by Lyndsey Cole
“Oh . . . um . . . we’ve decided to enjoy the ride up the whole Main Street so we’ll get out on the return trip,” Leona said.
Randy clucked and jiggled the reins. “Have it your way.” Bert and Bess continued their journey.
“So, back to Thursday night, Randy. What did Heather tell you and Brian?”
Randy sighed. “Some of this should stay between you and me, okay?”
Leona and Annie nodded.
“She said she had no intention of seeing Danny. That kind of upset me since I thought that was the whole reason she’d come to town. I guess she used it as an excuse to get her revenge.”
“On who?”
“Ha. It was more who she didn’t hold a grudge against. Brian told me she stole tips from his café and skipped out on paying the bill for her meal. I know it’s not big money but he can’t take much of any type of loss. And, you know, I hear stuff. Heather managed to visit just about every business in town and make trouble.”
“What about you, Randy? She stayed at your house. Did you call her out on her actions?”
“You bet I did. I live here. These people are my friends. I told her to make it right or she might not get out on her own two feet.” He looked at Leona. “That doesn’t sound too good when I say it now, in light of what happened to her, but all I meant was someone might decide to get even with her.”
Annie saw Leona’s mouth fall open and she realized hers had, too.
“What? Don’t look at me like I did her in,” Randy said. “I sure wouldn’t have killed her right here in town in her car and leave her to be found.”
Randy turned the horses into the parking area at the end of Main Street and stopped. Bert shook his head. Randy turned around. “Huh. The wagon’s empty. I guess everyone got off at Brian’s Kozy Koffee Stop. It’s just the two of you.”
Leona hesitated before she got her question out. “I know you’re a gun owner, Randy. Have the police questioned you about Heather’s murder?”
“Sure, but I have an alibi. I was home sleeping off an enormous hangover. Wade vouched for me.”
Annie remembered Wade telling her that Randy had a hangover, but she also remembered Wade said Randy’s door was closed so he had assumed Randy was asleep in bed. “Do you have any suspicions about who might have killed her?”
“Well, now, the way I see it, whoever it was did this world a favor, so let’s just leave that alone.” He clucked and jiggled the reigns a bit too hard, sending Bert and Bess lurching forward, almost throwing Leona and Annie tumbling off the seat backward. Randy chuckled. “Hang on, girls. Bert and Bess are anxious to get back for their snack.”
The wagon creaked and squeaked as the tempo doubled on the way down Main Street.
Leona grabbed a hold of Annie’s arm. “Slow down, Randy. We’re getting off at the Kozy Koffee Stop.”
“Whoa, there.”
The horses responded immediately, sending Leona and Annie so far forward that Annie saw the huge back hooves of the horses and was glad she managed to hang onto the edge of the seat, saving herself and Leona from falling between those hooves and the wagon. Did Randy do that on purpose to send them a message?
Before they climbed off the wagon, Leona turned toward Randy. “I heard you loud and clear about what you think of Heather, but the fact of the matter is, Danny is a suspect, which means we,” with a wave of her hand, Leona indicated herself and Annie, “won’t stop trying to clear his name.”
Randy blinked a couple of times and rubbed the two-day old growth on his chin. “Well, ladies, that might not work out too well for you. My advice to you—keep that plan to yourselves unless you want trouble to come looking for you, too.”
Annie jumped off the wagon seat, followed closely by Leona. Their feet barely hit the sidewalk when Randy clucked and flicked the reigns, spurring Bert and Bess into a trot.
As Annie watched the retreating horses and wagon, Randy tipped his head back and drained his thermos.
“What do you make of that?” Annie asked. Before Leona could reply, she added, “I’d say Randy has just as much motive to have killed Heather as plenty of others in town.”
“And his alibi is about as fragile as a candy cane falling from the top of my Christmas tree. I can just imagine it shattering if Detective Crank starts to question him.”
Annie looked up and down Main Street. People bustled in and out of the various shops, loaded with bulging bags. The Christmas music that filtered out to the street, the smiling faces, and cheerful chatter should have made her heart sing but with the cloud hanging over Danny and Leona, all she felt was dread. The more questions they asked, the more questions she discovered she didn’t even know existed.
With a tug on her sleeve, Leona got Annie moving into the Kozy Koffee Stop and closer to any clues Brian Black might be able to add to the mystery surrounding Heather’s murder.
15
Annie was surprised that the Kozy Koffee Stop was mostly quiet. The only waitress in sight was taking an order from a family in a booth and a couple of people sat on stools at the counter, but other than that it was deserted. Annie did some quick math in her head; there wasn’t enough business to even pay the waitress’s meager salary.
“Should we sit down and order something?” Leona whispered behind her cupped hand.
“I think that’s a good idea. We can chalk it up to research. Besides, I’m kind of chilled after sitting in the wagon.”
“Chilled from the cold air or from Randy’s conversation?” Leona asked.
“Both.”
Since no one offered to seat them, Annie slid into the first empty booth. Leona sat on the opposite side. They had a good view of the interior and the people walking by outside on the sidewalk. Annie brushed crumbs off the table. No one slowed down to come in for something to eat or drink.
Annie pulled the menu from behind the metal napkin dispenser. A plastic sprig of holly fell on the table. She tried to stick it back behind the sugar bowl where it had come from, but that created a chain reaction of the salt shaker tipping into the pepper shaker with both tilting sideways on the table.
Leona’s hand covered her mouth, her head remaining stationary as her wide-open eyes looked in every direction possible.
Salt poured through the holes and made a pile that looked like a miniature snow drift. “Oops,” Annie said.
Laughter snorted through Leona’s fingers. She snatched the other menu and immediately wrinkled her nose. “There’s dried food splattered on the front.” She stuck the menu back behind the fingerprint-covered napkin holder.
“I’ll stick with coffee to be on the safe side of avoiding a case of food poisoning,” Annie whispered.
“Where do we even start with advice for Brian?” Leona responded. “My first impression is that this place should be shut down and fumigated.”
“I know. This is so much worse than I expected.” Movement behind Leona caught Annie’s attention. “Shhh, here he comes.”
“I thought you’d changed your mind,” Brian reprimanded them instead of actually greeting Leona and Annie. “Do you want to order anything?”
This was awkward, Annie thought. She had expected Brian might offer coffee since he asked her to come but, whatever, she’d splurge. “Two coffees?”
“That’s it?”
Leona started to push herself up but Annie kicked her under the table and she plopped back onto the seat. “That’s it. With extra cream.”
Brian left and Annie stared at Leona. “What do we do now? If he asks for advice are we supposed to tell him he’s doing everything wrong?”
“Hey, if he asks, he’s going to get an honest answer from me. It won’t help to sugar coat the problems he’s got here.” Leona rubbed a finger over the sticky table and grimaced. “Plus, this place could actually start an epidemic of food related poisonings in town. I can’t believe the health department hasn’t shut him down yet.”
Brian returned. First, he threw two paper placemats that said Merry Christ
mas in big bold red letters in front of Leona and Annie. Next, he set one mug of coffee in front of each woman which he set down so hard, the coffee splashed over the top, oozed across the Merry Christmas, and made a dirty brown stain.
“Thank you, Brian,” Annie managed to say. She slid over on the seat and patted the spot next to her. “Are you going to join us?” She decided she could put up with this horrible place for ten minutes with the hope he could shed something more on Heather’s trip to Catfish Cove.
Brian looked around his café. “I suppose it’s not too busy right now. I can sit for a few minutes.”
Annie felt her forehead scrunch into wrinkles. “You begged me to come over, Brian. Now you’re acting like we’re just a bother.” She scooped up her bag. “We can leave.”
Brian sat next to Annie. “No. I’m distracted. Business should be booming.” He pointed out the window. “Look at all the people outside and hardly anyone is stopping in.”
Annie glanced at Leona and saw her chewing on her bottom lip. A bad sign for Brian.
“Listen,” Leona said. “This place should . . . how do I say this tactfully?” Leona and tact never went together. She stared right at Brian. “You need to shut down and give this place a thorough cleaning—top to bottom, inside and out.” She pointed to the fingerprints on the napkin holder, the dried sticky unknown food chunks on the table, and even some dead flies behind the menu. “And this is only one booth. What’s hiding in the nooks and crannies in your kitchen?”
Brian’s mouth fell open. “Is that what Heather told you?”
Leona shook her head vigorously.
“Well, those are almost the exact words she said to me.” He leaned across the table, inches from Leona’s face. “It didn’t sit well hearing it from Heather, and it isn’t sitting well from you up on your high and mighty tower with your booming Black Cat Café and Blackbird Bed and Breakfast about to open.” He jabbed his finger, almost poking Leona’s eye. “You’re just afraid of my competition. You probably planted those flies, and put your own fingerprints on the napkin holder.” He stood.
“Come on, Annie. I, for one, have heard more than enough from Brian,” Leona said.
As Leona and Annie slid off the bench seats, Brian threw a receipt on the table. “And don’t try to run off without paying, like Heather did.”
“I can hardly blame her with the despicable service and appalling quality you provide here. Good riddance, Brian.” Leona glared as she spat out her words.
“Watch your step or you could end up with the same fate as Heather.”
“My, my,” Annie said. “Is that a threat? It sounds like you had quite the motive for killing Heather. And, you were at the Black Cat Café the morning she was killed, right in the vicinity of her car.”
Brian’s face turned dark red and if it had been possible, steam would have been shooting from his ears from all the built-up anger. He turned and disappeared into his kitchen.
They didn’t bother leaving a tip. They didn’t even waste one second considering whether they should or not. Annie stopped at the cash register to pay the bill and Leona went outside.
The lone waitress working took her time coming to the cash register. She snapped a wad of gum as she looked at the receipt Annie handed to her. “Five dollars, please.”
Annie took some time digging in her bag for the money. Time she used to question the waitress. “Kind of slow today?”
“Ha. It’s always slow. If he keeps this dump open after New Year’s I’ll be surprised.” She put one hand on her hip and tapped her foot, obviously annoyed with Annie’s slow search for money. Not that she had any other people to take care of at the moment.
Annie pulled her wallet out of her bag but didn’t take out any money. “Were you working Thursday when a woman with red hair came in?”
The waitress gave Annie her best bored look and snapped her gum several times. “You gonna pay?”
Annie held a five-dollar bill firmly in her hand. “Did you see her?”
The waitress looked behind her and must have decided the coast was clear because she finally answered Annie’s question. “Yeah. I remember her. She was a piece of work, that red-haired woman. She read Brian the riot act, kinda like the two of you did, and he got just as mad at her, too.” She chuckled.
“Did she steal any tips?”
The waitress snorted. “Is that what Brian said? If she did, it couldn’t have amounted to much more than a couple of quarters. She told Brian she was gonna contact the health department.”
Annie handed the waitress the five dollars and quickly pulled out another five. “Here, keep this. You might want to start looking for another job.”
“No kidding. I can see the writing on the wall.”
What she left unsaid to the waitress was, the Kozy Koffee Stop most certainly would be closing but, in addition, there was a strong possibility Brian could end up in jail for Heather’s murder.
Annie put her gloves on before she pulled the door open. Leona had her hands jammed deep into her pockets. “It’s gotten colder. Let’s get back to the Black Cat Café.”
“What time is Danny picking you up?”
“I told him if I wasn’t there when he stopped, you’d give me a ride home.” Leona looked at Annie. “You don’t mind, do you?”
She checked the time on her phone and saw a missed text. It was from Jason. Don’t forget about our dinner plans. “It’s only four fifteen. I’ll give you a ride, but I can’t hang around. Jason is making dinner tonight.”
Leona elbowed Annie and raised her eyebrows. “What’s he making?”
“I’ll find out when I get home. And, don’t forget, you aren’t invited.”
“Did I ask?” Leona gave Annie an I-can’t-believe-you-said-that expression. “I get it. Jason wants you all to himself. He is kind of selfish like that.”
Annie slapped her aunt. “Jason is the least selfish person I know.”
Leona grinned. “Just pulling your leg.”
“Well, since you escaped outside and left me to pay Brian’s exorbitant bill for our two coffees, that we didn’t even drink—”
“Of course we didn’t drink them. We’d be on the way to the ER to get our stomachs pumped.”
“You’re probably right. Anyway, you missed the interesting information I managed to pull from the waitress.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. First, there were barely any tips to steal so Brian conned me out of fifty dollars. And, second . . . Heather read him the riot act, and . . . you won’t believe this.”
“You’ve got my attention, spit it out Annie.”
“Heather threatened Brian that she was going to call the Board of Health.”
Leona stopped dead in her tracks. Her jaw fell to her chest and her eyes were as big as the bells on the sleigh pulled by Bert and Bess. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Maybe.”
“Brian killed Heather before she could report him?”
“Either that . . . or Randy and Brian worked together to . . . um . . . take care of Brian’s problem.”
16
Leona’s car was parked in front of the Blackbird when Annie pulled in.
“That’s a relief,” Leona said. “At least Danny is home and I don’t have to worry about him.”
As a matter of fact, the walkways were cleaned of every flake of snow, indicating that Danny had been hard at work shoveling and sweeping. At the moment, he had a big shovel full of what looked like something Bert and Bess had left the day before. Leona chuckled as she slid off the passenger seat. She bent down and looked at Annie. “Can you stay for a few minutes?”
Annie shook her head. “If I want to have enough time before dinner to drop off cookies at Thelma’s house when I walk Roxy, I need to get going.”
Danny carried the shovel to the edge of the trees and heaved the contents into the woods before he walked back toward Annie’s car.
“What took you so long? I stopped at the Black Cat Ca
fé to pick you up but no one was there.”
“Brian needed advice about how to improve his business,” Leona said. “We talked to him but his place is beyond help.”
Annie wanted to ask Danny what he’d been up to but she didn’t want to push him. He’d talk when he was ready, and maybe he needed to discuss it with Leona first.
Leona still hadn’t shut the passenger door. Annie leaned closer to the open door. “Will I see you tomorrow at the café, Leona? Are you helping out again?”
“Probably.” With her back to Danny she scrunched her mouth to one side and gave a small shrug. She closed the door and Annie watched Leona and Danny disappear inside the Blackbird. She certainly hoped the cloud hanging over Danny’s head was cleared up soon or it would be a dreary Christmas Eve wedding . . . or even no wedding at all.
All the streetlights were shining brightly as Annie drove back through Main Street. Wreaths hung from each lamppost and people bustled up and down the sidewalk. Annie slowed for a big SUV to pull out of a parking spot right in front of the Velvet Box. She was tempted to pull into the space. Camilla looked busy with customers, so Annie continued instead. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Detective Crank disappearing into Brian’s Kozy Koffee Stop, or as it could soon be known, the Contaminated Crumbs. Was Christy going inside to question Brian about Heather’s murder?
Annie sighed and tried to put all the swirling thoughts out of her head. Instead, she needed to focus on a quiet dinner with Jason. That thought put a smile on her face.
When Annie pushed open the door of their house, Roxy danced around her legs. “Well, that’s a special greeting. Are you trying to tell me something?”
Jason, with his red hot peppers apron looped around his neck, said, “Maybe you could take her for a walk while I get dinner finished?”
Annie couldn’t miss the smoke seeping around the edges of the oven door—a bad sign—along with a distinct burning aroma. She didn’t say anything but her hope of a delicious dinner evaporated.
“Sure.” She held up a box. “I have some cookies to deliver to Thelma. Between walking Roxy and visiting with Thelma, I’ll be gone for about an hour, I guess.”