They spent the next hour eating, talking, and laughing. Tabby felt much better after spending time with her mom. They were sharing a strawberry shortcake with extra whipped cream when Samantha’s cellphone rang.
“That’s groovy. I’ll be there shortly, and thank you so, so much.”
“Who was that?” Tabby asked.
“It was Judy Lovette. She has an extra queen size bed frame stored in her attic that she wants you to have for your new place. It doesn’t have a mattress, but it does have a box spring. I’ve seen the bed and it is drop dead gorgeous. I think it’s what they call a sleigh bed. We can get you a new mattress next week. What do you think?”
“That is so thoughtful of Judy. I’ve never had a bed with an actual headboard before. Things are looking up already,” Tabby smiled as she plopped a big ripe strawberry in her mouth.
They finished their dessert and Samantha paid the bill. Opening all the windows in the car, they cranked up the radio and headed for town.
“Can you drop me off at Mac’s, please?” Tabby requested. “I need to buy some cleaning supplies to get started cleaning the new apartment.”
“Sure, hon, not a problem.”
As they hit the edge of town, Samantha drove right past the market.
“Mom, I asked you to drop me off at Mac’s. Hello? Mom?”
Her mom kept driving until she pulled into a space in front of the soon to be baseball shop. There was a group of women standing around on the sidewalk. Tabby recognized most of the women as locals and friends to her and her mom. As they stepped out of the car the women rushed over to meet them, giddy with excitement.
“Surprise,” said Judy Lovette, one of the owners of The Sparrow Bed and Breakfast. “Come with us.”
Tabby followed Judy and the rest of the women to the rear of the building. They stopped at the stairs that led up to Tabby’s new place.
“Go ahead. It’s unlocked,” said Gloria Puckett, the sheriff’s wife.
“I don’t understand,” Tabby confessed as she looked at one familiar face and then another.
They were all smiling. It hit her all at once.
“You didn’t… did you?” she asked, turning to run up the stairs.
As Tabby opened the door to the apartment the pungent smell of pine cleaner and bleach crinkled her nose. She ran from room to room checking things out; the entire apartment had been cleaned from top to bottom. There was not a speck of dirt or dust to be found anywhere. The new sleigh bed had been set up in the bedroom. She hurried down the stairs to the group of women below and hugged each one of them, crying as she thanked them.
“I can’t believe this,” Tabby sputtered. “Mom, you knew?”
“It was my job to keep you away for the morning; Gloria called me last night. Since she has the phone tree numbers for the Brown Bear Lodge, she had all of this organized last night before you were even in bed.”
“Now you can go shopping this weekend for your new place instead of cleaning it,” suggested Betsy Lord, co-owner of Chocolate Motion, a candy shop here in town.
Tabby’s smile turned to a frown.
“What’s the matter?” Betsy asked. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, you didn’t. I realized last night I have to spend the money I saved to open my store. It’s the only way I can replace everything I lost. It will take me another year or so to save the money again. Jellies, Jams, and Weddings won’t open this year. But that doesn’t take away from the wonderful gift you all gave to me today. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“We take care of our own around here. We know you would be right in there returning the favor if something happened to someone else. This town is one big family; you and your mom are part of that family,” Gloria insisted.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need a shower. I will see everyone tomorrow,” Betsy inserted.
The group dispersed with Tabby thanking everyone again as they left.
“Were you surprised?” her mom wondered.
“Totally,” Tabby responded. “This is one of the reasons I love this town; the people.”
“Do you want to go shopping this weekend? I can get Rosie to watch the shop for me.”
“Sounds good. I have to go back to work tomorrow and I’ll stay at Jenny’s the rest of this week until I have some furniture in my new place. I’ll give you a call if something happens and plans change,” Tabby said. “I’m going back upstairs to walk around in my nice, clean apartment and make a list of what I need to get when we go shopping. Love you.”
Tabby began writing down all the things she needed. The necessities had to be bought first; coffee maker, dishes, bath towels, and sheets. These were just some of the everyday items you use without even thinking about it. As she walked around she heard loud yelling coming from downstairs.
“I definitely need a couple of rugs to insulate the upstairs from the downstairs noise,” she mumbled.
She stopped walking, laid down and put her ear to the floor. Two male voices were in a heated argument in the shop downstairs. Tabby could only catch words here and there of the disagreement.
“Something…something…driving…something.”
“Liar…something…files…something…something…guilty…something.”
“Get out of my shop, you crook.”
The last words were loud and clear enough for Tabby to hear.
A door slammed downstairs. Tabby ran to the front window to see if she could determine who was leaving the shop. There were too many people walking on Main Street for her to know who came out. She stood in the window thinking. A minute later Mr. Pierce exited the shop with a black briefcase in his hand.
Well, wasn’t that was interesting? It seems our Mr. Pierce does know someone in Whipper Will Junction after all.
Tabby walked down the adjoining stairs to see if she could gain access to the space below. The door was not locked and it opened easily as she stepped into the store.
I’ll just take a quick look around.
Mr. Pierce had started to put his merchandise up on shelves that had been installed since Tabby had last visited the space. The telescope was sitting in the back room. Next to it sat a tape recorder hooked up to some kind of listening device.
What or who are you listening to, Mr. Pierce?
A noise at the front door warned her that she had to get out of there. Mr. Pierce must have come back. Tabby had just enough time to slip behind the door that led back upstairs before Mr. Pierce walked by it. She heard footsteps go down the cellar stairs. Now was her chance to get back to her apartment undetected. She let out a breath of relief when she was standing safely in her own kitchen.
Tabby exited the building by the outside back stairs. Mr. Pierce would never know she had even been there which was a good thing.
Jenny was already home when Tabby arrived.
“Is it already after six?” Tabby asked, looking at her watch.
“It’s six-twenty. Where have you been?” Jenny quizzed, uncorking a bottle of wine. “Want a glass?”
“Absolutely! I’ve been at the new apartment.”
“How did you like the surprise? I wanted to help but Sienna was in school and I didn’t have anyone to watch the shop. Did the place come out nice?”
“They did such an awesome job! The only thing it needs now is a fresh coat of paint. I will be heading over to the hardware store tomorrow during lunch to pick out some colors,” Tabby replied. “Once it’s all ready, I can move in and get out of your hair.”
“I told you that there is no need to rush. It’s kind of fun having someone to talk to and share a glass of wine with after work.”
“I appreciate that,” Tabby responded. “Not to change the subject, but guess what happened today while I was at the new apartment?”
“Do I really want to know?” asked Jenny, frowning.
“Mr. Pierce and another man were having a huge argument downstairs. I was trying to listen through the floor, but could only pi
ck out words here and there. Driving, files, and liar was all I could understand. They were pretty mad at each other.”
“Please tell me you didn’t go down and get involved,” Jenny said as she took a sip of her wine.
“No, certainly not while they were down there anyways. I tried to see who left the store after the argument, but there were too many people around to see who it was. Mr. Pierce stormed out right after the other person had disappeared. I did go down after everyone had left; thankfully Mr. Pierce hasn’t put on a padlock on the connecting door yet.”
“I can’t believe it. You’re not even moved in yet and this happens. Have you noticed that trouble follows you everywhere you go?”
“It’s not trouble; it’s more of a mystery. I’d love to know who the second man was,” Tabby commented. “And guess what else I found?”
“What?” Jenny asked, refilling her wine glass.
“The other day when I was checking the apartment for the first time, I saw a telescope hidden under a blanket. Mr. Pierce has been watching something or someone out the front window. Today it was moved to the back room of the shop along with a tape recorder attached to some kind of listening device.”
“Do you think the shop is a cover and he’s there for some other reason?” Jenny queried.
“I don’t know, but it’s pretty weird,” Tabby answered. “I’m going to nose around some more and see what I can find out.”
“Be careful,” her friend warned. “I haven’t cooked anything for supper yet. How would you feel about some BLTs?”
“I’m up for that. Want me to cook the bacon?”
“No, I have microwave bacon. It’s faster and easier. Sandwiches in five,” Jenny announced as she headed into the kitchen.
The friends chattered through supper and then polished off the bottle of wine together. After the meal and their busy day, they were in bed by ten.
Tabby awoke to the savory smell of coffee brewing. Jenny had been up since six because she had errands to run before she had to open her book store at eight. Tabby sat down at the kitchen table with her coffee and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was close to seven, so she had some time to relax before her work day began at eight.
“I’m heading out. See you tonight and for heaven’s sake try to stay out of trouble, okay?” Jenny suggested as she walked out the door laughing.
“How can I get into trouble at work?” Tabby yelled, with a grin on her face.
Even as silence greeted her question, Tabby knew that Jenny was looking out for her. If there was one person in this town who would always have her back, it was Jenny; even more so than Tabby’s mom.
She finished her coffee and hopped in the shower. Tabby realized that she would have to wear jeans to work today since it was the only outfit she had left after the break-in. The cable company had a strict uniform of black slacks. You could wear any top as long as it was professional looking. Her boss would have to live with the jeans until Tabby could go shopping on Saturday.
She dragged her feet going to work. Until Sunday night, Tabby had a few more months of working at the cable company. Now she was stuck working at a job she hated for at least another year until she could raise money to replace what she had to spend. It was so depressing. Why did Finn have to be such a jerk?
She half expected Mr. MacAvey to be waiting at the counter. She wasn’t there yesterday to help him straighten out his bill so no doubt he would return today. He was one of a handful of customers that only trusted Tabby to fix billing mistakes. But the place was empty; Patti wasn’t even at the second window yet. Tabby sat in her chair at the first window and began counting her money drawer.
Patti and her dad, Mr. Fitch, the owner of the cable company, came walking out of his office together. Mr. Fitch was carrying a large glass pickle jar that was filled with money. They sauntered over to Tabby and placed it on the counter in front of her.
“What’s going on?” Tabby asked, closing her money drawer.
“This is all for you,” Patti replied, breaking into a huge smile that covered her face.
“Excuse me?” Tabby questioned in disbelief.
“You know how Monday is always the busiest day of the week? We put out this jar yesterday for donations to help you get a fresh start. Word got around and most of the town came in to donate to you. I don’t know how much is in there, but it should give you a good start in replacing what you need,” Mr. Fitch beamed.
“Oh, my God. I don’t know what to say.”
“Your mom mentioned that you had to spend your shop money to replace everything. Everyone in town is looking forward to your new shop opening; they know how hard you have worked and saved for it. Now you won’t have to delay anything. Even though I am losing a great employee, I donated too,” Mr. Fitch said, smiling.
“And I’m losing a fun coworker,” Patti mourned.
Tabby hugged both of them hard.
“I don’t know what to say; I am absolutely stunned!” Tabby declared.
“Take your jar and set it under the counter. I don’t think there will be many customers coming in here today as they all made it a point to stop by and contribute yesterday. One of you can take the day off if you want. I will leave it up to you to talk it over between yourselves and decide. I’m going to get coffee. Anyone want any?” Mr. Fitch asked.
“I’m good,” Tabby answered.
“Me, too. Thanks anyway,” Patti responded.
“Okay. I’ll be back… sometime.”
Walking out the door, he left Tabby and Patti to sit at the counter waiting for customers to show up. An hour passed and it was still quiet.
“Do you want to go home?” Tabby inquired.
“I do have errands I could run,” Patti declared. “I’ll take an early lunch and check back later. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure, have fun,” Tabby said, pulling her already started list from her purse.
She realized she could extend her list from necessary things to things she actually wanted. The pickle jar was resting at her feet filled to the brim with money. She wanted so badly to count it to see how much was in there, but didn’t think it was the time or the place to do so. It would have to wait until she got home tonight. A piece of paper caught her eye in the middle of the cash. She opened the jar and pulled it out. Mr. Wells had dropped a check into the jar made out to Tabby in the amount of one thousand dollars.
Oh, no. I can’t accept this. I need to return this check to him as soon as possible.
She turned the jar around in her hands. There was everything from pennies to hundred-dollar bills in there. The folks in this town had surely gone out of their way to make her feel loved. How could she ever repay them for everything that they had done for her?
The little bell over the door jingled letting Tabby know someone had entered the lobby. She quickly put the jar on the floor so it was hidden. She looked up and Finn was standing on the other side of the counter.
“You need to leave immediately,” Tabby stated in her best no nonsense voice.
“Not until I talk some sense into you,” Finn replied as he leaned over the counter into her personal space.
“After what you did Sunday night do you think I even want to talk to you?” Tabby screamed. “Get out; I’ll call the sheriff if you don’t leave right now.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. What did I supposedly do on Sunday night?”
“You destroyed my apartment. Don’t play stupid, Finn. You are the only other person besides me who has a key,” Tabby answered, picking up the phone.
“I was visiting my brother in Portland. I just got back to Whipper Will Junction an hour ago. I had to get away from here for a couple days to calm down. Your apartment was wrecked?”
“It was totally destroyed. Are you saying you didn’t do it?” Tabby questioned, setting down the phone.
“I swear it wasn’t me. I wouldn’t do something like that to you,” Finn replied honestly.
“Finn Morte
n, hands on the counter. Don’t move,” Sheriff Puckett yelled, storming through the front door.
“What? What the…” Finn asked, as the sheriff rushed him.
He was forced against the counter and placed in handcuffs.
“Sheriff, hold on. Finn said he didn’t do it. He was in Portland with his brother all weekend,” Tabby stated, coming out from behind the counter.
“It’s true, Sheriff. I wouldn’t destroy Tabby’s stuff. And I was in Portland all weekend; I just got back,” Finn repeated.
“Until we can verify what you claim, you’ll have to come down to the station. Deputy, take Mr. Morten to the cruiser.”
Tabby watched as Finn was seated in the back of the cruiser. The deputy drove off towards town.
“How did you know Finn was here?” Tabby questioned the sheriff.
“Patti was leaving the parking lot and saw him walk through the door. She knew you were in here by yourself so she called me. We’ll have to verify if he was actually in Portland and if we can do that, he will be free by early evening.”
“If Finn was at his brother’s, that will leave us with no clue as to who wrecked my apartment or why.”
“I had a funny feeling about this from the beginning. If you remember, I said it looked more like someone was searching for something. I know Finn has a bad temper; I’ve seen it. But that wreckage was even more than Finn’s temper could manage. You be careful, young lady.”
“I will. I am still staying at Jenny’s place; at least until this weekend.”
Patti came rushing through the door.
“Are you okay? I saw Finn and…”
“I’m fine. Relax.”
“Sheriff, will you please let me know if Finn was telling the truth or not?”
“I’ll give you a call as soon as I know anything,” Sheriff Puckett confirmed, walking out the door.
They only had two more customers the rest of the day. Both of them came in just to contribute money to the jar. It was embarrassing to hand it to them while I stood watching but they didn’t seem to care. “I still can’t believe how much everyone has helped me.”
“You are well liked in this town. Personally, I think everyone is waiting to dig into your gram’s jams and jellies. No one has had any since she passed. I remember when I was little, she used to give it out at Christmastime. The local’s mouths are watering for it. If your shop opening was delayed for another year they would all go nuts,” Patti said, rolling her eyes. “Just accept everything given to you with a smile. Maybe when your shop opens you can fill little jars and hand them out to the locals as a thank you gift; just a suggestion.”
Bodies and Blueberries (Jams, Jellies and Murder Book 1) Page 5