Of course, it was. Another big reason not to move there.
I made a show of checking my phone, scrolling through messages. I’d received one from Missy while I’d been here. “Wow, there’s a small emergency at the inn. I need to fly. Angela, thank you so much. I’ll send you that list and then perhaps we can meet again.”
When Garrett isn’t standing over my shoulder.
Angela had lied so smoothly but I know what I saw and obviously I wasn’t crazy, because the sheriff was here, too. That meant she was a suspect, so it looked like I would be house hunting for the foreseeable future.
On to see Missy and find out just what was going on in her life. After thinking about her story, I wasn’t so sure she was telling the truth, either. Moving away didn’t sound like something Dylan would ever do and coming over in the middle of the night to tell me about wasn’t her usual behavior.
So why was she at the inn in the wee hours of the morning? I had to find out the real story.
Chapter Seven
I wanted to speak with Missy but the cafe was on the way, and I stopped in to talk to Daisy about the altercation between Jerome and the other man. She might have overheard more than Missy had.
The Grateful Raven was one of the most popular places to eat in Ravenmist and always busy. It always smelled delicious too.
Open from six in the morning until ten at night, it served a variety of dishes from comfort food to gourmet. My favorite was the complete turkey dinner. Almost any day of the year a hungry patron could walk in and get Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. The only days that Daisy closed were Christmas and New Year’s. She stayed open on Thanksgiving and Easter to feed anyone who might be alone on that holiday and she did it for free.
Daisy was a fascinating woman with an even more interesting past. She’d followed The Grateful Dead around for years selling beaded necklaces and tie-dyed t-shirts out of her van alongside her sister Grace. About twenty years ago, Grace had married an investment banker and now lived in New York City on the Upper East Side. But Daisy still had the stories… and she loved to tell them if you had the time to listen.
The bell above the door tinkled happily when I entered the cafe, waving to Myrna, one of the waitresses. She’d been the head cheerleader when I was in high school and one of the meanest girls I’d ever known, constantly making fun of my glasses. Somewhere along the line, she’d decided that we were friends and I wasn’t the type to tell her off. The past was the past.
The aroma of freshly baked bread and roasting turkey hit me and my stomach growled. I could have just packed away a full meal and I still would have wanted that turkey with cranberry sauce.
Daisy, always bustling around, came up to me with a menu in her hand and slightly out of breath.
“Table for one or is Missy meeting you?”
Did I mention that Daisy’s hair was tie-dyed today to match her shirt? She was still selling those shirts and necklaces but now to tourists. The whole restaurant was done in a sort of hippie theme. It was like taking a trip back to Woodstock.
“Actually, I’m headed to Missy’s now. I was just hoping to talk to you. Just for a moment?”
Her lips twisted, Daisy finally nodded. “But only for a minute. We’re slammed here with the festival and now a dead body.”
I followed Daisy back to her office and she shut the door behind us. “I know why you’re here.”
I probably also forgot to mention that Daisy is the town psychic. She’s pretty good, too. I’m told she knew I was moving back to Ravenmist months before I did. I only wished she could have warned me about my ex.
“Sheriff Garrett suspects Missy.”
Daisy scoffed and rolled her eyes. “She didn’t do it but he wouldn’t know any better. He’s not one of us. Yet. He will be when this is over. His story has only just begun. I can feel the energy in the town changing. It’s more intense than I’ve felt it before.”
“More intense? What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. The energy all around this town has strengthened. It feels…different. I can’t explain it but I know there’s been a change.”
“Do you know why?”
Shaking her head, Daisy shrugged. “My gift doesn’t work like that. I can only tell you what I see and feel. I can’t tell you the reasons.”
Fair enough. Who was I to question Daisy’s gift? I didn’t have one myself so I’d have to take her word for it.
“Did you see or hear the argument between Jerome Bergstrom and the other man?”
“Everyone did. They were loud and angry. I had to tell them to quiet down or take it outside.”
“What did they do?”
“The recently deceased left but I heard him say to the other man that the discussion wasn’t over. It sounded like a threat.”
Then Jerome had ended up dead hours later. Hmmm.
“Did you hear what they were arguing about?”
Leaning a hip against her desk, Daisy nodded. “Not every single word because I was busy and you know how loud it gets in here, especially during the lunch rush. But I did hear the words ‘theft’ and ‘police.’ I’m not sure which one of them is the thief but I did hear the deceased yell to the other man he couldn’t do it. Whatever ‘it’ is. Mostly they just called each other names. Those everyone heard loud and clear. The other stuff they were more quiet about. I don’t think they wanted that to be public knowledge.”
The plot thickened… Was Jerome a thief or was the other man? Was Jerome’s death some sort of karmic action? I was a firm believer in karma, although sometimes it was slow in coming and I wasn’t around to watch it in all its glory.
“I don’t suppose you caught the other man’s name? Did he pay by credit card?”
“Sorry, he threw cash down on the table and stomped out right after the other one left. I don’t remember hearing his name, either. I wish I could be more help.”
“It’s okay, but will you call me if you see the man again? Anytime, day or night. I’m not going to let the sheriff continue to think that Missy did this. There are plenty of other suspects.”
Lorna, Angela, and the mysterious man Jerome had argued with were high on my list.
“You don’t think the sheriff can solve this case? He’s supposed to have all that experience from Chicago.”
“I’m sure that he can,” I said, not wanting anyone to think that I didn’t have confidence in Garrett. “I just want to give him a hand. Since he’s looking at Missy suspiciously.”
Daisy’s expression told me that she didn’t quite buy my story but technically it was the truth. The fact that I wasn’t sure that Jackson Garrett was able to look at this situation with fairness wasn’t anything that I wanted blasted around town. It would get back to him and he already made my life difficult as it was.
“I’m sure the murderer will be in custody soon.”
I thanked Daisy again and turned to head out but paused, wanting the answer to one more question.
“Daisy, have you ever seen a ghost here in Ravenmist?”
The older woman’s lips turned up at the corners. “Having doubts?”
“No, there are so many stories but I’ve never seen one.”
“Yet,” Daisy replied firmly. “You haven’t seen one yet. But you will. And yes, I have seen a ghost. It was when I was a child. My grandmother passed on but she came back to tell me that everything was okay and that she would watch over me. I felt real at peace after that. Haven’t seen one since but I know they exist. I can feel their energy all around me. I just can’t see them.”
Thanking Daisy again, I headed out of the cafe and down the street toward Missy’s place. There were so many unanswered questions but I knew one thing for sure. My best friend was no killer. But she had told a lie to the sheriff. I’d been thinking about it and it really didn’t make much sense.
What was she hiding?
Chapter Eight
My next stop was Missy’s bookstore on Howling Creek Road, just around the
corner from the inn. I was following my gut and it was telling me that her story about Dylan didn’t make any sense. Not that I was going to let the sheriff know that.
When I got there, she was unboxing new books and placing them on the shelves, her back to the front window. The store was closed today but she ushered me in when I knocked on the door.
“Is the inn still crazy with people?” Missy asked me as she poured me a cup of coffee. Shrugging off my jacket, I wrapped my hands around the steaming mug of caffeinated goodness and took a sip. There was a definite chill in the air today despite the bright sunshine.
I settled onto one of her comfortable old couches near the crackling fireplace in the corner of the old building. Tucking my feet under me, I was content for the first time that day. “It is and can I say I’m glad to be here. I thought once the food ran out that everyone would leave but I underestimated the allure of a local murder.”
“We haven’t had one that I can remember. I think my parents said the last was about thirty years ago, so we would have been too young to know what was going on.”
“The sheriff is getting on my nerves.”
That made Missy laugh out loud. “He’s always getting on your nerves, but there’s definitely some chemistry between you two when you’re in the same room.”
“If you mean I want to smack him on the head with a beaker or a Bunsen burner, then yes, we have chemistry. And I’m not a violent person.”
“He’ll figure out our ways. He’s still new.”
“That’s what Daisy said.”
“She’s a wise woman. She told me you were coming back to town.”
“She also said that dinosaurs were making a comeback.”
“Maybe she meant in the movies.”
“I don’t think that’s what she meant. All I know is if dinosaurs do make a comeback, I’m totally getting one. A nice herbivore. I can keep him or her out in the back of the inn. Lots of space and leaves.”
“Dinosaurs can’t live in cold weather. If they do make a comeback it won’t be here in the middle of the cold plains of Illinois.”
“There’s always a catch.”
Missy sat down on her favorite red velvet chair and stretched out her legs toward the fireplace, wriggling her sock-clad toes. “Getting back to the sheriff…when you came back from Chicago you were a little strange, too. You talked too fast and you were always in a hurry.”
“I don’t think my fast talking was from the city so much as being married to a man who had the attention span of a two-year-old. If I didn’t talk fast he wouldn’t listen.”
“You’re well rid of him.”
Truer words were never spoken. I’d shed a hundred and seventy-five pounds of annoying male and my life was better for it.
“I can’t believe you’re defending the sheriff. He thinks you’re a suspect.”
“To be fair, he hasn’t ruled out anyone as a suspect. Even you.”
“Aren’t you upset?”
Shaking her head, Missy stretched her feet closer to the fire. “No. I didn’t do anything wrong so I’m not worried.”
“Of course, you didn’t.” This seemed like a good opening in the conversation. “So what’s this about Dylan getting a new job and wanting to move? I was shocked when you said that.”
“Dylan always has a lot of irons in the fire.”
No, he didn’t. He was content small-town guy who was so laid back he was almost comatose.
“What kind of job was he offered? When does he have to move?”
Missy avoided my gaze and shifted in her chair. “He won’t move if I don’t.”
“You didn’t say what job it was. What company wanted to hire him?”
My best friend since we were five was lying to me and I didn’t know why. In no way did I think she’d killed Jerome Bergstrom but something fishy was going on.
“Does it matter? He’s not going to take it.”
“Then why were you upset?” I pressed, determined to find out what Missy was hiding. As far as I knew she and I hadn’t had a secret from each other since junior high when she’d kissed Arnold Farnsworth behind the hay bales at the fall festival. It wasn’t a secret for long.
“Because I didn’t know he wasn’t going to leave until today.”
She still hadn’t looked at me. She was lying through her teeth. Time I called her on it.
“Why are you lying to me? This isn’t like you. I know you’re not a killer but your nose should be a foot long by now. I thought I was your best friend.”
“You are my best friend.”
Missy’s voice sounded sad and I didn’t know why. Why would she be sad that we were friends?
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
Finally looking at me, her eyes were bright with tears. “I’ve been keeping a secret from you.”
A bar of fear took up residence in my chest. From the look on Missy’s face, whatever she had to tell me wasn’t going to be pleasant. This was more than stealing a kiss behind a hay bale.
“This is becoming a trend,” I murmured. “First my parents and now you. I hope you have better news than they did. You aren’t sick, are you?”
Her brows pulled down and she shook her head. “I’m not sick. But what about your parents?”
Relief flooded my body and I sagged against the shabby cushions with a sigh. “Thank god. I don’t think my heart can take much more of this. I came back home to avoid stress.”
“Are your parents sick?”
There was panic in Missy’s tone and I needed to put a stop to it. This was how stories started in this little town.
“No, they’re separated. They say they’re getting a divorce.”
I didn’t realize how upset I was by their news until I heard the acid in my own voice. I was angry at my parents and their complete disregard for our family.
“A divorce?” Missy sucked in a breath. “After all of these years?”
I threw up my hands. “Exactly. That’s what I said. You’re old. What’s the point?”
Her lips twisted and she was trying not to laugh. “I don’t think calling them old was the best idea. How did they react?”
“Not well. Oh, and this is the best part – my sisters all knew months ago. They didn’t want to tell me because it might bring up bad memories and make me emotional. Isn’t that a crock?”
“You are emotional.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Is it a war? Seriously, they must be very unhappy to take such a drastic step.”
I had thought about that. I didn’t want my parents to be miserable but they hadn’t seemed upset today.
“You should have seen them standing in my kitchen telling me the news. It was like they were announcing the destination of their yearly vacation. They didn’t seem upset at all. Apparently, they’re still friends. Buddies. Pals. Is that even normal? I’m not having outings with my ex and trading recipes.” I shook my finger at Missy. “And now you’re lying and keeping secrets from me. What is happening in my life?”
“I have a good explanation as to why I was at the inn last night.”
Here we go. Finally, the real story.
“It wasn’t what you told Garrett is it?”
“No, he wouldn’t have believed the truth.”
Cynical jerk.
“Will I believe it?”
“I’m not sure but I hate keeping this from you. I don’t like us having big secrets like this from one another. I just can’t keep quiet anymore.”
So it was a big secret? Wracking my brain, I couldn’t think of one thing that Missy might be keeping from me. We both appeared to be living our lives completely out in the open. Had something happened when I was in Chicago, perhaps? A secret lover? That would be romantic but so unlike my best friend.
“So tell me.”
“You have to promise to keep an open mind.”
My mind was so open it was practically falling out of my head and into my lap.
“I pr
omise.”
“And not jump to any conclusions. You have to hear me out.”
I was beginning to think that my family and friends didn’t have a great opinion of me.
“I will.”
“Promise?”
I crossed my heart just as Missy had done with the sheriff. It was good enough for us when we were five and it was good enough now.
“Promise. Now spill it.”
Sitting up straight in her chair, Missy took a deep breath. “I’m going to tell you the truth now.”
So get to it.
“I’m ready for it.”
“I was at the inn to collect Jerome Bergstrom’s soul after he died. I’m the Grim Reaper.”
Okay, maybe I wasn’t as ready as I thought.
A murder, a divorce, and now my best friend thought she was the Grim Reaper. My life in Chicago wasn’t looking too bad in comparison.
Chapter Nine
I watched dumbfounded as Missy transformed back and forth from her usual self in worn blue jeans and a sweater to a foreboding figure in a dark cloak carrying a scythe. Foreboding but short. Being a reaper hadn’t given her any extra height.
“So you can just change at will? Anytime? That could have been your Halloween costume every single year.”
A lame attempt at a joke because I was still blinking my eyes every time she transformed. Missy would go a little blurry, the air around her went cooler, and then snap…she looked different.
It appeared that making a joke about walking death was in bad taste because Missy was giving me a sour look. Who knew death wasn’t hilarious?
“This is business, Tedi. This isn’t a joke.”
It kind of was. The only way I could deal with this was to find it funny. Otherwise, I might have to start drinking. Heavily. In fact, I hadn’t ruled it out.
“A business? Do you have a performance review and health insurance, too?”
“I do, although the benefits kind of suck,” she sighed, sitting back down and draping her jean clad legs over the arm of the chair. “The pay isn’t great either but it’s a family business. Ethan is the oldest male so he was supposed to do it, but he went into the military and I got the job by default. It’s not so bad. If I move enough souls a quarter I can earn a bonus.”
Eat, Drink, and Be Scary (A Ravenmist Whodunit Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 5