by Maisy Marple
“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “I have her in my contacts. I’ll give her a call and fill her in on the situation. You just sit tight until I pick you up for dinner tonight.”
“We’re still going to dinner?”
“Oh yeah,” Ted said, his voice finally playful and fun. “Nobody’s going to mess with you, out in public, with me. Plus, I’ve got Officer Snelling set up for the nightshift at your house. Just in case you were worried about your mother.”
“Thanks, Ted. I owe you.” I said.
“Just promise me you’ll wait.”
“Cross my heart, hope not to die.”
I thought that was pretty funny.
Ted did not.
When I finally made my way downstairs, my mother was at her usual spot in the corner of the kitchen, waiting for the coffee maker to do its thing.
She was still in her fluffy yellow bathrobe, tapping her slippered foot on the floor. Her red hair was wild.
“Good morning,” she said. Her voice was steady and her mouth was straight, not an ounce of cheer to be found.
“Good morning,” I returned, heading to the cupboard to get my big mug.
“I’ve already got it,” my mother held it up. “I’ve got the other one too,” she winked, holding up the matching mug that, most days, went unused.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
She sighed. “I suppose so. I’m about as okay as any woman can be when she finds out that her daughter might be the target of a deranged killer.”
“That might be a little dramatic.” I smiled, trying to break the tension.
My mother snapped.
“Connie, they’re sending an armed officer to our house for round the clock protection. Do you really think I’m being dramatic? We aren’t allowed to leave the house until they find out who’s doing these things. Do you really think I’m being dramatic?”
The coffee maker did its end of percolation gurgle, followed by a deep sigh of relief at a job well done. My mother poured our mugs full to the brim and handed me mine.
We sat down at the kitchen table, sipping our coffee and staring off into space, neither one of us saying a word to each other.
I wanted to tell my mother that I was sorry. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn’t have anything to be sorry about. I was just living my life. I’d been accused of murder by The Gazette after David Gardner’s murder. I hadn’t murdered anyone. I’d been set up. And most people knew it. But someone was trying to make it look like these people were dying because of me somehow. That just wasn’t true.
It made me so angry to think that my life, my mother’s life, the police department, the people of Coffee Creek, James Popper, and Officer Freeman could all be so affected by the lies perpetuation by Jeff Toobin and Sheila Robinson.
But what could I do about it?
The damage had been done, and the only thing that I was able to do was sit inside my house and lay low until the authorities got things under control.
“So are you going out tonight with Ted?” My mother finally asked.
“Yes,” I nodded.
“I think that’s a good idea. He’ll be there to protect you. And they’re going to send someone over to watch over me too.”
“Hopefully, they can figure out something before dinner tonight,” I said, optimistically.
“Time will tell, my dear,” my mother said. “Time will tell.”
20
As it turned out, time did tell.
Actually, time came and went and nothing happened.
My mother and I spent the day watching Hallmark movies, drinking coffee, and spending time on our own, in our rooms diving into books and scripture.
Every minute that went by seemed like an hour, and ever hour that went by seemed like an eternity.
I finally got around to taking a shower around six O’clock in the evening, and the only reason I was that ambitious was because Ted was coming to pick me up for dinner at seven.
He arrived on time with a serious look on his face. He was dressed in a nice pair of navy blue pants, and a sky blue polo. He smelled of mint gum and fancy cologne.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m better now,” he said, flashing a quick smile to put me at ease.
“How are things going? You know, finding the murderer?”
“I can’t really tell you,” he said. “But I can say that it’s been slow going. Much slower than we were hoping for.”
“So, should we just stay in tonight?” I asked, thinking that I didn’t care what we did, I just really wanted to be around him.
“No,” he said. “We’ll go have a proper date. It’ll be good to help get my mind off of things.”
“My mother…”
“She’ll be fine. I’ve actually got two officers outside the house right now. One in the driveway, keeping an eye on the front of the house, and the other is in the back, making sure that nobody tries to sneak onto the property using an alternative route.”
I nodded and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”
He hugged me back.
My mother came down the stairs. She was still in her fluffy yellow bathrobe, her hair even less tame than before, which I didn’t think was possible.
“I didn’t have anywhere to go tonight,” she smiled at Ted. “I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t get dressed up for the occasion.”
“No, ma’am. You look perfect just the way you are.” He smiled and filled her in on the security situation for the evening.
“Very well,” my mother nodded. “I assume you will be taking precautions to protect my daughter this evening, as well.”
“Absolutely, Mrs. Cafe. She will be safer than safe, no doubt about it.”
My mother nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Well, in that case, have fun.”
Ted had gotten us a reservation at the Coffee Creek Surf & Turf.
I shot him a glance when we pulled up to the restaurant.
“Is there something wrong?” He asked as he turned the truck off.
“This is the place we had dinner the night James Popper was murdered.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know. I figured I wanted to take you out to the nicest restaurant around. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories for you. I can cancel the reservation if you’d like.”
I could hear the disappointment in his voice as the idea of canceling the reservation was spoken.
“No,” I shook my head. “It’s okay. This is sweet, what you’ve done. Let’s go try to have a nice time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “I’m positive.”
We walked up the steps and into the front of the restaurant. It was quiet as most of the dinner rush had already left. At seven thirty, we had our pick of seating.
Ted asked if we could sit out on the deck.
The deck had a spectacular view of the water, looking over Main Street and past the Gazebo and boat launch. From here, I could see Reads and Teas, the lights still on. I could make out Rebecca working both the tea counter and checking people out at the register.
Next to Reads and Teas, I could see my building. The windows were dark and the front of the place was wrapped with crime scene tape.
I felt tears welling up in my eyes at the idea of what might never become. Taking a deep breath, I held them back and quickly wiped my eyes before Ted could see me.
We took our seats and ordered drinks. Both of us ordered water.
“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day,” Ted said, eyeing me past the menu.
“Me too.” I said.
“What are you going to have?” He asked. “I, personally, love the chicken tenders and French fries.”
I giggled, at first. Then, unable to contain myself, burst out in a fit of laughter.
“Are you serious?” I asked him. “You come to a place like this for chicken tenders?”
“No,” he shook his head, laughing j
ust as hard as I was. “I just wanted to see what your reaction would be.”
“That’s too much,” I said. “Chicken tenders!”
“Actually, I am a huge fan of the steamed mussels that they make, with the garlic and sauvignon blanc reduction.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Ted Billings, I had no idea you were such a foodie.”
He shrugged and smirked. “What can I say?”
“I also love a dish with the sauvignon blanc reduction. But it’s not the mussels. Don’t get me wrong, they taste great. But they can be a lot of work to eat. I prefer the pan seared scallops with that same reduction. It is just perfection.”
He nodded. “Perhaps, I’ll try that tonight. I’ve never had it before.”
“Well, you’re in for a real treat.”
At that moment, I caught something out of the corner of my eyes that took my attention away from my lovely conversation with Ted, which was no easy feat.
Matthew Grant and Tiffany Elizabeth were walking down Main Street together, holding hands. They stopped in front of my building, and looked around. Then, as if they thought the coast was clear, they ducked under the police tape, pulled out a key and went inside.
“Did you see that?” I asked.
“See what?” Ted asked.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, standing up and walking back inside the restaurant.
Ted didn’t follow as he probably thought I was just using the bathroom.
I walked out onto Main Street and in the direction of Matthew and Tiffany.
As I approached the police tape, I heard Ted call my name from the deck of the restaurant.
“Connie! What are you doing?”
I ignored him and went inside.
I was going to find out what was going on once and for all.
21
I walked into the shop as quietly as I could. It was getting dark and difficult to see. Straining my ears, I listened, wondering where Matthew and Tiffany were.
After a moment, it became clear that they were not in the front end. I quietly walked behind the counter and into the kitchen. They weren’t there, either.
That left the deck.
By the time I walked back out into the main area of the shop, Ted was already walking across the street and was on his way.
I went out onto the deck. Matthew and Tiffany were standing at the railing, embracing each other as the sun was dipping below the tree line of the creek.
“What are you doing here?” I spoke up.
They jumped, startled at the sudden realization that they were no longer alone.
“What are you doing here?” Tiffany asked. “Don’t you know this place is a crime scene?”
Matthew laughed and then pulled out a gun and smiled. He pointed it at me and said, “And it’s about to become one again.”
“What are you doing?” I asked, shocked. “Why would you?”
“Well,” Matthew said, “I wasn’t going to tell you anything, but since you’re going to be dead in a moment, you should at least know why.”
“Shut up, Matt,” Tiffany said. “Just shoot her and let’s get out of here.”
“You killed James Popper,” I said. “And you shot Officer Freeman, too.”
“Wow,” Matthew smiled, “you are quite the sleuth, aren’t you? Yes, it was Matthew Grant, on the deck, with the tie. And what a God awful tie at that. You know, there was part of me that took great pleasure in killing him with that thing.”
“You’re sick,” I snarled. “You shot Officer Freeman too?”
“Actually,” Matthew nodded in Tiffany’s direction. “That was her.”
Tiffany shook her head and glared at Matthew. “What are you doing?”
“Just having a little bit of fun, babe.”
“So, why did you kill James? Were you jealous of his reputation as the best realtor in Coffee Creek?”
“No,” Matthew shook his head. “It wasn’t jealousy.”
“Then what was it? Money?”
“Mostly,” Matthew nodded and looked at Tiffany. “Wouldn’t you say that was most of it? I mean, it certainly wasn’t the only reason. Some of that was his own fault. He was a little too nosy for his own good.”
“Matthew, stop!” Tiffany demanded.
“I think I get it,” I said, stepping forward.
“Stay where you are!” Matthew ordered.
“Why?” I asked. “You’re going to shoot me anyway.”
I felt like I could be a little brazen about things because Ted would be coming through that door at some point. I was just hoping that he would do it sooner than later.
“I’ll tell ya what,” Matthew smiled. “You go ahead and float your theory and if you’re correct you’ll get to live for a few minutes longer.”
I took a deep breath.
Here goes nothing.
“I think you and Tiffany had an office romance that your boss didn’t know about. James caught wind of it and threatened to blow you in. He also sold the biggest building on Main Street to a woman who was being harassed for being a suspected murderer. By killing him in this building, you could raise suspicion that either I, or Mable and her group of curmudgeonly friends, killed James. You didn’t write the note, but you found it taped to my door, and you thought that it would lead the cops to someone else. In the meantime, you took a few days to falsify the records of James’s sales, giving you two credit for the sales, hence, you would get the commissions.”
Matthew nodded. “You’re very good at this.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Where was Ted?
“Officer Freeman was never supposed to get shot, but you were in here at the time, and you panicked when he came in to check on things. And I’m the last part of your plan. I don’t think you wanted to kill me at first. You were just going to try to convince me to sell the building and give up the business, which would have given you a double commission. However, the police arrested the person who wrote the notes this morning, making the harassment seem far more innocent. But, if you kill me and get away with it, then you could convince my mother to sell the building.”
“Bravo!” Matthew laughed.
And then he stopped and pointed the gun at me once again.
I closed my eyes, and began praying to God, fully prepared to die.
Then I heard two shots ring loudly through the night.
22
“Connie?”
I heard a voice calling out to me from somewhere, but I couldn’t locate it. There was darkness all around; a darkness from which I couldn’t pull myself free.
“Connie! Oh, God, Connie. Come on, wake up. Wake up, Connie!”
My eyes began to flutter. It was still impossible to make out what was happening around me in the darkness. There were loud noises.
A man screaming.
A woman shouting, “I didn’t do anything! He’s the killer!”
“Can you hear me?” I heard a voice to my left, and then I felt myself rise as if I was floating away on a cloud.
And I started to move backward.
A searing pain burned in my leg.
What is that?
“Connie? Can you hear me?”
That voice sounded familiar. It was moving with me, following me through night.
I was weak. Too weak to open my eyes.
The man’s screams and the woman’s shouts fell away as I continued to move backward.
I took a deep breath, and then everything went black again.
23
Dear God,
You are good. I know this to be true with all of my being. And if this is the end, oh Lord, I am blessed to be joining you in Heaven. And I am blessed to have had the life that I have had, even if it wasn’t what I’d hoped it was going to be.
This might sound a little funny, Lord, but I have visions of my father and I reuniting in heaven and opening up Connie’s Cafe.
Do you think that would be possible?
You know my father better than I d
o. Do you think he would want to do something like that with me?
And could we save a spot for my mother at your table, oh Lord. I’m so sorry that I’ve put her through so much over the years.
She’s a good woman.
And she would want nothing more than to meet up with my father one more time, for eternity this time.
I know this to be true, and so do you, dear God. So do you dear God.
If this is where my road on earth ends and my journey to your narrow gate begins, please take me in with open arms, for I am your humble servant.
Thank you for my life and all of the people you’ve put in it. Thank you for the experiences you’ve given me, both the good and the bad, for they are all good, or help in the search for good along the way.
I am forever indebted to you, Lord my God, redeemer and defender of everything that I am and everything that I am to be.
In your holy name I pray,
AMEN
24
I awoke in a room with dim fluorescent lights and beeps and murmurs.
There was tape on my hand and tubes coming out of my body. I followed them with my eyes to see where they led.
I was tired. Too tired to breath, it seemed.
My mother was sitting in a chair next to my bed, and Ted was by her side, holding her hand.
They both rose when they saw that I was awake.
“Honey,” my mother said, standing up and tapping Ted on the leg. “She’s awake,” she turned to tell him.
He stood up and rushed to the opposite side of the bed.
“Are you alright?” My mother asked. She was still in her fluffy yellow bathrobe and her hair was as wild as ever.
I nodded.
“Oh, thank heavens,” she said, putting her hands together in front of her face. “Thank you, Jesus!”
I smiled faintly. I was thinking the same thing.
“Connie,” Ted said, leaning forward, bringing his mouth close to my ear. I could smell his mint gum and cologne. Even after everything we’d been through, those smells survived. “Matthew and Tiffany were arrested, and thanks to your detective work, they’ll be put away for a long time.”