“You’re crazy,” she blurted out. “You may be a detective, but that’s a lie.”
“Then why don’t you have coffee with me and I’ll explain everything to you so that you know I’m not crazy.”
As Ashley stood in the middle of the road, her parents’ faces flashed in front of her. Wouldn’t they have told her if her Uncle George was involved in that terrible case? What was going on? She felt like the ground was moving under her feet.
“Coffee?” Josh repeated.
Ashley reached for his car door handle. “Okay.”
“I suppose that you don’t want to go to any of the usual spots in town. How about Ernie’s near the ocean? It’s quiet there, and we can really talk.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
All she wanted to hear now was his story, then she’d try to figure out how to deal with it all.
Chapter Fourteen
They drove mostly in silence to the coffee shop. Every now and then, Detective Jackson would try to make small talk, but Ashley barely acknowledged it.
Jackson grimaced as he talked, and winced a few times. He was clearly still in pain from his arm.
Ashley looked at him. “Should you even be out driving so soon with your arm like that?”
He grinned at her. “Hey, luckily, it’s my left arm. I can still steer.”
The conversation then went quiet again. It took a while to get over to the ocean, and Ashley stared out the window during the drive.
Finally, a half hour later, they pulled into Ernie’s, and Ashley noticed that the place was fairly empty.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Detective Jackson found a small table near a window that looked out over the ocean.
“Nice, huh?” he said.
“Yes, it is.”
She gazed at the sea.
The server came over, and Josh ordered two coffees.
As soon as the server walked away, the detective got right into it. “I’ve learned a lot about what happened twenty-five years ago, and much of it is very unsavory. By the sound of it, you obviously haven’t been told anything about your uncle’s involvement.”
He searched her face for a reaction.
“I’m sure if he had been involved in that case, I would’ve heard about it from my parents. I’m not a baby anymore. As a matter of fact, I was just speaking about this with my mother recently. She didn’t mention a thing about my uncle. And I read lots of newspaper clippings about the case. None of them mentioned George Crane,” Ashley replied.
“Perhaps they threw away the clippings with your uncle in them,” he replied quietly.
“Don’t you dare say that! You have no right to assume that!”
Ashley’s jaw was rigid. She felt her arm tighten on the chair.
Detective Jackson elaborated. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset you. Your uncle was finally cleared of any involvement during the trial. It apparently was a mix-up with a confused witness and lack of evidence. And he actually wound up helping the department to try and solve the crime. Unfortunately, the case went cold, and that’s why I’m here now.”
“He wound up helping the department to try and solve it?”
“Yes. I’ve been told he’s a good man.”
Ashley’s shoulders slumped. She exhaled. “Thank you.”
Jackson smiled. “Maybe you get your amateur-detective streak from your uncle.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” she said.
Jackson went on to describe some of what happened in the case and why it was so important to have her help.
“As you know by now, Robert Anderson was acquitted of the murder. And the person who actually killed Melissa Anderson has never been caught. Now, I think I have found the killer, but the guy who shot me got away. In my mind, he’s obviously guilty. I’m confident that we’ll catch him. But I could really use your help.”
Ashley sat there motionless.
“If you could talk to your parents, and even better, your uncle, maybe they will tell you something that will lead us down another pathway. It could help overturn a stone, or even a big rock. The killer has gotten away with murder, and it would be nice to bring justice to the victim’s poor parents after all these years.”
Ashley sipped her coffee quietly. She thought about her family and how much she loved them and what it would do to her parents if something like this had happened to her.
She could hear the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below on the beach. Even with the restaurant window shut, the sounds of the water pounding over and over outside made her shiver. Ashley loved the ocean, but she was also afraid of it. It was so powerful and contained a multitude of secrets.
Ashley pulled her attention away from the scenery outside and turned back to Detective Jackson.
“Okay, I’ll talk to everyone and see what else I can find out,” Ashley said. “This info might convince them how important it is to discover the truth.”
She paused again and stared out the window, lost in thought.
Jackson cleared his throat.
Ashley snapped out of her reverie. “By the way, I ran into Caitlin Harding the other day at a catering lunch I did. She was enjoying herself with a group of ladies and seemed like all of this was way behind her.”
“Enjoying herself?” Detective Jackson knitted his brow. “Now that’s interesting. She’s up for further investigation. Maybe she’s not so innocent. We are going to be questioning her again soon about anything else she might not have revealed at the trial. That’s off the record, of course.”
Ashley nodded. “Of course, Detective. I’m sure Nate Thompson has told you how discreet I am.”
“He has. Do you want me to talk to him and let him know I asked you for some info from your uncle?”
“Why not? As soon as he finds out, I’ll need all the help I can get convincing him, my boyfriend, and my parents that this is the right thing to do.”
“Consider it done. And here’s my number to call as soon as you find out something.”
Detective Jackson handed her a slip of paper.
The detective got up from the table. “It’s time to get back to work. Shall we?”
Ashley took a last gulp of coffee. “I do have a regular job, you know. Besides being an amateur detective, that is. I’m a caterer—with weird hours. Just know that I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“I understand.” He winced in pain again.
“And please take care of yourself,” she said. “You really have to rest that arm.”
“Yes, I do. Let’s go. I have to get back to work. Plus, I need to think up an excuse that will convince Detective Thompson how invaluable you are to solving this case.”
“That’s no easy task. Detective Thompson isn’t easily convinced of anything.”
Chapter Fifteen
As soon as Detective Jackson dropped Ashley off at her apartment, doubt crept back in her mind. She dreaded telling Sean that she was back helping out on this case. But her uncle had been involved. Surely Sean would understand how important discovering the truth was.
Charlie trotted behind Ashley as she walked toward the kitchen. Susie Q brought up the rear. Charlie sat by his food bowl and looked at Ashley accusingly, as if to say, “Have you forgotten we don’t have opposable thumbs to open up a can?”
Ashley laughed to herself.
“Here you go,” she said. “Neither one of you is exactly starving, by the way.”
She filled up their cat dishes with food, and Charlie glanced at her before eating, as if to say, “Neither are you, by the looks of it.”
Ah, to be a cat’s minion—a post held by millions all over the world.
A pertinent Shakespeare quote came to Ashley’s mind, one from Sonnet 57. “Being your slave what should I do, but tend upon the hours and times of your desire?”
Charlie lifted his head to stare at her when Ashley said that. She was sure that he would have agreed that Shakespeare must have had a cat.
Susie Q ate on, oblivious.
Suddenly, life was as it should be again in a cat’s universe.
Once she was done feeding the cats, Ashley looked at her calendar and saw the card Caitlin Harding had given her about doing a party. She decided she would call her and see if she could book something. Who knew what she would learn about the cold case? Maybe Caitlin would slip up and admit something incriminating.
After putting in a call to Caitlin, Ashley planned on calling her parents and accepting their dinner invitation. She knew Sean would rather eat at their place than go out for pizza, anyway. That was fine by Ashley. Getting her loved ones together would allow her to break the news all at once about how she would be helping Detective Jackson. Finally on her list of plans was to ask her parents about her uncle George. It would be an interesting evening.
Chapter Sixteen
She dialed Caitlin Harding’s number.
“Hello,” a deep male voice said over the phone.
“Is Caitlin Harding there?” Ashley asked.
“Yes, she is. Why?” the man replied.
Ashley stammered. “She…had given me her card…and wanted to have an event catered. I had hoped to talk to her about it.”
The man was stern with her. “She doesn’t need any catering.”
“Oh. Well, I’m confused. A client of mine clearly said Ms. Harding wanted me to—”
The phone line went dead.
“Hello? Hello?” Ashley replied.
Ashley received no response.
That was strange, she thought. Who had answered the phone? And why was he so unpleasant with her?
Ashley shrugged off the previous phone call and dialed her mother’s number next.
April Crane quickly answered after the first ring.
“Hello, dear,” her mother said breathlessly.
“Okay, Mom, Sean and I are accepting the dinner invite. Can’t wait to see you!”
Ashley heard her mother huffing and puffing as she replied, “Oh, good. Have to go! See you!”
“Mom, are you all right?”
April gasped. “Yes, dear, I’m just doing exercises. The doctor told me after my physical that I have to work up a sweat. No more lazy strolls for me.”
“Okay, but don’t overdo it,” Ashley started to say.
Her mother had already hung up.
Wow.
Everyone couldn’t wait to get off the phone with her today.
Before Ashley had time to linger on that thought, her phone rang again.
“Hello—” she answered.
“Is this the lady who just called about catering?”
“Yes. That’s me. Ashley—”
The man interrupted her. “You’re that nosy Crane kid. If you’ve got ideas about grilling Caitlin about what happened years ago, forget it. She’s past all that now, and no one’s going to bother her anymore about it. So stay away, and don’t call her again, understand?”
“But I just called her about catering—” Ashley started to say.
“No, you didn’t. I’m warning you. If you start to meddle in Caitlin’s affairs, you’ll be asking for trouble.”
The phone line went dead all over again.
Frustrated, Ashley sighed and walked to her window and looked out.
She saw Nancy walking by. Ashley waved at her. What Ashley really wanted to do was to go outside and grab her in hopes of getting another “reading.”
Ashley decided to just let Nancy continue on. She knew she was already in for an earful tonight, and she could only handle being lectured so much.
After texting Sean again about going over to her parents’ house for dinner, she decided to call Detective Jackson about the strange conversations that had originated from Caitlin Harding’s phone number.
Detective Jackson picked up his phone on the second ring. “Jackson here.”
“Detective. This is Ashley Crane. I just tried to call Caitlin Harding about catering for her and got a man on the phone who said not to contact her anymore, or I would be in trouble. Since you’ve talked me into this, please advise me.”
“My advice is not to call her again. I told you, we are going to be talking to her, anyway. Just talk to your uncle. That’s the most important thing,” Jackson replied.
“Okay, but I—” she started to say.
“I gotta go, Ashley. I am dealing with something here.”
Jackson hung up.
After getting cut off for a fourth time, Ashley felt like screaming. She hadn’t been able to finish one phone call that afternoon.
She walked into the kitchen and grabbed some of the chocolate chip cookies she had made for Sean. The cookies were full of butter and big chocolate chunks. She felt better instantly.
Just as her mind drifted further into thoughts about food, she got a text back from Sean.
“Your mother’s chicken scaloppini and buttered noodles versus pizza. No contest! I’ll see you soon,” he wrote.
Chapter Seventeen
When Sean got home, he quickly changed. Then they left for Ashley’s parents’ house. It was just getting dark, and the neighborhood looked nice and peaceful. As they turned onto Mercer Street, Ashley spotted Detective Jackson with his dog. He spotted her, too, and she waved at him. He didn’t wave back.
Sean looked at her. “Who’s that?”
“Oh, that’s him. You know, the detective in town to work on the old murder case. The one who got shot at.”
Ashley swallowed hard. She wanted to change the subject and started to ask Sean how many bakery orders he had that day. Sean just stared ahead and mumbled an answer under his breath.
As Ashley stared out the window of the car, she saw Nancy walking back to the apartment building. She waved at Nancy, hoping to distract Sean. Nancy waved frantically back, making gestures for them to stop the car. Sean pulled over, and they lowered the window.
“Hi, you two. Where are you going?” Nancy asked.
“To my parents’ for dinner. Why?” Ashley replied.
“Did you lock your door? And did you leave a light on?”
Sean peered at Nancy. “Uh, yeah. What’s up?”
“I’m not sure, but I sense trouble. Anybody threaten you today?”
Sean was quick to answer. “Yeah. A woman came into my bakery and got mad at me for not having the hundred brownies ready that she had ordered for a party. I only had eighty-five, but she had come an hour early. I told her to come back in an hour, and she threatened to go to another bakery from now on. Gotta watch those customers. They can get ballistic over pastries.”
Sean cracked up over his story, but Nancy didn’t laugh.
She was staring at Ashley. “It was you.”
Ashley squirmed in her seat. “I got a weird phone call.”
Sean stared at Ashley.
“What call?” he asked.
Nancy quickly realized that Ashley hadn’t shared that information with Sean.
“I’ve got to go. Both of you take care.”
Nancy hurried quickly down the street.
“What is that all about?” Sean asked.
Ashley remained vague. “Can we just get to my parents’? I have something to tell you all.”
His hands tightened on the wheel.
They drove in silence the rest of the way to her parents’ house. Ashley could tell he was upset again. Unfortunately, Ashley knew that the whole family would be upset with her soon.
Chapter Eighteen
As soon as they arrived at her parents’ house, Ashley was distracted by the aroma of dinner that filled the air.
“Hi, kids!” April said. “Wash your hands, and sit down at the table. We’re going to eat soon. Your father can’t wait any longer.”
“I’ll help you, Mom,” Ashley said.
She needed to get away from Sean’s questioning. Even though it was a cool evening, she could feel sweat forming on her brow.
Sean started to walk into the living room to talk sports with Burt while the table was being
set, but Burt met him in the dining room.
“Let’s sit down. It will hurry the women up. I’m so hungry I could eat my hand,” Burt grumbled.
Ashley and April came out bearing platters and bowls of food. The smell of the chicken scaloppini was overwhelming to the men at the table.
“I like you, son, but hand that to me first,” Burt said.
Sean laughed and handed the platter of delectable chicken to Burt. Then he grabbed the buttered noodles. Ashley passed the salad, and April passed the hot rolls. Everyone dug in, and there was no conversation for a few minutes.
Burt finally raised his head up. “What’s for dessert?”
“Dear, you’ve barely finished your plate!” April said.
“I want something else to look forward to,” he replied.
“Well…” April glanced slyly at Sean. “It’s a surprise. I want to see if the master baker here will approve.”
“I’m sure I will,” Sean said. “Your desserts always sell out at the bakery when you bring them in. As a matter of fact, I’m still waiting for the rhubarb pies you promised. I told several customers they would be coming in.”
“That’s the surprise! I made a rhubarb pie! We will test it tonight, and you let me know if it’s good enough for your bakery.”
April beamed at everyone.
“I’ve been asking you to make me a rhubarb pie for five years,” Burt grumbled. He looked at Sean. “Glad you got her to finally do it.”
Sean laughed. “Maybe that’s because I’m paying her.”
Everyone started to fill their plates with seconds—except Ashley. She sat there, barely picking at her food.
“Darling, what’s wrong?” April asked. “You’ve barely said a word, and you’re hardly eating anything. Don’t you like my dinner?”
“It’s great, Mom. I’m just not really hungry,” Ashley replied.
“Not hungry? Since when? You’ve got the famous Crane cravings. We all do,” Burt said.
“I’m just not feeling well, I guess. Take your time and finish. I’m going to lie down on the couch.”
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 39