by Emmie Lyn
He nodded, but I wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the kitty or the other details about our day I’d just mentioned.
“Then you went to Hitch’s house?”
“Before we left Shakes and Cakes, Officer Walker showed up.”
A dark shadow passed over his face, disappearing so quickly I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t been looking at him.
The Chief glanced toward the kitchen where we could still hear the murmur of voices. “What did he want? He was supposed to be interviewing the owner of the Bayside Bed and Breakfast and then report back to me.”
“Mick said he’d found Ginger’s phone. He wanted to know why she’d called Hitch, but he said he never answered the calls.”
The Chief’s face darkened. “Her phone? He’s going behind my back with his own agenda, and I don’t like it,” he muttered as he pushed himself up from the chair. He placed Princess Muffin on the floor letting her decide where to finish her nap. “Thanks, Sunny.”
Thanks? For what? I wasn’t expecting that, but I’d take it.
“Officer Walker!” he hollered. “Time to go.” He sounded fit to be tied. He was tired, probably hungry, and now angry. Not a good combination. For Mick.
Mick stomped out giving me a death glare if I’d ever seen one.
“What just happened?” Tilly asked when she and Hitch joined me to watch the two policemen drive away. “Mick was reading us the riot act, and I half expected him to cuff us and take us to the police station. Their quick exit makes no sense.”
I scratched my head, suddenly exhausted. “Something’s going on between those two and Mick has some explaining to do. The Chief has questions for him about Ginger’s phone,” I said and wondered what agenda Chief Bullock was referring to.
13
A rumble of thunder startled me from a deep sleep. It was not an encouraging start to the second day of business for Shakes and Cakes. Rain slashed at my windows, and Jasper whined next to my bed. Outside, clouds hovered over Pineville, leaving a dismal day underneath.
Princess Muffin and Stash remained curled together on my extra pillow like a four-legged, two-headed ball of gray, downy fur. The thunder didn’t even make them twitch. Lucky them.
My nose twitched, though, as a rich aroma of strong dark coffee drifted into my room. My good fortune on a dreary day. Hitch, in a never-ending attempt to repair the damage to our relationship from when he up and left me for a job in New York City, had made it his mission to spoil me rotten ever since he’d returned. I had zero plans to stop his efforts to arrive at my house early and have steaming coffee ready.
I slipped into clean jeans and a brand new white t-shirt, ran my comb through my hair, and swept it into a messy bun. Easy peasy.
A loud boom crashed right overhead, scaring a scream out of me.
“You okay up there, Sunshine?” Hitch called from the bottom of the stairs. “Coffee’s ready.”
Well, yeah, I could smell that. “Be right down.”
Not wanting to spend another minute upstairs close to the thunder, I followed Jasper downstairs. The cheery kitchen and Hitch’s easy smile helped me relax and feel safer.
To my surprise, Hitch didn’t just have coffee ready. With a frilly pink apron tied around his waist, he poured eggs into a sizzling pan. “How does an omelet sound?” he asked.
I could get used to this treatment.
“Sounds like you heard my rumbling stomach over the storm. I am curious, though, to see you in my kitchen. I thought you’d stay and have coffee with your friend this morning. How’d you get in today? I know I didn’t leave the door unlocked.”
Hitch held up a key. “Had a copy made. Hope you don’t mind. I left before my friend woke up.” He glanced at me, but that twinkle in his eye made it impossible for me to even pretend to be annoyed.
Besides… omelet. I inhaled the buttery, cheesy, eggy delicious scent until my mouth watered. Between dropping the business partnership in my lap and feeding me, he’d figured out how to wiggle his way into my good graces.
I poured myself some coffee and leaned against the counter watching Hitch work. “Nice apron.”
He looked down and lifted one corner as if he’d forgotten what he was wearing. “My mom’s. I like to channel her when I’m in the kitchen. I might even let you borrow it sometime if you’re nice to me.”
Again, with the smile. It was too early in the morning to have tingles running through me but there was nothing I could do to stop them.
“No Tilly?” I asked, to distract myself from Hitch’s charm. With her second sense of what was going on at my house, I expected her to arrive shortly for breakfast.
As if on cue, a loud rap sounded on the kitchen door. Even though I was expecting her, I still jumped and squeaked.
Hitch chuckled and folded the omelet in half. “Amazing, right on time.”
I yanked the door open, but it wasn’t Tilly looking at me like a drowning rat.
“Can I come in?” Violet asked. She warily eyed Jasper as water dripped from umbrella to flowered rain boots.
“Um… sure.” I stepped aside and motioned Jasper to sit.
Violet closed her umbrella and propped it next to the door before she came inside.
“I need your help.” A puddle grew around her boots.
What could possibly cause Violet, my neighbor who didn’t like me or my dog, to show up at my door, especially since it was barely past six in the morning?
I threw an old dishcloth on the puddle. “Do you want to sit down? Have some coffee?” I asked, not sure how I could help her.
Before Violet responded, my front door opened. “I smell coffee and eggs. I hope you made enough for me too, Hitch.”
Tilly swept into the kitchen, spied Violet, and stopped short. She looked at me with eyebrows raised in two huge question marks.
Hitch, who somehow always seemed to keep his cool, put two more mugs on the table and set two more places for breakfast. “Violet, take off your wet coat, and boots. Tilly, you insulted me with your comment. You know I always have enough for you. Now, all of you, sit down while I whip up more omelets.”
And, just like that, the three of us sat at my table, waited on by the best looking guy in Pineville, and more importantly, the kindest man I knew. Without a hint of self-consciousness in his frilly pink apron, Hitch filled our mugs with coffee as if this morning was like any other. The fact that Violet fidgeted while she worked up her courage to share her problem made no difference to Hitch. He hummed to himself while he served each of us a perfectly browned omelet.
We dug in like we were starving. But it was more likely something to occupy us while we waited for Violet to unburden herself. No sense in letting Hitch’s hard work go to waste.
Maybe it was his calm aura that filled my kitchen or maybe Violet finally had no option but to let her thoughts out, I’ll never know. But she finally cleared her throat and began. “There’s something I didn’t tell the Chief yesterday.”
Under the table, Tilly knocked her knee against mine. I took it to mean, nothing wrong with that since we all held some secrets close to our chest.
Hitch pulled up a fourth chair and sat down between Violet and me. “Did you lie to him?” he asked as he sipped his coffee.
“Oh, no. I’d never lie. It’s just that he never asked me if Ginger had a problem with any of us, including Greg, which could, you know, be a reason for murder.”
“Did she?” Tilly asked. “Have problems with one of you?”
“Sort of,” Violet said. She looked around my kitchen like she might find something that would help her through this difficulty. “I hate to betray a confidence. You see,” she finally looked at us. “I’m older than the other girls. I started college after I’d worked for several years to save up money. They all kind of considered me to be more like a mother figure than their girlfriend. They shared their secrets with me because they knew I’d keep them locked away from the others.”
Tilly put her coffee cup down and said, “That’
s all well and good but Ginger’s dead.” She was a little too blunt and sounded impatient. “Just spit out her secret, Violet.”
But Violet took a deep breath and got to the point. “Ginger didn’t want Greg to come. She was adamant about that. I think once she found out he had decided to come with Carla, probably when she got to the Bayside Bed and Breakfast, that’s when she did her disappearing act.”
“Why didn’t she want him to come?” I asked.
“Ginger and Greg had a quick fling. I really don’t know all the details but I’m pretty sure that things didn’t go according to Ginger’s plan. Whatever happened, she was furious at Greg.”
“So, why on earth would she plan this reunion? I mean, how could she spend time with Carla after something like that?” I asked.
“I don’t have an answer for that question.”
“But?” I asked, sensing there was more.
Violet was reluctant at first to tell us of her suspicions, but she was gathering steam. “I was worried she wanted to tell Carla to hurt Greg.”
Hitch put his hand over Violet’s. “Did Carla know about the affair?”
“I don’t know, but my best guess is that, if she didn’t know for sure, she had a strong suspicion. She keeps an eagle eye on Greg.” She looked at Tilly and me. “You both saw how clingy she’s been. And then you made that comment, Tilly, that maybe Greg and Ginger met up when he was picking up our dinner.”
“I was only trying to get under her skin.”
“I know, but I think it hit too close to home. Carla would do anything to keep Greg from leaving her.”
I leaned toward Violet. “Do you think Carla murdered her to make sure that Ginger was definitely out of their lives? Or, maybe Greg killed her to protect his marriage?”
She looked up at the ceiling for a few moments before she answered. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think but both of those possibilities did cross my mind.” Violet pushed a few strands of wet hair off her cheek.
She shivered. Her shiver had nothing to do with being cold in my toasty warm kitchen. Violet’s nerves were overloaded.
“How do you think we can help?” Hitch asked.
“Find out what happened to Ginger. She didn’t deserve this,” Violet said. A tear slid down her cheek. “Greg has always been a con man, and he can fool the best of the best. And, Carla acts a little ditzy, but she’s sharp as a tack. As nice as Chief Bullock is, I don’t think he’s any match for either of them.”
We had a crisis on our hands, a business to run, and kittens to take care of.
What a mess!
14
Once Violet finished unloading her troubles on us, she sighed and asked for more coffee. She settled in comfortably like joining us for an early morning visit was her normal routine.
Far from it and now I had to figure out how to get rid of her.
“Violet?” I asked as I stood up and stacked our breakfast plates. “Thanks for coming over but we’ve got to head over to Shakes and Cakes. You know, it’s time to open up for business.”
“Oh, of course. I’ll come with you. I just don’t want to be alone right now. Maybe I can help?”
I froze. Did I hear her correctly?
Tilly patted Violet’s hand. “Sure, Violet. You can help Jasper with the kittens. How about you clean the litter boxes, feed them, and make sure they’re clean from their bums to the tip of their noses? How does that sound?”
Jasper, hearing her name, lumbered to the table and nudged Violet’s arm. She tensed and turned an unhealthy shade of gray. Was she about to faint? I put down the plates and prepared myself to grab her if she tumbled over.
But she stayed upright. “Oh,” she said with little to none enthusiasm. “I thought I could maybe do some serving or mixing up the shakes and smoothies. I used to work as a waitress you know.”
“That’s a wonderful offer.” Tilly sounded sincere to the untrained ear, but to me? I heard the sarcasm. “For now, Hitch and Sunny are behind the counter and I do the serving. I’m sure you understand.” She even added a gentle pat on Violet’s hand like they were best buddies.
Violet nodded. “Okay. It’s high time I get over my fear of dogs, and Jasper does seem to like me. I’ll help with the kittens.
What? Tilly and I locked on each other’s shocked expression. This wasn’t going as planned.
Violet patted Jasper on her head with her palm flat as though she were afraid she would catch something. “Good doggie,” she said and then she wiped her hands on a napkin. “That’s settled then.” She gave Tilly a worried smile. “I’ll let the girls know where they can find me.”
“You’ll clean the litter boxes?” Tilly asked. Now, I was afraid she might faint.
Violet took a deep breath. “I will. I’m determined to help.” She stood up, gave Jasper another tentative pat, and said, “I’ll go change and meet you at Shakes and Cakes. You know?” She smiled broadly. “I’m looking forward to this. Thank you for making the offer so I can be of help.”
We made the offer I thought as I watched her take off. She left with a bounce in her step that certainly wasn’t there when she’d arrived. It appeared we’d acquired a new friend. Or at least, a tag-along like an annoying kid sister who won’t go away even with a promise of a dollar.
“What the heck just happened?” Tilly asked as she stared at the door after Violet left. “That wasn’t how she was supposed to react. Who in their right mind likes cleaning kitty litter boxes? I thought that would scare her away forever.”
I chuckled at Tilly’s reaction. She wasn’t used to having her clever manipulations backfire. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Violet just gave Tilly a dose of her own medicine.
“Look at it this way,” I said. “Violet and her girlfriends will be right under our noses. With everything that happened, now, we can find out more details about their relationships. I doubt Carla will let Greg out of her sight for more than a nanosecond, so he’s the one I plan to focus on first. Where else did he go yesterday and who did he go with?”
Hitch rubbed his hands together. “I for one like a challenge, and I think Violet just manipulated us right into her corner to help find Ginger’s killer. And, we didn’t even see it coming. We’d better keep an eye on her. After all, she seems to know more about Ginger than the others. Maybe she has a dark secret that Ginger planned to reveal.”
I put the rest of the dishes in the sink and rinsed them quickly to finish up later. “I never thought of that, Hitch,” I said, drying my hands on a dish towel. “I bet each one of them has a secret. If Ginger had a stalker, and she wanted to hire you to guard her, somehow we have to figure out who that stalker was.”
“Greg,” Tilly said with total confidence. “Or, Carla,” she added. “They’ve been married since college, right? He had a little fun on the side according to Violet, but it doesn’t mean the marriage was over. Was either one desperate enough to silence her?”
“Or, they worked together,” Hitch said.
“Don’t forget Laura who likes to sit back and stay under the radar,” I said. “Those quiet types
I picked up my bag and dropped in some lotion and lip balm plus some dog bones for Jasper while I considered Tilly’s question. “From what we know now, if it’s all true, Greg had the opportunity, the motive, and possibly the means. And maybe Carla helped by distracting the others.”
“Exactly,” Tilly said. “If Ginger was poisoned like Hitch suspects, we have to figure out who poisoned her. Maybe something lethal was added to the smoothie I left on the counter.”
As soon as those words left Tilly’s mouth, she blanched. “That sounds so much worse out loud than when it was still just in my head. If someone poisoned that smoothie, and it gets tied back to me…”
We all stood still. Nobody said a word. What was there to say? Tilly had just said it all. The circle of evidence came right back to her.
Now we had to figure out who had access to that smoothie besides Tilly. And more important: where
did the poison come from?
“Come on Jasper,” I said to break the tension in the kitchen. “We have kittens to feed and customers to help.” At least that was something I could get my head wrapped around. I slipped into my raincoat even though the rain had let up. A thick fog from Blueberry Bay enveloped Pineville and would most likely last through the morning.
I drove with Hitch and Tilly followed us in her new Volkswagen bug. When I say followed, she was practically on our back bumper every time I turned around to look.
“Speed up, Hitch. We need more space between your car and hers. The next thing we know, she’ll get distracted and ram right into us. That’s the last thing we need this morning.”
Hitch sped up and timed running the yellow light perfectly. We got through but Tilly had to slam on her brakes or risk a ticket. For once, some common sense prevailed.
“Phew!” I wiped my brow. “It’s barely seven o’clock and I feel like I’ve already lived a weeks’ worth of problems and dodged several bullets.”
Hitch patted my thigh. “Don’t worry so much, Sunshine. You won’t have time to think about Ginger’s murder today. We’ll be too busy focusing on shakes and cakes and adorable kittens.
I hoped Hitch was right.
But I was worried he wasn’t.
15
Excitement replaced my anxiety as soon as I spotted our Shakes and Cakes sign. I’d been worried that the drama-filled morning had sapped all my energy.
When Hitch pulled into the parking lot, all the red, orange, and yellow blooms filling our pots and hanging baskets lit up the gray day like a string of bright lights. A welcome sight if I’d ever seen one.
I stood outside the car, admiring our hard work. So worth it. Instead of a vacant building and empty greenhouse, a welcoming destination beckoned the public. They just had to walk through the gate and dip under the arch to experience a world filled with beauty. The variety of delicious treats inside was the next surprise. Oh, and kittens to cuddle.