by Emmie Lyn
“Jasper? You remember her” I was impressed since I hadn’t been in the diner recently.
Christy laughed. “How could I forget? She filled up the office when you arrived dripping wet and terrified. At least that mystery got solved.”
I shuddered at the memory of my frigid swim in Blueberry Bay to escape a killer. “Jasper’s fine. She’s home with my two kitties who will probably run circles around her.”
She pulled her order pad and pen from her apron pocket. “What can I get you or do you need a little more time?”
“Nothing to think about. I made up my mind as soon as we decided to come here for lunch. Two lobster rolls, please.” I ordered for both of us, knowing Hitch wouldn’t be disappointed. “And two iced teas.”
“Cute place,” Hitch said, after Christy picked up the menus and headed toward the kitchen. Her husband did most of the cooking. “You know the owner?”
As if on cue, Dani walked over and slid in next to me. She gave me an enthusiastic hug and a peck on my cheek. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Sunny Shaw.
“Dani, this is my friend, Ty Hitchner.”
“Hitch to my friends,” he said with a warm smile for Dani.
Dani stretched her arm across the table to shake Hitch’s hand. “What brings you to the Little Dog Diner today?” Dani asked.
“Besides your lobster rolls?” I lowered my voice. “We wanted to get away from all the buzz surrounding the murder in Pineville.
Dani rolled her eyes in commiseration. She knew a lot about murders. “I just heard about that. You aren’t involved are you?” she asked in a worried rush.
A server I didn’t recognize came to our table with silverware and water and I stopped to take a big gulp. Then I said, “You won’t believe it, Dani. It happened right after the auction at the Nine Pine Nursery ended. The victim had been standing next to me not long before he was killed. But I guess the good news is that Hitch and I are now the proud owners of the old nursery.”
Dani’s eyes widened. “Congratulations! What are your plans with the place?”
“As soon as we can, we’ll get started with some remodeling. We haven’t made any of this public yet, but we’re planning a shake and cake shop in the building, and the attached greenhouse will be home to stray kitties for adoption plus all of Hitch’s orchids.” I sat back with a big satisfied grin, picturing this venture done and ready to open.
“Sounds fantastic,” Dani said, and I could tell she meant it. “Will Jasper be involved?”
“Are you kidding? She’s already practicing to be the chief kitty nanny. I already have two kittens, and Jasper is fantastic with them. How great is that?”
“Add Pip as a back-up nanny. My little Jack Russell terrier loves kitties.” Dani’s phone pinged and she took it out of her pocket, scanned it briefly and returned to the conversation. “I’m so happy for you both. Best of luck getting it all up and running quickly. I know you have the energy and focus to make anything you want become a success, Sunny. Do you have a contractor yet?” She slid out of the booth, holding up her phone as an excuse to leave.
“We’re just beginning to look. Can you recommend anyone?” Hitch asked. He turned toward me to avoid the bright sunshine coming in through the large window.
Dani blushed a little. “Well, I’d recommend my husband, Luke, in a heartbeat, but I’m not sure if he can commit to your project fulltime. I’ve heard about a guy, Conrad Coleman, from here in Misty Harbor who gets high praise. I don’t know him personally, though. I’ll see if Luke knows anything more about him. He knows everyone around Blueberry Bay.”
Dani smiled down at me and I could see her joy shine through her bright eyes. I felt a surge of happiness for her. I owed her a lot and didn’t want to burden her with my new issues, but she seemed to have the info we needed. “Dani, would you mind talking to Luke about our plans? I’d love to hire him,” I said. “He remodeled the diner for you, right?”
Dani waved her phone at me to brush away my concerns. “He did. I wouldn’t mind at all. Plus, he added an apartment on my house for my grandmother. He does great work.”
Christy returned with our platters overflowing with French fries surrounding an overstuffed lobster roll. “Enjoy,” she said, placing the mouthwatering food in front of us.
“Yes, enjoy your lunch,” Dani said. “I’ve got to get back to work but keep me up to date on all the news.” She leaned close to my ear. “Don’t let that murder derail your plans.”
As if we could control that. I thought to myself.
11
Hitch didn’t waste a second before he dug into his lobster roll with ravenous gusto.
“When’s the last time you ate?” I asked, slightly taken aback by his appetite.
He grinned around a mouthful of lobster and shrugged. What else could he do without spewing food across the table? As soon as he devoured the last morsel, I heard a familiar voice. “There they are.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me when Tilly slid in next to me, but I wasn’t expecting her entourage, too. “Sue Ellen and Conrad insisted on coming,” she said, helping herself to one of my leftover fries. Is that okay?”
Like I could say no when Sue Ellen and Conrad stood at the table staring at me. That was Tilly—doing before thinking.
“We could sit in another booth,” Sue Ellen said, looking around for an open spot.
“No need for that.” Hitch wiped his mouth and slid out of the booth. “You two can have this seat. I have paperwork to finish up for the nursery purchase. Sunny, do you mind catching a ride home with Tilly?”
Tilly made a face that shut down Hitch’s plans. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said as if he was her son and she was organizing his day for him. “You don’t have to leave.” Tilly squashed me into the wall to make room for Conrad.
Sue Ellen slipped by Hitch and skootched herself into his place and Conrad sat next to her instead of crowding in with Tilly and me. “We have your nursery business to discuss,” Tilly said. “No time to waste getting that project underway. I told Conrad that I don’t mind putting my project on the back burner so he can get started on yours. Great news, right?”
Conrad’s grimace told me he wasn’t fully on board with Tilly’s agenda. “I don’t think they’ve had time to make that decision, Tilly,” Conrad said, politely giving Hitch and me an out of this awkward situation. “Of course, I’d love to be considered, though.”
“Actually,” Hitch said, looking down at the four of us sitting in the booth. “We just talked to the owner here at the Little Dog Diner, and she recommended her husband, Luke. Do you know him, Conrad?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. He does good work, but he has that blueberry farm so does he have the time for your project?”
“We’re checking into that,” I said. I hoped that Luke could give us the background scoop on Conrad’s business practices. He seemed nice enough. And, he wasn’t a complete unknown with Tilly’s friend, Sue Ellen, vouching for him. But, this was an important first step for Hitch and me to make. We had to get it right, and we both had to be able to work with the contractor. I’d met Luke and knew he was a standup guy. Conrad came across as a little too smooth with his hand kissing and constant grinning. It was more than obvious that Hitch wasn’t taken in by that act, but I’d keep an open mind about him.
Hitch, still standing, said, “Tilly? You’ll give Sunny a ride home? I trust her not to sign any contracts without filling me in first.” He grinned but also gave me a quick eyebrow raise letting me know it wasn’t a joke.
“Yeah, sure.” Tilly waved Hitch off. With him gone, it was three against me which felt like I was trapped in a leaky rubber raft and no bucket for bailing. I steeled myself for arm twisting arguments about Conrad’s brilliant abilities. Thanks, Hitch.
Christy brought coffees and a variety of muffins to the table. “Compliments from Dani,” she explained, setting the tray down.
“That Dani Mackenzie sure is a class act,” Tilly said. She ad
ded sugar and cream to her coffee and chose a plump blueberry muffin. “Well, help yourselves, don’t expect me to fix your coffee for you.”
The way Tilly stirred her own mug, splashing some over the side, told me that she had something up her sleeve. I could wait her out, no problem. I slid a coffee over and chose a muffin covered with a thick streusel topping as I waited, the sweet aroma hard to resist.
“So, Sunny.” Tilly said with quite the smirk on her face. “Sue Ellen dropped Conrad off at the auction this morning. Did you see him there?”
“Actually, no. I spent most of my time face planted on the pavement. Remember? For some reason, Jasper wasn’t on her leash and greeted me rather exuberantly.” I had no idea why this was important unless she thought Conrad killed Harry. Hmmm, was that where this was going?
Sue Ellen picked up the conversation. “Conrad knew the dead guy really well.”
Well, that got my attention. It was my turn to splash coffee on the booth. Not from stirring, though. My mug slipped from my fingers, crashed, cracked, and hot black liquid streamed over the edge right onto Conrad. His crotch to be exact.
“Yee gads, that’s hot!” he yelled and scooched away from the dripping mess before he was completely soaked. Sue Ellen grabbed a handful of napkins and tried to mop the spill off his pants—definitely awkward.
“I’ll do it myself,” he said.
Tilly jabbed me with her elbow, and I stifled a laugh.
Christy heard the commotion and rushed over with a cotton towel. “What happened?”
“I’m such a klutz, sorry. I’ll do that,” I said, taking over the clean-up. Of the table, not Conrad. I’m not sure why Tilly’s comment shocked me so much. What difference did it make whether Conrad and Harry knew each other? But, that’s the problem, I never knew where a thread of connection might lead.
Conrad glared at me. Maybe working for a clumsy woman wasn’t what he wanted, after all. I suspected that Hitch would be happy. Those two had not hit it off for some unknown reason.
“Oh, no big deal. No one will notice,” Tilly said, glancing at the big, dark stain on Conrad’s pants. We all knew she was lying. “Now… what I was about to tell you, Sunny, is that Conrad and Maxine both knew Harry.” She sat back looking very satisfied.
There had to be more. I waited.
Conrad leaned over the table, focusing on me. I braced for whatever he was about to share. Tilly and Sue Ellen must have already heard it because they busied themselves with the muffins and coffee.
“Maxine wanted Harry to buy that old nursery. In a big way. She had plans for it.” He raised his eyebrows. “Are you following me?”
“Just spit it all out,” I said getting annoyed with this conversation. They were all in on some secret. Why didn’t they just spit it out? “Look,” I said, letting my frustration with them out in a loud sigh, “Why didn’t he just outbid me if he was such a rich guy?”
Conrad muffled a laugh with his arm. “Who told you that?”
I flicked my wrist dismissively. “Doesn’t matter who. It’s not true?”
Conrad waffled his hand back and forth. “Depends how you define rich. He didn’t have access to enough money to beat your bid and do the renovations. Anyway, that’s beside the point. He didn’t really want that nursery. Maxine wanted it, and now you own it with your friend. That’s a big problem for her.”
Little hairs on my neck shot to attention. “You think she’ll come after us?” I reached for Tilly’s hand under the table. Tilly, my guardian grannie who always had my back.
Then, I heard the tiniest mew. “What’s that?”
“I almost forgot.” Tilly pulled Stash out of her pocket. “This girl loves a cozy pocket, but maybe she wants to know what’s going on. Here.” She handed the magic ball of fur to me and my stress vanished. “Don’t worry, Sunny. We’ll protect you.” I quickly glanced around to be sure no one saw the kitten and made a complaint.
In that moment, holding Stash and sitting next to Tilly, I knew I’d figure out this puzzle and come out stronger for it.
“So… Maxine?” I met Conrad’s gaze with a new resolve. “She argued with Harry after the auction. Did she kill him?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Conrad said, leaning back against the red seat. “That’s what we have to figure out.”
“But you were there, too, Conrad. Maybe you killed your friend. Someone tried to steal his valuable bonsai plant. How many people knew about it or even had the means to gain access to his New York City apartment?”
If I hadn’t been watching so closely, I would have missed the dark shadow that flickered in his eyes. I’d hit a nerve. Conrad Coleman knew more than he’d revealed so far. I made a decision that Hitch might not like, but I’d worry about that later.
“Conrad, let’s discuss the remodeling we need for our new business, shall we? Tomorrow morning?” I smiled at him. When our eyes met, it felt like we were locked in a battle. For what? Information that led to a murderer?
I hoped I didn’t regret this decision.
12
When I rolled out of bed Tuesday morning and my feet hit the floor, sharp pins stabbed into my ankles.
“Hey!” I shouted, leaping back on the bed. With my feet out of range, my two kittens tumbled together instead of digging their claws into my skin. They rolled around like one fluff ball with two tails and eight legs.
Poor Jasper watched from the doorway, whining pitifully. Her chocolate eyes drooped as she watched the fun.
I laughed at their antics and jumped over the kittens.
“Come on, Jasper. Don’t worry about those two, we’ll leave them here to dust the floor while we get some breakfast. I’ve got a lot of business to deal with today.”
Jasper headed straight to the door letting me know that she had her own business to take care of first.
“You need to go out?” Her tail fanned in reply. “Okay, fresh air and exercise before breakfast. That works for me, too.”
I filled bowls with crunchies for the kittens, pulled on my sneakers, and snapped on Jasper’s leash. The leash, strictly for appearances sake, let people who saw my big companion as an intimidating menace think she was under control. Right! With Jasper outweighing me, I couldn’t stop her if she made up her mind to take off.
“Sunny!” I heard Tilly shout as soon as my feet hit the pavement outside. “Wait a minute,” she called as she hustled to catch up to us. She glowed in her favorite lime green jogging outfit, and with the strong morning sun, I should have worn my sunglasses to shield myself from the glaring vision. She insisted that when she was color coordinated with her car, it gave her an in-charge image. Maybe, but I had my doubts.
“Are you meeting Conrad this morning?” She handed me an energy bar and pumped her arms in sync with her pace.
“That’s the plan.” I picked up speed to keep Jasper away from my neighbor’s prize flower bed next to the sidewalk. I didn’t see Violet peeking out her window, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t watching us. She had a fifth sense that told her exactly when Jasper was within ten feet of her precious blooms.
Jasper stopped, sniffed at the edge of the garden, and then wagged her tail. She looked at me with her tongue hanging out and what seemed to be a smile across her open mouth. I think she was telling me that she was having a bit of fun and not to worry. We moved on. I sighed and bit into my energy bar.
“Did you tell Hitch that Conrad is meeting you at the nursery?” Tilly asked.
Honestly, I hadn’t let myself go down that path yet. Personally, I was okay with hearing his proposal, but the tension between Conrad and Hitch was a tad more than subtle. Whatever the trouble was between the two of them, I didn’t want it affecting our business.
“Maybe I should cancel,” I said to Tilly. We turned at the corner where a path took us through more dog-friendly terrain. I relaxed my tight hold on the leash, giving Jasper more slack and she began to sniff around.
“The way I see it,” Till
y said, “no harm in hearing the guy out. Sue Ellen vouches for him. Says he does great work. Why are you having second thoughts?”
I kicked a small rock along in front of me. “Didn’t you feel the tension when Hitch first met Conrad? He doesn’t like the guy, and I trust his instincts.”
Tilly pulled me to a stop and forced me to look at her. “You know I love Hitch, but he doesn’t trust anyone when he first meets them. It’s his nature. He’s suspicious before he lets his guard down. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but you have to follow your own instincts, Sunny. Otherwise, he’ll be running the show at your new business. This is the first test. Take charge of it.”
Tilly had a point. I tightened the elastic on the end of my braid. “Tell me something,” I said, wanting an answer to a question that had been bugging me since the whole auction thing went down. “Why does Hitch want me as his business partner? He could do it on his own and hire help.”
Tilly stopped in the middle of the path. “You have to ask?” She shook her head like the answer was too obvious for words.
“Indulge me.” I needed to know.
“Okay, Sunny. Here’s the thing that everyone seems to see but you. Listen carefully. You’re smart, hard-working, clever, and once you make up your mind, you never quit.” Tilly emphasized each point with a raised finger. “Oh, and did I say having a free supply of your cakes should be number one on the list?”
“Hitch told you all that?” I was feeling embarrassed from all the compliments. Just a little, though. Who doesn’t like to hear some praise once in a while?
“Honey? He doesn’t have to tell me what I already know. You have to act like you’re in charge, and then everything will fall into place.”
I wished it was that easy. Nothing ever fell into place in my experience. At least not before lots of other problems were dealt with first.
We rounded the last leg of our walk. Unexpectedly, I saw Gina pacing back and forth in front of my house with her phone glued to her ear. Determination or frustration lined her face. It was hard to tell the difference.