by R A Wallace
Leah’s face scrunched into an apologetic grimace as she lifted her purchase in the air. “Sorry.”
“There’s still some apple pie cheesecake,” Jill said as she returned from the addition.
Gail stopped in front of the display case. “I need something for me and the boss lady and something for the two police officers she’s expecting to come.”
Janice, Jill, and Leah shared a look.
“Sounds like I need to get back to Vintage to wait my turn.” Leah gave a finger wave before leaving.
“I’ll make energy drinks for Jerry and Erica,” Jill offered.
“Write something else on the outside of the cup for Erica,” Janice suggested as she moved to make tea for Caitlyn and Gail. “She doesn’t want Jerry to know that she’s been getting energy drinks too.”
“It would ruin her reputation,” Jill agreed as she added ingredients into the blender.
After Gail’s order was complete, she gathered everything up and headed for the door.
“Tell the officers that we’ll be here when they’re ready for us,” Jill said as she returned to the addition.
Gail nodded then went through the door. It was a short walk down the length of the building. As usual, she looked in each of the windows as she passed them. After Tea & Thyme, the next shop was Togs. Giselle and Julia were busy putting new clothes on the mannequins in the front window. Gail smiled a greeting as she passed by. Through the front window of Vintage, she could see Leah and her husband Daryl at the front counter. They each had a fork and were splitting Lauren’s home-baked goodness.
She could see Tia sitting in her comfortable chair near the front window of Olde Tomes but Tia’s eyes never rose above the pages of her book as Gail continued walking. She couldn’t see anyone in Ross McMann’s business incubator but she was fairly sure he was in there. He often was when he was out at a business working with the owner. When she reached the last shop in the building, she went inside.
The bells on the door were still ringing as she crossed over to the front counter to set everything down. “Are you sure they’re coming?”
“Positive.” Caitlyn came from the back workroom carrying plates, napkins, and utensils and joined Gail. She began transferring the baked goods in the bags to plates. By the time she was done, the bells on the door were ringing again.
Erica removed her sunglasses as she stepped inside. “I got your text. What’s up?”
“Food first.” Caitlyn lifted three plates and pointed at the table on the side of the room with her chin.
Gail carried the energy drinks over and passed them out. She was careful to match the writing on the outside of the cup with the right officer.
“Oh, I need this. Thanks.” Jerry smiled as he reached for his cup. He eyed the cup Gail passed to Erica. “What is that?”
Erica read the outside then took a sip. “What, you can’t read?” She held the cup up. “It’s a chocolate chunk, marshmallow, caramel and salted pretzel ice cream shake.”
Gail lifted her brows but didn’t say anything as she went around the front counter to give them some semblance of privacy. “I’ll keep an eye on things over here.” She lifted her fork to take a bite of her apple pie cheesecake.
Caitlyn sat on the side of the shop with Erica and Jerry. “I had a business council meeting recently.”
“Can we assume the victim was there?” Erica forked up a large piece of cheesecake.
Caitlyn glanced at Jerry’s plate. “I wasn’t sure if you eat sweets.”
“He does,” Erica said. “But he’s picky about them.”
“I like homemade,” Jerry agreed.
“And anything I hide in my desk,” Erica grumbled.
Jerry smiled. “Everything she hides in her desk is homemade by Lauren or Megan.”
Caitlyn glanced at her cheesecake but left it alone as she reached for her cup of tea. “Gregg was at the meeting, yes. Kirk Moody was also there.”
“Let me guess. They got into a fight there too.” Erica cut off another large hunk of cheesecake.
“Not the first time you’ve heard of it happening?” Caitlyn sighed. “I figured. They seemed to have the routine down pretty well.”
“Just for the record, what did they say?” Jerry asked as he set his notepad down on the table next to his plate.
“From what I could tell, Kirk was accusing Gregg of stealing his business,” Caitlyn said.
“To your knowledge, was that occurring?” Erica pushed her empty plate away.
“I don’t honestly know.” Caitlyn removed the lid from her takeout cup. “I am the president of the business council, but I don’t get involved in their daily business operations.”
Erica tilted her head at Caitlyn.
Caitlyn’s eyes went up the ceiling for a moment. “Okay, let’s just say it’s not the first time I’ve heard mention of the possibility.”
“Explain that,” Erica said.
Caitlyn blew out a breath. “Others have mentioned hearing them argue about the same topic.”
“Names,” Erica said.
Caitlyn nodded once then rattled off some names that Jerry wrote down. “You’ll also want to speak to Leah. She was at the last meeting. The twins were there.” Caitlyn lifted her cup of tea. “You’ll really want to talk to Rhonda Waters.”
“Why is that?” Jerry asked.
“She was trapped in the building during their last argument. Stuck in the hallway between the meeting room and the exit door they had blocked. She would have heard the whole argument.”
Erica glanced at Jerry. “We can hit everyone in this building first.” She reached for her takeout cup.
Jerry nodded his agreement but his eyes went to the cup in her hand. “How do you even drink that stuff.”
Erica smiled. “You’re just jealous.”
Chapter Ten
“This is so exciting,” Jill said.
“We’re not sure how much we can help though,” Janice added.
“I’m glad Allie just came in for her shift.” Jill glanced into the addition where their part-time employee was waiting on customers. “It frees us up.”
“Should we get you anything?” Janice asked.
Erica didn’t have time to answer.
“They just had something with Caitlyn,” Jill said to Janice.
“Oh, that’s right.” Janice waved her hand. “If my head wasn’t connected.”
“You’d forget it today,” Jill said.
“Ladies?” Erica raised her voice so much the women jumped. “What can you tell us about the victim?”
It took Janice a moment to get over her surprise. “Well, we saw the argument at the last business council meeting.” She looked at her twin for confirmation.
Jill nodded. “We weren’t surprised, of course. It’s certainly not the first time those two have gone at it.”
“Ha!” Janice turned to Jill. “Do you remember that time last summer?”
Erica lifted her brows at Jerry but allowed them to continue without interruption. She could tell that at this point, she and Jerry were invisible to the two sisters. She wondered if her own twins would be this close as they grew older.
Jill put her hand on her sister’s arm. “If you think this last argument was bad.”
Janice nodded knowingly. “The one last summer was much worse.”
Jerry waited with his pen poised over his notepad for the important part.
“They were both bidding on the same job.” Jill frowned. “What was it?”
“The theater,” Janice supplied.
“Oh, yes. Caitlyn had to pull them apart.”
“That’s right.” Janice’s eyes lit up with merriment as she remembered the details. “I never saw two grown men apologize so much.”
Jill covered her mouth with her hand. “Caitlyn practically took them each by the ear and hauled them out of the building.”
“This was last summer?” Jerry repeated.
“What?” Janice looked at him as
though surprised to find him there. “Oh, yes. The tension between the two men has been building up ever since. Wouldn’t you say, sister?”
Jill nodded at Jerry and Erica. “Definitely.”
***
Giselle took a step back from the front window of Togs and checked the display they were working on. “I like the colors we chose.”
“Good thing. They’re the colors most seen on the runways for this season.” Julia pulled a scarf from several she had draped over one arm and held it up near a mannequin wearing work attire.
It took her a moment to notice the woman on the other side of the window. The woman held her hand up and turned a thumbs down. Julia laughed and set aside the first scarf. When she held up the second scarf, the woman on the other side of the window held her hand out flat and wobbled it back and forth. Julia wrinkled her nose. She thought the same thing.
On the third scarf, the woman’s brows went up. She held up a finger before disappearing. The front door opened a moment later. Julia was strategically positioning the third scarf on the mannequin when Rhonda Waters joined them.
“I like the suit.” Rhonda reached out to touch the fabric. “Feels like it would wear well.”
“It’s also washable which is a big plus in my book,” Giselle said. “It doesn’t have to go to the cleaners.”
“Which is where I just was,” Rhonda said with a wry smile. “I had meetings in town so I dropped off my cleaning. I’m supposed to get back to work but you ladies tempted me too much.”
“Sometimes you have to play hooky,” Julia said. “It’s good for you.”
Rhonda stepped over to another mannequin. This outfit was designed more for play than work. Rhonda had a wishful look on her face as she reached out to touch the fabric.
She took a deep breath then dropped her hand. “I think it’s time for some new clothes.”
“Yeah? What’s the occasion?” Giselle pushed a portable clothes rack away from the front window.
“It just seems like I’m always wearing a business suit,” Rhonda said as she moved over to a rack of clothes.
“You do run one of the most successful businesses this side of the state line,” Giselle pointed out.
Julia moved back toward the scarf rack to return the unused ones. “A girl has to have fun sometimes.”
“You just keep sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear.” Rhonda chuckled as her eyes met Giselle’s. “I don’t remember being her age.”
“It wasn’t that long ago.” Giselle began transferring clothes from the portable rack to restock merchandise on the floor racks.
“Maybe I’m just having a midlife crisis,” Rhonda said. “Whatever the reason, I want some new frilly things in more current colors.”
“That we can help you with,” Julia said as she joined Giselle. “We have all of the new colors for the upcoming season.”
Rhonda looked around the shop with satisfaction. “Well in that case ladies, there’s only one thing left to do. I’ll start a pile on the front counter.”
Giselle grinned at Julia. “Let us know if you need any help.”
***
Jerry led the way into Vintage Teaberry but stopped so quickly when he saw an antique chess set that Erica nearly collided with him.
“Hey, give some warning next time.” Erica eyed the chess set as she skirted around him then crossed over to the other side of the shop.
She found Daryl working on a mounting rack high on the wall. Leah was standing underneath him on the ladder passing things up to him.
Leah smiled at Erica then called up to her husband. “They’re here.”
“You knew we were coming?” Erica knew she shouldn’t be surprised.
“I was down with the twins when Gail came in.” Leah held up a part of a mounting rack.
Erica watched Daryl take the piece and begin attaching it to the rest of the rack. Looking around the shop, she realized they used the space up above to display things like quilts. It looked like Daryl was adding more display racks for more quilts.
“What can you tell us about the victim,” Erica asked.
“Caitlyn probably mentioned that I was with her during the last business council meeting.” Leah took a step away from the ladder. “I can’t say that I heard a lot at that time. Caitlyn and I were in the conference room while most of it happened out in the hallway.”
Jerry reached for his notepad. “What did you hear?”
“Kirk Moody was upset. I’m sure you know that both men have been electricians in Teaberry for many years.” Leah waited for Erica’s nod before continuing. “Kirk was talking about Gregg undercutting his bids. That’s what the argument was about when Caitlyn and I went out into the hallway after the meeting. But during the meeting, Kirk made several comments along the same vein.”
Jerry flipped a page in his notepad. “Such as?”
Erica looked up and saw Daryl waiting for another piece of the frame he was building. She stepped over and picked up a long metal rod and passed it up to him.
“Thanks,” Leah said. “Kirk thinks there should be more support for businesses that are being subjected to such things and sanctions against companies who have unethical practices.”
Erica shifted her focus from Daryl to Leah when the woman’s tone of voice changed. “What else?”
Leah made a face and hesitated before speaking. “It could just be my imagination.”
“We’ll take that into account,” Erica assured her.
“Kirk’s wife is a customer of ours. She stops in here every now again.” Leah glanced up at her husband. Daryl nodded his agreement. Leah sighed and continued. “I got the impression that Kirk’s wife, Salena, eggs on some of the discord between the two men. She’s mentioned things like Gregg pulling a bid out from under Kirk. The thing is, she laughed about it.”
Erica looked up at the serious man on the ladder. He was the quiet sort of man that rarely spoke but when he did, it was always interesting and sometimes downright funny.
Daryl nodded his agreement. “We both thought it odd considering she’s Kirk’s wife. Why would she want his business to fail?”
“Good question,” Jerry murmured as he continued writing.
“One we intend to ask her,” Erica agreed. “Anything else?”
Leah shook her head and began moving with Erica and Jerry to the other side of the antique shop near the entrance. “Good luck with the investigation. I know it must be a very difficult job. Know that the rest of us appreciate your efforts.”
“Thanks.” Erica followed Jerry out to the sidewalk. “Now we need to head out to Waters Food.”
***
Susan lifted a flowered bone china teacup. “One of the best things about having a florist shop at the other end of this building was coming in here for tea on my breaks.”
Sharon took the last sip from her cup. “You aren’t regretting turning the florist shop over to Caitlyn, are you?”
Susan laughed. “About as much as you and Eric regret living in Florida during the winter and spending the rest of the year with your new grandson.”
The mention of Aaron brought a smile to Sharon’s face. “He is a doll baby.”
“Jax and Trina have already given me Jasmine for a grandchild. I can’t wait for the next one to get here. Trina seems to be doing well with her pregnancy so far.” Susan pushed her empty teacup away and reached for her purse. “I really appreciate you agreeing to help with my wedding.”
Sharon stood. “I think we came up with some good ideas. I’ll let you know what I find out as I begin to look into them.”
Susan followed Sharon inside the main area of the shop. “Oh, hey Rhonda.”
“How are things out at Waters Food?” Sharon asked.
“I thought about you this winter,” Rhonda said as she reached for a sampler box of tea. “At one point, I seriously considered opening a satellite plant for Waters Food in Florida.”
Sharon laughed. “It gets a little cold in Florida sometimes
too. You just don’t have to deal with all the snow and ice.”
Rhonda moved toward the front counter to pay. “I figure I’m destined to be stuck here in the north. Every time it snows, I look out through a window and think how pretty it is as I drink a cup of hot tea.”
Chapter Eleven
“I used to eat a lot of Waters Food.” Erica checked her mirrors.
“Frozen meals?” Jerry thought about it for a moment. “How are they?”
“If you don’t know much about cooking, live alone, and keep our hours?” She signaled a turn. “Even with all of that, they’re actually not bad.”
Jerry looked through the passenger side window. “I don’t know. I get that some of the ingredients are grown here. That’s a good thing.”
“You’re saying you wouldn’t eat them?”
He made a face. “I guess I just like to cook. Taking something out of a box and putting it into a microwave isn’t the same thing.”
“What can I say. My life was different then. At that time, I was more interested in getting food in me fast and getting it over with.”
“No enjoyment,” he murmured.
“Exactly. It had nothing to do with the food itself. I ate because I had to.” She smiled. “Those days are long gone. You should have seen the twins this morning. We introduced a new food. We’re trying to sneak more vegetables into their diet. They didn’t notice it as much when we snuck pureed vegetables in with their macaroni and cheese but this time Brad put it in the scrambled eggs.”
“Yeah?” Jerry pulled his notepad out of his pocket and began flipping through pages.
“Mason loved it. It ended up all over his face and in his hair.” Erica slowed as she caught up to the vehicle in front of her. “Maddie hated it. It ended up all over her face and in her hair. Brad was putting both of them in the tub when I left this morning.”
Jerry looked up from his notes. “Is that a Waters Food vehicle?”
“I think so.” Erica slowed even more as the vehicle in front of them signaled a turn. “Must be.”
They followed Rhonda Waters and parked next to her outside of the office building. She waited for them by the entrance door then led the way in.
