Burgers and Bodies

by Gretchen Allen

  “So, you think Andy killed her?” Joss asked.

  “Andy? Of course not. I think the woman did. Why would Andy do it?”

  “I have no idea. Why would Andy have acted like that woman was his girlfriend or something? It was like he was trying to protect her.”

  “I mean, since he blatantly lied to her about who lived in the house, it’s entirely possible there’s a lot more going on than anyone knows. But you said you told Verona all about it, so I’m sure she’s asking all the right questions to all the right people.” Tyla shrugged.

  “I guess. I just think that if I can figure out how she was killed, it would help. If Verona has an idea who the killer is, I don’t see why she’d have told me not to leave town like I was the one who did it or something. I didn’t even know these people.”

  Joss was torn. She’d just finished saying that she didn’t know anyone involved, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was involved herself. She’d been there to witness Andy and that woman, and she’d heard that Natasha was upset and in-hiding in her bedroom. Joss should have asked her if she was okay and checked on her before she left. It may not have been her place to do that, but she felt like she was to blame. What if Joss could have stopped Natasha’s death from happening at all?

  “I’ll see what I can find out, but I’m not guaranteeing anything. Austin wouldn’t be open about it with me even if he did know something,” Tyla admitted.

  “You’re right. I wonder if we can find out more about Andy. Do you know anything about him at all?” Joss asked, pulling up to the next house on their list.

  “No. I never met Andy or Natasha. I’m a little familiar with Judy Faun though, Natasha’s partner. She and my mom were friends before my parents moved.”

  “Maybe you can ask your mom about Judy, then,” Joss suggested.

  “Why? You think it was Judy now?” Tyla asked.

  “I didn’t mean that. Just the more information we have, the better, right?”

  “This house looks nice,” Tyla said, changing the subject.

  Joss let it go. She was going to figure out what happened to Natasha one way or another, and if Tyla wanted to help, she was more than willing to let her. All Joss knew was that if she was told not to leave town, it meant something. Something that led her to believe she might be a person of interest in the murder of Natasha Farrell. Whatever it took to make that go away was exactly what Joss was going to do.

  Chapter Nine

  Joss looked at the clock. She didn’t think there was a morning that she could remember when Jack hadn’t walked in the diner right when the clock hit six a.m. It was unusual for sure, but truth be told, so was everything else in her life. She’d put the house hunting on hold for now, at least until she talked to Brandon again. It’s not that Joss had any desire to rush around to look for a place to live because she waited until the last minute, but until she knew for sure what was going on, she decided to push that to the back burner, and take things as they came.

  “Sorry I’m late!” Jack called, strolling in the diner, newspaper and umbrella in hand.

  Joss smiled. Jack must be in a better mood knowing that Hazel would be coming back. She hadn’t arrived yet that morning either, which was also out of the norm.

  “Sorry I’m late!”

  This time it was Hazel. She had a huge grin on her face and a gift bag in each hand.

  “Good morning to both of you!” Joss greeted two of her favorite customers.

  “I have something for you,” Hazel passed one of the bags to Joss.

  “That’s so sweet. You didn’t have to do that!” Joss said, turning red.

  She loved her customers so much and sometimes felt like they were part of her family. Opening the small, green bag, Joss pulled out a few pieces of tissue paper. Inside was a magnifying glass on the end of a long, silver chain. While it was a beautiful piece of jewelry, Joss didn’t understand.

  “I was out with my daughter, and we stopped at this little apothecary and trinket type store. I knew I wanted to get you something but was having a hard time finding the perfect thing. The woman who owned the place showed me the necklace, and it was like she knew you personally. The moment I saw it, I knew you had to have it. You’re like Lemon Bay’s own little detective.” Hazel beamed.

  Joss laughed. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

  Hazel gave a slight nod. “I also have something for you,” she told Jack.

  “Me?” Jack asked, surprised.

  Hazel handed the larger of the two bags to Jack, tapping her foot as he slowly reached out to take it from her.

  “Go ahead. Open it,” she instructed.

  Joss watched them, unable to take the smile off of her face. Jack gently pulled out a wrapped box, looking at it for entirely too long.

  “I said open it,” Hazel demanded.

  Jack removed the paper and finally opened the box, peering inside. He placed the box on his table and lifted one side of his jacket, taking out a large envelope.

  “This is for you.”

  Joss felt giddy. She loved romance, and Hazel and Jack were killing her with their interaction. They were the cutest thing ever.

  Hazel opened the envelope and burst into a laughing fit. Jack followed her lead. They both laughed and cackled for a few minutes before Joss finally got them to explain.

  “What is happening right now?” Joss asked, trying to get a closer look at what they’d given each other. “Are those obituaries?”

  Hazel started laughing again, this time holding her side. “What a pair,” she said finally.

  “You gave her the obituaries?” Joss asked, looking through the newspaper clippings.

  “Indeed. I saved them up all week long so she wouldn’t miss anything while she was gone.” Jack grinned.

  “Okayyy. But what’s so funny?” Joss still didn’t understand.

  Jack handed Joss the box he’d received from Hazel. She opened it and stared blankly at what was inside. “You’ve got to be kidding. You gave him obituaries too?”

  “Yup!” Hazel said proudly. “From Charm Hollow. It’s where I grew up and where my children live. It’s a lovely and eclectic little town just outside of the city. I saved a few of the most interesting ones and packaged them up for a gift.”

  “Wait. You gave him obituaries from people that he’d never know? What kind of morbid humans are you?!” Joss balked. “And who thinks obituaries are interesting?”

  “I think it’s great!” Jack said, still chuckling.

  “Of course you do.” Joss shook her head. “I’m going to start your food. You two crazies enjoy reading about dead people.”

  Joss still thought Jack and Hazel were sweet, and she was thankful for the gift she’d received from Hazel, but she never understood why people read obituaries for fun.

  As Joss buttered a blueberry bagel for Jack and began making Hazel’s eggs, she heard her phone ding. After dropping the bagel on the grill, Joss pulled out her phone.

  Natasha was found by her cousin in her bedroom closet with a long, red piece of fabric tied around her neck. This message will self-destruct in…. Just kidding, but delete this just in case. I don’t want anyone knowing I told you. <3 Tyla

  Joss read the message several times before actually deleting it. She tried to remember the night, but as time went on, it became less clear. She wondered if she’d met the cousin. All she could remember was the conversation she’d heard between Andy and that woman. She hadn’t thought to look for anyone suspicious during the night. It had to be someone that Natasha knew, though. How else would they be in her bedroom? A thought suddenly crossed Joss’ mind. She left the kitchen, running into the stockroom. She frantically pulled open all the boxes until she found what she’d been looking for. Joss counted the red table runners. One was missing. She purposely made sure to bring extra. There’d been six tables set up, and she’d brought eight table runners with her, just in case something spilled. She remembered having that conversation with Andy. She also reme
mbered that Andy was the one to help her set everything up and bring the boxes back in to the van for her. At the end of the night, when she’d been doing the clean-up, things had been awkward, and she just wanted to get out of there. Joss knew all of the guests had gone home, and that Andy had left with the other woman. She hadn’t seen Judy, but assumed that she’d gone upstairs to console Natasha. Now, more than ever, Joss had to find a way to talk to Andy. If he had stolen one of the table runners and she could prove it, that could be a really big break in the case. Although, if Verona knew that the table runner belonged to the diner, maybe that was why she was asked not to leave town.

  “What’s burning? It better not be my eggs! You know I don’t like any brown in my eggs!” Hazel yelled.

  Hazel was right. Something was burning. Joss ran back to the kitchen only to find everything she’d left on the grill beginning to char. That wasn’t the only thing she found, though. Standing next to the grill, just inside the kitchen door, stood Dina, watching the food burn.

  “Why didn’t you take it off the grill?” Joss asked, throwing everything into the trash.

  Dina looked at Joss, looked at the grill, and back to Joss. She shrugged and brushed past her into the office. No doubt to change out of whatever foolish outfit she’d chosen to wear that day.

  “Sorry! I’ll start fresh!” Joss called from the kitchen, annoyed with Dina. “We don’t want to be serving any burnt eggs!”

  Chapter Ten

  “Hey, girl. Do you have a second?” Bridget asked, coming into the diner. “I wanted you to meet my new helper!”

  The day had been a long one. Trying to work a busy lunch shift with someone who wasn’t speaking to her wasn’t Joss’ idea of a good time. Twice, Joss had considered calling Becky in early so either she or Dina could go home. She’d finally given up and decided that if Dina didn’t want to talk to her, then so be it. She didn’t have time to worry about that. A distraction from work was just what Joss needed.

  “Sure,” Joss agreed, following Bridget out the door.

  A woman stood with her back to them, looking at the cars passing by, multiple dog leashes in her hands.

  “Joss this is Rachel,” Bridget said, introducing them.

  “Hi!” Rachel said, turning around. “Oh. It’s you. That was rude. I’m sorry. Hello again.”

  “You two know each other?” Bridget asked.

  “Something like that. Nice to see you again,” Joss lied.

  Joss thought she was getting a break from things, needless to say, seeing the woman who Ryan was with wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind.

  “Rachel just moved to town, and you’ll never guess who you two have in common!” Bridget said excitedly.

  Rachel and Joss both looked at Bridget, showing signs of confusion.

  “Who?” they asked in unison.

  “Joss, meet Ryan’s sister. Ryan’s sister, meet Ryan’s lady friend.”

  “Ryan has a lady friend?” Rachel asked.

  “Who says lady friend?” Joss asked.

  Joss couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She’d been ignoring Ryan’s calls all week for nothing.

  “He was on a date with his sister…” Joss mumbled.

  “What?!” Rachel laughed.

  “I’m so sorry. You must think I’m a lunatic. First, you see me outside of your house, and now this. I’m not sure if I’m Ryan’s lady friend as Bridget says, but we’ve been on a few dates. I didn’t even know he had a sister,” Joss explained.

  “Well, that works out because I didn’t know he was seeing anyone.”

  Joss wasn’t offended by that. She hadn’t really told many people that she’d been seeing someone either. Probably because it wasn’t official, and they’d only been on a few dates. She did feel stupid, though. Thankfully, she’d just ignored Ryan’s calls rather than confronting him and embarrassing herself.

  “Well, this was nice and awkward. Let’s never do it again.” Bridget took a few of the leashes from Rachel. “I’ll call you later. We gotta go.”

  “Bye, Joss. Hopefully, we can get together again. I’ll let Ryan know I met you,” Rachel said.

  Joss waved, trying to decide if that was a good sign or not. Rachel seemed nice, but they hadn’t exactly met under the best circumstances. She turned back to the diner, hearing a voice call her name.

  “You’re Josslyn Rockwell, right?” the young woman asked.

  “Yes. Can I help you?”

  “I’m Marni. I work part-time at Farrell and Faun’s Jewelry. I’ve been meaning to bring you this, but things have just been so crazy lately. I hope you understand.”

  Joss took the envelope from Marni, having no idea what was inside. She opened it up to find two crisp one-hundred-dollar bills.

  “What is this for?” Joss asked, feeling worried. She realized she’d never verified payment after Judy said she’d pay the balance for the catering job. What if that’s what this was, and it was still only a partial payment?

  “It’s your tip. Judy wanted you to have it. She might have been mad at Natasha for lying, but that wouldn’t ever stop her from making sure someone was paid for the work they did. From what I hear, you went above and beyond that night, and she wanted to thank you.”

  “This is too much.” Joss handed it back.

  “She said you might say that and told me to tell you to take it anyway.”

  “Wait. Why was Judy mad at Natasha?” Joss called. “And what did she lie about?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know,” Marni said, dashing back to her car.

  “Wait!” Joss yelled, going after her.

  She was too late. Marni had already reached her car and was halfway out of the parking lot before Joss got close. She pulled her phone out, texting Tyla.

  I need to talk to Judy. I’m going today and telling you in case anything happens.

  Joss closed her phone and went back into the diner. She hadn’t met Marni at Natasha’s house that night. If she worked for the company, wouldn’t she have been there too? Joss was thankful for the large tip, but cared more about why Judy would have been upset with Natasha. Not like Natasha hadn’t had enough to deal with from Andy.

  “Dina wants to know why you lied to her.” Luke was sitting next to Dina in the office.

  “What? Lied about what?” Joss asked.

  Luke looked at Dina who proceeded to roll the office chair toward him, whispering her response in Luke’s ear.

  “She said she knows you were at home and that you could have called her.”

  Joss knew that Dina was upset about her canceling their plans, but the fact that she knew she was home was too much. Had she been following her?

  “How do you know I was home?” Joss asked Dina.

  Dina rolled her chair in again, attempting to whisper to Luke. This time Luke backed away, and Dina toppled out of her chair, falling to the floor.

  “This is ludicrous. Get yourselves together, ladies. Dina get up off the floor and get to work. If you have something to say to Joss, just say it. And please tell me you weren’t following her.” Luke shook his head.

  “Dina. Seriously. Did you follow me to my house? You can’t do that. I’m sorry I bailed on you, and you’re right, I was at home. I had a meeting with my landlord, and after he told me he was selling my house, I didn’t really feel like hanging out with anyone. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some side-work to do before I can leave.”

  Joss pushed past Dina, angrier than she’d been in a while. She knew Dina was an odd duck, and that she didn’t have the strongest social skills, but if being stalked was part of being Dina’s friend, Joss didn’t want to be included.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Thanks for meeting with me. I just wanted to stop by and offer my condolences. It’s such a shame what happened,” Joss told Judy, sitting in the chair across from her at the office space the women used for their jewelry company.

  “Thank you. I appreciate that. It’s just been such a whirlwind. I never realize
d there were so many things involved after a business partner passes,” Judy admitted.

  “I can’t imagine. It must be so hard for you.”

  “To tell you the truth, it’s been nice having something to busy myself with. I haven’t felt any desire to create any pieces at all lately. Thank goodness for Marni. Natasha didn’t let her make many pieces for the company, but the ones she did make were beautiful. I’ve been selling more of her work after everything that happened, than Natasha’s or my own. She’s been such a wonderful addition to the team and has been so helpful. Especially now. Such a lovely young woman who is so eager to help. I can’t say enough about her.”

  “Speaking of Marni. She dropped off an envelope to me not too long ago. That was more than generous of you.”

  “While the event was not quite what I’d expected it to be, that was no fault of yours. It was very well done.”

  Joss felt her face flush. “Thank you. But I do have to ask. What do you mean it wasn’t what you expected? I hope we didn’t get anything wrong?!”

  “Not at all. I won’t trouble you with the messy details.” Judy gave a small smile.

  Judy had no idea that Joss knew anything about Andy, and Joss had no idea if Judy knew either. Rather than letting the conversation go in circles, Joss made an attempt to switch things up.

  “I don’t mind listening if you need someone to talk to,” Joss offered, prepared to admit the truth, but hoping Judy would be the one to say it first.

  “The food and service were great, dear. Natasha did a lovely job choosing you. I just wish she’d been honest with me about why we were all there. She had to have realized that I’d catch on sooner or later.”

  “I’m not following,” Joss said, feeling like this wasn’t about Andy.

  “Natasha was a very intelligent woman. She was excellent at creating jewelry. She had an eye for it. She was one of the savviest businesswomen I’d ever encountered in all of my fifty-something years. Her one fault was mixing business with pleasure. I can’t even fault her for that, actually, I take that back. Natasha’s ability to network was second to none. There were several occasions when she’d have a plan in mind, and invite everyone she knew in her personal life, and suddenly we had twenty new clients. Let’s just say she’d been known to be clever in her business practices.” Judy sat back and crossed her legs.