by Cindy Bell
Connor leaned against the counter beside her and watched as she folded the ingredients together. Mixing had always been Ally's favorite step in a recipe. It was when all of the parts came together to form a deep, rich liquid that always had a lovely aroma.
“That looks good.”
“I hope it will taste good.” Ally laughed.
“Are you back in town for good?” Connor sounded almost hopeful.
“No, just visiting. For now.” Ally recalled her grandmother's request to make the move back. She hadn't thought that much about it yet. It did feel wonderful to be back home. But would that novelty wear off with time?
“This place could use you.” Connor rapped his knuckles on the counter. “Seems to me that everyone is getting crankier and crankier. You always have such a good attitude.”
“Really?” Ally glanced over at him. She hadn't realized that he had paid that much attention to her. “I mean, I try to see things in a positive way.”
“That's good.” Connor nodded. “There's enough stress and sadness in the world. We need more sunshine.”
Ally tried not to giggle at being compared to sunshine. She thought that Connor might be trying just a little too hard to compliment her. “What's been happening lately?”
“Not too much. Just weddings, and divorces, and more weddings.” Connor laughed. Then he cleared his throat. “I'm sorry, Ally, I wasn't talking about you.”
Ally furrowed a brow. “You know about the divorce?”
“Well, you're not wearing a ring,” Connor pointed out. Ally looked down at the ghost-white skin where her ring had once been.
“You're right, I'm not. I guess that's been going around a little?”
“Yes. I have to say that I'm glad I never took the plunge myself. I'm waiting for the right person I guess.” He shrugged. “I can only hope that she's waiting for me, too.”
“That's really sweet, Connor.” Ally smiled.
“Do you think we could get a drink after work?” Connor blurted out the question. Ally was blindsided by it. She hadn't expected him to invite her out.
“Uh, well. Sure.” Ally shrugged. “Maybe. Let me see how I'm feeling at the end of the day, okay?”
“Great.” Connor smiled as if she had just agreed to marry him. “Do you need anything?”
“Could you grab me that spoon over there?” Ally pointed to a long handled spoon amid an assortment of spoons.
Connor plucked the spoon out of the jar and handed it to her. “What are you making?”
“Triple chocolate muffins.”
“Oh, I can't wait to try one of those.” Connor grinned. “If you'll share that is.”
“I'll share.” Ally smiled. “If they come out edible.”
“They will come out delicious!” Charlotte said as she walked back into the kitchen with a length of ribbon dangling from her hand. “Perfect match!” She smiled triumphantly. “Now, Connor you need to get this over there quickly because it's already late.”
“I’ve already put the address in the GPS. Don't worry, I'll be quick.” Connor smiled and waved to Ally as he walked out through the back door with Charlotte. Ally nodded back, but she had already been drawn back into the swirl and scent of the mixture in the bowl. When Charlotte returned she had a wide grin.
“So, you're going out with Connor after work.”
“What?” Ally nearly dropped the spoon into the mixture. “No, I said maybe I would have a drink with him.”
“Maybe that should be a yes. He's a very good man. He's always willing to help, even more than what his job entails.” Charlotte stuck her finger in the mixture and took a taste. “Mm. This is a very good start.”
“Mee-Maw, I'm sure Connor is a very nice fellow, but I'm not interested in anything more than sharing a drink, if I even do that. You promised you would stay out of my love life, remember?” Ally watched as her grandmother added another dash of vanilla to the mixture.
“I didn't exactly promise. But I appreciate your opinion on the matter.” Charlotte winked at her.
“I'm serious, Mee-Maw, I just don't want to even think about it right now.”
“Shh, just stir.” Charlotte patted Ally's shoulder and walked away.
Ally lost herself in the swirl, and then the cupcake tins, and then the layers of chocolate batter. As soon as she had them out of the oven she started helping her grandmother make some tiramisu, white chocolate truffles. After that she spent the rest of the afternoon helping her grandmother design and price different gift box combinations in-between serving customers. When Ally finally glanced up at one of the wooden clocks she was shocked to find it was almost closing time. Connor still hadn’t returned and she felt a bit of a sting that he hadn't come back to have a drink with her.
“Connor still isn't back?” Charlotte shook her head as she stepped into the kitchen. “I've tried to reach him on his cell phone. I guess he got caught up with something.”
“Are you sure?” Ally frowned. “Is it normal for him to just not come back? Doesn't he still have the delivery van?”
“Sometimes he has errands to run. I don’t often need the van because I walk most places so I let him use the van to drive home and back and anything else he needs during the day. I don't pay him a large salary so that makes up for it some.” She sniffed the muffins. “Oh, Ally I've never smelled anything so delicious.”
“You're just being nice.” Ally shook her head.
“I'm not, I mean it.” Charlotte plucked a crumb off the top of one of the muffins and popped it into her mouth. “Yummy!”
Ally couldn't help but smile with pride. She didn't think that she would ever be able to bake like her grandmother did, but it was nice to get her approval.
“I guess it's time to close.” Ally walked over to the sink to wash the muffin tins.
“I'm sorry that Connor didn't come back for that drink.” Charlotte picked up a towel to help dry off the tins.
“It's okay. I probably would have said no anyway.” Ally shrugged. She gazed towards the back door. A part of her knew that she wouldn't have. It did hurt just a tiny bit that he wasn't as interested as she had thought.
Chapter Four
When Ally and Charlotte arrived back at the cottage that night, Charlotte went to the living room to watch a few of her favorite shows. Ally decided to retreat to her bedroom and curl up with the book she had brought with her. Peaches jumped right up onto the bed with her. Ally snuggled her close.
“Well, I guess some things will never change, Peaches. I might not be ready to have a new relationship, but I still have that wish to be desired.” She scratched behind the cat's ear. “Life can be a little lonely. Good thing I have you.” She placed a light peck on the top of the cat's head and then picked up her book. She had to read to keep her mind from wandering to what Daniel might be doing at that moment. The book was a good distraction from the ‘what ifs’ that tended to plague her when she had a moment to think. After reading for some time the words began to blur. Ally felt the need to rest. Her mind spun with dizziness. She closed her eyes and drifted off.
Deep in her sleep Ally heard pounding. It made her think of the Victorian house that was being fixed up. Somewhere in her slumber she was aware that they were too far from that house for that to be the source of the pounding. Another round of heavy knocks drew her fully from her sleep. Once she was awake she knew that the pounding was coming from her bedroom door. Ally jumped up out of her bed in a daze. Was it her grandmother? Was something wrong? Before she got to the door it flung open. Charlotte burst through.
“Mee-Maw?”
Charlotte stood before her with tears in her eyes. “Oh Ally, it's horrible, just horrible.”
“What is it? Are you hurt? What's wrong?” Ally's heart raced with fear.
“It's Connor. They found him.” Charlotte could hardly get another word out. As her grandmother struggled to speak Ally knew that the situation had to be dire. She reached out and hugged her grandmother.
“It's g
ood they found him, isn't it?” Her voice trembled with foresight of what her grandmother would say.
“No, he's gone, Ally. They found him beside a dumpster, dead.” Charlotte clasped a hand over her mouth in horror.
The words struck Ally so hard that she had to hold onto her grandmother to keep her balance. Was she serious?
“But I just saw him,” she protested. “Are they sure it's Connor?”
“They're sure. That must be why he didn't come back from the delivery. While we were talking about him, he was probably already dead.” She shook her head. “I feel awful. You were right, we should have checked on him!”
“Mee-Maw, you couldn't have known.” Ally was still in shock herself. Of all the things that she thought might happen on her visit to her grandmother's home she didn't think that someone dying would be one of them. “Do they know what happened? Did he have some kind of health condition?”
Charlotte drew a deep breath and looked into Ally's eyes. “No darling, he was shot, he was murdered.”
“Murdered?” Ally's eyes widened. In all the time that she had lived in the city she had never known anyone who had been murdered. Certainly, growing up in their small, country town she had never known of any murders. It was shocking enough that someone she had just spoken to the day before was dead, but to think that he was murdered was unfathomable.
“I know, it's terrible.” Charlotte shook her head. “I don't even know what to think.”
“Do they know who did it?”
“Not as far as I know.” Charlotte shuddered. “I guess we'll have to go into town and open up the shop. I'm sure we'll find out every detail then.”
Ally nodded. “I'll get dressed.” Her voice was barely audible. She still struggled to process Connor's murder. Once she was alone, Ally dressed in silence. Even Peaches, who would normally be begging for breakfast, seemed to understand that something terrible had happened. She didn't make a sound until Ally opened the door and walked out into the hall. Peaches weaved her body through Ally's legs, nearly causing her to trip.
“Peaches!” Ally frowned. “I don't need any of that this morning.”
Peaches pranced off to the kitchen. Ally followed after her more reluctantly. She fed her and filled her water. Then she looked up as her grandmother walked into the kitchen.
“Do you want me to make some coffee?” Ally offered.
“No. No, not today. I think we'd better just go into the shop. I imagine that the police will want to speak with us and see where Connor worked,” her voice was subdued. Ally sensed that she was still trying to make sense of the news. She walked over to her grandmother and hugged her warmly.
“I'm sorry, Mee-Maw.”
“I just hate to see such a young person…” Her voice caught in her throat. She hugged Ally back with a tight embrace. “Enough of this or we'll never get out of here.”
Ally nodded. They walked towards the shop in silence. There were others outside, some watering their grass, some biking or walking, but they did not wave to each other as they normally would. No one shouted an awkward good morning. It was not a good morning, and word had gotten around fast. Charlotte unlocked the shop and they walked inside. Ally felt uneasy as she recalled the last conversation she had with Connor. Had she been kind enough? Had she missed some kind of sign that he was afraid for his life? She didn't think so. It seemed so odd to her that a life could be wiped out so suddenly.
“Have a muffin,” Charlotte insisted. “We'll need our strength today.”
Ally knew that she was right, but the very idea of eating made her stomach churn.
“I will, but isn't there something I can do to keep myself busy for a bit?” Ally frowned. “I need to clear my head.”
“Sure. You can tie some bows for the gift baskets. There are supplies in the top drawer by the tall cabinet.” Charlotte drifted into the kitchen. Ally gathered the supplies and began creating bows out of the ribbons. Her mind kept analyzing Connor's presence, his grin, the excitement in his eyes. She wished she had given him the same attention.
The bell above the door of the shop tinkled quietly. Ally lifted her eyes from the bows she had been tying to see two men. Both were neatly dressed and both had small badges clipped to their belts. Ally felt her heart jump as she realized that they must be police detectives. She recognized one of them right away, Julian Borron. Ally had a huge crush on him throughout high school, but he was a few grades higher than her and had never even looked in her direction. He had jet black hair and clear blue eyes. Her entire sophomore year was wasted on dreaming about dating him. Of course after he graduated she found a new crush, but it was still a little embarrassing to think about.
“Ally?” Julian smiled at her, his blue eyes flashed with recognition. “It's Ally right?”
Ally felt a strange flutter of excitement at the fact that he remembered her name. “Yes.”
“Do you remember me? We went to high school together.” He walked towards the counter.
“Yes, I remember, Julian.” Ally smiled at him.
“This is my partner, Luke Elm. We're investigating the death of Connor Troy.” He glanced past her towards the back of the shop. “Is your grandmother here?”
Ally's gaze wandered over to the other detective. His hair was light brown and a bit longer than most detectives. It had a subtle wave in it. His eyes were a sharp shade of blue, bright and inquisitive. He had flawless features with high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and lips just plump enough to distract her.
“Sure, let me get her.” Ally forced her mind back to the matter at hand. She stepped into the back to find her grandmother with her hands wrist deep in batter. “Mee-Maw, there are two detectives out front. I think they must have some questions about Connor.”
“Oh dear.” Charlotte raised her hands to show that they were covered in sticky batter. “Can you talk to them for a minute while I clean up?”
“Sure.” Ally turned back towards the door, then paused. “Don't be long.”
“I won't.”
When Ally stepped back into the front room, she noticed the two men speaking softly to one another. Her heart skipped a beat. She had always struggled a bit with being nervous around police.
“She'll be out in just a minute.” Ally rested her hands on the counter.
Luke met her eyes directly. She was so distracted by the sight of those beautiful eyes that she must have missed the question that he was asking.
“Ally?” His voice was stern.
“Hmm?” She smiled.
“Did you speak with Connor Troy yesterday?” Luke frowned.
“Oh yes, I did. Right before he left to make a delivery for my grandmother.”
“What was the last thing you and Connor talked about?” He continued to hold her gaze with his own.
“Oh uh, we had talked about getting a drink after work.”
“You were dating?” Julian jumped in with the question. His eyes searched Ally's with an intensity that surprised her.
“No,” Ally answered a little too swiftly. “I just got into town the day before. We were just going to get a drink as friends. Actually, I hadn't said yes, I said we'd talk about it when he got back and it would depend on how I was feeling.”
“So, you knew that he should have come back last night?” Luke drew her attention back to him.
“Well sure. I mean, he should have come back before we closed.”
“And when he didn't?” Luke made a note on his small notepad.
“When he didn't Mee-Maw, I mean Charlotte, called his cell phone. He didn't answer.” She sighed. “We didn't know anything was wrong. I just figured he'd got caught up somewhere with someone, or maybe had decided to head home for the night instead of coming back to the shop.”
“Maybe you had upset him by turning down his offer for a drink?” Luke raised an eyebrow. “Is that possible?”
“I didn't turn him down.” Ally studied Luke more intently. “It's not like I was rude to him or anything. I just said maybe.�
�
“Well, that's not really an answer, is it?” Ally noticed a hint of discomfort in Luke's voice. She couldn't quite place what emotion was affecting the way he spoke. She did find it odd however.
“So, after you turned him down for the drink he left right away?” Julian interrupted.
Ally frowned as she looked between the two men. She was beginning to feel as if she was being bullied into agreeing to something she didn't do.
“Listen, Connor and I went to school together. My grandmother was trying to stir something up between us. I didn't say yes or no to the drink and I was certainly not mean. Yes, he left after that in a hurry, but that was only because the delivery was late.”
“Why was the delivery late?” Luke made another note.
“It needed a certain color ribbon and my grandmother did not have it on hand so she had to go to the fabric shop to pick it up.” Ally gestured to the slip of paper she had placed on the counter. “All of the information about the order and delivery address is there for you to look at.”
“So, you were alone with Connor?” Luke drew her attention back to him again. Ally noticed that his square features were even sharper with tension. She was getting a little confused by the way he was questioning her.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you go to the fabric store?”
“I was in the middle of making triple chocolate muffins,” Ally said. “I really wish that I could help out more with this, but the truth is, I didn't notice anything unusual about the way Connor was acting. I have no idea why someone would want to hurt him.”
“Sometimes people know more than they realize.” Luke tapped his pen lightly on his notepad.
Ally found it difficult to focus on what he was saying.
“Ally?” Luke pressed.
Charlotte stepped out from the back of the shop. “Detectives.” Charlotte offered them both a winning smile.
“Hi Ms. Charlotte.” Julian returned her smile. “Do you know Luke?”
“Ah yes.” She offered a tight smile to Luke. “A very talented craftsman.”