Murder by Nature (Organic Tropical Mystery Series)

by Lynn Ambers

  “I don’t know how to use those computer things,” she interrupted.

  “What about your cellphone, Mrs. Dalefort? I said, “You can order right from your cellphone. I know I have seen you on your cellphone. I can show you while I am waiting.”

  “Oh no, I have no patience for such things. I do not use that internet stuff thing or whatever it is. I just use my phone to talk to people like the good old days. Bob has a computer. Can’t I just tell you what I need. Is it okay if we just keep this between us, I can’t let Mr. Dalefort know I am not buying from the grocery store and supporting the farmers that buy our pesticides?”

  “Right, well I can have Sophie give you a call this afternoon and read off what we have. You can tell her, and she will put it into the computer.”

  “Oh yes, That’s great. Can it be a cash transaction, you know, no trace?”

  “Yes, Sophia will give you the total and please just give an the cash when they drop the food off. I’ll just give you an old school receipt with no name on it”

  “Yes, of course. Now do not forget. I know how you farm people get sometime working such long hours in the sun.” I looked at her with one eye squinted and wondered how people still existed with such ancient way of thinking.

  “Ta ta, you never saw me remember,” she said then she motioned to a girl who just a walked out of the bakery with four pink bakery boxes in her hands. I had never seen the girl before. She must have been new. Mrs. Dalefort had trouble keeping assistants as she was known to be rather difficult.

  “Bye Mrs. Dalefort,” I said then covered my mouth forgetting she wanted to be anonymous now. I just smiled as she waddled off, the girl in toe. I guess even though Valerie may be sleeping with her husband it won’t keep her away from sweets.

  I walked into Angela’s gift shop to find her to go to lunch.

  “Okay, I am ready,” Angela said. She walked from the back shelves toward me waving to Hannah, her employee. Angela’s curly brown hair looked beautiful pulled back in one of her handmaid clips with silk sewn tropical flowers on it. We hugged and then exited the gift shop.

  “Where do you want to go for lunch? “

  “How about Rays?” Angela said.

  “Yeah, that sounds great. I could go for their shrimp salad on fresh toasted sourdough bread.” I said.

  “Yum, that sounds good.”

  “I’m parked right here.”

  “Okay great. Where do you have to be this afternoon Ms. Busy Bee?” she said.

  “I have to be back at the farm at 3:00 to pick up the slack. David has to put a part in the refrigerated truck.” I said.

  We got into my car. Rays is one of the five delicious restaurants we have on the water besides the two hotel restaurants.

  We drove down main street to get to the end of the key. We parked in the parking lot that was not too full since it was only 11:30. We walked to Rays.

  We sat down at a table overlooking the water. It was nice to see the sailboats and motorboats floating by with just waiting to get the open waters.

  “So how are you and Mathew lately?” Angela said.

  “Ha ha, we are going to go out on the boat this Sunday, since I had to cancel yesterday,” I said.

  “When are you two going to officially become an item?”

  “Oh, please Angela. You know the story.”

  “Yeah, it is just that a story. If I had a good-looking strong man like that with a good job. I would start showing signs of affection. You know you are not getting any younger.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I said.

  “Just think a husband and kids would be great to help you with the farm,” she said.

  “I don’t know he was bruised that I chose Mathew over him. It is like he never forgave me. I am not ready either. Plus, he had the bad break-up with Rosemary. We just want to feel peaceful.”

  “I think if you initiated the physical, he might give into it,” she said.

  “You know what, how about your love life?” I said.

  “What love life? I get up at 3:00 am in the morning. My life is my gift shop. I love my elegant gifts and they love me. I also have Ernie and Plato. Two cats and beautiful things what else does a woman need?

  “Maybe wine?” I said. We both laughed.

  “Yeah one glass would not hurt,” she said. Angela gestures to our waiter and lifts a wine glass on the and makes the two sign with her fingers. The waiter knows to bring us pinot grigio. We have been having lunches here for a while now.

  “Ah well one little glass won’t hurt just for today.” I said.

  “But we could start looking around for a boyfriend for you. Isn’t Aiden single?” I said.

  “Aiden Walsh?” she said.

  “Yeah, he owns the boat storage place at the beginning of the key or maybe Tom Hayden?”

  “Tom, no he has all that facial hair?”

  “Yeah so, he is good-looking. You two would make good looking babies.”

  “Oh, now you have me making babies do ya?”

  “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

  “No, I am fine on my own. Are we gonna do yoga next week? I want to see what next drama unfolds.”

  “Yes, yoga next week. I’ll have all the major things caught up on the farm.” Just then I got a text telling me the part came in for the truck. David texted he was working on getting the part in and the truck working. I was relieved. I could sit back and enjoy my glass of wine.

  Chapter Twelve

  It’s Saturday and the second market day of the season. The streets were bustling with shoppers. I walked around the front of the booth and made sure all the signs were correct. I got a phone call that day.

  “Not again,” I said as I noticed the caller ID. It was Valerie from the bakery.

  “Is there any way you can send someone with about five passion fruits. I have already run out of the ones you delivered,” she said. “Valerie, I am really busy today.”

  “Please, I need your help. We are so busy. I promise, I will order more next week and enough. These tourists are just eating up my passion fruit tarts. I have just enough for the morning, but I must make another batch for the afternoon. I want to keep everybody happy.”

  I closed my eyes for a second thinking about all that must be done. I sighed. “Okay, it may take about an hour for me to get there.”

  “Oh Bonita, thank you so much, thank you, thank you that’s good. I’ll get everything else prepared. See you as soon as you can,” she said. I hung up and shook my head. I surveyed the booth. Everyone was busy with customers or replenishing. I looked around for David but did not see him.

  “Where is David?” I said.

  “He went to walk a plant to a young thing’s car about twenty-minutes ago. He has been gone a long time,” Mitch said.

  “Really.” I said rubbing my forehead. He is not supposed to do that. I wondered what has gotten into that guy lately. The customer was supposed to come to the loading area.

  I look at Sophie. She did not seem to be incredibly happy. What was David thinking? I guessed I’d deliver the fruit to Valerie myself. I took a bag and filled it with the passion fruits.

  “I see David coming back,” Mitch said.

  “David, you know you are not supposed to do that,” I said.

  “I know boss, as soon as the words left my mouth, I just forgot,” he said.

  “Okay well just don’t let it happen again. I need you to do something. Can you run these passion fruits to Valerie?” He looked at me, he was scared.

  “I’d do anything for you, boss, but I would rather not,” he said. I looked at him strange.

  “Why?” I said. He looked at Sophie.

  “I think I am already in trouble with Sophie,” he said. I realized this and backed down.

  “Okay, I will do it, just keep everything running smoothly. I will be right back,” I said.

  “I owe you one boss, thanks,” he said.

  “Yes, you do,” I said. I gave him a smile. I r
an the weight for the passion fruit. Got a receipt and headed in the direction of Valerie’s bakery.

  The bakery was the last area of main street where you could see the water. Our booth was close to the water, so her bakery was a bit of a walk. There were people everywhere enjoying the day. The vendors were pitching their items. People were walking with smoothies or coffee.

  I made my way up main street walking mostly on the corner of the sidewalk. It was easiest to move faster that way. There were so many tourists enjoying their day.

  The town was hopping. I walked past the brewery which was full of people. The little shops were full as well. People buying keychains and postcards with Marina Key on them. The wine bar didn’t open until noon, but the employees were getting ready inside.

  I could see Shawn the owner and his wife, Trish making sure every little detail was taken care of. Angela and I loved to go the wine bar. They had a great little garden area in the back with flowers and grapevines. They were going for a Napa Valley feel to help us get away from 360 degrees of tropical for a moment or two.

  I saw the sign of Valerie’s bakery in site. Marina Bakery was written in script on the sign with little flowers painted. There were people standing in a line outside.

  I excused myself through the line and walked into the bakery. There were people chattering and it was very crowded. People were seeming a bit impatient. I looked but Valerie’s assistants were not behind the counters. I was confused. In fact, no one was behind the counter either.

  “Has anyone helped any of you?” I said.

  I got a big collective “No.” from the crowd. And someone said. “Nobody has been out here. We just started calling out, but no one is answering. We were about to help ourselves.” A small laugh came from the crowd.

  “Valerie,” I called out. “Hello, Valerie.” I could not remember the names of the girls that worked for her. Valerie seemed to rotate her help a lot.

  “Valerie,” I said one last time. No answer. I then stepped behind the counter and walked through the swinging doors to the back. There was no one in the back. I got this eerie feeling. I walked around the giant stainless-steel table in the middle.

  I saw a pair of high heels on the ground at the far end. This cannot be good. I walked to the end of the table and looked away. I looked back and saw Valerie motionless spread out on the ground. Her face was lifeless.

  I had to walk closer to see if she had a pulse. It felt awfully hard to breathe. I inched closer to her.

  “Valerie,” I said weakly hoping she might respond. I crouched down to take her pulse. I lifted her arm and saw a needle stuck in her vein.

  “What,” I said out loud. I checked for a pulse. Sadly, there was none. I saw a clean piece of paper lying on the floor next to the leg of the table. I got up and looked around for a cloth. I knew from television not to mess with a crime scene.

  “Hello, can someone help us out here.” I heard someone yell from the other room.

  “Oh fudge,” I said. I got up and breathed in for a second. I must do something about the people in the store. I walked out front. I looked at everyone.

  “Folks, I sincerely apologize, but I am going to have to ask you to leave,” I said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “What?” Some people were saying. I heard the front door of the bakery open and close as some people filed out mumbling along the way. There were of course others who would not accept this.

  “Why?” someone said.

  “I apologize there is an emergency in the back and there is no one who can serve you,” I said trying to think of a solution. “You can enjoy any of the other café’s in town. They serve breakfast and sweets. All our places here are great. Here please take one pastry for your trouble.”

  I took out two trays of cookies and pastries and put them on the counter for people to enjoy. “Again, I apologize.” Everybody rushed to the trays. The trays were clear in a flash.

  I collected myself for a few moments. I thought o myself how strange it was that Valerie was a drug user. I never saw a sign of it.

  I knew she worked hard. I figured the pressure could have gotten to her and she took drugs to keep up. This was two people I knew who succumbed to the evils of drugs.

  I walked back to the back and looked around. I felt very confused. I thought of Mathew and knew that the police were the next step.

  I got my phone out so I could call 911 while following the small crowd filing out the door. I was not about to share my gruesome find with the tourist. They were here to enjoy themselves. I also feared for the reputation of the town.

  I locked the door behind the last person to leave. I walked back to the baking room to finish the phone call. I grabbed a rag from the counter and walked towards the body. I avoided looking at Valerie and dipped down to pick-up the sheet of paper near her head. I opened it and read the contents.

  “To those I loved, you know who you are. I am so sorry. I could not bear the pain any longer,” the note read. I flipped the paper around. There was no signature anywhere on the paper. My eyebrows pushed together as the note seemed strange.

  The note did not seem like something Valerie would write. The handwriting was rushed and messy. Valerie hand wrote all the cards for her baked goods. Her handwriting was beautiful. The handwriting on the note was far from beautiful.

  I looked around and saw flour all over the floor. There were swishes and swirls, no footprints. Some of the swishes were on the floor in the back and some all the way on the other side of the room. It looked like someone swished away footprints. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang. The police had arrived.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I ran to the front and saw Mathew in the window. I could see three officers behind him. I could see the blue and white flashing lights on the cop cars in the street. Panic set in. I opened the door, Mathew and I just looked at each other. I led Mathew and his crew to the back. I moved to a corner of the room and pointed so they could see for themselves what had happened. The EMT were right behind them.

  “What are you doing here, Felicity?” Mathew said. I shrugged.

  “I came to drop off a delivery for Valerie. She ordered from me about an hour ago. I walked in the front door. The front was full of hungry customers and no one to help them. I walked back here and found her like this.”

  “Sam, can you tape off the exterior as a crime scene.” Mathew said to one of the deputies.

  “Sure boss.” Sam walked out.

  “Where are the other people who work here?” Mathew said.

  “No one was here.” I get a ring from David. I looked at Mathew to see if it is okay to answer. He nods.

  “Hi Felicity, I have Valerie’s employees here saying they are supposed to pick-up two large boxes of passion fruit and lemons.

  “What?” I said. “No, she told me to bring her passion fruit order to her, “I said. “Tell them that I delivered them to her, but tell them there has been an emergency, and that they should just go home for the day. The bakery is closed.”

  “What, what do you mean?” he said.

  “I will explain later, I am sorry I have to go.” I hung up the phone. I look at Mathew.

  “That is weird. That explains where the workers are, I said. “That was David, he said that Valerie’s employees were sent to pick up the order that she begged me to come to deliver.”

  “I will need to talk to those employees,” Mathew said.

  “Yes, of course. I will let them know,” I said.

  I see a pink cosmetic bag on the ground and felt sad. I did not really know Valerie, but the thought of her killing herself or worse there being a murder in this town made me shudder.

  “Boss,” a deputy said. Mathew looked at him. He is holding up a note. I freeze.

  “Suicide note,” Randy, one of the detectives said.

  “Great, my job just got a whole lot easier,” Mathew said “Finish taking pictures and picking up the evidence. Let us clean this up and wrap it up. It is a suici
de as far as we are concerned. We will wait for the coroner’s report to make everything final.”

  “Wait a second, I said, “I never knew Valerie to be a drug user. Anyone could have written that note. Don’t you think you should do a little more digging? I mean we could have a murderer running around our town.”

  “Look Felicity, we will do our job to make sure the town is safe. You never really know people. Valerie obviously did drugs and had some sort of demons. Who knows, but as far as we are concerned. This is a suicide.”

  I shook my head in disagreement, but it was not my call. I was determined to do a little investigating. Something strange was going on. I remember Blake Dalefort grabbing Valerie’s arm. I wondered if Blake knows anything about this.

  “I forgot to ask you something a little while back, I said to Mathew. “I had seen Valerie and Blake arguing in the parking lot. I didn’t know that they knew each other that well?”

  “Okay, what does that have to do with this?” he said.

  “Wonder if this has something to do with this situation,” I said.

  “I will have a talk with Dalefort and see what he says. With a suicide note though, this is pretty much an open and shut case,” Mathew said, “If this were a murder, you would potentially be the prime suspect.”

  “Me, what, I walked in the front door when about several other people were in the front of the store. Anyone could have planted that note and stuck a needle in her arm with a lethal amount of drugs”

  “And where are the people now?” Mathew said.

  “I sent them out, a murder had just occurred.”

  “Hmm, I see,” he said.

  “What, they were hungry wanting baked goods and no one was here to serve them. I told them to go to the other café’s in town. They were getting restless.”

  “Hmm, I know Angela was never fond of Valerie. How do I know you did not kill Valerie for your best friend? he said.