop. Charming and private.” Sophia stepped closer to us and discreetly asked if Lizzy was aware of the terms of our agreement.
“I am and I’m thrilled,” Lizzy said. “I love the idea of expanding this building. I believe I know just the banker to handle our loan. We went to school together. I’m sure he’d be happy to help us.”
Raelyn ruffled through the basket of lip glosses, holding one and then another clear plastic bubble up to the sunshine that sparkled through the windows. “How do you create these beautiful colors? In these cute plastic balls they reflect the light like jewels. You ladies are brilliant.” She smiled at Lizzy. “Your shop is going to be so successful. Is there is anything I can do?”
“You can.” Lizzy motioned to the basket of glosses. “Choose your favorite color and wear it often. When someone asks you were you got it...”
“Thank you! That’s awfully sweet of you.” Raelyn grinned and began to pick through the gloss bubbles. She held a luminous coral up to the light just as Dave walked in the door carrying two large paper buckets labeled with Crabby Nancy’s Fried Fish logo.
Raelyn shifted her focus from the lip gloss to Dave’s face. She dropped the plastic ball. It rolled across the floor and stopped in front of Dave‘s shoe. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again staring at him. Was Raelyn attracted to grumpy men who smelled of fried fish?
Dave banged the buckets of fish on the counter, glanced at the rest of us and said, “Lizzy, come with me to the car to get the bag of plates and forks.”
No introductions. Dave was in and out in fifteen seconds. Rude even for him.
Lizzy put on her cheerful act but I could tell she was furious with him. When she returned with the bag and a jug of iced tea she had an expression like they’d had words in the parking lot.
Fabio carried the buckets from the counter to the backroom. Lizzy had covered a worktable with a flower-printed cloth and created a centerpiece from fake flowers and pink tissue paper.
“It’s a little primitive but it keeps you out of the public eye and allows us some time to chat in private,” Lizzy said. She positioned the plates, forks, and napkins while I passed the buckets of fish and chips.
“You said you couldn’t attend my party tomorrow because you might be recognized,” Jaimie said, elbowing her way next to Sophia. “But I’m certain I can invent a terrific disguise for you. If you arrive early I’ll fix you up so not even your own mother would know you. The party begins at seven.” Jaimie was being her usual pushy self. “Here’s the address.” She slid a scrap of paper toward Sophia.
“I dare not attend,” Sophia said. “I hope you understand my presence would cause a fuss and only disrupt your festivities.” She slipped the paper to Fabio. “Perhaps my bodyguard and Raelyn might like to escape my boring company for one evening.”
I glanced at Raelyn silently staring at her plate of fish.
Chapter 26
Trusting Lizzy to keep the conversation on the light side, I left the luncheon at one-fifteen and arrived at the Starfish Cove police station at one-thirty on the dot. The young receptionist greeted me like a stationhouse regular and buzzed Kal.
He escorted me to the tiny conference room and offered me one of four hard plastic chairs. The room smelled of mildew and sweat. The windows in the conference room were open letting in the feeble sea breeze. Much as I appreciated the air-out it wasn’t the best idea considering what we were about to talk about.
“Maybe you should close those. We don’t want to be overheard.”
While Kal shut the windows, I pulled the plastic bag containing the garage door opener from my pocket. I placed it on the table.
He sat down and gingerly moved the plastic bag closer and then looked at me.
“That’s Jaimie’s door opener,” I said. “She handed it to me right after she plowed into the garage. I forgot I had it until last night.” I poked the bag. “It probably has my fingerprints on it along with Jaimie’s and Chip’s. You’ll want to examine it before he gets here.”
Kal reached in his pocket and took out a pair of latex gloves. He pulled them on and took the Lucky Elf from the bag. He held it in the palm of his left hand and poked it with his right index finger, then looked at me questioningly.
“The battery is missing. That’s why it failed to open the door.”
He slid the protective cover with some difficulty and examined the empty compartment. “You’re sure it didn’t fall out during the crash?”
“And then replaced the lid itself? You saw how hard it is to get open.” I glanced over my shoulder hearing Chip’s voice at the recept
ion desk. “It’s most likely only Jaimie and Chip had access to it.”
“I hear him out front. He’s early. That’s a good sign—I think.” Kal stood. “I’ll go get him. Leave the opener in the bag on the table. See if you can read his reaction to it.”
My throat felt as if an invisible hand tightened its grip. The blood rushed to my head. I hated being put in this position. Chip was a friend but was he a cold-blooded would-be killer—a dumb one at that?
The two men returned. Chip gave me a one-armed hug. His eyes darted to the plastic bag. “Is that Jaimie’s Lucky Elf?” He dropped into a chair and reached for the bag.
“Don’t touch it,” Kal said. “We’re going to check it for fingerprints.”
Chip looked at Kal as if his friend was speaking Klingon. “Why is it here instead of being returned to Jaimie?” Lines of tension formed around his eyes.
‘The battery is missing. That’s why the garage door didn’t open.” I watched his face.
“Whoever did this may have misjudged the impact of Jaimie’s car against the door,” Kal said. “Maybe he thought the closed door would be enough to kill her. Or he had something in the garage he didn’t want damaged.”
Chip set his jaw, weighing Kal’s words. He leaned back, crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “Are you suggesting I had anything to do with Jaimie’s accident? I love my wife.”
“Add the missing battery to the drained brake fluid and we have a suspicious set of circumstances,” I said.
Chip’s eyes went from narrowed to pop-eyed. “What’s this about the brake fluid?”
“Didn’t Jaimie tell you?” I said. “According to the mechanic someone drained the fluid from her brake lines.”
He jumped from his seat. “That little trickster didn’t tell me. She is in danger!”
Kal shot me a puzzled look. I realized he wasn’t aware of the brakes either. I gave him a subtle headshake.
“Jaimie is with Lizzy and Grams at our shop.”
“Maybe I should call off the party, no matter how mad it makes her.”
Sun Scream Page 9
