Up in Smoke (Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Shannon VanBergen

  I pulled up in front of Bev’s antique shop and looked at the sign on the door. She closed in fifteen minutes. Hopefully I could get a vibe if she was guilty or not in that short amount of time.

  There was a black and white striped sign hanging over the door. I laughed when I read it. “Bev’s Antiques – Yesterday’s stuff at today’s prices.” I didn’t know much about marketing, but something told me that wasn’t the best way to sell things.

  I opened the door, which set a string of jingling bells in motion. I was immediately hit by the smell of dust and apple cinnamon candles. I wasn’t sure which one triggered my allergies, but before I could completely step inside, I was hit with a vicious sneezing spell. The only person in the shop, a kind looking man with white hair and a gentle smile, made his way to me and handed me a tissue that I gratefully took.

  “Thank you,” I said to him once I finally got control of my nose. “Crazy allergies.”

  He nodded knowingly. “This place will do that to ya.” He looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. “I liked the other antique store better. It’s a shame it burned down.”

  Before I could ask him what, if anything, he knew about Grandma Dean’s store, Bev walked in from the back. I couldn’t help but see a wash of concern flash across her face when she saw me. She glanced from me to the man who was now across the store going through a box of buttons.

  “Well, hello,” she said with a forced smile. “You’re Geraldine’s daughter, right?”

  “Granddaughter,” I corrected.

  “Oh yes.” She let out a little chuckle. “Her daughter’s daughter.”

  Her face seemed to lighten a little until we heard the sound of a hundred buttons hitting the floor, rolling here and there across the wooden planks.

  “I’m so sorry about that!” The man bent over to pick them up.

  Bev’s drawn-on brows shot up into perfect arches that nearly reached her hair line, then quickly dropped back down again. “It’s all right, Perry. I’ll sweep them up in a minute. That will be faster.”

  He apologized again and then went back to rummaging through the tiny trinkets in the next box.

  Bev sighed. “Anyway, what can I do for you? How’s Geraldine? Any word on what happened to her shop?”

  “Not yet,” I lied. I wasn’t about to tell her my grandmother was a suspect not only of arson but also insurance fraud.

  “Well, that’s a shame. I heard it wasn’t an accident.” She shook her head as she spoke. “Who would do such a thing?”

  Before I could answer, she glanced at the man again, which caused me to do the same. He had stopped fidgeting in the boxes and was clearly listening to our conversation. She gave me a disapproving look. Suddenly, I realized that the dirty looks she had given me when I first came in might not have been directed at me after all, but to him.

  Perry quickly turned away from us and became interested in a jar of old thread spools.

  Bev turned her attention back to me. “So what can I help you with?”

  I stood there for a moment not sure what to say. My plan had been to think all of this through on the way over, but instead my thoughts were on Joe, wondering if he would talk to me again after I had made myself look like a blubbering fool.

  “Your shop is really cute,” I said, looking around and hoping to buy myself some time.

  “Thanks.” Bev looked around as well. “It’s a work in progress.” She looked back at me and waited for me to say something…anything.

  “How’s business?” I asked as I picked up a basket and pretended to be interested in it.

  She was silent and I looked up to see her glaring at me.

  “It’s fine. Why do you ask?”

  This wasn’t going like I had planned…if I had planned it out, that is.

  I shrugged and tried to play it cool—something I had never in my life actually been able to pull off.

  “Just wondering.” I smiled and tried to change the subject. “You have so many cute things in here…”

  Bev saw right through me. “If you have something to say, then just say it.”

  I might as well be blunt because honestly, I was going to end up being that way whether I meant to or not. I took a deep breath. “It seems to me that the only person who would gain from Grandma Dean’s shop burning down is you.”

  There. I said it.

  She breathed in and her Sharpie eyebrows hung just above her twitching eyes. “You have a lot of nerve coming into my shop and accusing me of arson!”

  Perry turned and looked at us nervously. He slowly put down the small items he had in his hand. “I’ll come back for these later,” he said as he started to back away.

  “That’s okay, Perry,” Bev said without taking her eyes off me. “Just go ahead and take them. You can pay me for them later.”

  Perry scooped up his little treasures and stuck them in the pocket of his dusty looking green jacket. “Thanks,” he muttered as he practically ran out the door.

  “If you want to accuse anyone, maybe you should talk to Perry.” Her eyes narrowed even further. “Or better yet, your little fireman friend.”

  She gave me a little smirk and I wanted to slap it right off her face.

  “Joe?” I asked. “Why would he have something to do with this?”

  Bev laughed. “Everyone in this town has secrets, Nikki. Everyone.”

  “Oh yeah? And what’s yours?” I narrowed my eyes right back at her.

  She pointed past me to the door. “Get out of my shop. And I don’t ever want to see you in here again.”

  I stood there for a few seconds more just to show her I wasn’t going to run off just because she said to. But then I felt kind of stupid just standing there staring at her.

  I made my way to the car and realized as soon as I sat down inside that I still held the basket I had picked up when I was talking to her. I turned it over in my hands, trying to think of what to do with it. I could take it back in…but would that be weird? Plus, I had just been banned from her store. I could mail it to her, I supposed.

  I sighed and leaned back in my seat, trying to think of what to do next, when I looked up and saw Bev glaring at me through the window of her shop. Being the mature person that I was, I waved the basket in the air and stuck my tongue out at her. She headed toward the door and I was afraid she was coming after me so I started the car and threw it into reverse. As I backed out of the parking space, I nearly ran over Perry, who was standing too close to the car. It suddenly dawned on me how close he really had been. Was he looking in the car windows when I came out? There wasn’t time to figure it out. Right then, I needed to get away from Bev.

  When I got back to Grandma’s retirement community, I snuck back in through the gate by the pool. I was thankful that Lloyd was nowhere in sight. I sat down in a lounge chair and stared up at the sky. Streaks of pink and purple swept overhead. If I was home in Illinois, I could sit on my front porch and watch the sunset and see not just a small area right above me, but the whole entire sky. My heart ached for all of it—my little house…my family…Bo…

  “So, I heard you did a little antique shopping today.” Grandma’s voice brought me back to reality and I bolted upright in the lounger. “Or should I say some antique stealing?”

  Busted.

  “Word travels fast in this town,” I said, leaning back again, preferring not to look her in the eyes at the moment.

  “Yes, it does.” She sighed and sat down next to me. “Nikki, what were you thinking? How could you accuse Bev of setting my shop on fire? And stealing?” She sighed again and shook her head. “And I’m not even going to talk to you about how childish you were sticking your tongue out at her.”

  Wow, Bev didn’t leave out a single detail then.

  I sat upright again. “Grandma, don’t you think she did it? She had a motive even! If she put you out of business, then she would get your customers!”

  Grandma Dean leaned forward. “Nikki, I’m the reason she’s in busi
ness. Without me, she wouldn’t even have an antique shop.”

  “What do you mean?” Now I was completely confused.

  “This is just between us, okay?”

  I nodded in agreement.

  “I go to estate sales all over Florida. I go to little markets every chance I get. Heck, I even buy things online. And a lot of what I buy is in bulk. I might buy several boxes of stuff, but I only keep the really nice things, the high end antiques.” She paused. “And then I give Bev the rest.”

  “You mean you sell it to her?”

  Grandma was silent for a minute. “No, I give it to her.”

  “Why would you do that? You could probably double your profits if you made her pay for them!”

  Grandma laughed. “That stuff isn’t worth that much!” Her face turned serious all of a sudden. “There are things about people you don’t know, Nikki. I’ve lived in this town for a while now. I know people’s stories.”

  “You mean their secrets.” It was more of a statement than a question. I wondered if she knew Joe’s…or if Bev was just trying to get in my head.

  “Bev’s story isn’t a secret. The only thing that’s a secret is that I keep her shop fully stocked. And you promised me you’ll keep it that way.”

  “Yes, but I still don’t get why you would do that for her.”

  Grandma looked up at the sky and for a moment, I thought she was going to change the subject. She turned her attention back to me. “Bev’s mother has Alzheimer’s. She was diagnosed about five years ago. Bev didn’t want to put her in a home, so she let her come live with her and her husband.” Grandma shook her head slowly and I could see the compassion flood her face. “Unfortunately, her marriage was already on shaky ground and the stress of Bev’s mother was just too much. He left her after six months.”

  “What a jerk,” I said, suddenly feeling sorry for Bev.

  “Taking care of someone who is ill is hard on even the strongest marriage. Plus, Bev was a constant nag. I think he might have just been looking for a way out. But whatever the reason, he left and she was alone with mounting bills and here I was with a storage building full of stuff I didn’t want to put in my own shop… You can see how we worked things out.”

  Grandma Dean was a lot of things—fashionable, fun, energetic—but I had never thought of her as someone who could be that kind. I guessed that was her little secret.

  “That was really nice of you.”

  She shrugged it off. “We have to help each other when we can.”

  I sat there for a moment letting all of this information sink in. There was no way Bev would’ve burned down Grandma’s shop then. Grandma was her lifeline. I had taken her interest in the fire as a sign of guilt, but clearly I was wrong. She was probably just worried about what would happen to her and the constant flow of Grandma’s cast-off antiques.

  I put my head in my hands and rubbed my temples, trying to keep the shame and guilt at bay. I would have to go back and apologize to her...and bring back her basket. Heck, I might as well do it on the way to return the plates I’d stolen from the coffee shop earlier. It had not been a good day for me.

  Suddenly, I remembered Perry.

  I looked back at Grandma, who was again admiring the sky. “I met a man today,” I started. “His name was Perry. Bev said if I was going to accuse anyone, it should be him.” I decided to leave out the part where she also said I should accuse Joe.

  “Perry Landon?” Grandma asked. “Late sixties, white hair, kind of shy?”

  “Yep, that’s the one.”

  Grandma let out a little laugh. “He’s harmless. He comes in my shop all the time… Well, he used to anyway. He was always buying little things.” She leaned forward again with a smile. “Here’s another little secret for you. I kept a few boxes of tiny little things—broken pieces of jewelry, buttons, worthless coins, things like that—just for him. I don’t know why he likes to rummage through that stuff, but he does.” She sighed. “I miss my shop. Perry was a little strange and never talked much, but other people did. I knew everything about everyone in this town. Now the only way I find out about anything is when someone calls me.” She gave me a disapproving look.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I apologized. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Ugh, I’d like to believe that,” she said, standing up. “But you and I both know that isn’t true.” She smiled down at me. “Come on, let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving.”

  That night I sat in bed, my mind running through the events of the day. It had been a doozy, as my mother would say. My bedroom door opened a few inches and in walked Catalie Portman. I patted the bed and she jumped up, making herself comfortable next to me.

  “Oh, Catalie,” I said, stroking her little furry head. “My life is such a mess.” She looked up at me as if to say that she understood. I liked Catalie. Kitty Purry was too good for me, but Catalie didn’t judge.

  I pulled out the picture of Bo. His blond hair was unruly and partially in his blue eyes. His smile was as bright as the sun. He was laughing in the picture. I tried to remember why, but I couldn’t. He laughed easily, so it could’ve been the smallest thing that made him laugh at that moment.

  I thought back to a few days ago when I left him. He didn’t try to stop me. He was silent, his easy smile hidden away under what I assumed was sadness. Bo had told me that he understood when I said I needed to get away for a little while. I had hoped that he would tell me not to go. Instead, he held me tight that night and when my alarm went off, he let me go. He said good-bye to me at the door and that was it. I didn’t know whether to be thankful he was handling it so well or hurt that he didn’t try to stop me.

  I reached under my pillow and pulled out one of his shirts that I had snuck into my bag. I put it up to my face and breathed in the scent. My heart sank. The familiar scent of his cologne was nearly masked by the scent of Grandma’s fabric softener that must have rubbed off from the pillow.

  I missed Bo so much. And at the same time I couldn’t stop thinking about Fireman Joe. What was wrong with me? Why did I have to mess everything up so much? I could be in Illinois right now planning my wedding...my seventh one. Those last words brought tears to my eyes. I felt like such a failure. If I was honest with myself though, I didn’t want any of those other marriages to work out. I had just been working my way through the male members of my high school FFA. Bo was the last one. Who else would there be after him? Was I afraid of marrying him because I knew he was the one? Or because I had finally reached the end of the eligible bachelors in my county?

  “Why am I like this, Catalie?” I asked as I ran my hand down her back. But deep down, I knew why.

  Bev’s words floated through my mind. “Everyone has secrets. Everyone.”

  I had never told anyone my secret, and as I sat there petting Catalie, pushing back the painful memories, I promised myself I never would.

  7

  Kitty Purry was dressed in a rainbow tutu and a black t-shirt that said “Thug Life.” She strutted through the kitchen and I swore Catalie Portman rolled her eyes. I took a sip of my coffee and a bite of my gluten-free toast. I didn’t know which one I detested more. I needed an excuse to get out and get some real breakfast.

  Thankfully, my cell rang. It was Joe.

  “Hey! It’s Joe.” His voice sounded a little raspy. I assumed he had just woken up. “I have some news about your grandma. Can you meet me today?”

  “How about right now!” I looked at my watch. It was eight am, still early enough to get the good donuts at a donut shop, as long as I hurried.

  “Right now?” He hesitated and I felt a little guilty suggesting we meet immediately. Did that make me look desperate for something?

  “Now works,” he finally said. “But…can we meet at my house? I have some information about the case and, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want anyone to see us talking. I don’t want it to get out that I shared anything with you.”

  So, I thought, I get
to see Joe at his house and get donuts. Sounded like a win-win to me.

  Grandma was out with her cycling team, Life Behind Bars, so I took the extra set of car keys off the hook by the door and left her a note. With any luck, I’d be back before she got home.

  Thirty minutes later, I pulled up in front of a two-story brick house surrounded by a metal fence. It reminded me of the fence that was around our playground at my elementary school. A couple dog toys littered the otherwise nicely manicured lawn.

  With a dozen donuts in hand, I knocked on the door. Joe answered and he looked exhausted.

  “You okay?” I asked as I stepped in.

  “Just got off my shift,” he said, running a hand through his nearly black hair. “I’m wiped out.”

  Now I really felt guilty.

  “Why didn’t you say something on the phone? We could’ve met this afternoon!”

  He led the way to the kitchen and pulled out a chair for me before grabbing a couple of plates for the donuts. “You wanted to meet right away. And I can’t blame you. If someone had info on my family, I’d be impatient too.”

  Oh yes, that was why I wanted to see him, the “info.”

  He grabbed a chocolate cream-filled out of the box. I expected him to be more of a jelly donut kind of guy.

  “You having one?” he asked as he took a bite.

  “I’m not really all that hungry.” I left out that it was because I had eaten three donuts in the car on the way there.

  He finished his donut in four bites and grabbed another one. “I can’t tell you where I heard this from, but I know why your grandma is a suspect.”

  I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Was it my nerves? The donuts? Whatever it was, I didn’t like it.

  “They found some papers when they were cleaning up after the fire.”

  “What kind of papers?” I asked, almost afraid of his answer.