by Rose Pressey
“Cookie was terribly wrong on that one,” Minnie said.
“You thought that was a good idea?” Dylan’s brow furrowed.
“At the time it seemed like it.” I was ready for Dylan to yell at me.
Instead he gave me a disappointed look, which was much worse than being yelled at. I’d rather have him yelling at me.
“You’ve really done it this time, Cookie,” Charlotte said, shaking her head.
Dylan stepped to the front of the car. “Did an animal run out in front of the car? Is that why you swerved?” He grimaced as he inspected the damage.
Charlotte scoffed. “I wish that was all that had happened. You have to tell him how it happened now. Tell him everything, Cookie.”
“Don’t leave out a single detail,” Minnie said.
The cats meowed in agreement.
When I didn’t answer right away, Dylan turned to me. “What happened, Cookie?”
“Cookie, you have to tell him everything. Right now,” Charlotte demanded.
“Yes, you simply must,” Minnie said.
After another few seconds, I said, “Someone hit my car and made me run off into the ditch.”
Just speaking the words made me shiver with fear all over again. Saying it out loud made it all the more real that someone had done this on purpose.
Dylan ran his hand through his hair. “Oh, Cookie, I was worried something like this would happen. That killer is still on the loose and obviously becoming more unhinged by the day.”
“That’s why I’m trying to find out who did this,” I said. “I managed to get the last part of the license plate on the car.”
“Telling the police not to follow you isn’t the way to find out who did this,” Dylan said.
“It’s a way to get yourself killed,” Charlotte said.
I glared at her.
“I just didn’t want to be a pain. Plus, I don’t like having a babysitter.”
“You didn’t want anyone to tell me what you were doing,” Dylan said.
“That too,” I said.
Dylan stared at me. “You got the license plate number?”
“Only the last part,” I said.
“That’s a start. I’ll call to have the car towed.” Dylan pulled out his phone.
“Cookie, you have to listen to what Dylan says,” Charlotte said.
Minnie nodded. “Yes, you really should.”
I narrowed my eyes. “This was your idea, Charlotte. And you encouraged it, Minnie.”
She looked down at her cream-colored shoes but didn’t answer.
Dylan ended the call. “It’s taken care of.”
“Thank you, Dylan. I really appreciate everything you do for me.”
He hugged me. “Just don’t worry me, okay?”
“Can I get a ride to work?” I asked with a smile.
Dylan took me by the hand. “You scared me. I raced here so fast I’m surprised I didn’t get a speeding ticket.”
“It’s a good thing he had those lights and siren,” Charlotte said.
After saying good-bye to the Buick as the wrecker towed it to the local repair shop, I was grateful I had Dylan to drive me to work.
“I don’t like being in the backseat of a police car,” Charlotte said through the partition.
“Now I remember,” Minnie yelled.
I jumped at her loud statement.
“For heaven’s sake, you scared the bejesus out of me.” Charlotte stared at Minnie.
“Now I remember . . . I wasn’t murdered. It was an accident. I drove right off the road during a rainstorm.”
“That’s awful, Minnie,” I said.
“At least I know I wasn’t murdered,” she said.
“And I thought we had so much in common,” Charlotte said.
“I remember I was driving to work at Adler’s Department Store . . . cars were still a relatively new thing.”
“A working girl . . . okay, so we have that in common. Just like Cookie too.” Charlotte winked.
“I was single too,” Minnie said.
“Cookie won’t be that way for long.” Charlotte wiggled her eyebrows.
During the rest of the drive I explained to Dylan what Minnie had said about her accident. I suppose what had happened to me had sparked her memory.
Dylan walked me to the door. “How about lunch today?”
“Sounds great. Call me when you’re ready. Thank you again for everything.”
Dylan leaned down and kissed me. “I love you, Cookie Chanel.”
My body tingled and the smile on my face was instant. “I love you too, Dylan Valentine.”
He walked backward a few steps and watched me.
“He’s going to run into a lamppost,” Minnie said.
“He has that goofy lovestruck look on his face,” Charlotte said.
Dylan turned around and headed toward his car. I watched him for a few more seconds until I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. Heather was standing at the front door of her shop. She smiled and waved.
As Dylan drove away she walked over. “You two lovebirds look happy today.”
“After what happened you wouldn’t think I’d be so happy, right?” I watched Dylan pull away from the curb.
She frowned. “What happened?”
“Oh yeah, I haven’t told you yet. I wrecked my car,” I said nonchalantly.
“What?” Heather’s voice went up an octave.
Charlotte plugged her ears with her index fingers. “Why are you so loud?”
Heather waved off Charlotte’s comment. “Tell me what happened. Were you injured?”
Heather touched my arms and head, looking for blood.
“No injuries. A car bumped me and ran me off the road,” I said with a wave of my hand.
Heather’s eyes widened. “Cookie, this is scary. You’re sure you weren’t hurt?”
“I wasn’t hurt, but I can’t say the same for the car,” I said around a sigh.
“The car can be fixed. If you’re hurt you might not be able to be fixed.”
“That’s exactly what I told her,” Charlotte said.
“Do you know who it was?” Heather asked.
“I have no idea, but Dylan is on the lookout.” I shoved the key into the front door lock. “I managed to get the last numbers on the license plate as the car drove by.”
“I hope they catch the person soon,” Heather said.
“Me too,” I said.
Movement caught my attention. Across the street two women stood facing each other talking. Normally this wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary. This time though I was more than a little intrigued. One of the women was Shanna. I didn’t recognize who she was speaking with.
Charlotte noticed her at the same time. “That’s Shanna. The woman who Tyler had a date with when he was murdered.”
Heather nodded. “I remember.”
“What is she doing?” Minnie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
We stood in silence, watching the women talk. After a few more seconds they stopped talking, and the unknown woman crossed the street. She was headed this way. Shanna walked in the opposite direction. I had to know what they’d been talking about. Though I suppose they were just friends and this was a friendly conversation. They’d probably spotted each other on the sidewalk and stopped to say hello. Nevertheless, as the woman walked down the sidewalk toward us, I decided to stop her.
“She’s headed this way. I’m going to ask her,” I said.
Another woman was walking down the street toward us. “Here comes my appointment. You’ll let me know what happens?” Heather asked.
“As soon as I find out,” I said.
Heather hurried toward her shop.
When the woman who’d been talking with Shanna drew near, I said, “Excuse me. I hate to bother you, but that woman you were speaking with. Her name is Shanna, right?”
I smiled, hoping she would realize I wasn’t crazy. The dark-haired woman peered over her shoulde
r as if she was searching for Shanna.
When she turned to me again she frowned. “Shanna? No, her name is Tina Fairchild.”
I wouldn’t have been more shocked if this woman had punched me in the stomach. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of me. Charlotte and Minnie gasped. I recognized the name Tina Fairchild and so did they. Tina had been the woman I’d been looking for. She was Tyler’s ex-girlfriend.
“Her name isn’t Shanna?” I asked.
The woman shook her head. “No, is everything okay?”
I chuckled. “I guess she looks like Shanna.”
“Way to play it off, Cookie,” Charlotte said.
The woman smiled. “It’s easy to mistake people sometimes.”
“This is a big mistake,” Charlotte said. “Only I have a feeling it wasn’t a mistake on Shanna’s part. Or whatever her name is.”
“I agree,” Minnie said.
That made three of us.
“Are you friends with Tina?” I asked.
Now the woman really would think I was strange for asking. Nevertheless, I needed all the information I could get.
“We know each other from college. I was shocked to see her in Sugar Creek,” the woman said.
“Shocked to see her?” Charlotte said. “With Tyler here I think we know why Tina was in Sugar Creek.”
“Did she say why she was here?” I asked.
“Just that she was visiting a friend. She didn’t say who the friend was.”
“Oh, we know who that friend was,” Charlotte said.
“Actually, Tina seemed vague about it. Is Tina in some kind of trouble?” the woman asked with a frown.
“She must know your boyfriend is a detective,” Charlotte said.
“I think she knows someone I know,” I said.
“Shanna?” the woman asked.
Charlotte laughed.
“Yes, Shanna,” I said.
“Well, Tina said she was going into that shop on the corner. Maybe you can catch her.” The woman pointed.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Best of luck,” the woman said as she turned and walked away.
“Well, what are you waiting for? You’d better get over there and ask Tina what this is all about,” Charlotte said.
“Sorry, Grandma Pearl and Tyler, you’ll have to stay at the shop while I check this out. Other stores probably won’t allow you in.” I opened my shop door and the cats paused. “I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
Thank goodness they decided against being stubborn and walked inside. I shut and locked the door behind them.
“Okay, let’s go.” I motioned for the ghosts to follow me.
Sometimes I forget the ghosts were around. I’d grown so used to speaking with Charlotte that it was like having a living person with me. Luckily, I didn’t notice anyone watching me this time, but I’d have to be more careful. The ghosts followed me as I rushed across the street. My pace was brisk as I hurried toward the shop on the corner. However, before I reached the door, I spotted Tina walking out.
“There she is,” Charlotte said with excitement.
“I want to get her attention, but I don’t know what to call her,” I said. “I’m guessing hey you won’t work.”
“Call her by her real name, Tina. You need to let her know that you know the truth,” Charlotte said.
“That could be dangerous. What if she’s the killer?” I asked.
“Please be careful, Cookie, and don’t get hurt, because I don’t know what I’m doing,” Minnie said in a shaky voice.
“There you go again, Minnie, talking weird. This is about Cookie right now.” Charlotte waved her hand.
“It’s just that I’m supposed to . . .” Minnie’s words were cut off when Charlotte held up her hand.
“This is about Cookie. Anyway, Tina can’t do anything to you right here on the street . . . can she?” Charlotte asked.
“Anything is possible,” I said.
“Okay, use Shanna,” Charlotte said. “For heaven’s sake, use a name. ‘Hey you’ will work at this point. Don’t let her get away.”
“Shanna,” I called out.
Tina didn’t turn around.
“I guess she forgot she was using that name,” Charlotte said. “She’s getting into that car. You’ll never catch her now.”
“Maybe she is ignoring Cookie,” Minnie said.
“She’s getting away and I don’t have a car,” I said in a panic. “Wait. I can borrow Heather’s car.”
“I don’t think you have time for that,” Charlotte said.
“I have to give it a shot,” I said, running across the street toward Heather’s shop.
After opening the door, I burst through. Heather was sitting at the table toward the back of the room with a client. They stopped the tarot card reading and stared at me. Heather’s client looked as if she was terrified. Like she thought I was there to rob the store.
“Sorry for interrupting,” I said, trying to catch my breath.
Heather knew that something was wrong. I’d never run into her shop like that.
“Is everything okay?” Heather asked.
The woman sitting across from Heather stared at me too.
“Can I borrow your car?” I asked.
“Of course.” Heather pushed to her feet. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
The woman gave a half-hearted smile. “Take your time.”
I rushed to the front of the store while Heather got her keys. I peered out the door window to see if Tina was still in sight. Of course she was gone by now. Would I really be able to catch up with her? Probably not.
When Heather handed the keys to me, I said, “No time to explain right now. I promise I won’t wreck your car.”
Heather called out as I dashed out the door. “Be careful.”
The odds of catching up to Tina now were slim, but I had to take the chance.
Chapter 23
Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Clothing Shopping
With so many great vintage dresses,
it would be a shame to overlook them
when shopping for party wear.
I jumped into Heather’s Prius. Compared to the size of my car this was like sitting in a toy car. The ghosts seemed so much closer to me now. I liked having the extra space that my car provided.
Charlotte shifted in the front seat, as if that would somehow magically make it bigger. “This car is just like your mother’s. Heather’s more like your mother than you.”
I buckled my seat belt and pushed the gas.
“Are you sure this thing works?” Charlotte asked with a frown.
“It just doesn’t have the get-up-and-go that my Buick has,” I said, looking at the speedometer.
“We would get there faster if you’d borrowed one of the lawn mowers from the Tractor Supply store,” Charlotte said.
Minnie laughed from the confined backseat as if that was one of the funniest things she’d ever heard. Charlotte and I glanced back at her. She was still laughing.
“What’s gotten into her?” Charlotte asked.
“I think the stress has caused her to crack,” I said as I headed down Main Street.
I hoped Tina hadn’t turned on a side street. That was a chance I’d have to take. There were a few cars up ahead, but I hadn’t spotted the Ford Focus that Tina was driving. My phone alerted me to a text message. I glanced down and saw that it was from Dylan.
Found the car that ran you off the road. It had been stolen from Hagerty’s Drugstore parking lot and abandoned on Route Four. I’m headed to your shop now.
There was no way I could answer him at the moment.
“Don’t get a speeding ticket,” Charlotte said.
Minnie laughed again. “You wouldn’t get one on the lawn mower.”
“Do you see her?” I asked.
“I’ve got my eye out,” Charlotte said.
“Me too,” Minnie said.
At least she’d stopped laughing.
Charlotte focused her attention on me again.
“What?” I asked as I clutched the steering wheel with both hands.
“You driving a Prius just seems wrong. I can’t see you in anything but your Buick,” Charlotte said.
“I can see her on the lawn mower.” Minnie howled with laughter again.
“Minnie, it wasn’t that funny. Knock it off,” Charlotte said.
Minnie stopped laughing and focused her attention on Charlotte.
“With any luck I’ll have my car back soon,” I said.
I’d reached the edge of downtown now. There was still no sign of Tina. My hope was fading fast. I was almost ready to give up on finding her when I spotted the car up ahead stopped at a red light.
“There she is,” I said excitedly.
“Good job, Cookie. Now get her.” Charlotte pointed.
The light turned green as I approached, and Tina made a left turn. I was a couple cars behind her, but I was able to keep up at a good distance so that she wouldn’t see me.
“Did you see the gas gauge?” Charlotte gestured.
“No, why?”
“You have a problem,” Charlotte said. “Does this thing have a battery?”
“Oh no,” Minnie said.
I looked at the gauge. It was almost at the empty level. Ugh. Heather was always forgetting to put gas in her car. I’d have to chance it though. There was no time to stop and fill up.
“I wonder where Tina’s going,” Charlotte said.
Wherever she was headed, it was away from town and getting less populated.
“There’s not much out this way,” I said. “Plus, the interstate is in the other direction.”
“The only thing this way is that nature preserve,” Charlotte said.
“Why would she go there?” I asked.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Charlotte sat up straight on the seat.
Another car turned off. Now there was only one car between Tina and me. I hoped that she didn’t notice the Prius following her. Though she would look for a Buick and not a Prius. The thought hit me. What if she knew my car was wrecked? Maybe she had been responsible for it. No, the car that ran me off the road was black. Dylan said the car had been stolen and then abandoned. Tina might have stolen that car just to use in an attempt to make me wreck.
As I drove along I thought about Tina using a fake name. This certainly explained why I’d never been able to speak with Tina, and why I’d gotten the strange vibe from Shanna. She’d fooled everyone.