Daley Buzz Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Meredith Potts

  “You didn’t answer my question. Did you come here alone?”

  “I have answered enough of your questions for one day. No, make that enough for an entire lifetime,” Kayla said. “I just want to go home.”

  “Then answer my question,” David replied.

  “Yes. I came here alone. And now I’m going to go home alone,” Kayla said.

  “You can get annoyed at us all you want, but we’re just trying to find out the truth,” I replied.

  “I already gave that to you earlier. I’m in no mood to go over it again. Now can you get off of my back and just let me go home?”

  Even though Kayla’s attitude was foul, David didn’t put up a stink with her. He just let her continue walking to her car. Although, he didn’t take his eyes off of her the entire time. When Kayla got into her car and drove out of the parking lot, David and I headed toward the front door of the restaurant.

  ***

  Julie Lambert’s smiling face greeted David and I as we entered the restaurant. The curvy, redheaded forty-two-year-old seemed to be in a great mood.

  “Sabrina. David. It’s so good to see you,” Julie said.

  “Right back at you. By the way, thank you for the gift basket you sent me,” I replied.

  Julie had almost died during our last investigation. Were it not for David and me arriving at her house at just the right time to save her, Julie would probably be six feet underground right now.

  Julie glanced at David. “I wanted to send it to both of you, but I know you can’t accept gifts.”

  “That’s okay. I wasn’t interested in a spa and beauty gift basket, anyway,” David joked.

  Julie chuckled. “I imagine you weren’t.”

  “I loved it, though,” I said. “Thanks again.”

  “Don’t mention it. You two saved my life. Sending you a gift basket was the least I could do,” Julie said. “I just wish I could do more for you.”

  I exhaled. “I’m just glad that case is behind me.”

  “It’s just a shame that the peace and quiet didn’t last longer. I really thought things would finally start to get back to normal around here. Instead, I heard you guys are working on another case,” Julie said.

  David’s eyes widened. “Where did you hear that?”

  “You know how fast news travels around in this town,” Julie said.

  David shook his head. “The gossip mill strikes again.”

  “It’s not just the gossip mill.” Julie pointed at a big-screen TV that was mounted on the wall in the corner of the restaurant. “The story has been on the news all day.”

  “Let’s get back to the gossip mill for a second. Have you heard any particularly juicy tidbits that you can share with us?” I asked.

  “I heard that Gregory Morton’s wife kicked him out not too long ago,” Julie said.

  “We heard that, too,” David replied.

  “I also heard that Gregory was sleeping with Kayla Green,” Julie said.

  “We heard about that, too,” David replied.

  “I’m afraid that’s the juiciest gossip I have,” Julie said.

  “That’s a shame,” I replied.

  “How’s your case going?” Julie asked.

  David took a deep breath. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “That bad, huh?” Julie asked.

  “You know what would be good right now?” David asked. “A nice plate of barbecued chicken.”

  “That can be arranged. Although, I know something that might cheer you up even more. Prime rib is our special tonight,” Julie said.

  “I’m afraid that I have my heart set on barbecue,” David replied.

  “Fair enough. There are worse things to have your heart set on.” Julie grabbed two menus and began walking toward a table. “Follow me.”

  David headed toward the table. My feet did not seem to want to cooperate. As I glanced at the doorway that led to the kitchen, I could see why.

  Kaitlin Anderson entered the dining room from the kitchen and stopped in her tracks when she spotted me. In addition to being the manager of the restaurant, Kaitlin was also Clarissa Anderson’s daughter. A few weeks ago, she also had the dubious distinction of briefly being a suspect in her mother’s murder.

  The trim-bodied, five-foot-two thirty-five-year-old had an oval face, long brown hair and hazel eyes. The question on my mind was whether she also had an ax to grind with David and me.

  David was oblivious to Kaitlin’s presence as he sat down at a table. His focus was on me instead. “Sabrina, are you going to sit down?”

  After asking his question, he followed my eye line and spotted Kaitlin by the kitchen door.

  I was usually pretty good at reading people, but I had no idea how this was going to play out. It was always both interesting and nerve-wracking to run into someone who had been a suspect in a previous case. While in the heat of an investigation, it was easy to get lost in a case. To become so hyper focused that nothing else mattered other than finding the killer.

  When that case wrapped up, though, life went on. Sometimes with unexpected consequences. Oftentimes there was a serious fallout to deal with. Like former suspects holding a grudge over having been investigated in the first place.

  Unlike with Julie, it was clear that Kaitlin wasn’t going to be sending me a gift basket anytime soon.

  Kaitlin walked toward me with a deadly serious expression on her face. That prompted David to get up from his table and join me.

  I let Kaitlin make the first move.

  “David. Sabrina. I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you here again,” Kaitlin said.

  “I wasn’t so sure about that either,” I replied.

  “Before you sit down to eat, there’s something I want to say,” Kaitlin replied.

  “There’s something I want to say, too. I know things got a little heated during the investigation, and for that, I’m sorry, but David and I were just desperate to find the killer,” I said.

  “I know,” Kaitlin replied.

  The tight-lipped expression on her face didn’t gel with the reply she had given me.

  “There’s no hard feelings, is there?” I asked.

  Kaitlin hesitated before replying, “No.”

  Once again, her body language didn’t quite match up to the words that had come out of her mouth.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “I have to admit. In the middle of the case, I was furious at you both for suspecting me of murdering my own mother,” Kaitlin said.

  “And now?” I asked.

  “Part of me still can’t believe that you considered me as a suspect.” Kaitlin took a deep breath. “But another part of me knows that you just wanted to find out the truth. You were determined to find my mother’s killer at all costs. And you did. So the fact is that I owe you.”

  “You don’t owe us anything,” I said.

  Kaitlin shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I owe you everything. If it weren’t for you two, my mother’s killer would still be at large. I can’t even tell you what I’d do if her murderer was still roaming the streets.”

  “Now you don’t have to worry about that,” I said.

  “Thank you,” Kaitlin said.

  “You’re welcome,” I replied.

  “I second that,” David said. “It’s an honor to protect and serve the community.”

  With the discussion focusing so heavily on her mother’s murder, I wasn’t surprised to see Kaitlin get a little misty-eyed.

  She fell silent for a moment as she wiped her eyes, then replied, “How about we talk about something a little lighter?”

  “Sure thing,” I replied. “Food always makes for a good topic.”

  “Especially when you’re standing in the middle of a restaurant,” David joked.

  Kaitlin laughed. “That’s so true. Speaking of, it’s nice to see some of my mother’s regular customers back in here. Business has been a little sparse since the case wrapped up.”

  �
�I’m sorry to hear that,” I said.

  “Don’t worry. I have plans to get business booming again. But I won’t bore you with that right now,” Kaitlin said. “Are you two going to have your usual?”

  “That depends. Have you and your father added any new menu items since we’ve last been in here?” I asked.

  “My father actually isn’t involved in the restaurant anymore,” Kaitlin replied.

  My eyes widened. “Really?”

  Kaitlin nodded.

  “What happened? You two didn’t have a falling out, did you?”

  Kaitlin shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. Jake Williamson offered to buy the building that my father used to run his print shop out of.”

  “And your father accepted the offer?” I asked.

  Kaitlin nodded. “Without hesitation.”

  “Jake must have made him a pretty good offer.”

  “It was good enough that my father can take an early retirement.”

  “Is that what he’s going to do?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “What a difference a couple of weeks makes,” I replied.

  “I’ll say. Frankly, Jake’s offer couldn’t have come at a better time,” Kaitlin replied. “I love my father, but he and the restaurant business did not make a good fit.”

  “It turns out the food business has its unique challenges,” I said.

  Kaitlin sighed. “Tell me about it.”

  “Actually, now that you bring it up, I have a question to ask you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I heard a rumor that Jake offered to buy this place as well.”

  Kaitlin snickered. “Of course you did. Is there a secret in this town that you don’t know?”

  I exhaled. “There are actually more than I care to admit.”

  The identity of Gregory Morton’s killer sprang to mind. Not to mention the truth about what happened to my sister. Kaitlin may not have realized it, but secrets were so plentiful in Treasure Cove that I was struggling to keep up with them all.

  I was careful not to linger on that point. It had already been a frustrating enough day without stewing about all the things I still didn’t know.

  Kaitlin shrugged. “You could have fooled me.”

  “I know you said that business has been sparse lately, but you aren’t going to sell this restaurant to Jake, are you?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

  “My mother worked too hard building this restaurant from the ground up for Jake Williamson to buy it and turn it into some kitschy chain restaurant,” Kaitlin replied.

  “I’m happy to hear that you feel that way,” I said.

  David cleared his throat. “I’d be happy for some dinner right now.”

  I gave David a stink eye, then turned back to Kaitlin. “You’ll have to excuse my boyfriend. He gets a little cranky when he’s hungry.”

  Kaitlin glanced at David. “Don’t worry. I’m going to make sure you get a meal that knocks your socks off.”

  “I can’t wait,” David replied.

  “Speaking of, I should get back to work,” Kaitlin said. She glanced at Julie, who waited to scribble down our orders. “You take good care of them, all right?”

  Julie smiled. “I sure will.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  David and I ended up having a great meal. On the way back from the restaurant, I briefly got my hopes up that there would be activity at the banquet hall as we passed by. Unfortunately, the parking lot was completely empty.

  As much as I had been praying to stumble upon some sort of break in the case, it just wasn’t meant to be. But it was worth a try.

  Sigh.

  That was just the way things went sometimes when investigating a murder. It was a harsh reality, but not every one of my instincts paid off. A sleuth hit a lot of dead ends when working on a case. The good news was that it only took one break to blow a case wide open.

  At the moment, that break remained elusive. Even more, after a full day of investigating, my brain had turned to slop. Given those circumstances, I had David drop me off at home.

  My itinerary for the rest of the night was simple. I was going to curl up on my couch and watch a few episodes of my favorite detective show on television before crashing out early for the evening.

  But first, I had a feeling that a cute little furry friend would be waiting for me on the other side of my front door. No matter what kind of day I had, I could always count on a stumpy-pawed, tail-wagging reception from my favorite corgi when I returned home.

  That night, apparently Snickerdoodle had decided to make an exception. As I opened the front door, I didn’t see my dog anywhere.

  So much for a hero’s welcome. Snickerdoodle didn’t give me any kind of greeting whatsoever.

  I made my way into my living room and spotted the furry little guy crashed out on the couch.

  “Doodle, you sure know how to make life look easy,” I said.

  I took a few steps over to the kitchen, where I went to grab some chocolate ice cream from the freezer.

  Before I had a chance to reach my fridge, I heard movement on the couch. I turned around and saw Snickerdoodle yawning and stretching. Once he was done with that, he barked at me.

  “Has it been a long day, Doodle?” I asked. “I can relate. Although, some of us didn’t have the luxury of taking a nap.”

  Snickerdoodle made his way over to the kitchen and barked at me again.

  “Yes, boy. It’s good to see you, too.”

  I bent over and gave him a few pats.

  Apparently, that wasn’t enough, because he barked again.

  “Oh, I get it. You didn’t come over here for the affection. You’re just buttering me up for some dinner. Well, mission accomplished,” I said.

  I grabbed a can of dog food from the pantry. The moment I scooped the food out onto a plate, Snickerdoodle wolfed it down.

  “Doodle, there’s no harm in enjoying your food. No one is going to steal it from you.”

  Snickerdoodle completely ignored me and finished every morsel of food.

  When he was done chowing down, he turned his attention back to me. It was stunning to see how quickly his mood had turned around. Suddenly, his tail was wagging, there was a sparkle in his eyes, and he was full of energy. The little guy was as happy as could be.

  I watched with great interest. “Ah, the simple life of a dog. Go figure. A little bit of food is enough to turn your whole night around. I wish it was that easy for me.”

  Not that I didn’t try. I scooped some ice cream into a bowl and headed over to my couch. Snickerdoodle curled up right beside me.

  Don’t get me wrong. The ice cream tasted great. But it didn’t make me euphoric. That night, it was just enough to take the edge off.

  It was too early to head to bed, so I turned on a detective show on the TV.

  I had to admit, I used to like watching detective shows a lot better before I began investigating real-life murders. The cases on TV seemed so much easier. Of course, it helped that I knew that the sleuth would always win out and that at the end of the hour, the guilty party would be put behind bars.

  Nothing like a pre-scripted ending to tie up all the loose ends. I wished that things were that easy in real life. Unfortunately, the murder cases I had investigated weren’t so cut and dried. And they definitely took longer than an hour to wrap up.

  Still, my complaints aside, I figured that it couldn’t hurt to watch an episode—for entertainment or for inspiration.

  I wish I could tell you that some revelation came to me while watching the show. That some random scene in the episode triggered something in my memory that related to the Gregory Morton case. Unfortunately, no magical lightbulb moment came my way. The only thing that really happened was that my exhaustion caught up with me.

  I finished watching the episode then headed off to bed, hoping that I would have better luck with the case in the morning.


  Chapter Seventeen

  It was hard to go wrong with a good night’s sleep. Typically, I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. Overnight, my brain would recharge, allowing me to look at a case with newfound clarity.

  At least, that was how it was supposed to work. It didn’t always turn out that way.

  When I woke up that morning, even though I had plenty of sleep under my belt, I didn’t feel the least bit rejuvenated. Instead, my frustration had refused to leave my side.

  I was groggy and sluggish in a way that prohibited new ideas from percolating in my mind. This case continued to stump me at every turn. In my experience, that kind of rude awakening could only be combated with one thing—coffee. And lots of it.

  I gave Snickerdoodle some food and a quick walk then decided to head off to Daley Buzz.

  As I left my house and started to make my way to my car in the driveway, however, I stopped when I saw an unfamiliar vehicle driving slowly down the street. It was a dark-blue sedan with tinted windows. In almost any other circumstance, seeing a car like that wouldn’t give me pause. But given the fact that I had spent the previous day questioning murder suspects, I was on high-alert for any unusual behavior.

  That was even more the case when the sedan pulled over and came to a stop at the base of my driveway.

  My body tensed up as the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

  Instinctively, I reached into my purse to grab the can of pepper spray that I always kept in there.

  Who was in the car? And what did they want? Had one of the suspects in this case tracked me down? Had they driven over here to chew me out? Or worse, to try to shut me up?

  My thoughts raced. I was filled with worry.

  So when the passenger-side window suddenly rolled down, I nearly jumped out of my shoes.

  When the window was rolled completely down, a woman in her early seventies leaned across the interior of her car and called out to me through the open window.

  “Hi there. Excuse me, but I was wondering if you could help me,” the woman said.

  “With what?” I asked.