Willow hated that he was playing dumb. “Wednesday saw you with Benny after I left.”
“That’s who you had your date with?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I had a business meeting with Benny Gene last night,” Griffin said, shaking his head. “We were discussing a new project over drinks. He wants me to do the renovations for his consulting job. It’s a great opportunity for me.”
Willow couldn’t think of anything to say at first. Griffin mistakenly took this as a good sign and that it was safe to tell her the details of the project.
“It would be a great resume builder because I haven’t done much with hotels. And it should get a fair amount of press because Benny wants to use it to boost his consulting opportunities as well.” He looked down as he admitted, “I’d really like to take the job.”
Willow didn’t know how to feel. She felt a decent amount of rage directed towards both men. Benny had double-booked the night of their date, and Griffin was looking for other jobs instead of finishing her spa. Both of these things felt like a betrayal.
A small part of her was relieved that Griffin was there for a business meeting. He wasn’t spying on her. He also wasn’t on a date like she had briefly feared when she saw him at the restaurant.
She pushed that thought away. She wasn’t interested in Griffin romantically. Not as long as they were working together.
“Well, this is great,” Willow said, choosing to direct her anger at the person who was in front of her. “You’re throwing me over for a new client. Thanks for the muffins. It’s just as good as finishing the business I wanted to build.”
Griffin threw his arms up. “I’m not throwing you over for anyone. In fact, well, you’re the person I care most about.”
“You have a funny way of showing it,” Willow challenged.
“I am interested in this other job,” Griffin said. “But there are some other factors that make me hesitant to jump into shrinking your living room and making a spa. Firstly, I don’t want you to overextend yourself on a project you can’t currently afford.”
“So, it’s all about the money?” Willow asked. She knew that wasn’t fair but didn’t care at the moment.
“The other reason I’m hesitant is because I really wanted to ask you on a date, and I was pretty sure you’d say no while we were still renovating together.”
Willow froze. She didn’t think this was something that they would ever admit to each other.
“Well,” she said, finding her voice, “I would have said no. I don’t date people I’m working with.”
“I don’t get it,” Griffin said. He took her empty mug and his and put them in the sink.
“Get what?”
“If two people like each other, they should be able to date,” he said as he washed the mugs.
Willow put her hands on her hips. “You don’t think there will inevitably be complications?”
“I think people can be professional and in love at the same time,” he said evenly.
“Well, I think that one person will inevitable try and use the other person. Romantic fights will lead to bad business decisions. Everything could become compromised. I can see why businesses have policies against it,” Willow said. “Maybe you should add a page about that to your employee handbook.”
“Why are you determined to fight today?” Griffin asked, turning off the water and throwing down the sponge.
“Maybe it had something to do with you quitting my job and ending up in cahoots with my date.”
“Look, if you want me to do the spa, I will. I don’t break contracts, and I won’t leave you in the lurch,” he said, pointing for emphasis. “However, I can’t help my feelings. This is where I stand. I want to build Benny’s buildings, and I want to date you.”
Willow moved to the other side of the island counter. “I don’t think I stand in the same place. I like things how they are.”
Griffin nodded and looked down.
“And besides,” Willow said, “I might have just started seeing someone.”
“You don’t mean Benny?” Griffin asked, meeting her eyes. “He said the date was a bust.”
“Oh, like I’d believe that from you.” She crossed her arms, feeling the anger build again.
“It’s not a trick. It’s what he said. I just didn’t realize he was talking about you at the time.”
Willow scoffed instead of dignifying that with an answer.
“He said he wasn’t interested in anything long-term with you. He said you asked too many questions. He thought you might get clingy.”
“Clingy? Do I seem clingy?”
“No,” Griffin said. “I’m embarrassed to tell you all this, but I think you should know. He said he was willing to sleep with you, but you wouldn’t bite.”
“You’re just trying to get me mad, so I won’t want to see him again,” Willow said.
“Did he tell you a story about his dog that saved his life when he was a kid? And it was in a wheelchair?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“That was a line. He said that he told you that story because he knew you loved dogs, and he was hoping you’d suggest that you should go his hotel room.”
“No,” Willow said, not wanting to believe it.
“Did he keep mentioning that the place he was staying at was close by?”
“Well…” She trailed off as she realized it was true. So, it hadn’t been the perfect first date she thought it was! Benny was the real dog in the story.
“I’m sorry,” Griffin said.
“I knew it was just a hookup app,” Willow grumbled.
She tapped the counter, annoyed with Benny and herself. She really thought that they had chemistry and that more dates could have followed. Benny had been lying all night. Then, a more sinister thought entered her head. Benny could have been lying about a lot more than having a dog. What if he really was involved in Kaitlin’s death?
13
Willow arrived on her father’s doorstep with a bottle of wine promptly at six o’clock for their weekly family meal. Earlier in the day, she had been worried that her side of the dinner table conversation would keep veering towards how she couldn’t believe her father could suspect Terry Gib.
Now, she had so much on her mind that she didn’t think she’d be able to form a coherent accusation. She hoped that Wednesday would be able to keep the chatter going and compensate for her distraction.
She opened the door and announced her arrival. Her dad called to her from the kitchen. She walked in and was greeted by the succulent smell of rosemary chicken and potatoes.
“Do you need any help?” Willow asked, after placing her wine in the fridge. She glanced around the room. With its checkered blue wallpaper, it looked exactly the same as it did when she was growing up. The only slight differences were the electric appliances on the counter. They had been updated at some point down the line.
“All that’s left is to bring the food to the dining room table,” Frank said.
“Should we wait for Wednesday?”
“Wednesday is not coming,” he said as he sliced the chicken and placed it on a serving plate.
“What?”
“She sent me a text,” he said matter-of-factly. “It was full of emojis, but I gathered that she wasn’t going to make it because she needed to focus on her life.”
Willow groaned, but then sensing her father’s agitation as well, she stood up for her sister. “When she says she’s focusing on her life, she means the social media assignment that’s due this week. Not her life in general.”
“I know,” he said, continuing to carve.
“Do you want me to read the text and explain the pictures?”
“I’ve been deciphering her texts for years,” Frank said. “Luckily, I’ve been a detective for many years too. Let’s go and eat.”
He picked up the chicken and headed out of the kitchen.
Willow was about to grab a side dish but decided to text he
r sister before she went to the dining room. Her message of “Why did you bail on us?” was replied to with a picture of Wednesday enjoying a solo picnic in the park. Admittedly, with her sister’s filters and eye for layout, it looked like a fantastic evening out. However, this didn’t help the fact that Willow would now have to be the social only child that night.
She and her father finished setting the table. Frank was setting every food dish down with extra restraint, treating each bowl as if it were a flower. Willow couldn’t disguise her negative feelings towards the world and was letting the silverware plop down into place.
They took their seats and Willow said, “It looks delicious, Dad.”
“I’m glad you’re here to enjoy it.”
She nodded and started to fill her plate. However, despite how good it all looked, her mind wasn’t on the meal. She was thinking about how complicated things had become suddenly. It seemed that somebody had snuck into Kaitlin’s house and poisoned her coffee grounds, and the suspect list seemed to be growing. It now included the sweet date of hers who was really a liar.
It wasn’t just the murder that was complicated either. Her instincts seemed completely off these days. She had been wrong about Benny. She also hadn’t realized Griffin’s level of attraction to her. She knew that they were friends, and that there was the potential that something was simmering beneath the surface, but she didn’t expect either of them to act on it.
Part of her wished her dad would just ask her what was wrong so that she could get everything off her chest. Her feelings were suffocating her, and she was finding it difficult to enjoy the chicken.
“Can you pass the peas, please?” Willow asked.
Frank picked the dish up roughly but then handed it to her with the utmost care. She smiled in thanks and piled peas on her plate. Then she let the bowl hit the table with a thud. Her dad didn’t say anything. He was sighing into his mashed potatoes.
Willow chewed for a few minutes and decided that maybe her chair not being in a good spot was causing some of her distraction. She adjusted her seat forward and back, trying to find the right spot.
Frank had begun tapping on his plate with his fork and frowning. Willow stopped moving her chair and started to consider whether something was bothering her dad besides Wednesday standing them up.
“Is everything all right?”
“Well,” Frank said, and Willow could tell that he had been waiting for her to ask. However, “No” was all the response she got at first.
“What’s wrong?”
Her dad seemed to be debating what to say but then finally pointed his fork towards Wednesday’s empty chair.
“I don’t like that she’s not here either,” Willow said. “And maybe we would have liked to be invited on her picnic? Then again, I think I might have shared as much of my life as I’d like to with her followers.”
She realized that she was rambling and stopped so her dad could talk.
“I’m happy that her Instagramming is going well. I really am. But that doesn’t mean that she can drop the ball in other aspects of her life.”
Willow bit her lip. “Is she not doing all the paperwork that’s she’s supposed to be doing?”
“I know police secretary might not be the most glamorous job, but it is what pays her bills right now. The internet didn’t pay for her cat’s stitches.”
It occurred to Willow that Wednesday probably could have gotten some followers to donate to a “Save the Tail” campaign, but she silenced the thought.
“But more than that,” Frank said, “the work is important. Paperwork might be boring, and I know there’s a lot of it during review week, but this is what makes the station run smoothly. Her work makes sure that we can fulfill our duty to protect and serve. And usually she’s amazing at it. But she’s been so distracted lately. Of course, when I try to tell her all this, she thinks that I’m merely obsessing over my bio that she has to write.”
“Are you obsessing over the bio?” Willow asked, poking at her meal.
“Not obsessing,” he said. He began to pick at his food too. “I suppose, like my youngest daughter, I do care about the image of me that is presented to the world. I don’t want my life story slapped together haphazardly in a few minutes.”
She looked up at him and said honestly, “I’m sure Wednesday will write an accurate bio for you that shows what an incredible police chief you are. It might even say that you’re a great dad too.”
He nodded, and she knew that he was touched by what she said. Her dad wasn’t always great at expressing his emotions. He wasn’t often so open when talking about his life. Most of their conversations growing up had been about possible solutions to fictitious (and sometimes actual cold case) crimes, preparing her to become a detective. The detective thing hadn’t quite worked out. Though she had solved one case since being back in town and now did find herself looking into a poisoning.
“Thanks,” Frank said, directing his attention to his plate. “I’m not quite sure about the incredible police chief part.”
“What do you mean?”
“Gathering up the information for my bio has me looking through old cases. I can see all the mistakes I’ve made through the years. Some more recent than others. Maybe Wednesday had noticed them too.”
“Dad, if Wednesday noticed something, she would tell you. She’s not someone who keeps her opinion to herself. And she’s definitely not avoiding work because she wants to write that you’ve been terrible at your job. That can’t be true. She’s distracted by this campaign. But I’ll talk to her and remind her about other things going on in her life.”
Frank gave a slight nod. “Are you finished eating?”
Willow agreed that she was, and they brought the dishes into the kitchen. Frank began putting the leftovers away while she loaded the dishwasher.
“Was something bothering you too?”
“Well,” Willow said, balancing some plates, “what would be less awkward for you to hear about: my feelings towards you investigating my champion dog’s owner or boy troubles?”
Frank froze, and she couldn’t help laughing at the expression on his face.
“Forget it,” Willow said. “There’s not much to say on either end. I seem to have terrible taste with the men I actually date. Or marry. And the one that you do like… Never mind.”
“You can tell me,” Frank said, valiantly resuming his tasks. “I’m your father. I want to help you in any way I can. Even this.”
Accepting the invitation to talk, Willow said, “I thought I was ready to start dating again, but it’s all been so complicated. And the person who is complicating it the most… well, I thought it would be like high school again. We’d feel there was something special to our friendship, but we wouldn’t do anything about it. That way we wouldn’t have to deal with any consequences. I also really don’t want to date anyone I’m doing business with. It turned out really badly last time.”
Frank seemed to ponder this. “I’m not good explaining this sort of thing. But when I started dating your mom, it felt right. And I bet that will happen for you too.” Then, after clearing his throat, he added, “And if anyone ever gives you trouble, you can remind him that your father is the Chief of Police.”
She grinned. “Thanks, Dad.”
Frank had stopped smiling after he said that though.
“If you’re worried about me bringing up the murder case, there’s not much to say,” she assured him as she finished with the dishes. “I don’t think Terry was involved. But I don’t have any evidence against someone else. All I know are some potential motives.”
Frank nodded sadly. “I was waiting for you to bring it up.”
“That Terry is innocent?”
“Those potential motives,” Frank said. “You’re talking about Linda Grego, aren’t you?”
“Linda?” Willow repeated. She remembered Linda making comments to Wednesday after yoga, but she didn’t know anything that would cause this reaction in her father.
“My most recent mistake,” he admitted, as he placed the final lid on a piece of Tupperware. “All those complaints she made about the victim’s bed-and-breakfast – I ignored them.”
“I know a little about this,” she said, moving closer. “What were the complaints about?”
“She was trying to get the B&B’s license revoked. She wanted it closed down for health violations.”
“Isn’t that place pristine though?” Willow asked. “It’s won awards, and I’ve never heard a negative review from anyone staying there.”
“The guest area was kept very clean,” Frank said, nodding. “But Kaitlin Janes’s personal quarters weren’t. That might be what the complaints were in regard to. It seems the victim was a hoarder.”
“I wouldn’t have expected that.”
Like so much else in this case, this new information seemed contradictory. Kaitlin had a spotless B&B but was a hoarder and slob at home. Also, if the guests never saw Kaitlin’s personal quarters, why would someone work so hard on a complaint against the establishment? Maybe there was another reason why Linda wanted it closed down. Maybe she wanted to hurt Kaitlin, and when her attempts to kill the business failed, she went after the business owner.
“There was a lot of her personal property that we needed to process. That took a while,” Frank said. “But it helped us out in one regard. We were able to find traces of poison in coffee mugs all around the apartment.”
“Well, that’s it,” Willow said, wanting to clap and voice her suspicions at the same time. “You have a prime suspect. Linda wanted the place closed down. She could have snuck into Kaitlin’s apartment and poisoned the coffee grounds.”
Frank shook his head. “We did consider her. We found her business card attached to one of Kaitlin’s bags of coffee.”
“That sounds like evidence to me.”
“However, the coffee grounds weren’t poisoned. The poison was poured into her cup of coffee. And it must have happened multiple times for it to build up in her system. We couldn’t place Linda Grego at the bed-and-breakfast in the morning when the victim was drinking the coffee, so we had to dismiss her as a suspect. Beyond those complaints, there was no motive.”
Bark Up and Smell the Coffee Page 10