She led me to my room and opened the door. It had the same black and white color scheme as the rest of the house—white walls and carpet with a black and white comforter on the bed. Since the room was at the front of the apartment, I got a view of the fountain and the flowers…and the parking lot. She showed me my bathroom and then opened the door to the walk-in closet. I was shocked.
My first thought was that the closet was big enough to be another bedroom, but then my eyes focused on its contents and I was confused. Hanging from hangers were tiny little clothes.
Grandma Dean read the look on my face. “My cats are giving up their bedroom for you, but I don’t have room to keep their clothes elsewhere. I’m afraid you’ll have to share a closet with them.”
I looked at the outfits that were organized by color—there had to be a hundred of them. There were also boxes labeled “Cat Christmas Decorations” and “Cat Halloween Costumes.” The one that intrigued me the most was “Dress Up Outfits,” but I figured it was better not to ask.
Grandma Dean took me to the other end of the hall where her bedroom was situated. It was slightly bigger than mine, but the layout of the closet and bathroom was the same.
Once the tour was over, we retreated to the living room. We had eaten dinner after getting my luggage from Hattie, and all I wanted to do was climb in bed and sleep for days. But I didn’t think that was polite, so I sat on one of the black leather chairs across from the couch and listened as Grandma called for her cats.
“They like to hide under my bed,” she said when they didn’t come right away. She called them again. “Hey, my little sweeties! Come give mommy some love!”
Slowly, two cats emerged from the hallway. One jumped up next to her, a fluffy gray cat with large blue eyes, and the other, a white and brown one, lay at her feet. She fluffed the gray one’s hair and kissed its face. “This is Kitty Purry.” She rubbed behind its ears and it purred loudly. “And that one is Catalie Portman.” She bent over and ran her hand down its back.
I laughed inside at the name of her cats. Leave it to Grandma to name her cats after celebrities. She had practically been a celebrity herself at one time, and she had a hard time letting go of that lifestyle.
“I’ll be right back.” She kissed Kitty Purry on the head and disappeared into the hall. When she came back, she was holding something in her hands. Catalie Portman took off into the dining room, but Kitty Purry stayed put.
“Time for your jammies!” Kitty Purry jumped on her lap and Grandma slipped a silky pink nightgown over her little fluffy head. She pulled her arms through and patted her on the head. “Would you like a bedtime treat?” She talked to her cat like she was talking to a baby.
Grandma Dean stood to get the cat her treat and I wondered why she didn’t bring pajamas for the other one.
Grandma laughed when I asked her. “Oh, Catalie Portman doesn’t wear clothes. She’s scandalous like that.”
With that, she went to the kitchen and I could hear her getting something out of a glass bowl. “Would you like anything?” she hollered at me from the kitchen. “A glass of water? A protein bar? An orange?”
I didn’t want anything except to go to bed. I told her good night and made my way to my room. I knew I needed to call my mother and let her know I made it okay. I didn’t really want to deal with her questions and I didn’t want to tell her about the fire at Grandma’s shop and worry her, but I also knew that if I didn’t call her, she would call me.
I slipped into my pajamas and noted how much nicer Kitty Purry’s were than mine. I brushed my teeth and climbed into bed. I immediately fought to stay awake. My body sunk into the mattress like I was on a cloud. It was the most comfortable bed I had ever been in.
My mom answered on the first ring. “I wondered when you were going to call me.” I could hear little kids in the background and knew my sister and her little ones must be visiting. “How was your flight?”
“Long.”
Grandma knocked on the door and peeked her head inside. When she saw I was on the phone, she silently apologized. She pointed to the closet and I nodded. She disappeared inside and came out with what I assumed was Kitty’s outfit for the next morning. She smiled as she walked out the door, closing it behind her.
“I can’t talk long. I’m exhausted after the day I’ve had.”
“How’s your grandmother?” My mom completely ignored my not so subtle hint that I didn’t want to be on the phone. “Is she well? Staying out of trouble?”
“She’s fine. You should see her apartment. It looks like something you would see in a magazine.” I let out a laugh and lowered my voice. “And she has pictures of herself in every room.”
“And not a single one of her grandkids, I assume.” My mother was right. There wasn’t a single one of me or my sister Amber anywhere. Also lacking were any pictures of Amber’s kids, which I knew my sister had sent in her last Christmas card.
Before I could answer her, I heard a man’s voice in the background. I knew it wasn’t my dad so that meant it had to be Amber’s husband, Trevor. I couldn’t stand him and the feeling was mutual.
“What did he say?” I practically shouted into the phone.
“Oh, just ignore him.” My mother didn’t want to get involved in our petty arguments, but the fact that she was chuckling at whatever he said irritated me even more. That and I could hear Amber laughing in the background.
“Tell me what he said!”
“Oh, calm down. He was only joking. He just wanted to know if you had married anyone there yet.”
“He’s just pissed because I married and divorced his older brother…and his younger one.”
My mom let out a laugh and now it was my sister who demanded to be told what was said.
“Nikki said Trevor is just pee streamed that she married and divorced two of his brothers.”
“Mom! I didn’t say ‘pee streamed’!”
“I know,” she said with a bit of scolding to her voice. “But I’m not going to use your word!”
I could hear my sister and Trevor laughing in the background and didn’t know if it was because of what I said or because of some other comment that was made that I didn’t hear. Either way, it just made me want to get off the phone even more.
“Mom, I’ll call you tomorrow. I really need to get some sleep.”
“Okay, honey. Keep an eye on your grandma, will you? Even though that woman irritates me, I still worry about her.” I knew the feeling.
I got off the phone and sunk down into the mattress. As tired as I was, Trevor’s comment kept me from falling asleep. The fact that I had married and divorced two of his brothers, plus another four men in our little town, was what had me running off to Florida. Well, that and the fact that I was on my way to marriage number seven.
I reached over, grabbed my purse from the nightstand, and pulled out a little coin purse. Zipped safely away was the engagement ring Bo had given me three weeks ago. I slipped it on my finger. It was beautiful, and the first real engagement ring I had ever had. Maybe that was because it was the first real relationship I had ever had.
I sighed at how ridiculous that sounded. My first real relationship and yet I had been married six times? I slipped off the ring and put it back in the coin purse, pulling out a picture of Bo. Man, was he sexy. His blond hair and blue eyes and farmer’s tan was everything a girl could dream of.
I hadn’t meant to be a serial bride. I married my first husband when I was eighteen. I was young and stupid. I married my second when I was twenty. I was a little older but still stupid. I married my third when I was twenty-three. Older still, but still just as stupid. Now with six under my belt and possibly another one in the future, I could see the only thing changing here was my age.
Thankfully, all of my marriages ended peacefully and without children or property to split, so they were easy and relatively cheap.
My thoughts drifted to my latest fiancé. Out of all my proposals, this was the first that didn’t star
t with, “I’m bored. What do you want to do?” His was an actual down on one knee, stars in the eyes, ring in the box kind of proposal. And it scared me more than it thrilled me. The others had been fun and wild, but this was real.
I also cared about him more than the others. The others were just as stupid as I was. But not Bo. He was loving and caring. He talked about the future and planned for it. He was an adult. I shuddered at the thought. This was a marriage I wouldn’t get out of so easily, and it terrified me.
It had been my mother who suggested I go live with Grandma Dean for a little while to get some “clarity.” I hated the idea at first, but after a few days, I realized she was right. A little time away would be good for me. I needed to get away from my small farm town—the one where I had married and divorced four percent of the population—and find out what I really wanted in life.
Saying goodbye to Bo had been the hardest thing. I’d never forget the hurt in his eyes, but I thought deep down, he knew it was best. He was understanding about all of the husbands before him, but he had to fear at some level that he would end up just like them. He told me he would wait for me. I looked at his picture and my heart flooded with love for him. He really was the one for me. And not just for three weeks or five months like the others, but for eternity.
3
I had never been a fan of coffee, but as soon as the smell of it drifted into my bedroom, I knew I needed a cup. I made my way to the kitchen where Grandma Dean was standing at the counter, flipping through a newspaper.
“Granola?” She extended her arm and handed me a bag that looked like it was full of tiny brown rocks mixed with a few smaller blue ones.
“Do you have donuts?” I handed the bag back to her. There was no way I was going to eat something that looked like it belonged in the bottom of a fish tank.
Grandma Dean scoffed. “What are you? Ten? Healthy adults don’t eat donuts for breakfast.”
“Who said I was healthy?”
Grandma huffed and filled a bowl with the tiny pebbles and handed it to me. “There’s milk in the fridge.”
She spoke in the kind of tone that told me there was no getting out of it, so I took the bowl and looked in the refrigerator for the milk. “I don’t see any,” I said while moving around the few things in the fridge.
“It’s right there!” She moved me aside and pulled out a carton that said almond milk. I had never heard of such a thing. I grew up on a farm and worked on one taking care of horses. Milk came from cows, not almonds.
She ignored my dirty looks and poured the milk herself, handing the bowl back to me with a spoon. “Eat it,” she commanded.
I sighed and took a bite. I hated to admit it, but it was pretty good. As I finished the last bite, there was a knock on the door. We could see through the window that it was Joe the hunky fireman.
“Quick!” Grandma said, shoving me toward the hallway. “Hide!”
“But why?” I pouted.
“Because you look terrible!”
I wanted to argue, but she was probably right. She looked perfectly put together with her short, straightened hair, her skinny jeans and black tank top. She had a black silky scarf with tiny pink flamingoes scattered on it tied around her neck. Her hot pink heels clicked against the floor as she made her way to the door.
“Hey, Joe!” I heard her say as she opened the door. “What brings you over so early?”
I peeked around the corner into the dining room. He was seriously hot. I was suddenly glad I was hiding.
“Well, Miss Dean, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
Grandma invited him in and he sat at the table while she poured him a cup of coffee and handed him a Danish that had magically appeared out of nowhere. Where were those ten minutes ago?
“What’s going on?” she asked him as she sat down in the chair next to his.
“I shouldn’t be here telling you this, so you have to promise you won’t say anything to anyone.”
I heard Grandma promise, a distinct sound of fear evident in her voice.
“That fire at your shop yesterday? It was arson.”
He gave Grandma Dean a few minutes to let his words sink in. I was suddenly sick to my stomach. I wanted to rush out there and ask him a million questions, but I stayed in my hiding spot in the hall.
“Are you sure?” Grandma’s words were quiet and I could tell she was having a hard time believing the news. “Someone did this to me on purpose?”
“We’re sure. The fire was started in the back of your shop near your storage area. I’m so sorry, Geraldine. I really am. Do you have any idea who would do this to you?”
“I have no idea.” My heart broke for Grandma Dean. Her voice cracked for a moment and I knew she was holding back tears. She was a strong woman, but this news was more than she could handle.
Grandma was silent for a moment and I heard Joe stand and move his chair back. “I have to go. The chief said he’d come by later today to talk to you. And I’m sure the police will want to talk to you again too. Don’t worry, Miss Dean. They’ll catch whoever did this.”
Joe let himself out and as soon as I heard the door close, I rushed to the table. “Grandma, I’m so sorry.” I sat down next to her and put my hand on top of hers. I had never seen her like this before. She was pale and I could feel her hand shaking underneath mine.
She looked up at me and all of a sudden, I saw a fire in her eyes. She stood up quickly. “Put yourself together,” she demanded. “We’re going down there.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Dean. It’s a crime scene now. I can’t let you in there.” Detective Owen Russell was delivering news that Grandma Dean didn’t want to hear.
“But this is my shop!” she shouted. “I have every right to go in there!”
“Not right now, you don’t. We’re doing our best to find out who did this and the crime scene needs to stay clean. As soon as we have what we need, we’ll let you in.”
“The longer that water stays in there the more damaged things will be!”
“I understand that, Miss Dean. And we’re working as fast as we can. I’ll let you know as soon as I can when you can come back. Until then, just go home and rest knowing we have our best men on this.”
Grandma Dean sighed and shook her head. She looked up at her shop and fought back her tears. The windows were all broken and had been boarded up, black streaks from the smoke covered the front door and the brick exterior. The large sign that hung on the front of the building sat propped up against the neighboring store.
“Can I take that?” Grandma asked the detective, pointing to the sign.
He looked around as if to see if anyone was watching. “I don’t see why not. I’ll help you with it.”
“No,” she told him firmly. “I’ve got it.”
Grandma Dean walked over to the large sign and picked it up. Without turning back to me, she took off toward her car.
“I’m sorry, Detective Russell. She’s not handling this very well.”
“Please, you can call me Owen. And believe me, she’s handling this better than most people. Everyone in town knows your grandmother. She’s a well-respected person in this community. I just can’t imagine who would do something like this.”
“So you have no leads?”
“Not yet, but this is still early in the investigation.” He looked around again then lowered his voice as he spoke. “She was clearly targeted. Whoever did this took special precautions to make sure the other shops on either side of her had as little damage as possible.”
“How did they do that?”
“I can’t say right now. I shouldn’t even have said as much as I did.” He fidgeted for a moment then looked at me. “I care a lot about your grandmother. I don’t have any family here and she’s been like family since I moved here two years ago.
There was something about this man that I instantly liked. Maybe it was his dark eyes that seemed to show his kind heart, maybe it was that he was confiding in me moments after we met, or m
aybe it was how strong he came across and how safe I felt standing right next to him. Whatever it was, I wanted to stand next to him a little longer.
“Do you want to meet for coffee later?” His strong air seemed to weaken a little.
I stumbled for my words, completely taken off guard by his question.
“I just thought maybe I could ask you a few questions, see if maybe there was something your grandmother told you that maybe she’s afraid to tell us.”
“Oh, sure,” I said regaining my composure. “I can do that. But you probably know more about her than I do.”
I felt stupid saying that. Shouldn’t I have known more about my own grandmother than this guy? But the truth was that I didn’t.
He didn’t seem to believe me or if he did, he didn’t care. He handed me his business card. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon. There’s a coffee shop at the corner.” He pointed in the direction of the shop. “Let’s meet at three.”
I took the card and nodded in agreement. Without another word, he turned and walked away. I made my way to Grandma Dean’s car.
“What took you so long?”
She was clearly irritated.
“I was just talking to Detective Owen for a minute.”
She looked down and saw his card in my hand. “What’s that for?” she asked with her eyes squinted in suspicion.
“We’re meeting tomorrow afternoon for coffee,” I said, slipping the card into my purse.
Grandma was silent for a moment. “Good thinking!” she said, turning on the car. “You can act like you’re interested in him and then find out all he knows! A man like that will spill all his secrets to a beautiful woman!”
For a moment, my head filled with pride. I sat up a little taller and glanced in the side view mirror. I did look pretty good today, didn’t I!
I felt Grandma Dean’s eyes drilling in to me. She looked me up and down and sighed. “You won’t get many secrets looking like that, though. You need a makeover.”
Up in Smoke (Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 2