“Oh no, no, no!”
“Lottie?” someone shouts my name from behind, and before I know it, Noah and Everett are upon me.
“Lottie?” Noah pulls me into his arms, and I bury my face in his chest. “Everett, call for help.”
The sound of quickening footsteps heads this way, and I look up in time to see Detective Ivy Fairbanks clip-clopping her way over in sky-high heels. “Another one?” she barks in an accusatory tone, and as much as I’d like to take umbrage to it, I can’t. She’s right. I’ve found another one. “Fox, I want this area on lockdown. We’ll need a full sweep of the vicinity, and, Carlotta, don’t think about leaving.”
No sooner does she finish her spiel than the sound of sirens lights up the air, and the entire parking lot is filled with squad cars. An entire herd of men run out, all volunteering to help, and considering the entire fire department is present, I’m sure they’re more than capable.
Jack Turner, Keelie’s father, the captain of the sheriff’s department, comes up just as a fireman pokes his head out of the van and shakes his head.
“She’s gone,” he declares, and the mood grows increasingly somber.
Organized chaos breaks out as Noah ushers me to the side. He looks impeccable in his jet-black suit, and that deep hunter green tie matches his eyes. He’s clean-shaven for the occasion, and for the first time in perhaps ever I can see the nuances of his chiseled features. Noah Corbin Fox is a god among men, and I feel terrible practically drooling over him while Greer bleeds out less than twenty feet away.
“Lottie, what happened?” He searches my features as if they might offer a clue.
“I came out and I, I don’t know.” I’m sure as heck not going to cop to the fact that I followed an entire tribe of quivering, and, might I add, beautiful, albeit frightened out of their minds, Chihuahuas out the door. “I had seen the van door open earlier. I thought I’d be nice and shut it.”
Everett comes up, breathless, and I’m thankful for the distraction.
“Lemon.” Everett’s demeanor darkens. “Rumors are flying that you offed the competition. I’m just laying it out straight for you.”
“What?” I glance back at the opened kitchen door, and Lily Swanson barrels out with Naomi, Keelie’s not-so friendly twin, and both Nikki and Tinsley in their wake.
“There she is!” Nikki cries. “Arrest her. She called my best friend all sorts of deplorable things before threatening to run her out of town.”
Noah inches back. That look he’s shooting me suggests he wants answers. “Lottie?”
“Okay, so it might be a wee bit true. But she tried to pass my red velvet cupcakes off as her own!”
Jack steps our way, shaking his head right at me. “Lottie, Detective Fox, can I have a word with you, please?”
Noah and I head over as Jack corrals us toward the building. “Lottie, that girl has a cupcake shoved into her mouth, the wrapper still on it.”
“Oh my word.” A mean shiver runs through me as I look to the van. “Do you think the killer is trying to frame me?”
Jack rubs his eyes as if trying to wake from a very bad dream. “Either that or you did it.” He lifts a hand before I can protest. “Look, I know you didn’t do it. Or at least I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt. But you have to admit it looks shady. I want Detective Fairbanks to take your official statement. Fox, I need you to cordon off the area. The coroner will be pulling in shortly.” He winces. “There’s also what looks to be the paw print of a small animal on her backside. My guess is, some creature wanted a bite out of that cupcake of yours.” He looks to Noah. “Let’s get moving on this.”
“You bet.” Noah nods as Jack takes off. “Lottie.” He presses a strained kiss to my lips. “I’m so sorry you’re being dragged into this again.”
I pull back and nod through tears. “Greer is gone. And she’s so young and beautiful, and she had her whole future to look forward to.”
“I know.” He pulls me in close.
My lips quiver, and I bite them in a meager effort to keep them still. “You said you had something important to ask me.” It comes out lower than a whisper, in shame that I brought it up at all.
Noah offers a sober nod. “I do. I think maybe we should have a Valentine’s do-over. Maybe we can drop it down the calendar a bit.”
“I’d like that,” I say just as Ivy comes upon us.
“All right, Lottie Lemon”—she says as she pulls out a small notebook—“tell me everything.”
And I do just that. Minus the otherworldly infraction. Minus the fact that I know exactly how those paw prints landed over Greer’s dress. Minus the fact I openly threatened the victim just a half hour before I discovered her body. Minus the fact I wish I could rewind time and spend Valentine’s Day somewhere else altogether.
Minus the fact I wish more than anything that Noah would pop the question so I can give a resounding yes.
Chapter 4
The Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery is surprisingly busy all the next morning and well into the afternoon. Earlier this morning, Noah’s truck pulled up in the driveway across the street from my home just as I was pulling out this morning at four a.m. We each jumped out of our vehicles in the middle of the snowy road and exchanged a passionate kiss. Noah said he was going to get a power nap in, take a shower, and get right back to Ashford to work on the case, and he just so happened to promise me dinner. There was a determined look in his eyes that assured me he would move heaven and earth to make this happen.
My heart thumps wildly just thinking about it. Could Noah really be ready and willing to pop the question? Honestly, it’s the only bright spot I can find in the day. No matter how hard I try to focus on the task at hand, my mind keeps drifting back to Greer lying motionless with a bullet hole in her back. I may not have seen eye to eye with Greer Giles’ business practices, but she was about my age, and she had so much life ahead of her. I want to find whoever snuffed the life out of her and strangle them with my own bare hands.
Keelie bounces through the passageway that divides the Honey Pot Diner and the bakery. Nell, Keelie’s Grammy, and apparently mine, owned them both along with half of Honey Hollow. I frown at the thought because she mistakenly bequeathed it all to me.
“How are you doing?” Keelie winces as she comes at me with a hug. Her sugary perfume feels like a comfort, an old friend who’s always there to greet me when I need it most, just like its host.
“Terrible. I was just thinking about—”
The bell on the door chimes, and we look over to find Naomi striding our way, her long dark locks a contrast to Keelie’s natural blonde curls. Keelie and Naomi might be twins, but their hair color isn’t the only difference. They might share the same face more or less, but they are polar opposites when it comes to the heart. In short, Keelie has one, and Naomi grew a briar patch around hers. Back in high school, Naomi decided that she wanted my boyfriend Bear to herself, and oddly, she was the only girl that Bear seemed to blow off, or at least that I know of. Nevertheless, I haven’t been Naomi’s favorite person ever since.
Lily springs up from behind the counter and offers her bestie a toothy grin. “Hey, witch, what’s up?”
Naomi gives Lily a knowing nod. “You know what’s up.”
Lily Swanson is the yin to Naomi’s wicked yang.
Keelie steps over and offers Lily a spontaneous embrace. “Forget about my sister. How are you doing? Greer was your good friend.”
Lily wrinkles her nose. “I’m okay. Her family is a mess. They’re from Hollyhock, so they’re not that far. They’re waiting for the coroner to release the body before making arrangements.”
“That’s horrible.” I shudder at the thought of poor Greer lying cold in the morgue.
Lily scoffs. “Says the one who called her an underhanded cheat who doesn’t have a creative bone in her body.” Her lips curl at the tips as if she secretly approved. “Nikki told me all about it.”
“Yes, well, it wasn’t exactly a
shining moment for me.” I look to Keelie and shrug. “She tried to pass off my red velvet cupcakes as her own. And she accused me of baking all those crappy treats she tried shoving down Honey Hollow’s throat.” I cringe as I say it. “Okay, so it’s a poor word choice considering the fact Greer had a red velvet cupcake shoved down her throat when she died. Not to mention the bullet in her back. A horror upon a horror. Only a monster would do something like that. And Noah agrees. Someone was definitely trying to frame me.”
Naomi shrugs it off as if it were no big deal. “That’s what you get for tricking Grammy Nell into giving you half of Honey Hollow. And the house in Nantucket? I laid claim to that when I was three.”
A laugh gets trapped in my throat, but the bell chimes, and in through the door stride Carlotta Sawyer and Rhonda Gilbert, the owner of the Enchanted Flower Shop.
“Come on, Keelie”—I say quickly, boxing up a dozen of my heart-shaped raspberry Linzer cookies—“I think maybe this is a good time to head over and apologize to Nikki and Tinsley. It’s suddenly far too crowded in here for me.” I glance to Lily. “If we’re not back in an hour, call for backup.”
Naomi gives a quick wave to her sister. “Remember, I’m meeting you and Hook for dinner tonight at Mangia! If this turkey thinks he’s going to make an honest woman of my sister, he’ll have to get through me first.”
Let’s hope she’s not being literal. Naomi has proven time and time again that she’s capable of stealing a boyfriend or two. Just not any of mine.
“Seven,” Keelie sings. “Can’t wait!”
Keelie and I head out into the frozen afternoon and make our way to the competition down the street where I’m about to eat some freshly baked crow.
The Coffee Cake Break is everything the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery is not. Black sleek floors compared to glossy white tiles, metal chairs, and tables are in complete opposition to my mishmash of pastel delights, stainless countertops as opposed to practically feather-soft Carrera marble. The walls are navy, in sharp contrast to the butter yellow sunshine happening back at my own bakery. The shelves are noticeably bare of any sweet treats with the exception of a few dozen red velvet cupcakes that look suspiciously like the ones left over from the Hearts of Hope Charity Ball last night.
My mouth falls open as I point to the blatant evidence of their utter disregard for my hard work, and Keelie swats me on the arm.
“Nikki.” Keelie’s voice takes a sharp downturn as if she somehow managed to turn her name into an apology. “How are you doing?”
Nikki Spencer has her long black hair pulled into a high ponytail, and it gives her eyes an exaggerated almond shape most women would die for, her makeup is impeccable, her lips perfectly outlined and colored a cotton candy pink, but her expression is downcast. The bags under her eyes let you know how she’s really doing.
“I’m holding it together for the sake of this place.” She sneers at me as if she had just taken a personal dig at me. “Greer was the heart and soul of The Coffee Cake Break, but now that she’s gone, it’s entirely up to Tinsley and me to keep it going.”
“I’m sorry about everything,” I say, feeling a bit foolish in the endeavor. “I brought some of my raspberry Linzer cookies. The customers really seem to like them. They’re heart-shaped, and they sell out like crazy this time of year.” I wince at the verbal diarrhea that just flew from my mouth. I can’t help it, this is a horrible situation that my mouth demanded I fill with words regardless if it sounded as if I were offering up sales tips that work best this time of year.
“Thanks.” Nikki takes the box from me and dumps the contents straight onto the bakery shelf next to us.
“Nice,” Keelie says, stunned before shaking it off. “So from what we hear, Greer was shot in the back. How could that have happened to a nice ex-sorority girl like her?”
I offer up Keelie’s foot a congratulatory tap. Way to cut to the chase, but in all honesty, I didn’t come here with the intention of mining poor Nikki for info. I really do feel the need to apologize profusely.
Nikki rolls her eyes, and I can’t help but note they’re a unique shade of dark gray. Pretty. But then, everything about her is just that.
“Greer led a colorful life. It could have been any number of people.”
“Really?” I’m a bit taken aback by the news. “She seemed like the kind of person everyone liked.” Except for me. I wasn’t her biggest fan, but now that she’s gone, I seem to have a sudden soft heart for her. “Like who?”
She gives a nervous glance to Keelie. “I don’t know. She ran in strange circles with people who did very strange things. The kind of things you wouldn’t necessarily want others to know about.”
“Oh?” I look to Keelie in hopes she has a bright idea of how to squeeze more info out of the poor girl because, honest to God, it sounds as if things are about to get juicy. “Like what?”
She shakes her head while handing Keelie a pen. “There’s a card on the counter over there that I’m asking all the customers to sign. I’ll be giving it to her family at the end of the week.”
Keelie coos as she looks to the card. “That’s a great idea. I’ll sign for the both of us, Lottie.” She takes off, and Nikki leans in.
“I hear you’re the go-to girl for solving mysteries around here.” She offers a blink of a smile. “Greer had a boyfriend.” She says boyfriend in air quotes. “He’s sort of this big life coach. Anyway, rumor has it, he’s already filled Greer’s shoes with someone else.” She makes a face at Keelie. “Her sister.”
“What?”
Keelie comes back just as a small crowd enters the establishment, and Nikki gets straight to selling my heart-shaped raspberry Linzer cookies as the customers scoop up every last one.
Keelie threads her arm through mine as we head out the door. “Does it feel good to know your cookies sell out no matter what the venue?”
“Very funny. That’s about all the poor girl had to sell. Hey, did I hear you say you were headed to Mangia tonight at seven? Noah and I are headed that way, too.”
“No way!”
“Way.”
“You’ll have dinner with us. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Keelie squeals as she holds her ring out for the two of us to admire. “Feel free to ask Hook all the hard questions. He’s ready for them.”
“Oh, I will.”
And I’ll have a few for Naomi, too.
Chapter 5
There is something magical about Main Street any time of year, but with every window decorated with red foil hearts, doilies, red and white twinkle lights, Main Street in February is the most romantic of them all.
Love. It abounds around every corner in Honey Hollow lately, and its enchanting spell has captured Noah and me as well.
Noah pulls me close and wraps his strong arms around my body before we head into the Italian eatery.
“You are far too beautiful for me to share tonight.” He takes me in from head to toe. I’ve donned my skintight black jeans, my black boots that extend over the knee, a matching tight sweater, and those diamond studs Noah gifted me for Christmas. “You sure you don’t want to pick up something to go and head back to my place? We could hit dessert first.” Noah presses his lips to mine, warm and soft. I have never been kissed the way Noah kisses me, and I never want to know the kiss of another man again. Noah is my everything.
“Dessert is a promise,” I pant. “But let’s have a quick night out. This could be our Valentine’s do-over. A spontaneous, fun dinner.”
A soft moan comes from him. “Sounds perfect.”
I reach up and scratch the new growth of scruff on his face as we head on in.
Mangia is one of Honey Hollow’s premier restaurants, and it happens to be our favorite. I bypass the hostess and head straight for a round table in the center of the establishment where we find Keelie, Hook, Naomi, and—
“Everett?” I inch back, surprised to see the legal eagle dining with Naomi as his plus one.
Everett pulls hi
s lips back with the idea of a smile as he looks to Noah and me before pointing to the empty seats besides him.
Noah leans in. “Why do I get the feeling this spontaneous, fun dinner wasn’t so spontaneous—and seeing that my old stepbrother is here it may not be so fun either.”
I bite my lip as I look up at him. “Lucky for me you’re a go-with-the-flow kind of a guy.”
“Lemon, Fox.” Everett gives a curt nod our way. “Your timing is impeccable.”
Noah and I say a quick hello as we take our seats. Keelie glows in a bright red sweater, that rock on her hand glittering like mad and making me wish I brought sunglasses just to shield myself from its splendor. Hook looks handsome per usual, his dark hair is slightly curled at the edges, and he has an easy smile that makes everybody feel instantly comfortable with him. Naomi has her dark hair pulled back, a chocolate brown lipstick that gives her a Goth appeal. And Everett looks dangerously good-looking, which is par for the course.
“We were just talking about you.” Naomi perks up as she leans in close to Everett—a cozy move I don’t quite understand since Nikki alluded to the fact she has a brand new Mr. Right and he’s currently not present.
“Talking about me?” I look to Keelie and Hook with apprehension.
Everett takes an enormous breath. “No, really we weren’t.” He shoots Naomi a look that says don’t you dare. “Naomi asked how things were going at the courthouse, and I shared the fact Judge Shumaker was being moved to Burlington next month.”
Naomi leans in, her eyes wide with venom. “Federal court. That means my Essex was passed over for a very big promotion.”
Noah rubs my back. “We’re sorry to hear it.”
“Yes.” I tick my head his way. “Who in their right mind would pass you up for anything?”
Naomi bucks with a laugh, and Keelie shakes her head at her sister as if pleading with her to keep quiet.
Red Velvet Vengeance Page 4