Death Bee Comes Her

by Nancy CoCo

  “Then hang up with your aunt and call your lawyer.”

  I swallowed hard as my stomach leapt into my throat. “Are you arresting me?”

  “Don’t let him intimidate you, dear!”

  “Hang up the phone,” he said as calm as could be.

  “I’m coming right over,” my aunt said.

  “Talk to you soon,” I answered and hung up the phone. “There, I did what you asked.” I crossed my arms and hugged myself. “What can I do for you?”

  “I want to talk about what you were doing in Bernie Snow’s house when you found him.”

  “I wasn’t killing him, if that’s what you are implying.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t imply or infer things. My job is to stick with the facts.”

  “Okay, what do you want to know that my aunt and I didn’t already tell you this morning?”

  “Why were you walking in the Snows’ neighborhood? I learned from the neighbors that you aren’t usually in that area. It’s a small town. Someone would have noticed if you walked there every morning.”

  “I switched my route so I wouldn’t have to walk by the beach where I found Agnes’s body.” That was the story Aunt Eloise had given me.

  “So you walked by Agnes’s home instead? How is that any better?”

  “I had not seen Agnes dead there for one,” I said. “But anyway, Aunt Eloise and I were talking and I had no idea where I was until Everett ran off.” As if on cue my kitty jumped up on the back of a nearby chair and meowed for attention. I picked him up.

  “Why was Everett off his leash?” Jim took a step to the side and filled the door frame.

  “He wasn’t off his leash,” I said. “That’s the crazy part. I was talking to Aunt Eloise and Everett must not have been getting enough attention. He yanked on his leash and pulled it out of my hand. Before I could grab it, he took off—right into the Snow’s house.”

  “He opened the back door?”

  “He went through the doggie door,” I said. “We knocked and no one answered, but then we saw the door was left open.”

  “Didn’t you find that suspicious?”

  “No, Aunt Eloise told me that Bernie has a habit of leaving his door unlocked. I was too worried about Everett to think about the door being open. The idea was to find Everett and get out.”

  “But not before you took pictures of Agnes’s accounting book,” he said.

  I waited a heartbeat.

  “That’s what you were talking about when I came in, right?”

  I still didn’t answer.

  “We have your fingerprints on the ledger,” he stated. “We printed the entire house. There were three sets of prints. One belonged to Agnes, one to you, and one I assume will turn out to be your aunt’s. We won’t know until we get a copy of her prints in the system.”

  I felt the blood rush out of my face. “You’re going to fingerprint my aunt?”

  “Sit down,” he ordered and I collapsed into the chair beside me. “Put your head between your knees.” He encouraged me with a gentle hand to the back of my neck.

  I studied the floor under my chair. “I don’t think I’m going to faint.”

  “Good,” he said and got up. “Don’t move.” I heard him walk away. Then a clank of glassware and the faucet turned on. He walked back across the room. “Here, take a sip of this.”

  I sat up and saw stars in my view. I willed them away and took a sip of the water. “You can’t arrest Aunt Eloise. It would kill her.”

  “My guess is that your aunt is made of sterner stuff than that,” he said.

  “I am,” Aunt Eloise said from the still open door. “What did he do to you?” she asked as she rushed across the room. “You look deathly white.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” he said and stepped back to let her get a good look at me.

  “He got me water,” I said, “that’s all.”

  “We found Wren’s fingerprints on Agnes’s ledger,” he said. “Along with a second pair that isn’t catalogued. I believe they belong to you. We’d like to have you come down to the station and give us your prints for comparison.”

  She looked from him to me. “Do I need a lawyer?”

  “Mine will take care of you,” I said and stood. I nearly lost my balance as the world went black. Darn it for freaking out.

  “There you go.” My aunt and Jim grabbed my elbows and pushed me back down into the chair. “Sit still.”

  “I won’t let them charge you with murder.”

  “Well, dear, that’s funny,” she said and straightened. “I thought they were looking at you for the murder.”

  “I’m not convinced either one of you did it,” he said. “I simply need the prints to prove a point.”

  “That’s what you said about the lineup, and that nearly put me in jail.”

  “I’m sorry for that,” he said. “Whoever killed the Snows is slippery.”

  “What if they work for the police?” I asked. “That would make it easy to frame me and my aunt.”

  “Why would a police officer frame you?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Why would anyone frame me?”

  “Wren,” came a call up the stairs. I recognized Linda’s voice.

  “Up here,” I called and stood. This time I kept my balance as Linda scurried through the doorway. “Linda, what can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to say that your co-marketing idea is working. I had ten new customers who bought candles and said they saw them first at Let It Bee and then came to see what else I had.”

  “Wonderful!” I said.

  “I brought you another box of candles,” she said and looked around curiously. “I think you have plenty of space on your empty shelves.”

  “Great. Thanks. I can set them up for you.”

  “I already did it,” she said. “I saw Eloise come running through the store and wanted to make sure you were all right.” She gave Jim the side eye. “Is everything all right?”

  “It’s fine,” he answered for me. “I had a couple of questions about Bernie Snow.” He put his hands on his hips and his posture dared us to say anything further.

  “Yes, well, I guess I’ll be going then,” Linda said. She gave me a quick hug. “Goodbye, dear.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Aunt Eloise said.

  Jim sighed and crossed his arms. “Fine.” He walked over and closed the door. “I know you two are lying.”

  Honey makes a great facial scrub to reveal radiant

  skin. The enzymes in honey make for a gentle

  exfoliator. Mix a teaspoon of raw honey with a

  teaspoon of olive oil and gently rub in circles on

  your skin. Rinse with warm water and enjoy

  smoother, plumper skin.

  Chapter 14

  “I need my lawyer,” I said, raising my chin and crossing my arms.

  “Call him,” Jim said. “But I know you two planned that expedition into the Snow house.” He looked directly at Aunt Eloise with his steely blue stare. “Betty Forrester told me you asked about Bernie’s trip to the health club every morning. She told me that she let it be known that Bernie was gone at six thirty every morning and he didn’t lock his house.”

  “That doesn’t mean we were lying,” I said.

  “Funny how coincidental it was that Betty told you about it and then you were walking down the Snows’ street the very next day at precisely the time Bernie usually checks in at the fitness center.”

  “Purely coincidental,” Aunt Eloise said, her hands behind her back. I had a feeling she was crossing her fingers. It was what she did whenever she was lying.

  “And strange how your cat, who is very good on a leash, suddenly bolted into the Snows’ house so that you had to go in and search for him.”

  “We didn’t kill Bernie,” I said.

  “I know,” he said. “The ME’s preliminary report said the time of death was around four a.m. You were seen coming down the street at six thirty-five.”


  “Who was in the Snow house at four a.m.?” I asked.

  “Bernie had to have been up,” Aunt Eloise said. “He was dressed for the gym in sweats and a T-shirt.”

  “Bernie was meeting a friend for coffee after his workout. Betty was expecting him at five thirty at the health club—it opens at five a.m.—but Bernie didn’t show so she thought he must have overslept.”

  “Betty seems to know a lot about Bernie,” I mused.

  “She should,” he said. “She was his sister.”

  I turned to my aunt. “You asked his sister about his daily trip to the gym? What were you thinking?”

  “I know Betty from school. She was interested in our investigation.”

  “She probably told Bernie,” I pointed out.

  “She would not tell Bernie,” Aunt Eloise said. “She had heard that Agnes was into something and knew that Bernie was in denial. She wanted us to help figure out what actually happened . . . to help her brother.”

  “Betty had motive to kill her brother,” Jim said. “She might have set you up.”

  “What? Betty? Why?” Aunt Eloise asked.

  “Bernie and Betty’s mom died two months ago. Their parents left nearly two million dollars to Bernie and only one hundred thousand to Betty. She has been working with a lawyer to fight that in court.”

  “But with Bernie’s connections, she had no shot at winning,” I surmised.

  “Exactly,” Jim said. “Bernie and Agnes had no children. That means the money goes to Betty.”

  My aunt and I looked at each other—stunned. “How do we prove Betty did it?” I asked.

  “That’s what I need your help with,” Jim said. “Eloise, I want you to set up a meeting with Betty.”

  “And me?”

  “Wren, I’m going to ask you to record what is said. You can wear a wire or you can use your phone.”

  “I’ll use my phone,” I said.

  “What do we need to talk about?” Aunt Eloise asked. “We can’t just come out and ask her if she killed her brother and set us up.”

  “No,” he agreed. “I need you to try and find out how she felt about Agnes. See if you can get her to talk about the lawsuit and her parents’ money.”

  “What will that prove?” I asked.

  He turned his blue gaze on me. “It will help us build a case for motive.”

  “Will it give her a chance to frame me further?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry, dear,” Aunt Eloise said and patted my hand. “I won’t let that happen. I will go to jail before you do.”

  “No one’s going to jail,” Jim said. “Try to set up some time with Betty tomorrow. Wren, you have my phone number. Text me when you have it set up and then record the encounter. I will come by tomorrow night and gather the evidence.” He turned. “Thank you, ladies.”

  We both watched him leave. I waited for two breaths and went to the door to ensure he was gone. Then I turned and leaned against the door. “Do you think he’s setting us up?”

  “What? Why would he do that?” Aunt Eloise asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But it seems odd that he wants us to gather evidence for him. He’s been pushing me to stop investigating since I found Agnes. Now he wants my help? I don’t buy it.”

  Aunt Eloise pursed her lips and tapped her chin. “True.”

  “I say we trust no one. For all we know, Linda is the one framing me. Just because she brought me more candles doesn’t mean she didn’t kill Agnes.”

  “Oh, my dear, this is so exhausting. I think you’re getting paranoid.”

  I hugged my waist. “I feel paranoid,” I agreed. “I’m going to ask Matt if he thinks I should be involved in this Betty thing.”

  “Now that is the best idea ever,” she said. “Come on now. It might be early, but it’s been a long day. Let’s have a glass of wine and make a nice dinner.”

  Everett meowed at the word “dinner.”

  “See?” Aunt Eloise said. “Everett agrees.”

  “I’m afraid I have to take a rain check,” I said and felt a blush rush over my cheeks. “I have a date.”

  “Hear that, Everett? Our little girl is getting a life.” Aunt Eloise seemed positively gleeful.

  “Meow,” Everett said, seeming to agree.

  She held out her hand and he gave her a high five. I rolled my eyes.

  * * *

  The next morning, I got up early. A shipment of supplies had come in yesterday and I needed to create more inventory. Everett climbed up on the back of my flowered wingback chair and watched me with one eye closed. Today I was making lip balms and lotions. I liked putting my lotions in tins and glass pots with threaded lids that twisted on. It added to the charm of the brand. I grabbed a stack of preprinted labels and put them on the table next to jars that were prepped for use.

  Next I created the lotions by mixing ingredients in a large pot and heating them so that they blended together. Finally, I added fragrance and a drop of coloring to create a beautiful sensory experience. It was important that the look, feel, and smell all brought the senses to life.

  There was a knock on my inside door. I glanced at the time. The store opened in fifteen minutes and I wasn’t in costume yet.

  “Wren, how are you doing?” It was Porsche.

  I opened my door. Porsche was dressed as Raggedy Ann in zombie makeup. “I’m fine. Time got away from me.”

  “Clearly.” She walked in and headed to my coffeepot. “You know I need coffee in the morning. With all the deaths, I got worried when I came in and the pot downstairs was cold.”

  “This one is fresh,” I said as I pulled off my apron. “I’ve got to get dressed. Love your costume, by the way.”

  She poured herself a large mug, took a sip, and closed her eyes in delight. “My sons weren’t a fan of this one.”

  “I think it’s very clever and will give little kids nightmares.”

  “Yes, well, after Tiffany from Bride of Chucky was such a hit, I thought I might continue in the twisted doll theme. Which Wizard of Oz character are you today?”

  “I planned on being the Wicked Witch of the East.”

  “Oh, I was hoping for a zombie Glinda the Good Witch.”

  “That’s tomorrow,” I said and hurried to my bedroom to slip on the costume.

  “You’ve been doing a lot of work on inventory,” she said from the living room. “We really need it. I’m surprised how much we are selling this week.”

  “Foot traffic is up,” I said as I left my bedroom in full costume and headed to the bathroom to apply the zombie face makeup. “I think people are curious about the murders.”

  “How was your date last night?”

  “Good,” I said.

  She walked to the bathroom doorway holding her cup of coffee. “Spill the details—all the details.”

  “What’s to talk about? Conrad picked me up, we went to dinner and caught up on our lives, then we had a drink and he left me at the front door.”

  “Sounds boring,” she said and pouted. “Did he even try to kiss you?”

  “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “So he did kiss you? Is he a good kisser? Did he come up for a nightcap?”

  I ignored her and continued to put on my makeup.

  “Fine, I’ll change the subject. What did Officer Hampton want yesterday afternoon?” She leaned against the bathroom door frame and clung to her coffee mug.

  “He thinks that Bernie’s sister Betty killed the Snows. He wants us to help him prove it.”

  “Wow, that’s interesting. Are you going to do it?”

  “I contacted Matt last night. He said he doesn’t have a problem with it. As far as he can tell, it shouldn’t hurt my case in any way and will actually show my good faith in trying to be cooperative.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “I’m going to have to meet with Aunt Eloise and Betty at three this afternoon. Can you watch the store while I’m gone?”

  “Sure, but I
’ve got to leave at four today. The boys have soccer and Jason is out of town on a business trip.”

  “Of course,” I said. “Thanks for putting in the extra hours. Did you see that Linda brought more candles?”

  “Yeah.” She grinned and sipped her coffee. “I think she sees you less as competition now and more as an ally.”

  “Which is a good thing,” I said. “I need all the friends I can get.”

  “What about Conrad? Do you have another date?”

  “He’ll be back this weekend,” I said and finished up my makeup. A glance at the time told me we were going to be late opening. “Come on. People will be wondering why we aren’t open.”

  “And I’m wondering why you aren’t talking about your love life,” she said as she followed me downstairs.

  “Maybe because I don’t like to kiss and tell,” I repeated.

  I was right, people were pacing in front of the door. Some had little kids in tow. With school in session, most of the kids who came into town were toddlers and preschoolers. After 3 p.m. there would be schoolchildren. I grabbed the bowl of candy and unlocked the door while Porsche set up the cash register.

  “Trick or treat,” a tiny girl in a Disney princess costume said.

  I held the bowl down to her level. “Pick one.”

  She looked at me solemnly. “Can I take one for my brother? He’s in school.”

  “Yes,” I said.

  She grabbed two pieces of honey taffy. “You aren’t a bad witch after all.”

  * * *

  The day flew by. I went upstairs at lunch and brought the new pots of lotion down and restocked the shelves. Aunt Eloise texted me.

  “Are you ready to meet with Betty?”

  “Yes,” I texted back. “Matt didn’t have a problem with us doing this.”

  “Good, let’s see if we can’t put a bad guy in jail.”

  “You sound pretty cop-like,” I texted. “I can almost hear ‘Bad boys, bad boys’ in the background.”

  She texted back an emoji that was crying as it laughed. “Now I’m going to have that song stuck in my head.”

  “Do you really think Betty set us up?”

  “I don’t know what to think.” She texted back. “Meet us at the Coffee Bar at 3 p.m.”