I looked at where Honey had laid them out, side by side on the coffee table but nothing was coming together. “Maybe I’m too tired to put it together, but it just doesn’t seem like a lead to me.”
She looked discouraged. “Then I guess we better go to bed. Zoey isn’t sleeping through the night very often, and George has to be up early to open the store.” She stood, zipping up her jacket again.
“Call me tomorrow after you’ve had some sleep. Maybe it’ll become clear.” I walked her to the door and locked up behind her. It was probably severe wishful thinking to hope that things would all come together in the morning, but with my fuzzy brain, I definitely wasn’t going to figure it out by staring at the letters for half the night.
I put everything about the case out of my mind as I climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep thinking about my kiss with Jack instead. I couldn’t wait to see him again.
I was exhausted by the time the morning rush started to slow down. I had fallen asleep quickly when my head hit the pillow, but woke several times during the night, thinking about the creepy letters and what Cole had been up to the night Francine died.
“You’re distracted,” Lenny said, joining me in the kitchen where I was frosting a cake for a birthday party that night.
“Yes, and tired. How are things coming up there? Seems busy.”
“It is, nice and steady. But I’m ready for a break.” He glugged back some water then set his drink out of the way and pulled up a stool. “What’s on your mind?”
“Cole. What was he up to? Why did he claim that he was fishing if he wasn’t? I know he’s not the killer, but why did he lie? Could he still be involved somehow?”
Lenny scraped the frosting bowl for me. “I could do some research, if you can handle the place for a few minutes. See if I could find info on the guy.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You just want an excuse to go home for a while.”
He smiled. “Maybe. Kat’s family is all out doing something in Prescott. It’ll be quiet at my place, and my setup is less likely to be tracked back to me than yours is.”
That had me wondering about his plans. “How deep in your search do you intend to go?”
He shrugged and snatched one of the gingersnaps from a nearby tray. “I’ll know when I get there.” He headed for the back door like I’d given him permission.
“Be back in under an hour,” I said.
“You bet.” He whistled on his way out the door. There was nothing (besides maybe Kat) that made him happier than exercising his special computer skills.
I had boxed up the cake and set it aside for my delivery that night when Lenny returned—just under the hour limit I’d put on him.
“News?” I asked.
“Maybe. I checked out Cole’s social networking sites, followed some links and, um, stumbled across some banking information for him.”
I folded my arms over my chest and shot him a disbelieving look. “Stumbled across it? What kind of information?”
“I plead the fifth, but it seems he made several trips to a place called A New You. I couldn’t find much on it—mostly because I had to be back by curfew,” he shot me a pointed look. “But I got an address. The last debit charge looks like it could have been made on Friday—it’s hard to tell for sure because credit card charges post two to three days later. There’s also one for a place that has tanning beds. It’s located just down the street from the mall. It might be the lead you need.” He passed over a slip of paper.
I opened it and studied the address. “Perfect. A New You is at the mall. I could use a new pair of shoes for your wedding.”
“You are not leaving me here alone while you go shoe-shopping.”
I scowled at him. “But I let you play on your computer. You have to let me go shopping. Do you know how long it’s been since I bought shoes? Before I moved here from Chicago.”
He appeared unfazed. “I don’t believe that for a minute. I know your shoe fetish. And why didn’t you go shopping before this? You’ve known about the wedding for over three months.”
“But I didn’t get my dress until two weeks ago. Besides, I’ve been busy putting food on your table.”
“Funny, and I thought that was what I was doing here.”
I flashed him a grin. “I promise not to be too late—we have dinner with your future in-laws tonight.” I unbuttoned and shucked off my chef’s jacket and hung it up, then grabbed the light coat beside it. “I just wiped the tables up front.”
The bell over the door rang and I waved to him over my shoulder as I exited. I heard him swearing, but I ignored it. If I pretended I didn’t hear it, I didn’t have to get after him about using bad language in the shop, right?
Finally, I had something more to do—even if it probably wouldn’t take me closer to finding the killer.
Tiki Tan was located on the way to the mall, so I stopped there first. The exterior boasted columns painted up like coconut palms and the awning looked like a palm-frond roof, as if that would make you feel like you were on a tropic island. When I went inside it was sterile and boring like any other building. I was greeted by an older lady with a platinum dye job and skin so dark and wrinkly I couldn’t tell if she was seventy or if she just looked that old because she’d spent too much time on the tanning bed.
“Hi, Welcome to Tiki Tan. We have a new-member plan, buy your first twenty sessions and get five free.”
Out of curiosity, I glanced at the board behind her with their posted prices. Even if I had time for tanning, there was no way I was spending that kind of money to fake bake. “How do you know I’ve never been here before?” I asked instead.
“Come on, honey. I own the place and you definitely need more sun. Don’t you ever get out? You’re white as a ghost.”
That was not true at all. I was half Guatemalan and credited my mother’s genes with the fact that I didn’t get slammed by my father’s fair, English complexion. I caught a glance at myself in the mirror and realized I was kind of pale. Okay, maybe I didn’t get enough sun, it was hard to get out when you owned your own business. I dismissed that and focused on my task. “Well, my boyfriend, Cole Taylor was in here last week, I think it was Friday, and he thinks he might have left his credit card behind. Did you happen to find it?” Calling Cole my boyfriend made my teeth itch, but I smiled anyway.
She shook her head. “I haven’t got any credit cards that were left behind. I would have called him if I’d found one of his. I have his number in my files.”
“Darn. He was sure he must have left it here on Friday. It was Friday, right? In the afternoon?”
The woman frowned. “I don’t keep track of when people come and go. You’d have to ask him.”
She wasn’t going to give an inch, so I decided to give up for now. If I didn’t have any luck at A New You, I could always sic Tingey on her. “Thanks anyway.” I waved and headed back to my Outlander.
A New You was located near one of the mall’s exits—on the opposite side of the building from where I entered. I passed several shoes stores along the way, promising myself that I’d come back and check them all as soon as I got some answers.
The business windows were covered with white curtains for privacy, but big pictures of men with before and after pictures filled most of the space. It was a hair replacement clinic.
I held in a guffah—thinning hair was a touchy subject for most men, but it made so much sense that Cole would be sensitive about his hair. He was still living in his youth and was—or had been—only twenty-eight. He probably saw his thinning hair as an end to his dreams of making the big time in football.
It was sad too, that he lived in the past instead of focusing on the now. He could have done so much more with his life if he’d considered his other options.
I pushed through the door, trying to find an excuse to be there looking for information on Cole. Would they have seen the news and put two and two together?
I breezed into the office and walked up to th
e front counter. The redhead talking to someone on the phone looked at me in surprise. “Yes, four o’clock, sir. See you then.” She didn’t take her eyes off me as she hung up, then turned to face me. “What can I do for you ma’am?”
I didn’t suppose they saw a lot of women in here—and certainly not a lot with plenty of hair. My guess was justified when she looked back at the glass door, as if looking for whomever I had come with.
“I’m sorry. I just had to stop in. My boyfriend, Cole Taylor, was in here Friday night and he thinks he might have left his credit card behind. You don’t happen to have it here, do you?”
“I haven’t seen it,” the woman said. “Let me check in the lost and found.”
She walked around the desk to a box sitting on a shelf in the corner. “What was the name on it again?”
“Cole Taylor. I’m sure this was the place.” I bit my fingernail as if nervous about what would happen if she didn’t find it.
“I have one here, but the name isn’t anything like Cole. Sorry.”
“Can you check on the computer for me? His appointment would have been Friday night. He’ll be so mad if I came to the wrong place.”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” the woman said, hedging. “Privacy issues and everything being what they are.”
“Please, just see if he’s on the list or if I need to check out that other place he mentioned he was looking at. I really don’t want to go back to him without knowing for sure that he didn’t leave it wherever he goes for treatments. He gets so unhappy when I make stupid mistakes like this.”
She made a calming gesture and bee-lined for the computer. “It’s okay, I’ll look.” She leaned over her desk. “It’s not like you don’t already know he’s getting hair treatments, after all.”
A moment later she nodded. “Yes, he was here from five to six that evening. Maybe he left his credit card somewhere else. It’s not here.”
I fiddled with my purse strap. “Well, thanks for checking anyway. I’ll see if he might have left it at Orange Julius.” I walked out, joining the throng in the mall passageways. The school carnival had ended at six, and Francine would already have been dead when Cole finished his treatment.
I pulled out my phone and turned toward the closest shoe store, which had displayed a fabulous array of heels.
“What’s up?” Honey asked when she answered.
“I found out why Cole lied about fishing.” I checked my watch and smiled. I had plenty of time to pick out some fabulous footwear for the wedding.
I still wasn’t sure how I got roped into dinner with Kat and her parents. Lenny asked me to attend as his big sister—even though we weren’t technically related. I could have sworn I’d had a dozen excuses not to go—starting with how behind I was at work—but he bulldozed over them with sensible reasoning and his best puppy-dog eyes. He didn’t use the eyes often, but when he did, I was a goner. He said he needed an ally, and knowing what it’s like to face the future in-laws, (I’d done it with two sets, after all) I agreed to fill that spot for him. I figured he was exaggerating about how out of control Kat’s family was; she turned out fine so they couldn’t be all that bad.
The meeting started in the usual way. Lenny pointed out the group when we walked into Paul’s Burger Shack for dinner. Kat’s whole family was there—including her parents, both brothers, the younger one’s wife and three kids. They seemed like a normal enough family: the kids were loud and crying that they were hungry, the parents were shushing them and Grandma held the baby, feeding her Gold Fish crackers.
“Sorry, it’s nuts,” Kat said in a low voice when she came over to greet us and take Lenny’s hand. “That’s how we are.” She shot me an apologetic look before pulling us over to the others for introductions.
I had a hard time hearing their names—their kids weren’t the only ones running around there, after all. They had ordered as we pulled in, so Lenny, Kat and I went to the counter to request our food and joined them at a couple of tables they’d pushed together in the back.
“So,” the older brother, Rick said as he looked me up and down. “You’re the woman Lenny moved halfway across the country to be with.”
“To work for,” I corrected, wondering if he was serious or teasing.
“Right. That’s why he brought you with him tonight. He can’t be away from you long enough to spend time with us?” He glared at me, as if I were the other woman, forcing Kat to accept the leftovers.
I wondered if they were all going to be this nasty or if it was just Rick. “Lenny’s like a brother to me. He came here because he wanted to work for someone he didn’t hate, and the change of scene has been good, don’t you think?”
“Well, Kat finally got him to make an honest woman out of her,” Jared, her father, said. “I don’t s’pose you’re happy about that, him making it legal and all instead of living in sin.”
That’s right. I had forgotten how upset Kat said her family had been about their living arrangements. There was no right approach to take on the subject without causing an argument or hurt feelings for someone, so I ignored the comment and focused on the rest of it. “I’m thrilled Lenny and Kat are ready to get married. They’re so good together. She’s changed his life and she’s a total sweetheart.”
“You’re not married, are you?” Jared asked accusingly.
“Nope. I keep trying, but it never ends where I expect it to,” I joked lamely, though it was uncomfortable and awkward for me to discuss. And totally none of their business.
“You have to be looking for the right kind of man if you want to be married, honey.” His words were condescending and irritating.
I’d had enough of the topic and turned my attention to the sister-in-law, Jasie. “You must have your hands full with those kids. Don’t you just love being a mom?” It was the one topic most women I knew all enjoyed talking about.
“Yes, it’s the best thing ever,” she said with a wide smile. I wasn’t sure that it reached her eyes.
I couldn’t blame her, even if you loved motherhood, it still had its struggles—eating in a restaurant with three wiggling, noisy kids had to be exhausting. “Tough, isn’t it? Worth it for sure, but not easy at all.”
I saw the look of relief in her eyes, as if no one else quite seemed to get it. “Yes.”
I tried not to let my mind stray down the path of wondering what kind of expectations the family had for Kat, if her sister-in-law felt put upon. Then again, maybe that was just me projecting.
“Don’t be stupid. Women have been having babies for six-thousand years, it can’t be that hard,” Rick said.
I didn’t comment on the fact that men hadn’t had a baby once, and very few stayed home to care for the kids, so what would he know? I wanted to say it, but I was good and held my tongue, something he clearly wasn’t capable of.
He continued, “A woman belongs in the home and she’s just where she is, and no better than she should be, not to mention wasting her time playing the violin.”
“Lay off, Rick.” This from Leon, Jasie’s husband. “I like hearing her play the violin, and she works hard with the kids.”
“Just sayin’ a woman’s getting above herself, playing something that hoity toity. Like she doesn’t come from farmer stock just like the rest of us.” Rick scowled.
Leon’s voice got real low so I could barely hear it, but it had taken on a mean edge. “Nothing wrong with wanting something more. Leave off. You can harass your own woman. Or you could, if you had one.”
“That was below the belt.”
I watched them, inching away, afraid this was going to come to blows. I was glad at least one of the men in this family was decent, though, sticking up for his wife.
“Picking on a woman is pretty low too. Leave off,” Leon said.
The adults were all quiet, watching the byplay. I had the feeling the two brothers didn’t live near each other and really hoped they got it out of their systems now so it wouldn’t crop up in the middle of the
wedding.
I wanted to shake Rick until his head rattled, but smiled at Jasie instead, hoping the change of subject would help defuse the situation. “We’re planning a bachelorette party for Kat the night before the wedding—nothing wild or crazy, just my friend Honey and Kat and me, and hopefully you and Melissa can join us.” I included Kat’s mom in the request, hoping that when the men weren’t around, the conversation would be easier.
“We don’t cotton to drinking and strippers,” Kat’s dad protested.
“We won’t have either, just some girl time to unwind so Kat will be relaxed and ready for the ceremony the next day.” I answered him but kept looking at Melissa. “I’m making a special stain-glass window cake for Kat for the party. Vanilla bean cake and a strawberry Swiss buttercream filling. It’s to die for.”
“It really is, Mom,” Kat said. “Please come. We’ll have fun.”
Her dad didn’t seem the least pleased, but after glancing at her husband, Melissa took on a stubborn expression. “I’d love to. Jasie and I will join you. When and where should we meet?”
I told them we’d head out from the wedding rehearsal dinner. The men folk didn’t seem pleased, but I noticed none of them argued with Melissa—not even her husband.
The oldest brother turned on Lenny then. “So, you bake for a living. Why would you want to do that? Doesn’t it make you feel like a pansy?”
Lenny took on an expression of aggravation and I understood why he’d been so unhappy about Kat’s family coming to town. I wondered if he’d make it to the wedding in two days if he had them picking at him all the time. I might need to have him working longer hours for the next day or two as a way to escape his in-laws.
I was glad to have an excuse to leave the dinner early—I had a cake delivery that had to be made during the party. I didn’t usually do this, but the customer tacked on an extra thirty bucks in gratuity when they ordered it off my website, so I went with it—the customer is always right, after all.
Muffins & Murder (Sweet Bites Book 3) (Sweet Bites Mysteries) Page 13