Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Collection

by Laurie Anne Marie

  “Then this one my cat found in the bush probably has residue on it too. Test it.”

  “And I have big news.” Thompson cleared his throat.

  “Shoot,” Ashley said. She started to pace around his office.

  “We arrested Nash a few hours ago on drug charges. We got all the evidence we needed. We also think he’s the one who murdered Darren or ordered his murder, but he’s denying that.”

  Ashley quickly sat down. “What about Julia Short? She must have known what was going on at the warehouse if she was there with Nash.”

  “We think so too. We’re going to pull her in for more questioning later.”

  “Why not now?” Ashley asked.

  “We can’t find her. She obviously got wind of Nash’s arrest and took off.”

  Thompson looked a bit embarrassed.

  “I said someone should have gone to her house when we were getting Nash, but no one acted fast enough,” he grumbled.

  “She shouldn’t be hard to find. She’s been a pampered housewife with lots of money to spend. Not to mention she drives a really nice car that happens to be bright blue.”

  “I’m sure we’ll get her. We’re tracking her cell phone and credit card transactions right now,” Thompson explained.

  “And Jose? Is he well enough to talk now?” Ashley asked.

  “Yeah, a little bit. He’s saying that he sold drugs for extra money. But then his wife found out and said she would leave him unless he stopped, so he went to Nash to say he wanted out. Nash threatened him if he quit the business. Jose insisted he was done with it all, and then he got beat up pretty bad by some of Nash’s goons. Jose had never seen them before, but he thinks they intended to kill him.”

  Ashley furrowed her brow. “I don’t think so. If they wanted to kill him, they probably would have. I think they wanted to scare him badly though so he wouldn’t talk to the police. And that’s why he was trying to talk to me. He wanted someone to know what was going on.”

  “I’m pretty sure that Darren was involved with all this drug stuff too. He might have messed up somewhere down the line, or he and Nash didn’t get along, but Nash must’ve been the one to kill him to take over the business,” Thompson said.

  “Both the restaurant and the drug business,” Ashley said.

  “The restaurant was a good cover for the drug operation. Made Darren and Nash look respectable.” Thompson said.

  “And after Darren was murdered, Julia wouldn’t have minded as she was seeing Nash. She knew Nash had a lot of money, and she wanted to be next to it. And she wasn’t sorry that her husband was gone after all his cheating.” Ashley stared off into space.

  “Do you think Julia was actually in on her husband’s murder too?” Thompson asked.

  “I don’t know. She hated him for his philandering, but I don’t feel that she could have murdered him. I think that was Nash’s domain.”

  “With the help from either or both of the Chris’s.”

  “Yeah, looks that way,” Ashley said. “After all, they were the distributors and Nash must have paid them a good cut.”

  “Yeah, but the even bigger cut must have gone to Darren. And he wanted to squeeze Darren out,” Thompson mused.

  Ashley’s eyes lit up.

  “Or maybe it was Darren who wanted out. And Nash threatened him like he did with Jose, and when Darren didn’t roll over, Nash killed him.”

  “And made Jimmy the dishwasher look like the stooge who did it. Nash played off their ongoing animosity and the fight they had that day,” Thompson said.

  “Yeah, maybe. But you keep saying that Jimmy doesn’t talk about Nash much.”

  “Probably afraid for his life,” he said.

  “Or, he probably doesn’t know that Nash killed Darren,” she said.

  “True, but we’ve got the gun evidence on Jimmy, and we’re keeping them all rounded up until we can book the real killer. Pretty soon, they’ll start ratting on each other anyway. Crooks always do.”

  “And you still have to catch Julia Short.” Ashley winked at him.

  “Right,” Detective Thompson groused. “What’s the wink for?” Don’t you think we’ll get her? Like you said, she should be easy to catch.”

  “Of course you’ll find her. Winking’s just our thing Nathaniel. You started it,” Ashley said.

  “I did? Don’t remember. Bye Ashley. Look for Nash’s arrest on the news. Maybe we’ll be booking him for murder too soon. But mums the word.”

  “Of course.”

  “Hopefully we can get the cop car off your family soon, and you can move back into your apartment. And I can get back to simple store break-ins and car thefts.”

  Ashley sighed. “Isn’t progress a wonderful thing? My parents told me they used to be able to leave the door unlocked when they left the house.”

  Detective Thompson grinned. “That’s what everyone’s parents and grandparents say about small towns everywhere. Hey, it’s still better than the crime that goes on in the big city.”

  “Yeah, that’s one of the reasons why I’m still here.”

  “Hey, say thanks to your cat. Give him some filet mignon tonight for this. He’s a good snoop. Maybe we should give him a part-time job here at the department.”

  Thompson held up the bag with the little pink ramekin in it and smiled.

  “Thanks. He prefers tuna. I’ll stop and get him some now. Bye.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Ashley drove home with her mind awhirl. When she walked in, her parents had the 5 o’clock news on. They were staring at the TV and didn’t even notice her come in.

  “A big drug bust in this town? First a murder then this. What the heck is going to happen next?” April gasped.

  “No fooling,” Burt muttered. “The whole place is going downhill. We should sell and pull up stakes.”

  “And go where Burt? We have all our friends and most of our family nearby. Don’t be silly.”

  “Hi mom, hi dad. Big news on TV, huh?” Ashley asked.

  “You don’t want to know. Gets worse every day. Question is, who’s going to run your old restaurant now?” Burt said.

  “She probably does know dear. She went to see the detective today. Ashley dear, tell us what else you know about this.”

  “Pretty much what you’ve just heard on the news mom. Sorry, that’s all I can tell you at the moment,” Ashley said.

  They both stared at their daughter.

  “Well, is it what we said? Was it that Meagan girl and Ray who murdered your old boss? Or was it Julia Short and that Nash man?” April asked.

  “Mom, the police don’t know that for sure yet. They just know about Nash and the drug operation. The murder is still a question mark,” Ashley replied.

  “Ok dear. You don’t have to tell us anything. I’ll go finish dinner.” April said.

  Ashley sighed. “Dad, listen, it seems they have the bad guys all in jail. So it’s just a matter of time.”

  “I hope so. It’s not just your mom and I worried about all of this. The whole town is on edge. Now to find out about this drug running business going on outside of town. It’s a shock for us you know,” Burt admitted.

  Ashley noticed her dad’s slumped shoulders and worry lines. This really was too much for them. But she couldn’t bear to tell them any more of what the detective revealed to her. It would only make things worse. They’d worried too much as it was.

  ***

  That night after dinner, Ashley hugged both her parents and headed to bed. But first, she peeked out the window and checked to see if the cop car was there. All secure.

  Just as she was falling off to sleep, her phone rang. It was Thompson.

  “We found Julia Short,” he said.

  “Good, where was she?” Ashley asked.

  “In a fleabag motel up the coast. She paid cash for the room but had bought a pair of shoes with her credit card in a boutique store up there.”

  “Love it. She tries to run away and hide, but can’t resist a ne
w pair of shoes while she’s at it. Way to go and typecast all us girls Julia,” Ashley said.

  Thompson laughed. “You said it, not me.”

  “Even though I’m not there, I can swear you’re winking,” Ashley said.

  “Not at all. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Night Nathaniel.”

  “Hey, it’s time you started calling me Nate.”

  “I’m trying. But you don’t look like a Nate.”

  “What’s the difference?” he asked.

  “Night Nathaniel.”

  Charlie was cuddled close to her as she drifted back to sleep. He was purring as if to say, ‘thanks for that tuna mom,’ and stretched his paw out over her hair.

  ***

  Ashley woke up with a start. It was early, nearly 6 a.m. She could smell breakfast food cooking and went downstairs to the kitchen.

  “Morning dear. Why are you up so early? Your father just left for a few hours of work, and I thought I’d be cooking for you much later.” April said.

  “I don’t know mom. I‘m having all have all kinds of weird thoughts. Have to get some protein in me and sort them out. Then I have to call Nathaniel,” Ashley replied.

  “Who?” April asked.

  “Uh, Detective Thompson. He’s been wanting me to call him by his first name for a while now.”

  “Well, I suppose you’ve gotten to know him well enough to do that. Although he doesn’t look like a Nathaniel. Or a Nate for that matter. Eggs?”

  “Yes please. And more muffins?” Ashley added.

  “Of course dear. Got to keep your strength up. And your budding detective skills.”

  April smiled at her daughter.

  “Well, I couldn’t have done all this without you and dad helping me. And your decoupage group.”

  “They have been on to some good leads, haven’t they? I think this will all be solved soon and they can be proud of their theories,” April said.

  “Me too, “Ashley replied. She ate hurriedly and gave her mom a kiss. “Sorry, gotta run.”

  “Don’t worry, I know you’ve got ants in your pants. See you later,” April said.

  “Take some of those muffins to our cop car friend,” Ashley yelled, as she ran out the door.

  ***

  As soon as Ashley got in the car, her phone rang. Thompson again.

  “Hi Nathaniel.”

  “We just booked Nash on murder charges. Julia Short and both Chris’s ratted him out. Knew it. We’re going to wrap this up soon,” Thompson said.

  “Can I come over?” Ashley asked.

  “I don’t think so. We need to get this job done and over with and then meet the press. It’s not going to be pleasant.”

  “I won’t bother you. I just want to see you first; then I’ll just hang outside. After all, I’ve been on this ride awhile now.”

  “Ok, but make it quick. People all over the place.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Ashley got there as fast as she could. There were already news trucks everywhere and reporters standing outside announcing the murder charges. She ran to Thompsons’s office, but he was already surrounded by the multitudes.

  “Can’t talk Ashley. Have to give a press conference. See you later,” he said.

  Ashley followed the detective outside as he stood with his deputy and gave a brief commentary on the arrest of Nash for Darren Short’s murder. As soon as he finished talking, the press went wild with questions, but Thompson politely shut them down.

  “The department has no further comment at this time. As soon as we have more information, we will make it available to you.”

  He quickly went back inside.

  Poor guy. He had never had to deal with this before in his little town. Despite all her misgivings in the past about him, he had grown on her. She felt a lot of sympathy for him at the moment.

  Ashley looked around and saw lots of townsfolk milling about and talking. Despite her morning cup of coffee, she felt weary all of a sudden and wanted to get to a comfortable place. She got in the car and headed for Babycakes.

  ***

  The minute she stepped in the bakery, she saw Sean at the counter. She smiled as she watched him talk to all the customers. He was giving out his pastries and nodding in sympathy with them.

  “I’m sure he’s comforting all of them after this news,” Ashley thought.

  Sean looked up and saw her and waved her over.

  “Hey Ash, what a relief, huh? Everyone is so glad it is over,” Sean said.

  “Yeah, me too. Can I have your best pastry today and a strong cup of coffee?”

  “Ash, do I make coffee any other way?”

  “Thank God, no,” Ashley said. She took a long draw from her cup and tasted a piece of a cinnamon sticky bun.

  “Oh thank you, thank you,” Ashley moaned. “This is amazing. How much cinnamon did you put in this?”

  Sean laughed. “As much as the butter and pecans I put in. Everything in proportion.”

  “You’re a genius,” she said. “Can I have another one?”

  Sean laughed again. “Sure.”

  All around her she could see townsfolk milling around the bakery. She could hear the relief in their voices as they talked to one another about how they’d soon have their peaceful town back.

  “That was too much excitement for me,” one Town Folk said.

  “Yes, thank goodness it’s over,” said another.

  “You think you live out here away from the big city, but the big city ways still find you,” sighed another.

  “Nothing’s ever been the same since that dang internet,” grumbled an older man.

  “Kids get all their information online now. I heard they had a really sophisticated network to sell the drugs. Called ‘Phantom Phrend’ online. People just logged in!”

  “Wonder why they just didn’t text on those throwaway phones,” said another woman.

  “Edna, where did you hear about that?” wondered her friend.

  “I read things silly. Everyone knows it. That’s how you educate yourself, by reading, same as the old days,” Edna said.

  “Well, we have a woman of knowledge among us,” her friend retorted.

  “At least when it comes to knowing how people sell drugs,” her husband said.

  Everyone laughed. Ashley let out a long sigh. It was good to hear them joking and good to know it was over. Finally. She couldn’t wait to get her life back to normal.

  Sean poured her another cup of coffee. “Hey Ash, are we still on for that movie this week?”

  “Yes, we are. I need to relax the rest of this week; then I have to figure out what to do with myself. I’m sure Gratitude will be closed for a long time now, and I couldn’t go back there anyway after all that’s happened. Lara said I should open my own place, but I’ve thought about it, and it’s just too expensive. And I don’t want to hit up my parents for money. I might be able to afford a little food stand though,” Ashley joked.

  “Why don’t you work here? At least for a while. Until you figure out your next step.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’m a cook, not a pastry chef. I’d probably get in your way.”

  “Well, you could always be a cashier and help the customers at the counter. No big shakes, but it’s steady,” Sean said.

  “Thanks. I’ll let you know,” Ashley replied.

  “Ok, how’s tomorrow night for the movie?”

  “Sounds good, see you then. Oh, and come over in the late afternoon. Have dinner and sit with us before we go to the film. My parents would like that.”

  Sean grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Ashley drove home to check on her parents and celebrate with them. She walked in and saw her mom unpacking groceries.

  “Hello honey!” April beamed.

  She hugged Ashley tight.

  “We can finally relax again. I thought I’d make a big dinner tonight to celebrate, and we can all watch our favorite TV shows. Your dad’s in
the garage tinkering around. Go say hi.”

  Ashley gave her father a big hug too. “It’s over dad. We can go back to our boring lives.”

  “Copy that,” Burt smiled. Sounds great.”

  Just before they sat down to dinner, Lara called.

  “Hey Ash, good news huh? It’s finally over. Can we go out this weekend and do something really wild and crazy for a change? Like shopping?” Lara asked.

  Ashley laughed. “Just between you and me and the lamppost, Julia Short left town when they booked Nash on the murder charge. They caught her because she made a shoe purchase on her credit card in some rinky dinky town up north. And after she paid cash for a dumpy motel for the night.”

  Lara laughed. “Whoa. Didn’t she learn you can’t have it both ways?”

  “Mum’s the word, Lara. I shouldn’t have told you that.”

  “But you did. And we can laugh about it all the way to our graves,” Lara said.

  Ashley sighed. “Wow, I’m tired. This has been a long ordeal.”

  “Go eat. Remember, shopping this weekend. Let’s buy shoes,” Lara howled.

  “Bye crazy woman.”

  ***

  That night, Ashley and her parents all ate till they were stuffed. Her mom had pulled out all the stops and cooked every carbohydrate known to humans. She had baked a devil’s food cake on top of that.

  “It’s not homemade cake you know,” April said. “It’s like those muffins you both love. I use a mix and doctor it up.”

  “Its perfect mom,” Ashley said.

  “Not quite,” Burt replied.

  April glared at her husband. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Needs vanilla ice cream.”

  “Oh, right.” April jumped up and got some. Ashley had polished off a piece of cake already and now took another half slice to pile on ice cream with it.