They all sipped their milk and got quiet again. Even her dad seemed to have lost interest in the brownies. April sighed and gazed at her husband’s sad face.
“Somehow, I always knew this would come back to haunt us,” Burt said. He hung his head.
Ashley noticed her father’s hands were clenched on the table.
“They’re going to solve the case, Dad,” she said. “So many people are working on it. It’s just a matter of time. Then Uncle George can go back to living his life in peace.”
“Yeah. Suppose so. Except he will always be a broken man,” Burt replied. His eyes were moist, and he wiped them with his napkin. “Got to get back to work in the garage.”
April stared at him as he walked away. Then she turned and looked at her daughter. Her eyes were glistening too.
Ashley broke the silence. “You agree, right, Mom? They will solve it and everything will be okay again.”
April patted her daughter’s hand. “Thank you for doing what you can to help your uncle, honey. But some things will never be okay. That’s life.”
Ashley gave her mom a hug as she headed for the door. “I’ll call you later. Bye. Love you.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ashley stopped by a few stores on her way home to pick up all the ingredients for her upcoming catering event. First, she picked out some of the freshest produce for her vegetable dishes. There were autumn colors and flavors splashed all across the bins of produce. She chose some deep-purple eggplant and bright-yellow squash. The beets were a particularly deep red with long tops. She grabbed a handful.
Next, she got a large bag of plump green beans, small golden potatoes, and perfect little Brussels sprouts. She also took six beautiful mini orange and white pumpkins for decoration. There were at least eight different kinds of apples, and she chose a tart variety, which would be perfect for a fruit pie. Then she bagged up six perfectly ripe pears and a bunch of small grapes. How lovely everything was in season. And how much better it would all taste when she cooked everything.
Next stop was the local deli. It wasn’t fancy like the food emporiums in big cities, but it had just about anything a cook could want. Different kinds of salamis hung above the meat counter. Cuts of prime steak were in the glass case, as well as fresh fish on ice. And off to the corner were the plumpest fresh chickens around. She chose two large ones for her dinner. They would be perfect roasted with olive oil and butter and fresh herbs.
The cheese counter had tempting choices as well. She picked a wedge each of a soft and hard cheese and then some ripe olives and small pickles. A perfect hunk of imported butter and two crusty baguettes rounded out her purchases.
The owner of the deli rang her up her order. “Good choices. What’s on deck for the meal?”
“A roasted chicken dinner with fresh autumn vegetables and a perfect apple tart,” Ashley said.
“And you got some great cheese, I see. But where’s your wine?” he asked.
“Oh, I still have some bottles at home from my last party.”
“Try this. It’s a wonderful Grenache. It just came in yesterday. Perfect with a fall dinner.”
“Thank you,” she said.
The owner bagged up two bottles but only charged her for one.
“Oh, you don’t have to—” she started to say.
He smiled at her. “It’s on me. You’re one of my best customers. Have a great dinner.”
Ashley smiled back at him and walked to her car.
It was starting to get dark, and she only had one quick stop left. Some butterscotch daisy pompons and burgundy carnations with green leaves and wooden branches would make a beautiful bouquet for her party. She had already ordered it and hoped it would be ready.
As soon as she parked and started to walk into the flower store, she noticed Caitlin Harding two cars over from her. Caitlin was agitated and yelling into her cell phone. Her hair was in disarray, and her lipstick was smeared. She looked a far cry from the polished woman in the nice suit with the burgundy bag that she had been at the luncheon.
Ashley couldn’t hear what she was saying through the window, but Caitlin angrily tossed her phone down on the car seat and got out and slammed her door. She headed down the street in the opposite direction of the flower shop.
Ashley made a split-second decision. She needed to get her bouquet and get home, but this opportunity to question Caitlin may not come up again. She set off down the street in her direction.
Hot on Caitlin’s tail, Ashley quickened her stride. “Hello? Excuse me. Caitlin, may I speak with you?”
Caitlin was walking at a brisk clip and didn’t turn around. She was busy talking on another cell phone.
Ashley tried again. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this is important.”
“Just a minute,” Caitlin said into her phone. She turned to face Ashley. “What?”
“May I speak with you a moment?”
“Who are you?” Caitlin snapped. “I’m on an important call.”
“Ashley Crane. We met at a luncheon that I catered a short while ago. Remember?”
“No, I don’t remember. Now, if you excuse me, I have to get back to—”
Ashley cut her off. “Then if you don’t remember me from that luncheon, can you tell me what you were doing at the hospital with a red-haired man in my uncle’s hospital room?”
Caitlin’s face went as white as a sheet. She quickly turned her phone off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do. You were visiting my uncle at the hospital. The head nurse confirmed you were there. Why?”
“Oh…that,” she stammered. “My friend said he needed to visit someone, and I just went along. We were on the way to breakfast. I didn’t even know who that man was.”
“That man is my uncle,” Ashley replied. “And if you don’t know anything about him, then your friend obviously does. Who is your friend, and what did he say to my uncle?”
“Are you crazy? I don’t know you, and I’m certainly not going to give you personal information about my friend!”
Caitlin turned and headed back for her car.
Ashley raced right in front of her. “Look, I know all about you and the Anderson murder trial. You were Robert Anderson’s mistress. My uncle was falsely implicated in that case until he was found innocent. He’s been living a peaceful life all these years until someone tried to murder him recently. Now, I want to know why you and a strange man were in his hospital room. What do you want from my uncle? And if you’re not willing to tell me, you’ll have to answer to the police soon.”
“I’ve already told the police everything I know about what happened years ago—several times now! And I told you, I was just along for the ride yesterday. If you want any more information, go after the guy who was with me. He wanted to see your uncle, not me!”
“What’s his name? Tell me his name!”
Ashley continued to block Caitlin from walking away.
Caitlin hissed at her. “If you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to start screaming here in the street. You have no authority to question me like this.”
Ashley weakened her stance for just a minute, enough for Caitlin to wriggle around her and run to her car. Ashley sighed and watched her go. Unfortunately, there was nothing else she could do.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Caitlin would no doubt alert the red-haired man who was with her at the hospital as to what had just transpired. From there, the mystery man could take off, making it even more difficult to track him down.
Ashley felt a hot flush of shame on her face. Despite all her efforts, she had just screwed up—big time.
She silently cursed and turned to walk up the street to get her flowers. Her foot hit something, and she heard it drop off the curb.
Ashley bent over and saw a red shape under the front wheel of the car that was parked there. It was Caitlin’s phone.
Ashley quickly grabbed it and raced to the florist. After paying for her b
ouquet, she jumped in her car and drove home.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
No doubt Caitlin would know her other phone was missing by now. Ashley immediately called Detective Thompson. Unfortunately, the call went to voicemail.
Ashley left a message. “Nate, call me ASAP. I have urgent news.”
Ashley hung up her phone and quickly unloaded her groceries at home. When that was done, she put the flowers she had purchased in water.
The cats were yowling for food, and she gave them a huge bowl of it. Then she left a light on in both the living room and in the bedroom and turned some music on so that an outside observer would think she was still at home.
There was an uneasy feeling in her gut that she had to get out of her apartment in a hurry.
Ashley locked the door behind her then headed over to Nancy’s apartment.
She knocked on the door a number of times without receiving an answer. Ashley grabbed her phone and called Nancy. It rang three times then went to voicemail.
Ashley left a message for her friend. “Nancy, it’s Ashley. Call me as soon as you get this. It’s urgent.”
Ashley quickly got in her car. As she pulled out of the driveway, she saw a small, dark car coming up her street. It was the same one that had followed her and Nancy from the old mill. She couldn’t see who the driver was.
Her hands started to shake on the wheel. She turned the car around and quickly headed the opposite way down the street from the approaching vehicle.
From there, Ashley headed one street over to the main boulevard, finally parking directly in front of the local elementary school. It was a beautiful autumn day, and she was in plain sight. The suspicious car didn’t appear to have followed her.
Ashley sat quietly by herself for a few more minutes until a wave of nausea came over her.
A terrible thought came to her mind. Maybe that person broke into my apartment again. What if they hurt the cats?
She drove quickly back down the boulevard and turned onto her street. Much to her relief, everything looked calm. She didn’t spot the dark car anywhere.
Her cell phone rang. She immediately picked it up when she saw Detective Thompson listed on her called ID.
“Nate?” Ashley said. “Thank God you called. Listen, I’ve got Caitlin Harding’s cell phone. It’s a long story, but suffice it to say that she wasn’t happy when I asked her about the red-haired companion of hers at the hospital. I haven’t had time to look at her phone yet, but the same dark car that followed my friend and me to the mill just came down my street. I’m sure someone’s after that phone. Can I come over now and give the phone to you?”
“Yeah. Come right over. But be careful,” Thompson warned.
***
Ashley booked it to the police station. The entire time, she kept glancing in her side and rearview mirrors to see if anyone was behind her. As soon as she reached the station, she jumped out of her car and ran inside.
“Detective Thompson, please,” Ashley said.
The receptionist stared at her. She was an older lady with a no-nonsense attitude about her. She sized Ashley up.
“I see you around a lot. You should be working here,” the receptionist said. “Save yourself a lot of time and gas.”
“Yeah, I know. I know. Is the detective busy? He told me to come right over.”
“I’m checking. Hold on to your straps.” The receptionist dialed Thompson’s line. It kept ringing. “He’s obviously on another line. Have a seat. He’ll get to you.”
Ashley sat in a chair in the lobby, but she was so fraught with anxiety that she kept bouncing her knee. She glanced around nervously at the few officers in the station.
Occasionally, she got up to pace. She couldn’t believe it. What was taking Thompson so long?
After a few minutes went by, she got up and addressed the receptionist again. “Can you please try his line again?”
The receptionist gave her a bemused look. “Anything so urgent that a chocolate éclair won’t help? Or a lemon tart?” She offered a box of pastries to Ashley. The label read Babycakes Bakery.
“That’s my boyfriend’s bakery,” Ashley said. “I see that Detective Thompson is getting big boxes of his desserts here now.”
“That’s right. We are a sophisticated bunch here. We’ve branched out from donuts.”
Ashley smiled weakly at her. She returned to her chair and ate her éclair in silence. It was comforting to have Sean’s pastries, at least.
A few minutes later, Thompson came out of his office.
“Ashley, come in. Quickly.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ashley went into the detective’s office, and Thompson shut the door behind them.
The detective got right to the point. “Sit down. Do you have the phone?”
Ashley reached inside her purse and gave Caitlin’s cell phone to Thompson.
“I still haven’t had time to look at it,” she replied. “I thought you should get the first crack at it.”
“Good choice.” His face looked grim. He quickly scrolled through Caitlin’s calls and her directory. “There’s only one contact on here.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “What?”
“It’s labeled—Red.” He groaned. “That’s it. In her call log, all of the calls are to the same number.”
Ashley stood up. “That explains it!”
Thompson stared at her. “Explains what?”
“When I saw her, she was talking on a phone in her car. She yelled into the phone and then tossed it on the seat. Then, when I approached her on the street, she was talking on another phone.”
“This phone?”
Ashley nodded.
“What do you say we give this Red a call?” Thompson replied.
The detective dialed the number. It rang three times, then a recording was heard.
“The number you have called is no longer in service. Please check the number and try again later.”
Ashley grimaced. “Too late. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. You did a good job getting this. I’ll hand it over for inspection. Maybe they can match the number in a database.”
She sighed. “He’s probably gone by now.”
“Probably,” Thompson replied. “And she’s definitely gone. I was on the phone with Detective Jackson when you got here. Caitlin Harding is nowhere to be seen. After the report that she’d been in the hospital with that man, we sent a cop to her house. She denied knowing your uncle and said she was scared of the man that she was with when they visited the hospital. Two cops just went back to her house a short while ago after your call, but she had locked up the place, and her car is gone. She probably took off right after the phone incident with you on the street. We’ve got those cops going through everything at her residence, and there’s an all-points bulletin out on her now. A woman like that is not going far.”
“What should I do now?” she asked.
“Don’t go home. Go to Sean’s bakery. Wait there. I’ll see what I can find out and send a car to keep watch at your apartment. Just lie low. I’ll call you when it’s safe to go back to your place.”
“Okay,” she murmured.
Ashley got up and headed to the door.
Detective Thompson wasn’t done. “Ashley?”
She turned and looked at him. “Yeah?”
“Good job. On everything. I mean it. But it doesn’t always work out. Someone got away with murder years ago, and it looks like they might still. We can only do our best.”
“I know. But I’ve got my uncle in the hospital and danger all around me and my family again. I would hate to think that it was all for naught.”
“Doesn’t your buddy Shakespeare have something to say about this? He seemed to understand the unfairness of life,” Thompson said.
Her hand stayed on the doorknob until a quote from The Tempest came to her mind.
“Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.”
Nate frowned. �
��That’s pretty bleak.”
“That’s how I feel right now.”
“Well, don’t feel that way for long. There’s a lot to love about life, you know,” he said.
He put his hand on her shoulder.
“Yeah, I know. I’ll get over this. Thanks for trying to cheer me up. Bye,” Ashley said.
***
Ashley walked to her car and noticed how cloudy the sky had gotten. It felt like it was about to rain, although none had been forecast. It was the perfect weather to match her mood. She wrapped her light sweater closer to her.
As soon as she got in the car, she called Sean.
“Hey, Ash. Where have you been? I tried calling you a few times,” Sean said.
“Sorry, long story. Lots to tell you. I’m coming on over to hang out. I need something buttery and sweet and some strong coffee. Save me a sample of whatever you think is the yummiest. Love you,” Ashley replied.
“Love you, too,” Sean said. “See you soon.”
Chapter Forty
Ashley pulled out of the station and headed toward the bakery. She noticed the trees rustling. It would be a windy night. She drove by the town park. It was empty now at this time in the early evening, and some of the swings were moving back and forth with the gusts. A few ducks waddled on by, quacking to one another. Her thoughts flashed back to all the times she had spent with her parents here. She felt comforted by the memories.
Ashley was pulled from her nostalgia when she saw a little boy sitting on the carousel.
How strange.
As far as she could tell, there was no adult around. She couldn’t be sure, but he looked like the scruffy little boy that she had seen on the streets walking with a little girl days ago. Was that him? He looked way too young to be alone out here in the near dark.
Ashley pulled over and got out of her car to see if he was okay. She called out to him, but he didn’t look at her.
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 45