“No.” I make a face at the two of them. “I’m a crime stopper, not starter. In fact, I need to get moving. I want to question my first suspect, one of Bea’s nieces.”
Mackenzie grunts, “I bet it’s Magnolia. She’s a real peach. I met her at a ritzy auction last fall. She pretends to be high-end, but I heard a rumor she makes her money selling pictures of herself on that sleazy site, Hungry Fans.”
Huxley tips his head. “Say what you want, but I just had a client who works through them and she’s hauling in close to two hundred grand a month.”
“What?” Macy, Mackenzie, and I all squawk at once.
Mackenzie sucks in a breath. As soon as I pop out this kid, I’m getting my body in a peek-a-boo form. Oh drats. That will tank my political career faster than a speeding baby bullet.
Macy lifts a brow. Two hundred grand? Look out, world. You’re about to see a heck of a lot more of Macy Baker.
“No,” I say to my sister without missing a beat. She’s not onto my mind reading gig either, but that has never stopped me from using it against her.
She waves me off. “Never mind that. Who are we talking to first?”
“Excuse me?”
“For the case?” She flicks her fingers my way. “I can’t stand around watching my customers disappear, so I figure I could help you find a killer—and have a killer good time while doing it. Besides, Mom scored a boyfriend off of one of your homicide investigations last month. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be the one to score a murderous love connection next.”
Mackenzie shrugs. “And Bizzy, you scored a husband due to someone else’s demise as well. Maybe you can start a dating service?”
Huxley bucks with a laugh. “You can call it Deadly Dating.”
“You’re both hilarious.” I turn to my sister. “My first suspect’s name is Kadence Crabtree, and we ride at noon.”
Macy makes a face. “She better have a couple of hotties around her when we track her down. This red dress is looking to be put to the test.”
Something tells me my sanity will be put to the test.
And so will the killer’s freedom.
Red dress or not, we’re coming for whoever did this to Bea.
And something tells me we just might have a killer time doing it, too.
Chapter 5
“Did you have to haul along all three cats with you? You look like an insane person,” Macy snips while adjusting the bonnet she’s attached to Candy’s furry white head.
“Says the woman putting a floral hat on her dog,” I say as the scent of damp soil bites my nostrils. “Besides”—I give each of the cute cats in my carrier a quick pat—“our suspect expects me to be taking good care of her aunt’s pets. And they love Fish and Sherlock so much.” Yes, I’ve brought Sherlock to the nursery with me, and Macy has Candy attached at the leash. But from what I can see of the Rosie Posie Nursery, there are more than a handful of dogs walking the spacious grounds with their owners.
Macy coughs and sputters as if I’ve just issued the highest insult in the land. “I have to put a hat on her because she won’t wear the sunglasses I bought. How else am I supposed to keep the sun from her eyes?”
“It’s the question of the ages that dog lovers have been grappling with for decades,” I tease.
The Rosie Posie Nursery is situated in Rose Glen, a twenty-minute drive just south of Cider Cove. The nursery looks as if it covers a square mile at least with rows and rows of flora and fauna. There are colorful flats of flowers on shelves, and above them is a variety of hanging planters filled with flowers and succulents dripping from them like tresses. To the left there’s a huge greenhouse loaded with more glorious flowers and rows of vegetables ready to flourish in a garden, and in the far back there’s a number of trees for purchase.
The sun is bright and hot today. It’s just a little past one in the afternoon, and as soon as Georgie got wind I was on the chase as she put it, she ditched my mother at the shop, donned a bright green kaftan, and jumped into my car.
Candy barks as she looks my way. Macy means well. And she says she wants me to look stylish. I tried telling her that my fur was enough to keep me safe from the sun, but she told me to stop wiggling and slathered sunscreen on my fur.
Sherlock vocalizes something just shy of a laugh. You’re Macy’s first fur friend. I have a feeling she’s going to roll out the red carpet for you—and the sunscreen.
Fish mewls, I bet she’s feeding you the best dog food that money can buy.
Candy yips up at the carrier I’m holding to my chest. Macy says dog food is for dogs. She’s cooking for two now. Last night, we split a filet mignon along with corn and potatoes. And afterwards, we watched Looking for a Groom while Macy ran some recipe ideas past me. We’re having some fancy French chicken tonight if she has time to make it, and if she doesn’t, we’ll be hitting the Burger Boy drive-thru. They have the best French fries.
Lovely. Candy is eating better than most humans. Hopefully, she won’t gain weight like most humans. I’ll have to monitor the situation from afar.
“Hand the handsome lug over,” Georgie says as she takes Sherlock’s leash from me. “Now that you’ve got a pooch of your own, Macy, it’s time you learned a pet lover’s biggest secret. There’s no stronger magnet to attracting the opposite gender than these little furballs. Who do you think landed Bizzy and Jasper together? If it wasn’t for Sherlock and Fish, they’d be nothing more than two obnoxious ships passing in the night.”
“She might be onto something,” I say to Macy. My spicy sister has never had a shortage of men in her life. She has, however, had a shortage of the right men in her life. Macy is sort of a love ’em and leave ’em kind of a girl. “Who knows? Now that you have Candy in your life, Mr. Right might be next.”
Georgie nods. “At my age, Mr. Right Now is just as good.” She cranes her neck as she takes a gander at the place and her shoulders jerk. “In fact, I see my mark.”
We follow her gaze and come up empty, save for a scarecrow with a red and white checkered shirt and a cowboy hat planted on his head.
Macy squints hard that way. “Georgie, I don’t see a single living being in that direction.”
“All I see is a scarecrow sitting among pallets of vegetable plants marked half off,” I say.
“What?” She staggers forward a notch. “You mean that tall, dark, and handsome hunk of burnin’ love I spy in that direction has nothing but straw between his ears?”
“That’s right,” I tell her as the cats mewl and wiggle against my chest as they jockey to get a better look.
“Eh.” Georgie shrugs. “I’ve done worse.” She cinches Sherlock’s leash around her hand. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s see what the straw man has to offer.” She takes off in that direction and Macy gasps and swats me.
“Check out that hottie on aisle three,” Macy hisses with a far too much lustful glee in her voice.
Sure enough, there’s a large number three painted over the row to our left, and standing there, poking around a cart full of lavender zinnias, is a tall man with a muscular build in a T-shirt, his dark hair trimmed neatly.
“He seems decent enough,” I say. “But watch out. He’s probably married. I highly doubt the nursery is a hot spot for single men.” A petite redhead strides up to him with a bright orange apron on over her sundress, and it’s the exact redhead I trekked out here to see.
“Hey, that’s my suspect talking to him. Let’s head over. Maybe we’ll both get lucky.”
Fish mewls, All right, here we go. Just wait until you see Bizzy in action. There hasn’t been a killer she hasn’t caught, yet.
Snuggles mewls right back, If Kadence is responsible, I’ll lose all hope in the world.
Bingo nods. She brought us fresh catnip each time she came to the shop.
Organic, Snuggles adds.
They have organic? Fish spikes up and looks right at me. Let me guess, Jasper won’t splurge for the organic fare.
“Don’t worry,” I whis
per. “I’ll pick some up today.”
And Jasper would splurge for the organic fare, but our local pet supplier doesn’t seem to have it.
The perfume from the neighboring orange blossoms mingles with the earthy scent of fresh soil as we make our way in their direction.
Macy leans my way. “Watch a master at work.” She picks up a small pot of impatiens and tosses them at the man’s feet, missing his shoes by inches with the soil it just dumped over the ground. Both Macy’s mark and Kadence turn around to look at us. “Oh!” she feigns a ridiculous amount of horror. “That just slipped right out of my hands.”
“Not a problem,” Kadence says as she lunges to clean up the mess and the zinnia-loving man joins the effort. Both the man and Kadence reach for the pot at the very same time and their eyes lock as they share a warm laugh.
I raise a brow to my sister who looks genuinely horrified at the way they’re gazing deeply into one another’s eyes.
“Well”—I whisper to her—“it looks as if the master made a match, just not one that involves the master herself. Back to the drawing board.”
“You wish.” Macy picks up the pot and breaks the spell before hoisting the man to his feet. “Macy Baker, owner of Lather and Light and professional mess maker, and this is my baby, Candy.”
Her baby? Fish titters. Looks as if Macy has crossed over to the dark side. Do you think I can talk her into cooking for me?
“Hey, Candy girl.” The man gives Candy a hearty pat as he grins her way. “Aren’t you a beaut. And that hat? You’ve got style, that’s for sure.”
Macy postures in front of him, but he doesn’t seem to notice her. It looks as if Macy is learning another big secret pet lovers are in on. Our pets often usurp us for attention.
Kadence does a double take as she looks my way. “You look familiar.” Her mouth falls open as she spots Snuggles and Bingo, and she quickly plucks them right out of my carrier. “Look at you two! Traveling in style yourselves.” She gives an open-mouthed smile my way, and I can’t help but think she’s friendly.
Macy scuttles her mark off a few feet, and the poor guy looks mildly confused by his brazen quasi-abduction.
Kadence blinks over at me. “You’re the girl I met yesterday. Aunt Bea’s friend. I’m sorry, for the life of me I can’t remember your name.”
“I’m Bizzy. I run the Country Cottage Inn just down the street from your aunt’s shop. Bea and I were great friends.” All the more motivation to track down her killer.
“Bizzy, that’s right. I remember thinking you had a fun name.” As soon as she turned her back, Mags called her Dizzy. But then, that’s Mag’s biggest thrill. Making fun of everyone as soon as they turn away. And the things she was saying about Aunt Bea before the horrible event took place. If anyone caught onto it, I’m sure they’d send an entire troop of deputies to her door.
Interesting.
“It is a fun name.” I shrug. “But it’s been swapped out to Dizzy a time or two, especially by those who don’t seem to care for me.” Jasper’s ex-fiancée, Camila Ryder, comes to mind, along with my newly minted sister-in-law. But I shake both of those mean girls right out of my head. “It’s Kadence, right? That’s a beautiful name.”
“My mother wanted lyrical names for both of her girls—thus my sister’s name, Magnolia. We lost our parents about ten years ago.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” She nods. “Dad was sick first, then Mom fell and broke her hip and got pneumonia because of it. And that took her out pretty quickly. My sister and I had to learn to fend for ourselves. We had both just barely crossed into our twenties, hardly adults. And as our Aunt Bea used to remind us, we were heavily coddled. I took a job here and never looked back, and well, Mags is still sort of experiencing her teen years.” And at this point, I doubt she’ll ever grow out of them.
“If it makes you feel better, I have a sister like that.” I point with my nose in her direction and Kadence makes a sour face. The one time a hottie stops by this place and a blonde in a red dress shows up. And to double her wow factor, she had to drag her cute dog along with her.
I bite my lip to hold back a laugh.
“He seemed pretty interested in you,” I tell her.
A dull laugh bounces through her. “Yeah, for like a hot second. But that’s par for the course as far as my love life goes. Anyway, what brings you out this way? Need something to spruce up the inn?”
“Exactly that. My best friend Emmie is getting married in just a couple weeks, and I’m hoping to put in a few more colorful flowers in the pots I have at the entry to the gazebo where she’ll be officially tying the knot.” It’s almost true. “My groundskeeper and I began fixing up the planter beds as soon as spring arrived. For the most part, it looks like a floral wonderland, but I still think it needs a little extra oomph. Something elegant, maybe?”
“Oh, I have just the thing.” She sinks a kiss to both Snuggles’ and Bingo’s furry foreheads. “And lucky for these two, and the furry little friend left in your pouch, I’ve got a flat of catnip right next to where I’m about to take you.”
Fish purrs like a jet engine. I can’t believe you haven’t brought us this way before, Bizzy. I feel abused.
I frown down at my sweet cat for a moment for even suggesting it.
“I don’t have the greenest thumb,” I warn Kadence as I follow along.
She turns back and laughs. “Don’t worry. As long as you keep the soil moist, these should do well right into fall. What are her colors for the wedding?”
“Anything pastel. She’s not too choosy.” About anything apparently.
“Well, she’s a unicorn then. We get brides coming in all the time, and if they’re anything, they’re choosy.”
We make a left and are met with giant potted hydrangeas with poms of flowers the size of my hand, or in some cases wider, in pastel shades of pink, peach, lavender, and baby blue.
“These are beautiful!” I tuck my nose close to a pink bushel and Fish jumps right out of my pouch.
Kadence laughs. “They don’t really have a fragrance, but they can turn a men’s locker room into an elegant venue. And look what’s right behind us.” She spins around as Snuggles and Bingo leap from her arms and join Fish as they leapfrog through a pallet laden with fresh organic catnip, which looks like grass.
The three of those furry felines yowl and howl to their heart’s content, as the blades of slender grass bewitch them.
A laugh rolls through me. “You’d think they just won the lottery.”
“They did.” Kadence gives an aggressive nod. “Catnip targets their feel-good receptors and sends them instantly into a euphoric mood. But I think once they start chewing on it, they actually mellow out. And like I said, it’s all organic so you don’t have to worry about them getting exposed to any toxins. Growing up, we had cats. My mother was a pet lover just like Aunt Bea. I had a husky, too. She passed young in my opinion, around seven, but I loved her more than I could have loved anyone. She was such a sweet girl. She taught me that we have to hug those we care about while we’ve got them. I guess I wasn’t exactly heeding my own advice with Aunt Bea.” She takes a deep breath. “She could be a prickly pear. Although, she did seem to like strangers more than her own family. So you probably weren’t exposed to the prickly side of her.”
“She was sweet to me, but it was hard to miss her ornery side.” I give a weak laugh. “And if it makes you feel better, most people treat their family members with less aplomb than they would an outsider simply because they feel as if they can be the harshest version of themselves.”
“Lord knows that’s the truth.” She glances to the sky. “My sister is a prime example. Once my mother passed, Aunt Bea was coming around the house more often to check on my sister and me.” She glances past me a moment. “I’m not proud to say this, but we had a little falling-out.”
“What happened?”
“At the time, all of my parents’ assets were in probate, so I
took a second job just to float the unexpected expenses and there were plenty of those. Anyway, I slept in one morning, and when I went into the kitchen, Aunt Bea was there. She pointed out the sink full of dirty dishes, the overall slovenly look of the place, and called me a lazy brat. Mags was in the room, too, but I took it personally. I went off on my poor aunt. I used a few too many salty words, and I’m ashamed to say I told her that nobody liked her. I told her that my sister and I couldn’t stand her and that Ryan felt the same. It was my lowest moment. All of the hurt and heartache of my parents’ passing, coupled with my aunt’s less than kind decorum, had hit a pinnacle. I was exhausted from pulling long hours, not enough food or sleep, and all the worry that was going through my mind. It was too much for me. I was about to blow. And well, when I decided to erupt, Aunt Bea was at ground zero.”
“It sounds as if you were due to let out a little steam. I’m sure she understood.”
“She didn’t. Despite the fact I apologized, I don’t think she ever forgave me.” Her gaze gets lost in that sea of hydrangeas. And that’s why she turned me down when I asked her for a loan. She said I was still the selfish little runt I’d always been and she didn’t see why she owed me anything. She was a battle-axe right to the bitter end.
A loan? I wonder what she needed a loan for?
“But you’re financially stable now, right?” I lean my ear her way in the event she feels the need to fill me in on the details I’m looking for.
“Oh, I am.” She sighs. “I mean, I’m not wealthy by any means, but I have more than enough to make ends meet.” Her eyes close a moment. “She could be a hard woman, my Aunt Bea. I’m not entirely surprised that she met such a horrible end.” She shivers as she says it.
“But who do you think would do something like that to her? And at her own birthday party?”
Her lips twitch a moment. “I don’t know. It must have been someone she knew from the shop. An irate customer, maybe? She mentioned once or twice that she had customers who came in demanding their things back. People were forever dropping off their discards at her back door, and she sold that merchandise and watched it walk right through the front door. It’s a brilliant business model when you think about it. One hundred percent profit.”
Raining Cats and Killers: Cozy Mystery (Country Cottage Mysteries Book 17) Page 5