StrawBuried in Chocolate (Black Cat Cafe Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)

by Lyndsey Cole

  Annie felt her stomach flip flop. “You’ll help me?”

  “Yes. But let’s get this other problem with Lacy figured out first. You said Leona didn’t tell Tyler something?”

  “She lied to Tyler. She said she didn’t touch anything in your house but I know she was lying when she told him that. Tyler thinks Lacy knew something about Leona from her past.”

  “Maybe we can get Leona loosened up with a couple of drinks and she’ll start talking.”

  In the blink of an eye, Jason had Annie pulled into a tight embrace. She felt her body relax into his warmth.

  “I’ve missed you,” Jason whispered into Annie’s ear.

  His breath was warm on her cheek and her insides were on fire. “It’s a shame you can’t stay at your house tonight,” she teased.

  “Yes, a terrible shame,” he said before kissing her. “Ready to get this show on the road now?”

  “Which show would you be referring to, Mr. Hunter?”

  Jason laughed and kept his arm around Annie’s shoulders. “We better catch up to the others before Leona does something stupid.”

  Annie stopped and stared at Jason. “You’ve known Leona forever. Do you think she could have killed Lacy?”

  “No. Don’t worry, she’s her own worst enemy and she needs your help and support now more than ever.”

  “Well, I do have a couple of ideas.”

  “Let’s talk about that later. It’s been a long day for all of us.” Jason opened the door for Annie, and steamy air, loud music and a sight that made their mouths fall open met their eyes.

  Leona was standing on the bar, dancing to the live music from the band playing in the back corner.

  “This might have been a bad idea. Should we get her and leave?” Jason asked.

  “Let’s find Mia. She can help us get Leona under control.”

  Between the three of them, they managed to convince Leona to join them at a table after the song ended.

  “That was just what I needed to get all that adrenaline out. So, who’s buying?”

  Jason raised his finger. “I told you it’s my treat, but no more jumping on the bar. I’m not willing to bail you out of jail if you start some kind of brawl tonight.”

  “There probably won’t be any bail for you to have that choice once Tyler finishes his investigation.”

  “Leona. What are you talking about?” Annie leaned across the table and kept her voice low. “I know you didn’t tell him everything. What did you do inside Jason’s house?”

  Leona rolled her eyes and turned to face the band, tapping her foot to the beat of the music before answering. “I followed Lacy inside.”

  The waitress approached the table. “Hi. My name is Hailey, I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get drinks for anyone?”

  “Hi Hailey.” Leona drained the suds at the bottom of her mug. “I’ll have another draft. Bring one for everyone. We’re celebrating tonight.”

  Hailey smiled and arched an eyebrow at Jason and Annie. “Pre-valentine lover’s night? I’ll be right back.”

  Annie shifted in her chair feeling her face heat up. What would Jason’s visit bring in the romance department, she wondered. She felt his hand on her thigh and she bumped her knee into his under the table, catching a glimpse of his lip twitching up at the corner.

  Mia prompted Leona to continue her story. “You followed Lacy?”

  “Yeah. I wanted to tell her once and for all to quit messing in my life. She just laughed in my face so I grabbed her arm. When she pulled away, I lost my balance and fell against the kitchen counter. My fingerprints will be all over the kitchen.” She paused, sucking in a deep breath of air. “I didn’t kill her. Someone else must have been hiding in the house when I left.”

  “She was alive when you left?” Annie asked.

  “I walked out to go to your apartment, Annie, then I heard the door slam and went back inside to make sure she knew I was serious. She was dead on the floor and her blood was seeping around, making a big puddle. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes before I returned to find her dead.”

  Jason asked Leona a question. “Think back carefully. Was it a door slamming or a gunshot?”

  Leona opened her mouth, then slapped her hand on the table. “Jason, you’re a genius.”

  Hailey returned with the draft beers, interrupting Leona’s thought. “Ready to order?”

  No one had even looked at the menu yet but Jason took charge. “Sweet potato fries and two large pizzas. One, the veggie supreme and the other with your apple sausage.”

  “Okey dokey.” Hailey gathered the menus.

  “And another round of beers as soon as you see these are gone,” Leona added, waiting for Hailey to move out of earshot before continuing the conversation. “I never considered that possibility before. Maybe the killer was in your house the whole time and left after I found Lacy.” She smiled the first genuine smile Annie had seen all evening. “Now, we only have to figure out who was in your house before Tyler arrests me.”

  “Who else had keys, Jason?” Annie asked.

  “You and Lacy and the key I hide under the fake rock next to the front porch.”

  “Great. So anyone could have found that key and gone inside.” Leona sagged as she realized the pool of suspects could include anyone.

  “Yes. But it narrows it down to people who knew Lacy would be inside, unless it was a complete random act of violence,” Annie deduced.

  Leona got up. “I need to find the girl’s room. Don’t talk about me when I’m gone.”

  Mia sipped her beer. “I’m worried about her. If she doesn’t start talking about everything she’s hiding inside, well, I don’t even want to think about what might happen to her.”

  “Something about Lacy?” Annie asked.

  “Indirectly.” Mia put her finger to her lips. “Shhhh. Let me ask her some questions.”

  Leona sat back down and moved her gaze from one person to the next. “Why so glum? You all act like someone just died. Oops. Poor choice of words. Where’s that pizza? I need some food.”

  As if Hailey heard the comment, she materialized at the table bearing the plate of sweet potato fries with sour cream on the side. “Your pizzas will be out soon,” she said quickly and then she was gone to another customer.

  Mia pushed the plate closer to Leona. “What did you want to ask Lacy when you went back into Jason’s house?”

  Leona chewed a fry and smacked her lips. “These are really good.” She helped herself to another one. “Lacy told me she was writing a book about her late husband, Hank McGuire. You know, the senator?” She chewed and stuffed more fries into her mouth, washing them down with a long swallow of her beer. “It was a kiss and tell book. She said it would make her a fortune. There’s a whole chapter about me.”

  “You?” Annie exclaimed.

  “Yup. Something you don’t know anything about. I promised Hank to keep my lips sealed and that’s what I’ve done all these years. But, I guess if Lacy’s book gets published, you’ll read it all anyway.

  Mia patted Leona’s arm. “Tell her Leona. It’s better she hears it from you.”

  Chapter 5

  Hailey returned with two big piping hot pizzas. “Here you go. Hope you have big appetites. More beer?”

  Leona held her empty glass up, nodding yes, but the others had barely touched their glasses.

  Leona leaned back on her chair. “Okay, where was I? Hank McGuire. When I was eighteen, he was the best thing that happened to me. And then the worst nightmare I could imagine. Hank McGuire is the reason I ended up in jail. I had the crazy idea that I could blackmail him about our affair but he had too many friends in high places that protected him. The only friend I had was Jason’s father. He figured out I was only being a dumb kid. With my promise to keep my mouth shut, Hank dropped his charges against me. I’ve kept that promise until this moment.” Silence fell around the table. “Now, there you have it. You know what? That’s a huge weight off my shoulders.”r />
  Leona pulled a piece of pizza onto her plate with cheese dripping off the edges. “This smells amazing. Aren’t the rest of you going to dig in?”

  The band in the back started up after their twenty minute break. Chairs scraped, forks clinked on plates and a general hum of conversation buzzed in the tavern. The only sound at Annie’s table was a gasp when the hot cheese burned the roof of Jason’s mouth. He drained half his beer before chancing another nibble off the edge of his slice.

  Annie whispered in his ear, “I bet I can make that feel better.”

  “Hey. What are you two love birds talking about? It’s not polite to whisper in front of us, right Mia?”

  Mia smiled. “I don’t mind. They can have some privacy.”

  “Why did you hire Lacy to clean your house?” Leona asked before scraping up some cheese that had dripped onto her plate.

  “Clean my house? Is that what she told you?” Jason choked he was laughing so hard. “She doesn’t need to clean houses anymore, she’s got a boat load of money. Or, at least that’s what I’m assuming. I asked her to decorate and make a nice dinner that I could stick in the oven when I got home.” He pulled Annie close. “And surprise Annie with a delicious gourmet extravagance.” Scanning the tavern, he shrugged. “This isn’t quite the romantic dinner I imagined.”

  Annie snuggled into the crook of Jason’s arm. “Don’t forget the Valentine’s Day dance at the Country Club tomorrow night. That should be all decked out for romance.”

  “I haven’t forgotten. As a matter of fact, I bought you something to wear to the dance.” The corner of his eyes creased when he smiled at Annie.

  Leona snapped her fingers. “Enough about you two. I have a huge problem. Did you forget that?”

  Annie leaned across the table and kept her voice low. “I saw Johnny Robbins walking on the Lake Trail when I took Roxy out after you found Lacy dead in Jason’s kitchen. He was kind of tipsy but he also acted nervous when I told him what happened to Lacy.”

  “Which way was he walking?” Mia asked.

  “He was going back to his house, why?”

  “When we first got to Jason’s house, you ran inside but some movement caught my eye by the lake and it was Johnny walking the other way. Away from his house. In a big hurry.”

  Annie’s voice went higher with excitement. “He told me he can’t stand Lacy and that she was a snob when she went into his liquor store.”

  Jason slipped money into the bill holder. “Just because he was walking on the trail and doesn’t like Lacy doesn’t make him a murderer. What would be his motive?”

  “Good question.” Leona said. “I’ll talk to Danny Davis, my date for the dance, by the way. He left me the cutest note at the café a few days ago inviting me to the dance and I couldn’t turn him down.”

  “Danny? I heard you tell Jake you’d go with him,” Annie reminded Leona.

  “Oops. I guess I’ll have two dates.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Anyway. Danny might know Johnny since he is a much too regular customer at the liquor store. His drinking has gotten him into a fair share of problems, especially when he blacks out and doesn’t remember what he’s done or where he’s been. I’m positive he’ll help me out.”

  “What about Brad? Lacy’s husband?” Mia asked. “Isn’t the murderer usually someone close to the victim?”

  Leona pushed her chair back, stood up and pulled her coat on. “He has been staying at Lacy’s house, not far from Jason’s, and maybe he’d get some of her money if she’s dead. I’m skeptical though. They’ve always gotten along as far as I can remember.”

  Jason swooped his arm gallantly down low. “Ladies. The chariot awaits.”

  ***

  Annie’s eyes resisted opening but her nose was filled with the aroma of freshly brewing coffee. Her face broke into a smile as she snuggled under the down comforter for another toasty minute. Finally, she couldn’t ignore the clink of mugs on her counter and she slipped her feet from the warm nest into the cold air and into her soft slippers. Roxy jumped off the end of the bed were she had been curled up in a tight ball. “This is a special treat. At least for me.” She patted Roxy’s head and they walked into the kitchen.

  Darkness still shrouded the lake with only a couple of lights twinkling in the early morning.

  “You didn’t have to get up so early. I could get coffee at the café.” Annie leaned both elbows on the counter, cradling the warm coffee cup between both hands.

  “I have a lot of work to do today, so the sooner you’re out of my hair, the quicker I can get started,” Jason teased and laughed at Annie’s shocked face.

  “Harumph. That’s the thanks I get for offering you a place to stay because your house is a murder scene? You’ll be sleeping in your car next time.”

  “I thought you’d want me to finish my work so I could focus on your beautiful face all night.” He leaned from behind and tenderly kissed Annie’s cheek.

  “Well, since you put it that way, I guess I can forgive you this once.” They both laughed, picked up the mugs of coffee and stood next to each other gazing out the window.

  A movement caught their eyes. Johnny Robbins was scurrying along the Lake Trail, stopping every few feet to shine his flashlight and poke in the snow. Annie turned toward Jason. “Is he looking for something?”

  Johnny continued along the trail in this manner until he was past Jason’s house.

  “I just remembered something,” Annie said as she set her mug down, found her coat and reached into the pocket. “I found this yesterday, just off the trail next to a fresh boot print in the snow in front of your house.” She held up the nip bottle of strawberry liqueur.

  “Shouldn’t you give that to Tyler? Maybe he can still find fingerprints on it.”

  “I’ll call him from the café. And there’s something else I noticed yesterday. I went into your house after Leona came out and there was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries on the table.”

  Jason grinned. “That was my idea. Strawberries and champagne.”

  “That’s not the point. Lacy bought a dozen chocolate covered strawberries in the morning, but there were only ten left on the plate. I think the murderer likes strawberries and grabbed a couple on the way out the door. And the strawberry liqueur? A coincidence?”

  “Your brain is working in overdrive. Can’t you let Tyler do his job and figure this out? I don’t want to be worrying about you getting in the way of the murderer.”

  “I’m merely trying to put some obvious clues together. Besides, I’m worried that Leona might do something stupid. It’s bad enough that she lied to Tyler yesterday and made herself into the prime suspect unless something else comes to light to point in a different direction. I wonder if there’s someone else out there who decided Lacy had to be silenced before exposing all the old dirt about her dead husband and his affair or affairs.”

  “I’ll ask around and do some digging behind the scenes, but I can’t make any promises.” Jason held Annie’s shoulders. “Be careful. If your theory is correct about someone wanting to keep Lacy’s book from being written, that could be a powerful and dangerous person.”

  Leona was busy at the café when Annie arrived. With the coffee pot brewing and the radio turned to the oldies station, Annie could pretend that everything was as it should be. She straightened the books in the freebrary they had on shelves along one wall. Her idea had caught on like wildfire with a constant turnover of books being swapped each day.

  Leona placed two fresh strawberry tarts on plates next to two cups of coffee. “Come sit down and keep me company.”

  “I’m not liking the sound of your voice this morning, Leona.”

  “I know it was about the dumbest thing I did when I lied to Tyler. I think I was in shock at the time, but he’s never going to accept that flimsy excuse. You need to keep the café going for me until this all gets straightened out.”

  “What are you talking about? You sound like you’re already in jail for something you
didn’t do.”

  Leona put her arm around Annie. “That’s why I love you. You won’t believe I’m capable of doing wrong even though that’s not exactly true. I’ve made plenty of mistakes over the years. Unfortunately, I don’t have much faith in Tyler. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, but, well, I haven’t given him much to doubt my innocence. I’m counting on you to figure this out. Okay?”

  Leona bit into her tart, letting the crumbs scatter on the counter. “It’s almost time to open. Finish up.”

  Annie swallowed the last bite of tart. “These are delicious. Almost as good as my chocolate covered strawberries. Are you still going to the Valentine’s Day dance tonight?”

  “You bet I am. I plan to have the time of my life. And when this little problem is behind us, I have something important to share with you.”

  Chapter 6

  When Annie got back to her apartment at five, Jason was gone but a beautiful silver box with a wide red ribbon was on the table next to a vase filled with a dozen of the reddest roses she had ever seen and a smaller heart shaped box. She inhaled a deep breath of the sweet scent from the roses as she patted Roxy and picked up Smokey for a quick cuddle. Peeking into the small box, she smiled at the six perfect chocolate covered strawberries. Leona must have snuck them out of the café for Jason. Those two were always working behind Annie’s back. But in a good way.

  “Roxy. Did you get me these surprises?” Annie asked the wiggly dog. “I better take you for a walk on the Lake Trail before I peek inside the other box.” Her heart pitter-pattered in overdrive. “Once I see what’s inside, I’ll have to try it on and I won’t feel like walking.”

  With her bag dumped on the couch and Roxy’s leash clipped to her collar, Annie headed outside in the fading light. Roxy trotted happily at Annie’s side, sniffing every bush along the trail. “What did you and Jason do all day? Did he take you for a walk?”

  Roxy looked up at Annie when she heard her voice and wagged her tail.

  “I’ll take that for a yes.”

  When they were even with Lacy’s house, Annie again saw someone peering out the window. “Who is that in the house? It gives me the creeps to see that silhouette and know it can’t be Lacy. Maybe it’s her ghost haunting the house. Or more likely, it’s her brother Brad.”