Tea Cups and Carnage

by Lynn Cahoon

  I picked up the phone and after dialing, reached her. “South Cove Winery, can I help you?”

  “Hey Darla, it’s Jill. You busy?” It was a dumb question; I could hear the music and the crowd milling around the tasting room.

  “Swamped with customers. It’s great. What can I do for you? Are you and Greg coming down?”

  “Actually, I wanted to know who you talked to at The Coastal Inn. I’ve been thinking about the murder and wondered what she knew about Darryl.”

  There was a pause on the phone. “Sorry, I didn’t catch most of that, but why do you care about the murdered guy? Are you investigating on your own again? You know that drives Greg crazy.”

  “Are you going to tell me who you talked to?” I kept the question short, knowing full well she could hear me.

  “Only if you share what you know. I’ll come by the truck tomorrow morning and we can talk.” With that, Darla hung up the phone.

  I glanced at the clock. Almost nine and I felt like I’d been awake for days. I took my bowl to the sink, let Emma outside one more time and walked around the house, locking doors and turning off lights. I grabbed a book I’d been reading and a bottle of water and let Emma inside.

  Glancing out the window, I could see the little light shining over the door. The rest of the shed was dark. Toby would be out on patrol until five, when he’d come home for a power nap, then return to his patrol duties promptly at noon. Greg would be handling the morning shift at the beach festival. Then Toby, and finally Tim, unless things got out of hand. In that case, all three of them would be called in to handle whatever issue arose.

  I guess Greg might have the same staff issues I did. I’d have to make sure he came by for some coffee.

  * * * *

  As I got ready to work the coffee truck the next morning, I texted Greg an invitation to stop by when he had time. I knew he was probably busy with the festival and the murder investigation, but I hoped he could spare a few minutes for me. I kind of missed the guy. Besides, I wanted to ask if he’d found out anything about Kathi’s uncle while he was investigating. Something about the family felt off, but maybe it was just a difference in culture I was sensing.

  I gave Emma a new bone and locked my sofa pillows in the office. The girl had a bad habit of eating them and I didn’t want to tempt her any more than necessary. She stood by the back door, waiting for me to click her leash on her collar.

  I bent and gave her a hug. “Sorry girl, no runs today or tomorrow. We should have our beach back by Monday though.”

  I heard her chuff and knew she wasn’t happy with the answer. Emma loved to run more than I did. Okay, she loved to run, and I did it so I could eat more cheesecake. Never mind the reasons, it all worked out in the end. Today she’d have to settle with hanging out at the house alone.

  I locked the doors and headed down to the beach to start my shift. I hadn’t worked the food truck since our first trial run. Although I didn’t love working in the little shop as much as Sasha did, it was fun to change up the atmosphere and hopefully gain more customers. I hadn’t figured out a way to combine the book experience with the mini coffee shop, yet.

  I was considering the pros and cons of adding an outdoor rack when I arrived at the truck. A few of my commuter regulars were there, waiting for me to open, including Claire LaRue, the bank manager.

  I unlocked the door and opened up the windows. “What do you guys want so I can get it started?”

  I listened to the called out responses and started up the hazelnut blend as well as our signature dark roast. Most of the six relaxing and soaking up the morning sun drank their coffee pure. Black with no cream or sugar. I noticed Claire hadn’t joined in the order call out so after I served up the regulars, I leaned over the counter where she stood waiting.

  “What’s up?” It’s never good when your banker tracks you down to talk.

  “Don’t look at me like I’m an IRS auditor.” She leaned on the truck. “I realized last night after I got home that I’d told you I’d call and I didn’t. So I’m coming over to tell you I still don’t know what happened to the deposit.”

  “Isn’t that kind of weird? I mean, don’t you guys have some sort of system?”

  Claire shrugged. “We do, unless something happened when we were uploading the deposit. The clearing center in Nebraska has verified the check cleared, but can’t track the account down due to server issues. Between you and me, the new system isn’t working at top speed yet. The IT guys have all descended on the center and they swear the system will be fixed in hours, not days. But as I think about your deposit, all I can come up with is someone made a mistake.”

  “So you don’t think the check was deliberately deposited by someone else into their account?” I glanced around the parking lot, but we were alone.

  “You think someone stole it and put it into their account?” Claire tapped her fingers on the counter. “I don’t see how that could happen. I mean, Margie knows all the businesses in town. If someone tried to change an actual check, she would have alerted me immediately.”

  I blew out a breath. I’d hoped the deposit would show up, and not in Toby’s or Sasha’s account. Claire’s explanation on why this wouldn’t occur made me even more confident. I nodded to the coffee bar behind me. “What are you drinking today?”

  “Large skinny mocha with whipped cream.” Claire shrugged. “I’m feeling like I need a pick me up. I’m heading into the bank to try to train Allie one more time. If she can’t learn the job this week, I give up. Let her dad hire her in his office.”

  I made the drink and slipped a sleeve on the cup. “Four-fifty. Unless I can talk you into a slice of cheesecake?”

  “You noticed I said skinny mocha right?” She handed me a five-dollar bill and waved off her change.

  I dumped the coins into the tip jar and grinned. “With whipped cream. You know that has calories, right?”

  “A girl’s got to splurge sometimes. I’ll give you a call Monday morning as soon as I talk to the Nebraska branch manager. We will find out what happened.” Claire walked back to her car and slipped behind the wheel of the upscale sedan.

  I poured myself a coffee and watched the sun come up over the mountain. The only thing bad about working the truck was it didn’t have a back window so I could see the ocean. I would have to be satisfied with my mountain view.

  Traffic kept me busy until about ten. Greg walked up right as I’d served the last customer in line.

  “Hey beautiful. Get me a large, black please.” He leaned against the truck and ran his hand through his hair.

  “Uh oh. Has it been that bad already?” I poured the coffee, put on a lid and a sleeve, and handed the cup to him. “Be careful, it’s hot. I just made a fresh batch.”

  He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply over the cup. “I swear, just the smell of this is giving me a boost. You’re the best girlfriend ever. Have I told you that before?”

  “Once or twice.” I brushed the too-long hair out of his eyes. “So what’s going on?”

  Greg sipped his coffee and then shrugged. “Long nights trying to figure out this whole Darryl mess. I suppose you’ve heard the gossip around town.”

  “No gossip, but Darla should be here any minute. You want me to ask her something specific?” No way could he say I didn’t warn him that I was talking to Darla. And I’d kind of said I was investigating, in a roundabout way. He hated when I stuck my nose in what he considered his business, but to be frank, I kind of liked figuring out what happened. It was like watching all those crime shows, but in real life.

  “Just tell me you’re not trying to solve the murder.” He looked into my eyes and then held up a hand. “Wait, don’t say a word. I don’t want to know. If I don’t ask, you don’t have to tell me and I won’t have to lock you up in one of my cells for safekeeping.”

  “As long as I have access to my books, I might enjoy the break from real life.” I sipped my coffee imagining a day
or two with nothing to do but read. “Hey, do you know anything about Kathi’s uncle? I guess he ran the general store, but once he died, everything online just disappeared.”

  “I’ve been looking into her family tree a bit. Actually, I’ve had Esmeralda call and talk to a few residents in their home town, but so far, nothing strange has come up.” He stared at me for a long minute. “You think the murder is about family?”

  “Who else knows all your deep dark secrets?” Leaning against my forearms, I stretched out of the truck to try to see around the truck to the beach. No luck. I sighed and fell backwards into the truck. “Anyway, all kidding aside, Kathi came by and told me she’d identified the body as her cousin.”

  Greg’s brow furrowed. “That’s funny, since she barely looked at the body and I had to threaten her with obstruction before she’d tell me. So why would she start blabbing her relationship with the deceased to everyone?”

  “I know you’re not doubting me, right?” I pointed at his coffee. “We break up, there’s no more free java for you.”

  He reached up and pulled my head down into a quick kiss. “I don’t date you for your coffee.” His blue eyes twinkled. “Besides, Toby would still feed my addictions.”

  “You’re a brat.” I nodded to the woman standing behind Greg. “How can I help you?”

  She looked at Greg and almost dropped her purse. She waved him up to the window. “You go ahead.”

  Greg held his cup in a mock salute. “I’m already taken care of. Thanks for the offer, though.” He grinned at me. “I might stop by tonight with dinner if you’re going to be home.”

  I held my hands outstretched. “Just give me a call and I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

  “It will be late,” Greg warned as he walked away. He tipped his hat to the woman still in line. “You have a nice day, ma’am.”

  I swore the woman almost swooned. When she came up to the front of the van, she was still half-twisted around, watching Greg walk out of sight. I guess the man had a certain air about him.

  “What can I get you?” I asked, grabbing a cup to start her order.

  She pointed to Greg. “I’ll take one of those and a large decaf.”

  Pouring the coffee, I smiled. “I can provide the decaf, but finding a guy like Greg is a lot harder than it looks. Which is why I’m not giving him up, to anyone.”

  “You’d be a fool to let him slip through your fingers.” The woman put a ten on the counter.

  I handed her the coffee cup and smiled. “I guess mama didn’t raise no fools here.”

  The woman laughed and waved away her change. “Keep it.’

  As she walked away, Nick Michaels came up to the trailer on his bicycle. He padlocked it to the trailer and hurried into the service area. “Did I miss the rush? I knew I should have come in early, but I couldn’t get a hold of anyone.”

  “You’re right on time. If I worked you too long your mom would have a word or two with me.” I dumped the almost empty pot of dark coffee.

  He stood at the sink and washed his hands. Sadie had raised a great kid. “She knows I want to make as much money this summer as I can. There’s a cool Semester in Paris program I want to get into for junior year. But I have to have the deposit in October. So I’ll take as many hours as you can give me.”

  “Well, if we keep doing these festivals, I’m sure you’ll get more than enough hours this summer.” I counted out the money and set up the cash register for his shift. “Are you sure you’ll be okay for a couple hours? Sasha will be here at two.”

  “I’ll be fine.” He crossed his arms and looked at me. “What, don’t you trust me?”

  Trust is earned, not given, I thought. But I nodded. “Of course I do. I just don’t want you getting overwhelmed all by yourself.”

  He puffed up his chest. “Just call me Super Barista. I can make two mochas and plate up a serving of cheesecake with one hand tied behind my back.” He shadowboxed across the trailer.

  “Call me if you need help. I’ll have Jackie come down to watch the shop and I can be here in less than five minutes.” Laughing, I tucked the bank bag into my tote. “Do you need anything before I leave?”

  He shook his head. “I’m good.” He looked around at the already prepped trailer and pulled a book out of the backpack he’d wore on his bike ride. “I even have something to read while I wait. Of course, this exact book is stocked in the store, so I’m trying some subliminal messaging. Buy your coffee and your next escape at Coffee, Books and More.”

  “Smart idea.” I said, and truly meant it. When I first opened, my marketing strategies had been more hit and miss. Mostly I bought books each week and watched what sold. Now that Coffee, Books, and More had three book clubs along with a staff-suggested book of the month club, I was selling a lot more books to tourist and town folk alike. I thought about Nick’s idea; we did a lot of hand selling in the store. Maybe it was time to set up a Staff Recommends shelf. I’d bring the idea up at the next staff meeting to get a list from everyone.

  “I took a marketing class last semester. It was great. If I wasn’t going pre-law, I’d major in marketing. It’s so much fun. You design a plan, implement it, then start over when it works or doesn’t. You never really fail, you just find ways that don’t work.” He grinned. “No pressure there.”

  Chapter 12

  As I walked home, I remembered I also needed to stop by Antiques by Thomas. I hoped no one would realize how much cash I was walking the streets of South Cove with, but honestly, I didn’t want to get the Jeep out. The road was already crowded with cars and finding close parking would be a nightmare.

  Nope. I’d just pretend like I was on my way to work, just like a normal day and forget about what was stuffed in my tote. I paused for a bit at home to let Emma run outside as I grabbed the other deposit bag out of the safe. Then, I headed back into town. My cell rang as I was passing Diamond Lille’s.

  I answered with what I hoped was a cheery hello. I was already five minutes late, and in Aunt Jackie time, that was over an hour. She believed in being thirty minutes early.

  “Where are you?”

  My aunt wasn’t much for small talk. “Just now in South Cove. I’ve got to make a quick stop and I’ll be there to pick up the deposit.”

  “Fine.” And the line went dead.

  I was in real trouble when my aunt used the ‘f’ word. Fine meant everything but fine. I crossed the street and entered the antiques store. The smell of the past filled my senses. I always felt like I’d stepped back in time when I walked into the store. This time, Kyle wasn’t at the counter. I rang the little bell and waited. The chime echoed through the shop.

  I stood by the counter for a few seconds, and glancing at my watch, I knew I needed to get moving. The bank would close at noon and I still had to stop next door for my own deposit. “Kyle? It’s Jill Gardner. Do you have a deposit ready for me?”

  Something banged in one of the far rooms. I’d been shopping at Josh’s store before. The place was crowded with boxes, furniture, and odds and ends. I didn’t know how he sold anything. Most days the place looked more like a storage shed for hoarders than a shop for collectors. I called out again. “Kyle?”

  “I’ll be right there.” His voice seemed to be coming from the far back room. I turned toward that direction, wondering if I needed to go find him. Maybe he had been trapped in the maze all morning.

  I turned and started toward the sound of his voice, but then he popped out of the room on the left, all covered with dust and dirt. When I first met Kyle, he could have been a poster child for a street kid. He had so many piercings, I was sure he couldn’t walk through the metal detectors at the airport. And he had not one, but both arms covered in full sleeve tattoos. Now he had removed the metal from his face and wore button-down dress shirts covering his ink. “You okay?”

  He nodded, then took a cobweb out of his hair and brushed it off onto his jeans. “It’s bad back there. I’m w
orking on clearing out some boxes.”

  I watched as he circled around the counter and then handed me the deposit bag. Again, it looked just like mine. I tucked it in the tote. “I forgot to get the bags from the bank from yesterday’s deposit. Are you open tomorrow?”

  “Nope. Closed on Sunday and Monday. Then I’ve got three days before the boss comes back.” He looked nervously toward the back room. “I hope I’m done by then.”

  “Done with what?”

  The door chimed and a well-dressed couple entered. The woman glanced at her husband after taking in the front display area. “I love places like this. You can find anything.”

  Kyle smiled at me. “I’ll see you on Tuesday evening.” He came around the counter and turned his entire focus on the couple. “Welcome to Antiques by Thomas. What are you dreaming of finding? I might be able to help.”

  The woman tittered and started to explain the piece she was looking for. I circled around the trio and headed back out to the street. A few steps from the shop, I heard a noise and I found myself pushed back against the building. The ocean of people on the sidewalk parted and a motorcycle screamed through them on the sidewalk. Apparently the line of cars looking for parking spots had slowed the guy’s progress so he’d decided that people moved easier.

  This time I stepped forward and tried to get his license plate as he blew past me. Covered with some type of plastic, I could only make out a few letters. “A, X, 1.” I muttered as the crowd started walking again. I dove into the shop as soon as I was close to the door and pulled out my cell, dialing 9-1-1.

  “South Cove Police, how may I help you?”

  “Esmeralda, a biker just flew up Main using the sidewalk as his personal lane.” I headed to the back where Aunt Jackie sat, glaring at me with the deposit bag in her hand.

  “You need to get to the bank before it closes,” she said as she shoved the bag in my free hand.

  “Hold on.” I turned away from my aunt and focused on the call.