by Rosie Sams
Don't you mean your little mobile black book?
Unfazed by his loss, Melody ignored his question and pushed past him. She returned to the station, where Kerry was refilling the empty plates.
"I am so over this event. Ronald just hit on me. That creep wanted to put my number in his phone. As if ... "
"He's disgusting. He's so self-entitled." Kerry shook her head and cringed.
"I'm going to take Smudge out for a breath of fresh air. We both could use it. Tell Leslie to avoid serving him. I wouldn't put it past him to be inappropriate with her, too."
"Bring me back a coffee, please. Extra-strong. I'm going to need it to get through another hour of this."
Melody nodded as she scooped up Smudge and her leash. She navigated the crowd carefully until they were both safely outside. Night had fallen since the start of the party.
"The night air feels good, girl. Breathe it in." Melody set Smudge down and clipped her leash to her collar, then stood and stretched. She inhaled deeply, hoping the stress of the day would evaporate. Between baking, delivering, setting up, and now serving, they had all been working for hours straight.
Smudge also shook her body out from nose to tail. Melody could tell the little pup needed a good stretch outside, away from the stuffy human-infested party. She lifted her little wet nose in the air and sniffed.
Smudge barked for Melody's attention.
"What is it?" Smudge turned to the left and barked again. She stared into a shadowy corner near the building.
At first, Melody hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary, but since Smudge's ears were alert and forward, Melody squinted and listened closely. She had learned that if Smudge noticed something, she should pay close attention.
That's when Melody noticed a soft light emitting from the shadows and heard the faint texting sound of a cell phone followed by a familiar whoosh. The sound pattern repeated. Before she could identify the person, the dark shadowy figure walked away from the community center.
Chapter One Hundred Fifty-One
"Coffee!" Kerry took the large foam cup from Melody's outstretched hand. "You returned in the nick of time. I was starting to slow to normal speed."
"Looks like things are winding down. Did I miss anything?"
"Not really. We ran out of Lemon Chiffon thanks to Penelope's plug," Leslie said as she wiped a silver tray clean. She packed it away and moved onto another.
"How was the walk?" Kerry took a long sip from the cup and sighed with relief.
Smudge wagged her bottom at Kerry as if giving her a positive review of the walk, then lowered her belly to the mat under the station.
"It was much needed for both of us."
As the girls continued breaking down the station, Melody texted Alvin Hennessey, her fiancé, and the sheriff of Port Warren. Her thumbs tapped quickly against the phone.
How about a late supper with your two favorite ladies?
A similar whooshing sound to the one she had just heard outside confirmed her message was sent. Quicker than expected, she received one back. Melody beamed as she stared at his answer. Instead of texting his reply, Alvin sent her a photo of the late-night feast he had already prepared for when she got off work.
He really is the perfect man, Melody thought. She loved his thoughtfulness and texted back a series of emojis, including a heart, a smiley face with its tongue out, and a dog face with hearts for eyes. As she gazed at the photo fantasizing over how the food would smell and taste, Penelope touched her shoulder.
"I just wanted to thank you and your team for putting on a great show. Everyone raved about the desserts. Well done."
"It was our pleasure. I'd offer you some Lemon Chiffon for the road, but Leslie said they're all gone - I hope the pageant goes well."
"I'm sure it will be fine as long as Alexis sobers up."
"She seemed pretty upset with Ronald."
Penelope waved the topic away dismissively, and for a moment, Melody wondered if she, too, was involved with the man. She thought twice about asking. Alvin and a hot meal were waiting.
"We better get going. We have an early day at the shop tomorrow."
"Before you go... I've set aside some tickets to the show for you and your team. I would be honored if you would attend. Please feel free to bring your significant others." Penelope announced the offer loud enough to include Kerry and Leslie in the conversation.
"I'd love to, but I'm leaving for a camping trip with a friend," Leslie said as she walked past them, carrying a stack of silver trays outside to the delivery van.
Melody glanced at Kerry, who politely shook her head no. She took another sip of coffee. Melody suspected she took the sip to avoid having to verbally respond, leaving it up to Melody to formally decline Penelope's offer.
"This is a really busy time for the bakery, but we appreciate your generosity." She touched Penelope's arm gently then moved toward the station to help Kerry finish clearing it.
"Well, I'll leave them at the ticket booth should you change your mind. Goodnight, and thanks again." Leaving them to finish up, Penelope headed to her office.
Leslie returned for another stack of trays. Kerry grabbed a crate of the china plates, and Melody took Smudge's leash and mat. The three women inspected the area once more, ensuring they’d left nothing behind.
"I think that's it. Let's go-"
Suddenly, a scream rang through the air! Melody dropped the mat and rushed toward the sound. Smudge ran alongside her. As she turned into the office, she found Penelope trembling; her white-gloved hands covered her open mouth. Her eyes were the size of saucers!
"What is it? What's wrong?" Melody asked as she looked between Penelope and someone sitting in the office chair, which was turned so that the back faced Melody. She could only see the top of the person's head.
The scene struck Melody as odd. The person hadn't reacted to Penelope, who looked at Melody with pure terror in her eyes. Cautiously, Melody moved closer to get a better look. She turned the chair slightly then gasped at what she saw!
"Is that-?"
"Ronald Atkins." Penelope gulped as she found her voice.
"And is that-?"
"-A sash around his neck? Yes!" Penelope confirmed then raced from the room.
Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two
Smudge led the way as Melody returned to the reception hall from the direction of the scream. Her arm was wrapped around Penelope's waist, holding her up. Penelope appeared as if she was about to drop from the shock of finding Ronald dead in her office chair.
"What happened?" Kerry asked as she set down the crate she was holding and ran to help support Penelope. Leslie dragged a chair over to them.
"Try to calm her down. I need to contact Alvin. Ronald Atkins was murdered."
Both women gasped upon hearing the news!
"I'll get her some water," Leslie said as Kerry consoled Penelope.
Stepping aside, Melody looked down at her phone. The photo of the late-night feast that was waiting for her was still open on her screen. Her stomach rumbled as she frowned. Melody’s thumbs tapped across her phone’s screen.
What are the chances you can make that dinner to go? I need you here at the community center. Ronald Atkins is dead.
Whoosh went the text.
Twenty minutes later, Alvin arrived with a team of deputies. Melody greeted him outside.
"Never a dull moment, huh?" He leaned in to give her a quick kiss.
"Nope, but it's not a total shock that this guy ended up dead. He was playing the field a little too hard, and he's well past the age of retirement if you get my drift." Melody received his kiss and matched it with a second peck before leading him inside. "The body is in the office."
Word had spread through the remaining party guests. They lingered like looky-loos. The deputies sealed the building while Melody guided Alvin to where she left Penelope.
"This is Penelope Cross. She is the pageant event coordinator and host of this evening's reception. Penelop
e, this is Sheriff Hennessey. He has some questions for you." Melody introduced them then took a step back, giving Alvin the floor. Smudge sat in Penelope’s lap while Penelope stroked her fur in a calming manner.
"I understand you're the one that discovered the body?" he asked.
"Yes, yes. The event was winding down. I spoke with Melody for a bit then retired to the office to wrap up some last-minute details. At first, I didn't realize Ronald was dead. I saw him sitting in the chair, but his back was to me. I was talking to him, but he didn't answer. I was getting frustrated, so I walked around demanding he answer and that's when I saw he was ... " She couldn't bring herself to say the word.
"Do you have any idea who would have wanted to kill Mr. Atkins?"
"No, well, yes, actually. Alexis Garnett is one of our competitors. Earlier tonight, she flew into a jealous rage… she threw a drink in Ronald's face. I had to have her escorted out of the party. Security brought her to one of the dressing rooms backstage to sleep it off. She was quite drunk, you see."
Melody touched Alvin's arm to get his attention. He stepped back from Penelope and listened to what Melody had to say.
"I saw Alexis throw her drink in Ronald's face. It was a red drink, maybe a cranberry cocktail or something like that. Her sash was stained with it. I noticed because all of the other women were perfect, but Alexis was looking quite disheveled."
Alvin nodded. He went inside the office and examined the sash.
"Mel, look at this. Does this look like her sash?"
Melody nodded. "Yes. Do you see all those red spots? This is definitely her sash." Melody pointed to the red stains she was referring to without touching the evidence. Then, they walked back to the reception area.
Alvin radioed for one of the deputies to come to the office.
"Process this area and send for the coroner. I want lots of photos and make sure you handle the murder weapon properly. Make sure someone seals off the back of the building, too."
With orders issued, Alvin questioned Penelope for a few more minutes, before letting her go. Then, he and Melody headed backstage. Sure enough, there they found Alexis Garnett in one of the dressing rooms. She was lying on a sofa, moaning in discomfort.
"That's her," Melody said, confirming it. "I'll go get her some coffee. She's going to need it."
"Alexis Garnett?" Alvin asked.
Alexis groaned; her eyes still closed. After Alvin repeated her name, she opened one. It was barely a squint.
"Yes. That's me." She hiccupped and tried to sit up. Melody returned and helped her right herself into a sitting position.
"Drink this." Melody handed her the cup of hot coffee.
Alvin gave the woman a moment to orient herself. He watched as she sipped then appeared repulsed by the bitter taste.
"Is there any alcohol in here?"
"No. You need to focus now. I have some bad news," Melody said as she took a seat next to Alexis.
"Did I lose the pageant?"
"No. The pageant will most likely be postponed." Alvin crossed his arms over his chest.
Alexis looked up at him, both of her eyes now opened and focused. She looked confused. After all, she didn't know either of them.
"You're that bakery woman, right?"
"Yes. My name is Melody Marshall. Earlier this evening, Ronald Atkins was found murdered." Melody noticed Alexis wasn't wearing her sash, which only confirmed her suspicion.
"Good. Ronald was a liar and a cheat. He also made a lot of promises that he had no intention of keeping." Alexis gulped the coffee. Melody noticed her tone, nor her body language showed any signs of remorse.
"He was strangled with your sash." Alvin gave Alexis a moment to process his words.
"Well, I didn't do it! Go talk to one of his other ‘beauties.’ There’s a bevy of them!"
"You seem to have a lot of resentment against Mr. Atkins. Are you sure this resentment didn't motivate you to end his life by choking him with your sash?" Alvin asked.
Highly offended at the accusation, Alexis rose to her feet, fully intending to storm out of the room. However, her eyes rolled, and she fell back down to the sofa too tipsy to take even one step.
Melody rose from her seat and pulled Alvin aside. "Look at her. She's not going anywhere. I doubt she would have had the strength to strangle a grown man in this condition. She's way too intoxicated," she said.
Alvin nodded. “That was my thought too.” He shifted his eyes to Alexis as if he was assessing her. Melody imagined he was roleplaying potential scenarios in his mind.
"Alexis!" Alvin called her name to get her attention. She was drifting back to sleep. "Do not leave town. The murder is under investigation, and we’ll need to ask you more questions when you’re in a proper state of mind to answer them. Do you understand? I am placing a deputy outside this door."
"Yeah, yeah. Shut the lights on your way out." Alexis waved her hand at them as if she was dismissing them. "I need my beauty sleep. Get it? Beauty sleep?" But, before they could answer, she was snoring.
Alvin spoke to the deputy to see that Alexis’s clothing was processed though he doubted that they would find anything. The girl could barely stand.
Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Three
"Ronald Atkins was an expert level player! He publicly canoodled with Colleen.” Melody inhaled deeply before continuing to rattle on about Ronald’s dating history to Alvin. “Then, Alexis came in and tossed her drink in his face. After that, Ramona revealed that she was having an affair with him up until a few days ago. Keep in mind that all these relationships were exposed within an hour. Just imagine how much messing around this man has done in his lifetime.”
"How did he find the energy?"
With great force, the reception doors flew open, interrupting their conversation. In stormed Colleen Thorne, her hands flailed through the air in a most dramatic gesture. One of them wielded her cellphone like a dangerous weapon.
"Where is that philandering creep?" she asked in a venomous tone. "If he thinks he can break up with me via text, he's got another thing coming!" Her blonde hair flew as her eyes scanned the entire room.
Melody noticed she had twigs and leaves in her hair. Her makeup was smeared as if she'd been crying, and she still wore the dress that was stained from Alexis' red drink, but now it was also caked in dirt and grass stains.
Talk about a "fall from grace," Melody thought. "Are you all right?" she asked Colleen aloud as she moved toward her.
"I'm fine!" Colleen's tone was shrill. Her eyes were unfocused and filled with rage. Even though her face was pointed at Melody, her crazed eyes continued to bounce from person to person as she searched for Ronald. "Where is he? He has no right to break up with me via text. What kind of man does that? He made promises to me!" Colleen demanded answers.
"Looks like he made promises to anything in a skirt," Alvin said sarcastically under his breath.
"Does he honestly think he can do better than me?" Colleen spoke to no one in particular.
"Come, sit down and please try to stay calm. I have some bad news for you," Melody said as gently as she could.
"I don’t want to sit. I want to see Ronald right now!" Colleen stuck her bottom lip out and looked all too like a petulant child.
Colleen’s eyes fell on Alvin in his sheriff's uniform. At that moment, the rage in her eyes was quickly replaced by worry. By the change in her demeanor, Melody suspected that the gravity of the situation was finally sinking in for her.
"Why is the sheriff here?" she asked. Her voice was now meek, barely audible.
"We have some bad news. Ronald is dead." Melody touched the woman's shoulder. She felt Colleen's body tremble. "He was murdered tonight. His body was found in the office by Penelope Cross."
"That's not possible." Colleen's eyes filled with tears. She was in denial. "He was supposed to meet me by the lake. He's probably on his way there now." She buried her face in her hands as her tears flowed.
"I'm sorry, but his identity has bee
n confirmed. Ronald was murdered by strangulation. Someone choked him with a sash. Sheriff Hennessey is going to ask you some questions."
"Ms. Thorne, what can you tell me about the last time you saw Mr. Atkins?" Alvin asked as he moved closer to Colleen and observed her reaction.
She pulled her hands back from her face and wiped her eyes.
Melody pulled over a chair for Colleen. As the distraught woman lowered her body into it, Melody's line of sight opened. She watched as Denise Newman brought Penelope a glass of water. She was consoling the distraught pageant coordinator while Ramona stood still and expressionless like a stone-cold statue.
Funny, I thought they’d left, Melody thought. And how is Ramona so together? She's been crying all day, but now she's as cold as ice.
"Yes, we were mingling with the press, and I had brought him a small dessert. Shortly after, Alexis Garnett stormed up to us, and she threw her drink in Ronald's face! She did it, didn't she?" Colleen asked; her eyes narrowed in anger.
"The investigation is still underway, but any information you can tell us about Alexis may help speed things along," Alvin said encouragingly.
"She's a terrible person! Ronald left her for me. At first, she didn't accept his break-up, but he was in love with me…" Colleen's voice trailed off as she appeared to have realized something. "That bastard! He just did the same thing to me that he did to Alexis! Now, I hope she did kill him!"
"May I see your phone?" Alvin noticed Colleen held it with a white-knuckled grip. She thrust her hand toward him, relinquishing the phone. Alvin scrolled through the texts. Melody peered over his shoulder reading along with him, but her eyes shifted every few seconds toward Denise, Penelope, and Ramona.
"You said you were with him when Alexis threw the drink in his face?" Alvin asked as he studied the messages.
"Yes. Here are the stains proving it." She pointed to the red marks between the dirt and the grass stains on her dress.