by Cindy Bell
“Thanks Lucy.”
Once Lucy was back in the car, her mind churned through the information she’d gathered so far. Sophia’s reaction to the picture, and explanation of what happened to her blouse was very unsettling. If as she claimed, she threw her clothes away at the school, then if the police didn’t have them they should still be there. Maybe the police did have them, but there was no harm in taking a look. Lucy parked outside the cooking school. It was closed, and she assumed that no one would be inside. However, she still had the key that Sophia gave her to help with set-up. She let herself in through the back door and made her way to the classroom where Hugo died.
As Lucy stood in the small pantry she stared up at the shelves. In her dream she’d been trying to reach for something, a can. Everything in the pantry had been removed, so there was nothing to look for. But what she noticed was that in order to strike Hugo in the tight space she would have to be pretty close to him. If it happened the way it did in her dream, and he had one foot on that bottom shelf, then he was elevated from the floor. Hugo was not a small man. She extended her arm to the point that she thought his head would be. She didn’t think that she would be able to reach his upper back if she stabbed him with something. He was too tall, and if he was elevated as she thought he would have been even taller, which in her mind meant that the killer would have to be taller than her. Sophia was a small woman. She didn’t know her exact height, but was sure that she wasn’t any taller than her. So was her dream inaccurate? Was it impossible for Sophia to deliver the fatal strike? It was certainly nothing she could go to the police with, since she had no real proof. She couldn’t imagine trying to explain how it happened in her dream as if that had to be how it happened in real life. Just the thought made her break out in a sweat.
Lucy stepped out of the pantry and walked out of the classroom. As she walked towards the back door she thought about the clothing factor. So Sophia had changed her clothes. That didn’t make her a killer. But whoever did kill Hugo might have needed to change their clothes, and would need to hide their clothes fast. She doubted that anyone would risk walking out wearing them or carrying them out in a bag. So if someone wanted to stash clothing, where would they hide it? There was a dumpster out back, but she was certain the police would have searched that for evidence. Then she recalled cleaning up her classroom as she was getting ready to leave. There were rolling trashcans in each classroom. When she finished cleaning up she rolled the trashcan into the small garage for the janitor to take outside. Was it possible that the killer rolled that trashcan somewhere else? With her heart in her throat she began checking every closet, every room, even every cabinet. The more she looked the more certain she became that the clothes were in the school somewhere. She was determined not to leave without finding them. She’d just rounded the corner to another hallway when she was startled by the presence of another person.
“Lucy, what are you doing here?” Annaliese had her hand on the butt of her gun and her body was tense as if she was waiting to confront someone.
“I was just looking around.” She swallowed hard. Was that a good enough explanation? “I guess, hoping to get an idea of what might have happened here.”
“Me too. How did you get in?”
“I have a key. Sophia gave it to me.”
“Oh.” Annaliese relaxed and studied her. “Did you find anything?”
“Not yet.”
“What were you looking for?”
Lucy shifted from one foot to the other, and recalled Jack’s advice to tell Annaliese what she suspected. However, she was still cautious to bring it up.
“I’m honestly not sure if it’s worth mentioning.”
“Lucy.” Annaliese peered into her eyes. “You can be honest with me. Anything you have to say, I want to hear.”
“Sophia changed her clothes.”
“I’m sorry?” She took a step closer to her.
“On the day that Hugo was killed.” Lucy pulled out her phone and showed her the picture. “She was wearing this in the morning, and by the time I saw her again, she had an orange shirt on.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you’re mistaken?”
“No, I’m sure. I saw Sophia and when I did I asked her about it. She said she spilled coffee on her clothes before she found Hugo, and changed out of them.”
“Did she tell you where the clothes were?”
“She said she threw them out, they were ruined.”
“So you’re here to look for them?” Annaliese sighed and looked away from her for a moment. “This is something that you should have told me right away. It could be a huge break in the case.”
“I know, I’m sorry, Annaliese. I was going to tell you, I just wanted to see if I could find the clothes myself first.”
“Why?” She placed her hands on her hips. “What would you have done if you found them?”
“Called you, right away of course. Please Annaliese, don’t think I would ever hide or tamper with evidence. I just didn’t want to accuse a friend without some kind of proof.”
“I can understand that. But you must understand it is my duty to report any suspicions, any evidence, that might be important to the case. I’m going to have to call this in right now, and officers will be questioning Sophia about it.”
“I understand.” Lucy frowned. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I really just found out myself. Sophia could be telling the truth. She could have really spilled coffee on herself. But the way I see it, no matter who the killer was, they most likely changed, so the clothes have to be here in this school somewhere. There was not really enough time to hide them anywhere else. So where are they? They have to be here somewhere.”
“I agree. I’m going to ask the detective on the case to have the forensics team tear this place from top to bottom.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“If Sophia denies that she changed her clothes, I might need you to make an official statement.”
“Of course, I will. Thanks for understanding, Annaliese.”
“Never be afraid to tell me your suspicions, Lucy, you give me a fresh perspective on things. And macarons.”
“Oh yes, lots of macarons. I’ll drop a box by the police station soon.”
“Thanks.” Annaliese smiled as Lucy walked past her towards the door. Once she was outside, she breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t expected anyone else to be in the building, and she was lucky that it was only Annaliese. If she was going to investigate things like this, she had to be more careful, or she might find herself in quite a bit of trouble. As she left the school she decided to drive to Chantelle’s. She needed some sister time, and some down to earth advice. Chantelle was good for both, and she never let Lucy’s intuition sway her.
Chapter 13
When Lucy parked in Chantelle’s driveway she noticed that Noah’s car was there, too. She walked up to the door and knocked, a habit she only employed when she knew her sister was not the only one at home. Chantelle opened the door with a smile.
“Hi. I’m glad to see you.”
“I’m glad to see you, too.” Lucy hugged her.
“Are you doing okay? Come inside.” Chantelle closed the door behind her.
“Yes, I think so. I took a walk around the cooking school. I just wanted to get a feel for everything again.”
“And?” She led Lucy into the living room.
“And, nothing.” Lucy flopped down on the couch and stared at the blank television screen. It reminded her of the inside of her head. “I keep waiting for that moment when I will just know, and it doesn’t happen. I’m having a very hard time believing it was Sophia though.”
“I get why. She seems like a good person. She’s always been kind to us.”
“I suppose that could be the reason, but it’s more like a certainty within me.”
“It’s easy to get confused, remember?”
“Yes, I know, I know.” Lucy sighed and tossed her head back against the couch cushions. “
It’s just so frustrating. Sometimes I wish my feelings, were just my feelings, that I didn’t need to read into them any more than that.”
“Well, why don’t we talk about something to take your mind off of it?”
“Let me guess, Jack?”
“Jack!” She squeaked.
“No, none of that. It was just a friendly dinner, which I of course ruined, thanks for telling Mom about it by the way!”
“What? She needed to know. I’m sure the dinner wasn’t ruined. It sounded like he enjoyed his time with you, you’re the one that cut it short.”
“Because I had to. He knew about things I didn’t expect him to and hoped he didn’t.”
“So you have a problem with being on an equal footing?”
“What do you mean?” Lucy looked over at her sister.
“Let’s be honest here. You often know things that other people don’t expect. Him knowing something about you seems fair.”
“Ugh, why do you have to be so rational?”
“One of us has to be.” Chantelle smiled sweetly at her.
“Hush!” Lucy grabbed a couch cushion and started to toss it at Chantelle. Noah snatched the couch cushion out of her hand as he walked past.
“Watch it, that’s my wife you’re attacking.” He grinned at Lucy.
“She deserves it!”
“I doubt that!” Noah laughed and tossed the cushion back at Lucy.
“My hero!” Chantelle reached past the back of the couch and wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks for coming to my defense.”
“Always.” He winked.
“See, this is why I never visit, I’m always getting teamed up on.”
“Yeah right!” Chantelle stuck out her tongue. “I’m always the bad guy around here.”
“Chantelle, that’s not true.” Noah looked at her for a long moment.
“Sure.” Chantelle forced a smile. “Anyway, my point is that what happens next between you and Jack, is totally up to you.”
“I just don’t know if I’m ready.”
“I understand.” She patted the back of Lucy’s hand. “But you are.”
“Oh gee thanks.” Lucy laughed.
“Lucy, have you had dinner?” Noah asked. “I’m about to clean up the kitchen, we have some leftovers.”
“No thanks, my stomach has been off since all of this started.”
“You haven’t been eating?” Chantelle quirked a brow.
“Here and there.”
“Lucy, you have to take care of yourself. You have to be strong to take care of those two cats,” Chantelle said.
“Funny.” Lucy frowned.
“I’m sorry.” Chantelle squeezed her hand. “I know this is really under your skin. I shouldn’t make light of it. Why don’t I get us some ice cream? I bet your stomach can handle that.”
“All right. Thanks Chantelle.”
As Noah and Chantelle disappeared into the kitchen, Lucy’s cell phone rang. One glance at it told her it was Georgina. With her heart in her throat she stepped out of the house as she answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi Lucy, so glad I was able to reach you. I wanted to invite you and Chantelle to a special class I’m giving, this weekend. I know it’s short notice, but I had two students drop out and I’d love to have you both there. It’s being hosted by Mariner’s Cooking Academy. Do you want to join?”
“Sure. We’d love to.” As Lucy talked she walked around to the back of the house.
“Great, I can’t wait to see you there. I’m sure you’re going to love the recipe. I’ll text you the info.”
“Thanks Georgina.” She swallowed back a bit of guilt as she hung up the phone. She’d been suspicious of Georgina, and yet she was being a good friend in return. Just as she started to turn towards the house Noah stepped out through the kitchen door and tossed a bag of trash into the can so roughly that the can rocked back and forth.
“Noah? What’s wrong?” She stepped aside from the trashcan and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Sorry Lucy, I didn’t know you were out here.” He frowned and brushed his hair back from his eyes. “Just a little frustration.”
“What’s going on? Anything you want to talk about?”
“Nothing that makes any sense really. I guess I’m just feeling a little restless. Greg is getting older, and I’ve been trying to get Chantelle interested in travel, or a hobby we could do together, but she never seems to want to do anything.”
“Chantelle is very dedicated to Greg. You see him growing up and getting ready to live on his own, she sees him growing up and getting ready to live on his own, do you know what I mean?”
“No, it’s the exact same thing.”
“No, it’s not. You’re eager to have time alone with Chantelle, she’s bracing herself for saying goodbye to her son.”
“Oh.” He sighed. “You’re right, I didn’t think of it that way. No wonder she’s annoyed with me. She’s probably trying to hold on to every moment and I’m trying to get her to let go already. You know I love Greg.”
“I do know that. Chantelle knows that, too. But it’s a different experience for her. You know, Greg’s her only child, this is a big transition for her.”
“You’re right. I could certainly be a lot more understanding about things. Now I feel like a jerk.”
“Don’t. You’re right to want to get her interested in things, just keep in mind that she has a process to go through before she gets there.”
“Thanks, Lucy. I appreciate you listening.”
“Anytime, Noah.”
Once Noah was back inside Lucy looked back at her phone. She decided it was time to try and find out the truth from Sophia once and for all. The suspicion hanging over her head was that Sophia was angry over the dessert sauces and she killed Hugo. She decided to send her a text and find out whether that was the case. A moment after she sent the text she regretted it. Would she ruin a friendship by questioning her? A few seconds later she received a text in return.
I have no idea what you’re talking about. I had no problem with Hugo releasing his line of dessert sauces. His were always going to be more popular than mine.
She studied the text for a moment, then sent one back.
I’m sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were surprised, even angry, when he handed out the invites.
A moment later she received one in return.
I was, because I’d asked him not to hand them out during the classes. He assured me he wouldn’t. But of course, he couldn’t always be trusted.
That text remained in her mind as she took one last look at the stars. So, she thought Hugo couldn’t be trusted. That was interesting and not very surprising. It added to her overall sense that Sophia did not like Hugo very much.
As Lucy walked back towards the house she shifted gears and thought about Lauren. She decided to send her a quick text to remind her of the offer to teach her how to make macarons at the patisserie. When she stepped back inside the house, she told Chantelle about Georgina’s invitation. Then she hugged her sister goodbye and left. She wanted to give her and Noah some time alone together to talk through things. It was hard not to meddle more than she already had. She knew that they both loved each other in a way that was downright mythical to Lucy. She didn’t want that to ever change.
By the time she arrived home Lauren replied to the text.
I’m up for it when you are. Let me know when.
Instead of putting it off, she sent back a reply inviting her to take the class the next day if she was available. Lauren replied with a yes, and the class was planned. Lucy walked into the house to find both cats at the front door waiting for her. She laughed as they swirled around her legs and meowed.
“Now you’re teaming up on me, hmm?”
As she got their dinner ready she watched the little orange cat sneak around the kitchen in search of scraps. She was already getting a little plumper, and her fur was fluffy and a shade of warm orange th
at she’d only seen once before.
“Marmalade!” She gasped. “That’s your name! It’s a long name for a little kitty, but it’s perfect. Mari, for short.”
The cat jumped up against her leg and purred at her. “Okay, you approve, so it stays.” She set the dishes of food down on the floor. Both cats pounced on the food. She laughed as they devoured every last bite. Then she perused her own options for dinner. It struck her that she’d yet to go to the grocery store. With great hesitation she pulled out a container from the back of the refrigerator. It only took her a moment to realize that she would not be eating it. She tossed the container into the garbage.
“Okay, I guess I’m ordering in.” She picked up her phone to dial the local pizza place and saw a text from Jack.
Any chance we could re-do dinner?
She studied the text. How could he possibly know that she was starving? She thought about what Chantelle said. Was she going to regret not being more friendly to Jack? It wasn’t that she didn’t like him. It was that she did, and she wasn’t sure how to react to that. Certainly, she wasn’t ready for another dinner. She texted him back.
Maybe another time, thank you for asking.
Then she called the pizza place and ordered a pizza for one. Maybe it wasn’t the best way to spend her evening, but for her emotional stability at the moment, it was the safest. She and the cats watched a movie to take her mind off Hugo, then she headed to bed early. She was determined to mend fences with Lauren, but also to be as relaxed and open as possible just in case there was anything to sense or feel.
Chapter 14
Despite going to bed early, Lucy was groggy the next morning. Broken up sleep through the night made it difficult for her to feel rested. She took a shower to wake herself up, then spent a few minutes playing with the cats. As much as she enjoyed them, she was eager to get to the patisserie and meet Lauren for the class. When she arrived at Marvelous Macarons Chantelle was already there. The moment she saw her she remembered that she never let her know about the class.
“Morning Chantelle, how was your night last night?”
“Really good actually. Noah was really sweet. We had a good conversation.”