A Witchy Valentine (Harper Grant Mystery Series Book 4)

by D. S. Butler

  I finished off the pie, which was delicious, and set my knife and fork together on the edge of the plate.

  “Thank you, that was lovely.”

  “Maybe we should go back to Monty’s house?” Grandma Grant said. “After all, we didn’t really get a chance to have a look around last time.”

  My eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s a terrible idea. Deputy McGrady is already on the war path, and you promised Chief Wickham to keep me on the straight and narrow.”

  Grandma Grant smirked. “I kept my fingers crossed behind my back when I said that. “So, it doesn’t count.”

  The following morning, I worked the early shift at the diner. After the initial breakfast rush was over, Archie decided to show me the decorations he had organized for Valentine’s Day. He had paper hearts in a variety of sizes, all in different shades of pink, and I promised him I would help him decorate the diner before my shift tomorrow.

  I sipped my coffee as Archie told me the Valentines menu he’d planned for tomorrow.

  For breakfast, there would be heart-shaped stacked pancakes along with the usual breakfast items. A special Valentine’s burger would be available for lunch, with two different types of cheese, and the special Valentine’s dessert was going to be a frosted red velvet cake decorated with hearts.

  “It all sounds lovely,” I said to Archie and smiled. I loved how enthusiastic he was about the diner. He really took pleasure in feeding people and making sure they were satisfied and happy.

  I was looking forward to sampling Sarah’s red velvet cake again.

  “Maybe Sarah should make two of those cakes,” I suggested. “I have a feeling they’re going to be very popular.”

  Archie nodded. “I think you’re right, and it shouldn’t be a problem to make two. We have the equipment and enough ingredients. I am sure we can all help if there are any leftovers.”

  He chuckled and nudged my elbow.

  I grinned back at him. “I would be more than willing to help with that.”

  The door opened, and both Archie and I looked up to see who our next customer was.

  It was Keith.

  He walked up to the counter, grinning broadly, and completely ignored Archie.

  “Hello, Harper.”

  “Hi, Keith. How are you?”

  He didn’t answer me straightaway but just carried on staring at me, which was disconcerting.

  “What can I get you?” I asked, prompting him.

  “Oh… Yes... um...I will have a coffee and a chocolate chip muffin to take out, please.”

  I smiled at him. “Coming right up.”

  “So, have you been involved in the big police investigation, Keith?” Archie asked.

  Keith reluctantly turned away from me and looked at Archie. “I can’t talk about it,” he said.

  Keith often helped out Chief Wickham on an ad-hoc basis, but he wasn’t an official police officer, and I doubted he really knew anything about the case, especially as it was under Cherrytown’s jurisdiction.

  Chief Wickham and Joe had been roped in to help because Cherrytown’s law enforcement didn’t have much experience with murder.

  I placed the chocolate chip muffin in a bag and set it on the counter before walking over to the coffee machine to pour Keith some of the rich, dark coffee into a takeaway cup.

  “Oh, I’m sorry I mentioned it, Keith,” Archie said. “Besides, Chief Wickham probably hasn’t confided in you anyway.”

  Archie was deliberately prodding Keith for details.

  I narrowed my eyes. That was mean of Archie, but I wasn’t about to stop him. I wanted to hear if Keith would reveal any useful information.

  “That’s not true,” Keith said, pulling himself up to his full height and puffing out his chest. “The chief confides in me about all his cases. He told me I am a very loyal worker.”

  Archie grinned. “If you say so, Keith.”

  “I will have you know that only yesterday the chief confided in me. He told me he was close to discovering who broke into Monty’s house.”

  I looked up sharply and almost spilled the coffee.

  I carefully placed a plastic lid on the cup and carried it over to Keith, hoping he’d reveal another tidbit of information before he left.

  “Yes,” Keith said proudly, nodding. “They found an item of clothing left behind by one of the intruders. A scarf.” Keith waggled his eyebrows at me. “Criminals are often very stupid.”

  I resisted the urge to scowl. Keith was obviously talking about my scarf, but the way he was talking, made it clear he didn’t know it was mine.

  I was thankful that Chief Wickham and Joe had kept that to themselves at least.

  I couldn’t believe Keith had called me stupid. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box, so this was a low point for me. The worst part of it was: he was right.

  After Keith had left, I went to wipe down the tables so we would be ready for the lunchtime rush.

  I hadn’t seen Monty since we’d arrived and Loretta had escorted him off to the back room.

  Monty had sent me a beseeching look as Loretta fussed over him, but I’d ignored his silent plea for help. It wasn’t as if I could do anything about it, and I was sure that Loretta’s company wouldn’t hurt him.

  She was just a little full on at times, but she couldn’t help it. It had to be lonely here at the diner with only me to talk to, especially when she could only talk to me when there was no one else around. Life wasn’t easy for Loretta.

  I had planned to go and see Laura Carmichael when I’d finished my shift. I’d decided that she was top of my suspect list, and I couldn’t let her keep avoiding me.

  But, as it turned out I didn’t have to go and find Laura.

  She came to me.

  Chapter 25

  Nobody could have accused me of playing it cool and acting naturally when Laura Carmichael walked into the diner. I was in the middle of wiping down table number seven, and when I looked up and saw her, my jaw dropped open.

  I glanced in the direction of the back room but knew I couldn’t go and get Monty in case Laura gave me the slip again.

  At first, I assumed it was just luck that Laura had entered the diner where I worked. I figured I would have to corner her quickly before she noticed me and rushed off, but to my surprise, she walked directly up to me.

  Tucking her fluffy blonde hair behind her ears, she said, “Can you spare a few minutes? I’d like to talk to you.”

  I was so surprised I took a few seconds to answer.

  Eventually, I nodded and said, “Give me just one second.”

  I dashed into the kitchen and quickly told Archie I’d be busy for a few minutes talking to Laura. He didn’t object because we weren’t busy.

  I walked back into the main area of the diner, trying to collect my thoughts. I might only get one shot at questioning Laura, and I needed to get it right.

  “Can I get you something? A cup of coffee?” I asked Laura.

  Despite the amount of make-up she wore, I could see her face was pale. And she had dark circles under her eyes indicating she hadn’t been sleeping well.

  I gestured to the nearest table. “Shall we sit and talk here?”

  Laura nodded and sank down into one of the chairs. I sat opposite her and waited for her to speak first. I didn’t want to ruin things by asking too many questions up front.

  Laura had obviously come here to talk to me for a reason.

  She placed her hands on the table and interlinked her fingers.

  “I am sorry for turning up out of the blue like this,” she said. “I heard you were close to Deputy McGrady.”

  I frowned in confusion. I hadn’t expected her to say that.

  I felt my cheeks flush. “Who told you that?”

  Laura shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I thought you might know how close the police are to solving Monty’s murder.”

  “I’m afraid I’m not as close to Deputy McGrady as you might think,” I said, omitting to mention Joe w
as absolutely furious with me at the moment. I decided Laura didn’t need to know the details.

  Laura clasped her hands together. “I need to know how close they are to getting the killer. I…” Laura jumped as the door to the diner opened, and Mrs Ethel Goodridge stepped inside.

  When Laura saw it was only a little old lady, who wasn’t a threat to anyone, she let out the breath she’d been holding.

  She had clearly been expecting someone else. Someone much scarier than Ethel Goodridge.

  I reached out to touch Laura’s hand, but she flinched and snatched it away.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I’m feeling a bit jumpy today.”

  “That’s okay. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you seem scared.”

  Laura looked close to tears, but she didn’t reply.

  “Can you tell me what’s worrying you?” I asked. “You might feel better if you confide in someone.”

  Laura shook her head firmly. “I can’t tell you. It’s too complicated.”

  I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the surface of the table, as I tried to figure out what was going on and why Laura was acting so afraid.

  “Look, if you can’t tell me what’s bothering you, then go and talk to Deputy McGrady or Chief Wickham. They are both very kind men and will help you.”

  That was the wrong thing to say.

  Laura shot to her feet. “No, no! I can’t!”

  She darted out of the diner before I even had a chance to ask her any questions about Monty’s death.

  I quickly got up from the table, following her, and peered out of the door.

  She was running across the street. I thought about giving chase but then dismissed the idea as ridiculous.

  I sighed in frustration.

  No doubt, Grandma Grant would laugh at me for even thinking it, but I had gotten a vibe from Laura. I didn’t think she was a killer, though. I thought she was absolutely terrified.

  After Laura left, I couldn’t concentrate on my orders. I kept asking myself why she was afraid. Had someone threatened her? Did she know who’d killed Monty?

  If Joe and Chief Wickham hadn’t been so angry with me, I would have gone and asked their advice. But even if I gently suggested they talk to Laura, they would assume I was interfering again.

  For the next hour or so, the diner was more hectic than usual as more customers crowded inside. Although I was busy, my mind was elsewhere. When I brought two homemade lemonades over to table six, the two teenage girls sitting there had pulled faces and informed me they had ordered Cokes.

  Full of apologies, I retreated to the kitchen.

  Sarah looked up as I entered. “What’s wrong?”

  I shook my head. “I just made a silly mistake with a drinks order. I can’t seem to get it together this afternoon.”

  Sarah lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “It’s only a drinks order, Harper. It’s hardly the end of the world. Do you need to take a quick break? I think the rush is dying down now.”

  I nodded gratefully. “I’ll just give them their Cokes, and then I’ll take five minutes. Thanks, Sarah.”

  I took the fresh drinks over to the girls and noticed they were watching me closely. I didn’t think it was just because I’d messed up their drinks order.

  The Grant family were viewed with suspicion in Abbot Cove. Jess and I tried our best to fit in, but I couldn’t blame the town’s reaction to us all on Grandma Grant’s strange behavior.

  There were times when I acted quite strangely myself, particularly when I forgot I wasn’t supposed to talk to ghosts in public.

  I went into the back room to take my five-minute break and talk to Monty and Loretta. Loretta was rushing around giggling, almost acting like a schoolgirl. And Monty hovered over the couch looking bemused.

  Loretta turned and smiled at me as I entered. Then the smile dropped from her face when she saw my expression.

  “What is it? What has happened?”

  Too restless to sit down, I paced the small room. “I just had a visit from Laura Carmichael. She came to see me because she thought I was close to Deputy McGrady.”

  I ignored Loretta’s guffaw of laughter and continued, “She was keen to know how the police are progressing with the investigation.”

  Monty hovered forward closer to me, and Loretta put her hands on her hips.

  “Well, that’s not surprising if she is the killer,” Loretta said. “She would want to know how close the police are to arresting her.”

  I shook my head. I’d read somewhere that poison was usually a woman’s murder weapon, but despite that, I found it very hard to believe Laura had killed Monty.

  “It was more than that,” I said. “Laura was scared.”

  Loretta nodded firmly. “I’ll bet she was. Scared of getting caught.”

  I shook my head again. “I don’t think so.”

  “Why do you think she is scared?” Monty asked. “Do you think she knows something about my murder? That would be a good reason for her to be afraid. The killer might target her next.”

  “I think that’s the most logical explanation. Maybe she heard something or saw something. I tried to get her to go and visit Deputy McGrady and Chief Wickham, but she said she couldn’t and then she ran out before I could ask her any other questions.” I looked directly at Monty. “Can you think of a reason Laura would react like that?”

  Monty ran a hand through his thick, shaggy hair and sighed. “No. Whenever I saw Laura, she was always giggling and laughing. To be honest, I thought the whole dizzy blonde thing was a bit of an act. I always sensed, deep down, she was cleverer than she let on. If anything, she was a little too smart and calculating. I don’t think she could murder anyone, though.”

  I sighed as I leaned back against the wall. “So, what do we know about Laura? She works in the hair and beauty salon in Cherrytown. She wanted to do a beautician course so she could run her own business, and she was a man-eater, according to gossip.” I counted each nugget of information we had on Laura on my fingers. Then I stopped and frowned. “For some reason, Laura wanted to be involved in the historical re-enactment society…” I broke off and looked at Monty. “Doesn’t that seem odd to you?”

  Monty’s forehead creased in a frown. “Why?”

  “Well, Laura is very girly. She likes to have her hair and make-up just so. It seems strange that she would be so interested in historical battles, and enjoy traipsing around in muddy fields, don’t you think?”

  Loretta nodded slowly, agreeing with me. “Yes, taking part in battle re-enactments doesn’t fit her personality type.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with re-enactments. They are quite exciting,” Monty said grumpily.

  Loretta ignored him and warmed to her theme. “I bet she only took part to meet men. She was probably trying to snare Monty.” She waved her hand at him. “I mean look at him. He is tall, well-built and very handsome.”

  Monty blushed, and it was a struggle to hold back my laughter. I’d never seen a ghost with so much color in their cheeks.

  “Possibly,” I said, giving Loretta credit for her theory. “But Laura didn’t flirt with you, Monty, did she?”

  Monty sighed. “I think Laura flirted with everyone, but there wasn’t anything to it.”

  Loretta smiled triumphantly. “He’s so naive. Isn’t it cute?”

  Monty frowned. “I’m not naive. Besides, Laura mentioned a new man in her life just recently.”

  I nodded and then folded my arms across my chest. “Yes, but we don’t know who that man is, do we?”

  Monty shook his head.

  “I feel like we are getting closer, but I’m missing an important clue. I agree with you, Monty. I don’t think Laura is a killer, but somehow, she is involved. I am sure of it.”

  “Then you’ll have to speak to her again,” Loretta said simply. “You’ll have to get the truth from her.”

  I nodded but thought that would be easier said than done. Laura was very good at avoiding me when she d
idn’t want to talk.

  I quickly glanced at the clock on the wall. “I better get back to work. Sarah said she’d cover me for five minutes, but I don’t want to take advantage of her kindness.”

  Chapter 26

  The remainder of my shift at the diner dragged slowly. All I wanted to do, was get to Cherrytown and find Laura. I was beginning to think she was the key to solving this puzzle.

  Unfortunately, a few minutes before my shift ended, I got a text from Jess reminding me I was supposed to be cooking dinner tonight.

  I frowned in irritation. How could I let something as mundane as dinner get in the way of solving Monty’s murder, but I couldn’t let Jess down. It was my turn to cook dinner, after all. Neither Jess nor I were very good in the kitchen, but that was something we were trying to remedy.

  Monty promised to guide me through making chicken fajitas, which didn’t sound too hard. I decided I would go to Cherrytown and visit the grocery store there, and then afterwards, try to find Laura. I would still have plenty of time to get back to Abbot Cove and cook dinner.

  It was a quick drive to Cherrytown because the roads were quiet at this time of day. I apologized to Monty and told him we’d have to do a little grocery shopping before finding Laura.

  Monty was amiable as usual and wasn’t put out at all.

  I parked at the back of the grocery store and then got myself a shopping cart and wheeled it inside the store.

  I’d tapped out a grocery list on my cell phone before we’d left the diner, and I studied it as I leaned on the shopping cart in the fruit and vegetable section.

  I grabbed a large brown onion and some juicy-looking red peppers and then headed to find the chilled meat.

  I found some plump organic chicken breasts and stashed them in my cart before heading off to locate the sour cream.

  I walked into the chilled aisle, which was lined with dairy products, and to my surprise, I saw John Gastineau and his wife at the end of the aisle.

  John’s eyes widened in surprise, and his hands fluttered around his body, as though he didn’t quite know what to do with them. The first day I met him, I put his anxiety down to Monty’s death, but now I wondered if he simply had an anxious temperament. Or maybe he was terrified of his wife. I couldn’t blame him for that. She was quite scary.