by Tonya Kappes
She waved me over. Her clothes were perfect like always.
I made my way through the crowd. Mornings were always so busy, but today was especially busy.
“Gosh, you are busy today.” I rolled up on my toes to get a look at what everyone was gawking over.
“Those new Food Watchers low-fat products are selling like hot cakes,” Sadie May said, “I’m so glad you are here.” She flung a hand towel over her shoulder. She tucked a piece of brown hair behind her ear, barely long enough to stay in place. “You need to get her out of here. Everyone is asking her about Henry.”
Sadie and her husband, Gilley, were new to Swanee. Gilley was hired as a new officer with the Swanee police alongside Beverly and Noah. Gilley didn’t look like your typical police officer with his purple Mohawk.
“I thought I would come by to see what I could do.” I smiled, looking down at the five-foot-tall Sadie.
When Bernadine opened Second Cup, Sadie was excited because she had just graduated from pastry school, she was new to the area, and needed a job.
She loved coming in at four a.m. to make the goodies, while Bernadine loved to snuggle in her California-king bed.
I got a glimpse of the goodies that were going as fast as Sadie could put them in the glass counter. I still couldn’t believe that Bernadine let Ms. Food Watchers put stuff in the café. It wasn’t like Ms. Food Watchers was hard up for money.
“Thanks for tucking me in last night.” Bernadine brought over two cups of coffee and handed me one. “Unfortunately I woke up about two hours after you left.”
Sadie ran her hand down Bernadine’s arm. “Why don’t you go with Holly for a little bit?”
“I’m fine.” Bernadine shook off the notion. “We were divorced. Life has to go on.”
Sadie gave a sympathy smile before she ran off to help behind the counter. I followed Bernadine to the back where the kitchen was located. She had a stainless-steel bar-style café table with two tall chairs. She sat in one and I sat in the other.
“Are you sure you are okay?” I sat the steamy cup of coffee in front of me.
The smell of cinnamon, apple, sugar, and chocolate engulfed every single space of air. There was no way I could own or work in an environment like this. I was sure that by osmosis I would be walking out with ten extra pounds on my hips.
“Noah stopped by and asked me some strange questions.” Bernadine shook her head.
“Like what?” I didn’t bring up the missing crimp tool or the fact that Noah said there was some sort of beading tool at the crime scene. There was no way my tool had just walked its way over to kill Henry.
“He said that Henry was stabbed to death in one of the dental chairs.” Her brows lifted. “Of course I never wanted him dead.” She bit her lip.
“Bernadine!” Sadie ran to the kitchen, fear set in her big brown eyes. “Noah is here and is closing down the café.”
Bernadine jumped up knocking the chair on the ground. I got up and picked it up. Before we could walk back out into the store area, Noah had made it to the kitchen door.
“Ladies,” he greeted us and took off his hat. He tucked the stiff thing under his arm. “Bernadine, I need to have a word with you.”
“Don’t you dare!” I warned her. “You call Bennie.”
“It’s just a word.” Bernadine let out a nervous laugh. Her chubby cheeks fluttered with uneasiness.
“If it’s just a word, then why is Beverly herding everyone out and the sign on the door is turned over to the closed side?” I pointed out my observations of what was going on around us.
Bernadine’s brows formed a “V” in concern.
“I’m calling Flora.” I plucked my phone from the depths of my bag and clicked on my favorites button.
All the Divas were in my favorites. I hit Flora’s name.
“Flora, Henry Frisk was found dead in his office and Noah is at Second Cup shutting the place down.”
“Stop right there,” Flora interrupted. “I’m calling my bastard right now.”
I didn’t have to ask whom she was referring to nor did I have time. She had hung up before my heart could take its next beat.
Bernadine and I sat at one of the tables waiting for Bennie to show up. Noah and the other officers did all sorts of counting and fingerprinting, leaving a mess along the way.
Bernadine had chipped off half of her red nail polish before Bennie arrived.
“Sorry, Bennie.” Beverly put her hand on Bennie’s chest when he tried to enter. She looked like a big giant guarding the place. “Closed.”
“Not for me.” He shoved past Beverly.
“Are you representing her?” Beverly stood in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me. Bennie, you won’t win this one.”
“Bennie.” Bernadine jumped up and melted into Bennie’s neatly pressed sear-sucker white-and-blue striped jacket. When she pulled away, there was a big mascara stain on the front pocket.
“Let’s talk.” He gestured to the leather chair on the other side. He took out the hanky from the pocket and started to wipe down the pocket, making the mascara streak more. Finally giving up, he put the hanky back in the pocket. “It’s a little more private over here.”
Big mouth Beverly must’ve told Noah Bennie was here because within seconds he was headed our way. There was a plastic evidence bag in his hand. As he got closer, I could tell there was some red stuff in there, like blood. I figured he didn’t go to the kitchen for red food coloring.
“Bennie.” Noah did the guy nod thing. Bennie did his best to do the guy nod back, but everyone in town knew Bennie was gay and didn’t try to be anything different.
“Bennie!” A voice shouted from the front door.
It was Bennie’s private investigator, Ernie. He looked like he had just crawled out of bed with his untucked button down. Plus, the two top buttons were undone, not to mention it was wrinkled like it had been balled up in a corner of a room for days. There was a small stain on the thigh of his khaki pants.
At the same time, Bennie and Noah motioned for him to come on over. Reluctantly, Beverly let him through. There was a crowd that had gathered outside and spilled into Main Street. News traveled fast in Swanee and this was big news.
“What’s going on in there, Holly?” Agnes tapped on the window and then used it as a shield over her brows to see in better. “I can see you in there!”
Agnes lived in the heart of town in an old mansion like Ginger. She didn’t miss a beat. Especially since she just had her eyes fixed.
“Noah Druck, you better tell me what’s going on in there or I’m going to call your momma!” Agnes was getting more and more irritate and knocked louder and louder until Noah finally gave in and walked out to talk to her.
Apparently she didn’t like what he had to say because she was scolding him, wagging her finger in his face as Noah just stared down at the ground.
Noah walked back in and put his hat on his head.
“I don’t know what you feed these women, Holly, but they have all gone nuts since you started that little gossip circle, and nothing but venom is coming from it.”
My phone chirped. Thank God because it probably saved me from going to jail for beating up an officer. I retrieved it to see who it was. It was Cheri. She texted me to tell me that Gilley was there to talk to me. She wanted to know where I was.
“You sent Gilley to The Beaded Dragonfly?” I asked Noah and tried not to stare at the bloody knife in the plastic evidence bag.
“I told you I needed to look at your beading supplies.” Noah had a smug look on his face. “Anyway, this is one of the weapons that killed Henry.”
Bernadine covered her mouth and looked away. Bennie tried to give her comfort by rubbing her back. Her chest heaved up and down with each little sob.
“When we did our research, we learned these knives are only available to people in the food industry.” Noah set the knife on the table. Bennie leaned over and took a look. “We are going to every local restaur
ant or any establishment that has to do with food and going through their inventory. And since you were his ex-wife and own Second Cup, I figured we’d give you the opportunity to come clean.”
“I didn’t do it!” Bernadine blurted out.
“Shh.” Bennie patted her hand.
“It’s no secret that you and that divorced group love to bash your ex-husbands. He did in fact divorce you right after you moved here. Then left you here while he moved on with a glamorous life in Fort Myers.” Noah read from his notebook where he had dug up the history. “He paid you a lump sum of eight thousand dollars a month in alimony and is currently suing you to lower the alimony.”
My mouth was suddenly dry when I heard the eight thousand dollar amount. I knew Bernadine had been taken good care of by Henry’s alimony, but I had no idea it was that much. I assumed she was joking yesterday when we were in Food Watchers. Apparently not.
Damn. It wasn’t looking good for her. It was no secret the number one reason for murder was money.
“Plus we found a beading tool at the scene. You bead. You have knives. You get eight thousand a month. Why would you kill him?” Noah pulled out a piece of paper and slapped it on the table in front of her.
It was pictures of the bloody crime scene. I had to look away.
“You and your cute little Diva friends come up with all sorts of ways to hurt the men who happened to not want you anymore.” Noah stood up and leaned over Bernadine. He played the bad cop card. “Isn’t that right, Bernadine Frisk?”
“I never planned on him dying.” Bernadine buried her head in her hands.
“So you did stab him to death?” Noah pounded his fist on the table.
“Hold on. My client did no such thing and unless you are charging her for murder, I think it’s time I take her home.” Bennie stood up and ordered Bernadine to get up too. “You let us know when you are done here. My client has to make a living.”
Noah was a cool as a cucumber and tapped the paper lying in front of him.
Bennie whispered a couple of things to Ernie and Ernie shot out of the door. Bernadine grabbed her purse and Bennie escorted us out.
“Now,” Bennie turned toward me. “Let’s get to The Beaded Dragonfly.”
Chapter Seven
Bennie and Bernadine followed me to The Beaded Dragonfly and we were there in mere seconds. Just like Cheri had said, Gilley was at the front door waiting patiently. His Mohawk was tucked up under his police cap.
“Hey, Holly.” His eyes dipped down. “I hate to ask you to let me in and let me look through your stuff, but you know it’s part of the job.”
“Sure.” I wasn’t going to fight with him. Gilley was a sweet guy and he was so nice. “I have nothing to hide.”
“I’m not saying you do, but someone either wants us to believe you do or one of your friends is guilty.” He turned when Bernadine and Bennie approached us on the doorstep.
I unlocked the door and ran my hand up against the wall to flick on the lights. Cheri must’ve have been waiting by the window in her apartment because she bolted down the back stairs and met us on the bead store floor.
“Here is the tool that was found at the scene.” Gilley took the bag out of his shirt and unrolled it.
I gasped. Noah was right. The Eurotool crimping tool I specifically used in the store, the one that was missing, was in the bag.
“I’m assuming you know this tool?” Gilley asked. “We know that this specific tool has to be ordered by a lapidary with a tax id number.”
“Oh my God,” Bernadine mumbled. “I did not take that tool from here.”
“I know.” I tried to quiet her down. “Bennie and Ernie will figure this all out.”
“The only thing really saving you at this point, Ms. Frisk, is that we don’t have any fingerprints.” Gilley stopped talking. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that, but I know what Sadie tells me about you and it just doesn’t add up. But the evidence does speak for itself.”
Bennie pulled Bernadine aside.
“Can I take a look at your inventory and what your sheets say you have?” Gilley asked and put the crimp tool back in his jacket.
“Sure.” I walked behind the counter where I kept the inventory sheets and cringed a little. That was one of Marlene’s jobs and she liked to talk when she did inventory so I wasn’t sure on how accurate it was. I wasn’t about to tell Gilley that I was in fact missing a crimp tool just like the bloody one in the bag.
The thought of someone from the group taking my tool didn’t sit well with my gut. I was going to have to question every single Diva in the group.
Gilley took the three-ring spiral inventory notebook from me and disappeared into the back with Cheri.
I quickly texted all the Divas to let them know we had an emergency Diva meeting tonight at six p.m. I didn’t have any beading classes and closing an hour earlier wasn’t going to hurt anyone. Besides, Bernadine was in more need than us and I had to figure out who took those crimpers.
“Holly Harper!” Marlene bolted through the door. Feathers from her hot pink boa flew all over the place. Briefly stopping inside the door, she wrapped it around her neck several times. “What on God’s green earth is going on around here? Agnes Pearl came home confused as a two dollar hooker with a fifty dollar bill.” Marlene leaned up against the counter trying to catch her breath. She must’ve ran the whole couple blocks down here.
“What did she say?” I was curious to see what Noah had told her.
“She said that Noah Druck told her Henry Frisk was killed and he was looking into talking to Bernadine.” Marlene’s eyes creased with worry. “Which doesn’t make sense since they were divorced. Why would Bernadine care?”
The unanswered question hung between us until Marlene’s mouth formed an O. She looked between me and Bernadine, who was in the corner talking to Bennie.
“That no good son of a bitch.” Spit came out of Marlene’s mouth. “I forgot he was taking her back to court.” She leaned in a little closer and whispered, “But do you think she killed him because of it?”
“No.” I blew off the notion. “She wouldn’t hurt a flea.”
“Holly?” Gilley came out from the storage room. “Hi, Marlene.”
“Gilley.” Marlene’s mouth couldn’t seem to stay shut. “What are you doing here?”
He ignored her.
“Mr. White?” Gilley got Bennie’s attention. “There seems to be a pair of Holly’s crimp tools missing from her stock and we found this one at the scene of Dr. Frisk. Does your client want to make a statement before I write my report?”
“No.” Bennie grabbed Bernadine by the elbow.
Bernadine glanced over her shoulder at me before Bennie shoved her out of the front door of the shop. She clamped her jaw tight and stared. Fear, stark and vivid, glittered in her eyes.
Chapter Eight
It wasn’t long after Bennie, Bernadine, and Gilley left before Flora and Agnes made their way to the shop.
“I said six p.m. not nine a.m.” I turned the closed sign on the door to open.
It was still business as usual.
“Even though Bennie did me dirty, he knows he better help Bernadine.” Flora used her fingertips to style her brown wavy hair. Her big cheekbones had the perfect amount of rouge on them. She sat her Fendi bag on the beading table. “When you called this morning, I was getting my hair done and all the girls were talking about the fight between Kevin and Henry. You know how gossipy salons can be. But I told Bennie anyway. Just in case it was important.” She blew on her nails. “Charlotte told me that Kevin even threw a punch.”
Flora had a standing appointment with Charlotte every week to get her hair and nails done. Flora said that being fifty years old was just a number. She kept herself in shape. Even though she loved to bash Bennie, she said she’d still like to find love one day.
“I immediately dialed Babbs to get a hold of Ernie.” She stopped blowing on her fingers briefly. Babbs was Bennie’s secretary.
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Flora’s cell chirped. Gingerly and with her fingertips, she pulled the phone from the side pocket of her purse, careful not to get nail polish on the expensive bag.
“Hello?” She excused herself from the shop and went in the back to talk on her phone.
“What is going on? I leave town for a couple months and come back to this?” Ginger Sloan Rush surged through the door. The jingle bells flung around creating all sorts of noise as the door flew open. “Marlene.”
Ginger’s eyes zeroed in on Marlene. It wasn’t a secret that Ginger had her doubts about Marlene and had practically given her a grand inquisition when Marlene showed up in Swanee. It was unusual for people to just appear and start a life here since most of the town was born and bred here.
There was never a time I was so happy to see her. The trip did her good. Her long dark hair hung over her shoulder in long graceful curls. There was a hint of tan on her cheeks. Her blue eyes popped behind her thick well-manicured brows. She must really be sun kissed, because her teeth were so bright against her lips.
“You look great!” I came from behind the counter and gave her a big hug. “I went by your house this morning. It didn’t look like you were home.”
“I wasn’t. I got in town a few minutes ago and you know gossip spreads like the flu around Swanee.” She tilted her head to the side and nodded toward Marlene who was stocking the new merchandise she didn’t do from yesterday. “Marlene didn’t cap Henry, did she?”
“Wishful thinking on your part?” I laughed and winked. “But all joking aside, I think Bernadine is in trouble.”
Flora, who was still outside on the phone, tapped on the window. “Be back later,” she mouthed and waved bye.
“Tell me what you know.” She planted her butt in one of the bead chairs.
I told her all about the missing crimpers and how it was there before the Wine and Bead class started because I was the one who counted them out for the twelve of us there. And I told her about Kevin and Henry’s fight at the Barn Dance committee meeting.