by K M Morgan
“Because Corey Kincaid got convicted of murder.”
Daisy had been so busy thinking about Trevor kissing that other woman that she had completely forgotten about the murder trial. It was hard to believe that the verdict had just come in yesterday. So much had happened since then.
Even though Daisy was completely stressed out, she put on a good face for Samantha.
“Right. That conviction was quite a relief,” Daisy said.
Samantha stared deep into her friend’s eyes. “Daisy, are you all right?”
“Uh, yeah. Why would you think otherwise?”
Samantha put her hands on her hips. “You don’t think I know when my best friend is not her usual self?”
Daisy came up with an excuse. “I just didn’t sleep very well.”
That answer wasn’t good enough for Samantha. She dug deeper. “And?”
“And that’s it.”
Daisy was really hoping that Samantha would buy her story. That did not prove to be the case.
“Daisy, who do you think you’re fooling? You might be the big sleuth around here, but I can tell when things aren’t right with you.”
When Daisy was in the middle of investigating a murder, she got into the habit of firing off one question after another at each of the suspects.
In her private life, her conversations were usually a lot more leisurely. That wasn’t the case with this discussion. As a matter of fact, Daisy felt like the tables had been turned on her. Samantha’s questions had put Daisy in the hot seat.
Daisy could have broken down and told Samantha the truth, but it didn’t feel like the right time. Nor the right place. After all, Samantha was at work. She was in the middle of running a business. A topic like this required a big allotment of time to discuss it thoroughly. Besides, Samantha would probably break into tears when she heard the news. Or be thrown into a rage. Maybe a little of both. That kind of emotional reaction shouldn’t take place in the middle of the bakery.
Daisy decided to give Samantha another vague answer.
“I just have a number of things on my mind,” Daisy said.
“Do you want to talk about them?”
“Not really.”
Samantha’s eyebrows rose. “It must be some really serious stuff if you don’t want to tell me about it.”
“It’s just a random collection of things.”
Samantha stared Daisy down again. “Uh-huh.”
“Look. I just need to figure some things out. That’s all,” Daisy said.
Samantha opened her mouth again to ask Daisy another question, but before she could get any words out, a number of customers entered the bakery.
“Looks like the morning rush has arrived,” Daisy said.
“It has,” Samantha replied. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. I’m going to find out what’s bothering you.”
“I’m sure you will,” Daisy said.
Samantha began helping the other customers while Daisy exited the bakery. Daisy felt like a chicken, but she kept telling herself that the timing was just all wrong. After all, what if she had broken the news to Samantha right then? It would have made for a very awkward situation when those other customers had entered the bakery.
Daisy would get around to telling Samantha the truth. But first, there was something else she needed to do.
Chapter Nine
Before Daisy headed over to her office to begin her work day, there was another stop she wanted to make. She made her way over to Filet Restaurant. That was where Samantha’s husband worked.
When she arrived at the French café, Trevor Thompson was doing some prep work in the kitchen. He was joined by a number of other cooks. There was a flurry of activity going on. A lot of work had to be done before the lunch rush kicked in.
A loud and action-packed environment like that was not conducive to the kind of emotional conversation that Daisy needed to have with Trevor. In addition, she didn’t want to discuss heart-wrenching details in mixed company.
As Daisy stood in the doorway leading to the kitchen, she asked Trevor if he could join her outside for a moment.
“I’m really busy. Can you come back later?” Trevor asked.
Daisy shook her head. “It’s really important that we talk about this right now.”
“All right.” Trevor turned to one of the other cooks. “Can you cover for me?”
The cook nodded.
Daisy and Trevor then went outside. When they reached the alleyway beside the restaurant, Trevor gave Daisy a quizzical look.
“Did something terrible happen?” he asked.
“What makes you think that?” she replied.
“Because you’ve never shown up at my workplace out of the blue like this.”
“That’s a fair point.”
He looked deep into her eyes. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Unfortunately.”
“What’s the matter? Is something wrong with Samantha?”
“As a matter of fact, this does involve your wife.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. For now. It’s the future I’m worried about.”
“Why?”
“A disturbing revelation has come to light.”
“Daisy, why are you being so vague with me? If something is wrong, just tell me what it is.”
“I think you already know.”
Trevor squinted. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
Daisy let out a sigh and then replied, “Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?”
“I’m afraid, you’re going to have to.”
“A friend of mine spotted you kissing another woman yesterday.”
Trevor scoffed. “You’re kidding me, right?”
Daisy grimaced. “I wish I was.”
“I don’t know who this friend of yours is, but they are wrong.”
“If only that was the case.”
“Who is this friend of yours?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does.”
“Trevor, this conversation is already difficult enough without you making it even harder.”
“Daisy, I’m not cheating on Samantha.”
“I’d really like to believe you,” she said.
“But you don’t?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“The person who told me that information. They are incredibly trustworthy. I have no reason to doubt them.”
Trevor held up his hand. “Here’s one. You know me. Do I seem like the type of guy who would cheat on his wife?”
Daisy shook her head. “No.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s not that simple. How can you explain what my friend saw?”
“I can’t.”
“That’s precisely the problem.”
“Daisy, I already told you. I’m not cheating on Samantha. I love her. And I would never hurt her,” Trevor said.
Daisy opened her mouth to reply, but Trevor kept talking.
“Now, I need to get back to work,” Trevor said.
Chapter Ten
That conversation went much differently than Daisy expected. Then again, very few men would just come out and openly admit that they were cheating. Still, Trevor’s vehement denial did give Daisy some pause.
Daisy suddenly found herself in a very uncomfortable position. It was very uncharacteristic for her, but she had no idea what her next step should be. At least, when it came to the Trevor situation.
When it came to interior decorating, it was pretty clear what Daisy needed to do. Work was calling her. So, she headed over to her office. But since Daisy was in between jobs, she had a bunch of time on her hands. Sure, she could have setup some ads online to attract new clients, but she was incredibly distracted.
Times like that, it would have been nice to have a few client meetings scheduled. Or to be in the middle of a decorating project. Instead, Daisy sat at
her computer, trying to keep her thoughts from wandering off too much.
Surprisingly, Daisy managed to actually get a little bit of work done. For a large chunk of the morning, she focused on lead generation.
But by ten o’clock, Daisy’s thoughts had turned back to Samantha. She felt so bad for her friend. When Samantha found out that Trevor was cheating on her, it would be devastating. That revelation would turn her entire life upside down. There was a chance that things would never be the same for her. It could be the end of her marriage. Talk about heartbreaking.
As a matter of fact, Daisy almost got teary-eyed at her desk. Luckily, she managed to stop herself from crying, but only barely.
While Daisy took a deep breath to transition back into work mode, her phone began to ring.
Daisy checked the caller identification screen on her phone. It turned out that the call was coming from her husband. She immediately answered it.
“Hey, honey,” Daisy said.
“Daisy, you need to get in your car right now,” Gavin said.
Daisy’s eyes widened. “Why? What’s going on?”
“You have to meet me on Franklin Street.”
“Because?”
“Remember the woman with fiery red hair that I told you about yesterday?”
“The woman that was kissing Trevor Thompson?”
“Exactly.”
“What about her?” Daisy asked.
“I just spotted her again,” Gavin said.
“Kissing Trevor?”
“No. She’s alone,” he said. “She just went into McDowell’s Diner. Now, I don’t know how long she’ll be in there, but I figured we could follow her.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Depending on where she goes next, we might be able to get some useful information on her.”
“All right. I’m on my way,” Daisy said.
***
Just like with most small towns, traffic was pretty much non-existent in Cozy Creek. That meant Daisy could make it over to Franklin Street in less than five minutes. She ended up parking across the street from the diner. She then spotted her husband’s vehicle, which was parked a few spots away from her car. Daisy got out of her sedan and walked over to the passenger-side of Gavin’s car. She opened up the door and took a seat inside her husband’s vehicle.
“You made great time,” Gavin said.
“I didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity,” Daisy said.
“The good news is that you haven’t missed anything. The woman is still in there.”
Daisy squinted as she looked across the street at the diner. “Which one is she?”
Gavin pointed. “The woman standing at the counter with the red hair. Do you see her?”
Daisy nodded. “I do. But I don’t recognize her.”
“Neither do I.”
“In fact, I’ve never seen her before in my life.”
“You sound surprised.”
“That’s because I am. In a small town like this, you’d think that I would have at least a passing acquaintance with that woman.”
Gavin chuckled. “Cozy Creek isn’t that small of a town. You don’t know over twenty-five thousand people.”
“True. But still, when someone cheats, it isn’t typically with some random stranger. It’s with someone they know. Someone they work with. Someone in their social circle. And I’m generally pretty familiar with most of the people in Trevor’s life.”
“Except her.”
“Exactly.”
“That can all change today.”
“I sure hope so.”
“My gut is telling me that there’s a very specific reason that I spotted her,” Gavin said.
“Speaking of which, what were you even doing here on Franklin Street? Are you working a case?” Daisy asked.
“No. I was going to get some supplies. We ran out of staples and paper clips at office.”
“Wow. Talk about random.”
“I know, right?”
“Life is strange sometimes, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is. A little too strange for my taste.”
Daisy stared at the redhead again. “It looks like her order is ready. And she is taking it to-go.”
“Which makes me wonder where she’s going next,” Gavin said.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Daisy said.
Chapter Eleven
The red-haired woman left the diner with a to-go container of food. She then got into a red sedan that was parked in front of the restaurant.
“All right. Now we’re in business,” Daisy said.
“The question is, where will she go now?” Gavin asked.
“I have no clue. But I’m curious to find out.”
“Same here.”
“If I had to guess, she’ll probably head home. Or to her office. She’s not going to want to let that food get cold.”
“Good point.”
A few seconds later, the woman backed her car out of her parking spot and headed north on Franklin Street.
At that point, Gavin and Daisy began to tail the mysterious woman.
“Here we go. To parts unknown,” Gavin said.
“Do you think she sees us behind her?” Daisy asked.
“If she does, I’m sure she doesn’t suspect we’re following her. After all, we’re just two normal-looking people in a regular sedan. Nothing about us would stand out.”
“You’re right. I guess I’m just nervous.”
“That’s not like you at all.”
“This entire situation has turned my world upside down. Usually, I live for solving mysteries. But this time, I’m terrified about how this is going to end.”
“That’s understandable. When you’re investigating a murder, the end of a case typically results in the arrest of a killer. Meanwhile, when this mystery is solved, it will probably mean that Samantha’s marriage is over.”
Daisy grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel worse than you already do.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Gavin took a deep breath. “I still don’t know what Trevor was thinking, cheating on his wife like that.”
“Maybe that’s the problem. He wasn’t thinking.”
“I suppose you’re right,” he said. “I can’t believe he’d just throw away his marriage.”
“By the way, I talked to Trevor this morning.”
“You did?” Gavin asked.
Daisy nodded.
“And? What did he have to say for himself?” Gavin said.
“He denies everything.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I’d like to. I keep thinking that maybe there’s another explanation for what you saw.”
“That sounds like some seriously wishful thinking to me.”
“It’s better than the alternative.”
“You’re right about that,” he said. “Then again, let’s say there is another way to explain what I saw yesterday. What could it possibly be?”
Daisy shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Neither do I. And I have a pretty active imagination.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I know how bad things look. I’m just hoping that there’s some other way to explain this. Then maybe Samantha’s marriage won’t be destroyed.”
“I admire that optimism,” Gavin said. “I just wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.”
Chapter Twelve
When Gavin and Daisy began tailing the redhead, they had no clue what her final destination would be.
Ultimately, it didn’t take very long to get an answer.
The mysterious woman only drove a few blocks north on Franklin Street before making a right turn into the parking lot of the Cozy Creek Harbor Motel.
The motel was a low-rent place. Daisy turned to her husband.
“Wow. I did not expect to end up here,” Daisy said.
“Neither did I,” Gavin replied.
&
nbsp; “Look at this place,” Daisy said. “What a dump.”
“It’s pretty gross, all right.”
“You know, I’ve driven by here plenty of times. Each time, I try not to look over. The very sight of the place is depressing.”
“Of course, it is. This place was practically built for illicit activity.”
“With all of the crazy things that take place here, I’m surprised the police department doesn’t just have an officer staked out in the parking lot all day.”
“I’m pretty sure the owner of the motel would hate that.”
“If the owner doesn’t want his property to have a bad reputation, they should clean up the place a little.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“In that case, this place will continue to have a dubious reputation.”
“With that in mind, do you still believe that there might be a good explanation for what I saw yesterday?”
Daisy let out a sigh. “That is becoming more difficult to believe.”
“I hate to say it, but this motel is practically custom-built for people who are having an affair,” Gavin said.
“I can’t argue with that.”
“It wouldn’t do you any good to argue anyway. I’ve staked out in front of this motel a number of times over the years.”
“I’ll bet.”
“And let me tell you, based on my experiences as a private investigator, if someone is having an affair in Cozy Creek, more often than not, they use this motel as their meeting spot.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Unfortunately, it’s also the truth.”
Daisy looked down at her phone for a second. “As an interesting counterpoint, it’s not even noon. And it’s a work day. It seems awfully early for that redhead to be heading over to this motel.”
“Actually, statistically speaking, you’d be surprised about how many affairs take place during the middle of the day. Lunch is a pretty popular time for a husband to meet up with his mistress,” Gavin said.
“I suppose that makes sense. It’s easier for someone to sneak away during their lunch break than after work is over.”
“Exactly.”
“That said, it’s a little early for lunch.”