Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Collection

by Laurie Anne Marie

  “Now that all this stress is over, I’m seriously going on a diet,” Ashley announced.

  “Pass me your other half piece of cake then,” Burt said.

  ***

  After dinner, they watched some silly reality shows and went to bed. Ashley took a long, hot shower first, then laid down on her pillow and stroked Charlie’s fur.

  “We’ll all sleep like the dead tonight, huh Charlie?’’

  Charlie gave her a look as if to say ‘wrong choice of words considering everything that’s happened,’ and Ashley stroked his fur.

  She closed her eyes and dozed off. The last thing she remembered was her cat purring.

  ***

  At some point much later in the night, she opened her eyes and laid there looking at the ceiling. She tried to get back to sleep.

  “Must be all the coffee,” Ashley thought. “What did I have, three, four cups?”

  Even though she was pumped with caffeine, there was something else. Something was nagging her.

  She thought she heard rustling outside. Has to be the wind, she thought.

  She spent the rest of night and early morning tossing and turning and thinking.

  At dawn, she stumbled out of bed.

  “Might as well, I’m not sleeping,” she thought.

  She padded into the kitchen and hit the coffeemaker. While it was brewing, she took a look out of the kitchen window into the street. The cop car was gone.

  Oh right. Thompson had told her he was calling the cops off since it was all over now. She was grateful not to have the attention the cars brought to their family, but she’d miss them too. Nice to have your own personal protection all the time.

  Suzie Q tiptoed into the kitchen and rubbed herself against Ashley’s legs while purring away.

  “Hey Suzie, what’s up? Looking for Charlie? Let’s go find him.”

  Ashley carried the kitten back to her bedroom calling for Charlie. She couldn’t see him, and he usually came like a dog when you called his name. She noticed she had left her window cracked open this morning, and it looked like the screen had been pushed open.

  “On no, stupid me!”

  She’d meant to tell her dad to tighten up the screen but with all that had happened, she had forgotten. She shut the window and ran outside to look for Charlie.

  “If anything’s happened to him, I’ll never forgive myself,” Ashley thought.

  She had taught him to walk on the leash precisely because she didn’t want him running around outside and get hit by a car. She felt a lump rise in her throat as she called his name over and over.

  Suddenly he stepped out from behind the backyard tree and started to swat at a small object in the grass. She ran up to him and scooped him up and clutched him tight.

  “I’m so sorry I left the window open. So glad you’re alright. What were you doing out here?”

  He looked at her as if to say ‘don’t worry, I wasn’t going anywhere, just snooping around,’ and tried to wriggle out of her grasp.

  As Ashley put him on her shoulder, she noticed the small object on the ground Charlie was batting around in the grass by the tree. She bent over to pick it up and saw what it was. A little pink ramekin.

  What?

  Had this one been there the other day too when she found the other one? Or had it just been dropped there last night when she thought she heard rustling outside?

  All of a sudden she felt queasy. She turned the object over in her hand and saw a tiny “s” inscribed on the bottom corner of it.

  A lightbulb went off in her head. All of a sudden she knew who the killer was.

  Ashley took Charlie inside and put the ramekin in a bag. Then she quickly got dressed to take a ride to see Detective Thompson.

  “Thanks Charlie,” she said as she ran down the stairs.

  ***

  Ashley called the detective while she headed into town.

  He answered with a curt “Thompson here.”

  “Detective, I mean Nathaniel, whatever. My cat found another ramekin under some grass near a tree in my backyard. I don’t know if it was dropped at the same time as the other one I brought in or if someone was creeping around our house last night. I’m bringing it in so you can test it and time date the residue. But could you put a car back at our house? Just until we find out?” Ashley asked.

  “Ashley, Nash is in jail facing murder charges. We’ve got everyone else rounded up. Relax. You’re just on edge from all that’s happened. A car over there again would scare everyone just when the town is calming down.”

  “Please Nathaniel. Just for a day or two. Please.”

  “Ok,” he sighed. “Bring that weird thing in right away.”

  “See you soon.”

  ***

  When Ashley got to his office, it was full of people clamoring to talk to him. He waved at her and gestured that he couldn’t talk, so she left the ramekin on his desk and left.

  She had wanted to talk to him about her new premonition, but he clearly had no time now. There were still reporters hanging around wrapping up their stories about the murder and Nash’s apprehension. Not to mention there were more townsfolk walking around and congratulating each other on this chapter closing on their town’s infamy.

  Ashley jumped into her car and started to drive. She called her parents to tell them a car would be back across the street.

  April picked up and yawned into the phone.

  “Where are you honey? I went to the kitchen to make breakfast for us and saw you had left already. You should be home relaxing; it’s still early.”

  “Yeah, I know mom, but I needed to just get out. Listen, a cop car is coming back to our place, but it’s only until all the reporters are gone. Let dad know,” Ashley said.

  “Ok honey, I’ll do that. Don’t be out too long. Thought we’d go shopping or do something fun today.”

  “Ok mom, see you later.”

  ***

  She drove by her old restaurant and saw it shuttered up with police tape around it while the investigation went on. What a shame. She had cooked some good meals in there.

  She turned on Elm Street where a plain row of apartments lined up. This was where Serena lived. She had given Serena a ride home one day a while ago and remembered thinking how drab the apartments were.

  She saw Sara exiting rapidly out of Serena’s apartment. Sara looked as jittery and nervous as ever. She had lost weight and was skinny and pale.

  “Wonder how many drugs she’s on,” Ashley muttered, as she slowed her car down.

  Ashley quickly pulled over and crouched down in the seat. She wanted to see where Sara was walking before she got out of the car and went to the apartment. But Sara took off at a jog and rounded the corner.

  Just as Ashley started to get out, she saw Serena leaving her apartment and going to her car. Serena had a cup of something in her hand, and her purse in the other, and that same ratty green backpack on her shoulder she had the other day.

  Serena was struggling with balancing everything as she walked to her car. It was too much to carry though, and the cup spilled on the ground along with her open purse. Serena cussed and bent over to scoop up the contents, then threw everything in the front seat and slid in.

  A small stack of little pink ramekins was on the pavement. A hand came out of the car and scooped them up, and then Serena took off.

  Ashley thought about what Thompson had said about not following anyone but quickly dismissed it.

  “I’m not wasting any more time for this to be solved,” Ashley fumed.

  Serena’s car quickly turned two lefts and got on the highway heading north out of town.

  Where could she be going? Certainly not the kitchen supply warehouse Goody’s? That had been cordoned off by the police after they arrested Nash and closed his drug operation. She dropped a bit further back so Serena wouldn’t see her and let cars weave in and out while she kept her eye on Serena’s car.

  Serena then took the split in the road to Highway 59
that ran to the ocean.

  She quickly called Thompson and got his message box.

  “I know who the killer is. I’m on her tail now, and she’s heading north out of town to the old Highway 59 near the ocean. Need you to back me up. Hurry.”

  As she raced out of town after Serena, two cops in a car recognized her and also phoned Thompson to report her whereabouts.

  Thompson picked up this time.

  “Follow her,” he said.

  The detective listened to her message on his voicemail, then jumped into his car and headed out as fast as he could.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Ashley had a hard time keeping up with Serena. She was really hitting the gas, but luckily, the road was pretty flat. They were near the water now. She saw Serena take the Ocean Grove exit. Ashley barely made it off the exit before she saw Serena’s car head left to the cliffs. Then just before the road ended, Serena turned right into a little dirt road with thick clumps of trees running by it.

  There was a small cabin sitting back from the road partially hidden by bushes and the trees. Serena pulled her car in behind the cabin and disappeared inside.

  Ashley slowed down and pulled over, then backed up until her car was behind a tree by the side of the road. She got out and crouched over as she crept up to the cabin. She went around the back and peered inside through a dirty window pane. The back door was cracked open, and she could hear Serena talking to herself.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Serena muttered, angrily.

  Serena picked up some bags and threw them on the table, then pulled out the ramekins from her purse along with a box of others from her green backpack and lined them up in rows. She turned a few ones over and marked them with a tiny ‘S’ on the bottom.

  Then she opened a bag and carefully poured white powder into each one. When she was done, she poured each ramekin of powder into a small glassine bag and sealed it. As each bag was done, she dumped it into a large black knapsack.

  “Fools,” Serena muttered. “Stupid fools. I told them.”

  “Who are these fools you’re talking about?” Ashley said.

  She stood at the back door looking at Serena.

  Serena jumped up in shock.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Wondering what your part in all this mess is. Looks like you have quite the drug operation going there. And all along I thought you were the sweet and quiet girl you wanted everyone to believe you were.”

  Serena stuttered. Her pupils looked huge.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about Ashley. I’m just doing this for Nash while he’s in jail for murder. I don’t do drugs. With the restaurant closed again, I just needed the money.”

  Ashley stared into Serena’s eyes.

  “I know Nash is a bad man. He may have convinced you into doing his drug business, but he’s in jail now and you don’t have to do this for him anymore like the others did. Soon he’ll be going to prison, so you can stop. It’s not just the money, is it?”

  Serena stared at Ashley with a desperate look in her eyes. “Yes it’s just the money, I just told you that.”

  “I don’t believe that. You mean that you’re putting yourself at risk doing something highly illegal for that terrible man?” Ashley said.

  “That terrible man is my father!” Serena screamed. “I’ll never be free of him.”

  Ashley’s body went rigid. “Oh. Oh no. I didn’t know.”

  “Hardly anyone does. I was the result of an affair he had with Julia Short before his wife died. He gave Julia money to put me up for adoption and keep quiet about it. But no one adopted me. She married Darren and lived the high life while I grew up in foster homes.”

  Serena’s eyes welled up with tears.

  “That’s what I’ve had to live with all these years. Protecting my father by covering up his shame. When I found out she was my mom and he was my dad, I was going to confront everyone, but he started to give me money to help him run his business. I only did what anyone else would’ve done in the same situation.”

  Ashley sighed. “Of course.”

  “You shouldn’t have come here Ashley. You’ve been poking your nose into everyone’s business for too long. You don’t know what I’ve been through or what I’ve had to do. You’re one of the stupid fools now.”

  “I’m really sorry about your father and what you’ve gone through. But we need to talk about something else you’ve done,” Ashley said.

  “Talk about what? You’ve made everything harder by snooping around. If you hadn’t asked so many questions and gotten so many people mad, I could have finished the master plan and moved this business out of this stinking town by now.”

  “Me? What about the two Chris’s dealing drugs and causing trouble? And Julia Short? Look what she did to you. And she must have known about the drug operation for a while. I saw her handing an envelope of papers to your dad a short while ago. Were those the papers she was typing up nearly every day in the bakery?”

  “I don’t know where she typed them, but yeah, she was transferring all the restaurant business to my dad. He paid her enough for it. She didn’t want any responsibility for the place. She just likes to laze around and spend money. And dad and I didn’t make anyone take or sell drugs. They wanted to because of the money. And stupid Sara and Meagan got hooked on them. Losers.”

  “And Darren?” Ashley asked.

  “Darren’s dead and dad’s in jail for killing him. I’m just keeping the family business going,” Serena said.

  “Your dad didn’t kill Darren. You killed him Serena.”

  Serena laughed. “Then why do the police have my father in jail and not me?”

  “Because your dad seemed like the obvious murderer. That left you able to continue doing everything for the business. No one would suspect shy little Serena.”

  “Darren was a loser. He was so hung up on sleeping with the girls at the restaurant, especially big boobs Meagan. He never even looked at me. And then he said he wanted out on the drug biz. He was scared of getting caught and just wanted to take the money and start fresh, he said. Just run the restaurant, he said. But he lied.”

  “Lied about what?” Ashley said.

  “I overheard him having a conversation with Meagan one day. He said he was going to skip out on the drug business and run off to Mexico, take all our money, and tip us off to the police. I wasn’t about to let him live the good life in Mexico with Meagan while we rotted in jail.”

  “So your dad approved of you murdering Darren.”

  “What do you think? Of course daddy dearest was happy to get the restaurant to himself plus the drug money. He didn’t care that I bumped off Darren.”

  “And there were plenty enough people who disliked Darren and fought with him. And Sara and Meagan were sleeping with him and fighting over him. Then top that off with a jealous wife. Well, it looked like it could’ve been anyone who might have killed him. So after the murder your dad cozied up to Julia since she was half owner of Gratitude Café to get her to hand over full ownership to him, kept the girls on drugs so they would be out of it and fighting, made stooges and fall guys out of the two Chris’s and Jose, and promised you that you would get the biggest cut of all.”

  Ashley paused and took a deep breath.

  “Pretty good I must say. At least no one can call your dad dumb.”

  Serena twisted her face into a sarcastic smile. “That’s right Ashley. You’re not so dumb yourself.”

  “But don’t forget me. I was smart enough to make friends with everyone so they wouldn’t suspect me of anything. And to keep the business running with the cops’ heat all over. Even now, I’ve got another supply coming in while dad’s in jail,” Serena explained.

  “And you were the one who planted the murder weapon in Jimmy’s car. Very good. Jimmy and Darren argued enough so that animosity and Jimmy’s PTSD played out on the day of Darren’s murder,” Ashley said.

  “Stupid Jimmy never locked
that piece of junk he was driving,” Serena smirked.

  “Congrats. You’re a chip off the old block. You have his brains. And I see that you have his endorsement too,” Ashley said.

  “Yeah, he says he’s real proud of me. Says he knew any kid of his would be smart like him.”

  “Actually, you’re smarter than him. You promised him you’d run the business until he got out, but you had every intention of taking off with all the money and leaving him to rot in jail.”

  “Would you stay here after all I told you that’s happened to me, or boot it out of here and live the good life while you could? It’s called survival Ashley.”

  “Just one question Serena. Why terrorize me and my family all these weeks?”

  Serena reached into a bag and pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ashley. Everything went still for a moment. Ashley could hear the breeze rustling through the trees.

  “Because Ashley, you were a goody-goody. You weren’t taking drugs, you weren’t sleeping with Darren, and you just cooked. You were nice to everyone at work, and then you went home afterward and had your own life. Targeting you kept the police busy protecting your family and gave that detective just the distraction I needed to buy some more time.”

  “One last question.”

  Serena growled. “No more questions. “Close your eyes.”

  “That was you who broke into my apartment, wasn’t it? Tall, skinny, long dark hair. You and Chris Jackson both have the same hair and body type. You were working in tandem. You were the one who threw the rock through our window while he was the one who made those calls and tried to run me down, right? And you were there with Chris Durst the night he got caught breaking into our house, weren’t you?” Ashley asked.

  “Right and right and right again. Chris Jackson was easy to play. And Chris Durst was an idiot. I ran off that night and dad told him to take the fall for the break in and he did.”