The Sweet Taste of Murder: An Angel Lake Mystery

by CeeCee James

  Elise tried to wrap her arms around the dogs and gather them close. “Shh, it’s okay,” she yelled, her voice drowned out by the train.

  Through the trees, the engine flashed by. Then car after car, all carrying the same sickening screech.

  “What the heck?” Elise scrambled to her feet. The dogs trembled at her movement.

  Boom! Like a bomb going off, metal gnawed into metal and exploded into shards. Elise jerked as every muscle spasmed.

  She froze for a moment before running towards the noise. The train inched onward until it finally came to a stop. Her temples throbbed as the blood drained from her face. Confused, she shook the fear from her head and continued forward.

  What had it hit? What was going on?

  An eerie stillness settled over the park as the noise of the brakes quieted. On cue, all three dogs began barking. She continued to run, nearly flying off the ground at some points with her arms outstretched as the dogs dragged her after them.

  Up ahead, black smoke encircled the rear of the car dealership that butted up against the tracks. Silver flashes of metal lay scattered in the gouged earth before the train’s engine.

  She could just make out the back end of a car. A tire.

  Her heart stuttered. Only the the back end. The front half was wedged well underneath the front the train.

  A crowd had already gathered at the tracks, all of them quiet and uncertain of what to do. Elise ran up to one man and grabbed his arm. “Is anyone hurt?”

  He hitched his thumbs under his suspenders. “No, I don’t think anyone’s hurtin’. I reckon that driver is long past feeling any sort of pain.”

  CHAPTER 3

  That afternoon time bent in a way that Elise had never experienced before. There was an initial interview with the police, who soon dismissed her when they discovered she’d not actually witnessed the accident. The discovery that the man in the car was Cameron McMahon, the owner of the car dealership he’d died in front of. The numb walk home, only to turn with surprise that the three dogs were still with her because she’d forgotten to take them home. And the final emotional collapse that night on Lavina’s couch, while her friend clucked her tongue and plied her with a martini.

  Today, Elise wanted to shake it off. There was nothing that could be done for the poor man, other than taking a hard look at the cause of the accident to prevent it from happening again.

  She’d gotten up, dressed and was actually headed out determined to use her gym membership, when a pitiful meow stopped her in her tracks. She looked around the front yard. There it was again, by the magnolia tree with blooms like snowballs at the corner of the house. A tiny face peered out from the branches.

  It was the orange cat who’d taken to hanging outside her house recently. She squatted on the porch steps with her hand outstretched and made a few kissy noises. He didn’t take much cajoling to join her on the porch. “Hey there, little buddy. Where’d you come from?”

  The orange tabby butted her hand before running the length of his back against her fingers. His purr was deep and rumbling, making her pause to listen to it. It had been a long time since she’d last heard a cat. Mark had hated them. Her eyebrows crumpled together at the feel of the knobs on his spine. “Poor baby, you’re so skinny.”

  Still frowning, she stood up. The cat rubbed his cheek against her shin. Her lips flitted into a smile, and she headed back to the kitchen.

  After gathering a few slices of lunch meat and a dish of water, she placed them outside in a spot of shade.

  The cat sniffed the lunch meat and turned away.

  “What’s the matter, sweetheart? You don’t like turkey?” Elise scratched his head again, before looking down at her Fitbit— a birthday present she’d given herself. “Okay, then. I’ll be back in a while to check on you.”

  After a few steps down the sidewalk, she turned back. The cat had swatted at the meat, and it dangled from his front paw. “You just like to eat alone, I guess.” She chuckled.

  * * *

  Elise walked up to the last treadmill unmanned at the Muscle Motivators tiny gym. She took a couple deep breaths to mentally pump up for the run.

  Next to the machine was a stair climber. Elise recognized Mabel, a recently retired postal worker, who now was practically the gym’s mascot with her twice-daily workouts.

  “Hey, lady,” Mabel greeted, after a quick smile.

  “Hi, yourself. Geez, you’re incredible, Mabel.” Elise couldn’t help but admire the toned older woman’s endurance. “How the heck do you do it?”

  “Well, I tell myself, what’s the other option? Give up and get ready for the Yellow Gardens?”

  “Yellow Gardens?” Elise started a light jog.

  “Yeah, the retirement home that old people go to pee themselves.”

  “Wow. That’s depressing.”

  “Exactly. No Yellow Gardens for me. Not while I still have breath and can be moving and keeping strong.”

  Elise punched the button to push the speed past her normal rate. If Mabel could do it, so could she.

  “So. Can you even believe it?”

  “About Cameron?” Elise figured it had to be about him. Nothing this big had hit the town in a long while.

  “Yep. They ruled it suicide.”

  The vision of the black Mercedes smashed on tracks flashed through Elise’s mind. To do that on purpose? “Really? That’s just so sad.”

  Mabel rolled her eyes, her face dotted with perspiration. “Are you serious? Why on earth would that man commit suicide? He had more money than you could shake a stick at. Heck, half the businesses in town owed him in some way or another. And, even though he was married, he honestly thought he was God’s gift to women. You think he’d really off himself and deprive us poor women of his presence?”

  Elise shook her head. “You’re terrible.”

  Mabel grunted as she adjusted the speed on the climber. Her skinny legs pumped the stairs up and down. Elise eyed Mabel’s ropy muscle and glanced down at her own pale legs, flabby in comparison. She wondered if she’d ever truly be able to run a half-marathon, the one goal she’d had since she was seventeen. A goal that always seemed to get derailed when it closed in on race day.

  How fast was she going? 4.5? Oh Lord, she was going to die. With almost a whimper, she increased the speed, feeling like it was her heart she was ratcheting up.

  “You hear what they found on his desk?” Mabel puffed out.

  Gasping, Elise answered, “No, what?”

  “A suicide note. Said he was leaving everything to his daughter.” Mabel took a swig from her water bottle, her legs never slowing down. “‘Cept he doesn’t have a daughter. No children that we know about anyway.”

  “Seriously? Well, like you said, how can anyone really be surprised?”

  “Oh, I think you’ll be surprised all right. It turns out to be someone you know quite well.”

  Elise brushed the sweat from her forehead. “Who?”

  Mabel slowed her incline and pressed two fingers against her throat to take her pulse. Satisfied, she stabbed the speed button to a stop. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Does Lavina ring a bell?”

  Elise gasped, feeling foolish as soon as the sound left her mouth. But how could she not? Her best friend? Cameron’s daughter? “That can’t be right. I don’t believe it.”

  “Believe it, chickee. The note said he was sorry for all the wasted time and then confessed that he’d always loved Lenora.”

  Lenora. A name Elise hadn’t heard for a very long time. She was Lavina’s mom who’d died when Vi was only six. Panting, Elise continued on the treadmill, her thoughts muddled.

  Mabel grabbed a towel hanging off the arm of another machine. She wiped down the handholds of the stair climber. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

  Still shocked by Mabel’s revelation, Elise nodded. Mabel tossed the towel into a bin and headed across the room to the weights. The crew over there welcomed her with cheers as soon as she stepped on the matt.
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  Lavina was Cameron’s daughter? Elise tucked her chin down as she jogged. Why did Lenora never tell her? Thinking back to kindergarten, she remembered the day Lavina’s mother had been committed to the mental hospital. Two teachers had nervously gathered in a corner before calling Lavina over. Lavina had been so cute in her pink dress and pigtails. Miss Clementine had gathered Vi in her arms and there she’d sat for the rest of the day.

  Later, Elise had asked her parents what had happened to Lavina’s mama that made Vi cry. Her dad frowned but her mom answered that Lavina’s mom was not well, and it was her head.

  From that day on Lavina lived with her grandparents, just three doors down from her own home. Elise hadn’t known any better and thought to have her best friend closer was just the greatest thing.

  And for the next year Lenora shuffled in and out of mental hospitals and recovery centers in a downward spiral, until her death the following spring.

  Lavina never made mention of her father or tried to find him. She’d always acted as if he never existed.

  And to think, this whole time her father lived in the same town. Did Cameron know? Did he secretly watch Lavina grow up, filling with pride as she won awards, track meets, and eventually became homecoming queen?

  Elise frowned. As far as she could tell, Cameron had never treated Lavina any differently than any of the other kids. He’d always been aloof when the girls approached. She remembered how he scarcely made eye-contact, dressed in his high tailored suits, his dark hair slicked back, and holding a cane. A cane that would look pretentious with anyone else, but somehow he carried it off with an air of savoir faire.

  Whatever happened to that cane—black with a brass bulldog on top?

  Elise shook her head. Who worries about a cane at a time like this? Frowning, she slowed the speed on the treadmill. Why hadn’t Lavina called her about this? Did she know? Last night, when she was sprawled out on Lavina’s couch complaining about her trauma, was Lavina silently grieving? Or was she completely oblivious and about to get blindsided by the note?

  A shiver ran down Elise’s back, and she flipped the machine off. Her legs felt rubbery as she wiped the treadmill down. Quickly, she made her way to the locker room. As she went, her eyes caught sight of Mabel.

  Mabel’s eyebrows were waggling as she talked animatedly to the crew at the weights. The other two women stood next to her shaking their heads and watching intently. Elise caught the word “suicide,” and could just imagine the story spreading like wildfire.

  She needed to find Lavina.

  CHAPTER 4

  Before the gym doors had a chance to close behind her, Elise grabbed her cell phone and scrolled to Lavina’s number. She hurried to the car, propping the phone against her shoulder as she scrambled for her keys. With the car unlocked, she sank down into the driver’s seat.

  “Hello?” Lavina’s sweet southern accent filled the phone.

  Elise felt a wave of relief. “Lavina, where are you?”

  “Home, darlin’. What’s the matter?”

  Elise took a deep breath with her head rolling back against the seat. “Have you heard about Cameron leaving a note?”

  “No! So, it was a suicide. My goodness. I would never have expected it from him. What did the note say?”

  Elise swallowed. “I need you to sit down for this, Lavina.”

  “What are you talking about? Don’t be silly.”

  “I’m serious. Sit for a second. ” She paused. Squeezed her eyes shut and, like ripping off a bandaid, blurted, “It’s an apology to you. He says he was your dad.”

  Silence on the other end.

  “Lavina! Are you there? Did you hear me?”

  “I heard you.” A whispery sigh trailed at the end of the last word.

  Elise bit her lip. “Did you know?” Her hand trembled, and she gripped the phone tighter.

  “Yes. I knew.”

  “About the note? Or that he said he was your dad?”

  “I knew he was my father.”

  The air in the car seemed stifling, and Elise jammed the key in the ignition to roll down the window. The dinging bell filled the silence as she tried to digest her friend’s words. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Another sigh, this one louder. “I only just found out myself a few months ago. Mama had never mentioned a peep about him to me. Honestly, Elise, I hardly knew what to think of it. And with everything going on between you and Mark, well, I didn’t want to add to your burden.”

  “You could never add to it! I’m here for you! Blood sisters?”

  Lavina softly chuckled. “I remember that. Sixth grade wasn’t it? Two peas in a pod.”

  “Yeah, and I was too chicken to cut my finger. You had to do it for me.” A ghost of a smile appeared at the memory. “You should know I’m always here for you. Especially for something like this.”

  “Truly, I just was trying to ignore it. Pretend I didn’t know, and it would all go away. I didn’t want a relationship with him anyway. Too little too late. I don’t think I could ever forgive him for abandoning my mama.”

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s just all so weird.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Oddly, it was his housekeeper who first let it slip.”

  “Are you serious? How did something like that just slip out?”

  “She came into Sweet Sandwiches one day to pick up an order. I remember her staring at me with huge eyes and talking a mile a minute in Spanish.”

  “Since when do you speak Spanish?”

  “I don’t, but the guy who stocks my deli meat does. He was behind the counter refilling the fridge. He asked her a few questions, and the housekeeper chatted back to him even more urgently, still staring at me like she’d seen a ghost. It unnerved me, to be quite honest. I certainly didn’t know how to respond, so I just gave her the sandwich order and said thank you.” Lavina mumbled now, and Elise could hear crunching.

  “Are you eating? How can you eat at a time like this?”

  “It’s macaroons. You know how I am about macaroons.”

  “That’s called stress eating.”

  “Oh.” There was a pause. “That explains the tub of ice-cream.”

  “For crying out loud, finish your story! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of this earlier.”

  “So the housekeeper left, and Dan turned to go too. I practically had to threaten to whack him with the cheddar wheel to get him to talk. He was reluctant, but he finally told me.” More crunching.

  “You’re driving me crazy.”

  “Sorry, sorry. He said the housekeeper kept repeating that I looked just like him. Like Cameron. And I was the reason their household was in an uproar. His wife threatened to divorce him because Cameron was ready to publicly claim me. Not that I would have let him. I would have denied every single word that came out of that man’s mouth.”

  Elise closed her eyes again, trying to mentally compare the appearances of Cameron and Lavina. “I don’t get how you look just like him. You have red hair for one.”

  “Oh, honey… you do know it comes out of a box, right?”

  “You’re telling me you don’t have natural red hair?”

  “Normally, sandy blonde.”

  Elise raised her eyebrows. “Lavina Sue Marie, I don’t believe you. You were red-headed as a child!”

  A soft laugh came over the phone. “Strawberry-blonde. That was grandma’s doing. Grandma always used to say I had the mousiest hair. ‘But we can fix that, darlin'. Every woman needs to have a sparkle.’ From as early as I can remember every Sunday night she rinsed my hair with vinegar and then sat me in front of cartoons covered with a mound of tomato sauce and a plastic bag.”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “No. I’m sorry, hun.”

  “I feel like my whole childhood was a lie.”

  “Well,” she sighed. “I know the feeling.”

  Elise’s chest squeezed in sympathy. “Lavina, it’s g
oing to be okay. So what made you believe her? Believe the housekeeper?”

  “It just felt right, like the missing pieces I’d always been looking for had finally fallen together. I started studying him, his mannerisms, his interests. I could see our similarities.”

  “I don’t know about that. Do you think it could have just been her suggestion that made you subliminally see things that weren’t really there?”

  “I might have shrugged it off too, but he called me about a week later. Told me that he’d come home to his housekeeper crying while she fixed dinner. She confessed to him she’d spilled the secret. He said he felt like he owed me an explanation and wanted to know if I’d like to talk.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I was angry. I yelled at him, asking him how he could even look me in the face after abandoning me all my life. Abandoning my mama. He apologized, but I said it was too little too late. And, then I hung up.” There was a small sob on the end of the phone. “I didn’t realize how true those words really were. Because it really is too late. But, I’m not going to let myself care about it now.”

  CHAPTER 5

  The next day, Elise jogged up the stairs of Mrs. Campbell’s porch and rang the bell. Rose didn’t need her today—Horace was at the groomer’s—but Mrs. Campbell’s two busy dogs always demanded daily exercise.

  “Oh, hello dear. Come in. Come in! You’re in the nick time. I just finished a brand new painting.” Mrs. Campbell backed away from the open doorway, her cheeks folding into a wrinkly, crepe paper smile. The soapy scent of White Linen floated in the air as she shut the door.

  Frodo bounded down the hall. Not for the last time did Elise wonder what the heck a fragile elderly woman like Mrs. Campbell was doing with an energetic young golden retriever.

  “Come here, boy.” Elise scratched the dog’s neck as Frodo smiled, tongue lolling out. “You ready for our walk? Huh, boy?”

  Frodo scrunched down into a crouch. His tail wagged frantically like a yellow beach flag warning swimmers of rough waters. Elise winced as it thumped hard against Mrs. Campbell’s thigh. The frail lady staggered a bit and threw out a bony hand to catch her balance against the wall.