A Caffeine Conundrum

by Angela Ruth Strong

  Silently, Tandy edged backward. Cocoa barred his teeth, but she clamped his muzzle shut in time.

  The boots continued past. Marissa might be able to hide, but Jenn knew she was there. What would Jenn do when she found her?

  Jenn paused at the jewelry cabinet. She pulled a glass door open and reached inside. Had she found the diamonds? How brilliant would that have been if Virginia had hidden them in plain sight?

  Jenn pulled out a golden dagger.

  Tandy slapped a hand over her mouth. The woman had killed through coffee and then attempted to cause accidents, but she’d never actually spilled blood with her hands. This took it to a whole new level of evil.

  Should Tandy call out to warn Marissa? If it was two against one, they might be able to overpower her. But then again, one of them might get hurt. Or worse.

  She gauged the distance between herself and the front door. If she could sneak out, she could run for help. The way Marissa had wanted her to do. Hopefully Marissa could hide until the deputy arrived.

  Tandy ignored the throbbing pain underneath her rib belt so she and Cocoa could army-crawl forward again, checking over her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear before scurrying next to an armoire and then behind the gold brocade loveseat with scrollwork legs. She came face to face with two vintage cans of gasoline and a brand new lighter. Dear Santa. Those cans weren’t full, were they? She poked one to see how easy it would move. It stayed in place, resistance coming from enough liquid inside to torch the building.

  Tingles shot through her limbs as she crouched and pulled Cocoa close, listening for any signs that Jenn was still looking for Marissa. She couldn’t leave now in case Jenn decided to set the place on fire with Marissa inside.

  “Merry Christmas, Marissa.” The low, smooth tone spoke of control as well as irritation.

  Tandy closed her eyes. Not the sign she’d been hoping for.

  “Merry Christmas, Jenn.” Marissa’s voice squeaked as she tried to lighten it with a little too much cheer. “I’m sure this holiday has to be hard for you with losing your mom and all, and I thought I’d stop by to see how you’re doing.”

  Tandy arched her eyebrows at Marissa’s response. Not a bad cover. And really, the squeaky voice could be related to the awkwardness of a beauty queen who’d lost her crown. Tandy wouldn’t have thought anything of it when they’d first met. What mattered is that Jenn bought it and put down her weapon.

  “Thanks.” The word came out dryer than Dad’s holiday turkey. “If you’re looking for me, then what exactly were you doing behind the bookshelf?”

  Oh no. Tandy made the kind of face that would accompany a wince were she free to express her emotions aloud.

  “You know me.” High-pitched giggle. “I knocked a book over and had to pick it up. Here.”

  Marissa must have at least had a book in her hand. That made her story more believable. Tandy held her breath.

  “I see.” A soft thud as one of them put down the book. “Well, you’re right about this holiday being hard. I thought I’d come here to be around some of Mom’s old things, but I really don’t want to be alone. Won’t you join me for a cup of coffee?”

  Tandy’s mouth fell open. While both women were lying, Jenn could also be plotting her next murder. Of course, Jenn couldn’t cause Marissa’s heart to go haywire with extra caffeine, but she could add some other kind of poison. Or a sedative that would make her sleep through the shop being burned to the ground.

  Was Jenn trying to scare Marissa or bait her? Tandy waited.

  “I…um…I don’t drink coffee, though I appreciate the offer.”

  Tandy’s shoulders sagged in relief. She’d never before been so glad someone didn’t share her passion.

  “Cocoa perhaps?”

  Tandy’s dog’s ears perked up at his name. She rubbed his neck to keep him from going where he thought he was called. Jenn didn’t know she and Cocoa were there too, did she?

  “Uh, sure. Thanks, Jenn.”

  Footsteps. Why did Marissa follow Jenn in? Why didn’t she make up an excuse to leave? Why wasn’t there an old-fashioned Red Ryder BB gun handy?

  If only she could see, then she’d be able to get a better idea of whether Jenn was feeling threatened and going to hurt anyone or if she was buying Marissa’s act. Maybe Tandy could use her phone. Flipping the camera app to selfie mode, Tandy slid it forward around the arm of the loveseat. She had to tilt it a couple times until it focused on the other women in the room, though it wasn’t the image she wanted to see.

  Jenn held Marissa’s hair in a fist so that her neck was exposed to the tip of the dagger. The gold glinted in the sunlight, sending an almost electric shock to Tandy’s heart.

  “I know you’re in here, Tandy. Come out, or I’ll kill her and pin it on you the same way I have everything else.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Unshed tears clogged Marissa’s throat underneath the cold edge of a knife at her neck. She’d wanted to help Tandy, but she’d messed it all up with her klutziness. Would Tandy come out to save her life? Marissa hadn’t earned that kind of friendship yet.

  Could she even call what they had a friendship? She’d jumped on Tandy every time she thought the other woman was interested in Connor. She’d made her wear a dress when she didn’t want to. Called her dog a varmint the last time they were in this building.

  The room remained quiet. Should Marissa warn Tandy not to reveal herself or would that embolden Jenn even more? Or perhaps Tandy wasn’t there. Maybe she’d snuck out the front when Jenn had been hunting Marissa. She’d been left to die for her failures.

  Those failures continued to play through Marissa’s mind. It was no wonder she didn’t have many friends. She was selfish and controlling. The more she tried to make up for her mistakes and prove herself, the more selfish she became.

  Connor was known for coming to her rescue, and he might even be coming now, but she didn’t deserve him either. As for Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, they were the kind of parents she’d always wanted, but she’d pushed them away to try to live up to her own parents’ standards. Which was stupid—she didn’t even like being around her parents. She liked jolly men who ate too much chocolate with no regrets and kind women who drove impractical cars and prayed a lot.

  She also liked Tandy. She liked her honesty. Her tenacity. Her wit. The black ball cap she’d chosen to wear instead of something more festive.

  That very ball cap rose from behind the ornate trim of a settee, the words Santa Claus implying Tandy considered Marissa to have made the nice list. Wood creaked.

  Jenn yanked Marissa in a quarter turn so they both faced the settee, though it was hard to see Tandy with the way Jenn held her head back. What if Jenn hurt her then went after Tandy? Why would she not? Her friend could at least save herself.

  Marissa swallowed the lump. “Tandy, don’t.”

  Tandy stepped forward anyway. Willing to risk her life for Marissa. Despite their differences. Despite Marissa’s faults. Despite the fact that if something happened to Marissa, the coffee lover would have no competition for the shop of her dreams.

  Jenn readjusted the blade against Marissa’s skin so that it practically strangled her. “Stop.”

  Tandy rubbed her hands down her pant legs but didn’t come any closer.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen.” Jenn’s breath rustled Marissa’s bangs. “If you want Marissa to live, you’re going to grab one of those zip ties on the counter and bind your wrists together.”

  Tandy’s face dipped toward the counter. She wouldn’t really do it, would she? Then she’d be at Jenn’s mercy, and there was no guarantee the killer would truly let them live.

  Tandy picked up a zip tie in slow motion. Of all the people Marissa knew to do as they were ordered, Tandy wasn’t one of them. Then what was she doing?

  Tandy’s head tilted to one side then back.

  Marissa ignored the ache in her neck to get a better view. What had Tandy’s head tilt meant?

&
nbsp; There it was again. Like she was pointing with the brim of her hat. Marissa followed the direction with her eyes to find the stolen Chinese vase on a pedestal next to her. So? They already knew Jenn had stolen the vase.

  “You figured me out from the vase, huh?” Jenn asked. Uh-oh. She’d noticed Tandy’s motion as well. “Mom thought it was these diamonds that were going to get us caught, but she hung onto this vase much longer than she was supposed to. I told her to hide it if Billie ever came over. Who would have thought Randon would be the one to recognize it? Thankfully he didn’t realize it was stolen.”

  Again, Marissa didn’t care about the vase. And they’d already pieced the rest of the information together. What they needed was a plan. She glanced toward heaven for a Christmas miracle. All she saw was the beautiful chandelier that she’d imagined would make a good weapon. Was it too late for Tandy to somehow cut the cord holding it up? Probably, but even if it was still possible, how would Marissa ever convey such an idea. She could use her eyes. Bug them out then flick them upward so Tandy would follow the direction of her gaze like she’d followed Tandy’s motion toward the vase.

  Wait. What if the vase was Tandy’s plan? It could make a good weapon too—if Jenn ever loosened her hold. Could Tandy possibly cause some kind of distraction?

  Tandy held up the zip tie parallel to the floor like she was about to set her opposite wrist against it. “It wasn’t the vase that gave you away, Jenn. It was the article in my old newspaper about you as a child. Nobody around here knew that you once found a rare Ohio diamond and had it stolen. I figured it was too much of a coincidence that the collection of diamonds had been lifted while you were in town.”

  Jenn snorted. “The gemologist from the university took it, but I couldn’t prove it because I was only a kid. I’m not a kid anymore. I grew up and took a job overseas as a cover for scouting with the Pink Panthers so I could learn from them. It was all practice to come back here and regain the diamond that rightfully belonged to me. I should have known Mom cared more about the money than her own daughter.”

  Marissa wished she didn’t know that feeling. It was awful, but it didn’t justify Jenn’s actions. “You must have felt the same way about her to kill her,” she pointed out.

  Jenn tightened her hold, the blade stabbing deeper into Marissa’s flesh. “Like Tandy accused Luke, I hadn’t been trying to kill my mom. I only wanted to send her to the hospital for a while so I could get in the shop while she was gone.”

  Marissa pressed back closer to Jenn to create space between herself and the blade. It still gagged her to talk, but these might be her last words. “Then turn yourself in. Your mom’s death was an accident, and you don’t even know where the gems are. Lukey would stand by your side. You could do your time and start over fresh.”

  If only Jenn would accept the town’s grace, everyone would be better off.

  Jenn tugged her hair tighter. “I’m going to start fresh, but far away from here. Tandy, lock that zip tie with your teeth.”

  Tandy lifted the zip tie slowly to her mouth. Marissa’s heart sank. Though if Tandy was willing to sacrifice herself for Marissa, then Marissa would do the same. She’d wait for Jenn to relax after Tandy tied herself up, then she’d grab the vase and swing.

  Her muscles tensed. She prayed for perfect timing. She scrunched her face in concentration as she waited. Would the moment come? Would she be able to get away, or would she still get stabbed?

  Tandy flung the zip tie their direction. “Cocoa, fetch,” she yelled.

  A brown blur shot from underneath the chair, and leaped into the air, headed straight toward Jenn.

  The knife slipped. Jenn loosened her hold on Marissa’s hair. She didn’t wait another moment, but pivoted like a figure skater, gripped the vase with both hands like a baseball bat, and cracked it against Jenn’s skull. She flinched in anticipation of Jenn’s retribution, but as shards of centuries old porcelain rained down to the floor, an assortment of clear, shiny stones scattered among the debris.

  “My diamonds.” Jenn dropped to her knees to retrieve the gems.

  The front door burst open. Lukey charged in with a gun, Connor with a dog on a leash. Marissa had never been so happy to see her ex, but Tandy was her true hero.

  Tandy sank onto the old-fashioned couch she’d shared with Marissa the first time Deputy Griffin had questioned them. At the time she’d wanted to buy the place to run a coffee shop, now she was simply glad to be alive. And she had Cocoa to thank for that. His stocking would be stuffed extra full this year.

  “Come here, boy.”

  The little fluff ball sprang into her arms, warm tongue scrubbing her cheeks. She laughed. Best watch dog ever. And somehow the best Christmas ever. There was nothing in the world that could improve her day. Except maybe a cup of coffee.

  “Hey.” Greg stepped in front of her, holding a steaming paper cup.

  Correction, there were two things in the world that could make her feel better. A cup of coffee and Greg. Even if he had developed an alarming sense of fashion and was currently dressed in a brown leather jacket and houndstooth driver's cap. She’d thought the suit had been bad, but this? Somehow he’d been included in the Grace Springs ridiculous headwear policy. Of course, she’d been a jailbird when they’d reconnected, so she shouldn’t complain.

  He held out the coffee cup. “With all the excuses you could have come up with for not running the full 5K, you decided to risk your life to catch a killer and discover stolen diamonds.”

  Tandy sipped, the warm brew working its magic. “I really hate running.” She grinned.

  Greg smiled back before sinking down next to her. “I thought I was going to get to be your hero by keeping you from going to jail, but I see that once again I’ve been shown up by your dog.”

  Tandy hugged Cocoa closer. “It wasn’t only Cocoa. I mean, if Connor had never taught him to fetch, he wouldn’t have charged Jenn the way he did. If Marissa hadn’t smashed the really expensive vase over Jenn’s head, she might have killed one or both of us. And, of course, if you hadn’t gotten me out of jail, then I never would have been able to put the pieces together.”

  “I’m glad I could help.” Greg sobered, his blue eyes searching hers. “Now that you’re free to go, what are you going to do?”

  What was she going to do? Did she have to decide right now? It was Christmas. All she wanted was a long winter’s nap, and maybe a festive dinner with friends. She looked across the room to find Marissa on the phone the same way she had been after Virginia died. Talking to her mom again perhaps, even though Connor was right in front of her. What was it that made Marissa try so hard to impress the people who didn’t really care about her?

  Her own phone vibrated in her pocket. Dad? Who else would call on Christmas Eve?

  “Excuse me,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket. The caller ID revealed her former boss’s name and number.

  An ache formed in her temples. Why would he want to talk to her now? Had she unknowingly also sabotaged the paper’s Christmas ad revenue? She’d meant them no harm, and it hurt that they’d turned on her the way they did, but for the first time she felt sorry. As much as she didn’t want to talk to Shawn, she did owe him an apology.

  Tandy swiped the screen to answer then took a deep breath and held the device to her ear. “Merry Christmas, Shawn. Before you say anything, can I ask for your forgiveness? I messed up, and I never owned up to it. You were right in letting me go.”

  Silence.

  Tandy eyed Greg. If Shawn didn’t have anything else to say, she’d hang up and apologize to her old friend too. For not looking him up sooner. Had she known he was an attorney, she could have asked him for advice from the beginning and most likely stayed out of jail. Wow, this apology stuff was addicting. Kind of freeing to admit she made mistakes. Humbling. In a good way.

  “Uh…Merry Christmas to you too, Tandy. I’m calling about exactly that—about how we let you go.” Shawn rabbled on as if she hadn’t momentaril
y made him speechless. “I heard from our crime reporter that you solved the missing diamonds case. Is that true?”

  Of course. He wanted her story. Might as well give it to him. If she was truly repentant, she wouldn’t hold a grudge. “I had a little help.” She smiled at Greg then at Marissa who was still on the phone and looking not so merry. She’d finish this conversation and go check on her friend. “You want the scoop?”

  “Actually, Candace will be calling you about that. She’s doing a whole Heist for the Holidays angle.” His voice lowered. “But I was thinking, if you’re this good at investigating, we could make you an investigative reporter. There’s a position open.”

  Her lips parted. “Oh.” She’d thought she’d burned bridges with her former boss, but here he was, offering her another chance.

  She looked around the antique store she’d once imagined to be her coffee shop. She’d only come to Grace Springs because she’d lost everything in Cincinnati. She’d only dreamed of roasting her own coffee beans as revenge for the way she’d lost her job over them. Kind of like how she’d bought a foreign car to show up her ex.

  But now that she wasn’t holding grudges, and her old boss was inviting her to return, she had to figure out what her heart truly desired. She had to move forward towards the life she wanted rather than running away from what she didn’t want. “Thank you for the offer. I’m going to have to think about it, Shawn.”

  “Yeah, well don’t take too long. I’ve got to get this position filled.” Shawn paused. “You know, I was hesitant about offering you the job, but after you apologized, I feel like we could work together even better than before. Which means there’s definitely going to be a raise involved.”

  Tandy laughed, dropping her head back a little too quickly against the wooden frame of the fancy sofa. Now that she had a real reason for her headache, she had too much joy to focus on the pain. Who would have thought admitting she was wrong would ever get her a raise. “I’ll keep that in mind, Shawn. Now go home. Spend the day with your family.”