Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Laurie Anne Marie

  “Anything else, ma’am? I’ve got to talk to some more of the residents, so please let me know if we can wrap it up,” Detective Thompson said.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me what he looked like?” Mrs. Norris said.

  “I thought you said it was dark and you couldn’t even see the license plate, Mrs. Norris,” Ashley replied.

  “Well, it was, but he was on the tall side, and skinny, I can tell you that. Never saw anyone run so fast, and you have to be skinny to do that. But I’ll be sure to let you know anything else I can think of,” Mrs. Norris said.

  Ashley swore she could see Mrs. Norris batting her eyes at Detective Thompson.

  “Great. Well, thank you, everyone, I’m going to talk to the other residents. Then we will go over the apartment and dust for fingerprints, so please don’t touch anything now. We’ll be in touch,” Detective Thompson said.

  Detective Thompson stared at Ashley. She felt a warm flush in her face. He shook her father’s hand and left. One policeman stood watch inside her apartment.

  “Now, there’s a man for you, Ashley. Better than that loser guy you were going out with. Where is he anyway? Haven’t seen him come around in a while. Which is a good thing in my opinion,” Mrs. Norris said.

  Burt Crane agreed. “Copy that.”

  “Okay, it’s time to get going. Thanks for all your help, Mrs. Norris,” Ashley said.

  Ashley then gave her father a look that said “We need to get her out of here now” and then turned away.

  Her dad understood.

  “Yes, thank you. You’ve been a big help. We don’t want to keep you any longer.” Burt smiled and shook Mrs. Norris’s hand.

  “I was happy to help. Doesn’t seem to be anyone around here who watches over things quite like I do,” Mrs. Norris crowed.

  “Every apartment complex needs a watchdog like you. Too much stuff going on these days.” Burt steered her to the landing with his arm on her shoulder.

  “That’s right. I’m on the job!” Mrs. Norris said.

  Burt exchanged a few more words with her and then managed to get her down the stairs.

  ***

  Ashley let out a sigh of relief.

  “That woman has nothing to do but poke into everyone’s business,” Ashley complained.

  “Well, honey, it’s a good thing she was up and poking around in this case. Besides, she was right about your ex-boyfriend too,” Burt replied.

  “Okay, Dad, I know. I know. Let’s just get out of here. After the police go over everything, it’s going to take a whole day to clean this mess up.”

  “Okay, honey, let’s go. Your old dad is here to help. And you owe me some homemade brownies when we get back home.”

  Ashley laughed.

  “Thanks for helping out, Dad. I don’t know what I’d do without you and Mom,” Ashley said.

  “Well, you can get rich and then support us when we’re old and feeble. That’s a start,” Burt replied.

  “Uhh…okay. I’ll start with the brownies for now.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Burt said.

  As Ashley and her dad walked to the car, she noticed Detective Thompson questioning some residents. She might have been mistaken, but she thought she saw the detective smiling too much with one of the pretty girls who lived there.

  One thing she was sure of, she caught him winking at the girl after he finished talking to her. Was he just a flirt with everyone? Maybe those intense stares he was giving her were the same intense stares he gave all the women. She shook her head and reminded herself it didn’t matter. Except it really did. She felt very attracted to him.

  Her dad woke her out of her reverie. “Ashley? Get in the car, honey. Time to go home.”

  Chapter Ten

  When Ashley and her dad got back, they ate a light lunch, as they were saving room for April’s dinner. April was making roast chicken, baked potatoes, and green beans, and apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Perfect. Another comfort meal.

  Ashley got into the shower to clean up and thought about the ramekin.

  What a crazy thing to fall out of someone’s pocket as they were running from a break-in, Ashley thought. As she stood under the hot water, her mind raced.

  “That means it might have been someone from the restaurant, or at least someone in the food business.”

  But who? And did the person who broke into her apartment also have something to do with Darren’s murder? It still seemed to be connected to the threatening phone call that connected back to Chris. And now Chris had left town. Surely the cops will think he is a suspect for doing that. She put on her robe and got on the computer to job hunt. After an hour, she shut her laptop down.

  “Just as I thought. No job openings anywhere at the moment.”

  All of a sudden she started dreaming of the hunky detective again. Then, funnily enough, she thought of her friend Sean MacDonell too.

  Ashley then heard her mom’s voice in her head. “Oh, honey, you don’t need a man on a white horse. You need a man with a frying pan.”

  Was there a message trying to make its way through to her? She laughed to herself.

  If I could figure out my love life, I could make millions figuring out everyone else’s too, Ashley thought.

  Just then her mom poked her head inside the bedroom door.

  “Ashley, honey, dinner is almost ready. You must be hungry. Hurry along,” April said.

  ***

  Ashley went to the table and scooped up Charlie on the way and gave him a pet. He looked calmed down and was purring away.

  “Mom, what did you give Charlie to make him so happy?” Ashley asked.

  “Oh, a little bit of everything. I’ve been feeding him treats to take his mind off of whoever broke in and scared him. I can tell you that he likes bacon, mayo, and cheese,” April answered.

  “Mom, if you keep feeding him like that, he’ll get fat.”

  “Ashley, dear, anything to make him happy again. After an ordeal like that, you’d want treats too.”

  “Speaking of treats, let’s eat,” Burt said.

  “Dear, sit down. There is so much food you’ll be stuffed in no time,” April said.

  As usual, they ate in silence for a few minutes and savored everything before talking again.

  “Mom, can we go next door and choose a kitten for Charlie tonight? I think it would really help him to get a friend ASAP with all this upset and confusion going on,” Ashley said.

  “Of course, dear. I’ll call the neighbors, and we can go after dinner,” April replied.

  “Just don’t let it scratch the couch,” Burt grumbled as he ate another serving of apple pie.

  “Dear, two pieces of apple pie with ice cream?” April said.

  “It’s been a stressful time,” Burt sighed as he munched away.

  “He’s right, Mom. And if you continue to make all this good food, we’re all going to put on the pounds,” Ashley joked.

  How nice it was to have someone cook for her for a change instead of the other way around. That brought to mind that she would have to go into town tomorrow and see if there was any news of the restaurant opening soon.

  ***

  After dinner, they went over to look at the kittens, and of course, they were all adorable. She saw one in particular that melted her heart. It was a cute little female who kept purring and trying to sit on her lap.

  “She’s so sweet,” the neighbor said. “She always wants to cuddle.”

  Ashley smiled. “I’ll take her.”

  The kitten seemed like the perfect love bug to soothe Charlie’s heart.

  April smiled. “I think Charlie would approve.”

  Ashley grinned. “Let’s call her Susie Q.”

  They took the kitten home and introduced her to Charlie. Instead of the usual hissing when two strange cats meet, they seemed to hit it off right away. He looked at her as if to say, “I’ll take care of you” then started to groom her.

  Susie Q followed him everywhere in a
doration. They were a perfect match.

  Pretty soon everyone went to bed, and Ashley fell asleep quickly.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day, Ashley woke up with determination in her step. Whoever was trying to scare her off from digging up clues would not succeed. She ate another one of her mom’s hearty breakfasts and set off into town.

  She stopped on the street outside the restaurant and noticed the investor, Mr. Nash, standing outside. She parked and walked over to talk with him. Police tape was still set up outside.

  Ashley smiled and extended her hand. Nash peered at her intently.

  “You’re one of the cooks, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “Yes. We’ve met. You remember me, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Uh, yeah. Guess so,” he said. He gave her a strange look.

  How odd, she thought. He had seen her working there.

  “I hope you’re doing well considering the circumstances,” she continued.

  “It’s been tough,” Nash said. “But we’re going to be up and running shortly, because the business must go on.”

  “Actually, that’s what I wanted to ask. I was wondering if and when we would be getting back to work, “Ashley said.

  “E-mail notices went out to all of you yesterday about our reopening,” Nash said. “You didn’t get it?”

  Ashley thought for a moment. Had she missed it with all that had been going on?

  “Oh, I’m sure it’s there. It’s just been a hectic time,” she admitted.

  Nash peered at her. “Well, we reopen next Saturday morning.”

  “That soon? Uh…I mean good, for our jobs anyway,” Ashley stammered.

  She noticed he was staring at her intently.

  “The police have the dishwasher in custody. It seems to be an open-and-shut case. And I’ve got to get back to business. Is there a reason that you question that?” Nash’s voice was controlled, and he continued to stare her down.

  “Uh, no, not at all, and I have some new menu items I’d like to introduce,” Ashley said.

  “Good,” he said. “See you next Saturday morning. Make it early, six o’clock. We will have a quick meeting in the morning. There’s a lot to catch up on. And we have to get the new staff on board.”

  Nash started to walk away.

  “New staff? New cooks too? Isn’t Chris going to be back in the kitchen with me?” Ashley asked.

  She felt it was best to play dumb about Chris being gone.

  “Chris? Chris Durtz? Didn’t you hear? He skipped town. I’m interviewing two new cooks and some new servers. It was understaffed before, and things should work much more smoothly now. See you next Saturday, six a.m. sharp.”

  He hurried away.

  Ashley frowned. Although she was glad to know she’d be returning to work soon and that there would be more staff now, she felt something weird was going on with Nash. He must have gotten the go-ahead from the police, but it still seemed the place was reopening too soon. That meant that everyone was sure Jimmy was the killer, and they could wrap things up and move on.

  But after everything that had happened to her and her family, Darren’s killer must still be on the loose. It could be one of the employees. She realized that being back at the restaurant would give her a great opportunity to talk to everyone and snoop around a bit. She would just have to be careful not to arouse any suspicion.

  ***

  Ashley walked back to her car. She started to think of motives for the killing. She thought about Nash and how he certainly hadn’t seemed sad or upset in any way about Darren’s murder when she had just talked to him.

  Then there was Chris. Why did he bolt so soon after the body was discovered? And of course, there was Julia Short, the scorned wife. Maybe one of the servers? She had seen Meagan flirting with Darren. Had that gone sour? And what about the mysterious tall and skinny guy who had broken into her place?

  Poor Jimmy. He was locked up, and everyone thought he had done it. But as Ashley drove off, her nagging suspicions that he wasn’t the killer only grew. She had a little over a week until Saturday’s opening. Perhaps she should pay a visit to Darren’s wife. But how?

  Ashley’s phone rang. She put the call on speakerphone.

  “Hello, hope you’re behaving yourself and not talking to the new owner or anyone else about what Chris said to you in the kitchen that day. Eyes are on you. You better take this seriously.”

  Before Ashley could say a word, the line went dead. She stared at the caller ID. It read “Unknown.”

  Ashley’s blood ran cold. Just then, her phone rang again. She snapped it up.

  “Who’s this?” Ashley barked.

  A pause. Then she heard a sighing sound.

  “Ash, are you okay?” her friend Lara asked. “You sound as if you’re going to blow up at any moment.”

  Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, Lara, sorry. I thought you were that strange caller again. It’s the guy who’s called and threatened me since the murder. It’s awful.”

  “Ashley. This is getting more serious by the minute. You need to tell the police about these calls,” Lara said.

  Ashley sighed. “I called the detective. About the first one, at least. Now I need to let him know about this one too.”

  “Please,” Lara insisted. “You’re actually putting yourself and your parents at risk if you withhold any info. Call that hunky detective today!”

  “You know, despite the fact you segued into ‘hunky detective,’ you’re right. I’ll call him right now. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to my parents.”

  Lara laughed. “You’re welcome. Best friends look out for all your interests, including the hunk-o-meter ones. Seriously, though, please do it ASAP. You can’t take chances, not only with your parents but with yourself. Promise?”

  “I promise,” Ashley said. “Thanks for having my back.”

  “Well?” Lara asked.

  “Well what?” Ashley said.

  “Where’s your Shakespeare quote for this?” Lara was trying to lighten the mood.

  “Let’s see. ‘Delays have dangerous ends.’ That’s from King Henry the Sixth. And it only reminds me that you’re right. I’m calling him now. Bye!”

  She hung up the phone and called Detective Thompson.

  “Hello? I’d like to speak with Detective Thompson, please,” she pleaded.

  “Just a moment. He’s finishing a call.”

  Ashley’s mind raced as she waited on hold. It was clear Lara was worried about her. Ashley had all the right intentions and the passion for following through on trying to help solve the murder. Still, Ashley could get in over her head in a hurry. There was a chance things could get ugly fast. Despite her commitment to help, she wasn’t a trained professional.

  Her mind snapped around. Would she also get weak in the knees talking to Thompson again?

  Chapter Twelve

  “Stop thinking like an idiot,” her brain said to her. “This is a murder investigation, not a romantic fantasy!”

  Detective Thompson picked up the other end of the line.

  “This is Detective Thompson. Can I help you?”

  “Yes, Detective, it’s me, Ashley Crane. I just got another threatening call,” she stammered.

  “Okay, go ahead. What did he say?”

  Detective Thompson sounded a bit annoyed at her stammering.

  Ashley proceeded to tell him about what the caller had just said.

  “Detective?”

  No answer.

  “Detective, can you hear me?”

  “Yes, I’m just taking this down. I want you to come in here, and we will record your statements about everything that’s happened. It’s very important,” Thompson replied.

  “Okay,” she stammered. “You’re tight.”

  “What?”

  “I meant you’re right.”

  Ashley blushed. She was thinking of the detective’s lean, taut body, of course, and had let out a Freudian slip.

 
“Okay. Can you come over now?” the detective asked.

  Ashley stammered then heard him exhale over the phone.

  “Yes,” Ashley replied.

  She felt like a childish idiot for calling him tight.

  “Anything else?” Thompson asked.

  “Uh, no, thanks. See you soon,” Ashley answered. She then hung up and let out a long sigh.

  “What is wrong with me? I need to pull myself together,” she said to herself.

  ***

  Ashley drove to his office, and he recorded everything that she had told him from the beginning. She stumbled a bit on the sequence of events and repeated herself every other sentence. Every time she looked at him, he was staring intently at her. She felt like telling him it was his fault for being so cute and staring at her so intensely. And for telling her that she shouldn’t drink after a hangover and take care of herself. And for winking at her. She asked herself again if he had been flirting with her, or did she imagine it? Then she thought of him smiling and winking at the pretty girl at her apartment complex.

  He’s too smooth, Ashley thought.

  She hadn’t seen a ring on his finger, but that didn’t mean anything. She was immensely relieved when it was finished.

  “Thank you, Miss Crane. We’ll be in touch,” Detective Thompson said.

  “Thanks.”

  Ashley then scuttled away. Her whole body was tingling. She thought she heard him chuckle as she went out the door.

  ***

  Ashley turned her car toward home and decided she would get herself ready for the reopening of the restaurant by writing down all the questions she was going to ask everyone and review them before she went in.

  Something made her stop at the bakery first. Was it her sweet tooth kicking in with all the stress, or was it something else, like being around Sean? Why was he popping into her head all of a sudden?