Yvette heard her phone ringing, but as usual, she had no idea where it was. It always amazed her how put together her business life was and how all over the place she seemed to be in real life. Holding her long brown locks away from her face so that she could see, she knelt down and searched under the couch. Pawing around underneath, she finally found it but was too late. Seeing that it was a number she didn’t recognize, she shrugged her shoulders and tossed it in her purse before heading out the door. They’d leave a message if it was important.
Sliding her SUV into the last parking space at the Post Office, Yvette saw a familiar vehicle just a few spots away and realized the driver was still sitting inside.
“Hi,” Yvette said, walking up to Colleen’s car.
The woman looked terrible. She had dark circles under her eyes, wisps of hair flying out all over the place and she looked to be wearing the same outfit she had worn the last time Yvette had seen her.
“Oh, Yvette. Hi. How are you?” she rolled down the window a little further.
“Doing well, what about you?”
“I’ve been better.” Colleen glanced away.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Yvette said slowly.
Colleen stepped out of her vehicle. “It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? It was tragic to think she’d drowned but I can’t imagine how she felt right before she died. Knowing that someone wanted to kill her.”
A little taken aback by her response, Yvette winced but tried to hide it. “So, it’s true? It really wasn’t an accident?”
“From what I heard there were some signs of struggle, but I don’t know for sure.”
What if she’d had to try and fight off her killer? Could someone have held her under the water? She couldn’t get the thought out of her mind as they walked across the parking lot to the post office.
Feeling the color drain from her face, Yvette stopped in her tracks. “Do you think she knew what was happening or who it was? It had to be so scary for her.”
“I don’t know, but Heath sure wanted to talk to me about it. Everyone knows that the last time they saw me with Laura, we were arguing about work. He seems to think I had something to do with it.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Shocker. I thought you knew everything about everyone around here.” Colleen shot her an accusing glance.
Yvette knew everyone thought she was a little nosy and maybe that was true. She did know a lot of things about a lot of people in Heritage but that’s because people trusted her. They knew they could come to her to get advice or for a shoulder to cry on, but sometimes people resented Yvette for it.
“You don’t have to be like that,” Yvette defended herself. “I liked Laura too, and yes, people talk to me, but I didn’t do anything to you for you to treat me this way.”
The women reached the post office and Yvette was thankful there weren’t many people inside.
“I’m clearly not handling this well. I’ve never been good under pressure, I come apart and always say or do something I don’t mean.” Colleen tossed her letters to the mail woman and stomped out the door.
Yvette was so stunned that she barely realized that she was next in line. She greeted the person behind the counter and ordered a book of stamps.
“Anything else today?” the man behind the counter asked, bringing Yvette out of her daze.
“Um, nope. That’s it for me, thanks.”
Yvette walked slowly back out to her car, her mind reeling. She knew that Colleen was just upset about losing her friend and business partner, but she couldn’t help but wonder about her strange reaction. She’d said, I always do and say things I don’t mean. How was she supposed to take that? Could she have gotten so upset with Laura that she’d hurt her…kill her? That was crazy, the two had been friends for years, there was no way Colleen could have had anything to do with it, or could she?
Taking a quick detour before heading home, Yvette stopped at the local coffee house, Brews. As she walked through the front door, she saw Carmichael Brewster with his back to her.
She cleared her throat hoping to get his attention. “Morning, Brews,” she greeted the owner as he turned around.
“Well, well, look who we have here. You meeting Wyatt? He’s right over there.” Brews gestured to the back of the store.
Yvette turned her head to see who he was talking about. It was none other than Wyatt Fisher. They’d gone on exactly one date after lots of coaxing from friends and family, and everyone thought they were a great match. Wyatt had asked for a second date, but Yvette had turned him down. There wasn’t anything wrong with the guy, but Yvette really didn’t see herself with him long-term. She wasn’t planning on hopping into marriage anytime soon but also had no real desire to date someone she knew she wouldn’t ever want to marry. Some called her old-fashioned, and some called her a fool, but Yvette knew what she wanted and wouldn’t change that for anyone.
“You too? Really? You’re just as bad as Mark.” Yvette rolled her eyes at Brews and turned back around to give Wyatt a wave. When she did, she noticed a woman with her head down on a nearby table. Yvette added a muffin to her order and paid before going to see who it was. She knew pretty much everyone in town and hated to think that someone she knew was upset.
“Hi, there,” she said gently to the mystery woman.
“I already ordered something. I’ll be out of your hair in a few minutes,” she said, lifting her head.
“I don’t work here,” Yvette replied, “but I did bring you a muffin.” She held out a small bag.
“What? Why?” the woman asked.
“I just saw you over here and thought you could use it, and maybe a friend.”
The woman shrugged and kicked out a chair motioning for Yvette to sit.
“I remember you from Carlisle’s. You came in with another lady and ordered the eggs Benedict. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Stella,” the woman said with a small smile.
“Stella. I do remember you, actually,” Yvette said, “I remember you because the waitress there was terrible, and you were so kind, we even mentioned both of you to the manager.”
“Now it makes sense,” Stella responded with a rueful expression.
“I don’t follow.” Yvette nudged the muffin across the table.
“You said something to the manager. He’s that terrible waitresses’ boyfriend. He must have mentioned it to her because after you left, she didn’t let up on me. Made me do all the grunt work. I’ve been in the restaurant business thirty years, I don’t do well with people acting like I don’t know my job. Bad enough, they refused to hire me on as a waitress, basically told me I was too old to keep up and being a hostess would be easier.” She finger quoted the word easier.
“Oh no! I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. You were wonderful, but that other woman left something to be desired.” Yvette was embarrassed.
“No trouble. You didn’t know they’d fire me. I appreciate the bite to eat though, thanks a lot.” Stella smiled her appreciation.
“Call me crazy, but you said you’ve been in the business thirty years? Ever scooped ice cream?” Yvette asked, an idea occurring to her.
“I suppose, why do you ask?”
“I run Sundae Afternoon, the local ice cream shop not too far from here. I’ve been considering hiring someone,” Yvette told the woman.
“So, what? You want me to come in for an interview?” Stella brightened.
“Did you just move to town?” Yvette asked ignoring the question.
“Been here about three months now, I guess.”
“Plan on leaving anytime soon?”
“I like it here well enough. I think I’ll stick around. So, what about that interview? I could really use a job.”
“I think you aced that interview!” Yvette exclaimed.
“I what?”
“Stop by this week and bring your resume. We open at eleven but if you come about an hour early, I can show you around
.”
“I can’t believe this,” Stella sounded stunned. “This kind of thing doesn’t happen to people like me.”
Yvette got up from her chair and smiled at the older woman.
“See you soon!” She waved over her shoulder as she breezed out the door.
9
Waking up to the sound of her alarm clock, Yvette rolled out of bed, forcing herself to get up. She’d enjoyed her day off yesterday so much that she barely wanted to think about going into work. She loved the shop, and she loved her job, but she’d still gotten no word from Joey and couldn’t stand the thought that he really may have had something to do with Laura’s death. He took a job with Laura then disappeared after she died. Some things just weren’t a coincidence. She’d called him more times than she cared to admit and stopped by his apartment so often that she’d annoyed the neighbors with her knocking and calling out his name from the outside of his locked door.
Grabbing her phone off the nightstand, Yvette checked her emails and a few social media sites before realizing she had two missed notifications. One was a text from Sage, asking if she could pick up another shift and the other was a missed call from a number she didn’t recognize. After sending Sage a quick reply letting her know she could take Yvette’s own shift for the day, she tried calling the unknown number back. She got no answer and just as she was about to leave a voicemail asking who the caller was, she heard a knock on her back door.
No one ever uses that door besides Gavin, she thought to herself. It’s eight in the morning, what could he possibly want from me this early? Yvette wondered as she shuffled down the stairs and through the kitchen.
Gavin Dillinger owned the duplex that Yvette lived in, in fact, he lived right on the other side of her. They’d been friends for a very long time and after Yvette’s dream home was sold to another family two years ago, Gavin offered her a place next to him. The rent was decent, so she’d agreed and had been living there ever since.
“What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?” Yvette swung the screen door open.
“I sort of expected that reaction, but I wanted to catch you before you left for work and I knew you’d be annoyed with me anyway when you heard what I had to say, so I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone.” Gavin walked through the kitchen and plopped himself in Yvette’s oversized navy recliner.
“Make yourself at home,” Yvette sighed.
“I’ll let you get your caffeine fix before I tell you why I’m here,” Gavin laughed.
“I’ll make you some too,” Yvette said grabbing a second mug from the cabinet.
A few moments later, Yvette emerged from the kitchen holding a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee and a plate of apple cinnamon scones. “Let’s go sit outside.”
Gavin followed Yvette out the door, and they settled in with their breakfast on her side of the porch.
“So…. how’s life?” Gavin asked.
“I’m skipping work today, my house is a mess, and I think one of my employees killed someone. But that’s not really why you’re here, is it?”
“I’m sorry, what now?” Gavin nearly choked on his scone.
“Laura Hudson is dead, and no one has heard from Joey. I guess they questioned Colleen Vale too, but apparently nothing came of it. Even if she is kind of flighty, I’m not sure she could have hurt Laura. Every day that Joey is gone, though, I can’t help but feel like he had something to do with it. That poor kid, he has such a bad reputation. What about her husband, or her friends, or, I don’t even know… I just don’t see why Joey would even be a suspect?” Yvette let out a breath. “I just wish there was something I could do to clear his name.”
“I get it.” Gavin nodded. “You’ve got a good heart, but I think you should just let Heath do his job. I know you like to get involved and help everyone you see but I’m not sure this is the time or the place for that. Although, speaking of your good heart…”
“And here it comes,” Yvette smirked.
Gavin had a habit of getting himself into situations that she had to help him out of. He’d been this way for years.
“You know I’ve been dating Angelica. It’s been going rather well, actually. So well that she’s invited me to meet her parents. They are having a family get together at the park and somehow, I agreed to bring dessert for everyone,” Gavin said, breaking eye contact.
Yvette shook her head at her friend. “So, when is it, how many people are coming and what do you need me to do?” she chuckled.
Gavin sank back in his chair, trying to disappear. “Two days, at least fifty, and help me make an ice cream sundae bar?”
“Gavin! Two days?!”
He winced.
“You are so lucky Sage picked up my shift today and that I love you.” Yvette stood up from her seat and took Gavin’s plate of food away.
“Hey, I was eating that!”
“Not anymore, buddy. You’ve got work to do. I’m going to go shower and you can meet me back here in thirty minutes.”
If Yvette could say anything about herself, it was that she worked well under pressure. Granted two days wasn’t a very long time, but she was more than ready for a challenge. Thankful that she’d ordered all that extra ice cream for Sundae Afternoon since it had been a risk getting that much, she guessed everything happened for a reason. She’d need to meet up with her parents for the tables and chairs and stop at the farm for the tablecloths and table settings. She’d get all the toppings together right at her house, so her employees didn’t feel obligated to help. After all, this was Gavin’s problem, so she’d be teaching him how to make homemade caramel sauce, waffle cones, and whipped cream.
Yvette quickly rinsed their breakfast dishes and then ran up the stairs two at a time. She’d have to really hurry if they wanted to get this all taken care of today.
10
Did you hear?” Vanessa moved in closer.
“Hear what?” Yvette stopped mid-scoop.
“Heath finally found Joey. I heard he was staying at the motel just outside of town, the Seaside something or other. He was brought in for questioning and I guess they decided to hold him there. I’m afraid it’s not looking so good.” Vanessa grimaced.
Yvette let out a whoosh of air. She couldn’t believe they were actually holding him. What if they really had some sort of evidence proving that he killed Laura?
“I just don’t get it, though. Why would Joey even have a reason to do it? She was paying him for the work he was doing, wait…”
“What’s wrong?” Vanessa’s eyes went wide.
“I totally forgot what Heath said. I was so upset that I was only half-listening to him when he came looking for Joey. He said something about Mrs. Aldridge overhearing Laura telling Joey that she wasn’t going to pay him the amount they agreed on. What if he really did kill her?” Yvette let the ice cream scoop slip from her fingers.
“Don’t think like that. You don’t even know what happened yet,” Vanessa said bending down to pick up the scoop.
“I can’t help it. He took off right after they found her, didn’t he? What else am I supposed to think?”
Vanessa gave her boss a reassuring hug. “I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding, but I wanted you to hear it from me instead of someone else.”
“You’re right. Heath will get to the bottom of everything. Plus, I have so much to take care of today. I don’t even think I’ve stopped long enough to tell you about Stella.”
“Who’s Stella, and why is Sage here?” Vanessa asked, pointing at her daughter who had just walked through the front door.
Yvette laughed, she’d been so busy rushing around with Gavin and worrying about Joey that she’d forgotten to tell Vanessa about the potential new employee and that she’d asked Sage to come in and write out the chalkboard for Gavin’s party the next day. Sage had such beautiful handwriting, and Yvette could use some help with the finishing touches for the event.
“Whoops. I’m just so distracted lately. I’m thi
nking of hiring a woman named Stella, and Sage is here because I need her help. Gavin sprung a last-minute catering request on me and I knew Sage would be perfect for the job.”
“Hey, Sage, thanks so much for coming in, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help,” Yvette greeted the teenager gratefully.
“No problem, I figured I should wait to do the board until last, so it doesn’t get ruined. Is there anything else you want me to do in the meantime?” Sage looked to her boss for direction.
Yvette wanted to finish making her shake that she’d been working on before Vanessa told her about Joey. Deciding she needed an extra pep in her step, she pulled a clean scoop from the rack and took out three scoops of white chocolate raspberry ice cream, added in a cheesecake swirl and a mocha fudge swirl before putting it in the machine. When she was done, she topped it with a pile of whipped cream so high that it threatened to slip down the edge of the glass and then finished it off with some graham cracker crumbs and white chocolate shavings. She took a large sip and looked up, realizing that both Sage and Vanessa were staring at her.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
“Nope, just watching you make the most ridiculous milkshake we’ve ever seen.” Sage laughed so hard her face turned red.
“Hey, a girl needs to indulge once in a while, right?” Yvette replied, crinkling her nose.
Yvette motioned for Sage to follow her to the back, so they could begin packing up the supplies for the party. Working with Sage was always such a pleasure. She had a great work ethic and was always so kind to the customers. Even when she wasn’t working, they would come in and ask for her. Yvette knew she could count on both Sage and her mother, and she was so grateful for that.
Triple Dipped Murder Page 4