by Tonya Kappes
“I’m so happy for you!” I rushed over and gave her a big hug. “This is Walker Peavler. Otis’s son and after the holidays he’ll be moving here. When he cleans out the space, we can get the renovation started.”
We could’ve done it a lot quicker, but under the circumstances I felt we needed some space between Otis’s murder, the holiday and bringing the killer to justice.
“I couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t wait to tell you, so I came in early.” She was beaming. “It’s like Christmas came a few days early.”
“I can’t wait to tell Loretta,” Aunt Maxi walked over to Emily and gave her a hug. “She’s been fretting about what we were going to do with that building. She’s going to be relieved.”
“Party without me?” Bunny Bowowski waddled in with her purse swinging from side-to-side from the crook of her elbow. She took off her coat and shook the snow off. She had a shawl over her shoulders and her house coat on over pink pantyhose with her medical black thick-soled shoes on. “Hiring people to take my job and now a party without me?”
“I don’t think so.” I helped her hang her coat up and gave her an apron. “I think everyone has a lot on their mind. Walker, this is Bunny.”
“You’re that guy that came in here the other day looking for Roxy.” She pointed to me. “Here she is.”
Walker laughed.
“She’s crazy.” Aunt Maxi circled her finger around her ear.
“I’m not crazy. You’re the one with tinsel hair.” Bunny had a point.
“Are you my Secret Santa?” Aunt Maxi gave a sly look to Bunny.
“Heck no. I’d never spend that much money on you.” She quirked her right brow. “Anyway, what business do you have with Roxy?” Bunny turned her attention to Walker.
“My father is Otis Peavler and Roxy was nice enough to help me out on the first day I was in town and I wanted to thank her for it. Not only that, but I’m adopting Felix and moving here,” he said.
“Roxy is engaged.” Bunny blurted out.
“Mm hmmm,” Aunt Maxi hummed, “I told him that too.”
“And he’s a very lucky guy.” Walker had charm that both ladies caught on to real fast. “But I’ve got my eye on Camey. Who can tell me something about her?”
Aunt Maxi wasted no time taking Walker by the arm and giving him the low-down on Camey and her family that’d all come from Honey Springs. Aunt Maxi loved to match-make and this was a perfect time to get her mind off this Secret Santa situation.
Since Bunny and Emily were at the coffeehouse, I was able to spend time with the customers and boxing up goodies for their upcoming parties. Emily got to work in the kitchen making up more goodies for the glass display. The Christmas carols were playing, the fire was lit and the snowfall still hadn’t stopped.
It looked like it was going to be a white Christmas. Something I really was looking forward to.
“The Bean Hive,” I answered the phone when it rang.
“Roxanne,” Aunt Maxi meant business when she called me by my full name. “I’m with some of the girls from church and we are planning Otis’s memorial. Can you run by Juanita’s and get some photos for his memorial board?”
“Sure. It’ll help get me out of the coffeehouse for a few hours,” I replied and looked around.
It’d become slow in the shop and Bunny would love to be in charge.
“In fact, I can probably take off the rest of the day and finish up my Christmas shopping because Kelly will be in here this afternoon and Emily said she’d train her.” It was working out great.
“Wonderful. Bring them to me at the church undercroft when you get them.” She gave me some more specific instructions on the types of photos she wanted, as if I didn’t know to pick ones where Otis looked happy.
After we hung up, I made sure everyone was good for the rest of the day and called Patrick to make sure he knew I was going to be home after I did a few errands. He was tying up a few loose ends before the company Christmas break and told me he would check on the situation with the cabin fire.
I’d promised him that I wouldn’t check with Spencer or do anymore investigation on Otis and I was going to keep my promise. With someone burning down my house, it was an eye opener to stay far away.
On my way through town, I stopped by Christmas in the Park and dropped off the refills to Mom at the booth. She was happy as a lark and sad to see the last day of the event come to a close. She said it’d been good for her to get to know people in the community and making contacts as well as a few people in the market to buy a home or rent a cabin for the summer.
When I pulled up to Juanita’s my heart sank. Her Christmas lights still weren’t plugged in, the blow-up Santa was deflated flat on the ground and I knew this was going to be hard for her to pick out photos that showed happy memories. It was still hard to even imagine how difficult this time was for her. Though I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew about Otis’s family.
“Hey there.” I greeted Sheldon when he answered the door. “I’m here to pick up the photos for Otis’s memorial.”
“Mama didn’t say anything before she left, but if you want to come in and look at her photo albums, you’re more than welcome.” He opened the door and I stepped in.
“If I’d known she wasn’t here, I’d have brought you some sweet treats. I feel awful that I tempted your mama.” I smiled.
“Nah.” He patted his belly. “Don’t feel bad. I would’ve eaten them, but I’ll be paying plenty extra in the gym already when I get back home next week. I’ve got a big match coming up and I’ve got to keep in shape which is hard here when I’m eating all this good southern food.”
“What do you do?” I followed him into one of Juanita’s guest bedrooms.
“I work as a financial analyst during the day but training to be an extreme kickboxer at night. Kickboxing is really getting popular.” He opened up the closet door and there were stacks upon stacks of old photo albums. “I’m sure you’ll find something in there.”
“How is your mama doing?” I asked and took my jacket off before I sat on the ground and took out one of the photo albums.
“She’s okay. She said it was the company that she’s going to miss. I tried to get her to come live with me, but she said Honey Springs is her home.” He shook his head and looked through one of the albums too. “Otis was just like a dad to me.” He showed me a photo in the album of him and Otis fishing at Lake Honey Springs.
“I’m sure he was.” I put my hand on his arm and clearly could tell he had some muscles under his shirt sleeve. “That’s a good photo. Let’s use it.”
He took the photo out and it started the pile. There were so many photos of Otis with Juanita and with Sheldon. Even some very young ones.
“When did Juanita and Otis start dating?” As much as I tried not to do any sort of sleuthing, the images and time frame were not adding up to me and was really bugging me.
“I don’t even remember because I was a kid. All I know is what my mama told me about my dad and how she met Otis when he moved here.” He put another photo on the pile. “She said that he swept her off her feet.”
“That’s cute,” I tried to say in a way that hid my confusion of the timeline and the photos I was looking at.
The phone rang and Sheldon excused himself to go answer it. He made a comment that people hadn’t stopped sending condolences to Juanita. I loved that about the residents of Honey Springs. We looked out for our own. Even though Sheldon was going to be leaving and going home, I knew we’d take care of Juanita and I wanted to make sure he knew that.
There was a box on the top of the shelf that had Otis’s name on it. I stood and reached up to get it. When I opened it, there was some photos of Otis holding his baby. Obviously Juanita knew about Walker.
“That was the women of the church saying they got some food together.” He walked back in. “What’s that?”
“I wasn’t sure if your mama knew about Otis’s wife and son, but apparently she did.” I sh
owed him the photo.
“You know,” His eyes blinked rapidly. “He never did right by my mama.” He grabbed the photo and ripped it up. “He thought he could come here and just charm her like Walker is doing with all y’all.” His sudden anger began to frighten me.
“I’m sorry.” I gathered up the pile of photos we’d already picked out. “I’ll just use these. I didn’t mean to bring up any ill feelings.”
“Ill feelings? You think these are ill feelings?” He snarled. “How would you feel if your dad came into town and preyed on the innocents of your mama? Then he got her pregnant and wouldn’t marry her, forcing her to tell her son lies all his life saying her boyfriend was a pretend father. When I needed a kidney, my mother then decides to tell me that Otis could be a match because he’s my father. Tell me about ill feelings.”
“I had no idea you were sick.” I stood up and calculated how I could get out of here the fastest.
“I need a kidney. When I approached him the other night and told him that I knew he was my father and I’d researched all his background, even went to see his old woman in the nursing home and looked up Walker, and how he disgraced my mother all these years. Letting her live here in this dumpy house while his real wife lived in some swanky nursing home.” His words swirled in my head. “One thing led to another. Words were flung and I didn’t want his kidney in my body. I’d rather him die.”
I gulped.
“But you going around telling everyone you’re this fancy lawyer and looking into things. I thought I’d sent a real clear message by catching your tree on fire to stay away, but here you are, being the nosy, gossip you are and trying to figure it all out.” He slipped off his belt from around his waist and snapped it taut. “I killed Otis with this belt. He was old and not much of a match for me, but you look like you’d wiggle a little more after I slip this around your neck and pull it so you can’t breath.”
He took a few steps closer.
“Please don’t. I truly came here to get some photos for my aunt Maxi. I swear,” I started to cry, “I won’t tell a soul. I’ll take care of your mother for you. Trust me, I didn’t get along with my mother for a long time. I understand. I won’t say a word.”
He took another step forward with his arms holding his belt stretched out in front of him before I let out the biggest scream.
“Hold it right there!” Spencer stood in the doorway of the bedroom with his gun pointing right at Sheldon. “Sheldon, put the belt down or I’m going to shoot you.”
There was a moment of silence that hung in the air. A chill ran up my legs and along my spine as our locked eyes didn’t blink. Then, he opened his fists and the belt dropped. Before he could turn around, Juanita ran in and grabbed him around the waist.
“I’m sorry, honey. After talking with you last night, I knew you’d killed Otis. I couldn’t live the rest of my life being torn between the two of you.” She apologized for being the one who went to the police.
“You always picked him over me. Now look at you. You don’t have him and you certainly don’t have me anymore.” He jerked when Spencer cuffed him and dragged him out of the house.
“I’m so sorry.” Immediately I put my arms around Juanita and did the best to comfort her. “I know that was very hard. Otis would’ve been so proud of you.”
“I know that my situation with Otis wasn’t ideal. But his wife was no longer a wife and he wouldn’t divorce her since she didn’t know anything anyway. We might’ve gone about things the wrong way and when I got pregnant with Sheldon twenty-five years ago, we were shocked. I was pretty old then. He didn’t have a relationship with his wife or son anymore. I should’ve been honest with Sheldon and maybe this would’ve never happened.”
I’m not sure if it made her feel better that she confessed to me, but I sat there and listened to the last twenty-eight years of her life. Then we picked out the best photos that showed her love and life with Otis.
Sixteen
“Merry Christmas,” I greeted Walker when he showed up at the door with Camey, Amelia, and Juanita.
It’d taken some coaxing over the last couple of days to convince him to come to Patrick’s house for Christmas supper.
“Merry Christmas,” each of them said when they entered the house.
“This is my granddaughter, Amelia.” Walker so proudly introduced the little girl that looked exactly like the photo he’d shown me.
“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled. “Santa brought me a cat for Christmas.”
“Wow,” I felt the joy from her words. “You must’ve been a very good girl.”
“His name is Felix.” She was beaming. “And I’m getting a new room. Granddaddy and I are moving into a hotel.”
“You are?” I looked between Camey and Walker.
“Santa brought me a boyfriend,” Camey winked.
“I never thought I’d find love again. I think my dad knew all along.” Walker looked over at Juanita. “I’m going to take care of Juanita and my mom. I’m going to take early retirement and do right by Amelia. She needs a family and community like Honey Springs.”
“That’s wonderful.” This was an extra Christmas present for me. “Come on in and enjoy some holiday cheer.”
The Christmas tree was lit. Sassy and Pepper had on their Christmas sweaters and curled up next to Patrick’s fireplace. Patrick and I had set up a long banquet table in front of the large windows overlooking the deck and Lake Honey Springs.
Patrick had even put up a Christmas tree on the deck and festive lights along the railing. It’d snowed a few inches and made it the perfect white Christmas. The surround sound played soft Christmas music and laughter filled the room. It was a far cry from the last few days where the joy seemed to be sucked out of Honey Springs and the holidays.
“Are you okay?” Patrick walked over to me and handed me a cup of my Christmas Harvest blend.
“Perfect. More than perfect.” I glanced around. “Everyone is here that I love.”
Aunt Maxi was talking to my mom. Bunny Bowowski was getting to the heart of the gossip and scoop from Camey about her relationship with Walker, not to mention throwing a few questions to him about what he’d planned to do with the rest of his life.
“And to think that we almost let all of this go ten years ago,” he reminded me of how far apart we were and how true love always found a way home. “Welcome home.”
“Merry Christmas,” I whispered. “I’m glad to be home.”
Looking at Walker and his new family that included Juanita made me think of my dad. Like Otis, I knew that my dad was beyond thrilled to see the families come together. It was through them and their love that Christmas was going to one of the most special times of the year. But truly I believed as a child that Honey Springs, Kentucky was magical. As an adult, I can say that I know Honey Springs was the most magical place on earth.
Merry Christmas!
Keep turning the page to see where it all started with this
free sample of
Scene of the Grind
Book One
A Killer Coffee Mystery
One
Drip, drip, drip.
There is something about coffee that brings people together. And they don’t even have to like coffee. Is it the smell? Is it the comforting sound of the drip? I don’t know. All I did know was that my new coffee shop in the touristy lake town of Honey Springs, Kentucky, The Bean Hive, was opened for business.
“Seven a.m.,” I muttered after I’d glanced up at the clock and drew my eyes back out the front doors of the coffeehouse located in the best spot on the boardwalk that ran along Lake Honey Springs.
The boardwalk held fond memories for me since I used to spend my summers here with my Aunt Maxine. Maxi for short. For the past year my life was stalled in a little bit of what I’d call a fork in the road, so after hearing Aunt Maxi talk about all the revitalization of the boardwalk and not really knowing what to do, it sounded like a splendid idea to open a shop. At the ti
me.
The annual Honey Festival was in a couple of days and all the vendors and the new shops on the boardwalk were holding a grand opening. I’d already had the coffeehouse ready to open since when I moved to Honey Springs a few weeks ago, I made it a point to no longer sit around resting on my laurels, so I opened the shop a few days early. Which might not’ve been the best business plan since my only customers had been a few stragglers here and there. Mainly construction workers who were working day and night to get the shops ready for the big festival.
The Bean Hive was located in the middle of the boardwalk, right across from the pier. It was a perfect spot and I was beyond thrilled with the exposed brick walls and wooden ceiling beams that I didn’t have to touch. Luckily, Aunt Maxi owned the place. The rent was a little steep, but I’d watched a few DIY videos on YouTube to figure out how to make the necessary repairs for inspection. I couldn’t be more pleased with the shiplap wall I’d created myself out of plywood painted white to make it look like real shiplap.
Instead of investing in a fancy menu or even menu boards that attached to the wall, I’d bought four large chalkboards that hung down from the ceiling over the L-shaped glass countertop.
The first chalkboard menu hung over the pie counter and listed the pies and cookies with their prices. The second menu hung over the tortes and quiches. The third menu before the L-shaped counter curved listed the breakfast casseroles and drinks. Over top the other counter the chalkboard listed lunch options, including soups, and catering information.
On each side of the counter was a drink stand. One was a coffee bar with six industrial thermoses with different blends of my specialty coffees as well as one filled with a decaffeinated blend, even though I clearly never understood the concept of that. But Aunt Maxi made sure I understood some people only drink the unleaded stuff. The coffee bar had everything you needed to take a coffee with you. Even an honor system where you could pay and go.