Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Collection

by Laurie Anne Marie

  “Two Old Fashioned’s please,” the man said.

  The woman gushed about how nice the place looked.

  “What do you say that the ‘Special Announcement’ that was on the invitation is Hartman announcing his retirement tonight?” The man remarked, to his wife.

  “Could be,” she said. “Let’s ask the Reed’s when they get here.”

  ***

  In short order, guests started to stream in. The room quickly filled up with amiable chatter from the well-dressed crowd. Sean and Lara passed the appetizers on the silver trays. Everyone exclaimed how delicious everything tasted and eagerly grabbed more. Ashley continuously refilled the platters for them and also set some out on the side tables.

  “What did you think the invitation meant?” one woman said.

  “Well, it said ‘Special Announcement’ on it, so I wondered what that could mean myself,” another woman answered.

  “It could only mean one thing,” a man chimed in. “Old man Hartman is announcing his retirement.”

  “You think so?” a guest asked.

  “Of course,” the man replied. “What else? It’s time he turned the reins over to someone else anyway.”

  “That’s what I just told my wife tonight too,” another guest said.

  “Who do you think will take over? His son?” another man asked.

  “Brad Hartman? Ha! The only thing he can run is his mouth. I’m sure Hartman wouldn’t turn the place over to his punk kid.”

  “Maybe he will let his daughter run it,” a woman said.

  “Are you kidding me? A woman run this empire? Come on,” the man blustered back.

  “Aren’t you a little out of touch? This is a different time we live in. Why couldn’t she run it?”

  “For one thing, if the son’s a dope, the daughter is probably too,” the man grumbled.

  Another guy laughed. “And every month, the sales would go down.”

  The two men toasted one another.

  “Old farts,” the woman muttered, under her breath.

  Ashley couldn’t believe how loud they were talking about this. She always found it funny how people at a party would gossip about personal details right in front of the staff as if they were furniture.

  She also noticed that everyone in the room was starting to get on their cell phones and make calls and text. She could hear them talking into their phones that Hartman was retiring. It seemed everyone here believed that, and the word was spreading fast. True to human nature, no one was waiting to hear the facts. The gossip kept building in the room until it became its own monster.

  It was then that she saw the beleaguered general manager, Mark Laughlin, enter the room. His huge frame really made him stand out. He looked upset and nervous. He was trying to mingle with the guests, but Ashley could see him constantly wiping sweat from his brow.

  “Hey Mark, how’s it going? So are you taking over when the old man retires? Or will it be Hartman Jr.?” a man asked.

  “What do you mean? Where did you hear that?” Mark sputtered.

  “Everyone’s been talking about it already. The invite said ‘Special Announcement,’ and we just assumed the old man is bowing out,” another guest said.

  “Some people think you’ll be taking over. But someone just said that his son Brad Hartman will be taking over. Does that bother you?”

  Mark’s face went white. His jaw clenched. He had a genuine look of shock on his face.

  “Hey, you’d be the guy,” another guest said. “You’ve been here a long time man. You’ve done a great job. You should run the place, not Brad Hartman.”

  “Yeah, I’d blow up if the old man had that kid take over. You’re the guy who deserves the job,” said another.

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Mark replied, to the people looking at him. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back soon.”

  Mark Laughlin angrily strode out of the room.

  “I wonder if he’s going to go and confront Hartman. He really should be taking over,” one guy chimed in.

  “Yeah, or at least Hartman should give him a piece of the business,” said another.

  Just then, the last person Ashley ever expected to see at this party revealed his presence.

  Ashley’s father, Burt Crane, chimed in. “Copy that.”

  Ashley’s jaw dropped. What was her Dad doing here?

  That wasn’t all. Just then, she saw her mom, April Crane, walking over to her father while she smiled at the guests. They both gave Ashley a wave.

  Ashley quickly filled the platters up again and sent Sean and Lara out with them, then walked over to her parents.

  “Dad, mom, what a surprise. You didn’t tell me you were coming,” Ashley said.

  “We told Sean to tell you. You mom and I decided why pass up a party with free food? And I get to check out the cars too,” Burt remarked.

  “Dad, please keep your voice down. I don’t think the owner would appreciate a caterer who has her family come by to scarf down the food.”

  “Speaking of dear, where is the food?” I keep missing those trays when they come around,” April said.

  Sean then walked by with a platter.

  “Hi! You finally got here. Try some of Ashley’s appetizers. They’re a hit,” Sean said.

  “Uh Sean, you didn’t relay the message they were coming,” Ashley mentioned.

  “Oh yeah, busy, forgot. Anyway, here they are!”

  “And boy, are we hungry,” Burt said, as he scooped half the tray of appetizers into his napkin.

  April helped herself to the other half.

  “Where’s the bar?” Burt asked.

  “Over there dear,” April pointed. “Look, Lara’s brother is bartending. How sweet. Is he twenty-one yet?’ April whispered to her daughter.

  “Of course, I have to follow the law,” Ashley said.

  “Law, schmaw,” Burt said. “My dad used to have me bartender the family holiday parties when I was fifteen,” Burt boasted.

  “Dad, this isn’t a home party,” Ashley reminded him.

  “Pops wouldn’t let me taste anything I made, though. Just made me follow recipes. That was a rotten deal,” Burt grumbled.

  “Well dear, you can taste all you want now. Let’s go over to that nice bar and say hi to Will. Ashley, the place looks great, and the food is yummy. Carry on!” April beamed.

  Her parents made their way to the bar, shaking people’s hands and laughing.

  Ashley meanwhile shook her head in disbelief.

  “Hey, it’s good to have them here, right? They’re proud of you,” Sean said.

  “Yeah, of course. That’s not it, though. I don’t want Hartman to get mad at me for having them here. I need a good reference for the next job.”

  “Hey, with how strong Will is making the drinks, I don’t think Hartman will even know they’re here,” Sean joked.

  “I hope you’re right. Keep an eye on everything, I’ve got to take some trash out. It’s piling up already,” Ashley said.

  Ashley exited out the side door to the dumpster.

  ***

  When she got there, she heard Hartman and Mark Laughlin in a heated argument.

  “You said I’d be running this place when you retired,” Mark snapped.

  “Wait a minute, I said you ‘probably might be running the place’ when I retire. I have a grown son as you know, and he’s been hounding me for months now to let him have a crack at being in charge,” Hartman explained.

  “Oh come on, you’ve made it perfectly clear this entire year that your son is not able to handle the responsibility, and now you’re flipping the switch on me?” Mark shot back.

  “What two words did you not hear, ‘probably’ and ‘might’? That means nothing was perfectly clear.”

  “I’ve worked like a mule to build this place up for years, and now you might hand everything over to that dummy, just because he’s your son?”

  “Don’t you dare tell me what to do. Dummy or not, he’s my
kid. And I’ll still be hanging around here anyway, pulling his strings.”

  “So, another broken promise, huh? That’s my payment for being so loyal to you all these years? You’re a real bastard; you know that?”

  “I’m the owner; you do you know that, right? That’s all you need to know. I make the decisions around here. Now get out of my face. I have a party to get to,” Hartman growled.

  He brushed past Laughlin and went inside.

  Mark stood there fuming. Ashley could see his face go dark. She slumped down and crept back inside before he could spot her.

  ***

  Shortly afterward, Bob Hartman entered the room with his wife Donna Hartman by his side. He gave everyone a big grin as he walked through the crowd. His wife was a petite and attractive redhead and was dressed to the nines. But she looked tight-lipped and stiff as could be.

  Ashley remembered the first time she saw her, crying her eyes out in the parking lot.

  A crescendo went up in the room when they entered. There was a lot of back-slapping, chatter, and guffaws. Bob Hartman looked like a king walking to his throne.

  His top salesman, Noel White, slinked in. He looked skinnier and paler than ever. His eyes darted around the room nervously. He headed straight for the bar and started to talk to Will. He kept flipping up his glasses and wiping his eyes.

  Will poured him a whiskey straight up. Noel downed it and put the glass down on the bar and gestured to Will to fill it up again. Entering right after him was Bob’s son, Brad Hartman.

  Brad was short and stocky. He had his mother’s red hair and features. He wore a deadpan expression on his face as if he was bored and wanted to get the party over with and get home.

  Holly minced around the corner and stood off to the side behind people. She kept adjusting her dress and flipping her hair around.

  Lara walked by with a tray of appetizers and offered her some. Holly wrinkled her nose and brushed them away. Lara turned and rolled her eyeballs at Ashley.

  “What’s the point of living if you don’t enjoy good food?” Ashley thought, to herself.

  After about half an hour of co-mingling, Hartman stepped up to the podium set up on the patio. Lots of guests were out there, laughing under the twinkling patio lights. Hartman adjusted the microphone and said ‘good evening’ into it.

  The crowd moved forward to hear what he had to say.

  “Everyone having a good time?” Hartman bellowed to the crowd.

  There was a crescendo of ‘yes’s” and loud applause.

  Hartman continued. “As you all know, tonight we’re celebrating a special announcement. I’ve invited all of you here; my family, my friends, and my special and loyal customers from all these years, to tell you that I wouldn’t have been a success without you.”

  He swept his arms out in a gesture to include all in the room. The guests loudly applauded again.

  “Hartman Luxury Autos has had a very successful run due to my team’s hard work and your loyalty as customers. I could never thank you enough. We’ve also managed to stay cutting edge; bringing you the finest cars at the best price,” Hartman said.

  There were murmurs throughout the crowd at that remark. Hartman’s prices were some of the most expensive in the entire county. But that wasn’t a problem for most of these folks.

  Burt Crane nudged a man standing next to him. “Great prices if you got deep pockets.”

  “You can say that again. My son bought two cars here. He’s an attorney and can afford it. I’m just here for the free food,” a man said.

  Burt laughed. “Hope one of those cars was for you.”

  “Oh, he lets me drive one every now and then,” the man chuckled.

  Ashley noticed Mark Laughlin had come back in and was standing off to the right. He wiped his brow again. Brad Hartman stood deadpan as ever, and Donna Hartman rolled her eyes. Noel White scanned the crowd from the bar and got another drink.

  “I’d like to give special mention to my general manager, Mark Laughlin, and our top salesman, Noel White. And of course, to my lovely wife Donna and my son, Brad Hartman.” Everyone clapped, but the people he had mentioned just stared at Bob Hartman.

  Mark Laughlin gave a halfhearted wave to the crowd. Brad nodded, and Noel just blinked. Holly Harris stood in the back with an angry look on her face at not being acknowledged.

  “I’m having some pretty nice trinkets passed out to all of you. Please accept them as a token of my appreciation,” he said.

  Four young model types walked through the crowd teetering on high heels holding trays heaped high with solid brass keyrings with a gleaming “H” on them. Attached to each one was a silver-plated whistle. Guests took the whistles and started to tweet into them. Within a few moments, everyone in the room seemed to be blowing their whistles at once.

  “What a racket,” Ashley thought. “It’s like a room full of two-year-olds with their toys.”

  The crowd whistled and smiled at Hartman admiringly. But as Ashley looked around the room, she saw a few people who had different expressions on their faces; anger, jealousy, contempt.

  The people who Bob Hartman had thanked couldn’t have been more indifferent to the public words of praise. Noel White had drunk too much and was holding onto the bar. Mark Laughlin stood stiff as a board as people talked to him. He never stopped wiping his face and neck with his handkerchief. He kept checking the time on his cell phone.

  And lastly, Ashley focused on Donna Hartman and Brad Hartman. Mother and son were standing there with stone like masks on their faces. Their expressions were almost the worst as if Bob Hartman didn’t exist at all.

  The crowd, however, was feeling good, and between the talking and whistleblowing, it was deafening.

  Hartman then moved his hands in a ‘time out” gesture to quiet the room.

  “Thank you, thank you, and thank you. You are the reason I get up in the morning and come in here every day. To serve you and the community,” he droned on.

  Burt Crane chuckled and jabbed his elbow into the man standing next to him. “Not to mention, to also make a barrel of money.”

  “That’s for sure,” the man laughed.

  Hartman put his finger to his mouth to shush the room then spoke with a dramatic tone in his voice.

  “So without further ado, I’d like to make that special announcement you’ve all been waiting for. I want to say that I’m…”

  “You’re retiring, right? It’s about time,” a familiar voice shouted from the back.

  Everyone whipped around to take a look at the person who had said that. It was Jason Steppe, the big rival dealer in town. He was tall and handsome and had a huge grin on his face. On his arm was Janice Hartman, Bob Hartman’s daughter. She was petite and pretty like her mom but had her father’s dark hair and eyes.

  A collective gasp went through the crowd.

  Bob Hartman took one look at his daughter on the arm of his bitter enemy and turned red with fury. He stepped down from the podium and made his way to the back to confront Jason Steppe.

  “How dare you show up here at my party with my people?” he growled at Steppe.

  “Now, now Hartmann. You’ve got an audience here. I wouldn’t if I were you,” Steppe warned.

  He gave Hartman a direct stare. The edges of his mouth were slightly curled into a cocky smile.

  “Did you just show up to try and humiliate me? Because it won’t work. You’re just jealous that year after year, my dealership has beaten you. You can’t get that out from under your skin, can you?” Bob snapped.

  “Well Bob, that doesn’t matter anymore. I heard it from some of your own people that you were stepping down. It’s time to bury the ax, don’t you agree? So I decided to come by and personally congratulate you, that’s all. And to raise a glass to your retirement and long days spent fishing,” Steppe said.

  His voice was dripping with sarcasm. He grabbed a wine glass off a passing tray and toasted the room with a big smile on his face.

  “Her
e’s to a long and happy retirement for Bob Hartman!”

  The room responded with thunderous cheers.

  “Get out. Now!” Hartman said. His voice was low and controlled, but his veins were throbbing all over his face and neck.

  “Ok, have it your way. I was just trying to extend an olive branch; that’s all.” Steppe looked at Janice. “Let’s go sweetheart,” he said to her.

  “My daughter stays here,” Hartman commanded. He turned to his daughter with a grim look on his face. “And you have a lot of explaining to do young lady.”

  “Sorry dad, but I’m going with Jason. I’ll explain everything later.” Janice clung onto Steppe’s arm.

  Bob Hartman had the betrayed look of a man who never saw it coming. He stood there shaking. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop.

  Ashley saw the fury rise up in Hartman like a wounded animal. All she could think of was one of the saddest quotes of all time from the play King Lear.

  “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is, to have a thankless child!”

  Hartman glared at Jason Steppe with hate, then whipped around and bellowed to the crowd.

  “I don’t know where you all heard the rumor I’m retiring. The special announcement is that I’m expanding the business into a brand new building by the end of the year!” Bob declared.

  This time, the reaction from everyone was more than a collective gasp. It was a roar.

  Ashley glanced around at all the faces in the room, and it was an emotional firestorm. Even Brad Hartman and his mother dropped the stone gazes. Donna Hartman looked as if she was going to faint and Brad Hartman narrowed his eyes and stormed up to his father.

  “What are you saying, dad? That’s not what we discussed,” Brad fumed. “You said that--”

  Steppe cut in. “Congratulations Hartman. Instead of a nice, comfy retirement, you’re going to be knee deep in work and debt. All because of your overblown ego. And just to compete with me. Hope it’s worth it.”

  He pulled Janice’s arm hard, and they walked out. His daughter glanced once over her shoulder at her father then turned away and kept walking out with Steppe.