by Leena Clover
Anna stood up to get dessert. It was coconut ice cream with mango syrup and chopped hazelnuts.
“Thanks for a tasty dinner, Anna,” Gino said, sitting back in his chair. “Now can we talk business?”
“You have some news.” Anna took a deep breath. “Good or bad?”
“Both, actually,” Gino sighed. “I spoke with my contacts. The police have almost cleared you, Anna. So you are off the hook.”
Cassie cheered. “Isn’t that good news?”
“I’m afraid that’s not all, Cassie. You ladies are still tied in.”
“What does that mean?” Anna asked fearfully.
“Cassie’s on the radar now,” Gino said.
“But why?” Anna and Cassie cried out together.
“What have I done?” Cassie asked, dismayed. “I didn’t know William Parker.”
“No,” Gino agreed. “But your Mom did.”
Anna was struck dumb by what Gino said next.
“You will never believe what the police found during their investigation. It seems William Parker was at the Castle Beach Resort that night, attending the same concert Cassie did.”
“Why would he go there?” Anna asked.
“He must have bought a ticket,” Gino shrugged. “Maybe he was a blues fan. This gives Cassie an opportunity to have poisoned him.”
“Will anyone believe I didn’t know this guy?” Cassie cried. “Why would I poison him?”
“For Anna,” Gino replied. “Lara Crawford is sure he saw something that will incriminate your mother in your father’s death. Anna wanted to silence him. You, being her loyal daughter, offered to do it for her.”
“That’s fantastic!” Anna snapped. “Even more fantastic than their previous theory.”
“This is how the police work,” Gino said. “They come up with a theory and try to prove it.”
“But I’m innocent,” Cassie objected. “You believe that, don’t you?”
“One thing’s clear,” Anna said grimly. “We can’t give up just yet. I’m going to continue doing what I was.” She turned to Gino. “I am sure that man at the diner wasn’t telling us the truth. Will you come with me? He might sing a different tune when you talk to him.”
“I don’t mind,” Gino said. “Tell me when you want to go.”
Anna’s head began pounding. She began rubbing her forehead with her fingers while Gino and Cassie cleared the table. She could barely follow their conversation while they loaded the dishwasher and made small talk about upcoming events at Gino’s winery.
“What’s the matter, Mom?” Cassie asked with concern as she wiped her hands with a dish towel.
Gino’s face clouded.
“Don’t worry, Anna. You’ll be fine.”
“I feel a bit lightheaded,” Anna finally admitted.
“Of course you do!” Cassie exclaimed. “You’ve been running around all day. How long were you slaving over that stove, Mom? You gotta take it easy.”
“Don’t fuss, Cassie.”
“I won’t listen this time,” Cassie said. “Let’s go sit in the living room. You are putting your feet up for a while.”
Anna let Cassie take her arm. They went into the living room. She thought Gino would leave but he sat down in a chair opposite her.
“I’m going to stick around, just in case,” he said.
Anna saw the concern in his eyes and felt touched.
“Why don’t you tell us about your special rose, Mom?” Cassie said, pulling out a bottle of brandy from a cabinet.
She poured the brandy in small glasses and handed one to Gino and Anna.
“This is your father’s cognac,” Anna mumbled. “It’s almost gone.”
“We’ll get a new bottle,” Cassie said. “Now tell us about this rose.”
Anna sat back and closed her eyes. She started speaking after a minute.
“Your father had the green thumb in the family. You know I’m practically useless in the garden.”
Anna took a sip of her brandy and savored the warmth as it trickled down her throat.
“John wanted to create a special rose. It was going to be cream, edged with dark red with a heady fragrance and the most velvety petals. He named it Eloise after his mother. John worked on this rose for many years until it was exactly like he wanted.”
“Do we have this rose in our garden now?” Cassie asked.
“We do,” Anna nodded. “The gardener takes care of it.”
“Why don’t you enter this in the Rose Show?” Gino asked.
“I want to,” Anna said. “I’ve lost track of whether they are still accepting entries. I will have to ask Mary about it.”
“Can I get you anything else?” Cassie asked solicitously.
Anna assured Cassie she was alright.
“It’s getting late,” she said. “I think I’m going to turn in now.” She looked at Gino. “You are free to stay as long as you want. But be warned, Cassie might rope you into watching Casablanca.”
Gino threw back his head and laughed.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind that. But there’s just one more thing I wanted to discuss before you go, Anna. It won’t take long.”
Anna tensed. “What is it?”
“It’s about Meg. You know Cassie asked me to look into her background.”
“What did you find?” Cassie burst out.
“Nothing much,” Gino told them. “I had someone run a background check. She’s clean, as far as I can tell. I see an address for her in Muncie, Indiana. She’s only twenty so if she had any kind of record as a minor, it’s sealed now.”
“She’s from the Midwest,” Anna conceded. “I think she must have moved around the state quite a bit.”
“But do you think she’s telling the truth?” Cassie asked Gino.
“Only one way to be sure, Cassie,” Gino sighed. “Are you ready for that test?”
Chapter 19
Anna rushed through her routine the next morning. Gino was going to pick her up and they were going to get breakfast at the Yellow Tulip diner.
Cassie walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.
“You look all dressed up.”
“No, I’m not! And Good Morning to you too.”
“Oh yeah, you’re meeting Gino, aren’t you? Are those earrings new?”
“Meg and I got them in San Francisco.”
Cassie rolled her eyes at that.
“I guess I’m eating cereal for breakfast.”
“Will you go open the bookstore at 9? Meg will be there all day so you can come back whenever you want.”
“Why don’t you get a pair of keys made for Meg?”
Anna missed the sarcasm. “I’m going to do just that.”
Gino arrived soon and helped Anna into his truck. He parked at the edge of Main Street and they walked to the Yellow Tulip.
“About last night … I’m a bit concerned, Anna. Does Cassie really think you are in any danger from Meg?”
“Cassie has fanciful ideas. It’s the Hollywood influence.”
“Her concern for you is genuine. If she has any doubts, I would pay close attention to them.”
“Duly noted,” Anna said. “Now let’s go in and get a greasy, unhealthy breakfast. What do they call it? Breakfast of the champions?”
“I’m right behind you,” Gino said, rubbing his hands.
They found an empty booth and sat down. Anna looked around, trying to spot the man they were after.
“He’s not here yet.”
“He can wait,” Gino said. “Let’s eat first.”
They ordered the breakfast special, a large platter with sausage patties, bacon, eggs and two pancakes. Anna chose the blueberry pancakes and Gino went for chocolate chip.
“Do you really think Cassie’s in trouble?” Anna asked Gino as she poured hot sauce over her eggs.
“They will call her in for questioning at the very least.”
“Why is this happening to me, Gino? I’ve lead a blameless life. Been a mo
del citizen of this town. Why me?”
“I can’t answer that, Anna,” Gino said gravely. “But whatever happens, I will be in your corner. I can promise you that.”
They took their time enjoying the food. The waitress came and topped up their coffee. She gave Anna a knowing look. Anna figured there would be some fresh gossip about her and Gino spreading through town pretty soon.
Anna had just finished her second cup of coffee when she spotted their target. She sat up suddenly.
“He’s here,” she said under her breath.
“Relax,” Gino cautioned. “We don’t want to spook him.”
Anna drummed her fingers on the table nervously, waiting until their quarry found a booth and ordered something. She waited for a nod from Gino before walking over to the man.
“Hello.” Gino announced his presence. “I’m Gino Mancini. Can we talk?”
The man nodded and closed his laptop.
“What can I do for you?”
If he recognized Anna from their earlier meeting, he didn’t show it.
“You implied you barely knew William Parker but I know that’s not true. You were seen following him. And you had some kind of altercation outside his house. I have proof.”
She finally stopped to catch her breath.
“Why don’t you sit down?” the man asked, pointing to the empty seat before him.
“And I don’t buy that stuff about you being some kind of salesman,” Anna burst out.
“You’re right,” the man finally admitted. He offered his hand to Gino. “I’m Joey Bellinger. I’m a journalist for a national publication.”
“What are you doing in Dolphin Bay?” Gino asked. “Chasing a story?”
“You can say that,” Joey nodded. “But I’m afraid I can’t tell you more than that at this time.”
“What was your connection to William Parker? Was he part of your story?”
“Like I said, I can’t comment on that.”
“You don’t need to,” Anna snorted. “We can put two and two together.”
“Can you tell us why you were arguing with Parker?” Gino asked.
Joey pursed his mouth and glanced out of the window. He seemed to come to a decision.
“William Parker had a cabin in the woods. He spent a lot of time there. It was like a secret hideout. I was asking him about it when he flared up and started lashing out.”
“What’s this cabin got to do with anything?” Anna asked. “And so he went to this cabin. Why should that bother you?”
“I can’t talk about that,” Joey said.
Anna opened her mouth to protest but Gino put a warning hand on her back.
“Thanks for talking to us, Joey,” she said instead and walked out. “That wasn’t very helpful, was it?” she asked Gino. “Journalist! How do we know he’s not lying again?”
“I’m going to check his credentials,” Gino told her. “But I think he was telling the truth this time. Most investigative journalists are very careful when they are working on a story. So I’m not surprised he doesn’t want to talk.”
“What about that cabin?” Anna asked.
“I think I might know that place he mentioned. Let me check a few things, Anna.”
They walked toward the parking lot, passing by Anna’s bookstore. Anna peeped in and saw Meg ringing up a customer.
“Well, well, well!” A familiar voice rang out, making Anna whirl.
“If it isn’t the famous husband killer.”
“Be very careful what you say, Lara,” Gino warned. “You can’t go around slandering people.”
Lara Crawford, the mayor of Dolphin Bay, ignored him and trained her eyes on Anna.
“You’re going away for a double murder, Anna. Get your things in order.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Anna asked her. “Like doing something good for the town for a change?”
Lara’s mouth twisted in a grimace.
“I’m pulling you off the streets, aren’t I?”
“Leave her alone, Lara,” Gino said, taking Anna’s hand.
He gently turned her around and started walking to his truck. Anna sighed when she climbed in.
“You know what bothers me most about Lara? I don’t know what she has against me. Why is she doing this? We were never good friends but she was at least civil.”
“Hard to say what motivates someone,” Gino said. “Just ignore her. If she gets too pesky, call your lawyer and ask him to sue her for defamation.”
“Surely it won’t come to that?”
“It’s your call, Anna.”
Gino asked Anna what her plans were for the rest of the day.
“Meg’s taking care of the store so I don’t have to rush anywhere. What do you have in mind?”
Gino told her to wait and made a couple of calls.
“Hang on,” he said, easing the truck into drive. “We are going to meet an old friend of mine.”
Gino drove to the Sunshine Acres Senior Center. A cheerful nurse greeted them with a wide smile and walked them to a lounge.
“He’s playing chess with one of his cronies. I’ll bring him to you.”
She came back with a stooping old man who was pushing a walker. He had a full head of snow white hair and sharp blue eyes. He seemed to brighten when he saw Gino.
“How are you, boy? So you finally found time for me.”
Gino introduced Anna as his friend. An aide came by and offered them coffee.
“I rarely get visitors,” the old man said. “They must be wondering who you are. I’m going to dine on this for days.”
“Dan here is my father’s friend,” Gino told Anna. “He used to be around when I grew up.”
He turned to Dan as he sipped his coffee.
“What happened to that cabin you had out near the redwood forest?”
“It’s still standing as far as I know. Fella I know rents it from me.”
“Do you mean William Parker?” Gino asked sharply.
“That’s him,” Dan nodded. “Why?”
Gino told him about William Parker’s demise. The old man hadn’t heard about it.
“I never went there,” Dan said. “You can say I as good as gave it to him. He took care of it. Said I didn’t need to bother about it at all. Not that I get out of here much. I’m just biding my time now.”
“Surely not,” Anna clucked. “You seem to be in the pink of health.”
“Can we go take a look at the cabin?” Gino asked. “What about a key?”
“Under the doormat as far as I know,” Dan answered. “When you go, can you make sure the place is okay? Lock the windows and such? I might have to hire someone to look after it now that William is gone.”
Gino promised to give Dan an update after they got back from the cabin. They said goodbye to the old man and walked out.
“Now what?” Anna asked.
“I would love to take you to lunch, Anna, but I have a meeting at the vineyard.”
“Don’t worry,” Anna assured him. “I need to catch up with Cassie.”
They parted ways, promising to talk later on the phone.
Chapter 20
Cassie went into her room and pulled out a box of frosted flakes from her closet. She was a grown woman hoarding cereal because her mother wouldn’t let her eat the sugary treat. What had her life come to, Cassie thought with a shake of her head. She was going to eat two bowls of cereal and not feel guilty about it.
Cassie took her breakfast into the living room and switched the TV on, surfing to her favorite entertainment channel. She liked to catch up on what was going on in the lives of her peers. One of her rivals had been nominated for the Oscar a second time. Cassie wondered if she would ever get a chance to attend an awards function again, much less hold the coveted trophy in her hands.
Her cell phone rang and she picked it up eagerly, expecting Bobby. It turned out to be Teddy Fowler.
“Hey Teddy!” She was puzzled. What could Teddy want with her tha
t early in the morning?
“Cassie, can you come to the police station?”
“Is something wrong with my mother?” Cassie asked in alarm.
Anna had gone out with Gino. So if something happened to her, shouldn’t Gino be the one calling her, she wondered.
“We want to ask you a few questions.”
“Are you making an official request, Teddy?” Cassie asked, finally catching up.
“Take it any way you like.”
“Can’t we talk about this, whatever this is, over lunch?”
“I’m afraid not. See you soon, Cassie. We are waiting.”
Teddy offered to send a car for her but Cassie declined.
Cassie thought of calling Anna but decided against it. There was no point in bothering her without reason. Cassie pulled out the first dress she could lay her hands on and applied red lipstick for some courage. She spritzed some Joy perfume, slapped on a pair of dark shades and she was out of the door.
Teddy greeted her curtly when she reached the police station.
“What’s the matter? Why are you so grim, Teddy?”
“I have to look official, Cassie. Everyone knows we are old friends. I can’t be playing favorites.”
Cassie stifled a grin and followed him into a room. A deputy was already in there.
“This is just routine, Ms. Butler,” he said. “We are going to ask you a few questions.”
“Do I need a lawyer?” Cassie asked.
“We haven’t charged you with anything yet.”
“Does that mean you are going to?”
The deputy refused to give her a straight answer. Cassie decided to wing it. She would stop talking to them the moment she felt uncomfortable.
“Teddy will be in here, won’t he?”
“I can’t, Cassie.” Teddy grimaced. “There could be a conflict of interest.”
“We are trying to establish your alibi for the night William Parker died,” the deputy said. “Can you tell me where you were that evening?”
“I was at the Castle Beach Resort, of course. For that concert.”
“Do you remember when you arrived there?”
Cassie thought a bit and gave an approximate time.
“Teddy should know. I was there with him and his wife.”