by Lyndsey Cole
“I’ll track those clothes down and return them, Olive. I’m sure Leona will be able to fix this. Okay?” Annie hoped she wasn’t sticking her foot in her mouth.
Olive glared. A promise didn’t seem to help much so Annie reached into her shoulder bag for one of the bags of Greta’s mouthwatering cookies.
“Here. Try these. It’s a new recipe we’re trying out at the Black Cat Café.”
“Is this a bribe?” Olive accepted the cookies but held the bag with the tips of her thumb and index finger.
“Let’s call it a peace offering.” Annie backed toward the door, hoping to make a quick exit.
“If that woman even thinks about putting one toe in this shop again, she’ll be leaving with no clothes on her back,” Annie heard Olive say before the door closed behind her. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The shiny new black and gold Velvet Box jewelry store sign sparkled in the sunshine and caught Annie’s attention.
Camilla, Annie’s friend who had worked part time at the Black Cat Café but recently took the plunge and opened her own business, saw Annie from inside her shop and waved. Her friendly face beckoned Annie inside.
“I can’t believe you took so long before you came to visit my new shop.” Camilla put her hands on her hips and stuck her bottom lip out. “I miss everyone at the Black Cat Café.”
“You wouldn’t miss the problems we have at the moment,” Annie said. She leaned over the glass display and oohed and aahed at Camilla’s craftsmanship.
Camilla leaned forward with shining eyes, propped her chin on her upturned hands, and stared at Annie. “You can’t drop that line and not tell me the details.” She straightened and pushed a clump of recently dyed short black hair out of her face.
“If Jason stops in,” Annie had her finger hovering above a beautiful silver necklace, “push him in that direction. I love the snowflake design for this time of year.” She fingered the silver strawberry that hung around her neck, a gift from Jason after she’d moved back to Catfish Cove. “This strawberry isn’t exactly appropriate for December.”
“Will do, but get back to the problems you’ve found yourself in the middle of.”
“You know how Leona and Danny have this open house planned for their Blackbird Bed and Breakfast?” Annie straightened.
Camilla nodded. “Of course. I made her a one-of-a-kind ornament for their Christmas tree.”
“Well, Leona got it in her head to invite Danny’s mother, Heather.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Danny hasn’t talked to her for twenty-seven years. Leona just sprung the surprise on him this morning, and you don’t need an imagination to figure out how that bombshell went over. But the bigger issue is that Heather seems to have a sticky finger problem and several business owners in town are furious with Leona for inviting her here. They are blaming Leona and holding her responsible for the stuff Heather has stolen.”
“What does she look like?” Camilla’s eyebrows dropped. “I had a customer this morning who was very chatty and wanted me to take several expensive pieces of jewelry out of the case. Does this Heather woman have dyed red hair by any chance?”
“It’s red anyway, why?” Annie’s stomach did a flip with apprehension.
“So did this customer. She had red hair and a matching red leather hobo bag.” Camilla shuddered. “It was an awful combination. I kept an eagle eye on her since she acted a bit odd. She had this huge ugly red leather hobo bag that would hold a whole case of my jewelry. You know, her eyes kept wandering around the store and she’d look at one piece and quickly ask for another. I was very careful to only let her hold one piece at a time.”
“So, you aren’t missing anything?”
Camilla scanned her cases. “I don’t think so.” She walked from one end to the other, stopped, and backed up. “Wait a minute.” Her mouth fell open. “I don’t believe it. A big expensive opal pendant surrounded by small diamonds was the center piece in this case.” She looked at Annie.
Annie rushed to look.
“That woman was very interested in the missing necklace, and now it’s gone. I don’t believe it.”
“Was anyone else in here?”
“There were a few others looking around. Just before the red-haired woman left, I got a phone call. But everything she had looked at was put away so I took the call. The door jingled and I assumed it was her leaving. It’s possible someone else stole it. I was only on the phone for a few minutes. That doesn’t seem long enough for someone to break in and get out, does it?”
“If they know what they’re doing it might be all the time they needed. You’d better call Detective Christy Crank to report this before any more time goes by.”
Before Camilla called the police, she jiggled the sliding door on the jewelry case. It silently slid open. She looked at Annie, her hand covered half of her opened mouth. “I never locked the case after I put the necklace back. She must have noticed.”
Camilla called the police station.
Annie waited. And wondered. What was Heather doing?
“Detective Crank is on her way.” Camilla wrinkled her nose. “She asked if you were here, and if you were she wants you to stay put.”
“I hope you didn’t say I was standing right in front of you.”
“Sorry. I told her you were the one who suggested I call.”
“Great,” Annie mumbled in an exhale of breath. “I told Leona I would go back to help her with the open house. When Christy gets here, tell her she can find me at the Blackbird Bed and Breakfast.”
“But—”
Annie waved her hand dismissively. “Tell her I left before you were off the phone. It’s not like I’m going into hiding. And, what does she need me for anyway?”
“She didn’t say.” Camilla shooed Annie out of the store. “Get going before she shows up and corners you. Don’t worry, I’ll make up something good.”
Annie smiled. “Will I see you at the open house?”
“You bet. The best part of owning my own business is that I can turn that open sign to closed whenever I want to. And now, with this theft, I need a good distraction.”
Annie made her way back to the parking lot at Cove’s Corner, keeping one eye searching for Deputy Crank’s black Dodge Charger and the other eye searching for a red-haired older woman.
What was Heather Davis up to and what trouble was she getting into now?
Annie walked to her car, proud of herself for avoiding Detective Christy Crank. She hesitated before she opened her car door.
A puff of wind blew the light dusting of snow off a car at the far edge of the parking lot. A dark shadow inside caught her attention. Something appeared to be slumped forward over the steering wheel.
She opened her car door but took another look at the other car again. With the cold December temperature, Annie couldn’t ignore the possibility that someone was inside the car and in some kind of distress. She had to check or she’d wonder for the rest of the day.
Annie forced her feet toward the car as apprehension grew in her chest. Her pace picked up. Was it a person?
She ran the last twenty feet and stopped in horror when her eyes settled on red hair covering the head of a woman slumped over the steering wheel. She wrenched the door open and the body tipped sideways. Before Annie could react, the body continued its freefall out of the car. She jumped out of the way as the body thudded like a sack of potatoes onto the tar.
Her heart pounded.
She stared at the body. Her eyes were glued to a bright red circle in the center of the woman’s forehead that had no business being there. The red circle matched her hair color.
Annie felt sick. Her limbs were shaky and weak. Was this Heather?
Annie quickly scanned the car for a large red hobo bag but saw no sign of it.
She looked at the body again. One hand clutched a red leather wallet. Annie closed her eyes and pulled it from the woman’s grip. With one flip to open it, the driver’s li
cense confirmed her fear: Heather Davis’s name and photo stared at her, red hair and all, minus the bullet hole.
Annie had no choice but to call Detective Christy Crank.
She also called Leona before she slipped back into her own car. With shivering fingers, Annie managed to turn the heat to high. She waited for warmth and some help.
3
Leona arrived at the Cove’s Corner parking lot within minutes of Annie’s call. She parked next to Annie and slipped into her passenger seat. “What happened?” she asked.
“I think Heather just fell out of that car.” Annie unwound her arms and pointed across the parking lot.
“You think she fell out?”
“Um, no, I know she fell out . . . the driver’s license in her wallet says it is Heather Davis.”
“Is she hurt?”
“Let me put it this way, Leona—she’s beyond feeling any pain.”
“Should I go look?” Leona’s eyes were wide orbs of confusion.
Annie turned her car off. “We can go together. Someone will have to identify her. From what I’ve heard, Heather has dyed red hair and that matches the photo on her license.”
“I don’t know what she looks like. I talked to her on the phone but I haven’t seen her since she arrived in town,” Leona said. “You looked for identification?”
“It was right there. When she landed at my feet, she was holding a wallet. Let’s just wait here for Christy.” Annie reached across and held Leona’s hand. “Do you know where Danny is?”
Leona shook her head. “I went to Randy’s farm and no one answered the door. I couldn’t see that it made any sense for me to dash around like a chicken with my head cut off so I decided it would be best to wait at the Blackbird. At least, that way, if anyone showed up, I’d be there. But it’s been quieter than a snowflake landing on my cheek, until you called me.”
“There are a lot of people upset with Heather,” Annie told Leona.
“Why?”
“Apparently, she stole from several businesses and the owners are looking for you to pay them back.”
“What?” Leona twisted in the seat with a look of total shock on her face. “She stole stuff and now she’s dead? I hope she died from natural causes.”
Annie shook her head but before she could explain, Detective Crank’s Dodge Charger slammed to a stop behind Heather’s car. An ambulance arrived at almost the same time.
“I’d better go over there and tell Christy what I know, which isn’t much.”
“I’ll wait here, if that’s okay with you?” Leona asked. “This is just too much for me, and I have to track down Danny to let him know.” She pulled out her phone.
“About Danny . . .”
Leona looked at Annie.
“Um . . . when I got here earlier, he almost sideswiped me in his haste leaving the parking lot. I don’t think he even saw me.”
Leona’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying, Annie? Are you implying Danny did something to his mother?”
“No. I’m only telling you this because he was upset about something and I thought you should know. Maybe he had a conversation with her; or maybe he was just still upset that you invited her without letting him know. Whatever it was, he was completely distracted and he was on a mission to get somewhere fast.”
Annie left Leona to make her phone call and she walked over to talk to Detective Crank.
Heather’s body was covered. Police bustled around taking measurements, photos, and gathering whatever they could find in the vicinity of Heather’s car.
Annie waited off to one side.
Christy made notes in her notebook after she gave instructions to some of the other police milling around. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to Annie.
Christy smiled but it wasn’t a friendly, I’m-so-glad-to-see-you grin. It was more a grimace implying, what did you do now? “What a surprise that you called this in, Annie Hunter.”
Annie shrugged and tilted her head to one side. “What can I say?”
“You are always in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Christy answered. “How about you fill me in on what’s going on with this woman. For starters—who is she?”
“Didn’t you find any identification?” Annie didn’t want to admit to Christy that she already looked at the driver’s license in the woman’s wallet.
“Oh, I’ve got a name but I think you already looked at her ID, too.” Christy raised her brows. “So, what’s her story?”
“What’s her name?” Annie shot back.
Without taking her eyes off Annie, Christy said, “Heather Davis.” She over-emphasized the last name. “What’s her story?” she repeated. Christy nodded her head toward Annie’s car. “I’m assuming that’s why Leona is hiding over there?”
“She’s not hiding. She’s trying to call Danny.” Annie puckered her lips. She didn’t want to do this out here in the cold. She clutched her arms around her chest and bounced from one foot to the other.
Christy scribbled some more in her notebook. “Well, I think I’ll have a little chat with Leona now.”
Annie made the mistake of grabbing Christy’s arm. Before she knew what happened, Christy swung her arm around, broke the grip and had Annie’s arm twisted behind her back. Christy leaned close to Annie’s ear. “Not smart. I’ll let you go and forget you put your hand on me if you tell me why Heather Davis is in town.”
Annie winced as Christy pushed her arm higher. “Leona invited her.” The relief was as sudden as the pain had been when Christy released her. Annie shook her arm to loosen the muscles.
“And why is she dead, here in your parking lot?”
“I don’t know. I think she might have been staying with Randy Berry. The plan was for her to come to the open house to surprise Danny.”
At this statement, Christy’s eyes opened wide. “Danny didn’t even know his mother was in town?”
“He didn’t know Leona planned to invite her.” Annie forced herself to keep her eyes on Christy’s while she avoided answering the question.
A slight twitch started at the edge of Christy’s lip. “Clever evasion. So, Leona invited Heather as a surprise. When did Danny find out?”
Annie looked at the clouds zooming overhead. “This morning when Leona told me her big surprise.”
“The way you are trying to avoid answering my questions tells me that Danny wasn’t too happy about Leona’s surprise.” Christy stroked her chin. “Why is that, Annie?”
Annie felt cornered. She couldn’t lie without getting herself in trouble. Her evasive answer hadn’t worked. She wanted to protect Danny from suspicion but with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she was afraid he might have gotten himself in trouble already.
“I’m waiting.” Christy tapped her foot.
“Danny hasn’t seen his mother for the last twenty-seven years. She left when he was eighteen and, well, it was a shock when he overheard Leona’s conversation with me. Leona was only hoping to surprise Danny in a good way.”
“Okay, that explains why Heather came to town, but now I want to know what she’s been up to since she’s been here. The police station has received a lot of complaints about a red-haired woman stealing from several local businesses. What do you know about that?”
“No more than you do. Olive, the owner of Gently Used Boutique, described a woman with red hair and a large red leather hobo bag who stole some clothes. Find that hobo bag and maybe you’ll have more clues as to what Heather was up to.”
One of the other policemen motioned to Christy. “Listen, Annie, I know you are fiercely protective of your friends, but if I find out you’re hiding anything about this murder, you’ll become an accessory. Got it?”
Annie nodded.
Christy walked away, already turning her attention to searching Heather’s car.
Annie didn’t waste another minute getting herself back to her car and Leona.
She glanced at Leona who sat silently staring out the windo
w.
“Did you hear from Danny?” Annie quietly asked.
Leona shook her head. “This isn’t like him, Annie. He always answers his phone. We’ve got the open house this afternoon.” She turned to look at Annie. “Where is he?”
“I honestly don’t know. I think we should go back to the Blackbird . . . try to act as normal as possible. I’ll decorate your tree, you get the food ready . . . and we’ll just wait to see what develops.”
“Nothing like adding pressure to make this opening a success. Now I have to worry about Danny on top of hoping he’ll forgive me.”
And, never mind, figuring out who killed Heather. And why, Annie added to herself.
Annie drove around all the crime scene vehicles and headed toward the Blackbird Bed and Breakfast. Her heart was heavy but her determination to fix everything couldn’t be any stronger.
4
The Blackbird Bed and Breakfast appeared as inviting as always with two balsam firs on either side of the front walk decorated with tiny white lights, a big boxwood wreath on the front door, and candles in each window.
But it was too quiet.
Without Danny’s truck in the driveway and his constant puttering around doing the last minute tidying up outside, the whole holiday scene fell flat. It was painfully obvious that Danny had not returned.
Leona was already at the front door by the time Annie got out of her car. She jogged to catch up.
The Christmas tree in the front room, with lights only partially draped over its bows, was a sad reminder of the morning’s troubles. Annie hugged Leona. “Don’t worry. Danny didn’t hurt Heather. He’s all about healing and helping.”
“I know that in my heart, Annie, but where is he?” Leona’s eyes searched Annie’s, looking for the answer that was nowhere to be found.
“I’ll finish decorating the tree; you start getting the food ready. This open house is still a go.” Annie pushed Leona in the direction of her sparkling kitchen. “As soon as the tree is done, I’ll be in to help you.”
Leona nodded and disappeared through the door to the kitchen.