“Hi, you’ve reached Pawfectly Groomed and Dined, this is Rose.” Her voice cheered me up as it crackled over the phone.
“It’s Coco. I’m about to check out the Grove and just called to talk your ear off about being lonely without Logan.”
Rose sighed before continuing. “What a mess of a situation you both are in Coco. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now, but I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
As she said that, an idea struck me. “Say, do you have anything going on right now at the shop? Would you want to accompany me to the Grove?”
“Absolutely! I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that speed dating event for a while now anyway.”
The words made me cringe, and I quickly clarified myself. “You can come with me, but you can’t say a single word about speed dating the whole trip. Agreed?”
She sighed heavily and a short silence ensued. “Fine, I agree. Pick me up at the shop in a few.”
Satisfied with her answer, I smiled as I changed course to Rose’s shop. I admired the new sign when I arrived, and it seemed like Rose did a fine job upgrading the store from a groomers to an entire pet shop within the last few months. The owner herself waved as she rushed out of the building and sat in the passenger’s seat.
“Looks good, doesn’t it?” She admired her own handiwork, and I couldn’t agree more. “I’m doing pretty well selling kibble now, the upgrade was a good decision. You inspired me with your bakery and I can’t thank you enough for pushing me to further pursue my own business venture.”
I smiled, touched by her words. “Next time I come here it will be a groomer, a pet shop, and a vet’s office.” We laughed, then continued on to the house.
Not long into the trip, Rose began to speculate about the case. “I don’t mean this to be offensive, but do you think Logan could have killed Daniel? “
Despite her disclaimer, I was still offended. “Absolutely not, Logan couldn’t hurt someone if he tried. He’s totally innocent.”
Rose put her hands up in the air in defense. “Alright, alright, I’m just throwing out ideas. Besides, everyone knows how horrid Daniel was to you, it’s not too far off to think that Logan was trying to protect you.”
“He would never do that to someone, but you are right. Daniel was a scumbag. Even so, there’s probably hundreds of people outside of Logan in this town that would have had a reason to go after him.”
“True, the hard part is figuring out who.” We both sat in silence for a while as we thought through some possible suspects, but we soon arrived at the Grove and our attention turned to the gorgeous house.
We parked at the front, admiring the classic Victorian-style home. Vines draped across the large windows, and the two rocking chairs set across the front porch made the place seem welcoming.
“Wow Coco, you really hit the jackpot here.” Rose claimed as she followed me inside. We admired the timeless furniture and beautiful hardwood floors. Though the place was dusty and not well maintained, it was sturdy and had a lot of potential.
“Speaking of expanding businesses, I wouldn’t mind turning part of this home into an extension of the Mad Batter. It’s already giving off strong Alice in Wonderland vibes.” Rose chuckled, but I wasn’t entirely joking. Still, I decided to put the thought into the back of my mind for now.
As we began to climb the stairs to the main room, my phone rang. Detective Spinner introduced himself on the other line and my eyes narrowed. I wasn’t his biggest fan, and since I knew his intent to dig around on who killed Daniel, I definitely didn’t want to talk to him. “What can I do for you, Detective?”
“I just came into town from the city, and I wanted to inform you that I’ve taken over the investigation. Right now I’m focusing on calling potential witnesses and people who have had interactions with the deceased. I understand you were Daniel’s ex-wife?”
I told Rose that I would be right back, and paced into another room to take the call while she kept exploring. “Right, and that somehow makes me relevant to the investigation?”
I could almost hear his frown. “Listen, Coco. I’m no stranger to Daniel’s shady antics...he was quite well known in the city, and he wasn’t well liked. Given that information, it’s only natural for me to investigate you.”
My own mouth slipped into a frown at his words. “Look, I haven’t had anything to do with Daniel for a while now, we were both living our own lives. I’ll help with the investigation in any way I can, though.”
“That’s the last thing I want from you.” Spinner continues. “I’m warning you, unless you want to be a suspect like your friend Logan, I would refrain from doing any amateur sleuthing around me.”
I was so upset, I hung up on him. The determination rose within me to do just that, not only because Logan’s life was now on the line, but because my ex-husband was a jerk. A dead jerk. It didn’t matter that some angry detective tried to convince me to stay out of the case...I would get involved for Logan, and for myself.
Chapter 4
The next day, I told Scooter that I was ready to take The Mad Batter back over. When I came in, Masie immediately approached me.
“Coco, you need to have a talk with Scooter,” she said as we walked into the back room. “He abused his power while you were gone.”
“Abused his power?” I asked. “What happened?”
She brought me to the back and showed me a few cakes Scooter had been working on.
“Look at these,” she exclaimed. “They’re more design than cake.”
She was right. Scooter had covered the cakes in intricate fondant and modeling chocolate. They looked incredible, but, knowing Scooter, he had sacrificed taste quality to realize his full vision.
“Wow,” I said. “If we ever need an absolutely beautiful cake that unfortunately no one is going to eat, we know who’s in charge of it.”
“That’s the point,” Masie said. “He can’t be trusted, clearly. He needs to be stopped.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know, if you two would listen to each other, you would make a great team. Your baking can’t be beat, and his design is really stellar, if a bit much at times. You just need to learn how to balance those talents.”
Masie rolled her eyes. “It’s no use. Especially around Halloween, he’s a lost cause.”
My eyes wandered from cakes to the utensil crocks. Something about them seemed off, but I couldn’t place it.
“If you say so,” I said.
“Speaking of Halloween and the Harvest festival, I’ve been thinking about something.”
I felt a nervous twinge go through me. “What have you been thinking about?”
“Well, maybe this is too morbid, but am I the only one that noticed that there wasn’t really that much blood around the body?”
“You’re right,” I said. “That is morbid.”
“I’m serious, Coco. Maybe the body was moved there. It didn’t really look like that’s where he was killed. Maybe he got beat up or something and was dumped there.”
I started to feel a bit light-headed and overwhelmed. “I don’t know, Masie. It’s hard enough knowing that’s what happened. I mean, I was married to him. I never expected him to end up like that.”
“Sorry,” Masie said. “Let’s talk about something else then. And, speaking of marriage, you should come to speed dating.”
Masie smiled and shook my shoulders. I went from being overwhelmed by Daniel’s death to being overwhelmed by Masie’s new hobby.
“Masie, I don’t know. I don’t think you’re going to be able to rope me into this one.”
She pouted and tried to give me puppy dog eyes. “Please, Coco,” she begged. “I’ll even let you have the most handsome, richest man there.”
“I don’t want to be dating around right now, Masie.”
“Rose told me about Logan, and I think it would get your mind off of everything if you had a little fun. It’s hilarious going there. We always talk about it for days.�
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“I know you do, but it’s not my thing. You’re not going to talk me into this.”
“But you’ll find such a good man,” Masie said.
“I already found a good man, Masie. His name is Logan.”
“Yes, I know, but you two are taking a break of sorts, right? It’s the perfect opportunity to play the field. You should have done this after you divorced Daniel you know.”
“Maybe,” I admitted. “But he was much less of a good man.”
“Ugh, you take this so seriously,” she said. “You deserve a boy toy, Coco.”
“If I get another one that doesn’t work out, that’s three strikes, which means I’m out.” I grumbled. I didn’t think Logan was a strike, but he was doubtless someone I shouldn't have contact with now. Humoring a friend was one thing, but I didn’t want to meet another guy. Maybe this would ward her off the idea even if I did go with her.
“I’ve had way more than three strikes,” she said, twirling her curly hair. “I feel like I’ve had three hundred strikes.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun,” I said. “That’s not long enough to learn about someone.”
“I believe in love at first sight,” Masie said, dreamily. “Besides, what did someone like Daniel have hidden below the surface that you couldn’t read immediately?”
“Lots of things,” I said. “Little quirks. Like he used to like to hide things with my spatulas.”
I suddenly realized why the kitchen crock looked off. The utensils in the middle all seemed taller than normal.
“I wonder...” I thought out loud. I got up and went over to investigate. I pulled my utensils out, and sure enough, I found a gambling chip in the bottom of the crock.
“What is it?” Masie asked, coming over to see.
I showed her the chip. “Daniel did like to gamble. He was never any good at it though.”
“Did he often hang on to chips?”
I shook my head. “Truthfully, I never knew him to save them.” I slipped the chip into my pocket. It had to be important.
“I’m sure the gambling didn’t make Sam like him at all. He’s so old-fashioned. Do you think he could have been the one to kill him?”
“That’s definitely possible,” I said. “Sam really hated him.”
Before we could get too far in our suspect discussion, Scooter walked in.
Masie gestured wildly to me. “She’s back, Scooter,” she said. “You don’t have free reign here anymore.”
“I’ll leave you two to argue it out,” I said. I grabbed a tray of pastries and walked to the front of the bakery before they could drag me into their discussion.
I went over to the displays and started setting up for the day. I had barely put one into the case before Clive walked in.
He came in and leaned on the counter.
“Well well well,” he said. “I heard you found a body, Coco.”
I knew he was trying to butter me up with his fake politeness. “I don’t want to talk about it, Clive. I’ve been over this with everyone enough.”
“I don’t know that you’ve been over it with everyone,” he said. “You haven’t given me the inside scoop.”
“Clive, come on,” I said. “Just go away. I’m not in the mood.”
Clive rolled his eyes at me. “I knew you were only out to protect that brutish boyfriend of yours.”
He walked away in a huff and I sighed. The sooner I could solve this case and get everyone out of my hair, the better.
Chapter 5
I knocked on Logan’s door later that night holding a container full to the brim with muffins. I could hear Dogspeare bark as soon as he realized someone was there to visit.
When Logan opened the door, he had a smile on his face, despite the horrible circumstances that had been surrounding us lately.
“Coco, come in,” he said, stepping aside. “I see you brought my favorite muffins.” He took the container from me.
I walked inside and Dogspeare rushed over to greet me. Logan closed the door and did his best to keep Dogspeare from jumping on me. Even with his help, the large Irish red setter nearly knocked me over.
“Hello to you too,” I said, reaching down to pet him.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you came here just for Dogspeare,” Logan said. “You two have quite the connection.”
“What can I say?” I said. “I saved him from having to live with a murderer and now he loves me.”
“He has good taste,” Logan said, walking into the kitchen to set down the muffins. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m okay,” I said. I sat down on the couch and Dogspeare immediately took a seat next to me.
Logan’s house was small and simple, but it wasn’t from a lack of care. Everything was very economical. Each item had a place and a use. It was perfect for a cop who liked to get things done as quickly as possible.
Logan sat down on the other side of me with a blueberry muffin in his hand. “How’s the bakery? Did Scooter manage to hold things together?”
“Oh, you know Scooter,” I said. “Of course he took the opportunity to make the most realistic and scary cakes possible.” I laughed a little. “They were amazing, but inedible to be honest.”
“I’m sure Masie loved that,” Logan said.
“She brought it up as soon as I walked in the door.”
“So, I know you well enough to know that you’re already deep into the investigation.”
“Is it that obvious?” I asked. “I should be more unpredictable.”
“I like you just the way you are,” he said. “Now, tell me what you’ve found out. It’s strange being on the outside of everything. I’m afraid I can’t help you with this one.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wish you didn’t get dragged into this.”
“It’s okay. None of this is your fault, Coco.”
“You know, you could always still be involved in the case,” I said.
He shook his head. “I’m happy to listen to your updates, but I’m a suspect. Trying to investigate it on my own, especially when I’m with the police, would raise big red flags. I have to stay out of it as much as I can.”
“Okay, but let me know if you change your mind.”
“You’ll be the first to know. Now, do you have any evidence?”
I was about to tell him about the chip when there was a knock at the door. Dogspeare jumped off the couch and let out another bark.
Logan frowned. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. That’s weird.”
“Maybe it’s your other date,” I joked.
He went over to the door. When he opened it, Detective Spinner walked in looking around. His eyes landed on me.
“Ah, Coco, I thought I would find you here,” he said. “Hopefully you’re on your way out. I need to speak to you about some things.”
“Well actually I just got here,” I said.
“I think it would be best if you and I had a discussion. I’ll walk you to your vehicle.”
I was about to protest again when Logan interrupted. “It’s okay, Coco. We’ll reschedule for another time. Thanks for the muffins.”
I reluctantly got up. I knew that our relationship was a big part of what made Logan such a big suspect, but I didn’t want to leave.
I grabbed my coat and put it on. “I’ll call you later, Logan,” I said.
“Good night, Coco.”
“Good night.”
I walked out with Detective Spinner. He had better have a good reason for pulling me away so quickly.
“How is the investigation going, Detective Spinner?” I asked.
“It’s going alright, Coco. We haven’t found the murder weapon yet. I’m sure you’ll be pleased that we weren’t able to match it to Officer Owensby’s sidearm. A search of his home didn’t turn up anything either.”
“That’s good. I’m sure you won’t find anything. He’s innocent.”
“Is there someone you suspect instead?”
“Actually, yes
,” I said. “Daniel wasn’t the best at making friends with the people in town.”
“Did he make any notable enemies?”
“I think Sam had a particular dislike for him. You know how old-fashioned he can be. Daniel was an alcoholic and a troublemaker. Sam doesn’t even like that I own my own business. I’m sure you can imagine how he would react to someone like Daniel.”
“That is true. We’ll be sure to look into that.”
We stopped in front of my car. “Is there anything else?” I asked.
“Miss Foster, I know you’re trying to help clear Logan’s name, but I can assure you that it isn’t half as needed as you think it is.”
I bristled a bit at that. “What do you mean?”
“Logan is an officer of the law, and now he’s the prime suspect in a murder case. It’s truly in his best interest to keep this all above-board. That means no sneaking around and running your own investigation.”
“I see,” I said. “How do you know if I’m running my own investigation?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to play games. For Logan’s sake, you’re going to need to keep away from this case. If he really is innocent, that will become apparent without your intervention.”
“Is there anything else?” I asked.
He sighed. “No, that’s all, ma’am. Have a safe drive home.”
“Good night, Detective Spinner.”
I got in my car and started to drive home. The whole way there, I couldn’t help but think of Logan. I hated that I had to leave him home alone with the weight of the case on his shoulders.
I made a mental note to call him later. Between the hidden poker chip and my conversation with Detective Spinner, I had a lot I still needed to fill him in on.
Chapter 6
With suspicion growing towards Logan, I was determined to stay away from him until I could figure out a way to meet without seeming shady. He had done a lot to help me, and the worst thing I could do would be to get him into more trouble.
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