by Rose Pressey
By the time the coroner had taken the body away and the police had cleared out it was late in the afternoon. My grand opening wasn’t happening today. Every time I looked at the spot where the man had collapsed chills ran down my spine. Of course, it was up to Mary Jane and me to clean up the crime scene.
“You know they have professional companies that can do this.” Mary Jane grimaced as she neared the front door.
“Yes, but they also charge money and I don’t have any left. All my money is here in this store.” I handed Mary Jane more towels.
I had no idea what I would do without Mary Jane.
“Hey, maybe they would take payment via gumdrops.” Mary Jane snorted.
“Oh, I can hear it now. ‘The bill is three hundred dollars. How would you like to pay?’” I placed my hands on my hips. “‘How about a jawbreaker and a couple of sticks of peppermint?’”
“Okay, let’s do this.” Mary Jane rolled up her sleeves.
“I think we may need some sort of hazmat suits. We definitely need rubber gloves,” I said.
“Hazmat suits may be out of the question, but we do have rubber gloves.”
After gathering our supplies, Mary Jane and I cleaned up the store. I decided to start all over again tomorrow and pretend that this had never happened. I hoped that potential customers wouldn’t be the wiser. After finishing, Mary Jane and I headed out the door. I turned off the lights and locked the door behind us.
“Are you okay?” Mary Jane asked.
I pulled my purse strap up on my shoulder. “Things will be fine.”
“That’s my Reese. Always the optimist.” Mary Jane waved as she started down the sidewalk.
I watched until she turned the corner and headed for her car. Turning in the opposite direction, I started down the sidewalk toward my car.
I’d only made it one step when I bumped right into someone. A young guy with dark hair, not much taller than me, stood in front of me. His blue and white plaid button-down shirt was tucked into his jeans with a brown leather belt around his waist. His shoes were black sneakers.
“Oh, excuse me, ma’am,” he said. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“That’s okay, I wasn’t paying attention either.” I smiled and started to walk around him.
“Did you just leave the candy shop?” he asked from over my shoulder.
I glanced back at the door. He pointed at the sign.
“Yes. Sorry, but due to unforeseen circumstances we are closed for the rest of the day. We’ll be open tomorrow, so if you’d like to come back then…” I said with a bright smile.
Would I be open tomorrow? Was that too soon after someone had been murdered at the doorstep? Maybe if the guy insisted I would go ahead and open right now. I mean, I had to take what I could get at this point.
“Oh,” he said, peering up at the sign.
Based on the frown and pinched eyebrows I knew he was quite disappointed. I supposed he really wanted candy. I totally understood. I’d been there before. Actually, a bit of chocolate had been needed this afternoon. The guy just stood there, so I figured I’d move the conversation along.
“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked.
“I noticed you just opened.” He pointed out the grand opening sign. “I wondered if you are hiring?”
I hadn’t thought about it much because I didn’t have a lot of money to pay anyone other than Mary Jane. I had planned on working all hours and Mary Jane would help. My mother and grandmother had offered to step in and lend a hand too.
“I’m not sure if I will need anyone just yet,” I said.
He gave me that disappointed look again that made my heart sink. Why did he have to give the sad puppy-dog-eyed look? I’d never hired anyone before. What would I even ask? I supposed I could take an application.
“How about you come by tomorrow and we can discuss it?” I asked
After the day I had I just wanted to get home and climb under the covers. Hiding away from the world until tomorrow seemed like the perfect plan.
“Really?” His eyes widened. “That would be great. What time should I come by?”
Considering I probably wouldn’t be all that busy I supposed it didn’t matter what time he came by.
“How about one tomorrow?”
“Perfect.” He stuck out his hand. “My name is Hunter Smith.”
On his ring finger I noticed a tan line where he’d worn a ring. Was he married?
I shook it. “Nice to meet you, Hunter. I’m Reese. See you then.”
“See you tomorrow,” Hunter said with a smile.
Hunter seemed nice enough. Maybe I would be able to hire him soon. We walked away. There was something familiar about him. Had I seen him somewhere before? I headed in the opposite direction toward my car.
Chapter 5
“Well, she’s probably upset,” a woman said.
“Still, we need to talk with her. And why doesn’t she have her porch light on, for heaven’s sake?” another woman asked.
“I’ve warned her about that.”
I recognized the female voices. Exactly where they were coming from I wasn’t sure. More than likely I would find the culprits on my front porch. I stood from the sofa and walked over to my front door. When I flipped the front porch light, screams immediately echoed across the night air. My mother shielded her eyes and Grandma Honey clutched her chest.
“Do not do that to an old woman. I have a few years left at least. Let me enjoy them,” Grandma Honey said.
Her voice was louder now and crystal clear through the door. I unlocked the door and opened it wide.
“What are you all doing out here on the front porch?” I asked.
Grandma Honey and Ruth walked inside my house. My mother hated when I called her by name, but sometimes it was necessary in order to get her attention.
“We came by to check on you, dear.” My mother pushed the hair off my face. “How are you holding up, sweetie?”
My grandmother squeezed me in a big hug. “I was worried about you, sugar pie.”
The smell of gardenias encircled me. In contrast to me calling my mother by her name, I was almost certain my mother hadn’t used my name in years. Same for my grandmother. They called everyone ‘sugar,’ ‘sweetie,’ ‘pumpkin,’ etc.
“I’m fine,” I said, displaying a big smile.
“Oh, this is worse than I thought. She’s in denial,” Ruth said as she walked by me.
My grandmother and mother walked into my living room.
I hurried after them. “I promise I am fine.”
“What you need is a nice cup of tea,” Grandma Honey said.
“And maybe something sweet to eat. What do you have?” my mother asked.
“Ugh. Nothing sweet,” I said as I stepped into the kitchen.
Grandma Honey already had the teapot out. She filled it with water and motioned for me to sit down. “The tea will make you feel much better.”
I did as I was told because I never went against Grandma Honey. My mother grabbed honey from the cabinet. She placed it on the table and went back to the cabinet to retrieve the cookies she’d brought last time. I knew she would try to force me to eat just one. Usually the more upset I got the less I ate. Even chocolate wouldn’t make me feel better. I’d only had one piece at the shop. That was how I knew I had a bad case of anxiety. After placing cups and saucers on the table and pouring the steaming water, my mother and Grandma Honey sat down.
I steeped the teabag in the water. My mother passed the honey to me. “So tell us what happened.”
“Other than the blabbering message you left on my voicemail,” Grandma Honey said. “Honestly, I barely understood a word you said.”
My mother took a bite of cookie, chewed, swallowed, and then said, “Me either. Other than the part about someone was murdered.”
“This happened close to your shop, dear?” Grandma Honey asked.
I almost spit out the tea. They really hadn’t understoo
d the message. I’d wait until they swallowed the tea to tell them that the murder occurred at my shop, not near it. I didn’t want tea spit in my face when they heard the shocking truth.
“How can I make this clear… the murder happened at my shop,” I said matter-of-factly.
Grandma Honey almost dropped her cup and my mother nearly choked on her gingersnap. I jumped up from the chair and ran over to her, pounding her on the back with my hand.
She waved her hand. “I’m fine. Stop hitting me before you give me a broken rib or collapsed lung.”
“I thought you all knew,” I said.
“Of course we didn’t know. Do you think we would be this calm?” Grandma Honey asked.
Actually, I had thought they’d been awfully calm under the circumstances.
“Tell me everything,” my mother said.
I sat back down and started from the beginning.
“So you actually saw the killer?” my mother asked.
“He wore a mask, but yes, he was in the shop, staring down at the body as if proud of his feat.”
“Such a sick and twisted mind,” Grandma Honey said.
We discussed the murder a bit more before Grandma Honey and my mother headed home. It had taken me a bit to convince them that I was just fine. I waved them off and watched as they got into my mother’s tiny red Ford. Thank goodness Grandma Honey hadn’t driven that giant old Buick of hers. She’d had it for years yet somehow the mileage never seemed to go up. I was convinced the car had a mind of its own.
Now that they had gone, I headed straight for bed. This wasn’t how I’d envisioned this day. I crawled under the covers, hoping to have visions of sugar plums in my head as I drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, all I saw was the body on the shop floor and the police swarming inside. What was the detective’s name? Oh, yes. Detective Monroe. How could I forget? He had those dazzling blue eyes. Thank goodness, after a couple hours of lying there I finally drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 6
The next day I woke up with a new outlook on the day. Since I had a new business to run I wouldn’t let the previous day affect me. I dressed for work and headed out the door. I’d even taken time for yoga this morning. Though it had been hard to clear my mind. I’d placed my mat on the living room floor and tried not to let the previous day’s events play on loop in my mind.
Breakfast of yogurt and fruit would balance out the chocolate I planned on sampling later in the day. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d taken a little extra time for makeup this morning. Oh, who was I kidding? I’d taken the time because of the hot detective and hunky dentist.
What if I ran into one of them today? My white pants and pink top may be boring, but I added a touch more mascara and lip gloss to glam things up a bit. I didn’t want to look as if I was trying too hard. My pink apron would give my outfit another pop of color. Grandma Honey said pink was a good color for me.
I tried to push the eerie thoughts to the back of my mind. My mother said it would take a while for things to get back to normal. I knew they would never be normal again. This would always affect me to some extent. Honestly, I didn’t even know what normal would be with my new shop.
I got in the car and pulled out of the driveway. I tried to think about all the business I’d have today, but instead I kept thinking of the murder. I was trying to piece together the clues that I had. Like I could really solve this.
Mr. Sutherland had sold me this section of the building after running his dry-cleaning business here for a number of years. As far as I knew he had no family. I kept thinking about how he had said he was going away to a tropical paradise. Now my question was where? Where was this place? Why had he decided to retire? Perhaps there was a more sinister reason than just wanting to relax with a cool drink on a sandy beach. How would I ever figure out the answers to these questions?
I had to speak with the people who knew him. Surely the dentist had spoken with him on at least one occasion. If he’d come over to introduce himself to me then I was sure that he had done the same thing with Mr. Sutherland. How long had the dentist been in his place? I supposed I needed to talk with him. You know, it would be a complete sacrifice to see his gorgeous face again, but it was all in the name of finding the killer. Also, I could go around to some of the surrounding shops and ask their opinions on Mr. Sutherland. Maybe they had seen something or heard rumors over the years. But if Mr. Sutherland was a private person then he would’ve kept everything closely hidden.
Thank goodness, the crime scene tape had been removed and it looked as if nothing had ever happened. I hoped that the customers didn’t know about what had happened. I didn’t want them to be scared away. I sat in my car for a few moments and looked over at the shop with the pink sign above the door. The whimsical lettering made me happy. There was a pink and white awning above the door. I definitely had a color theme going on.
Obviously, I was delaying going inside, but I had to get my day started. With any luck customers would be coming in soon. I would be so busy I wouldn’t even have time to think about what had happened yesterday. As I got out of the car though, I scanned the area, wondering where the killer had been when he fired the shot. How long had he been waiting for Mr. Sutherland? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. And to think that he’d probably seen Mary Jane and I when we first entered the shop. He could’ve been waiting for hours. I hurried my steps toward the shop, looking over at the dentist’s place as I walked by. I’d have to pay him a visit soon. Mary Jane, Grandma Honey, and my mother would like that.
Once at the shop, I unlocked the door and turned the sign to Open. Now I peered down to the spot on the floor where Mr. Sutherland’s body had landed. Would I ever forget about that? Probably not. It was too late to move though. I eased around the spot and headed toward the back. The bright displays of candy made me smile. Just thinking of wrapping up the candy for customers in the pretty packaging made me do a little dance on the inside. I pulled an apron over my neck, tied it around my waist, and straightened my clothing. I was all set for my first customer.
I looked at the time on my watch. Where was everyone? I moved from around the counter and headed back over to the window. As I stood at the front of the shop peering out the window looking for a customer, I spotted the dentist. He certainly was handsome. He looked over my way. I knew my cheeks turned red. I hadn’t planned on him catching me watching him. How pathetic did I look standing there? I probably looked like a sad little lost puppy. He tossed his hand up in a wave. Oh, no, now he was headed toward the shop.
When he walked into the shop our eyes met. “Hello,” he said.
“Good morning,” I said. I was pretty sure he wasn’t here for candy, but had to ask anyway. “Can I get you some chocolate?”
Okay, that sounded kind of sad. A half-hearted sales pitch.
He chuckled. “Sorry, I’m not here for chocolate. Thanks for asking though.”
His laugh was infectious.
I shrugged. “It’s what I do.”
“I just came by to check on you,” he said. “Are you all right?”
I’d been trying to forget about what happened, but it was understandable that he would want to know. After all, his office was right next to my shop. He probably wanted to know why I had attracted crime to the area. Less than twenty-four hours and already someone had been murdered.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“You look great.”
I chuckled. “You sound surprised when you say that.”
His cheeks turned a bit red. “That’s not what I meant. After what happened I would expect if you seemed a bit stressed. You know, maybe a scrunched-up face.” He mimicked the look.
“Slumped shoulders and dark circles under my eyes?”
He grinned. “Yes, I suppose that’s it. Though I bet you look great all the time.”
Now I was the one blushing. I was surprised that he had noticed much about me. The first time I met him he seemed more worried about the fact that I’d opened a ca
ndy shop right next door.
“I’m just trying to keep my nerves calm and get through the day,” I said.
“I’m glad to hear that. I was worried about you.”
“You were?” I asked with shock.
“Of course, I was,” he said.
That made me blush again.
He stepped closer to me and the sunlight splashed across his face. His beautiful blue eyes sparkled in the light. Of course, he had perfect teeth. I mean, he was a dentist. He looked around the room, probably wondering why there were no customers.
“Mornings are probably slow. You know, with people waiting until lunch to get candy,” I said.
The sides of his mouth tilted upward. “Probably.”
Undoubtedly, he said that out of pity.
When the silence lingered between us just a tad too long, he said, “Yes, I would imagine afternoon would be better for candy. It’s not exactly a breakfast food.”
“Exactly,” I said with a little too much excitement.
What he said made me feel a bit better. Maybe he wasn’t pitying me after all. At least that was what I would keep telling myself.
“How are you doing after what happened?” He stared at me.
“So you heard about that?” I asked.
“Yes, it was all over the news, and when I couldn’t get into my office because the police had everything blocked, it became even more evident that something serious had happened.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Do they know why he was killed or who did it?” he asked.
“No,” I said.
“You didn’t do it, did you?” he asked in a teasing tone.
“Of course not,” I said in a bit of a panic. Maybe I sounded guilty. Did he really think I might be the killer? “I mean, I don’t know what happened.”
He looked down at the spot where Mr. Sutherland had landed.
“How did you know where they found the body?” I asked.
He studied my face for a moment. “I didn’t know. The news said he was killed while entering… so I just assumed.”