by Rose Pressey
“Don’t tell anyone I gave you this information,” Caleb said.
“I won’t say a word.” I pretended to zip my mouth.
“You’re not going to check everyone’s shoes now, are you?” Caleb asked.
“Of course not,” I said with a wave of my hand.
Yes, I had planned on checking everyone’s shoes. At least Danny’s. He was the prime suspect, as far as I was concerned.
“What size shoes do you think they were?” I had to know this to continue my investigation.
“Size thirteen,” he said.
How would I know for sure Danny’s shoe size? It wasn’t like I could come right out and ask him. Having this detail was better than nothing, though. And could I rule out Danny if his shoe size didn’t fit?
“We should change the subject.” Caleb took a bite of his burger.
Caleb insisted on discussing other things as we finished dinner and topped it off with large servings of Aunt Patty’s chocolate cherry cake. After finishing our food, we paid Aunt Patty and headed outside. She never wanted to accept money from Caleb, but she never had a problem taking it from me. I would have insisted she take the money anyway. Everyone in my family tried to pay for each other’s stuff. It was an ongoing battle. Aunt Patty thought Caleb was a cutie.
Darkness had settled around us as we’d enjoyed dinner. I couldn’t help but be a bit nervous about this. After all, there was a killer out there somewhere.
Aunt Patty’s Chocolate Cherry Cake
1 (18-ounce) package chocolate fudge cake mix
21 ounces of cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons of butter
⅓ cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Whipped topping
Cherries
Chocolate candies
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract, and 2 eggs. Stir until well blended.
3. Pour batter into the greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
4. Combine sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.
5. Pour over the cake and garnish with whipped topping, cherries, and chocolate candy.
CHAPTER 7
Have business cards. Potential customers might not buy now, but later, they’ll have your information to call. Make sure not to let the ghost knock your cards onto the ground, though, because then your Chihuahua might chew them up.
At five a.m., I was startled awake by the sound of footsteps. I shot up in bed. Van barked, so I knew he’d heard it too. It hadn’t been a dream.
“What was that, Van?” I whispered.
Unfortunately, Van couldn’t answer. I picked him up from the bed as I climbed out. I hurried over to the little window and peered outside. It was still dark, so it was hard to see if anyone was out there. I couldn’t say for sure what the sound had been. With a murderer on the loose somewhere out there, though, it was unsettling.
Nothing seemed out of place, and a few people had already set up their wares. No one seemed panicked, so I figured the noise had just been one of the normal sounds associated with a fair.
I decided to get my day under way too. Waking up early would give me extra time to search into the few leads I had for the murder. Like finding out Danny’s shoe size. I placed Van down and headed for his food and water dishes. I’d only taken a couple of steps when I came to a screeching halt. Ama was standing in the tiny kitchen area of my trailer. She grinned when she realized I’d spotted her. Had she been the one to make the noise that woke me?
“Good morning!” She waved.
“I wasn’t sure if you were coming back,” I said.
“I’m still here to help you,” she said.
If by “help,” she meant wanting me to go down to the river again, that was totally out of the question. I didn’t want to seem rude, but I wasn’t sure what she was here to help me with. My paintings? Finding the killer?
“I appreciate your help, Ama,” I said.
“As soon as day breaks, we’ll go back to the river?” she asked with hope in her voice.
Oh no. Now I had to tell her no again.
“Ama, I just don’t think it’s safe for me to go there.” I put food in Van’s dish and filled the other with water.
“The killer wouldn’t go back there again. Aren’t there people watching the area?”
I wasn’t so sure about that.
“Besides, I will protect you,” she said.
As sweet as that offer was, I didn’t feel a ghost could offer much protection from a killer.
“I don’t think it’s as easy as that,” I said.
Van raced to his dish and chomped on the food.
“I feel strongly that you should go back to the river and use the energy for your paintings.” She watched me with her big brown eyes.
As I contemplated what she’d said, I straightened up in the kitchen, putting the few dishes I had back into the cabinet from the night before. I supposed that since I had painted Ama’s image while at the river, maybe the energy there was good for my paintings. Plus, I needed another clue to point me in the direction of the killer. Maybe one of the hidden images would provide that.
“I’m sorry, Ama, but I can’t go right now. I have other things to check out. There’s someone I need to see,” I said as I grabbed a protein bar.
Unfortunately, living in a trailer and having limited time meant I couldn’t always eat a warm breakfast.
“Can I go with you?” She batted her dark eyelashes at me.
“Well, I suppose that would be okay,” I said, taking a bite from the bar.
After putting a black T-shirt on Van that read STUD MUFFIN across the back, I dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans and hurried out the door. I stopped in my tracks when I spotted Danny outside his trailer.
“Whoa. There’s the bad guy,” Ama said.
“Yep. That’s him. I need to find out what size shoe he wears,” I said out of the corner of my mouth so that no one would see me talking.
“How will you do that?” she asked.
“That’s a good question. I have no idea.”
“Where’s he going?” Ama leaned closer to me.
“I just hope he stays away from me,” I said.
Danny walked away from his trailer in the opposite direction. That meant he probably wouldn’t be gone long. If I wanted to find his shoe size, I would have to act quickly. My heart pounded, and my knees shook, but I forced myself to move forward.
“Are you going inside his trailer?” Ama trailed along behind me.
“I suppose I have to if I want to find his shoe size.”
“What if he only has one pair?”
“I’ll be in big trouble.”
When I neared his trailer, though, I couldn’t believe my luck. A pair of flip-flops sat beside the door.
“I can’t believe my luck!”
“Hurry, before he sees you,” Ama urged.
I rushed over and grabbed the dingy yellow flip-flop.
“What size is it?” Ama asked excitedly.
My eyes widened. “Size thirteen!”
Ama’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Exactly what I thought,” I said.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Danny yelled.
He sprinted toward me. I tossed the shoe on the ground and ran for my life. Speaking of life, mine flashed before my eyes. I had to make it to my truck and escape. My breathing was labored as I pushed my legs to move as fast as possible. Thank goodness, my truck came into view. I wasn’t sure if Danny was still following me, but checking would only slow me down. Once I reached the truck, I jumped inside and shoved the key into the ignition. Danny wasn’t there.
“Whew. That was a close one
,” I said as I cranked the engine.
“I’m glad he didn’t get you. He’d probably snap you like a twig.” Ama sat on the passenger side of the truck’s seat.
I placed Van in his car seat between us. “Sadly, though, I realize that just because Danny has the same shoe size as the police found at the scene doesn’t mean he was the killer. I still need more proof.”
“At least you tried. Now what will we do?” Ama asked.
I’d gotten lucky and through an online search found April’s boyfriend’s address.
“We’re on to the next mission,” I said as I stopped at the red light.
“What kind of mission is this?” Ama asked.
“I tracked down April’s boyfriend, and now I want to speak with him.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Absolutely,” I said as I pushed on the gas.
Van barked as if he agreed with me.
As I navigated the streets, my apprehension increased. I hoped this guy wasn’t mean and would actually speak with me. What if he called the police? I was about to find out. However, when I pulled up to the apartment, he was leaving. Where was he going? This would mess up my chance to speak with him.
I parked toward the back of the lot to see what he did next. Mark got in his car and backed out.
“I suppose if I want to speak with him, I will have to see where he goes,” I said.
“Who is this man?” Ama asked.
“Someone I want to speak with about the murder,” I said as I pulled out and fell in behind his car.
It was kind of hard to go undercover while driving a pink truck, though, thank goodness, Mark had no idea who I was and wouldn’t be suspicious.
I navigated the streets, keeping up with the red Toyota. Even if he didn’t know me, he might wonder why a pink truck was following his every move. He pulled up in front of the Java Hut and parked the car. I managed to pull along the curb a few cars back. He sat there without getting out of the car. Was he wondering what I was up to?
After a few more seconds, he got out of the car and headed toward the coffee shop. What if this wasn’t even Mark? It hadn’t hit me until now that I could have followed the wrong person. After all, I’d never seen him before. Maybe this was his roommate. There was only one way for me to find out for sure. I’d have to speak with him.
“I guess we’re getting coffee,” I said as I unbuckled my seat belt.
“Sounds like fun to me,” Ama said in a peppy tone.
We got out of the truck. I wasn’t sure if they’d allow Van inside the coffee shop. I hoped so because otherwise I’d have to wait outside for the man. We headed down the sidewalk. Well, as far as the strangers thought, it was just me and my dog walking down the sidewalk. No one seemed to notice Ama. In fact, a man had walked right through her. He didn’t miss a step as he continued down the sidewalk, though he did act as if he’d sensed something.
“Did you feel that?” I asked.
“Not a thing,” Ama said.
When I reached the coffee shop, I saw the sign in the window: NO PETS. Now what? I peered over at the guy’s car. Would he notice if I checked inside his car? Perhaps I could spot something with his name on it. He’d probably think I was stealing something. I had to think of a way to get closer so that I could see in the windows without appearing suspicious. That seemed virtually impossible. I placed Van down on the sidewalk and held his leash.
“Don’t you have to go potty, Van?” I asked.
Luckily, Van walked over to the landscaped area. There was a tree that was near a bench. The landscaping decorated the street all along the main section. He sniffed around a bit, and I used that as an excuse to incher closer to the parked car.
I peered over my shoulder toward the coffee shop to see if the man was on his way out. It was hard to see inside the windows, but it appeared as if he was still at the counter. Would he come outside to sit, or would he get his order to go? I leaned closer to the car and peered inside.
“Do you see anything interesting?” Ama asked as she stood on the sidewalk behind me.
“His car sure is messy. There could be stuff in there, and I wouldn’t even know it because of all the trash inside,” I said as I cupped my hands around my eyes to get a better view.
Just as I was about to give up on spotting anything important in the car, I saw the photos. Maybe my eyes were deceiving me, but I thought for sure the photos were of Erica. Why were there so many of them? And they weren’t all photos that had been posed for either. Some of them seemed as if he’d been watching her from afar and snapped the shots. That was assuming he was the photographer. Since the woman at the bakery said that was what Mark did for a living, it would make sense that he’d taken the photos.
I made sure that he hadn’t exited the coffee shop. The last thing I needed was this guy to catch me peeking into his car if he was the killer. Now what would I do? Should I speak with him still? Or should I tell Caleb or Pierce about what I’d seen. Just the photos in his car didn’t prove anything. Nevertheless, it was creepy. I should hang around and see what he did next, though I couldn’t just stand here by his car. Van and Ama patiently waited for me to make my next move.
“We’ll sit down at one of the tables outside the shop,” I said as I picked up Van.
People would just think I was talking to Van and not Ama too, since obviously they couldn’t see her. Once at a table, I watched inside the coffee shop. The guy I thought was Mark was paying for his purchase. I still couldn’t tell if he was planning on sitting inside, coming outside to sit, or just getting an order to go. What would I do if he sat down? Start a conversation? That would be awkward. Even more of a problem would be if he decided to leave. Would I follow him to the next stop he made?
Mark took his coffee and bag from the barista. My heart sped up as he walked toward the door. I would have to make a decision soon. When he stepped out from the coffee shop, his attention fell right on me. I was like a deer caught in the headlights. He quirked an eyebrow but averted his gaze.
Apparently, he thought I was strange. Thank goodness, he didn’t move toward the car, though. Moving to the right, he sat down at the table across from mine. Now I was really faced with a dilemma.
“Are you going to speak with him?” Ama asked.
I couldn’t answer her because Mark might hear me. He’d think I was even weirder. He probably wondered why I was sitting there without coffee. If he asked me, Van would be my reason. How would I start a conversation with this man? He was reading on his phone while I sat there awkwardly fidgeting, as if waiting for someone to arrive. Starting a conversation wasn’t so tough, but segueing into the recent murder would be hard.
Ama sat in the chair beside me. “Aren’t you going to talk to him?”
I grimaced.
“You’d better say something before he leaves,” she said.
I supposed Mark felt me watching him because he caught me in the act. Now he probably thought I was flirting with him. The thought made me want to get up from the chair and leave right away. Nevertheless, I remained seated and vowed to see this through, no matter how tough it got.
“I’m waiting for someone,” I said.
He nodded as if he thought I was an annoying gnat. If I’d been sitting close, he probably would have swatted at me. He didn’t seem very nice, but maybe I’d caught him at a bad time. Though if he was the killer, that would certainly explain his attitude.
“You have to keep this up,” Ama said. “Really go at him.”
It was surprising to see her act so spunky when initially she’d been so shy. I liked that she was being more comfortable with me now.
“Do you like the coffee here?” I asked.
He stopped staring at his phone long enough to answer. “It’s okay.”
I was at a loss for what to say next. Without saying a word, he got up from the chair. Oh no. Was he leaving? I’d chased him away before I’d had a chance to ask any questions.
“You have
to stop him from leaving,” Ama said with urgency in her voice.
I knew that all too well, but I had no idea what to do to keep him there. I couldn’t jump out in front of him and block him from getting into his car. He would call the police. Or maybe he’d want to get rid of me like he had done with Erica. That thought sent a shiver down my spine. He didn’t head toward his car, though. Instead, he was headed straight for my table. Panic rushed through me. I’d wanted to speak with him, but now I was having second thoughts.
“Oh no, what is he doing? He’s headed this way,” Ama said.
I stopped myself from screaming. It was difficult to breath now.
“Do you mind if I sit down?” He gestured toward the chair across from me.
What? He wanted to sit with me. Uh oh. Maybe he had thought I was flirting after all. His expression still wasn’t exactly friendly, but it was an improvement from his earlier demeanor.
“Sure, that’s fine,” I said.
This was so awkward. I supposed it would be easier to speak with him, but I still didn’t know how I would bring up the subject of murder.
He sat down at the table across from me. “Are you drinking coffee?”
“I’m waiting for a friend so that she can go inside and order for us.” I pointed to Van. “Dogs aren’t allowed inside.”
He didn’t speak to Van. That wasn’t very nice.
“So you’re not waiting on a boyfriend?” he asked.
“I think you have to let him woo you,” Ama said.
Woo me? I might be hyperventilating
“No, I’m not waiting on a boyfriend,” I said.
When the words came out, it sounded as if I might be sick or had cotton in my mouth.
“What’s your name?” he asked and took a drink of coffee.
“Celeste,” I mumbled.
“You need to sound a bit more enthusiastic than that,” Ama said. “He won’t want to woo you.”
I should hope not.
“I’m Mark,” he said.
“Did he wiggle his eyebrows?” Ama asked.
Was I supposed to be impressed that I was in his presence? Van growled at Mark. I felt the same way as Van. Mark acknowledged Van with a frown. Surely, he sensed that I wasn’t interested.