by Unknown
“No, that’s okay. I’m a bit jumpy myself tonight. I still can’t believe someone had it in them to poison Verity’s food. And to think they’re still on the loose. I don’t know about you, but I can’t sleep at night knowing there’s a killer out there.”
Says the killer.
Teddy moans, “Lottie, she’s genuinely afraid. I know my sweet Sugar, and what she’s saying is true.”
Sugar plucks off her bangles and puts them back on over and over again.
“Sorry.” She holds one up. “It’s a nervous habit. I tend to put them down and walk away from them, too. Thankfully, they’re just costume jewelry. I don’t trust myself with the real deal.”
“Hear that?” Teddy’s voice pitches with an ounce of hope. “She could have set one down and the killer could have picked it up and framed her.”
I shake my head at the adorable little cutie.
In fact, I’ll put an end to that theory right now.
“Sugar, the night Verity died, I saw you step out the back door of the conservatory to have a word with her. Can I ask what that final conversation was about?”
She inches back. “I didn’t go out to speak with her. It was freezing out that night.”
“Yes, you did. You were right behind the building with her.”
She shakes her head. “That wasn’t me. But you’re right, I did see Verity head outside. I think I saw Juliet go with her.”
“Juliet?” both Teddy and I say in unison.
She nods. “Juliet was fuming. Something about the Craft Emporium and the risk of an internal review.” She shrugs. “I never could figure out why Verity kept that job. You’d think after the celebrity status she was achieving, a job as tech support at a craft shop would be small potatoes.”
“Did you hear anything else between them?”
She takes a breath as she looks to the ceiling. “No, but I was in the Craft Emporium yesterday picking up some last-minute Valentine’s Day decorations for my shop, and I overheard the manager telling the cashier that they’re shutting down their internet sales. Too many returns. I guess Juliet will be losing her job. Good thing she picked up that knit shop just in time. She never was into working at her family’s canning business.”
“Canning business?”
She nods. “Jax Farms. I suppose if the Social Knitwork bites the dust, she’ll still have a fallback.”
“I’m glad she’ll be okay.” I frown over at Sugar. She’s really working overtime trying to pull the wool over my eyes. “Sugar, how is the internet connection at the bookstore for you?” Maybe that will jar her a little. Lord knows I want to see her stumble. Sugar has to be the killer. I’ve all but cleared everyone else. The IP address that was threatening Evie was coming right from her shop.
“It’s great.” Her expression softens. “Are you having glitches with yours, too?
Just log onto my Wi-Fi. It’s listed under Head over Heels. The password is Teddy and then the number nine.” She chuckles, and Teddy coos at the thought. “I know what you’re thinking. Juliet asked me the very same thing when I gave her the password. No, Teddy wasn’t some hot guy I’m still pining after. That was the name of the koala bear Verity took from me. But I’ve probably mentioned that to you already. What I wouldn’t do to kiss that furry little face once again.”
“I can arrange that,” Teddy says, swinging from my neck to hers. “Let me lay one on you. It’s been a long time, my old friend.” Teddy presses her face to Sugar’s cheek and her ghostly frame glows an enchanting shade of pink.
Sugar gasps as she presses a hand to her chest. “You know, I must be getting tired. I could swear I just felt that same fuzzy feeling against my cheek that I used to when Teddy kissed me. I’d better get something to drink. I’ll see you later, Lottie.”
She takes off, and I stare after her a moment too long.
“What is it, Lottie?” Teddy floats back into my arms.
“Sugar just said that Juliet knew the password,” I whisper mostly to myself. “Her family owns a canning company…and the technical support center for Craft Emporium is shutting down. Something is rotten here.”
I pull out my phone and dig up the picture I took the night of the murder of the gold bangle and the unfinished tart that did Verity in.
I enlarge the picture of the tart as far as my phone will allow and note the coloring of the filling isn’t a cheery bright red like it is in the baker’s jam I use. It’s not only dark, but there are whole raspberries embedded in the dessert as well.
“This isn’t baker’s jam at all,” I pant. “It’s a preserve.”
I look up and spot Juliet heading for the exit with a handful of my raspberry tarts, and I suddenly have a few questions to ask her.
Lottie
The air is frigid as I step out in front of what was once my mother’s B&B. The flashing pink lights that surround the signage blinds me momentarily as I give a quick sweep of the vicinity, and then I spot her.
“There she is, Lottie,” Teddy says as we stare out at the parking lot. “I’d best find Carlotta before we proceed. Don’t do a thing until I get back. I have a feeling we need to leave this to the professionals.” She floats right through the mahogany doors behind me and back into the B&B, but I don’t dare take my eyes off that woman.
The car in front of Juliet blinks to life, and a surge of panic fills me.
“Juliet,” I call out, waddling my way through the snowy night as I head her way. The parking lot is scraped clean of any snow or ice, so I speed it along until I make it over to the front of the lot nearest the entry to the B&B.
“Lottie?” She studies me a moment with concern. “What’s the matter? Is it the baby? Do you need a ride to the hospital?”
“Oh no.” A small laugh bumps from me. “The baby’s fine.” Sugar Cookie gives me a swift kick as if to assert just that.
“I think I just saw your stomach jump,” she coos. “That was the sweetest thing. You’re very lucky, Lottie.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” I look at the brunette before me. She’s so thin she’s almost frail, so very unassuming. “Juliet.” I sigh. “I heard the internet was getting glitchy on Main Street.”
“What’s that?” She turns her ear my way. “Maybe a squirrel has chewed through a few of your wires? I’m not having any problems with the internet.”
“I didn’t think you were,” I say with a note of disappointment. “You’ve been logging into Sugar’s Wi-Fi because you wanted to set her up.” My blood begins to boil. My adrenaline surges. “It was you. How dare you mess with my family.” The overpowering urge to shake her grips me. “You were the one who slipped Verity’s phone into Evie’s purse that night. And then you pretended to be Verity while you slipped her messages, giving her instructions on what to do. Why? Why would you do that to her?”
A car drives up to us a little too quickly and parks in haste just shy of where we’re standing.
“Lemon?” Everett runs out and wraps his arms around me. “What’s going on?”
“I’m fine,” I say, pulling myself out of his grasp. “She did it, Everett. Juliet is the one who’s been texting Evie. She sent those threats.”
She shakes her head. “You have no proof.”
“Lemon?” Everett whispers for my ears only.
I pump a short-lived smile her way. “Your family owns a canning company. Jax Farms. You must know a thing or two about botulism.”
Her mouth falls open as she looks from me to Everett.
“Judge Baxter, I think your wife isn’t feeling well. Maybe you should take her home.”
“I will,” he says, tightening his grip around my waist once again. “Right after I hear what she has to say.” His voice is curt as he gives me a pat. “Go on, Lemon. I’m interested to see how this plays out.”
“Juliet, you wore a red sweater and matching mittens the night Verity was killed.” My voice plumes in a white fog. “It’s because you knew you’d be poisoning her tart, isn’t it? And it
was going to prove to be a messy job. No one would notice a raspberry stain on your clothes. You knew raspberry dessert was on order because she was about to debut her song. She was still working with you at the Craft Emporium as tech support, and the two of you did that out of your knit shop in the morning, isn’t that right? I believe that’s exactly what you told me.”
Her chest bounces, but there’s no trace of a smile on her face. “Verity never worked. She simply collected a paycheck toward the end. I was working enough for the both of us.”
“You mean stealing,” I say. “Why do I get the feeling you’re the reason the Craft Emporium is ditching their internet division? They said they were having too many returns.”
“Is that right?” Everett tips his head up a notch. “Juliet, were you making false returns?”
“Hardly.” She gives a weak attempt at laughing it off. “How could I possibly make enough returns to shut down the entire internet division? That’s absurd.”
“No.” Everett shakes his head. “It’s entirely possible. I’ve seen that racket play out in my courtroom a time or two. I remember you telling us that you worked tech support for large accounts. That means you had access to their internal orders. You simply had to create sock puppet accounts that mimicked the end users you were supposed to be helping and then keying in false returns. You made sure the money floated right back to your account. Most likely a safe guarded account that would be impossible to trace back to you. I’ve seen this scam laid out on every level, and each time I’m just as disappointed in the people who delved into it, just like I am now. You’re looking at wire fraud in the least. A felony could be pending, depending on how much you siphoned from them.”
“Is that why you killed Verity?” Another cloud floats from my mouth, along with the question. “She wanted to keep going with the scam? That’s what had Sugar and Chad scratching their heads about why she stayed with the Craft Emporium for so long. She was getting a lot of money, wasn’t she? Just like you were.”
Juliet sniffs hard. “You think you’re so smart. Yes, we were issuing false refunds through spoofer accounts. It was my job to find the cracks in the system. And that’s all I was doing. I was going to report it to management, but Verity needed some extra money, and I thought I’d impress her. She was magnetic, and so very full of life. It felt good to have her as a friend. We did it a few times for kicks. I knew at that point I couldn’t report it. We did it for years.” Her eyes glaze over as she looks to the ground. “And a few weeks ago, I told her that I couldn’t do it anymore. I was getting out. I had purchased the knitting shop. I didn’t want anything to do with the Craft Emporium anymore. But Verity was greedy. She said I had to keep giving her the money or she’d turn me in. Then the unthinkable happened. The Craft Emporium put out a memo regarding fraudulent activity detected. The FBI was about to get involved. Come to find out, it was wire fraud. It’s a felony, all right. I have a life, Lottie.” She shakes her head my way. “I gave Verity a chance the night she died, and she didn’t take it. All I wanted was for her to take a picture of herself in my shop. That would have put me on the map. I wouldn’t have needed a grand opening. Verity had a following like no other.” Her breathing becomes erratic as she slowly backs up toward the driver’s side of her car. “She could have helped me. That would have been fair. But Verity was never about being fair. That’s when I set the plan into motion. And once Verity was too busy struggling for her next breath, I swiped her phone. I planted it in your daughter’s purse. Verity never deserved those people or the power they gave her. I meant it for good, Lottie. It could give a sweet girl like your daughter the boost she needed in life.”
Everett growls, “She didn’t need any help from you.”
Juliet’s lips curve with a malevolent smile. “Yes, well, it served a dual purpose. That way I’d be able to speak directly to the head investigator. Of course, that would be you, Lottie. I wanted to direct your course, steer the investigation, and I did.” She glares my way. “That night you confessed to trashing my store is when I knew you were onto me. I couldn’t risk it. I had to turn up the heat on both the other suspects. It’s also the night your mother said that Evie was turning into a diva. That’s the last thing I wanted for her. I couldn’t bear her turning into a monster like Verity. I tried my best to scare her away from that celebrity lifestyle. I wanted to undo what I had done. I wanted her to dump her social media.”
Everett takes a bold step her way. “You killed a woman and you messed with my daughter. Juliet, I’m placing you under citizen’s arrest. Lay your arms on the back of your car. Don’t let this get ugly.”
“Okay,” she whispers as her hands rise to the sides of her head. Juliet takes a step away from us, then quick as a gazelle bolts into her car.
Everett is on her door and tugging at the handle as she starts up the car with violent force.
“Everett,” I shout just as Carlotta and Teddy barrel this way.
Juliet takes off with a jerk, leaving Everett slipping in the snow, then she does the unthinkable. She spins the car around in haste, and suddenly we’re looking at her headlights.
“Lot Lot!” Carlotta links her arm through mine just as Juliet speeds this way.
My entire life, this baby’s future, zips through my mind in a flash, and in a blink that sweet little furry mammal lets out a harrowing cry as she flies right through the windshield and turns the steering wheel just enough to send Juliet crashing into the nearest car.
Teddy floats right out of the roof, spinning and tumbling, as she gets sucked out off into the night.
“Well done, Carlotta!” she calls out as she rises ever so higher. “You can learn a thing or two from her, Lottie! Good luck with the baby!” And just like that, Teddy disappears in a spray of silver stars.
“Lemon!” Everett shouts just as another set of headlights rush this way, and soon Noah is running over.
“Lottie?” Noah thunders. “What’s going on?”
“She did it.” I point over to Juliet just as she jumps out of her car. “She killed Verity!”
Noah pulls out his weapon. “Freeze!” he bellows, and this time Juliet holds up her hands with a look of surrender.
A second car pulls up, and it’s Detective Ivy Fairbanks.
“You did it again, didn’t you?” She scowls my way before heading off to take Juliet into custody.
Everett smiles down at me with his chest palpitating wildly “You sure did do it again.” He plants a warm kiss over my lips. “And I’m damn proud of you.”
“What about me, Sexy?” Carlotta puckers up. “I saved Lot Lot’s life. How about planting one on my kisser, too?”
I shrug up at Everett. “Not on the kisser.”
Everett leans over and offers Carlotta a peck on the cheek, and she hoots and howls as if she just won the lottery.
“You, too, Foxy! I saved the love of your life and your baby!” she shouts as she heads his way and coerces a quick kiss to her other cheek.
Everett bears those brilliant blue eyes onto mine.
“Lemon.” Everett’s face is rife with worry and relief. “You were out here with her alone.”
“I know. But I couldn’t help it. The mama bear came out, and as soon as I figured out that she was threatening both Evie and the baby, I wanted to shake her head right off her body.”
“That’s because you’re a good mother.”
“And a bit hormonal at the moment.” I shrug up at him. “One thing is for sure, I won’t tolerate anyone messing with my family.”
Noah jogs over just as a squad car pulls up to the scene.
“It’s done.” He pulls me in for a quick embrace. “Let’s get you back inside. It’s Valentine’s Day.” He looks over at Everett. “And I’ve got a surprise for the both of you.”
Noah
“I called Fiona to come down here,” I say to both Lottie and Everett once we head back into the warmth of the B&B. “She’ll be here in just a few minutes.”
The music
is still as raucous and loud as people begin to pair off for the night, and from the corner of my eye, I spot Cormack trotting over.
“You called Fiona?” Lottie gives a hard blink.
Lottie is so beautiful tonight. That red velvet dress makes my heart ache.
It was just a couple of years ago on this very day that I was set to propose to her when my ex walked into the bakery and shook up our lives. Lottie later told me that she would have said yes.
Lottie Lemon would have been my wife, and that baby in her belly would have been mine, no question. Nell herself came back from the great beyond and told Lottie that I was her soulmate. Of course, she mentioned that Everett was Lottie’s soulmate, too, but I choose not to focus on that.
All I know is that I love this woman. She owns both my heart and my soul, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Wake up,” Everett growls my way. “What’s the deal with Fiona? I highly doubt you asked her down here to be your Valentine.”
A surge of sugary perfume assaults our senses as Cormack appears and wraps her arms around me tightly as if she were about to pull me away from the side of a cliff.
“I solved the case!” she squeals in my ear. “I know who the killer is, Big Boss, and you need to arrest her right now.”
Lottie curves her lips up at Everett then me.
“Cormack, the killer was just apprehended,” Lottie tells her with a note of glee in her voice. “So you’re a day late and a killer short.”
Cormack’s mouth opens wide. “That can’t be. She’s right in there, in the conservatory. The killer is Bambi Bailey.”
“How do you figure?” I may as well get this out of the way.
Cormack glides her finger down my tie. “Easy, Hot Cop.” She gives a flirtatious wink. “Verity said she wanted to issue a restraining order against her the night Verity was killed. Lucinda didn’t pick up on that, but that put Bambi right at the top of the suspect list for me.”