Zam rubbed his head. “I didn’t think you wanted me around last night.”
The bell rang, and she looked up. Zam followed the direction of her gaze. A large group of elderly people she’d never seen before poured in, wearing patriotic gear. Tourists who got bussed in for the town’s festivities.
“I definitely want you around right now. I’ll take orders if you want to pour.”
Zam saluted and marched behind the counter.
Tandy ran the cash register but could barely keep up with him. Mugs clinked around her. Drinks were delivered with froth in the shape of American flags or with stars sprinkled on in cinnamon. And Zam even had a way to pour in syrup from high above, ending the pour the very moment he swept his arm across the area where he’d been pouring.
The customers smiled as they carried their drinks away.
Tandy pointed at the syrup bottle. “I want to learn to do that.”
“The hinge cut? Only takes a little finesse.”
The front bell rang again. Opal’s scowl entered before she did.
“Yes. The hinge cut. But not until after I brew Opal’s Earl Grey.”
Zam nodded. They watched Opal take her tiny, fragile steps. It could be a while before Tandy got to learn to do the new trick. While waiting, she might as well practice her napkin trick.
She grabbed the folded square, flicked it into the air, caught it on her elbow, bounced it up again, caught it on the back of her hand, and flicked her wrist over to set it on the counter in front of Opal. Success. She sent Zam a triumphant grin before facing her customer.
“What can I get you today?” she asked even though the answer never changed. The one time she’d assumed, Opal berated her for being so disrespectful.
Opal’s thin lips pressed together. “You could start with a clean napkin.”
Zam laughed.
Tandy turned to grab another napkin, sticking out her tongue at Zam when Opal couldn’t see. She set it down primly in front of her most discerning patron. “Anything else?”
“Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, I’ll take an Earl Grey tea steeped for exactly two minutes.”
“You got it.” Tandy nodded at Zam to get started. Hopefully he’d realized not to try any of his tricks with this order.
Opal lowered her glasses to look at Tandy over the brim. “Young lady, I’m not finished.”
And Tandy had been trying so hard not to assume. She motioned to Zam’s cupcake display. “Could I get you something to eat with that?”
Opal glared at the patriotic dessert. “At this hour? Of course not. I have someone joining me.”
“Oh.” Who in town would be brave enough to drink tea with this lady? Was Tandy’s ex-boyfriend back with his smile so Downy fresh that it even softened Opal’s wrinkly heart? “Do you know what your friend would like to drink?”
“It’s my grandson.”
That made more sense.
“And he has a sweet tooth, so I’ll take one of your s’mores mochas.”
Tandy took Opal’s credit card and checked to make sure Zam was on top of both drinks. Heaven forbid he leave the tea bag in too long while he was steaming the chocolate milk for Opal’s grandson.
Of course, he was already pulling out the whipped cream, mini marshmallows, and chocolate bar shavings while the espresso brewed. He caught her eye with a smirk of amusement at Opal’s indulgence in her grandson’s sweet tooth, so she mimicked Opal’s cupcake contempt without making a sound. “At this hour?” He could read her lips while Opal would never know she’d said a word.
She faced the cash register again. “That will be eight dollars and fifty cents.”
“I gave you my card. Swipe already.”
Tandy didn’t trust herself to say anything else. Thankfully, Zam had the drinks on the bar before she finished the transaction.
The bell rang again. Tandy glanced up and immediately took back her negativity toward Opal. The woman was an angel compared to the deadbeat detective Joseph Cross had hired. How would she get rid of Trenton this time?
He headed her way. “Tandy.”
She grunted in acknowledgement.
He turned his attention to Opal. “Grandma.”
Tandy’s jaw dropped as he bent to kiss the old woman’s cheek. But it made sense in a weird sort of way. At least they both had each other and wouldn’t be talking to her anymore.
Unfortunately, as the dreary duo ambled away, Connor clomped down the stairs in his work boots, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Was he going to want Zam’s fingerprints next? Greg should get there soon with his background checks, and she’d request to have one run on her miraculous new employee. With their relationship being professional, she’d have to get his written consent.
Connor didn’t even look at Zam. Instead he held up his phone. “I got an email from Marissa.”
Tandy eyed the disastrous macaroons to make sure they were out of his sight, so he didn’t report back to her business partner. Marissa didn’t need anything else to stress about.
“She said the deputy interrogated her neighbors about the note on her door, and they didn’t see anything, so he suspects her of faking it.”
Tandy hadn’t thought anything would shock her more than seeing Trenton kiss Opal on the cheek. But Marissa faking the note? “Why would she do that?”
Connor glowered, and not only from not being a morning person. “She wouldn’t. It’s preposterous.”
Tandy shook her head. She’d been with Marissa when they’d first found the note. Before that, Marissa had been at the wedding planner’s shop. “Somebody had to have seen something. I mean, Opal could run the neighborhood watch all by herself if she wanted to.”
Zam pointed across the coffee shop. “That Opal.”
Connor turned. “I’ll go ask her some more…”
Zam grabbed the back of his shirt and held him in place. Connor shrugged away. “Hey, man.”
Zam didn’t look at him. Just held up a hand to stop him. “Wait. She’s telling Trenton about her neighbor Marissa.”
Tandy strained to hear the conversation over the Yankee Doodle playlist she’d put together. Nothing. And she definitely couldn’t make out any words from watching their lips. If she’d had to guess, Opal had said, Something, something, Scooby-Doo.
“Don’t stare,” Zam admonished.
Connor spun to face her, so she spun to face the opposite wall, as well.
Zam lifted his eyebrows at her behavior before focusing back on Opal and her grandson at the far end of a round table. “It would be more normal for you to pretend to be in conversation with each other rather than synchronized spinning.”
“Right.” She faced Connor again, smiled, and nodded.
Connor’s pained expression told her he wasn’t going to play along.
“Okay,” Zam translated. “Opal didn’t tell the police what she saw because she thought it might be a clue for Trenton.”
Connor’s eyes grew stormier, if that was possible. “Are you kidding me?”
Tandy stepped around the counter so she could anchor Connor in place. “What did Trenton say?”
“He wants to know what the person looked like who stuck the note to Marissa’s door.”
Tandy went from smiling and nodding to scowling and shaking her head. The private detective could get in serious trouble for this if he didn’t go to the police. Though Tandy would. Deputy Romero needed to know there was somebody really out there threatening Marissa’s life.
“Opal saw a woman,” Zam said slowly like a kindergartner learning how to read.
Tandy gasped. “Then it has to be Moria. Do you think the mayor’s wife would cover for her? Or maybe she was mistaken.”
Connor’s eyes slid sideways toward Zam in speculation. “Anything else?”
“Opal doesn’t approve of Marissa’s wedding dress not being full-length.”
Connor blinked and looked at Tandy. “How short is it?”
Tandy waved away the question. I
t didn’t even matter anymore since Marissa was getting a new dress. “It was tea-length because Marissa’s mom didn’t want her to trip on the train.”
His head cocked in confusion. “But she’s planning to wear heels?”
“I think I can talk her into cowboy boots.”
Connor nodded in appreciation. “Did Trenton say anything else?” he asked Zam.
Tandy stilled to wait for the answer, not even turning when the bell rang over the door.
Zam dropped his forearms on the counter and leaned on them casually, looking the least conspicuous out of the three of them. “They’re still talking about the way Officer Griffin dive-rolled around Marissa’s house when she made the mistake of reporting an intruder.”
Tandy bit back a smile.
Connor’s lips twitched.
Files smacked down on the counter between them, jolting Tandy from surveillance mode.
“Hey.” Greg looked back and forth between Connor and Tandy. “Staring competition?”
Yes. Because they had nothing better to do. She turned her head slightly toward her boyfriend and instinctively covered her mouth in case there were other people in the world who could read lips. Specifically, Opal. She was full of surprises today. “Zam’s reading Opal’s lips. She lied to the police.”
Greg shoved his hands in the pockets of his khaki suit, looking decidedly more J. Crew than when in his Abraham Lincoln costume, but his pinched expression made him appear less comfortable. “She lied? That’s obstruction of justice.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to tell Griffin. Opal saw a woman leaving the note on Marissa’s door. The only person I can think who’d do that would be Moria Evans. Did you find anything on her?”
Greg nodded toward the files. “Nothing criminal, but she does have some financial issues. It’s no wonder she needed Randon to co-sign for her loan.”
Tandy pulled her phone from the back pocket of her ripped jeans. “I’ll tell Marissa.”
The bell over the door rang again. She looked up. More tourists. This couple dressed to match. Him in stars, her in stripes.
“I got it.” Zam stood tall behind the counter. “You email Marissa.”
Tandy smiled. What would she do without him? “Thanks.” She tapped on her phone to open her email app.
Connor turned his back to Zam and crossed his arms. “You’re telling Marissa that Opal saw a woman leave a note on her door?”
Her email opened. A message from Marissa waited there. Probably the same thing she’d sent Connor. “Yep.”
Connor glanced over his shoulder. “What if Zam is lying? What if he put the note there, and he’s claiming Opal said it was a woman to throw us off his scent?”
Tandy’s vision blurred as she considered the possibility. “Why would he have to say anything at all? He knew Romero already suspected Marissa of lying.”
Greg looked past them to the corner where Opal sat. “It’s easy enough to find out.”
Connor rubbed his jaw. “You think Opal will tell us the truth when she lied to the police?”
“Maybe Opal did it.”
Tandy rolled her eyes. This was getting ridiculous. She ignored the conspiracy theories to read Marissa’s email.
Moria has your dress ready for your fitting.
Really? Connor got an email about investigating, and she only got an email about wedding planning? Well, maybe she could do both at once.
“Guys.” She held up her phone. “How about I go try on my dress at As You Wish Weddings and question Moria in the process?”
Chapter Thirteen
Greg prepped Tandy on questions to ask as he drove her to her dress fitting. She’d scheduled it on his lunch because he didn’t want her to go alone. And because she appreciated his expertise.
“Be simple and precise. One question at a time. Start general and work your way to the specifics. Listen for anything that might discredit her testimony.”
Tandy nodded. It was a good thing he’d be there listening to Moria too. Though knowing he’d also be listening to her was a little nerve wracking. “Can’t you ask the questions?”
Greg pulled to the curb in front of the storefront. “She already knows Marissa suspects her. So she’s definitely going to put her guard up if I go in as a lawyer.”
Tandy looked him up and down. Wearing a suit in the small town was a dead giveaway. “You should probably take off your jacket.”
“I’d be glad to.” He popped open his door and stepped into the blazing noon sun.
Tandy would never make a good lawyer. Not because she couldn’t ask questions but because she couldn’t wear a suit in summer. Even the back of the concert tee she wore had slashes in it for ventilation. Greg somehow seemed to remain cool as he walked around the gold Mercedes to join her on the sidewalk.
He hung his jacket on a hanger he just happened to carry in his car and hooked it on a hook inside the door to the backseat. But his tie was still a dead giveaway.
She tugged on it and stepped closer. “You gotta lose this.”
He watched her loosen the knot at his neck with unabashed enjoyment.
She smiled up into his watching eyes. “You think Moria will buy us as a couple?”
“We are a couple.”
“I know. But look at us. I’m in Converse. You’re in…” She looked down at the shiny brown leather. “Penny loafers?”
He popped up his collar so she could remove the tie. “They’re not penny loafers. They’re called formal loafers.”
She lifted the tie over his head, careful not to mess up the sleek, black style. As much as she despised his shoe selection, she was very aware what a catch he was. “There’s a place for a penny,” she pointed out.
He lifted the tie from her hands and looped it over the hook of the hanger. “I would never put a penny in them. Not only because the slits are sewn shut but because my girlfriend would make fun of me mercilessly.”
“She sounds cool. I think I’d like her.”
Greg closed the car door then grinned as he looped an arm around her waist to escort her inside like a gentleman. “She has her moments.”
Tandy snuggled closer despite the way sweat slicked her skin. Those beads of sweat would only help cool her off once they opened the ornately carved door and stepped inside with the air conditioning. They weren’t going to keep her from enjoying a rare moment with her man. Though if Zam stayed on to help at the coffee shop, they might be able to do lunch dates more often.
Greg grabbed the brass handle and pulled. Icy air poured out along with a clean, floral scent that reminded Tandy of the summer days when Grandma hung laundry out to dry by her flower garden. Stepping inside would have been inviting if not for the deputy who regarded them with suspicious, beady eyes.
Shouldn’t she and Greg be the suspicious ones? They’d had reason to do a background check on the very two people who were meeting right in front of them. Not that they’d turned up anything on Romero. He’d served in the military until moving here. That was honorable—but still.
Romero turned to face them. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Tandy arched a brow. Did the deputy somehow know they’d run a background check and were here to follow up with questions?
He lifted his scruffy chin. “Are you here to harass Miss Evans?”
He knew.
“It’s all right, Adrian.” Moria motioned Greg and Tandy inside. “I ordered Marissa’s maid of honor dress before she fired me. Would be nice to get paid a little for all the work I did.”
Romero glanced from Moria to Greg and narrowed his eyes. He finally stepped to the side.
Greg slid his palm to the small of Tandy’s back and ushered her forward.
Romero lifted a hand in farewell to the wedding planner. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
Why would Moria need him? Romero was getting creepier and creepier. And now Tandy was really thankful Greg insisted on coming.
The door swung shut. Tandy looked around, even more uncomfor
table than she normally would have been in the fancy space with its chandeliers and gilded mirrors and brocade tuffets. Not that she knew what a tuffet was, but if anybody sat on a tuffet besides Miss Muffet, it would be Moria.
Greg motioned toward the door with his thumb. “Have you known him long?”
“I don’t know him that well.” Moria busied herself clearing garments from the one curtained fitting room. “My adopted brother served in the military with him. Jamie died in a helicopter crash overseas, while Adrian survived. We started writing each other for support. He said he needed to get out of the military but didn’t know what to do, so I told him about the opening here.”
Tandy widened her eyes at Greg. This answer was pretty specific. Where to go from here?
Also, did they need to go anywhere? Two men had moved to Grace Springs for Moria. One was in a coma, the other able to protect her from investigation. Then there was her military boyfriend who’d been arrested for the attack on Randon.
Pieces fell into place. The boyfriend found out Moria would inherit money if Randon died. The boyfriend tried to kill him but told her he was being framed. In his defense, she put the threatening note on Marissa’s door. She didn’t really have an alibi with the mayor, but the deputy made it up to protect her. He did want Cash to go to jail, but not at Moria’s expense.
The only question was who still wanted Randon dead? Had Moria gone to the hospital and tried to smother him? Would Romero still defend her if she had?
Moria disappeared into the back then returned with a dress bag.
“How nice the deputy supports you,” Tandy offered to break the silence. “Though I’m curious about why you were worried about Cash’s prosecutor finding out Randon’s sister was dating him if law enforcement already knew.”
Moria paused and titled her head. She didn’t seem offended the way she had in the police station. Only curious. “Is that why Marissa thought I’d stuck the note on her door? She suspected I’m Cash’s accomplice?”
A Latte Difficulty Page 11