Murder and Layer Cake

by Meredith Potts

“Thanks,” he said. “Anyway, it was great running into you, but I really need to head home. Diane is expecting me.”

  “Say hi for me.”

  He nodded. “I will.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  David and I returned home where we proceeded to video chat with the rest of our family, who were still hiding out at the cabin near Lake Ashford. I broke the bad news to them that the case was still unsolved and that they would need to stay at the cabin for at least one more day. Not surprisingly, my daughter took the news the worst.

  Jessica was homesick. She wanted to sleep in her own bed again, to hang out with her friends, and to go back to a normal life. While she couldn’t do that quite yet, there was always the chance that tomorrow could bring a stroke of good luck.

  Shortly after ending the video chat call with our family, David and I headed off to bed. It had been an exhausting day, and my pillow was beckoning.

  That evening, I crashed out in record time. Before I knew it, the morning sun was streaking through my bedroom window.

  There was nothing quite like a full night of rest. One of the few benefits of complete exhaustion was that I didn’t even have the energy to toss and turn in bed. I just plopped my head down on my pillow, closed my eyes, and was out cold in no time flat.

  Now with eight hours of sleep under my belt, I rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes and got ready to tackle the case again. There was just one thing I needed before I could resume investigating—caffeine. Luckily, I knew where they served the best espresso in town—my family’s coffee shop.

  David and I headed over to Daley Buzz to get our caffeine fix. He parked his car on Main Street directly in front of the shop. I got out of the car and was halfway to the front door of the shop when I looked back and saw my husband sitting motionless in the driver’s seat.

  I took a few steps over to the side of the car to speak with David. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” he replied.

  “Then why are you just sitting there?”

  “You go in and get the coffees without me.”

  “Why aren’t you coming?”

  “I’m going to call the station.”

  “Good idea.”

  “With any luck, some kind of a lead might have materialized overnight.”

  “Luck? What’s that?” I deadpanned.

  That joke must have really taken him by surprise because he broke into some serious laughter.

  “It’s been so long since we got lucky that I’ve almost forgotten,” he said. “Although, there has never been a better time for a little refresher.”

  I crossed my fingers. “I’ll be right back with the coffees. And some muffins.”

  David’s eyebrows raised. “Muffins? After the cake you had last night? You’re really throwing your diet out the window, aren’t you?”

  Even though I had vowed not to make a mockery of my diet, I only had so much will power at the moment.

  “It turns out that dieting and crime solving do not go well together,” I said.

  “Is there anything that dieting does go well with?”

  I said the first thing that came to my mind. “Misery.”

  “That’s so true.”

  “Exactly. Which is why I’m officially putting my diet on hold. There will be plenty of time to count calories when the killer is behind bars. Right now, my brain needs some comfort food.”

  “Fair enough. Muffins, it is then.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  When I went inside, I spotted Kelly Hogan at the counter. My forty-five-year-old friend had blue eyes, wavy blond hair, and a curvy body.

  She put a big tip in the jar for the barista.

  Nancy Freeman, the redheaded barista who was working behind the counter, gave Kelly a warm smile. “Thank you.”

  “Of course. I know how hard you work,” Kelly said.

  I reached Kelly. “You sure do.”

  Fifteen years ago, Kelly used to work for me at Daley Buzz. Back when I was managing the place. A lot had changed since then. While I had taken a background role at the café, Kelly had hung up her barista apron for the last time. She was now the owner of the local crystal shop in town.

  “Speaking of someone who knows a thing or two about making coffee,” Kelly said.

  “A little too much,” I joked.

  “It’s safe to say I don’t miss those days.”

  “It’s the mornings I really don’t miss. Getting up at four o’clock to be at work at five.”

  “What a grind.”

  I laughed. “I guess it’s safe to say that your days of slinging coffees are thankfully over.”

  She nodded. “I like my life on this side of the counter.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “But enough about the old days.”

  My eyebrows knitted. It wasn’t like Kelly to change the subject so abruptly. She was usually so laidback. The kind of woman who personified the saying “go with the flow.” But as I looked at her right then, there was nothing easygoing about the expression on her face.

  “Does talking about those days make you feel old?” I asked.

  “It didn’t until you just brought it up.”

  I grimaced. “Oops. Sorry. Forget that I even mentioned it.”

  “Hey, you can’t stay young forever. No matter how much you try. It’s just a fact of life.”

  “Don’t tell that to some of the people in this town. They’ll do anything to recapture their youth.”

  “Don’t I know it?”

  “It’s amazing how many people refuse to grow up.”

  “Or think that I have a fountain of youth in the back of my shop,” Kelly said.

  “Wait. You don’t?” I joked.

  Kelly laughed. “Unfortunately, I don’t.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  “It certainly disappoints my customers.”

  “There’s nothing like unruly crystal shop customers.”

  “Don’t worry. I direct those people to my diverse selection of mood stones,” Kelly said. “But that’s neither here nor there. There’s something I really need to talk to you about.”

  So much for keeping things light. Once again, a deadly serious expression came to Kelly’s face. I prayed that she didn’t have some kind of a crisis on her hands. I had enough going on already, and there was only so much room on my plate. That said, I never turned my back on a friend in need.

  I tried to keep a positive attitude. Although, I couldn’t outright dismiss the possibility that Kelly was about to share some terrible news with me. After all, I didn’t have a good feeling in my gut.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  Just as Kelly opened her mouth to answer, I heard the sound of a familiar voice behind me. That voice belonged to my other longtime friend, Shannon Marlowe.

  “Funny running into you two here,” Shannon joked.

  I turned around and saw Shannon approaching Kelly and me.

  Shannon was a petite forty-seven-year-old redhead who had freckles dotting the cheeks of her round face.

  I laughed. “I know. This is the last place you’d ever expect to cross paths with me.”

  Shannon chuckled.

  I continued. “You know the old saying, though, about how trying new things is overrated.”

  Shannon’s nose scrunched. “You mean the saying that you made up?”

  “Just because I made it up doesn’t make it any less true,” I said.

  “That sounds like something your grandmother would say,” Shannon replied.

  “There are worse people to take after. My grandma is a force to be reckoned with,” I said.

  Kelly nodded and then held up her cup. “Plus she knows how to brew an amazing cup of coffee.”

  While my ninety-eight-year-old grandma was no longer involved in the daily operation of Daley Buzz, and hadn’t been for a while, the café owed everything to her. She built this business from the ground up. To this day, Daley Buzz was still using the same
supplier for coffee beans as when the café first opened nearly seventy years ago.

  “That’s so true. There’s no better place to get coffee in Treasure Cove,” Shannon said.

  “I’m glad you said that and not me. You know I’m not one for bragging,” I replied.

  “I wouldn’t blame you for bragging about this coffee. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted,” Shannon said.

  “I’ll tell my grandma that you said that. She never gets tired of hearing it,” I said.

  “You know what I’m tired of? Our hometown being filled with nut jobs,” Shannon said.

  I squinted. “What nut case are you talking about specifically?”

  The fact that I needed clarification said a lot about the state of Treasure Cove lately.

  “Whoever killed Mark Wilcox,” Shannon said. “Unless there’s another crazy person wreaking havoc around town that I don’t know about.” Her eyes filled with panic. “There isn’t, is there?”

  “No. Thankfully, it’s just one.” I bit my lip and became pensive. “I think. Well, for now at least.”

  “That wasn’t a very confident answer,” Shannon said.

  I shrugged. “What can I say? These are insecure times.”

  “That’s putting it lightly,” Shannon grumbled.

  “The aura of this entire town is misaligned,” Kelly said.

  Shannon chuckled. “That’s putting it ethereally.”

  Kelly looked at Shannon sternly. “This is no laughing matter.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that. I’m on the front lines,” I said.

  “You’re certainly fighting the good fight,” Shannon said. “I just wish you didn’t have to fight at all.”

  Kelly held her hand up. “I second that sentiment.”

  “It seemed like things were finally starting to calm down too,” Shannon said.

  “It turned out it was just the calm before the storm,” I said. “I don’t know why the universe has such crazy plans for us all the time.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way. With a little astral realignment, Treasure Cove could be back on the right path,” Kelly said.

  “Things just got a little too mystical for me,” Shannon said.

  “Well they are too violent for me. Sometimes mysticism is the answer,” Kelly said.

  Shannon put her hands on her hips. “When was the last time a crystal solved a murder case?”

  Just as Kelly opened her mouth to reply, I stepped in between them.

  “Can you ladies do me a favor and not argue? I get enough of that from the murder suspects,” I said.

  “Sorry,” Shannon said.

  “Speaking of suspects, I really need to talk to you about this case,” Kelly said.

  “What about it?” I asked.

  “I really think you need an aura cleanse. And a circle of protection enchantment,” Kelly said.

  “Kelly, I know you’re just trying to help, but what I really need right now is a solid lead,” I said.

  “All right. Well if you change your mind, don’t hesitate to call me,” Kelly said.

  “I won’t,” I said.

  “Are you sure there isn’t something we can do?” Shannon asked.

  I held my pointer finger up. “Actually, there is one thing.”

  “Name it,” Kelly said.

  “You can pray for me,” I said.

  “Done,” Shannon said.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I returned to the car carrying coffee cups and muffins.

  “What’s the verdict?” I asked.

  David grimaced. “There are no new leads to speak of.”

  I let out a sigh. “Oh.”

  “According to forensics, they have done everything they can. And the phones at the station have been quiet.”

  “So what now?”

  “The chief is holding a press conference. He’s going to make a plea to the public to come forward with any information they have, no matter how large or small.”

  “Do you think that will work?”

  “I’m not going to hold my breath,” David said.

  That proved to be a wise decision. The phones at the station didn’t exactly ring off the hook after the police chief’s press conference. As a matter of fact, his plea for assistance didn’t yield a single lead in the case.

  David and I spent the majority of the morning at police headquarters, pouring over the case file again. Never mind the fact that we both practically had the thing memorized by then. Short of the killer making some kind of misstep, our best option was to go over the pieces of this puzzle again until we could make sense of them.

  This was most infuriating part of investigating. Not to mention, the part that never got shown on police procedural TV shows. The slow burn. The moments when an investigator felt like they were slamming their head against the wall.

  ***

  Finally, I couldn’t stare at the case file any longer. Neither could David. It didn’t help that the lunch hour was upon us and we were fresh out of food.

  David got up from his desk and grabbed his keys. “I don’t know about you, but my tummy is rumbling.”

  I remained seated. “I’ve been trying to ignore my stomach.”

  “I think it’s time you listen to it,” he said. “Besides, you’ve been staring at those photos so long, if I gave you a blank sketch pad and a pencil, you could probably recreate them all from memory by now.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get some brain food.”

  “Why not just call for delivery? We could get some Chinese. Or some pizza.”

  “I think we could both use the fresh air.”

  I took a deep breath. “Now that you mention it, the air is getting rather stale in here.”

  David nodded. “Plus, you never know who—or what—we might come across while we’re out.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  It turned out what we came across was some orange chicken, some fried rice, and a few eggrolls from our favorite Chinese restaurant in town. We happily devoured the scrumptious food and moved right on to dessert.

  The moment I cracked open my fortune cookie, David looked at me with curiosity in his eyes.

  “What does your fortune say?” David asked.

  I read the fortune aloud. “The winds of change will blow in your favor.”

  “How vague. Yet also, how inspirational.”

  “Isn’t that always the way?”

  He nodded. “Pretty much. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to get specifics from a fortune cookies.”

  “You’re also not going to get a doom and gloom fortune either,” I said. “I’ve never once seen one that read ‘you are facing an obstacle that you have no chance of overcoming.’”

  “I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t go over well.”

  I shook my head. “No. But for some people, it would also be the truth.”

  “I hope you’re not speaking about yourself.”

  “I never said I was.”

  “I just wanted to make sure,” he said. “This has been a frustrating case.”

  “It’s more than that. We’re reaching desperation time.”

  “We’ve been in worse situations.”

  “We’ve also been in much better ones before.” I looked over at his plate. “What does your fortune say?”

  He cracked open his cookie, pulled out the fortune, and read it aloud. “You will overcome great conflict.”

  “That’s great to hear. But how?” I asked.

  David’s eyebrows knitted. “Were you just talking to the fortune cookie?”

  “Maybe,” I said. “Don’t judge me.”

  “No judgment here. That said, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to find the answers you’re looking for in a fortune cookie.”

  “Not in that cookie, at least. I should ask our server for another cookie.”

  He folded his arms. “Really?”

  “As a snack.
Not a crime-solving tool.”

  David exhaled. “Phew. You had me worried there.”

  “Give me a little more credit than that. I’m desperate, not completely off my rocker,” I replied.

  “I never said you were.”

  “Not verbally. But you had that look of disbelief in your eyes like I was banking on a fortune cookie to be able to solve this murder for us.”

  Before David was able to get a reply out, I heard a familiar voice speak up over my shoulder.

  “Please tell me you’re joking,” Jake Williamson said.

  I turned around and saw the slender, slick-haired sixty-seven-year-old millionaire businessman standing behind me.

  “Jake. What are you doing here?” I said.

  “Why are you looking at me like this is the last place you’d ever expect me to set foot in?” Jake said.

  “I just thought you only ate at Antonio’s,” I said.

  He gave me a slight smile as he shook his head. “Very funny.”

  “I wasn’t joking,” I said. “I’ll bet Antonio’s Ristorante wouldn’t appreciate being cheated on like this.”

  “If you must know, it wasn’t my idea to get takeout here.”

  “Ah. Now it makes sense. Your wife was craving Chinese food, wasn’t she?” I said.

  Jake had always struck me as a permanent bachelor. The kind of man who would never tie the knot. He was so married to his work that there didn’t appear to be enough room for a committed relationship in his life.

  So when he walked down the aisle with Clarissa Hunt a few years ago, it came as a pleasant surprise. In more ways than one. Not only did it prove that he was capable of caring about something other than the balance in his bank account. It was also a much-needed step in the right direction for his life. With their marriage entering its sixth year, so many of the illusions I had about him had been shattered. What a difference falling in love made.

  He groaned at me. “Sabrina, you’re so prying sometimes.”

  “Am I wrong?” I asked.

  “My wife loves the food here,” Jake said.

  “She has good taste.”

  “In most things, yes. In this…” Jake trailed off.