by Неизвестный
“We come to an end of our problems soon, I think,” Devin said.
“True it is. Seen it, we have,” she sang.
“The pixies have protected Luna while I’ve been absent?”
“As you wished,” the faerie replied.
Luna waited in the corridor, listening intently to their conversation, surprised and pleased by it.
The lovely creature rose in the air, her glistening wings fully expanded. “In love, you may rest easy. In fear, you will behave poorly. In anger, you will be foolish.” The faerie darted away.
Luna backed up a step or two and then said in a loud voice, “I’m ready if you are.” She closed the door behind her as Devin turned toward her, a puzzled look on his face.
“You heard?”
“I did, I’m afraid,” Luna admitted. “Sorry. I didn’t want to spoil the moment.”
He turned away and strolled toward the Jeep without a sound. She followed, wondering if he was angry or relieved by her admission.
Covering the short distance to Cornie’s in silence, they entered the screened in take-out shack. Devin placed an arm around Luna’s shoulder. Together they viewed the menu on the wall.
He whispered in her ear, “You aren’t angry that I asked the pixies to watch over you, are you?”
“Not at all,” she answered with a grin. “I’m pleased you asked them. I thought you didn’t trust the little buggers.”
“They aren’t as bad as all that. They have a reputation for tricks, but they aren’t mean tricks.”
“Uh-huh.” Luna giggled as he snuggled her closer.
Devin promised Luna he’d return when he dropped her off at home after dinner. A question on her lips, Luna held it back, unwilling to seem distrustful. Instead, she nodded, kissed him and waved as he drove away.
Her hefty bank deposit ready, Luna locked the zippered bag and drove to the bank. It was after hours and dusk lay upon the area when Luna dropped the bag into the night deposit slot. Without intention, Luna drove to Annie’s house and parked in the driveway.
Annie’s wreck of a car sat outside the one car garage. Luna slowly approached the front door and rapped the knocker a couple times. Heavy feet pounded toward the door. Surprise, and something Luna couldn’t identify, filtered over Annie’s face as she stared at her.
“Come in, Luna, come in,” Annie invited.
Relieved, Luna stepped into the room and turned toward her hostess.
“I wondered if everything was all right. You left the shop so quickly this afternoon,” Luna ventured.
“Things are fine,” Annie assured her. “Have a seat. Can I get you a cup of tea?”
“No, thanks.” Luna stared at her long trusted friend. “What happened between you and Dilly?”
“You heard that, did you?”
“It was hard not to. The windows were open and Dilly was yelling. She was jumpy all day. What started the whole incident?”
“I mentioned that you’d been awful good to us and said I hoped nobody would take advantage of that. Suddenly she went off on a rant and let me have it. I’ve never seen her so upset in all the years that I’ve known her.”
“Well, something is eating at her. I wish I knew what it was.”
“Me, too. Has there been any more suspicious mail?” Annie asked.
“No, I don’t think there will be, but I do know this. The faeries have said the problems are nearing their end, so I need to be more vigilant than ever.”
Annie regarded her for a moment. “That can’t be good news. If they are about to end, then that means the killer will likely try to strike again. You be careful, girl,” she warned.
“It is unsettling, but I’d rather have it over with. I’m on needles and pins every time I enter the shop, whether Devin’s there or not,” Luna said. “I’m always worried I’ll find another body.”
“It must be nerve wracking.” Annie reached a hand out and squeezed Luna’s. “I’m sorry you’ve had to endure such vicious actions. Truly, I am.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Things will sort themselves out before long.” Luna rose from the chair and walked toward the door, Annie close behind.
Luna turned to her. “I’m glad we had this talk. Dilly’s outburst is a cause for concern.”
“Dilly and I will find a way to straighten our difficulties out. She’s just a nervous sot right now, and what that’s about is anyone’s guess.”
Her brow cocked at an angle, Luna glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe she and Henry aren’t doing as well as she would like.”
“Now that’s a thought.”
Chapter 27
Soft moonlight filtered through the room. Awake, Luna’s jumbled thoughts crowded her mind. Devin slept soundly next to her. She slid from under the light comforter, tiptoeing down the stairs Devin would run the risk of injury when he intercepted the blackmailer. The possibilities worried Luna. His well-being mattered to her much more than her own. With a sigh, she wandered onto the back porch and leaned into the cushions of a wicker chair, her feet tucked beneath her.
Fireflies darted about, their soft lights blinking on and off. The faeries were absent and the pixies hadn’t appeared lately, either. Luna heard scratching and a soft mew at the door. She reached over and opened it for Riddles.
The cat jumped onto her lap and cuddled into a huge, gold-striped, fluffy ball. His tail tucked close around his body, the tip flicking a bit. Luna stroked the thick mass of fur, enjoying his steady purr as he relaxed against her.
Visions of the past few weeks flowed through Luna’s mind as she considered their connection. When she thought of how Comen Pensker’s body had been left for her to find, she shivered and realized the trouble had started long before that. Suddenly, Luna bolted upright in the chair. Riddles moaned his discontent and slid from her lap. Wandering over to the empty chair nearby, he settled in.
Racing up the steps two at a time, Luna called to Devin. By the time she entered the loft, he’d sat up in bed staring about the moonlit room.
“W-what’s the matter?” Devin asked in a sleepy voice.
“I figured it out. I finally figured it out.”
“What have you figured out?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his face.
“I know who’s behind it all.”
“What are you talking about, Luna?”
The alarm went off and Luna stared at the clock. She slapped the button a few times with a tsk of annoyance. It was time to make the damned cupcakes. For an instant, she considered closing the shop for the day, and then shook the idea off. That would never happen, it was bad for business.
She murmured she’d be right back and left Devin staring after her as though she’d just landed in the mother ship from outer space. He shook his head and flipped the covers off.
When Luna left the bathroom dressed, neat and refreshed, she sniffed the rich aroma of coffee and smiled at Devin.
“You really know how to treat a woman, Devin Radford.”
He grinned. “I know. Now tell me what you were rambling on about earlier.”
She welcomed the cup of brew, sipping it with appreciation before she spoke.
“Mmm, this is good.”
“Come on, don’t make me drag it out of you.”
“Okay, okay. I was outside with Riddles thinking about the unfortunate incidents that have taken place, wondering why anyone would do such things. Then I realized they had begun long before Comen Pensker showed up here. I simply never connected them.”
“Explain it to me. This sounds interesting.”
“On April Fool’s Day, I found a heap of empty boxes on the steps outside with a note taped to them. It said they were for moving. I just put it down to a practical joke since I had mentioned earlier in March that if business kept growing, I might have to move. I wasn’t serious, mind you, but just talking for the sake of it.”
“Go on,” Devin urged with a skeptical stare and nod of his head.
“Two weeks later, I found a flyer with
pictures of rentals on it attached to the front door. When I asked Annie and Dilly where it came from, they shrugged and said they didn’t know.”
“What does this have to do with Comen Pensker?”
She growled in frustration. “Geesh, for such a smart guy you just aren’t making the connection here. Don’t you see? Somebody was gearing up to oust me from the property long before Comen showed up. When I didn’t take the first couple of hints seriously, things became increasingly intense.” She leaned back against the counter, checked the clock and considered how much more time she could spend with Devin before her cupcake creations would be behind schedule.
“So, who did the deeds?”
“Arvi has access to rental and sales information, Thomas was involved in land development and the third party, are you ready for this?” She waved the empty cup back and forth until Devin grabbed it and refilled it for her. “The third party is Sheriff Tiddler.” Her announcement brought a hoot of laughter from Devin.
“Wow, Luna, that’s a stretch. I thought you were going to accuse Rudy. He fits the bill much better than Henry does.”
He passed the coffee to her after she wrapped the clean apron around her body and readied to descend to the creation station.
“You can say what you want, but I know I’m right.”
“What about your visions of a dark-haired man? Sheriff Tiddler is hardly that. He’s portly, balding, and his hair is mixed with gray.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t another accomplice. Besides, his involvement would account for Dilly’s jitters. She’s been pretty jumpy, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Huh, maybe you’ve got something. I’ve looked into Rudy’s past, and to be truthful, he has no criminal record. His reputation among past employers is outstanding, and he’s much sought after. I spoke with someone the other day who said Rudy’s former employer begged him to come back to work for them and he refused.”
“He is quite good at his job,” Luna said. “He anticipates Ida’s every need, and she’s lucky to have him. I wouldn’t quite rule him out as the blackmailer yet, though. Maybe he refused the job offer because he knows he’s able to clean Ida out and live the good life.”
Luna scrambled down the stairs with Devin right behind. She glanced over her shoulder and chuckled. She’d caught his attention now and it didn’t even take sex or a cupcake to do so.
“Maybe they’re all in cahoots,” Luna exclaimed as she slid baking pans onto the counter, dumped ingredients into the huge mixer and started the daily process.
“That’s doubtful, if you’re right in your assumptions. It would mean we have two separate problems,” Devin answered.
She thought about it while she dumped strawberry butter cream frosting mix in the countertop mixer. “Mmm, you’ve got a point.”
“I’ll look into Dilly Perkins’s background today and see if I can find out what’s bugging her. The sheriff tops off my list as far as Dilly is concerned. Maybe they’ve had a tiff of sorts,” Devin mused.
“Her actions leaned more toward knowing something she shouldn’t and being scared to death over it, rather than her and Henry having a spat,” Luna remarked.
“You women understand each other better than men ever could, so you might be right about that.”
Luna turned toward Devin and said, “I think I’ll host a small cupcake party here at the Junction to celebrate my birthday and invite them. Then we’ll make a determination. The sheriff has been absent of late, instead of hounding me with stupid questions or accusations.”
He smirked. “Your birthday is in December, Luna.”
“I know that, but nobody else does.”
“You mean during the time you’ve lived here, you never mentioned your birthday to anyone? Not even to Annie?”
“Nope, not even to her. I just kept it to myself. Women over thirty don’t want people to know their age, anyway.” Luna chuckled and pulled cupcakes from the oven. “Now, shoo, and let me create in peace.”
“I’ll be upstairs if you need me for anything, you know, like sex or kisses or more coffee.” His brows waggled as he laughed and swaggered across the room, mounting the stairs two at a time.
Maple nut frosting swirled in the mixing bowl, the scent filling the air and reminding her that fall was on the way. Luna sniffed the intoxicating aroma and made a hand-lettered sign to inform her customers that the cupcakes contained nut products. Finished, she set batch upon batch of lovely creations in rows on the long counters. To and fro she marched, adding new and unusual embellishments.
By five o’clock, Luna had finished. The creation station clean and shiny, her delicious morsels, stacked in covered containers, were ready for their journey upstairs. Luna stretched, yawned and hustled toward the loft.
A couple of hours later, Luna rose from the sofa. She’d landed there after finding Devin sprawled across the bed, sound asleep. Managing to doze off, Luna had awakened with a start as the back door to the shop snapped shut. She glanced at the clock as the hour turned seven. Annie had arrived for work.
Freshened up and dressed in the usual tan shorts and jersey with a cupcake embroidered on the pocket, she stared in the mirror at the multicolored words Faerie Cake Junction stitched above it. Though the shorts were always tan, the short-sleeved shirts varied in color. Luna had outfitted both employees with them. In winter months, trousers and long sleeved jerseys were the required apparel. Luna dashed lipstick over her lips and headed downstairs.
The two women loaded cupcakes into the refrigerated cases, chatting as they worked. Neither woman mentioned Dilly, but instead talked about the idea of Luna’s birthday celebration after she mentioned it.
“That would be great fun, Luna. We should have something like that every year,” Annie said.
“Well, I kind of thought I would start out with the birthday celebration and then move on to a holiday type thing once a year by offering a free cupcake and tea serving to patrons. Easter, Christmas, the Fourth of July, you know, along those lines.”
Her arms folded, Annie’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Luna.
“Good business sense, but before you get carried away, why are we celebrating your December birthday in June?”
Wide-eyed, Luna stopped to stare at the tall, angular woman. “I didn’t think you knew,” she mumbled.
“Remember when you lost your license here in the shop, and I found it in the galley?” Annie smirked. “I noticed your birth date.”
“Oh, uh, well, nobody else knows, right?” Luna asked, her smile guilty.
“I never said a word to anyone. I figured if you wanted us to know your personal business that you’d tell us. Now explain what this is really about.” Annie leaned against the glass case.
Within moments, Luna had explained her theory of Dilly and the sheriff being at odds. She left out the rest of her suspicions on the culprits. The fewer who knew, the better.
“It’s an interesting concept. Do you think you can pull it off?” Annie asked, her face skeptical.
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. Dilly has been happy in her romance with Henry. It would be a shame if they parted ways now. It’s the best idea I can come up with at the moment.”
“Hmm, maybe.” Annie walked away just as Dilly scurried through the door.
“Sorry I’m late,” she mumbled apologetically, thrusting her sweater into the hall closet. “An accident on South Road clogged traffic. Henry and his deputy had their hands full, I can tell you that.” Dilly warmed to the subject.
“You’re only a few minutes late,” Luna said. “Don’t worry about it, just set up the trays, will you?”
Dilly’s mouth opened, but Luna scrambled into the gift shop. The already straightened room needed restocking and was a reason to avoid Dilly’s gossiping tongue. From within the stock closet, Luna heard cupboard doors open and close in the galley. Teacups and pots rattled when they hit the trays.
Annie bustled around outside to remove chair covers
and plump pillows. When she finished, Annie swept the porch and steps of the building.
Luna watched Devin ambling through the gift shop, glancing around. When he stole close to her, caging her in the closet, she succumbed to his kisses on the nape of her neck.
Her heart racing, she said, “Devin, don’t start something we can’t finish.”
He backed her further into the small space and slid the door nearly closed. His lips met hers when she started to speak again, blocking the words before they could leave her mouth. The closet grew warm as aroused passion filled the space.
She struggled for composure when Annie called her name. With a chuckle, Devin stepped back and pushed the door wide.
“Annie, you do have a knack for bad timing.” Devin flashed a grin at the tall boney woman who stood beside the register.
“Devin Radford, you stop interfering with Luna’s business. We have a shop to run,” she chided him gently while humor sparkled in her eyes.
“Well said, Annie. I’ll take that under consideration.” Soft laughter filled the room. Devin’s dimples deepened mischievously.
“Annie’s right, faerie lord. We’ve got work to do, and you are distracting, to say the least.”
“All right, all right.” Laughing, Devin threw his hands up. “I’m heading to Ida’s. I’ll be back later.”
Luna’s smile dimmed as she watched him stride from the building and drive away. With a sigh, she returned to work in an effort not to think about the upcoming event which was dangerous for him and worrisome for her.
Chapter 28
Darkness descended with a thud as it often did in Maine. The cloudless night held a sliver of a moon. Few stars illuminated the sky. Devin readied to leave. Dressed in black, his confidence appeared by way of his swagger.
Luna remained quiet until he stood at the back door.
Wistfully, she said, “I wish I could go with you.”
“Not a chance, Luna. You stay put. I’ll be back safe and sound before you know it.” Devin stroked her hair and leaned in to kiss her lips gently. “Not to worry,” he assured her. “I won’t take any unnecessary chances.”