Returning to the overly large living room, we sat and decided on our favorite rooms and discoveries. Logan’s favorite turned out to be the billiard room and his favorite discovery was my face when I discovered the taxidermied parrot still in a bronze wire cage. I obviously loved the kitchen and after some consideration decided that the Conservatory had a lot of promise.
“I still don’t know if I want to live here though. It’s huge, Logan. HUGE. I am one singular person, I don’t need what, 23 rooms? I lost count.”
He relaxed back into the surprisingly modern leather couch and laughed, “It is very large. But what else would you do with it? It’s a family heirloom, sort of.”
I tilted my head, considering. “I guess. But I can’t just keep it empty. I could give it to Angie, but...” I shook my head and forced a smile. “Probably not. Don’t need to give her a reason to visit any more often.”
Logan nodded and his smile faded, “I don’t think there’s anything here that’s worth killing over. At least nothing that I saw. And it’s getting late. Should we head back?”
“No, actually. I think I’m going to stay the night. Get to know the house. See how it feels, you know?” I sat next to Logan on the couch. “Would you be my taxi service in the morning?”
He looked a little surprised and shifted to meet my eyes. “Are you sure? I could stay too, if you wanted. It’s not as though I’ve got much work at the moment.”
It was very very tempting. Logan and myself cuddled up in front of the fireplace. But after a moment, I shook my head reluctantly. “No, I need to do it on my own. I know it seems weird but it feels right.”
We said our goodbyes and I watched him drive off back into the town proper. It was already late so I plugged in my phone to charge, then made my way up to the bedroom. I tried out the deep clawfoot tub and wrapped myself in a towel before putting on my clothes again and crawling into a huge bed. I felt a little grimy and wished I’d thought to bring an overnight bag at least but I was almost asleep when I remembered my phone downstairs.
With the size of the house, there was no way I would hear my alarm so I groaned and stepped back out into the dark hallway. The Grove was eminently more creepy alone and in the dark and I did my best to stare straight ahead and move quickly and quietly. The floors seemed more creaky now and I had the bizarre thought that the parrot might come to life at night. Thankfully, my phone would be charged and I would have the flashlight for my trip back upstairs.
The silly thoughts faded to the background but another creak echoed suddenly from outside and I froze, looking over to the main door. The knob jiggled and I heard the impossibly loud scrape of a key entering the lock.
Chapter 21
Hearing the key in the lock made my heart start to pound away in my chest and I nearly gasped, but I was able to quickly press my hand over my mouth and stifle it. I froze, one foot on the steps while the other hung in mid air, my body almost afraid to make any movement at all. Who on Earth would be coming into the house? Then a thought hit me and I barely stifled a whimper, my heart racing.
What if it was the person who had killed Daniel, and they were breaking in? I ran back up the steps as quietly as I could, and darted into the bathroom. I locked the door and cringed as the click seemed louder than a drum in the silent room, but breathed a sigh of relief when I heard no reaction or footsteps running up the stairs after me.
I quickly scanned the room and tried desperately to see anything that I could use as a weapon, but then internally scolded myself for being so silly. What was I going to find in an older lady’s bathroom that I could use as a weapon? So instead I settled for listening quietly by the door, trying to figure out if I could at least determine who it was.
I could hear whoever it was moving around downstairs, and I pressed my ear to the door gently to try and see if I could suss out who it was. I heard a muttered grunt, and someone cursing at the fact that it was so dark in the house. It was definitely a man, that much I could tell, but before I got a chance to try and figure out if I recognized the voice, I heard them start to come up the stairs.
What was I supposed to do? I had no weapon and no way out, and there was someone who I assumed was a murderer coming up the stairs towards where I was. I could feel my hands clamming up and panic starting to set in, but then I gasped when my eyes darted over the bright red handle next to the toilet. My Aunt Isabelle had installed it when she got older and became unsteady, so that she could call for help if needed.
And if this particular situation didn’t warrant calling for help, I didn’t know what else would.
So in an act of desperate self preservation and fear I darted forward, pulling down on the lever with a huff as my heart pounded away in my chest. It wasn’t a second later and the alarm was blaring through the house, the shrill sound of it making me wince and my ears ring.
I immediately heard another curse, much louder this time, and the sound of heavy footfalls high-tailing it back down the steps and out of the house. I heard the door slam behind them but I wasn’t about to come out of hiding until I knew for sure that they were gone, so I sat tight. It was only a few seconds later that the sound of squealing tires and an engine roaring off filled the air, and I breathed an audible sigh of relief at the fact that my attacker was leaving.
I apprehensively unlocked the door and made my way downstairs, but after a moment I knew for sure that the coast was clear, at least for now. So I picked up my phone and dialed the number for the alarm company. Thankfully it didn’t take long for someone to answer.
“Hi,” I said as cheerfully as I could manage, quickly walking out of the house. “My alarm just went off and, I’m such a klutz. I tripped on the cord for my blow dryer and somehow my dress snagged the handle. I’m fine, and you don’t need to send anyone over.”
It was only a moment of back and forth with the security rep and I was off the phone. There was absolutely no way that I was staying the night in that house anymore, so I took a deep breath and called Vivian. She would drive me over to her place where Stella would be next door. If there was anyone who could make me feel better about someone trying to kill me for the second time in my life, then it was those two.
Stella and Vivian got to the house in record time. On the way to Vivian's, I told them in hurried and broken sentences what happened. I was still unsteady getting out of the car.
“Oh, Coco dear,” Stella said with a smile, arm over my shoulder as she brought me inside. “You’re going to come inside and sit down and eat marshmallows with us.”
I sort of chuckled and gave her an odd look, and Vivian chimed in.
“That’s right. Just because you’re a fancy pants baker doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the simpler things in life.”
“Fair enough. Let’s eat some marshmallows.”
I sat on the couch with Stella while Vivian got the marshmallows, and once she sat down as well we got to talking. My heart was still pounding and I still had adrenaline coursing through my veins, so it was easy to remember every vivid detail. The sound of the footsteps, the way the door slammed and echoed through the hall when my attacker ran.
“My word, Coco,” Vivian said with a sigh, shrugging, “I knew your aunt Isabelle a little bit you know. She was an odd duck.”
I raised my brows in surprise and looked over, halting my chewing of the marshmallow in my mouth.
“Really? And odd how?”
She nodded, smiling.
“Really. She was a mysterious little old lady, and she could have been up to anything.”
So apparently there was more to my Aunt Isabelle than I realized, and all that did was leave me with more questions. What sort of things was she involved with? I have to admit, I didn't visit her as often as I should have. I slipped another marshmallow into my mouth as my thoughts wandered, wondering if it could have anything to do with the case.
I guess I would have to find out.
Chapter 22
After the night I had, I didn’t ex
actly get what I’d call a restful sleep, so when I woke up I still felt like a jumbled ball of nerves. I still needed to take a bit of the heat off of Logan, though. I knew that he was innocent, I just had to prove it. So, I decided to head over to the police station after Vivian and Stella drove me to my car, to try and help move that along.
I called Logan and let him know that I’d gotten a ride on his voicemail. I figured he must have been in the bathroom or something and told myself not to be paranoid, then headed for the police station.
So I drove over there, my mind going a mile a minute as I did, but by the time I arrived at the police station I felt a bit better about it all. At least it was better than sitting around like a flattened cake. I was going to rise to the occasion.
I strode into the station with a neutral expression, and I calmly strode to the front desk where I was greeted by a young detective named Adam.
“Hey Adam, I’ve got something to hand in for the murder case. Evidence proving that there’s another potential suspect that you guys haven’t investigated yet.”
He looked like he didn’t believe me, but he forced a polite smile to his face and nodded.
“Sure thing Coco, let me see what you’ve got.”
I handed him the envelope that had the pictures of Angie and Daniel inside, and as he pulled them out his brows raised as his eyes darted over the pictures.
“Hey,” he said with a cocked brow and narrowed eyes. “Isn’t this that famous cousin of yours? The chef?”
“One and the same.”
I shifted my weight nervously as he perused the photos.
“Thank you. How did you get these?”
“I don’t need to tell you that.”
That certainly got his attention and he brought his gaze back up to mine, eyes squinted and lips pursed together.
I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed, shrugging. There was absolutely no way that I was letting that slip, and besides, I knew I had him. He was clearly intrigued by the pictures and obviously didn’t have that angle worked out yet. I had the upper hand.
“Look, it doesn’t matter how I got them anyway, it’s not like I did anything uncouth to get them. Besides, you can use them, right?”
“I can...”
“Good then. Use them. Any other news?”
He sighed and looked around, but then leaned over the counter and lowered his voice as he spoke to me.
“Look Coco, it’s not looking good for Logan.”
I furrowed my brow and took a deep breath as I tried to stay calm, and I nodded.
“Tell me.”
“Ballistics confirmed that the bullet came from the same kind of gun as Logan’s missing firearm.”
Well, shoot me in the sugar. Clearly that meant that whoever had actually killed Daniel was trying to frame Logan for it, and I was running out of time to prove it.
“Listen, Adam, I’ve got to go, you’ll pass that along?”
He nodded at me and I made my way out of the station and back to my car, trying my hardest to keep an even pace instead of sprinting like I wanted to. The few minutes it took me to drive over to Logan’s felt like hours, and by the time I got to his door my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. Why did it seem like we only got to spend time together when one of us was in trouble?
He answered the door and opened it up, peering out to see if anyone was watching.
“Coco?
“Hey Logan. Look, I know that things have been tough but I want to help prove that you’re innocent. I know you are. And we need to make sure that we’re both kept safe. Come to my apartment with me? I don’t want either of us to be alone.”
“Coco...That wouldn’t be right, you know that.”
His tone was soft but warning, and I knew that he was going to protest so I cut him off before he could.
“Logan, I’m not taking no for an answer. Look, I meant to spend the night in my Aunt’s old place to sort of get a feel for it, but I didn’t end up doing that because someone broke in. Vivian and Stella didn’t just invite me over.”
“What?” I could tell he didn’t appreciate my fib in my voicemail, but his eyebrows dropped almost as quickly as they rose. “Are you alright?”
His eyes went wide and the shock was written all over the face, and he reached out and gently touched my hand. I blushed, and wished we weren’t standing there in his doorway.
“I’m fine,” I said with a nod and a sigh. “I tripped the alarm that my Aunt had installed a few years back and they ran. But I know that the ballistics report said the bullet that killed Daniel came from the same kind of gun as yours that went missing. Logan, please. Stay with me.”
He sighed and considered it for a moment before he relented with a nod, and I let go of the breath I was holding in.
“Good. Let’s go.”
He nodded and grabbed his coat, and then we headed down the walkway towards my car. I was starting to feel a bit better about it all and relieved that Logan would be safer, but all that went away when I saw Detective Spinner sauntering up towards us. He had this grin on his face that said all that I needed to know, and a quick glance down at his hands revealed a set of shiny silver handcuffs.
“Hello Logan.” He said with a sneer, and then he nodded at me. “Coco.”
I glared back at him.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve got a warrant to arrest Logan, so I’ll need you to step aside.”
I felt my heart start to pound in my chest and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, and I shook my head in protest. Before I could say anything though, Logan chimed in beside me with a gruff reply.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am, Logan. Come on, don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be, you know what happens to people who resist arrest. Do you want that on your record too?”
I looked over at him in fear and he sighed, and then nodded at the detective and reluctantly walked away from me, but not before giving my shoulder a squeeze first.
“Logan, no. You didn’t do this.”
“Coco, listen, he’s right. Resisting will just make it worse. This will get sorted out, I promise.”
The detective chuckled then and placed the cuffs on Logan, smirking.
“You keep telling yourself that.”
Then before I could do so much as reach out for him, Logan was loaded into the cruiser and driven away, leaving me standing there wide eyed and confused, and scared out of my mind.
What was I supposed to do now?
Chapter 23
Logan’s arrest left me in a complete daze. I thought I had done the right thing by handing over the photos of Daniel and Angie, but Detective Spinner didn’t want to believe in Logan’s innocence. Tears stung at my eyes as I replayed the images of Logan getting handcuffed in my mind, and I had to force myself to stop thinking about it so I could work.
When I finally returned to the bakery, my mind was still hazy. Scooter and Masie were arguing over a tray of muffins, but I didn’t have the energy to intervene.
“Hey Coco, can you settle this argument for us? Should blueberry muffins contain sour cream?” Scooter squinted as Masie, who had a piping bag full of sour cream held tightly in her hand.
“Coco, can you tell this uncultured child that sour cream blueberry muffins are a well-known recipe?” Masie shot back.
“Sure,” I mumbled a reply hoping to disappear into the back room unbothered.
Their argument stopped as soon as I brushed past them. Scooter set the muffin tray down to rush to my side, and Masie placed the piping back next to it before following his lead.
“Wait, what’s wrong? You don’t seem like yourself.” Masie put a hand on my shoulder as Scooter nodded.
I wanted to unload everything that had just happened. I wanted to scream, and I wanted to cry. But instead, I couldn’t even bring myself to speak.
“We’re here for you Coco,” Scooter offered.
“Thanks guys, I ju
st need some time.” I gave them a halfhearted smile before retiring to the back to sort out some purchase orders. I would tell them about Logan’s arrest in time, but for now, I had to focus on taking one step at a time.
The bakery was quiet for the remainder of the day. Scooter and Masie didn’t dare argue, and without me speaking much, they were careful not to upset me. I wanted to confide in them about the case developments, but I felt like a zombie.
Closing time came and went, and after waving goodbye to my friends, I went home with my brain still in a fog. Once home, I curled up in bed and tried to sleep without success.
It was all just so unbearable. How could someone believe that Logan was responsible for Daniel’s murder? How could anyone think that Logan would even hurt another human being?
Those thoughts consumed my mind for the rest of the night, and waking up for work after almost no sleep was difficult. I still felt like I was on autopilot, and I knew the only way to feel like myself again was to prove Logan’s innocence. While plotting different ways to make that goal a reality, I pulled up to the bakery to receive one of the biggest shocks of my life.
My heart sank and my chest ached as I walked up to the bakery to discover that the front door had been broken. It looked as if someone had smashed it with a battering ram. Glass littered the floor, and Masie and Scooter were already busy cleaning it up.
“What in the world happened here?” I breathed, my hand flying up to my mouth as I saw the full picture of destruction inside the shop.
Scooter’s face fell upon seeing me, and he tried to hide the display that had been ruined during the break in. “I guess someone tried to rob us. When they broke the door open the new pastry display we set up next to the entrance went down as well.”
“Scooter and I already agreed to work on fixing it together,” Masie sighed. “We’ve already called the cops and made a report.”
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