by Tonya Kappes
“I’ll take over from here.” Ava clasped her hands together and made eye contact with everyone in the room as she spoke. “We don’t need to go into details about my relationship with the Moons. The only thing you need to know is Tom and Misty Moon had me redo their will while they were in town. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize just how quickly the new will would play a huge role in what has transpired over the last few days.” She looked directly at Misty. “I’m so sorry for your loss. And yours, Shay. But now we have a matter of reading the will.”
The entire bungalow seemed to shift as everyone leaned forward.
“Shay’s life will remain the same as it always has with her trust fund and monthly allowance. The shares of stock she’s given Lewis Malone is separate from Tom’s will. Tom leaves his fifty-one percent of shares to Misty Moon.” Ava held the one piece of paper in her hand.
“What?” Amy Hill’s shock echoed in the room. “He what?” She started to laugh uncontrollably. “This is hilarious.” She fell back into the couch, everyone looking at her like she was crazy.
Ava looked at me. We shared an underlying secret between us that no one else in the room besides Dottie knew: the recipe. The original coffee blend Moonbucks was founded on was a lie, and soon that would be revealed.
“Carl, at the request of the new owner of Moonbucks, your services will no longer be needed.” Ava’s words hung like a thick fog over everyone in the room. Not even the knife that killed Tom would’ve been sharp enough to cut it.
FOURTEEN
Ava Cox had completely knocked everyone in that room off their rockers. I think her words were a shock to their system and what Tom had always told them would happen to the company.
I couldn’t help but notice how Lewis and Dan Malone had tried not to make eye contact after they looked at the document. Lena Malone sat back with a smile on her face, and she appeared to love watching everyone implode.
“Mom!” Shay gasped. “You have no experience with the company. None. I don’t understand. It was supposed to go in my hands.”
The sudden interest Shay had was a turn of events from her earlier feelings.
“I don’t want to overstep, but Shay and I would like to talk to you about this.” Lewis had walked over to them. “My father and I have plans that we think you’d be very interested to hear.”
“If I may?” Carl interrupted. He looked at Misty, and she nodded. He picked up the will Ava Cox had drawn up for the Moons and quickly scanned over the one page that stated it all. He handed it back to Misty.
Everyone seemed to be on edge to hear what he had to say. “The will is definitely authentic. I can conclude the signature of Tom Moon on this document is in fact his signature. I understand some of you have been promised different positions in the company, and Misty and I will talk further about those positions after she gets acclimated to her new title.”
“If I may,” Misty interrupted him. She folded her hands neatly as she stood in front of all the open-mouthed family members. “Tom and I had many discussions about the company, and over the past year since Shay and Lewis became engaged, Tom has been teaching me about the coffee business. So I’m very comfortable with my new title, and I’m confident I’ll be able to continue Tom’s dream.” She opened her hands and gestured toward Carl. “Tom and I truly have been blessed with Carl’s position as our company lawyer. The reason we went to Ava is because Tom wanted me to have someone I trusted when I did take the company over like he had all his trust in Carl.”
“What are you saying, Misty?” A perplexed look crossed Carl’s face.
“I’m…” Misty started to say before Ava stepped back in.
“What Misty is trying to say is that your contract with the company has been expired for about three months. With the unfortunate turn of events with Tom, Mrs. Moon would like to go ahead and execute the decisions she and Tom had about the company’s future.” Was Ava Cox going where I thought she was?
I looked over at Dottie. Her mouth still gaped open, and the unlit cigarette dangled from it.
“I’m going to be handing all my clients over to my firm here in Kentucky, and I’ll be moving into an apartment in New York City as I take over the title of Moonbucks’s lead counsel.” Ava didn’t have a bit of expression on her face, but Carl and everyone else did.
“Misty?” Carl’s brows furrowed as he looked to her for some explanation. “After all these years? The loyalty? Tom wouldn’t want this right now.”
Amy Hill released a nervous giggle that sent chills through me. Dottie nudged me, and we both stared at Amy.
“This is great!” She clapped her hands together. “Just like Tom to have the last word.”
“Where was she again when Tom was murdered?” Dottie asked me with an over-questioning twinkle in her eye.
“I’m guessing I’m gone too?” Amy looked at Shay.
“No, Amy. I’m going to need your expertise in handling my day-to-day meetings. I’m sure Tom had some set up already for the coming weeks and months that he didn’t share with me.” Misty smiled at Amy.
“Don’t be serious, Mother.” Shay grabbed Lewis by the arm and practically shoved him at her mom.
“I think it’s best if we have a conversation about who we keep on staff moving forward now that you are taking over the company. Maybe we need new staff going forward with your vision,” Lewis told Misty.
Amy jumped up from the couch and pointed a finger at Lewis.
“Tom Moon didn’t like you or your father. I know secrets about this…” I held my breath, thinking Amy Hill would spill the beans about the recipe.
“It’s settled. Amy, we will be keeping you on as Misty’s secretary.” Ava Cox was probably thinking along the same lines as I was about the recipe, since she knew what might be coming down the line from Gert Hobson. “We will have our first meeting tomorrow at lunch in the recreation building. In the meantime, I’ll be going to see Detective Sharp in the morning to see if we all can’t get out of here at some point tomorrow.” Ava really knew how to handle herself under pressure. “When we do get the clearance, I’ve already got the Moonbucks jet on standby. We will all be leaving at the same time, including the wedding party.”
Everyone, including Misty Moon, continued to shuffle around and mutter various statements of dislike under their breath.
“I was beginning to think we knew who the suspects are, but any one of them could’ve killed Tom Moon,” Dottie whispered in my ear. “Every one of ’em is greedy as hell.”
FIFTEEN
After I got back to my camper, I tried so hard to stay awake, not only so I could tell Hank about everything when he came home but to see if Ava Cox would stop when she left.
Unfortunately, staring out the kitchen window and waiting caused me enough boredom that I didn’t even wake up until the coffee pot timer had gone off and the smell of my morning brew awoke me from my death-like sleep.
Chester and Fifi were still snuggled up next to me on the couch, which told me Hank didn’t come back to the campground or he would’ve stopped to get Chester.
I reached over and checked my phone for any messages, half expecting one from Ava, but there was only one, and it was from Shay. I had to read the text a few times because she rambled on and on about going to see Wes Millford and getting this mess straightened out.
If I was going to get to the coffee convention, I would have to leave pretty early.
“Let’s go potty.” Just the sound of my voice made the dogs jump to their feet.
I poured a cup of coffee before the pot was even brewed to full, slipped my feet into my boots, and headed outside.
The fog lay thick over the lake and drifted out, making the entire campground look eerie . There was no movement from any of the guests. A few crunches from various forest creatures came from the tree line, where the trails started. Cicadas chirped so loud it was almost deafening.
On the horizon, the faint orange glow signaled that dawn was fast approaching and soon the late
morning fall sun would burn off the dew on the grass. During this time of the year, Mother Nature played out this gorgeous dance every morning in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
If not for the thoughts of Tom Moon’s murder and how I would help Gert Hobson get back the rights to her coffee recipe, I would’ve loved to take my time walking around the campground with Fifi and Chester while sipping my coffee. Today that was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
“Let’s eat,” was all I had to say for the frisky fur babies to scurry back to the camper after they did their morning business.
The three of us headed in. On my way back to grab my shower and get ready, I filled the dog bowl with enough kibble for two and freshened up the water in the water bowl. Then I texted Shay to see if she was still going to go with me to see Will Millford.
After I’d gotten ready and grabbed my keys, I checked my phone. Shay still hadn’t texted me back, which was probably for the best. I could only imagine how long they’d stayed up arguing over the bombshell of the new will with which Tom Moon had bombarded them.
Since my campervan was one that I drove into Normal a couple of years ago, I knew it wouldn’t be practical for me to drive it around all the time after I’d decided to make Happy Trails my permanent home, so I bought a car from Joel Grassel’s Gas Station. He had used cars and some you could rent. I got a little cheap four-door that was great for putzing around town in and heading to Lexington when I needed to make the forty-minute drive there.
With my coffee in my car and the radio turned up, it wasn’t long before I was paying the five-dollar charge to park in the convention parking garage.
The hall was filled with vendors trying to give out samples of their coffee products: food, drinks, candles, even coffee-scented pencils. These people’s passion for coffee was crazy. I even got a schedule of events shoved in my face from a volunteer with the convention itself.
I scanned over the map in the events brochure to see if I could find out where the Awakenings Coffee booth would be if they had one. I also kept an eye out to see if Moonbucks was represented here. Lo and behold, the mega coffee kings were just a couple of booths apart. There was a photo of Tom Moon next to his booth description and a photo of Wes Millford next to his company’s description. Now I knew exactly who to look for: a man around his fifties with what looked to be brown hair, though it was under a baseball cap. His blue eyes stood out and would be a dead giveaway when I saw him.
Each man had a different feel. Tom Moon was in a black suit, all buttoned up. Wes Millford had on a flannel shirt and a big old smile shining from underneath the baseball cap. Two different styles and personalities.
I weaved in and out of the crowd as I made my way across the convention floor. A presentation was going on in the front of the room.
“We pride ourselves on just the right amount of caffeine we put into our coffee and make sure the perfect cup is brewed from each bean at Awakenings.” The male voice caught my attention when I heard him mention Awakenings, and I tried to look above the crowds. The floor was just too crowded.
Several rows of seats were taken as the man on stage talked. I walked down each aisle and scanned it for an open seat, only to find myself standing in the front on the side.
The man at the podium was definitely Wes Millford. He practically had the exact same outfit on as his photo, but the color plaid on the flannel was different. He had the same hat, same bright smile, and sparkling blue eyes.
“I just can’t even believe it.” Two women were speaking low to each other and standing next to me. “Misty Moon? I’ve never even seen her step foot in the office, much less run it.”
“I heard she hates coffee,” the other one mentioned. “How do you run the world’s largest coffee company when you don’t even like the product?”
“Run it right into the ground, that’s how.” They both snorted. “I might go work for Mr. Hottie up there. I hear they’re hiring.”
“Oh, yeah?” The other woman’s tone gained a sudden interest.
“Excuse me.” I slightly turned my shoulders toward them.
“We’re sorry.” The one zipped her lips.
“No, you’re not bothering me.” Completely the opposite, I wanted to say, but instead I said, “I couldn’t help but overhear that you two must work for Moonbucks.”
They looked at each other and then back at me.
“We do.” One of them looked at me with caution.
“I hate to say it, but I’m the one who found Mr. Moon at the motel with the knife in his back.” It might’ve been bad taste, but I didn’t do the whole knife-in-the-back gesture. “I’m guessing he wasn’t a big fan of someone.”
Their eyes grew and their jaws dropped before they smiled.
“A few someones.” They both looked up at Wes Millford. “If I wasn’t in Wes Millford’s grinding class the morning Tom was murdered, I’d put a million dollars that Wes Millford did it.”
“Wes Millford had a class?” I asked her to make sure I heard her correctly.
“Mm-hmmm, the police even came by last night to confirm it. We”—she pointed between her and the other lady—“we were working the Moonbucks booth, which is what we are paid to do here, and the police came in and we even had to give statements. We really can’t believe it, but I told them to look into the person who knows Tom Moon best.”
“Who is that?” I asked.
“Amy Hill,” they said at the same time.
“Amy is his sidekick. You don’t see one without the other. So it’s so strange that she wasn’t with him at the time of his death. You found him. Was she there?” one of them asked me.
“No. She wasn’t. No one was with him.” I knew I had that funny feeling about her.
“A group of us were talking last night, and someone mentioned how Amy Hill had once told someone at the company Christmas party how Tom Moon had a big secret that would take the entire company down.” The woman grinned. “Now, Amy was also drunk, so we took that with a grain of salt.”
“Yeah, but do you think it could’ve been true and she was holding it over his head?” The other lady’s eyes grew big. “Then they got into a fight and she killed him.”
“Yeah, and what if they were having an affair and it was her motel room?” The other woman added on to the sordid tale.
“I can tell you he was found in the soon-to-be son-in-law’s motel room.” I knew there was no way Tom and Amy were having an affair, but I wasn’t so sure they were wrong about Amy knowing about the big secret, which I knew was Gert Hobson’s coffee blend recipe. After all, I found that in Amy’s calendar.
I glanced down at my watch. It was already ten a.m. and I wanted to be back by noon so I could just wander in on the meeting Ava, Misty, and Amy were going to have.
“How long is this talk?” I asked them. At that exact moment, Wes Millford thanked the crowd for coming and invited them to his coffee table book signing being held at his booth right after he left the stage. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go grab one of those books.”
The crowd shuffled and grew louder as they went from silence to chattering. Again, I found myself weaving in and out of the crowd with my eyes on that baseball cap.
A familiar someone caught my sight out of the corner of my eye. Quickly, so as not to lose sight of Wes’s baseball cap, I glanced over the heads of the crowd, and for a split second I thought I saw Lewis and Dan Malone.
“Ugh.” I grunted and curled up on my tiptoes when I tried to see over someone who was way too tall to see over.
I looked back to find Wes, and when I saw he’d veered left, I headed that way.
“Excuse me. ‘Scuse me.” I tried to be polite as I could, still taking a few looks over my shoulder to see if I really did see Lewis and Dan.
I shoved people out of my way and finally got within touching distance… well, grabbing distance after my hand curled around a fistful of Wes Millford’s flannel.
He jerked around and gave me a hard stare before I let g
o, and he smiled.
“Well, I guess you got my attention.” He had that look in his eye. You know, the one that meant he thought I might be interested in what he was serving, and I didn’t mean coffee.
“Hi, I’m Ava Cox, and I’m the attorney for Misty Moon,” I lied. I knew it, and if Ava found out, she’d sue. If Hank found out… well, I didn’t want to even think of what would happen if he did. “As you know, Tom was murdered.”
“Listen, Ava.” Wes put a hand up in front of me. “I already told the cops I was here and it’d been confirmed, so don’t point fingers at me saying I killed him.”
“I know you didn’t.” I smiled and cozied up to him.
Wes Millford carved out a few minutes for his book signing with me when I brought up the company’s shares and how Misty Moon had been named Tom’s predecessor.
“It’s not a secret I’ve been trying to buy into Moonbucks for years.” He had offered me a cup of the Awakenings coffee when we walked behind the curtain at the back of their booth, and I gladly accepted it while sitting down in a chair.
“But if his shares came up for sale, you’d take them.” Now that I’d observed a bit of Wes’s charisma, I wasn’t so sure that he didn’t have the ability to hire someone to do the dirty job. “You said it best yourself. You’d love to get your hands on that company.”
“I have gotten my hands on it.” He smiled and brought the steaming cup of coffee up to his lips. He sat down in the chair next to me.
“Excuse me?” My heart raced, and the thought hit me. “Dan Malone and Lewis Malone,” I said with a gasp.
Not only did I recall Gert saying she saw Dan Malone talking to Wes at the convention, but I also heard Lewis and Dan say something to the effect that things would change once Lewis got married to Shay. They said that the morning they were arguing in my office when Tom Moon had come in to confront me about Pierce and the interview.