by Cindy Bell
“Who knows.” Mrs. White frowned. “You never can tell who someone’s enemies are. Isn’t that right, Ally?” She looked back at Ally.
Ally nodded, still stunned to discover that the man they discussed was the very same man she wanted to speak to.
“You just watch too many of those lawyer shows.” Mrs. Bing rolled her eyes. “Innocent until proven guilty? Well, there won’t be a trial for Phillip. I can tell you this much, between Denise and Phillip, this town has a little too much scandal for my taste this week.” She popped another chocolate into her mouth. “That’s better.” She sighed.
“Shush!” Mrs. White chastised Mrs. Bing. “Ally is friends with Denise you know.”
All three women looked at her. “Yes, I am.” Ally straightened up. “And I don’t think that she had anything to do with this.”
“If that’s the case then it is a shame she is behind bars. But, if we can’t trust the police to investigate these things, then what can we do?” Mrs. Bing clung to her purse, which Ally knew was filled with chocolates. “Someone has to be held responsible for that poor man’s death.”
“Sure, but it would be better if it was the right person. If you hear anything, you’ll let me know, right?”
“Of course.” Mrs. White patted the back of her hand. “I’ll even check in on dear Rose, she must be so worried.”
“Do you know her well?”
“Not really. We haven’t talked much, but I’m sure she could use a friend.”
“Will you take her some chocolates for me?” Ally handed her a package. “I don’t want to upset her too much by going to visit. But I’d like to know that she has these.”
“Absolutely.” Mrs. White met her eyes. “You’re such a sweet girl, Ally.”
“Thank you.” Ally replenished the chocolates on the sample stand. After a few more chocolates disappeared, the three women did as well.
Ally dialed Luke’s number. She didn’t want to wait any longer to talk to the bartender. His phone went straight to voicemail. Her lips tightened with frustration. Charlotte stepped out from the back.
“A friend of mine is in town, you remember Lola. She asked to meet me for dinner. Do you mind, Ally? She could drive me back to Freely Lakes after, that way you’ll have the van.”
“No, it’s fine, Mee-Maw. Tell her I said hi and enjoy yourself.” Ally smiled at her. Charlotte hugged her and then left the shop. Ally went through the motions of closing up the shop for the day. Her grandmother was right, she did get some valuable information and being around the chocolates had calmed her.
When Ally turned the lock on the door of the shop, it was only five o’clock. There was plenty of time to go visit the bartender and question him about his involvement with Dustin. But Luke still hadn’t got back to her. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to speak with Phillip in case he decided to skip town.
When Ally got behind the wheel of the van she tried to call Luke one more time. His cheerful voice announced that he wasn’t available to take her call. She hung up before she had the chance to leave an annoyed message. Luke has a job, she reminded herself. He’s probably off saving lives, or taking down criminals. Maybe she could wait until the next morning. Luke was obviously still busy and probably working on an intense case.
As Ally neared the cottage she passed by one of the nicer restaurants in town. It didn’t register until she was already past the car, that she recognized it. Luke was out to dinner again. He wasn’t answering his phone, not because he had an intense case, but because he was busy with someone else. She tried not to let it get to her, but it did. Hadn’t he told her to call him if she needed him? Obviously the case wasn’t important to him. Obviously he didn’t care that Denise rotted in a prison cell.
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. She parked in front of the cottage and sat in the van for a few minutes. She wanted to go back and see who he was with, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself and she was scared of what she might find out. It was easy to tell herself that she was only upset because the case was important to her. But she knew that wasn’t the truth. If she was honest with herself she was upset because someone else had Luke’s attention.
What didn’t make sense to her was the way he behaved towards her. If he was with someone else why did he keep hinting at wanting more time with her? Was he just playing the field? Was she just the next woman on his list? Everything she knew about Luke told her that she was wrong about that. However, the fact that he still hadn’t returned her call, and was not working, made it clear to her that he wasn’t the person she thought he was. No matter what, she couldn’t be distracted. She had to get Denise out. If Luke couldn’t help her with that then she would have to do it herself. She pulled over to the side of the road and placed a call to Kylie. The phone buzzed only a few times before Kylie picked up.
“Hi Ally,” Kylie said cautiously.
“Kylie, I was wondering if you could give me the address of Phillip Robinsons, the bartender that was fired?”
“Sure I can get you that. Is there a reason? Do you think he had something to do with what happened to Dustin?”
“I’m not sure yet. Having his address will help me figure it out.”
“Okay, anything I can do to help. Yes, here it is. Do you have a pen?”
“One sec.” Ally fished a pen out of her purse. “I’m ready.” Ally jotted down the address that Kylie read off to her. Once she had it written down she tucked the pen back into her purse. “Thanks.”
“Are you going to his place?”
“I’m not sure yet. Kylie, has anyone reported an earring missing to the staff?”
“Oh, people lose jewelry all the time.”
“Well, what about in the last few days? Has anyone lost just one earring?”
“What kind of earring?”
“A diamond stud.”
“Where did you find it?” Kylie asked.
“Kylie, can you just let me know if anyone reported one missing please?”
“It might be easier for me to figure out if you told me where you found it.”
“I’d rather not. Were any reported missing?” Ally frowned. Kylie’s avoidance of the question made her more than a little suspicious.
“Not that I can see. I’ll check again tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks Kylie.” She hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. Why would Kylie be so hesitant about the earring? Was it possible that she knew more than she was letting on? Ally pushed the thought from her mind and focused on Phillip. Now that she knew she was on her own, there was no reason to wait for Luke. She drove to Phillip’s address and found that it was a small duplex. She parked in the driveway and walked up to the door. After a quick glance around, she knocked. The curtain in the window beside the door fluttered, but no one opened the door. Ally waited a minute or two and then knocked again. When she was ignored, she knocked a third time, much louder. Finally, the door jerked open. A man in a sleeveless undershirt with ruffled hair leaned in the doorway. Ally recognized him right away as the man she had seen storm out on Ben at the hotel.
“Go away.” He rubbed one of his eyes and groaned.
“I just need you to answer a few questions for me, please.”
“Why should I?” He scowled at her. “Who are you?”
“My name is Ally. I’m a friend of Denise’s.”
“That chick that offed the security guy?”
“She did no such thing.” Ally looked annoyed. “And his name was Dustin.”
“Whatever. Why should I answer any of your questions?”
“Twenty?” Ally held out the bill. He sighed and snatched it out of her hand.
“What is it?”
“Did Dustin find out about you stealing from the hotel?” She squared her shoulders and studied his reaction.
“This again?” He shook his head. “I didn’t steal from anyone. Not from the hotel, not from Ben, not from anyone.”
“Did Dustin accuse yo
u of it?”
“Dustin? Of course not. Dustin knew that I wasn’t stealing. I’m the one that told him about what I saw.”
“What do you mean, what you saw?”
He shoved the twenty dollar bill into his pocket. “All I knew was that there was money moving out of the hotel at night. When I would put together my deposit from the bar I took it to the manager’s office. Ben had a drop box inside of his office for it. The café, the spa, the front desk, anyone who accepted any kind of payment would drop their envelopes in the drop box.”
“That makes sense. How do you know money was missing?”
“I’m the last one to drop off the deposits. I’d been doing the deposits for about a week. Usually I have to wriggle the envelope a little bit to try to fit it into the drop box. Then I noticed that I didn’t have to do that anymore. I was curious, so I peeked into the slot. There was nothing in there, just my deposit. I brought it up with Dustin, because he’s the one in charge of security. He said he would look into it. Next thing I know Ben is in my face shouting about how he took a chance on me and I’d betrayed him.” Phillip rolled his eyes. “Like I give a damn about loyalty. I needed money. I wouldn’t risk my job by stealing. I wanted a paycheck.” He grimaced. “I’m sure if I never said anything about the missing money I would still have a job.”
“Or maybe Dustin found out it was you, and he told Ben, and Ben fired you. Which made you want revenge.” Ally folded her arms as she looked at him.
“Now you’re trying to pin a murder on me?” Phillip laughed and shook his head. “I’m starting to think my mother was right. I need to get the heck out of this town. People here only care about rumors, not the truth. I gave Ben back his pin, and I left the hotel, like he told me to. I went back to get my paycheck and he even shortchanged me. I was annoyed, but I didn’t really give him any trouble. So, if you think I stole something, or killed someone, then send the cops to get me. Until then, I’m going back to my nap.” He shoved the door closed. She heard him engage the lock. Ally walked back to the van even more confused than when she had arrived. The theory of Phillip being involved in the murder was a good one, she knew that it was. But something about Phillip made her believe him.
As she got back into the van to drive back to the cottage, her phone buzzed with a text.
Ally, sorry I missed your calls. Can you stop by my place? I could use an update.
She smiled with relief at the text. If Luke was on a date would he really be texting her? She sent a text in return.
Five minutes away, be there soon.
Ally drove towards Luke’s house as warmth built up within her. At least he remembered her. When she pulled into the driveway of his house she noticed his car parked there. As she walked towards the house she was surprised to hear Luke’s voice through an open window.
“I think you should stay longer. Don’t leave so soon.”
Ally froze a few steps away from the door. Who was he talking to? His date? She moved a little closer to the window to listen in.
“Hold on, I’ll get us a drink,” Luke said.
Ally’s stomach twisted. She paced back and forth to calm it. She couldn’t hear who he was talking to. So he was in there with someone, someone who he didn’t want to leave. Ally paced back and forth a few more times. She knew she shouldn’t spy on Luke, and she certainly hadn’t intended to.
Ally checked the text on her phone yet again. It did, as she thought, instruct her to meet him at his house. Why would he have her meet him there if he was going to be with someone else? Was he trying to confuse her? She thought about knocking on the door. He had invited her to come over, so it wasn’t as if he wouldn’t be expecting her. Still, she wasn’t sure that she could keep her composure once he opened the door. After the encounter she had with Phillip she wanted to talk to him as soon as possible, but she also didn’t want to witness Luke on a date with another woman.
Ally started to walk towards the door, then hesitated. If he was inside and alone with a woman, who knew what might be happening. They could be sharing wine, or even sharing his bed. She was sure that if she walked away she would die of curiosity. Maybe if she just took one little peek, she could put it all behind her. She paused in front of the door just before it swung open. Her heart skipped a beat. In front of her, through the mesh screen on the door, Luke looked different. He looked frazzled.
“I’m sorry, Ally, this isn’t a good time,” Luke said apologetically.
Ally’s heart sunk. She had interrupted some kind of tryst, she was certain of it.
“I’m sorry, I got your text and I…”
“I know. I wanted you to come, I just didn’t expect it to be like this. I’ll explain later. All right? I just need you to go now.”
Ally bit back annoyed words. She wasn’t sure why he acted this way after all of the flirting he’d done. Was he just trying to bait her and then hurt her?
“Sure, I’ll go.” She spun on her heel and walked back towards the van. A part of her really expected that he was going to follow after her. However, when she reached the van and he was still inside the door, she knew that he wasn’t coming. It hurt, she couldn’t deny that. It hurt more than she expected it to. That was exactly why she kept herself at a distance. She forced herself not to dwell on it as she drove back to the cottage. She had enough on her mind. Not the least of which was getting her car back so that her grandmother could have her van back.
In many ways Ally felt as if her life had been hijacked the moment she opened the trunk of her car, and she needed to get it back. When she reached the cottage she was exhausted. She barely made her way into the living room before she collapsed on the couch. Peaches jumped up on the couch beside her.
“Just who I need to see.” Ally sighed and stroked the cat’s fur. “Peaches, life is confusing. I bet it’s much more simple to be a cat.”
Peaches looked into her eyes. She didn’t blink. Ally smiled. “All right, maybe it’s not so simple to be my cat.” The cat nuzzled her hand.
Ally closed her eyes and willed her body to relax. The only way she could think through the case was with a calm body and mind. After a few deep breaths the pieces began to slide into place. By the time she fell asleep, she had a few theories running through her mind. It was enough to distract her from whatever Luke was up to.
Chapter Twelve
Early the next morning Ally headed to Freely Lakes. She didn’t want to upset Rose and she had no intention to. She hoped Rose might have some insight about Dustin and Denise’s relationship. It might give her the break she needed to piece together what had happened to Dustin. She checked the list at the front desk to find out which room Rose was in. Once she did she headed for it. She knew that her grandmother would have liked to tag along, but Ally wanted it to just be her and Rose. There might be some things Rose felt awkward talking about in front of Charlotte.
Ally knocked lightly on the door and waited for it to open. A moment later the door swung open. Rose leaned heavily on her cane as she eased herself down into a chair near the door. As she observed her, Ally noticed that her gray hair was uncombed. She leaned forward in her chair slowly which appeared to be painful. Unlike her grandmother, who was quite healthy, Ally could see that her senior years were taking a heavy toll on her body.
“Who are you?” She squinted towards the door.
“Ally Sweet.”
“Oh Ally?” She smiled. “Come in, please. I can’t believe I haven’t had the chance to see you since you’ve moved back home. Look at you.” She gasped and shook her head. “You look just like your mother.”
“Thank you.” Ally smiled. “Denise said the same thing.”
“My poor girl.” Rose held back her tears. “I feel so helpless. I can’t get her out of jail. It’s horrible that the police could just take her like that.”
Ally sat down on a chair beside her. “I’m doing my best to help her, Mrs. Mitchell, I promise.”
“Of course you are. You’re such a good girl. Your moth
er would be proud.”
“Thank you. Mrs. Mitchell, is there anything important you can tell me about Denise? Anything that she might have been upset about? People that might have been upset with her?” She took Rose’s hand with her own and stroked the back of it.
“I’m not sure. She didn’t tell me too much about her troubles. I think she’s always worried about me, and so she doesn’t want to tell me things. I wish she would though.”
“What about a man named Dustin?”
“Oh him?” Rose scowled. “He broke her heart.”
“He did?” Ally raised an eyebrow. “I thought things ended well?”
“That’s what she says, of course. Denise will never admit that anyone has hurt her. She’s such a strong woman, nothing like me.” She looked down at her wrinkled hands. “But she was going to marry that man. It’s just that she wasn’t quite ready and he wasn’t willing to wait. That will break any woman’s heart. Of course, I won’t tell the police that. They will just try to use it to turn her into a killer.”
“Mrs. Mitchell, it’s important that you cooperate with the detectives.”
“Absolutely not. When they let her out of jail, then I’ll answer their questions. Denise was going to move back here to be with me. She wanted to create some distance between her and Dustin.”
“Did she know if Dustin was seeing anyone else?”
“I don’t know.” Rose shook her head.
“What about any friends of hers? Did she mention anyone close?”
“Yes, Kylie of course. They are good friends. Kylie could probably tell you more about her than me. They were so close that Denise bought her a pair of diamond earrings for her birthday. I thought that was a little excessive, but Denise insisted that she wanted Kylie to have them.”
“Diamond stud earrings?” Ally’s eyes widened.
“Yes, I believe so. Very sparkly.”