by Molly Dox
Sure, he’d dabbled in trouble, been picked up by the cops a few times, but this? Committing burglaries? Where had she failed? What if he… oh, he wouldn’t have. Gina’s color drained from her face. She had to sit down. The thought that her son might have been involved in Jane’s death in any way was too much to fathom.
Lottie started to understand what was going on with Gina. She leaned against her and whispered. “He’s a good kid. He wouldn’t do this.”
“Right, I know, but after Carla’s scare last month, and now this? It’s too much.”
Pops and the other detective were discussing positioning. The women tuned back in.
“So, she fell in this direction. That tells us that she knew the person, or at least wasn’t afraid of them. It would have been somebody she trusted or someone that didn’t make her feel threatened. She wasn’t turning to get away, and they came through the front door.”
Pops went back to exam the path from the door to the counter. The struggle was behind it, yes? Or no? How close was he when it happened? Pops nodded and added a few thoughts to his note pad.
“I need to get going,” Gina said. “Please keep me updated. I’ve got to get to the deli.”
“And I should be opening the shop,” Lottie answered, glancing at her watch.
It was odd how tragedy could occur, but life kept going. Lottie still had bills to pay. Still had a shop to run. Gina had a deli to run. She had responsibilities. No matter how upset you were, you still had to keep going. Lottie went next door and opened the ice cream shop for business.
One of the local girls they’d hired to help out showed up not long after. She was covering the first shift, while Vinny covered the second. Lottie was there most the day with whoever was helping.
Chapter 8
“It was confirmed. Surf board wax,” Pops said, settling onto a chair at the back of the deli. There were a couple of tables in case customers wanted to eat there, but most orders were take-out.
“Right, okay.” Gina nodded her head and looked at her son. “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”
Pops understood. Gina explained her concern after their discovery. She hated to even think that way, but how could she not? He’d been keeping odd hours, hanging with Mikey again, and things weren’t adding up. The surf board wax was the last straw.
She marched over to the counter, which thankfully wasn’t busy. “Giuseppe, we need to talk. Can you come sit down with me?”
“Sure. Hey, hold down the fort Dog Face,” he said to his brother.
“We’ll talk back there.” Gina led her son to the table where Pops was waiting.
“What’s up?” He shoved his hands into his jean pockets.
Pops stood. “Your mother says you’ve been keeping some odd hours lately.”
“Yeah? It’s not like I can go hang out with my buddies at seven in the morning. We’re young, we stay out late. What’s the big deal?”
“Just wondering what you’ve been up to. Some stuff has been going down lately, and well, it’s happening overnight. Your mother has been worried about you.”
Gina decided to let her father lead, since Giuseppe would listen to his Pops before getting overly defensive. If it had been her, he’d already be throwing her daggers with his eyes and complaining that she’d never let him grow up.
He turned toward Gina. “Ma, what’s the deal? I told you what I’ve been up to.”
“I know, sweetie. The thing is, something has come to light, and it puts you in a tight spot.”
“Great, whatever it is, I didn’t do it. I’ve kept my nose clean like I promised.”
“Honey, what about Mikey. Is he pushing you into trouble again? The two of you have history – and a police report that thankfully is sealed since you were a minor, but regardless, I think I have reason to worry from your past actions when you’re around Mike Oliver.”
Giuseppe pulled out a chair and sat. “Fine, if you want to know, I haven’t been sneaking out at night to see Mikey. It’s Quinn. We’ve been…well, intimate. And after all of the stuff with her mother, I’ve been trying to comfort her and keep her distracted. We didn’t want to say anything, because I hadn’t broken up with Jessica yet, and we weren’t sure where this was going. I want to protect her mom, take care of her. Her heart is broken, and the look in her eyes. If I can do anything to help her feel better, you know? So we sneak out, spend time together. I wasn’t ready to say anything, and well, her father isn’t especially fond of me. They’ve known me a long time, including when I’d get in trouble. It doesn’t matter that I cleaned up my act, he just makes assumptions. Anyway, we’ve been trying to stay on the down low. I think I love her, Mom.”
“So you haven’t been hanging with Mike?”
“Sure, once or twice, but we don’t mesh the way we used to. He wants to stir it up. I’m over it. I’m tired of trouble.”
Gina jumped up and hugged her son. She heavily sighed. “Oh, thank goodness.”
Pops interrupted their celebration. “What about the wax?”
“Oh, right.” Gina stepped back. She drew a deep breath. “They found surf board wax on the side of the counter at the fudge shop. It smelled like the brand you use.”
“I haven’t waxed my surf board in ages. Come on, Mom, you know I’m not the best at cleaning up after myself or taking care of things quite how they should be. Sure, early on, I was into it, it was new to me, and I was always doing it. This day, I’m lucky if I hose the thing down.”
Gina laughed. “I’ve never been so happy that you’re messy!”
“Are we done here?”
“Yes, no. Wait. Tell Quinn if she needs to talk… anyway, I love you.” She touched her son’s cheek then sent him back to the front of the deli.
Pops looked at his daughter. “Yeah, I’m relieved, too. He’s been a handful, but I think he’s going to be okay. Look at all the things you and your sister put me through growing up.”
Gina smiled. “And I made it, huh?”
Pops gave her a hug. “I’m going to make my way up to see Lottie. I have an idea.”
Chapter 9
Lottie was making a chocolate and vanilla twist for a customer when the thought hit her. She swallowed hard, and made a mental note to call her father when things slowed down. The sun was high, humidity through the roof, and customers were lining up faster than they could keep up with.
They hadn’t looked closely enough at the other businesses on the boardwalk. Was one business out to hurt the others? The busy New York guy didn’t like coming down this way, but he seemed friendly enough when he showed up to the meeting, wanting to get to the bottom of it. When it came to money, he knew bad news was no good for business, and this was big bad news, the kind that kept people away from the town.
Word was they were pushing to bring a casino into town. Thankfully, a gambling committee was still keeping most of the casinos in the Atlantic City area. Building them in other towns meant money would be diluted. There was one company that kept pushing the idea. Maybe they were trying to scare small business owners to close up shop so they could come in and take the newly vacated spaces.
And then there was-
“Lottie,” Pops said, as he rounded the corner. “I think I’m onto something, but I need your help.”
“Sure, Dad. Can it wait? It’s been crazy.”
“It sure can. In fact, we’re going to wait until it’s time to close up shop. I’m going to do some snooping around. I’ll be back for you at closing. Wrap up about fifteen to twenty minutes early, okay?”
Lottie nodded, wondering what her father was up to. She watched as he turned and walked the other way.
***
When this was all over, he was going to give that Bambi a call. He meant to call her earlier, but things came up. As Pops walked down the ramp toward the street, a familiar sky blue Cadillac went by. Was that Bambi? Norm! Oh, no. He wasn’t giving up that easy. It’s not like there were a lot of women that caught his interest in town, but Bamb
i, she sure got his heart ticking faster. He’d be in her bakery first thing tomorrow, and ask her to dinner.
Pops looked over just in time to see Norm’s toupee fly off and tumble onto the road behind them. He couldn’t help but smile. Norm, blindly patted his head, realizing what had happened. Brake lights. Norm jumped from his car, waddled to find his fake hair, and then scrambled with a hobble back to the car. Bambi laughed and laughed, and then slid her arm over his shoulder.
No way, old boy. Don’t get too comfortable. She’s going to have to break your heart, Norm. That girl is going to be mine, Pops thought. Tomorrow. He’d get there tomorrow.
Chapter 10
When it came time to close, Lottie locked up a little early. She met her father around back and asked what he had in mind.
“I think I know who our suspect is. He’s got cause, motive, and intent.”
“He?” Lottie said. “Well, that narrows it down to half of the population.”
“I went and had a little chat with a couple of the shop owners, just making the rounds, a friendly, older guy looking to shoot the breeze. When I spoke to Randy, some interesting information came to light. On top of that, he’s got a huge assortment of surf wax at his disposal, and I noticed a smudge on his shirt and shorts. He must wipe his hands on his clothing time to time, not thinking.”
Lottie’s eyes popped open wide. “Why didn’t I think of that sooner?”
“Well, there are a couple of things to look at,” Pops started. “Why would somebody commit a crime? What’s their intent? And of course, do they follow through. When they do, sometimes things go wrong.”
“Like Jane?”
“I think so,” he said sadly. “I think she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Lottie wiped a tear from her eye. “That beast! Why do you think he did it?”
“Turns out his shop hasn’t been doing so well. I had a little chat with him, kibitzing about, first talking about surf boards, telling him my grandson surfs, and then asked how business was these days. Talked about the ‘good ole days’ and how things had changed, got him comfortable, and before you know it, he’s giving me plenty of info to go off of.”
“What if he’s onto you? It could mean trouble.”
“Not so fast, kiddo. Your old man knows a thing or two. I’m going to need you to help me with a plan. That’s why we’re heading over there now. I need you to go in, right before closing to ask about some surf board wax for your kid. I’ve got a couple of officers in plain clothes coming up this way, will stand at the front entrance, and I’ll be at the back with Charlie. We’re going to book him and take him down town. Here’s the hard part. You need to ask him why he killed Jane. We need him to admit what he’s done, and I think he’ll react with you asking. It might be the easiest way to catch him – off guard. If we take him in, and he won’t give a statement, well, it just slows down the process.”
“You’ll be there, Dad? And I’ll have cops around me?”
“You’ll be okay. I snooped around earlier when he was in the back. There are no weapons by the register area. Now, I can’t be positive he’s not carrying, but I didn’t see any outlines or anything that made me notice anything. I think we’re okay on that aspect, but you can’t control irate and trapped animals. It could get a little ugly, but he won’t lay a hand on you. The cops will be on him so fast, his head will spin.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
“We need to stall him, right before closing. The less people around the better. Let’s go.”
Lottie glanced around nervously, then made her entrance.
“Hey, Lottie, what’s going on?” Randy asked.
“Hey Randy, I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Things have been super busy at the ice-cream stand. It’s the first chance I’ve had to come over. I needed to pick up some surf board wax for my son. I can’t remember which one he likes, but if I see it, I should recognize it.”
Randy looked down at his watch and sighed. “Yeah, sure. I’ve got a few minutes.”
Lottie tried to be subtle when she looked over her shoulder, commenting about the night winding down. She didn’t see the plain clothes guys, but her father said they would be there. She took a deep breath and…
***
John Wilkins and Garret Dover were in route to their special assignment when an armed robbery went down. A suspect was seen fleeing the mini-market on foot, dressed in jeans and a red t-shirt. As they rounded the corner, they caught sight of the man and gave chase. John jumped from the vehicle and ran after the suspect. Garrett sped around the block and slammed the car into park. He jumped on the suspect just as he cut between houses. The two men scuffled on the ground, but before long, they had him handcuffed and ready to go. Thankfully, they’d be passing through at just the right time. They’d quick run the suspect to the station and head over to their special assignment just a few minutes late.
***
She saw a couple of people walking by. Maybe that was them. She went for it. Randy was sorting through a stack of surf board wax and spreading them onto the counter side by side for Lottie to examine.
“Why did you do it, Randy?” she started.
“What?” Randy was barely paying attention. He dropped a can and reached down to pick it up. “What were you saying? I missed it.”
“Why did you kill Jane?”
Randy froze for a moment. His voice was eerily quiet and calm. “You should leave. Just turn around and get out. Leave, now.”
“Why, Randy? What did she do?”
Randy started to jump over the counter. He didn’t need someone pointing fingers at him. He didn’t need trouble. Nobody had even looked his way suspiciously. What did they know? The look in his eyes – a wild, untamed beast came charging at Lottie.
Lottie’s scream filled the shop.
As the back door burst open, two men came crashing through. From the front of the shop, two officers tore into the surf shop. “Freeze!”
Randy shot his arms into the air. He shook his head. “There’s been a mistake,” he cried. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was just going to rob the place.”
Lottie wrapped her arms tightly around herself. If they’d been a minute later, who knows what would have happened. She looked at the officers and her father. Her heart was beating wildly, thundering like a stampede. She throttled the urge to scream and cry. He killed her. He killed her friend. All the burglaries, all the damage, all the trust that had been broken. And her friend, her beautiful, wonderful friend Jane that had been one shop over.
They handcuffed Randy and led him out to one of their waiting cars. Lottie’s father sat beside her and put his arm over his daughter’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I put you in danger. I think that was a mistake.”
“Not if we caught the killer. Hopefully, her family will get some comfort in knowing that her killer is behind bars where he belongs.”
“We can hope.”
“I love you. I’ve been really scared. I’m so grateful this nightmare is over.”
“Me, too. He won’t hurt anybody else. It’s all done.” Pops paused a moment, then continued. “Hey, I know it’s been a while since your mother passed. I loved her so much. Anyway, I was wondering, how do you feel about me dating again?”
“It’s about time,” Lottie sighed. “I’d be thrilled for you, Dad. I know life gets lonely. So, who is she?”
THE END
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start reading more cozy mysteries on me!
Have you read Book 1 in this series? Death with a Cherry on Top?
New Jersey's summer season means vacationers, a busy boardwalk, crowded beaches, and overflowing hotels. Gina and Lottie, sisters and owners of the Twisted Sisters Ice Cream stand, take matters into their own hands when Gina's daughter is charged with murder.
When the local playhouse director is found dead, Gina's daughter is cast into the spotlight. With weapon in hand, all fingers point to her. Can Gina and Lottie find answers before it's too late? Or is Carla a better actress than they thought?
This cozy mystery offers a family-friendly read in a short story format.
About Me:
Molly Dox is happily married and has two grown boys. Her husband, an insanely patient man, believed in her from the start. Crazy man didn’t know any better. She spends her time between writing and corralling her dogs in an attempt to get them to go outside at the same time. Sometimes writing books is easier. In her (cough) late forties, she’s enjoying her dream of writing full-time. Find my website at MollyDox.com
Other reads by Molly Dox:
New in 2016 – Sage and Dash Cozy Mysteries – First in the series: Scrambled to Death
Some eggs aren't all they're cracked up to be. Scrambling for clues in the small town of Spring Valley, Rosie and Libby look for answers when two men drop dead, one of them in their small country cafe. Can they save their business before it goes under? This soft-boiled cozy is a family-friendly read.
Longer Standalone Reads:
Death of a Game Show Host
Lily Ballantine was having a bad day. It started with losing her television game show job to a younger, fresher model. About to turn fifty, the news was a serious blow to her ego. When she didn’t think her day could get any worse, her co-host turned up dead.