“I think people do far too many things without thinking about them,” Stan commented, wrapping noodles around his chopsticks.
Izzy bit back the response that came to mind, preferring not to seem overtly hostile during a first meeting.
“I’d say you’re probably right about that. They often speak without thinking about it too,” she smiled sweetly.
Turning her attention to her food, she deliberately picked up a sumptuous chunk of beef and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly, not because she was lashing out at Stan for his ivory tower comment, but simply because the tender chunks of meat were her favorite part of the dish.
“True story. So do you think about it now, as an adult?” he persisted.
“What? Eating meat?” Izzy shook her head. “No, it’s habit at this point. My diet is pretty firmly entrenched, and I’m healthy, so I haven’t really considered doing something different.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? What does that mean?” she gave him an uneasy smile, wondering if what had started out as a pleasant date had turned suddenly sour.
“Well, I’ve never really understood how people could bring themselves to eat the flesh of other creatures. I mean, it’s muscle tissue. You wouldn’t eat human tissue, why would it be okay to eat the flesh and blood of other creatures?” he asked, glancing down at her bowl.
For some reason, contrary to her nature, Izzy decided to handle things diplomatically.
“I did offend you with the dish that I ordered,” she exclaimed, embarrassed. “I’m really sorry. I’ll just go get it boxed up so that you don’t have to see it,” she stood, and he stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“No, don’t. It’s fine.”
Izzy looked down at the pale, thin hand with an oversized class ring, on her arm and shuddered inwardly, wondering at her reaction. On the outside, there was nothing scary, sinister or repulsive about this man, but her body was reacting pretty strongly to his touch and it wasn’t a positive experience. Her stomach churned, and she hoped that Missy texted soon so that she could bail on Stan. She was firmly convinced now that dating wasn’t something that she should be doing.
“I’m just going to go refill my iced tea… I’ll be right back,” she promised, wanting to do whatever she had to in order to get away and regroup.
She planned to take her time, stalling until Missy texted. This meeting was over, as far as she was concerned. She took her time, putting ice into her cup, getting just the right amount of tea added, taking her time selecting two slices of lemon, and replacing her old plastic cup lid with a new one. She took a paper napkin and wiped down her cup, then threw the napkin away. While she was up, she figured that she might as well get a to-go container for her noodles, her appetite was long gone. She got the container and headed back to the table, surprised to see that Stan had disappeared. He’d cleared his place, his food was gone and so was he. There was no note, and she was fairly sure that he wasn’t coming back, so she sat down and found that her appetite had returned. Not wanting to run into him outside of the restaurant, she slowly enjoyed one of her most favorite dishes, and when Missy texted, she told her what had happened.
All’s well that ends well, sugar! Missy texted afterward. Izzy smiled at her phone and nodded, entirely unaware of the eyes trained upon her from outside.
***
“So, tell me more about your weird date,” Missy encouraged, sipping her coffee across the bistro table from Izzy, who was devouring a pumpkin spice cream cheese cupcake.
“It started out so well. I had no plans to like the guy, so I was relaxed and could be myself. We talked, we laughed, and everything was going along just fine until I made some joke about us both being single still. He looked… I don’t know, haunted or something. Then, when we got our food, he hounded me about how eating animals was so bad and how people do things without thinking. It really creeped me out. I was glad when I came back from getting an iced tea and he was gone.”
“Well, there are other fish in the sea, honey. You’ll meet the right man eventually,” Missy assured the talented and attractive young woman.
“I already did, I was just too dense to know it at first,” Izzy mused. “At this point, I’m done with dating. My experiences with Thomas and Stan have clued me in to the fact that I’m just fine being by myself. Maybe I’ll get a dog.”
“That’s what I did for the longest time,” Missy smiled, thinking of her loyal companion, Toffee, the golden retriever, who had been with her for the past several years. “Izzy,” a thought occurred to her, and her eyes went wide. “Did you say you went out with a man named Stan?”
“Yeah, why?” the startled author stopped chewing when she saw Missy’s expression.
“What was Stan’s last name?” Missy practically whispered.
“Umm… let me think. I know he told me. He’s a school teacher…” Izzy’s brow creased as she tried to remember.
“Bartles?”
“Yes, that’s it,” the young woman nodded. “Wait, how did you know that?”
“I probably shouldn’t say anything because Chas isn’t supposed to talk to me about his investigations, but… Stanley Bartles is someone that he’s talking to as a person of interest in a murder case,” Missy confided in a low voice.
Izzy went pale. “Murder? Of whom?”
“A young woman… about your age. She was single, lived alone…”
“But he hardly seemed the type. He was so nice… at first.”
“Honey, most killers seem like the boy next door. I hate the thought that he knows who you are now,” Missy worried.
“You don’t think he’d try to hurt me, do you?”
“I sure hope not. Look, we’re jumping to way too many conclusions here, we don’t know anything about this man, except that he’s somehow tied to a crime scene.”
“Was he dating the victim or something?”
“I don’t think so,” Missy shook her head but still looked concerned.
“Well, then I’m just going to labor under the assumption that he’s harmless and just wasn’t interested in me at all. He became uncomfortable with the conversation and left, that’s all there is to it,” Izzy asserted, sounding far more confident than she felt.
The text tone on the author’s phone went off, making both women jump, and Izzy looked at it with dread. “It’s him,” she whispered. “What do I do?”
“I don’t know yet, darlin,” Missy whipped out her own phone and started dialing. “I’m calling Chas.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
* * *
“Did he say anything specifically that made you feel as though you might be in danger?” Chas asked Izzy.
He’d come to the cupcake shop after Missy called him, wanting to find out more about Izzy’s experience with Stanley Bartles.
“No. I mean, at worst, I felt like he was judging me for eating meat,” she shrugged.
“What specifically did he say about being bothered by meat consumption?” the detective probed.
“I really don’t remember all that well… something about choosing to not think about the fact that I was eating flesh, blood, muscles, something like that. It made me lose my appetite.”
“Interesting. Did he give you anything?”
“Like what?” Izzy was puzzled.
“Anything at all,” Chas looked at her intently.
Missy came out of the kitchen and set a carafe of coffee and a plate of cupcakes on the table, but her husband and Izzy were so engrossed in their conversation that they barely noticed.
“No. He was there when I got there. We got our food separately and each paid for our own, and he didn’t give me anything other than a handshake. The only time someone gave me something on a date recently, was my first try, a guy named Thomas. He brought me a flower,” she sighed.
“A flower?” the detective paused. “What kind of flower?”
“A rose. A pink one. It was pretty, but I thought it was kind of over the top for a first meeting, you
know?”
“Oh, I’m sure he was just trying to impress you, honey,” Missy commented.
Chas scribbled on his notepad.
“When you shook hands with Bartles,” the detective continued. “Did you notice anything in particular about his hands?”
“His hands? Hmm… let me think. They were thin, because he’s thin. A bit clammy, but I have to cut him some slack on that one, he did a great job of hiding his nervousness. His grip was firm, but not overbearing. It felt like he was stronger than he looked, you know?”
Chas nodded grimly. “Anything else?”
Izzy shook her head, thinking. “Not that I can recall.”
“What was the last name of the guy who gave you the flower?”
“Blevins.”
“What can you tell me about him?”
“Aside from the fact that he’s arrogant and presumptuous? Not much, our first meeting didn’t go well.” She related the details that she could remember about her first meeting with Thomas, while the detective nodded and took notes.
“Okay, Izzy, you’re a really brave gal… I hate to ask you this, but I have an idea that may help us catch a murderer, if you’re willing to participate,” he said, after a brief hesitation.
“I don’t know if I like the sound of this…” Missy frowned.
“Sure, I’ll help if I can. What’s your idea?”
“Let me do some checking on the information that you’ve given me, and I’ll get back with you. Hopefully, we won’t have to make you a part of my plan, but if we do, I’ll give you a call.”
“Okay,” Izzy agreed.
“Chas, is Izzy in any kind of danger? What should she do? Does she need to stay here with us until this all blows over?” Missy worried.
“I’m fine,” Izzy supplied, before Chas could answer. “I’ve been kidnapped, stalked, and threatened more times than I’d like to think about. I’ll be okay in my own home.”
“I’ll have undercover units drive by on a pretty regular basis until we figure a few things out. Izzy has my number, and knows what precautions to take,” the detective reassured his wife.
“Do you want to borrow Toffee for a while?” Missy wasn’t convinced.
“I don’t think that the sweetest golden retriever in the world is going to be much of a deterrent,” Izzy grinned. “But thanks for the offer.”
“What about Bitsy? That feisty little maltipoo will bark her fool head off if she hears someone outside,” she tried again.
“I’m sure my neighbors would love that,” Izzy chuckled. “Seriously, Missy, don’t worry about me. I’ll lock everything up tight and I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” Izzy lied, not feeling sure at all. She wished that she’d never started dating again, but now that she was mired in a mess of a murder, she only hoped that she could help bring about justice for the victim.
***
Izzy’s doorbell rang, and she had a moment where she wished that she had taken Missy up on her offer of loaning out her dog. The loyal presence of Toffee might have helped to calm her nerves a bit. She’d been jumping at shadows ever since Chas had questioned her about Stanley. She’d been advised not to answer his apology text for now, and was hoping that he hadn’t come over to apologize in person.
A wave of relief flooded through her when she looked out of her peephole and saw a tall woman standing on the other side of the door.
“Hello,” she said pleasantly, opening the door.
The day was warm, and Izzy thought that she just might go to the beach for some quality “alone time” later.
“Hello,” the woman replied. “I hope I’m not intruding.” The woman, who was more handsome than pretty, might be tall and solidly built, but she had a sweet voice and a timid smile.
“Not at all, what can I do for you?” Izzy replied, thinking that this must be a neighbor that she hadn’t met yet.
The somewhat reclusive author pretty much kept to herself, so, aside from the folks who had stopped by while she was moving into her cozy pink cottage, bringing dinner and baked goods, she hadn’t really gotten to know her neighbors.
“My name is Rebecca Wray, and I teach English and literature over at the junior high school. Many of my students are huge fans of yours, and I was hoping, since they’re going to be out of school for the holidays soon, and are getting disruptively restless, that you might be able to come in as a guest speaker and just talk about what you do and how you do it. I think they’ll be spellbound,” Rebecca smiled shyly. “And if you could throw in a little bit about how good grammar has changed your life and served as the foundation of your success, I’d be most appreciative,” she joked.
Izzy laughed. She actually really enjoyed teenagers, and had been a camp counselor in the past. Speaking to a classroom of junior high students sounded like something right up her alley.
“Sure, I’d love to,” she nodded. “How did you happen to know that I lived here in Calgon?”
“I sometimes stop in for cupcakes at Cupcakes in Paradise, and…”
“Oh! You’re a friend of Missy’s,” realization dawned. “I should have known. That gal does more charity work than anyone I know, and seems to know just about everyone in town,” the author smiled fondly.
“She is wonderful,” Rebecca agreed.
“Okay, Rebecca, let me give you my email address and we can set it all up. Can you come in for a moment? I can make tea,” Izzy offered, knowing how important hospitality was in this part of the world, even if she, as a New Yorker, didn’t understand it.
“Oh, I actually have to get going, but if you want to just give me your phone number, I can put it in my phone and then I can text you with the details. And please, it’s Becky. Only my mother calls me Rebecca, and that’s just when I’m in trouble,” she laughed.
“Becky it is,” Izzy agreed. “Do you have your contacts list open?” she glanced at Becky’s phone.
“Sure do, fire when ready,” her fingers were poised over the keyboard.
Izzy gave her the number and shook her hand when she put her phone away. “Thanks for the opportunity, I’m looking forward to this.”
“Me too,” Becky agreed. “See you soon.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
* * *
Spencer Bengal sat with his back against a palm tree, staring out at the ocean. The Marine’s life had been turned upside down when he’d finally earned his freedom from a top-secret government position. Now that he was free to do as he pleased, he chose to continue to work for Missy and Chas at the inn, as security and maintenance, but other areas of his life were far from being defined that clearly. He’d told Izzy that they didn’t have a future together, and had hated hurting her. The thought of her tears and shocked expression haunted him, and he found himself wondering on more than one occasion if perhaps he should’ve given her another chance.
But the beautiful young author had walked away from him twice when he needed her most, even after he’d declared his feelings for her; now he just couldn’t bring himself to trust her, despite the fact that he knew he came into the relationship with more than his share of baggage. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t miss her, and it didn’t mean that he didn’t care, he’d just gone back into self-protection mode. And then there was Joyce…
The spunky bookstore manager made no secret of the fact that she was interested, which he found flattering to say the least, but he wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship. Things in Spencer’s life were changing rapidly, and what he really needed was a moment to think and to catch his breath a bit. He truly enjoyed Joyce’s company, and found her to be smart, funny, and attractive, but he intentionally kept his distance so that he didn’t become too emotionally entangled.
His fellow Marine and constant backup, Janssen, had left weeks ago, after he too was released from the clutches of the classified governmental agency which had kept them as virtual captives since they’d come back from Afghanistan years before.
Spencer had no idea where Janssen had gone, or if he’d ever see him again. The taciturn Marine had mentioned the possibility of going back to the life that he’d led before being issued a new identity, but didn’t know if he’d have the courage to face his past.
Spencer had been alone in the world for quite some time, and now with the departure of Janssen and his distance from Izzy, he felt truly isolated and lonely. The big, tough Marine, who had, on multiple occasions, stared death in the face until death backed down, was hurting inside and feeling lost and alone, despite the fact that Missy and Chas and their friends had become his family.
He sat brooding under the tree, staring out at the water, until a movement in his peripheral vision drew his attention. For a moment, he wondered if his thoughts had caused him to hallucinate, but then he realized that it actually was Izzy walking, head down, toward him, her feet splashing in the edge of the water. His heart leapt to his throat at the sight of her. She looked stunning in her simple white gauzy skirt and soft mint green camisole. She carried sandy flip-flops in one hand, and occasionally swept her hair out of her eyes with the other, when stray breezes wafted through the silken strands. She hadn’t spotted him yet, and with the way that she was watching the little riffles of water around her ankles—not caring that the hem of her skirt was getting a bit wet—it looked like she might not notice him at all unless he called out to her.
Spencer wrestled with the idea of letting her walk by, versus capturing her attention. He didn’t know what to say to her once he had her attention, but he felt that if he just let her walk by without acknowledging her, and she happened to glance up and see him, she’d be even more hurt. He’d asked Missy and Echo if they’d heard from her, and if she was doing okay, and they’d been honest, letting him know that she was still grieving the loss of their relationship. The Marine was torn, to say the least, but valor won out in the end, and he did the noble, if uncomfortable, thing.
Toffee Apple Killer: Book 11 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Page 7