Death by Tea, page 13
Vicki was already there when I arrived. Steaming cookies sat in the display case and the smell of percolating coffee filled my nose as I stepped through the door. I drifted over, drool already trailing down my chin, as I poured myself a cup.
“How are you doing?” Vicki asked, joining me at the counter.
I shrugged and slurred something inarticulate. Boy, how I managed to get this far into the day without my jolt, I’ll never know. I felt half dead.
“Did your night in jail go okay?”
I glanced at her grin. “It went awesome.”
“I can tell. You look like something out of a zombie movie.”
I mimed coming at her, arms outstretched and with a not entirely fake moan, before slouching back against the counter. “It was awful.”
“I can only imagine.” Trouble came down the stairs to rub up against her leg, and she picked him up. “Why would they keep you overnight like that? Couldn’t Officer Stud convince them to let you go?”
“He never even came to see me!”
“What a jerk!”
I sighed. “Maybe he was too busy.”
“A real gentleman would never leave his damsel in distress.”
“Maybe he wasn’t allowed,” I said. “There could be some sort of rule against talking to the accused.”
Vicki gave me a flat look. “It wasn’t like you killed anyone.”
I winced, eyes flickering toward where David had indeed been murdered. “I don’t know,” I said with another sigh, this one heavier than the last. “I felt abandoned.”
“You’ll be okay,” she said, a concerned look on her face. It cleared and she grinned at me. “Maybe your new guy will end up making it all better.”
I blushed. “He’s not my new guy. We haven’t even talked outside the bowling alley yet.”
“Uh-huh.” Her grin only widened as she shoved Trouble into my arms. “Customers,” she said. “Can’t leave them waiting.” She hurried to the door to open.
I carried the black-and-white cat at arm’s length, up into the bookstore. He was related to Misfit, so I knew what he could do to me if I wasn’t mindful of his claws. Maybe, despite how I thought of myself, I wasn’t really a cat person. I liked them most of the time, but they sure didn’t seem to like me.
As I went back downstairs, I passed Vicki. She was grinning her head off and winked at me as she went by. I didn’t understand her reaction until I reached the counter and looked at the man standing there for the first time.
“Will!” I said, just about shouting his name. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
He smiled. “You told me to come see you at work, and here I am.” He was wearing a nice button-up shirt and a pair of black slacks that fit him perfectly. It was all I could do not to stare.
“Oh, yeah, I did say that.” I felt my face flame and cleared my throat. “I’m glad you came.”
His smile widened. “I just wish I could stay longer.” He glanced at his watch and then tapped it. “Got to get to work.” His eyes strayed to the menu above my head. “How about a hazelnut coffee?”
“Sure thing!” I turned and scurried to get his drink, thinking I might die of embarrassment. Clearly, Will had an important job. His watch wasn’t a cheapo, and his clothes were just as nice. I should have told him to meet me somewhere else, somewhere where he wouldn’t see me at work with my apron on and messy hair.
I carried the coffee back to him and plastered on a smile. “This one is on me. Consider it early payment for anything you can teach me.”
His eyebrows rose and one corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Now I’m going to have to come up with something interesting,” he said, taking his coffee. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” It came out as a squeak.
Will looked like he wanted to stay, but a line was starting to form behind him. “I’ll talk to you again soon,” he said.
“I hope so.” I mentally smacked myself upside the head. God, I’d sounded desperate.
He only chuckled and sipped his coffee as he headed for the door.
I spent the next hour and a half serving coffee and cookies to a steady stream of customers, mind completely elsewhere. I was shocked Will had actually come to see me, and he hadn’t even looked bothered by my job, or how I looked. Could he truly be interested? I just about giggled every time I thought about it.
Time passed, and Vicki helped out whenever she could. The bookstore was just as busy as I was, meaning we were both run just about ragged. My entire body ached as I got coffee after coffee. By the time Lena came in for her shift, skateboard tucked under her freshly scraped arm, I was pooped. I handed serving duties over to her and went about cleaning tables.
Throughout the morning, I hoped Will would return, knowing it was unlikely, but couldn’t stop my heart from racing every time the door opened. What I needed was a distraction, something to take my mind off the one good thing that seemed to be happening to me, lest I forget that a man was murdered. A part of me hoped the Cherry Valley group would come in so I could talk to them, or at least one of the Pine Hills book club members. At one point, I thought Rita had come in with some juicy bit of gossip, but the screeching sound I’d heard was only a chair scraping over the floor.
An hour later, things were finally under control and I took a quick break. I was sweating horribly and my feet felt like they were three sizes too big for my shoes. I wanted to rub them in the worst way, but I settled on putting them up onto a chair in the office instead. I just started relaxing when there was a knock at the door.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Vicki asked, almost shyly. I don’t know why, but my heart leapt into my throat at her tone.
I put my feet back on the floor to brace myself. “Sure.”
She closed the door quietly behind her and sat down in the chair my feet had so recently occupied. “Lena is covering for us for a minute. This won’t take long.”
I nodded, worried. Was she going to tell me she has given up on me and was going to move elsewhere, away from my bad influence? Or could she be firing me from my own business? I mean, all I ever really did these days was come in late and cause trouble. Lena and Mike could do my job, and were probably a lot better at it than I was, especially since I couldn’t seem to focus on what I was doing.
I knew my fears were an overreaction, but with how things were going, I couldn’t help but worry. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she would have told me that the coffee I’d drank was laced with poison and I only had a few minutes to live.
“Do you think you could close for me tonight?” she asked. “I know you just spent a horrible night locked up and are scheduled to work only until three, but the auditions for that play I was telling you about are tonight. I really want to go, but if you don’t feel up to it, I can skip it.”
“No,” I said. “You should go. I can handle this.”
“Are you sure?” She gave me a sympathetic look. “I tried to call Mike in, but he already has plans. And you know how I like having one of us here at close. . . .”
“It’s okay.” I gave her a genuine smile. I was glad Vicki was finding her footing here in Pine Hills and was getting involved in something that didn’t involve dead people. I could learn a lot from her. “I’ll be fine.”
She stood and gave me a quick hug. “Thank you. Lena will be here, and she does a great job closing up. You won’t have to do much if you don’t want to.” She started for the door.
“Hey, wait,” I said, standing. “I have a question for you.”
Vicki turned and gave me a curious look. “Hmm?”
“Well . . .” I felt stupid for what I was about to ask, but I really needed to know. “So, you and Mason?”
Vicki beamed. “I know! Isn’t it amazing? He’s such a great person, and we have so much more in common than I thought we ever would.” Her hand absently rose to smooth down her hair, as if she thought he might walk through the door at any moment and wanted to look her best.
“But he’s Brendon’s brother.” And Brendon had been a no-good cheat who was murdered because of it.
Vicki cocked an eyebrow at me. “So?”
“So, do you think it’s safe?” I regretted the words the moment they were out of my mouth.
Vicki stared at me a moment, her always pleasant demeanor slipping just a little. “He’s not his brother.”
“I know, but . . .”
“No,” she said. “There are no buts here, unless you count you, you butthead.” She gave me a faint smile, as if telling me the last was a joke. Something in her eyes said that my doubts had actually hurt her, so maybe it wasn’t so far from the truth. “I like him and he likes me. That’s all that matters.”
And really, wasn’t it? As long as he treated her better than his brother treated women, what was wrong with Vicki finding happiness? With all the craziness lately, we all deserved some of that.
I knew I was projecting my own frustrations. Between Paul’s seeming indifference and my fear of saying or doing the wrong thing around Will, who was I to judge someone else’s love life?
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just worried about you.”
This time her smile was genuine. “There is absolutely no reason to be.” She opened the office door. “We best get back to work.”
I followed her out, feeling oddly lighter. Maybe it was knowing that at least someone I knew was having a good day that did it. Maybe it was Vicki’s bubbly personality. Whatever it was, I felt just about as good as I could get considering the circumstances.
Lena was busy cleaning the tables, so I went about brewing some fresh coffee. Things weren’t as bad as they seemed. I had a job, a business even. I had friends here, and maybe, if I could figure out what was going on with both Paul and Will, a possible boyfriend.
And tonight, when the book clubs arrived for their meeting, I would have someone to talk to. I might not have a hot date, but my life wasn’t completely empty. I could talk to them, learn more about David and his murder.
And if I came up with some new clue, well then, maybe, despite how it started, it wouldn’t be such a bad day after all.
15
The Pine Hills book club was the first to arrive. Rita came through the doors of Death by Coffee like a queen returning to her palace. Her chin was held high, even as she nearly tripped over her own two feet stepping over the threshold. The other members of the group came in behind her, as if they were her court.
I was standing by the table near the door, rag in my hand, when they came in. Rita’s eyes fell on me immediately, and I had just enough time to think, “Oh crap,” before she was hurrying over to where I stood.
“I’ll be right up,” she called over her shoulder as she took me by the arm and led me to the back of the store where no one was currently sitting. “Oh, my Lordy!” she said a little louder than necessary. “I’ve heard a rumor that you were arrested! How can that be?”
Apparently, Rita had gotten over my stealing Cardboard Dad, because she was looking at me in a way that said she couldn’t believe anyone would dare arrest the daughter of her beloved favorite author. I was simply an extension of my dad, and if anyone laid a hand on me, it was a crime committed against him.
“It was nothing,” I said. “I got angry. Officer Buchannan didn’t like it.” I shrugged helplessly. “I got arrested.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened into an “O” that would have been comical if it hadn’t been expected. “Did he hurt you? If so, you could get him on police brutality. I know of a lawyer who would take your case like that.” She snapped her fingers before leaning in closer. “I hear John Buchannan likes to drink down at Beers and Rears when he’s off duty.”
I stared at her blankly before managing a weak, “Beers and Rears?”
“Oh yes.” She waved a hand in my face. “It’s one of those bars where the girls wiggle their booties in front of men’s faces while they get drunk. The men get drunk, not the women.” She chuckled.
I couldn’t imagine a town like Pine Hills having something like that. This wasn’t a big city. It wasn’t even a medium city, to be honest. Back home in California, there were more than enough nudie bars or strip clubs to satisfy all the men in the world, but here? I could hardly imagine it.
Then again, with how most of the men were treating me lately, I had no problem thinking of them all as pigs. Maybe it wasn’t so far-fetched after all.
“I see,” I said, already plotting how I might use this information against Buchannan the next time he accused me of something. He wasn’t the saint he pretended to be; not by a long shot.
“He’s been known to take his wife, too,” Rita added, hand placed beside her mouth as if sharing a deep, dark secret. “I don’t think she enjoys the shows themselves, but she likes what it earns her afterward, if you know what I mean.”
I took a step back and shook my head, trying to dislodge the thought. I didn’t even want to think about Buchannan with a woman, his wife or otherwise. Ever. Never, ever.
“But it’s just a rumor,” Rita said with a flippant wave of her hand. She just about clipped me on the nose. “It’s probably why he has such a thing for you, really.”
“Wait? What? What thing?”
“You are the closest thing we have to a celebrity here. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Like most men, he undresses you with those eyes of his.”
I’d seen Buchannan looking at me before, and he sure wasn’t undressing me with his eyes; not unless he was replacing what I was wearing with an orange jumpsuit. But he had gone through my underwear drawer when the object of his search was right there.
“It’s all blown out of proportion,” I said. “And I’m sorry about taking the cardboard cutout.” I hoped bringing up Cardboard Dad might deflect the subject away from Buchannan and anyone else I’d rather not see losing their clothes.
“That’s old news,” Rita said. “I just hope I get him back soon.” She heaved a sigh of longing. “I never should have loaned him to you in the first place. The bedroom does get lonely at night without him.”
I was so done with this conversation. “I best get back to work.” I quickly extracted myself before she could reply.
Rita didn’t seem to mind. She patted me on the arm as I walked past before she headed up the stairs to where the rest of the group waited. I joined Lena at the counter and watched them, both of us with frowns on our faces.
“Crazy, isn’t it?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Death by Coffee had died down to just a trickle of customers here and there, meaning there would be a lot of standing around and waiting until close, which was only an hour away. The book club would stay an hour after that, meaning I’d be forced to hover until they finally left and I could lock up.
“Having the meetings still.” Lena shook her head. She ran her hand through her purple hair, pushing it back from her face. “A guy died. I just can’t imagine going on like nothing happened the way they are. It’s almost obscene.”
I watched as Rita giggled at something Cindy said. Andi, as was her custom, gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as if shocked by whatever she’d heard.
“They don’t seem too upset by it, do they?”
“Neither do they.”
I followed Lena’s nod toward the door, where the Cherry Valley book club was coming through. Albert paid me only a cursory glance before heading for the stairs with Vivian, Orville, and Sara close behind. The door started to swing closed but was caught at the last minute by a man I didn’t know. He was about five seven, one hundred sixty pounds or so, and his hair was combed to the side. It seemed to bounce as he walked, like it was fused together. I couldn’t tell if it was real or glued on.
I was prepared for him to come over and place an order, but instead he followed the group up the stairs to where Rita and the others waited.
“Huh,” I said, watching him. He seemed at ease with the others. He put a hand on Sara’s back as he talked to the group, gently rubbing in comfort, before they all took a seat.
Dan perhaps? It was the only thing that made sense. If they were indeed going to go through with the book club competition, then it seemed reasonable that they’d call in someone who knew the rules to fill in the empty spot.
I immediately became suspicious. The man I believed to be Dan was smiling and talking with the others as if nothing had happened. I noted him glance toward where the police tape still hung, but outside a slight tightening of his smile, he didn’t seem fazed by it.
Maybe because he’s the reason it’s there.
If this man was who I thought he was, I really needed to get him alone to talk to him.
A couple of customers came in over the next hour. Lena and I served them, though I did so distractedly. I kept finding my gaze traveling to the meeting. Each group remained separate, despite how close they were sitting, talking amongst themselves. Many had my dad’s book in hand, though I didn’t see anyone open their copy. Eyes darted suspiciously around, as if each member was afraid someone from the other group would overhear what they were saying and use it against them somehow.
I couldn’t understand why they didn’t have separate meetings in different places. Why sit so close together if you’re only going to whisper to your own group?
Then again, why did Rita and her crew do anything? I was quickly learning not to question her motives too much, lest I drive myself bonkers trying to make sense of them.
I really wanted to go up and eavesdrop on the conversations, but I held off until the last customer walked out the door. I cleaned off all the tables as Lena switched the sign on the door over to CLOSED.
“I’m going to see how everyone is doing,” I told her. “Go ahead and clean up the kitchen. You can leave after that. I’ll finish up with the tables and deal with the money later.”
“Got ya,” Lena said with a wink. She knew what I was doing, always seemed to. She was perceptive like that, something I hoped to take advantage of someday.
