Mocha and Murder

by Kappes, Tonya

  “It was only Spencer.” I hugged him tighter.

  “He’s single, good looking and not going grey like me.” He pulled away and brushed his hand through his hair.

  “It only makes you more mature looking and sexy.” I grabbed a fist full of shirt and tugged him toward me.

  His warm lips met mine, he put his arm around my waist and pulled me tighter.

  “Are you sure you can’t just call her?” he moaned.

  The light flickered and we stepped apart.

  “She used to do that when I was a teenager too. I’ll call you in the morning.” I gave him one last kiss before Pepper and I went into the house where I flipped off the front porch light like I used to when I was a teenager.

  Ten

  Four-thirty in the morning comes awfully early and the effects of trying to figure out who killed Fred, having my mother here, dating my fiancé, and running the coffeehouse had me sagging and dragging.

  “Let’s go, Pepper.” I’d gotten a quick shower, pulled my The Bean Hive logo polo on with a pair of khaki shorts.

  It was going to be a warm day, not to mention a busy day. This weekend was going to be packed. I had to get the coffeehouse ready for the start of the tourists arriving.

  “Good morning,” my mom startled me when I was trying to sneak through the cabin so I wouldn’t wake her up.

  My mom was already up and fresh as a daisy. She took one of the ceramic coffee mugs off one of the pegs over the coffee maker and poured me a hot cup of steaming coffee. I held the cup up to my nose.

  “Do I smell lavender?” I asked.

  “Taste it.” She encouraged me, taking a step back to see the look on my face.

  I brought the cup up to my mouth and took a sip. Without swallowing, I let the warm coffee sit in my mouth so the flavor would melt into my tongue before it slid down my throat.

  “Mom, this is delicious.” I took a bigger drink and thoroughly enjoyed the hint of lavender.

  “You aren’t the only one in this family who can make some great coffee.” She eased a smile. “In fact, I don’t think you remember when you were a little girl and wanted to drink my coffee so badly. Your father insisted you were too small to try it. But you were so smart.” She reached out and wrapped one of my curls around her finger. “You said that you had a headache.”

  “How old was I?” I asked.

  “Four or five.” She laughed. “Not old enough to know what a headache was, but you’d heard your father say he had headaches and I’d fix him a cup of coffee. It was your way of trying to get coffee. It was so cute. Of course I gave in and let you sip mine.” She brought her cup up to her lips and took a drink.

  “So I have you to blame for my coffee addiction?” I joked.

  “You’re welcome, because I can see you are very happy here.” She sighed. “You know I only wanted what was best for you. That’s why I pushed so hard for law school. As far as Honey Springs, your father used to tell me how most people who grew up in Honey Springs stayed here. I wanted you to see the great big world like I did. Your father was content staying in one place and you are just like him.” Her voice cracked, “I miss him so much.”

  “Where have you been?” I asked. “Where is your new husband?”

  That was a sore subject. I’d never met the man. Mom had called and told me she was going to travel the world and had gotten remarried.

  “That.” Her jaw tensed and she swayed her hip against the counter. She brought her hands up to her chest with her cup nestled between her fingers. “I’m going to shoot straight. I was gone most of the time for work because I was doing IT, but it was for the big Fortune 500 companies. It was during the time the Internet was hitting it big and I was pulling in a lot of money for our family.” She looked at me. “Not that it was right, but your father and I agreed that I’d do as many jobs as I could while the iron was hot.”

  My brows furrowed. I knew what it meant to work all the time.

  “Honey, it’s all over. I knew that I had to spend more time with you so I took one last assignment overseas and trained my replacement before I took early retirement. I never married, but that’s what I had to say so you’d believe I’d just up and run like before.”

  “Did Dad know?” I asked.

  “He did, but not Maxine. She just assumed I was a no account mother who’d go on trips for months and let your father take care of you. It wasn’t that I don’t like Honey Springs, but during the summer most of the big CEOs would take off. I was able to be home and that’s when he’d drag you here.”

  “After your father passed, I threw myself into my work. I’m not saying it was the right thing, but it helped not being in our home. You were in school, then you got married. When you told me that you were getting divorced, leaving your law practice, and moving here, I knew I didn’t want to waste any more time being without you.” Her words came out of her mouth and I could see the sadness on her face as her mouth dipped.

  “I. . .” I was at a loss for words as I started to digest all of it. “I’ve got to get to work, but why don’t you come down and teach me this lavender coffee.” I set the mug on the counter after I took another drink. “Is there some chocolate in there?”

  “White chocolate.” She tilted her head to the side. Her lips formed a thin line. “Thank you for giving me a place to stay. But I’ve got a meeting with Doris Blankenship to look at a house, so I can get out of your hair.”

  She took the travel mug off one of the open shelves next to the sink and filled it with coffee. She handed it to me.

  “Take your time.” I wanted to tell her that she wasn’t going to end my dates anymore and that I was a grown woman, but I figured we’d done enough therapy for four-thirty a.m.

  The seven-minute bike ride was refreshing. The air wasn’t too humid and there was a little breeze coming off the lake as the fog still hung a few feet above the calm water. The only sounds on the boardwalk were from the marina. There was always something going on there. Some of the summer citizens even spent the night on their boats. Big Bib did a lot of business with those customers because they’d buy him out of beer and hang out on the dock drinking until the wee hours of the night. Then he’d come into the coffeehouse and buy up my donuts to sell and serve for breakfast.

  I locked my bike in front of the coffeehouse, took Pepper out of the basket and opened the front door. The coffeehouse felt so much like home. I’d put all my heart and soul into it. It not only helped me with my passion in life, it helped heal my broken heart.

  I flipped on the lights and turned around to look out the window over Lake Honey Springs. My spirit was light and my heart was no longer heavy when I thought of my mother.

  “We are so lucky,” I said to Pepper who’d already left my side and danced around his bowl. “Alright, I’ll feed you.”

  On my way back to put some kibble in his bowl, I flipped on all the industrial coffee pots at the coffee stations, but not without thinking how Mom had made that amazing lavender flavor. I’d used lavender in tea before, but never infused my coffee with it.

  I headed back to the kitchen and turned on the gas ovens to preheat. There was going to be a lot of baking today and I might as well get to it. I knew the temperature was going to hit in the high eighties and the boardwalk would get hot. Most of the summer citizens brought their family pets to the lake with them, so even though I left out a bowl of fresh water outside of the shop, I decided to make pup-sicles instead of dog treats. There was something special about a my pup-sicles.

  I took out of the refrigerator the honey donuts that I’d taken out of the freezer last night when Patrick and I’d stopped by. I’d taken out seven dozen and knew that Big Bib would be here to get at least four.

  The bell on the ovens dinged letting me know they’d been preheated. I slid as many baking sheets filled with the honey donuts that I could into them and set the timer. There were four big seedless watermelons in the refrigerator that I needed to use before they went bad and knew they’d
be perfect for my pup-sicles.

  Pepper jumped up and barked a few times. I pushed out the swinging kitchen door. Aunt Maxi and my mom were both on the other side of the door, already fussing at each other. They didn’t even notice I was there. I tapped my fingernail on the glass. Both of them looked at me.

  “I’m not opening this door if you two are going to fuss and fight,” I warned them. “This is a safe zone.”

  Aunt Maxi criss-crossed her finger across her chest and Mom gave the girl-scouts honor. My eyes slid back and forth between them before I unlocked the door, letting them in.

  “Lock the door behind you,” I said over my shoulder on my way back to the kitchen. There was a scuffle behind me. I stopped and turned around. “Are you actually fighting over who can lock the door first?”

  I let out an exhausted sigh and shook my head on the way back into the kitchen. Like two scolded teenage girls, they came in silently and both sat on the stools at the island.

  “Mom, can you make a pot of that lavender coffee for us this morning?” I asked.

  “Of course, dear.” She jumped off the stool and tugged on the edge of her shirt.

  Aunt Maxi’s mouth dropped open and her eyes narrowed. When she caught me looking at her, she turned her lips up into a huge smile.

  “How is Patrick?” she asked.

  “He’s great. We went out on his boat last night. We were going to go fishing, but it was so romantic that we just enjoyed each other’s company until Mom wouldn’t stop calling.” I grabbed an ice cream scoop from one of the kitchen drawers.

  “He’s a good boy.” Aunt Maxi nodded.

  “Can you get me the coconut milk out of the refrigerator?” I asked her. If I kept them busy, maybe they’d get along.

  As I scooped out the inside of the watermelon, I went ahead and put it in the blender. I took the coconut milk Aunt Maxi had set next to the blender and added it to the blender. As the blender mixed the two ingredients I used in my pup-sicles, I grabbed industrial ice trays from the freezer and brought them over to the island where I poured the mixture into the trays.

  “The animals are going to love those.” Aunt Maxi put her hands together. She looked over at my mom as Mom poured three cups of her secret coffee. “Do you want me to get rid of her?” she whispered.

  I glared at her as I scooped more watermelon.

  The timer on the oven dinged and without telling her, Mom grabbed a couple potholders and took out the donuts.

  “If you want to grab three dozen to-go boxes and fill them, that’d be great.” I still had to add more honey glaze over top of them, but I’d wait to do that when Big Bib got there so they were super fresh.

  As Mom and I worked at the island and Aunt Maxi enjoyed the coffee, I figured it was time to call a truce between all of us.

  “I’m only going to say this once. You can choose to listen to me and accept my decision or you cannot accept it and not be part of my life.” I looked at Aunt Maxi. “I know you own this building and I might make you mad, but I know you love me and I need you to accept my mom just as she is.”

  Aunt Maxi’s mouth opened to either protest or say something, but I tsked her.

  “And you know that I love Aunt Maxi more than just as an aunt.” My brows cocked when I looked at my mom who’d stopped putting the donuts in the to-go boxes to protest. She closed her mouth. I continued, “My parents loved each other. They raised me to be who I am and both of you love me. My heart and soul is right here in this building. All of you, Pepper, and my shop.” I bit back the tears as I realized my life was really starting to be the life I’d always dreamed of. “Regardless of Mom’s job, she’s retired and here now. She’s loving Honey Springs as much as I do.”

  “Can I say something?” Mom put her hand in the air like she was in kindergarten. “I was jealous that you got to spend the summers with my daughter, but I’m grateful at the same time because it gave me time to spend alone with my husband that I’m eternally thankful for.” She reached across the island and put her hand on Aunt Maxi’s. “I’d love to take you to lunch and explain where I’ve been all these years.”

  Aunt Maxi looked at me.

  “I know all about my mom. I would love it if you two could put your differences aside and work this out so we can be a family.”

  “Fine. How about Buzz In and Out around noon?” Aunt Maxi asked.

  There was a knock at the door. I stuck my head out the swinging door and noticed it was Big Bib.

  “Perfect.” Mom’s eyes squinted when she smiled. Relief washed all over me as I headed to the door to let him in.

  Eleven

  “How many apple crisps do we have left?” I asked Bunny on my way over to make more coffee at the coffee bar.

  “Just a few. Why?” she asked and handed a customer back some change from the register.

  “I’m going to take them to Fred’s wife.” Spencer had told me she was back in town from visiting her sister.

  “How many pup-sicles do we have left? I got a call asking if you could sell them in the size of the small ice bags that people buy for their coolers.” She opened the glass case and started to combine some of the pastries to make room for the ones we’d just baked to put out.

  “I can do that.” I noted that I was going to probably use the last two watermelons and I could buy more from Hill’s Orchard when I took the apple crisps out there. “When do they need them?”

  “I told them I’d call them back,” she called from the tea station where she was refilling the sugar jar.

  After making a batch of pup-sicles to freeze so the customer could pick them up this afternoon, I got some of the pastries started in anticipation of the weekend, after I went to visit with Fred’s widow, I’d get those baked and ready to freeze.

  Bunny had everything covered. The boardwalk traffic had died down and the lake traffic had picked up. Pepper and I walked down to Crooked Cat.

  “Hey,” Leslie waved from a chair that was one of many in a circle. “Excuse me.” She got up and put the book that was in her hands on her seat. “I’m sorry you couldn’t make it last night. Crissy is really fun.”

  She bent down to pat Pepper.

  “Oh good. I’m so glad you two got together. Next time.” I promised. “Did I interrupt?”

  “Book club meeting. We have it here once a month on Wednesday afternoons.” She pointed to a sign that was posted by the register. “It’s open to the public.”

  I eyed the group of women to see which one was Ida Combs.

  “It’s only an hour because most of the women work and come on their lunch break. What’s up?” she asked.

  My phone chirped in my back pocket. I sent it to voicemail when I saw it was Jeremy. He was probably calling about Tank and if there were any potential adoptive parents. I’d call him back.

  “I’m not sure if you heard that Fred Hill was murdered.” It was sort of a touchy subject with Leslie’s mom being murdered, but I needed to find out some information.

  “Crissy told me that you found him like you did my mama.” She had an eek look on her face.

  “Yeah.” I frowned. “I’m here because I’m going to be looking into the case as Louise Carlton’s lawyer.”

  “How can I help?” she asked.

  “I need any and all information you might have on Ayam Cemani, a type of exotic chicken.” I wasn’t even sure if I was pronouncing it right.

  “I’ve never heard of that before, but Joanne Stone is here and she’s Honey Springs’s librarian.” Leslie put her hand in the air and waved it calling over to the group, “Joanne, can you come here for a minute?”

  A woman with her long red hair braided in two nodded and came over. She was fairly young. Small orange freckles dotted all over her face.

  “Hi,” she said in a chipper voice.

  “Hi,” I smiled back.

  With a quick introduction, I was pleased to know that she’d been in the coffeehouse before.

  “Let me go look around and see what I
might have while you two talk.” Leslie excused herself.

  “I have a lot of information on different species of chickens. I’m sure there’s something on the Ayam Cemani. Why don’t I gather some information when I get back to the library and I’ll drop it off to the coffeehouse.” She was very helpful.

  “You don’t mind?” I asked knowing that I’d have to pedal to town to the library.

  “Not at all.” It was so nice and refreshing to be around a town where everyone looked out for each other.

  “When you do stop by, coffee and pastry on me.” I grabbed a piece of paper from Leslie’s counter and quickly wrote down my phone number and gave it to her.

  She made her way back to the book club.

  “I don’t know who on earth has this type of chicken.” Leslie brought back an encyclopedia with a photo of a black chicken. “But these animals are called the Lamborghini of chickens.”

  “Huh?” I drew back, my brows furrowed.

  I followed her finger as she leaned toward me to read along.

  “It says here that these birds are very rare and can sell for over twenty-five hundred dollars,” she read what I’d already learned from my own internet search.

  But hearing someone else say it out loud only made me gnaw on the thought that I might be right. . . .someone else had motive to kill Fred.

  “What did Joanne say?” she asked.

  “She’s going to get some information together for me and bring it by the coffeehouse.” I looked over at the group. “I’m in a hurry, but can you point out Ida Combs to me?”

  “Sure. She’s the one over there with that big brown bun on top of her head and cat-eye rhinestone glasses.”

  I took a mental picture in my head so when I did go to the courthouse to check out a few things, that I’d remember her.

  “Thanks, Leslie. You’re the best.” I patted my leg for Pepper to come. “Come down for a treat on me.”

  Twelve