Frame and Fortune

by Misty Simon

  And I really was thinking of hiring Charlie. For one thing, it would make sense to have him close by. Maybe it would deter him from stealing my stuff. For another, it would burn the buns right off Jackie for me to have him constantly in the store. Though her words about asking Bella what happened when someone stole her boyfriend continued to ring in my poor ears, I wasn’t above mixing up a little trouble to shake something loose in this murder investigation. I still had nothing and no leads. Completely unacceptable, in my book.

  Plus, no one around town seemed to be doing anything suspicious. Life was going on as usual around Martha’s Point, and I didn’t like it. Normally, by now, someone would have tipped their hand, or tried some other funny business. But other than Jackie slamming my head into the counter, I had bupkis. Which really sucked, in my opinion. Bella’s, too.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. My phone never rang this much. I didn’t know who else it could be, unless one of my sisters was calling. The Bouquet could be a little much sometimes, but at least they cared about me.

  Anyway, since I couldn’t stand to have the phone ring too many times without answering, I grabbed it out of the cradle before it switched over to the machine. I didn’t look at the caller ID I’d had installed. For that lapse, I would smack myself in the forehead later.

  “Ivy!” My dad’s voice boomed from the receiver, nearly taking out an eardrum in the process. I moved the phone about six inches from my head. Now Ben could hear the conversation, too, as loudly as if the man were right here in the room with us.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “Mr. Morris,” Ben said, a smile on his face as he moved to stand next to me. For some reason, my dad and Ben were getting along recently. Maybe it had something to do with them not being in the same town at the moment. Whenever my dad was physically within barking distance of Ben, he was notorious for asking him what his intentions were in regard to me and making me an honest woman. Needless to say, it was way beyond embarrassing. I had a feeling Stan Morris’s head might come right off his body if he knew Ben was practically living with me at this point.

  “So tell me. What’s the current situation with the new murder?” His voice was still loud, but the distance made it bearable. “Have they taken Bella back into custody, even though she couldn’t have done it? Do you have another suspect yet? I can’t believe we’re halfway across the United States for this one and can’t help.” He harrumphed. I’d bet a box of Tastykakes he was giving Martha a hard time every chance he got.

  I worked to cover an errant giggle with a cough. Thank God my dad wasn’t in the area. Oy! He always demanded answers faster than I could think. He also pretty much made a nuisance of himself with his cop talk and pointless questions. At this point, I didn’t even know where to start. I certainly didn’t relish having someone else underfoot while I tried to figure out the crime. Thank God for Martha putting down her foot. Not that he hadn’t helped before… No, on second thought, I don’t think he’d ever really helped before, only stood over my shoulder demanding answers as soon as possible.

  “We’re sorry, too, sir,” Ben said to cover my near brush with hysteria.

  “Well, you don’t have to be too sorry. Martha and I are packing up right now and heading home as quickly as we can so we can be of help.”

  I turned pleading eyes to Ben, sure they were filled with shock and panic. No, no, no!

  Ben, being the wonderful, beautiful, spectacular man he was, immediately clued in and said, “Oh, sir, I don’t think you have to run home. We wouldn’t want you to cut your second honeymoon short for this. Ivy and I can handle it, I assure you.” He shook his hand to get the blood flowing back into his fingers after I let go my kung fu grip. He silently mouthed ow before he went back to talking my dad out of coming home early. Stan and Martha had only been gone a couple of days. They were supposed to be out of town for five weeks total. “Everything’s fine around here, sir. It would be a shame to make Martha come home early when she hasn’t had a vacation from the diner in so long. Things are going so well over there under Randy’s care.”

  I gave him a high five for pulling the diner card, even if he was pouring it on a little thick. Martha, who owned and had worked at Mad Martha’s Milk and Munchies seven days a week for years, had been clamoring to see the sights now that she had my dad to pal around with. She would not be a happy camper if she was dragged back early. Especially since she had only recently coerced him into getting on the road despite his protests. In fact, I could hear her yelling in the background—with pretty much those same exact words.

  I breathed out a sigh of relief. I apparently breathed too loud, though, because Stan heard it. “Oh, Ivy, I know how disappointed you are that I can’t come home right now. I promise I’ll call every day for an update. I can help with the clues I’m sure you’re accumulating.”

  I did the age-old trick with a sound like static and broken words, hanging up on him before he could say anything else, or figure out my landline wasn’t likely to have a bad connection.

  Ben grinned at me after placing his arm around my shoulders. “Do you really think he’s going to fall for your ruse?”

  “Good word, but no. Although I do think between the call and Martha pulling him off to see some to-die-for tourist trap on the RV map, hopefully he won’t have time to bother me every single day.” Of course, my life was so very rarely accommodating.

  ****

  The next day I dodged no less than seven calls before eight in the morning. I even had to field questions about why Ben was at my house at 7:15 a.m. Though why my dad decided to call in the middle of the night in his time zone was beyond me. I hung up on Stan the Tanned that time, and every other call he placed. We called him “the Tanned” behind his back because of the deep California tan he still held on to despite being in Virginia for months during the winter. I personally thought he secretly visited a tanning bed to fake bake, but Ben said no. How Ben would know was not something I’d willingly explore at this time.

  Finally I was able to get over to the Shoppe to start the day rolling. No sooner had I opened my door than Charlie was there, roaming back and forth through the racks, helping customers regardless of the fact that he wasn’t getting paid. I had even seen him duck into the back room, which was filled with women’s lingerie, then come back out trailing three women with their arms full of stuff I’d been hard pressed to move out of inventory.

  I’d checked the paper today looking for my help wanted ad. It was right in the job section where it should be, but so far no one had come in to apply. Charlie kept throwing me dazzling smiles as he waltzed back and forth across the floor. He appeared to be in his heaven, even enjoying the fountain he’d put into the Shoppe before he’d been arrested. He went as far as showing people the fountain, as well as the many features on the mermaid that sat in the middle of the pool. He’d tell them all the same thing—how wonderful I had been for giving him the chance to show me what he could do with some plaster along with a little time. Then he’d snicker about getting into some trouble and being back, hoping to win my heart, again.

  If you asked me, it was a little weird. But even weirder was the fact that the ladies snickered with him and gently swatted him on the arm, calling him a naughty man. Then they came up to the counter with boatloads of purchases, telling me I really should give him a chance since he seemed to know what he was doing.

  I didn’t know what to think, but finally it was lunchtime. Charlie had been haunting the store for over two hours, moving merchandise like no one I had ever seen before. I’d have to do inventory to place a new order much sooner than I had anticipated. Part of me was euphoric with the amount of money in my coffers, but the other part was still uncertain as to what I would do with him. I had wanted someone in here whom I could trust to help me out, not only in sales but also so I could have some additional days off. Someone I wouldn’t mind leaving the store with while I went to industry and costume shows. But how could I do that with someone who
I knew had stolen from me? Someone whom I had caught red-handed with my lingerie peeking out of the back of his pants?

  The store emptied out shortly after I wolfed down the wonderful Cobb salad Ben had put together for me. Charlie was still there. He’d taken a half hoagie out of a backpack he’d thrown in an out-of-the-way corner when he first came in. Seated on the lip of the fountain, he munched away. I tried to avoid eye contact with him, but it was becoming increasingly harder to not stare at the man who was making himself completely at home in The Masked Shoppe.

  I shook my head. I wasn’t really going to do it, was I? Maybe I was. And maybe I’d regret it; then Ben could tell me he’d told me so, again. But the numbers from a quick cash count told me I’d made more than I usually did on any given day near Halloween—my busiest time of the year with the costume shop. I couldn’t argue with the cold hard cash hanging out in the drawer. And no one else had shown up to apply for the job.

  I looked at him again while I threw my trash away. He gave me the toothy smile along with a jaunty little wave. Now that I wasn’t trying to catch him in women’s underwear, I realized he was a good-looking guy. Jail had slimmed him down some, which made his shoulders seem broader, his waist narrower. His hair was a light brown now, waving gently off his forehead. He had straight, even, white teeth, and a nice smile. His eyes sparkled. And when he stood tall he towered over many of the women who had come in today. If they felt they could impress him, while talking to him like a girlfriend, he would be the very best combination for a salesperson. I would be crazy to pass up his offer.

  “Seriously?” I said the one word, figuring he would understand what I was getting at.

  “Very seriously. I’m going to hang around and keep making sales until you see how valuable I am.”

  “But I could just keep letting you work hard, not paying you at all.” I had tipped my hand, but it didn’t matter. I would never do that to someone, anyway.

  “You’d never do that to someone, Ivy. You’re too fair and kind to string me along like that.”

  Well, the flattery certainly didn’t hurt his chances of getting the job. But first we had a few ground rules to cover. I wasn’t going any further until I got his full agreement on all of them. “No stealing from me,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared him down. I swear he jumped a foot in the air.

  When he came down, he rushed me, wrapping me in a big, huge, bear hug. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said when he let go. He stepped back, still holding my hands with an enormous smile on his face. “Trust me.”

  I snorted, then continued on like he hadn’t said anything. “I’ll give you an employee discount, but I don’t need to know about what exactly you buy.” I gave him the Eye of Forbiddance, hoping it would work for the first time in my life.

  “I won’t tell you, but I guarantee I’ll probably be your best customer.” He winked at me.

  “And no winking.” I pulled away as he grinned, again.

  “Will do, boss lady.”

  Now that I liked. “Now that I like.” I smiled back at him. “You keep on selling like you’ve been selling, and we’ll get along fine.”

  “Let’s talk money,” he said, sitting back down on the fountain. I didn’t know what I was in for, as he showed an amazing capability for haggling in business. He somehow got me to give him an hourly rate along with a commission to round out his employee discount.

  I felt like I’d been sent through the big load cycle of the washer but was oddly pleased. The afternoon flew by after our conversation. I figured since I was here anyway, I didn’t need to worry about leaving him alone for a while. I didn’t have any plans to be out of town in the near future, and watching him work while filling my till gave me an odd little thrill up and down my spine. This might just work.

  At one point he bent over, and I quickly averted my eyes. I did not want to see if he was wearing any of the Shoppe’s underwear now. No time for that train of thought, though. I managed to get Charlie out of the store for a little while by sending him on some ridiculous errand down at Hank’s Hardware and Hick Stuff. I was kidding about that last part, but really these Martha’s Pointers, as they persisted in calling themselves, coming from Martha’s Point and all, couldn’t seem to name anything without starting each word with the same letter. Thank God my great-aunt Gertie had named her shop—and now my shop—The Masked Shoppe, instead of something like Custom Costumes or Gertie’s Grandiose Get-ups. Snicker.

  When Charlie arrived back at the Shoppe, it was hopping. I didn’t know how I had lived without an assistant before. He jumped right in, helping people left and right, clearing the sales floor out along with half the merchandise. We laughed a lot, and I almost cried when I counted down the drawer for the night before letting him out the front door. It had been a fantastic day, even if I hadn’t had time to do any real searching into the murder mystery. I had to step that up, or Bella would have my head. I had some ideas on where to go to get more information, but I’d have to wait to try them out until tonight after dinner with Ben.

  But when I stepped over to the door to flip the sign to Closed, my stomach dropped. There was Jackie Sturder, standing across the street glaring at me, holding a cardboard sign lettered in black that said YOU’RE NEXT.

  Chapter Ten

  I stood rooted at the door until Jackie had glared her fill and turned down the street with a smirk clear on her face. Part of me stood there for so long because I was afraid I’d pee my pants if I moved. The other part wondered what the heck she was going on about. Did she want me to think she was going to kill me? Next for what? I shuddered to think about it, so I didn’t. Instead, I locked up the shop, called Ben, and waited for him to come over to escort me home.

  When he showed up at the front door, he nearly scared the bejesus out of me. I’d been listening to every little crack and creak of the old house settling into the foundation, hoping Jackie wasn’t going to come back. But I’d turned my back for one quick second when the door’s tinkling bell gave its merry little sound. I whipped around with the handiest weapon I could find, but it wasn’t much.

  “What are you going to do? Stab me in the throat with the back of that earring?” Ben smirked, holding up his hands to show his key glinting between his fingers. I’d had about enough smirking for the day. I was half-tempted to try to stab him with my weapon, or that key, solely to see if it would work.

  But I pulled myself back at the last moment. He had been nice enough to come over and settle my fears about going home alone. I had to return that kindness by not making him bleed. But I did have to say something. “You never know. I’ve done damage with less.”

  And I had. I wasn’t your conventional kind of girl when it came to weapons. Up to this point, I’d managed to hurt people with mannequin legs, cooking spray, and feather boas. Earrings could be next, though I’d prefer not to be put in a position where I had to hurt anyone again, to be perfectly honest.

  “Can we just go, please?” I shoved my purse strap up onto my shoulder, checking around to ensure everything was in its place. “I want a cheese steak before we go home, too, so let’s stop at The Country Kitchen.”

  “But I made…” The look on my face must have made him trail off like that. “Country Kitchen it is. One cheese steak coming right up.”

  Ben was as good as his word, though I did feel a little bitchy when we came home with take out. He tucked his homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo into a Tupperware container, stashing it in my overflowing fridge. But the cheese steak was so good that my remorse lasted only a few minutes. Plus, I could have his meal for lunch tomorrow.

  After I’d polished off my twelve-inch sandwich, I sat back with a satisfied smile and a full stomach. I was in the mood for a little conversation, yet I had to tell Ben about Jackie’s weirdness. I hadn’t confided in him about hiring Charlie, either, but I thought I might wait for another day to drop that particular bomb on him. Of course, he’d probably heard about it already through the infamous Mar
tha’s Pointers’ grapevine. But unless he brought it up tonight, I wasn’t ready to discuss it.

  I recounted the sign to Ben, and he stared hard at me for a few uncomfortable moments. “Why is she bothering you all of a sudden? What does she mean, you’ll be next?”

  “I have no idea. She mentioned something before she slammed my head in the counter the other day, too, about asking Bella what happened when she was crossed.” Which reminded me I hadn’t talked to my best friend today, other than to have her shout at me. Apparently I needed to figure out who the murderer was because her shop was now hopping with people who wanted someone famous (or infamous, as the case may be) to do their hair. She’d even started thinking about hiring an assistant. I told her she couldn’t have Charlie, and she’d laughed like a loon for the first time in too many days. She was supposed to be over a little later for what she was calling her nightly “Progress Check.” Yay. I was feeling more and more like I had a supervisor for the first time in a long time.

  I changed the subject because I had no answers. “So, Bella’s going to be here soon.” I stuck my elbows on the table, jamming my fingers into my hair to cradle my head. “What am I supposed to tell her? We haven’t ferreted out a single clue. I have nothing new, which is making me want to pull out my hair. This is very, very bad. Do you have anything for me to appease her with?” (Good word!)

  Ben wiped his mouth with his napkin before putting it on the table next to his plate. He settled back into his chair with his hands clasped on his stomach. I only mention the pose because it was one of my favorites. It always made me want to go sit on him.

  Maybe he was becoming adept at reading minds, because he gave me his half-mouth smile, then blew me a kiss.

  Had someone turned the thermostat up? Phew!

  “So, when were you going to tell me you hired Charlie?” He sat patiently, unmoving, while I squiggled around in my chair.

  I sat up straight, looked him in the eye, and said, “I don’t think that has anything to do with the conversation we are currently undertaking. I feel we should stick to the topic at hand and not divert our attention from the necessary and immediate situation.”