Murder Ink

by Lorraine Bartlett

  “Are we?”

  “Of course we’re not. I love you, Katie. I just got angry, that’s all.” He opened his arms. “Come here. Please.”

  But Katie wasn’t about to give in that easily. “Did you go see Erikka after you left me?”

  “I did.” His mouth tightened. “And I offered her a full-time job.”

  “Which she eagerly accepted, I’m sure,” Katie said, her tone curt.

  “Yes. I should’ve offered it to her in the first place. She deserves it. She’s a hard worker.”

  “I’m sure she is. But I didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of your temper tantrum last night. All I did was suggest a replacement for Erikka. You acted as if I’d told you to fire her immediately.”

  Andy ran his hands through his hair. “And I’m here apologizing for that. I was frustrated, and I took it out on you. I should never have done that. You’d made that wonderful meal for me, and—”

  “What did you do for dinner?” Katie asked. “Did you and Erikka go out to celebrate?”

  He lowered his eyes.

  “You did!” Katie gaped at him. “That’s why I’m only now hearing from you.”

  “It wasn’t like that. We went to a little restaurant near her apartment—that’s all.”

  “That’s all.” Katie shook her head, too upset to say what she was thinking. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to finish measuring this room.”

  “Katie, please don’t do this. I love you. I really do.”

  She blinked back tears. “Just . . . please go.”

  Andy stood there for a long moment, then he turned and headed back down the stairs.

  Katie swallowed hard and bit her lip, then went back to taking measurements.

  Seventeen

  Katie left Tealicious as inconspicuously as she’d arrived. Her stomach growled at the tantalizing aromas, reminding her that she hadn’t had anything to eat that day except a couple of peppermint candies. She didn’t stop, though. She wasn’t in the mood for chitchat, and she was afraid that someone’s—anyone’s—kindness might make her cry.

  She remembered she had a box of granola bars in her desk drawer. She’d have one of those. Plus, she wanted to call her tea shop landlord to see if the woman would be amenable to turning the upstairs portion of the building into an apartment.

  As she dug around in her bottom drawer for the out-of-date granola bars, she wondered how best to approach Harriet Long. Harriet lived on the outskirts of McKinlay Mill, so it wasn’t as if she would spread gossip all over the Square that Katie was planning on moving out of Andy’s apartment.

  Katie bit into the granola bar and thought wistfully of the lasagna in her fridge. She’d have that for dinner tonight. All by herself. And she’d enjoy every bite.

  She dialed Harriet’s number.

  “Hi, Harriet. It’s Katie Bonner.”

  “Katie, hello, dear. How have you been?”

  “I’m great. You?”

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. The funniest thing—I’ve been meaning to call you and keep forgetting. What luck that you’re calling me!”

  Before waiting to learn why Katie was calling, Harriet plunged ahead with her story.

  “You know, my younger sister lives in Florida. She loves it there, and she’s invited me to come to live with her. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  “Well, yes, it—”

  “But, to do so, I need to settle my affairs here in New York,” Harriet continued. “I’m selling the house, of course, and all the furnishings—you’ll need to come by and see if there’s anything you’d like to put in a bid on. And, of course, your lease on the tea shop will survive the sale, but I thought I should ask if you might want to buy it before I put it on the market.”

  “Yes!” Katie practically shouted the word, afraid she wouldn’t get the opportunity to speak again for several minutes. “What were you thinking of asking?”

  Harriet told her.

  Katie sighed. It was more than she thought the building was worth—and she’d need to get an independent appraisal before she made an official bid on the property, but she thought there might be some wiggle room when it came time to negotiate.

  “I’ll have to consult with my partner, of course, but I’ll do that later today and call you back first thing tomorrow. Is that all right?”

  “That would be lovely, dear. Until tomorrow, then.”

  Katie hung up the phone. Well, that was a surprise.

  She finished the stale bar, grabbed another, and unwrapped it before heading for the cash desk, contemplating her upcoming conversation with Margo. She couldn’t think of any reason why her mother-in-law wouldn’t want to buy the building, but if she didn’t, Katie could simply bow out of the other building purchase in order to acquire the Tealicious site. She hoped that wouldn’t be necessary—she’d hate to do that to the other merchants and to Seth if he’d already finalized the contract.

  She was nibbling the granola bar as she approached Ida and Regan, who were conversing at the cash desk.

  “You’ve been gone all this time, and you’re still eating?” Ida demanded.

  Katie shrugged and said hello to Regan. “I’d like to talk to you when you’re done with your lesson.”

  “Ms. Mitchell and I were just finishing up.”

  “Excuse me,” Ida said. “I’m going to the vendors’ lounge to eat my egg salad sandwich because, unlike some people, I have neither the disposable income nor the desire to go out to lunch every day.”

  As soon as Ida was gone, Katie laughingly told Regan, “Ida Mitchell could probably buy and sell every one of us. She’s just cheap.”

  Regan grinned. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “What’s the name of the contractor Roger works with?”

  “John Healy.”

  “Does he do a good job?” Katie asked.

  “Excellent, according to everyone I’ve ever spoken with about him. I don’t have any personal experience. Are you thinking of doing some redecorating?”

  “Actually, I’m going to transform the upstairs of Tealicious into an apartment.”

  “I’m sure Mr. Healy will do a wonderful job.” Regan took out her phone. “If you’ll give me your number, I’ll have Roger text you Mr. Healy’s information.”

  Katie rattled off her phone number. “Thanks, Regan. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.”

  “By the way, someone was telling me earlier today that Paul Fenton and his brother, Ken, didn’t get along all that well.” She knew she needed to tread carefully with Regan because Regan liked Paul. “I said, so what? Siblings argue. I mean, I don’t have one of my own, but that’s been my observation.”

  “Roger and I argue sometimes, but not very often. We’ve always looked out for each other. I mean, our parents weren’t always around, so we had to take care of each other.” Regan shrugged. “As for Paul and Ken, I only saw them arguing once. I came into work one morning, and Ken was there at Ink Artistry. He and Paul were arguing over some delivery Ken hadn’t made. Paul said he wasn’t going to take the blame for Ken this time.”

  “It sounds like Ken could be irresponsible. Paul’s sister, Mary, told me that Paul is the overprotective one of the family. It sounds like he is also the more responsible brother.”

  “Maybe. Mary’s right—Paul is protective of his family . . . especially of her. I get the impression that Mary acted as a surrogate mother to the boys.”

  Katie clucked her tongue. “That’s hard. It must have made for a tough childhood for Mary, right?”

  “Yeah.” Regan said the word with such feeling that Katie knew the young woman had probably given up much of her formative years being a surrogate mom to Roger.

  Before Katie could think of anything appropriately sympathetic to say, Regan said she had to run.

 
“I’ll make sure Roger sends you Mr. Healy’s information,” she called on her way out of Artisans Alley.

  * * *

  —

  There was a lull in foot traffic at around two thirty that afternoon, so Katie took a walk through the lobby to check the front parking lot, where the number of vacant spots discouraged her. As she turned to retrace her steps, she passed an array of colorful nail polishes on display in Envy Day Spa’s front window. She stepped up to take a closer look.

  As she perused the various shades of berry, violet, blue, and rose, she was distracted by a familiar-sounding giggle. She looked up to see Sophie Davenport sitting in one of the hairstylist’s chairs. Katie walked inside the spa to say hello.

  “Sophie, hi.”

  “Hello, Katie.” Sophie’s tone was cool and detached until she turned back to look at her stylist, Debbie, through the mirror. “I think this is going to look good, don’t you?”

  “I think it’s going to be beautiful,” Debbie said. “Don’t you think so, Katie?”

  “I do.” She tried to engage Sophie again. “Sophie, you’ll have to stop by Tealicious and meet Brad Andrews. He’s a wonderful chef, and—”

  Sophie cut Katie off. “I’ve met him.”

  “Isn’t he a dream?” Debbie asked, as she combed a strand of Sophie’s wet hair up and snipped the ends. “Those looks and he cooks? I might ask him to marry me!”

  Katie chuckled. It was clear she wasn’t going to make any headway with Sophie, so she might as well return to her post. “I should probably get back to work.”

  “Those polishes you were looking at are buy one, get one free,” Debbie said.

  “Thanks. I’ll check back later today or tomorrow morning.” She held out her hands and looked at her nails. “I’m in desperate need of a manicure.”

  “Then why don’t you treat yourself? We have openings all week.”

  “I might just take you up on that.” Katie waved good-bye and strolled back to the cash desk. Debbie was right. She should treat herself . . . not that there was anyone to dress up for.

  Despite her hands-on job, Erikka always displayed perfectly manicured nails. Was that an attribute that helped make her so attractive to Andy?

  Katie didn’t want to think about it.

  * * *

  —

  When Vance came to relieve her about half an hour later, Katie was more than ready to leave the cash desk.

  “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get up here. I’ve been terribly busy,” Vance said. “If Rose is out again tomorrow, I’ll take full charge of the cash desk.”

  “Thanks, Vance.” Katie picked up the laptop and hurried to her office.

  It was heavenly to be able to close her door and shut out the world for a few minutes. She took another granola bar out of the box in the drawer and pondered the best way to approach Margo about buying the Tealicious building. She hoped her former mother-in-law was in her pleasant “I love you like a daughter” attitude and not her hypercritical “I always thought Chad could do better” mood.

  She was never going to know unless she dialed the number. She took a deep breath and called Margo.

  “Katie, what a nice surprise.”

  Katie was too cautious to feel optimistic by Margo’s greeting. The woman’s disposition could still swing either way.

  “I’m calling to talk to you about the Tealicious building,” Katie said. “I spoke with Harriet Long this morning, and she wants to sell the building. Harriet is giving us the opportunity to buy it before she puts it on the market.”

  “I certainly don’t want someone coming in and raising our rent and dictating what we can and can’t do. I can’t imagine you’d want that, either. I say, let’s buy it.”

  Katie released a breath she hadn’t been aware she’d been holding. “I agree. Before speaking with Harriet, I was planning on going in with a group of Victoria Square merchants to buy, renovate, and lease a shop on the Square. Now that this opportunity has presented itself, I’ll bow out of that deal and concentrate on the tea shop building.”

  “Nonsense. I see no reason you can’t do both.”

  First hurdle passed.

  Katie mentioned the purchase price and the need for an appraisal.

  “Why don’t I buy the building from Harriet, and we’ll renegotiate the terms of our loan agreement in the same vein as our previous agreement—half and half. What do you say?”

  Second hurdle passed.

  “That’s extremely generous of you, Margo. I think that’s great.” Katie bit her lip. “But there’s something you should know. I want to turn the upstairs of the tea shop into an apartment.”

  “Hmm, I’m not sure that’s a good idea . . . not unless there’s a separate entrance. We wouldn’t want a tenant having full access to the tea shop.”

  “I would be the tenant.”

  She’d spoken so softly that Margo had apparently not heard her.

  “What was that?” Margo asked.

  “I said I’ll be the tenant.” She spoke a bit louder and with more resolve.

  “Oh.”

  Katie let the silence between them lie there for a moment before saying, “I feel it’s time to reclaim my independence.”

  “Well . . .” Margo seemed at a momentary loss for words. “Um, what an interesting idea. Do whatever you’d like to the upstairs of Tealicious, and I’ll look forward to seeing it the next time I come to Victoria Square for a visit.”

  I can hardly wait, Katie thought.

  * * *

  —

  By the time Katie got caught up on the work she’d had to neglect in order to oversee the cash desk, she was late leaving Artisans Alley for the day. She was tired and hungry as she trudged up the stairs to her apartment. Either she was hallucinating or the aromas coming from the pizzeria were particularly far-reaching this evening, because the closer Katie got to her door, the stronger and more tantalizing the smell. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and breathed in the scent as she fished out her keys. Tomato sauce, garlic, oregano . . . and was that basil? Yes, she believed it was. Had she not been so angry with Andy, she’d have gone back down to Angelo’s and asked him to make her a calzone. But, no. She would heat up her lasagna.

  She opened the door and her eyes widened when she saw Andy standing in her kitchen. The steaming hot lasagna and slices of garlic toast were on the table, along with a bottle of wine and a dozen red roses.

  “I was a fool to leave the way I did last night,” he said.

  “Did you spend the night with Erikka?”

  “No. You know I’d never do that.”

  “But I don’t know,” Katie said. “Last night, you flew into a rage at the mere thought of losing her.”

  He didn’t deny it. “She’s a terrific employee. I’d be hard-pressed to ever find someone else with her loyalty, dedication, and work ethic to replace her.”

  “And now you don’t have to.”

  “That’s right—I don’t. Offering Erikka a full-time job was a savvy business decision.”

  “Is that all it was? Business?”

  “Of course.” He closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Katie, I love you. You. Not Erikka. Not anyone else. You.”

  “But you left me for Erikka,” she whispered.

  “What?” He lowered his head. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

  “Yes, you did. I said you left me for her.”

  “I didn’t. If I need to, I’ll call her and have her come up here right now and tell you that absolutely nothing happened between the two of us.” He gently raised her chin so she’d look him in the eye. “I went and offered her the job. And she accepted. We ate a bland dinner. End of story.”

  “But you still walked out on me . . . on the dinner I’d made for you . . . on our evening
. . . to go to her,” she said quietly.

  Realization flooded his face. “I’m sorry, Katie. I’m so sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Please let me make this up to you,” Andy said. “I’ll do anything. Don’t let my stupidity ruin what we have.”

  Katie was ever so tempted to tell him to go fire Erikka then. But, one, he probably wouldn’t. And, two, he’d only resent Katie if he did. So she said nothing.

  Andy crushed her against his broad chest. “I’m an idiot, Sunshine. I get single-minded when I’ve got a problem. You know that. Please, Katie, give me another chance.”

  “Fine,” she said at last. “But know this. If you ever choose another woman over me again—for any reason—” She let the threat hang, knowing ultimatums should be a last resort.

  Were they really at that point?

  Andy pulled back. “How about a glass of wine? This is a celebration,” he said and grabbed the bottle of red from the counter, cracking the screw cap.

  Celebration? Katie wasn’t so sure.

  Eighteen

  Katie awoke to find that Andy had put his arm around her and pulled her close during the night. She smiled slightly and nestled back against the solid warmth of his body before remembering that she was still upset with him. Last night she’d pretended to put the entire incident behind her, but she hadn’t. Not really. The fact remained that Andy had left her in order to run to Erikka and ensure that the sycophantic young woman would remain by his side. He’d only made up with Katie yesterday after all was right with Erikka. And while it was Katie who was waking up beside Andy this morning, she knew all too well that Erikka would trade places with her in a heartbeat.

  She gently moved Andy’s arm from around her enough to slide out of the bed without waking him and grabbed some clothes before easing the bedroom door shut. After quickly dressing, she fed the cats and headed out to walk the Square. She was glad she had a valid excuse to slip out of the apartment this morning and hoped Andy would be gone when she returned. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t—it was likely he’d still be asleep. But it was hard to face him when she wasn’t exactly certain what she was feeling.