Mint Chocolate Chip Mysteries, Books 1-3

by Emmie Lyn

  “Because he said he passed Ginger walking while on his way to Misty Harbor yesterday?”

  “Forget what I just said about Greg. I didn’t mean it.” Carla glared at me and jabbed her finger in my face, making her curls bob around her head like a caricature of Shirley Temple. It was hard to take her seriously. “Violet was right. You and your friend, that old busy body, are nothing but trouble. I heard she was arrested. How come she’s here and not in jail? Is she looking for her next victim?”

  “Is there a problem here?” I felt Hitch’s hands on my shoulders as he stood behind me. It was a relief to know that someone so strong and capable had my back.

  “And, who are you?” Carla’s whole demeanor changed in a flash to a flirty female out to woo a handsome hunk. She held her hand out and winked. “Carla Singleton.”

  Hitch shook her hand. “Ty Hitchner. Could I tempt you—”

  “You certainly could, Mr. Hitchner. Ginger told us about her handsome friend from New York.” She giggled. “But I suspected that she was exaggerating. Just the opposite.” She scanned Hitch from head to toe. Slowly.

  What a Jekyll and Hyde performance I thought as I watched this two-faced woman make a fool out of herself.

  Hitch pulled his hand away from Carla’s. “I was going to say, tempt you with one of our shakes.”

  Her eyes narrowed. I think it finally registered in her small brain that Hitch’s hand was on my shoulder. She must have put two and two together, realizing that Hitch was my business partner and not some random handsome customer swooping in to be her knight in shining armor.

  “I don’t think so,” she said, her flirty smile turning sour. “I wouldn’t trust anything you people serve. Violet told us that Ginger came here looking for you. But I didn’t know you were connected to her.” She pointed to me with an accusatory scowl. “For all we know, you put something in Ginger’s drink. Have the police looked into that?”

  “I’m curious, Carla,” I said, not taking my eyes off her face. “What were you doing before you showed up at Violet’s house last night? You girls had reservations at the Bayside Bed and Breakfast. It’s not much of a drive or walk, for that matter, to get from there to Hitch’s apartment where Ginger’s body was found.” I tapped my finger on my lips like I was figuring something out. “I think that you had a big problem with Ginger’s relationship with your husband. Maybe that’s something the police need to look into.”

  “I never,” she said as rage filled her face. “My husband loves me.”

  “Really. He sure has an interesting way of showing it. As a matter of fact, I got the complete opposite impression when he stomped out of here, Carla. And, according to your girlfriend, Laura, Ginger was a big flirt. Greg’s a handsome guy. Hmmm, it doesn’t take much of a leap to add those two things together and imagine a connection between Greg and Ginger.”

  Her hands flapped. Was she trying to fly away from my probing? “Well, Greg’s the one with some explaining to do, then. Don’t try to pin this murder on me. He had the car. He was gone for a couple of hours to who knows where. I was at the bed and breakfast napping.”

  “Alone?”

  “Of course.”

  I smiled at her careless answer. “That is interesting because you don’t have an alibi. But you do have a motive, don’t you, Carla? You want everyone to believe that you and Greg are the perfect couple with a fairy tale marriage, but that’s not the real story. And you had the opportunity to follow your friend to see what she was up to. I have to wonder if there isn’t a lot more behind this girl’s weekend than just old roommates getting together for fun.”

  Carla leaned right into my face, her breath hot and smelly. I leaned away from her.

  “Let me tell you something,” she said with a smirk like an evil stepmom. “Go ask Laura some questions. She plays the strong silent type, but that only hides her motives. You are right about one thing. This weekend was about more than a simple get-together. I wanted to know exactly what Greg and Ginger have been up to, and I think I got my answer. But, Laura’s part of the picture too, and I haven’t figured that out yet.”

  Carla stared at me for a couple more seconds before she turned and walked away with her head held high and her curls doing their dance.

  Tilly handed me a thick strawberry smoothie. “Here, you look like you need something to wash her out of your system. I heard every word she said, and I can’t decide if she killed Ginger because she was involved with her husband, or if she’s about to kill her husband because he was involved with Ginger.”

  I tasted the smoothie. “Delicious, but it doesn’t taste like our normal strawberry smoothie.”

  Tilly grinned. “Glad you like it. Sunny, I thought you knew that I never follow a recipe. If you must know, I added some kiwi, honey, and a splash of fresh lemon juice. Don’t ask me for amounts because I didn’t write anything down. You can be sure that no two smoothies of mine will ever taste the same.”

  As long as she didn’t make anything for paying customers, we might squeak by without any problems. That was probably too much to hope for, though.

  I enjoyed every drop of the smoothie before my mind got back to Carla’s insinuations. “Those four women,” I said, “are hiding secrets, and we’ve only scratched the surface.”

  “What now?” Hitch asked.

  “Find Greg. If he’s innocent, he’s not about to go down for something he didn’t do.”

  “And if he’s guilty?” Tilly asked.

  “Good question,” I said, since I had no answer.

  First, we had to find him.

  21

  With Dani jumping in and helping make shakes and smoothies, I had a few minutes to check on the kittens in our jungle greenhouse. Of course, that was really my excuse to ask Violet and her friends some more questions. They’d never suspect anything. I hoped.

  I walked past the customers ordering fruity shakes and over-the-top pastries, ignoring the intoxicating aroma of coffee and freshly baked donuts to push on with my mission. No time to eat the profits, Sunny, I told myself as I entered the garden area.

  “Hi, ladies,” I said with as much cheer as I could muster. Jasper and Pip rushed to greet me. Jasper with her thick tail fanning behind her and Pip jumping on my legs for attention. At least they were thrilled to see me but the three women? Not so much.

  They clamped their mouths closed. The sudden silence was an obvious tell that they’d been talking about me, or the murder, or probably both.

  “Quite a day!” I said as I plopped down in a chair, inviting myself into their circle. I picked up Clawdia and gave her a cuddle.

  “Can you believe it?” I looked at each of the women. “Someone abandoned this cutie-patootie right out back. Chief Bullock found her in a basket. People,” I said with disgust. “But now that she’s cleaned up, fed, and happy, I’m sure I’ll find a good home for her.”

  “That’s terrible,” Laura said, showing honest emotion for the first time. “Who would do a terrible thing like that?”

  I was glad to discover that there was at least one animal lover in this small group. I already knew that Violet wasn’t a big fan of animals or most people for that matter. And Carla only had time to worry about her husband. Thank you, Clawdia, for helping me break the ice.

  “I wish I knew,” I said handing the puff of fluff to Laura, “but at least they left her where she’ll be well taken care of. I suppose that’s all that matters.”

  Laura held the kitten up and looked into her golden eyes. “You’re one lucky girl. What about these other kittens?” she asked, cuddling Clawdia in her lap. “Are they all up for adoption?”

  “Yes. Didn’t Violet explain that to you? She volunteered to help out today. Jasper here is the official Chief Kitty Nanny but unfortunately, she can’t help people with the adoption applications.” I gave Jasper a hearty pat on her side and turned toward Violet. “Did anyone fill out a form today?”

  A blush of pink filled her cheeks. “No. A few people came in, but
no one asked me anything about the kittens. We’ve been talking a lot,” she added sheepishly.

  In other words, she hadn’t paid any attention to the kittens. I’d bet that talking was all they’d been doing. I made a quick head count to be sure none of the kittens had escaped; all were accounted for. Jasper had two curled up with her and Pip was trying to make friends with Mama Cat. Her other two kittens were curled up together in a spot of sunshine that had finally broken through the clouds.

  “I’ve been wondering,” I said trying to sound casual. “What did you do yesterday after you left here? You must have had your weekend packed with activities. Right? And there’s so much to do around Blueberry Bay.”

  Violet, always the spokesperson for the group, slid forward in her chair. “We did have plans but with Ginger disappearing,” she frowned, “our day turned into a mixed-up mess. I guess that’s the best way to describe it.”

  “That’s right,” Carla piped in. “We decided to all go our separate ways, see the town, buy some souvenirs, that sort of thing.”

  “And then meet up back at my house for dinner,” Violet added. “Where you and Tilly crashed our get-together, in case you forgot.” Her snippy tone? Duly noted, but not my problem, Violet. Of course, I didn’t say that, but smiled to encourage Laura’s take on things.

  “I arrived at Violet’s house right on time, but Carla and Violet weren’t even there yet,” Laura said with a touch of disgust. “I’m the only one, besides Ginger, who could be counted on to be where I said I’d be at the appointed time. I don’t know why it’s so hard for you two to plan better. It’s rude, you know.”

  Good old, Laura, the downer in the group.

  “Well,” Violet huffed indignantly. “I had to get the wine. It wasn’t my fault that there was a line at the store. I expected to zip in and out, but it took me longer than I expected.”

  Laura had been studying her nails like they held more importance than her two boring friends. “Exactly my point. You need to plan in extra time for unexpected events.”

  “Like you planned in extra time for this unexpected murder, Laura? Give me a break.” Carla fidgeted in her seat like she had sand in her panties. “Greg and I walked on the beach before he dropped me off for my nap. I guess I just overslept a bit, but how can you blame me after all the worry about Ginger?”

  “Where did Greg go?” I asked before someone changed the subject.

  “Yes, Carla,” Laura said with a smirk on her face. “Where did Greg go? You usually have his every second planned and supervised. Don’t tell me you actually gave him time off for good behavior?”

  And just like that, the air around this cozy get-together crackled with electricity.

  “Girls!” Violet stood up and glared at me. I must have gotten under her skin. “Enough of this sniping. We were all concerned about Ginger yesterday and what difference does it make what we did besides worry, worry, and worry some more. As a matter of fact, I drove around looking for her but that turned out to be futile.”

  She turned quickly and pointed at me. “What about you, Sunny? Here you are constantly interrupting our private conversations with your ridiculous questions. I know what you’re up to and that’s why I came here today. You thought I wanted to help. Ha! I’m keeping an eye on you and your friends. What were you all up to yesterday when poor Ginger was missing?”

  I let the question hang in the air as I calmed myself with a deep breath of the lavender-scented greenhouse air. I stifled a chuckle at Violet’s ridiculous question.

  “I’m glad you asked, Violet, but I’m also surprised that you had to. Did you forget that yesterday was the grand opening of Shakes and Cakes? I mean, most of the town showed up to enjoy our offerings, which kept Hitch, Tilly, Conrad, Jasper, and myself busy working. All day. Right here. So, I’m not sure what the point of your question was unless you think I hid Ginger’s body under one of these benches of flowers and moved her at the end of the day.”

  All three women looked at the bench I’d pointed to like they thought I’d been serious.

  Violet pushed a pot with the toe of her shoe. I dove to save it before it tipped and cracked in two. How careless, I thought.

  Violet snorted. “You’re quick, I’ll give you that. Your sarcastic comment about Ginger could have truth behind it. Maybe that’s exactly what you did. No one saw her after she visited you and Hitch here. You sent Chief Bullock and Officer Walker around in circles trying to find her and then—poof—like magic, where did she turn up? Right in Hitch’s kitchen. The person she’d been looking for. My goodness, Sunny. How do you explain that?”

  Carla and Laura seemed to be enjoying our duel.

  “For now,” I said, “I think someone staying at the Bayside Bed and Breakfast followed Ginger. That’s how I explain what happened to Ginger.”

  They all started laughing. But it wasn’t one of those deep ha, ha, ha’s. It was more the nervous type of laugh as they eyed each other. Apparently, I’d hit a nerve. Or three.

  I held my hand up. “This isn’t a joke. Greg admitted that he saw Ginger walking along the road, not far from where Hitch found her in his apartment. Maybe he followed her inside and killed her.”

  “Or you, Carla,” I continued. “Napping? I find that hard to believe since you don’t let Greg out of your sight. I think it’s more likely that you saw Ginger after Greg dropped you off, and you were worried they had plans to meet up, so you followed her.”

  Her eyes flew open, but she didn’t look at her friends as a thick silence fell around us. These three women, who’d been so flippant moments earlier, now sat on the edge of their seats, probably holding their breath wondering what I would say next.

  “And you, Laura, always so quiet, and watchful of everyone else. You could have seen Greg leave and wondered what he was up to. You’re the one who said he’s always flirting. You can never have enough ammunition to use against your so-called friends.”

  Her cheeks colored to match the pink hibiscus flowering in one corner of the greenhouse.

  “Violet. Don’t think I’m leaving you out. Last, but not least.” Her smirk vanished. “You just said you were driving around looking for Ginger. Maybe you found her and decided to get even for some long ago slight. I was told that Ginger held grudges forever. What did she have on each of you?” I punctuated that question with a finger pointing from Violet, to Laura, to Carla.

  “So, if you want to know what I’ve been doing? The answer is looking for Ginger’s killer. I don’t like it that someone followed her into Hitch’s apartment. I don’t like that it could have been an attempt to frame him. But it didn’t work. Because Hitch and I were working all day.”

  I stood up. “Enjoy your stay here in Pineville, girls.”

  I bent over so I was at eye level with them. “Did you all work together to get rid of Ginger? Or,” I straightened, “are you wondering who the killer among your group is?”

  I left the greenhouse.

  I was positive that my speech would settle over those women like a noose.

  Sooner or later, one of them would make a stupid move to reveal their crime.

  22

  I left the relative quiet of the greenhouse behind and entered the bustling, noisy shake shop. It felt like one extreme to another. In a good way.

  Conrad met me at the door. “What happened in there?” he asked. “We’re dying of curiosity.”

  Tilly, Dani, and Hitch joined our circle at the edge of the serving counter.

  I glanced over my shoulder at the three women packing up their things. “Violet and her entourage will be leaving shortly. Not that they did anything while they were here.”

  Tilly rolled her eyes. “Typical Violet. I was suspicious as soon as I saw her at your door this morning.”

  “Was it something you said?” Hitch asked. I didn’t miss the smirk on his face.

  “No doubt about it,” I said, letting a grin fill my face. I poured myself a glass of water and lowered my voice. “They didn’t like t
hat I accused them of killing their friend, Ginger. Imagine that.”

  Conrad snorted. “You didn’t!”

  “Yeah, I did. I even accused them of all working together.” I angled myself to see the greenhouse reflected in the door. Sure enough, they had slung their purses over their shoulders like weapons and headed our way.

  Conrad quickly moved to open the door. “Oh, excuse me ladies. Are you leaving?”

  Their faces were a study in disgust with maybe a little worry mixed in. They stomped silently past us without looking left or right.

  Tilly, being Tilly, had to have the last word. “Have a nice day, girls” she shouted to their backs just before they escaped outside. Not surprisingly, they ignored her. Then, with a perfectly straight face, she looked at me and said, “Such a miserable group, aren’t they?”

  I couldn’t hold it in any longer. A deep belly laugh rumbled up from inside. It was contagious, since my companions all doubled over, too. Oh, my goodness. It felt so good to have a hearty laugh to release all the tension from the morning. And the day before.

  Customers enjoying a donut and shake in the shop looked at us and laughed too. Not sure why, but who cared? Laughter was always a welcomed tonic.

  Conrad was the first to get himself under control. Through one last snort, he said, “Now I can hang out with the kittens for a bit.”

  I moved behind the counter, but before I helped the next customer, I said, “Conrad, you’ve been a huge help around here. Are you sure you have the time?”

  He rubbed his hands together, a big smile on his face. “I need my fur ball fix before I head off to a job. I’ll just make a quick check and make sure Jasper has everything under control.” Then he saluted and disappeared into the greenhouse.

  When Hitch passed behind me, he gave my shoulder a squeeze sending delightful tingles down my arm. “Good job in there, Sunshine,” he whispered in my ear creating more shivers. “From the looks on those ladies faces, I think you gave them plenty to worry about.”