by Lyndsey Cole
“That sounds like a good selection for the mornings. Do you have any idea what the customer numbers will be?”
“This is a better location than where I was before. We’re right on the water now, which is prime real estate and where everyone likes to be. I expect there will be a lot of tourists coming through for most of the year and they can help themselves and do take out if they want to keep moving or they can sit in here and enjoy the view. That’s why simple is best. We’ll be able to handle a lot more people if we don’t have to prepare individual meals.”
“What about lunch?”
Leona opened a new file for the lunch menu. “Lunch will be more labor intensive with made-to-order sandwiches, wraps and paninis. We’ll precut and measure ingredients so customers don’t need to wait too long after they order. And I want a variety of soups but we can make them ahead and freeze them.” Leona leaned back and waited for Annie to process all the information.
“That sounds like a well thought out plan. What are we going to make first? My stomach is telling me to send something down before we get too busy,” Annie said, hands on her rumbling stomach.
“I’ll make strawberry-banana smoothies and an egg sandwich for us if you want to get started making the blueberry muffins. All the recipes are in this folder on my laptop.” Leona opened the folder so Annie could easily find the recipe.
Annie hummed to herself as she pulled ingredients from the big refrigerator and the shelves. The whirr of the blender was soothing and the aroma of fried eggs and toast made her mouth water. When the food was ready, they both sat at the counter enjoying the quiet while they ate the delicious food.
“How’s my mom?” Annie finally broke the silence.
“Well,” Leona wiped her mouth and put her elbows on the counter. “She’s not great. I think something died inside after you left.”
“That’s not fair. Don’t try to make me feel guilty. It’s her own fault that I left and you know it,” Annie said angrily.
“I’m not blaming you, and it may be hard to forgive her, but sometimes it’s harder to hang onto the anger. She was trying to protect you. My guess is that she realizes what a bad choice it was to keep information from you but she can’t go back and do it over. Are you still searching for your birth mother?”
Annie nodded. “Max was helping and I thought he was getting closer, but then the lead disappeared into thin air. I’m still wondering if he found out more than he told me.”
“Max, your boyfriend?” Leona put her hand on Annie’s shoulder. “I know how hard it must be.”
“No you don’t. You can’t imagine what I’m feeling.” Annie quickly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Let’s get this finished for today so I can go back and check on Smokey.”
“You go ahead if you want. I’ll call Danny and check if he can stop by to get started on the shelves for the books. Get yourself settled into your apartment, I don’t mind baking by myself for the rest of the day. See you tomorrow morning, bright and early?”
Annie swiveled the stool around and slid off. “Sure. Bright and early.”
As Annie walked back to JC’s house to get her car, she called JC to fill her in about the apartment and Annie’s job working at the new café. JC was happy for Annie, and Annie had to wonder if that was because it meant she wouldn’t be crashing on JC’s floor again.
***
The early morning mist hung over Heron Lake like a warm down comforter when Annie walked to her window the next morning. She remembered, from living near the lake for most of her life, that the mist would break up, letting the sun dazzle off the water, and the sky would be bright blue by the time most people were up and about. A few early morning fisherman bobbed in their fishing boats, enjoying the peacefulness of the morning. She checked her phone, finding a missed call from Max from the night before.
“I’m not ready to talk to him yet,” she told Smokey. The kitten rubbed against her leg and meowed before jumping onto the window sill and gazing outside. His tail hung down and twitched as his eyes followed something moving outside. There was a small deck and Annie decided she would hang a bird feeder on the railing so Smokey had something interesting to watch. “I’m heading to work now. See you later.”
It was still early but Annie liked being up before the town woke up. The walk to Cove’s Corner only took about twenty minutes and gave her time to think about what Leona had told her yesterday about her mother. Walking down the slight hill from her apartment nested on the edge of the lake into the center of Catfish Cove gave Annie the comfortable sentiment of returning to an old friend. She walked past the one gas station at the edge of town, the small general store, with newspapers already delivered and waiting outside the door, and a medley of touristy shops selling all manner of souvenirs and locally made crafts.
The new Cove’s Corner building was on the best waterfront in town. The old tour company must have sold out to make room for the new structure, she decided. When Annie arrived at the French door leading inside to the café, she was surprised to find the door open. It is a safe town, so people probably forget to lock up all the time, she thought as she walked in. For some reason, goose bumps traveled up her arm. Something wasn’t right. She got a pot of coffee going, poured herself a cup and walked to the booth closest to the window to watch the fishermen.
The sound of a shattering cup on the shiny oak floor broke the silence. Annie’s hand flew to cover her mouth trying to keep the scream inside as she saw a body slumped in the corner of the booth.
Chapter 3
A slight touch on Annie’s shoulder and the scream escaped. Every muscle in Annie’s body tensed for flight as she whirled around with her hands up, clenched into fists.
“Sorry,” the intruder said as he backed up a couple of steps with his palms raised and open, showing he had no weapon. “The door was open and I wanted to say hello. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Annie looked into deep blue eyes and a kind, but weathered and scruffy, face. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, clean but scraggly. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to the body, double checking if it was still there and she hadn’t imagined seeing it.
It was still there.
Turning her gaze back to the man standing silently in front of her, she followed his eyes, now staring at the body. All color had drained from his face as he steadied himself on the table.
“What happened?” He whispered.
Annie bent down to pick up the broken pieces of her mug, carried them to the trash, and got out two new mugs. “Would you like some coffee?” Not waiting for a reply, she poured the coffees and put them on the counter, away from the body. Feeling numb, she functioned on autopilot until she could make sense of what happened. If there was sense to be made.
He nodded as he talked into his phone, closed it, and joined her at the counter.
“I called the police.” He held out his hand. “I guess we’ll be neighbors here, my name is Jake. I’m in the shop across the hall, next to The Fabric Stash.” Jake pointed to a sign she hadn’t noticed yesterday, Clay Design.
“I’m Annie. I’m working here with Leonia,” she told him halfheartedly, still distracted by the thought of the body. She walked back to the booth and looked at Max, slumped on the table.
Why did he come here? Was Annie in danger? A piece of paper sticking out of the back pocket of his jeans made her curious. A pink paper, not his color. As she pulled it out, she heard people walking in behind her so she stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans.
Leona rushed to Annie’s side. “What happened? Are you okay?” She turned Annie around and searched her face before looking at the body.
Annie waved her hand toward the booth. “This is what I found when I got here. That’s all I know.”
Roy barged in, took in the scene, and bellowed to Leona. “What trouble did you get into now?”
Leona worked her jaw muscles into a frenzy. With a firm, strong voice, she said, “Calm down, Roy. This has noth
ing to do with me.” She tilted her head and added, “Maybe you know what’s going on?”
The two stared daggers at each other for what seemed like forever to Annie, but was probably only several seconds, before sirens broke the silence.
Annie stuck her hand in her pocket, rubbing her fingers on the paper from Max’s pocket. “I need to go to the bathroom,” she said to whoever was listening and went into the hallway to find the restroom.
As she pushed through the door, the automatic light filled the room with a harsh fluorescent glare. Annie leaned on the sink. Her body was suddenly too heavy for her legs to support. What was happening? With shaky hands, she pulled the pink paper from her pocket, unfolded it slowly and read the words written in Max’s neat printing—A. Don’t trust anyone! M.
The bathroom door flew open. “The police need to talk to you,” Leona said to Annie’s back. Annie could see Leona’s reflection in the mirror as she carefully refolded the paper and slid it safely back into her pocket.
“I’ll be right out,” she answered, but the door had already slammed closed.
Annie sucked in a deep breath of air, letting it fill her lungs before exhaling. Max must have had information for Annie that he wanted to deliver in person. And now he was dead.
The café was buzzing with people when Annie walked back in. Tyler, in his uniform, tried to manage the chaos—giving instructions, ordering people where to wait and talking on his cell phone. When he saw Annie, his face softened and he motioned with his finger for her to come over. He nodded toward the counter stool as he finished his conversation on the phone.
“Quite a morning for you,” he said with his head tilted. “Want a glass of water or anything before you tell me what happened?”
Annie shook her head. “I’m fine.” She leaned on the counter with her hands folded under her chin.
Tyler waited for Annie to offer her story but she said nothing. Getting the ball rolling, he asked, “Was anyone here when you came in this morning?”
“I didn’t see anyone.”
“What time did you arrive?”
“Around seven, I guess. I walked from my apartment. The door was open and something didn’t feel right, but I didn’t see anyone.” Annie swiveled to look at Tyler. “It wasn’t until I walked to the window with my coffee. That’s when I saw him.” She quickly glanced at the booth where Max was still slumped over.
“You said something didn’t feel right? What do you mean?” Tyler said quietly as he moved closer to the counter next to Annie’s stool.
“I can’t explain. Just that when I walked in, something wasn’t right, like a chill in the air.”
“Okay, anything else?”
“I know who he is.” She turned and stared at Tyler.
Tyler’s eyebrows shot up. “Max Parker. We found an ID in his wallet. Did you check in his wallet too?”
“No. I mean, I know him. He’s my ex-boyfriend. I left his apartment yesterday morning to drive back here to Catfish Cove.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
Tyler pulled a napkin from the holder on the counter and handed it to Annie. “Did he come with you?”
“No. I guess he followed me here.”
Tyler leaned closer to Annie. “Was he stalking you? Are you in some kind of danger?”
Annie rested her forehead on one hand. “I don’t know what’s happening. I left because I thought Max might be in trouble and I didn’t want to get sucked into his drama, but I didn’t think it involved me. Not yet anyway.”
She turned away as Max’s body was carried out.
“If Max followed you here, maybe someone followed him and will be after you next. Be careful, Annie,” Tyler said with concern in his voice. “Where are you staying?”
“Leona found me an apartment on the lake. I’ll be fine.”
“The Cobblestone Cottage by any chance?”
“Yeah,” Annie said, surprised. “How did you guess?”
“Lucky guess.” Tyler smiled. “Leona and Jason Hunter, the owner, have been friends for a while. Listen Annie, take care of yourself. I’ve got to get to these other people now.”
Tyler walked to where Jake sat, jittering his foot and chewing on his thumbnail. Roy and Leona were arguing on the far side of the room. Roy grabbed Leona’s arm but she pulled away, heading toward Annie.
On an impulse, Annie picked up her camera and clicked a few photos. She didn’t know why, but when she looked at her photos, she could see a moment in time more clearly than in real life. It always helped her analyze a situation. She thought something might become more important or a clue might stand out when it was frozen in time.
Leona nudged her with an elbow. “Hey. Want to take a walk? Tyler said he’s closing the café for the day so I thought you might like to do some sightseeing, have some fun before we get back to baking tomorrow.” Leona’s eyes moved behind Annie to the café entrance and her lip twitched up in the start of a grin. “Don’t turn around now, but a real hunk is watching this drama. About six feet tall, dark, almost black eyes, probably late thirties.”
“A little young for you, don’t you think, Leona?”
“I’ve been called a cougar before, but if you want dibs, let me know.” She lowered her voice. “He’s coming over to us.”
“Is one of you Annie Fisher?” a smooth deep voice asked.
Leona smiled her coy, flirty smile. “Why yes, my friend is Annie Fisher, and who might you be?”
A hand settled on Annie’s shoulder. “Come with me, please. We need to talk.”
Chapter 4
Annie twisted her body away, remembering the words on Max’s note—don’t trust anyone. “Who are you?”
“Detective Neil Jaffrey.” He pulled his badge out and flicked it open for Annie to study.
Annie glanced toward Tyler, wondering if they were working together, and she saw a frown on his face but he didn’t interfere. She nodded at the detective. “Alright, but I’m not leaving the café.”
He cocked one eyebrow. “You seem nervous Ms. Fisher. What are you hiding?” He took her arm again and led her away from everyone else to a corner booth. “Sit there.” He pointed to the left side and he slid into the right. He methodically took a pad and pen from his jacket pocket, placing it on the table between them as he continued to stare at Annie. “Are you acquainted with Max Parker?”
Annie looked away. “We met at an art show in Cooper, New York, where I lived.”
“Are you an artist?” he asked, pointing his pen at her camera.
“I’m a photographer.”
“And Max?”
“He owned the gallery in town.”
“Was Max involved in something illegal?” Detective Jaffrey put his pen down and stared at Annie with his elbows on the table and his fingers intertwined in front of his chin.
Annie stared back into those dark eyes without flinching. “No.” She slid to the outer edge of the booth getting ready to leave.
Detective Jaffrey held her arm. “Are you sure? How well did you know him?”
Annie fidgeted and looked away from his searching eyes. “How well do you know anyone?” she muttered more to herself. “I wasn’t aware of anything.”
He tucked his pad back into his pocket. “You can leave for now, but we aren’t done.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear him. “Be careful who you trust.”
Annie blinked when she heard those words and a coldness clamped around her spine. “What?”
“Be careful who you trust. I have reason to believe Max was involved with some dangerous people and they may think he shared information with you.”
She slid back into the seat. “I don’t know anything. I left because I didn’t feel safe and I thought I could come back here to get away from his mess. Max was a good guy, always trying to help new and promising artists. Everyone liked him.” She glanced back toward the booth where he had been slumped over earlier. “At least everyone he introduced me to.” She dropped her eyes until the wave of
sadness passed.
“Okay, Ms. Fisher. Here’s my card. He tucked it under her hand and his touch lingered. Call if you think of anything else you want to tell me. Anything,” he repeated with emphasis. The dimple in his cheek when he smiled softened his stern look.
Annie slid from the booth, pulled her camera over her shoulder and searched the café for Leona. She noticed her father staring at her but he averted his gaze as soon as their eyes locked. Leona was talking to Tyler so she walked to the doorway and waited, frowning when Roy approached her.
“Your mother knows you’re back in town. Are you going to show her some decency and stop by for a visit?”
“Decency? That’s what I owe her? I’ll visit when I’m ready.”
“Listen, Annie, I’m sorry you were the first one here this morning to find the body.” She flinched when he put his hand on her shoulder. “Did you see anyone or anything else besides the dead guy?”
“Like what?” she asked with her guard up. Her father wasn’t nice to her unless he needed something from her.
“A weapon? Papers? Maybe he dropped something when he came in.”
Her hand slid into her pocket to find strength from the paper she’d taken from Max’s pocket and to remind herself of his warning. She couldn’t let her guard down, not even with the people she thought loved her. “No. Nothing.”
Leona took Annie’s arm, rescuing her from Roy. “Let’s go, Red. We need to make the most of today before work gets in the way.”
Annie couldn’t help but smile at her aunt. No one had called her Red since she left two years ago and she liked the nickname, when Leona said it. It reminded her of the special bond between the two of them. “Where are you taking me, Nani?”
“You know, your mother was furious when that name popped from your mouth before you said Mama. Don’t forget to grab your camera. I have a special friend I want you to meet.” Leona had a glint in her eye that made Annie suspicious of this adventure.