A Sweet Death, page 2
part #3 of Stoneybrook Series
Kelsey.
She looked up and sniffled as Hadley approached.
“Oh, hi. Sorry, Had. You can sit wherever. I’m just getting some of my side work done.” Kelsey glanced back down as if trying to hide her puffy, red eyes.
“How about this seat? Is it taken?” Hadley asked, scooting into the booth next to her.
Kelsey watched Hadley as she moved to make room.
“I wanted to check and see how you’re doing,” Hadley said tentatively, holding the girl’s gaze with her own, eschewing normal pretenses and assuming Kelsey had already heard about Miranda.
Kelsey nodded, but her face crumpled around a sob. Hadley put her arm around her like she used to do a decade ago as her babysitter.
“I’m so worried about her.” The high schooler gulped in air between words as if she were drowning in her tears. “And mostly I’m just furious because I’m too scared to be mad at her, like I have every right to be.”
Hadley swallowed, patting Kelsey’s shoulder as she took it all in. She tried to follow the myriad of emotions and marveled at how anyone ever made it through their teenage years in one piece.
“I’m so sorry. I didn't know you two had a falling out,” she said.
This made Kelsey break into a new fit of sobs. “It’s been just about a month now. Ever since she started dating Jaxon.”
“Jaxon?” Hadley wrinkled her nose. She didn’t know of any young men by that name in Stoneybrook.
“Jaxon Bayne. He’s from Cascade Ridge. Cassie set them up.” Kelsey rolled her eyes.
“How long have Miranda and Cassie been hanging out?”
“Since the beginning of summer.” Kelsey used a spare napkin from the stack next to her to wipe her running nose. “Miranda knew I didn’t like Cassie, but Jaxon’s the reason we stopped talking.”
Intrigued, Hadley leaned in. “Why’s that?”
“He’s awful. Sure, he’s hot and has loads of money, even more than Cassie’s family, but the guy is bad news, Hadley. If Miranda’s missing, he’s got to be the reason.”
Hadley chipped at the clear polish on her thumbnail. She’d painted them clear because the half-gone polish was becoming a sort of tell to the people around her when she was overthinking or stressing about something. And they were right. Whenever she thought hard, the action was like second nature.
This was no exception.
Her mind reeled at the information. She’d never been wild as a teenager, but the practice of lying to parents about staying with a friend while sneaking off with the boyfriend was just about the oldest tale in the book of teenage hijinks.
Heartbeat rising, Hadley asked, “He’s bad news how?”
Kelsey’s face tightened, going pale. Even though it had been close to ten years since her babysitting days, Hadley recognized the signs as clearly as she used to when the little girl had done something she didn’t want Hadley to know about.
“You promise not to tell?” Kelsey asked.
Hadley shook her head. “I can’t promise that, Kels. I don’t want to scare you, but Miranda could be in danger, and if she is, secrets will not help her. You don’t have to tell me, but you need to let someone know: the police, her mom, your parents. Someone.”
Nodding as she seemed to think it over, Kelsey sighed. “He was into drugs. Tried giving some to Miranda, and when I gave her a hard time about it, she told me I was being a baby.”
A picture of what could’ve happened began to form in Hadley’s mind as she took in the information.
“Thanks for telling me.” Hadley patted the girl’s shoulder before pulling away. “Paul’s working on the case, and he’s going to do his best to find her. I promise.” She turned to face Kelsey.
Tears streamed down the teen’s face again, but this time they were silent. “Thanks. Please, tell him to get her back, so I can tell her what a jerk I think she is for getting involved with any of them.” Kelsey’s mouth quirked up into a small smile, but her watery eyes negated any hint of amusement.
“I will.” Hadley grabbed Kelsey’s hand and gave it a squeeze before standing to leave.
This time, as the fall air wound around her, Hadley appreciated its cool crispness. As she’d listened to Kelsey and seen her tears, it had gotten to her. She needed a dose of cold air to rein in her own tears. Hadley usually found it almost impossible to keep herself from crying when watching someone else break down.
She walked back into town, blinking away the remnants of excess moisture while sending a thank you up to the heavens she was no longer a teenager. While she felt for Kelsey and knew it must be so terrible to be so worried about her best friend, the amount of drama surrounding the whole frenemies situation sounded exhausting.
She definitely hadn’t escaped the petty fights based on rumors and misunderstandings of teenage years either. Heck, up until this year, she had still been harboring ill feelings toward Luke Fenton for things he’d said about her during high school. But, now at thirty—thirty-one next week—she found it silly to dwell on trivial things like that. Plus, she and Luke were figuring out how to move forward and had even started a friendship—of sorts—again.
As much as she liked to think of high school as not being too far in her past, Hadley had to admit she had outgrown that hotheaded, emotional time in her life. And after listening to Kelsey, she was glad she had. She had a lovely home, two adorable cats, the greatest family, and a super-supportive best friend.
Speaking of …
Hadley spotted Suzanne in the window of Cascade River Coffee as she walked past. She detoured inside, reveling in the buttery, roasted aroma of the beans as the scent overwhelmed her in the most delicious way. Waving to Suze, Hadley noticed her friend wasn’t alone. The local distillery owner, Christine, sat across from her.
“Hey!” Hadley greeted, plopping down next to Suze, whose face was frozen into a smile.
“Hadley, hey. What are you doing here?” Suze shifted to get a better look at her friend.
“Passing by.” She shrugged. Her attention moved to Christine.
The woman cleared her throat as an awkward smile stretched across her face.
Hadley tried to fill the silence. “Did you guys hear—”
“Actually, Had. I was just leaving.” Christine stood, glancing at Suzanne.
Christine’s coffee mug was almost full. She must’ve noticed the same, because she grabbed it and downed the rest in a few gulps, coughing a little as if she’d just taken a shot of her famous local gin.
Discomfort crawled up Hadley’s neck. It was obvious she had interrupted something … something secret. Heat settled in her cheeks, and she put out a hand to stop Christine.
“Don’t leave on my account. I can’t stay; I was just going to order something to go.” Hadley shoved out the lie and—before Christine or Suze could reply—turned on her heel to head toward the front counter.
Wendy, the owner of the café, beamed as Hadley approached. “You wanna pick up your birthday drink a bit early this year?”
It was a tradition Hadley loved about her small town. Almost every business offered some kind of special treat for locals on their birthdays. Whether it was a free coffee, a special cupcake, or a mini jar of clover honey, the people in Stoneybrook had a way of making the day exceptional.
The reminder of her birthday served to perk up her spirits and she nodded. “Why not.” The wind would surely be biting cold on her bike ride home, and a hot drink sounded like just what she needed before embarking.
After ordering, Hadley turned around and saw Christine was gone. Suze sat alone at the table, her brow furrowed as she gazed into her mug. The awkwardness in the air, and the look on Suze’s face made a tightness return to Hadley’s shoulders, reminding her their friendship may not be so perfect after all.
Best friends didn’t keep huge secrets from each other, after all. At least, Suze and Hadley hadn’t ever before.
And yet, that summer Hadley had discovered her best friend and her twin brother were seeing each other, behind her back. Well, maybe behind her back wasn’t the right way to put it. That phrase made it sound like the relationship needed to be a secret, as if Hadley would’ve disapproved. In fact, the only thing she was upset with was that they felt they couldn’t tell her. She’d been rooting for them to get together forever.
As if she felt Hadley’s gaze, Suze looked up. Her face morphed into a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Hadley contemplated walking over, hating how she even had to think about it. Normally, she wouldn’t even consider not plopping down across from her friend and dishing about her day. But something had been off about her meeting with Christine, and Hadley was already tired of being lied to by the people who were supposed to be closest to her.
“Here’s that latte, Had,” Wendy said, interrupting Hadley’s internal debate.
She turned to find Wendy holding out a to-go cup. Taking it, she clutched the warm sides gratefully. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Happy early birthday.” A group of new customers captured Wendy’s attention, so she waved goodbye.
Coffee in hand, Hadley walked over to Suze’s table, but she didn’t sit.
“You hear about Miranda?” Suze asked, concern covering the pensive expression she’d been sporting before.
“Yes, it's awful. I was just talking with Kelsey actually. She thinks she might’ve gotten caught up with the wrong crowd. She’s really worried.”
“I bet.” Suze exhaled. “They’re so close.”
“Were,” Hadley corrected. “Apparently they’ve been fighting lately.”
A silence that settled over the two friends, expanded between them.
It made Hadley want to scream.
Instead, she said, “Well, I’d better go. Still gotta pick up Paul’s present.” She’d been so caught up in the news about Miranda earlier, she’d completely forgotten about getting his gift.
Suze smiled. “Right. Sweets year. You getting him chocolate caramels from Dennis?”
“None other than,” Hadley answered sweetly. But her thoughts were dissecting Suze’s question.
Did I mention that to her or did Paul? Hadley wondered. It wasn’t odd for Suze to know everything about Hadley and Paul; they’d all been thick as thieves since they were little. It was probably for that reason Hadley hadn’t noticed some of the signs of their relationship right away.
Feeling the silence expand all over again, Hadley waved and said her goodbyes. She exited the building and crossed the street to the candy shop, happy to be free of their awkward conversation.
I guess I was wrong when I thought I was past any best-friend drama. She shook her head as she entered the sweet shop for the second time in as many hours.
3
Dennis stood behind the register, and the man actually didn’t look his normal brand of miserable. Which was odd considering the person on the other side of the counter from him.
Brenda Walters, Miranda’s mother, stood with her back to Hadley, who stepped quietly inside, wondering if she should come back at another time.
Dennis’s face was wrinkled into a sympathetic frown; he was alert, focused in a way Hadley had never experienced in the last couple decades.
“Miranda is the best employee I’ve ever had,” Dennis was telling Brenda. He shook his head. “I’ll do anything to cooperate with the police, but I assure you I know nothing about what could’ve happened to her. She doesn’t exactly talk to me about her friends.”
A wry laugh shot out of Brenda. “Yeah, apparently she doesn’t tell me much either. I didn’t even know about this boy she was supposedly dating.”
Dennis’s hand settled over the woman’s. “I’m so sorry, Brenda. They’ll find her. I’m sure they will.” His gaze lifted as he caught sight of Hadley.
Sniffling Brenda turned around to see who Dennis had seen.
“Oh, Hadley. Hello.” Brenda’s eyes filled with moisture and she blinked rapidly.
“Hi, Brenda. I’m so sorry to hear. It’s just awful.” Hadley took a step forward.
Brenda swallowed, obviously too choked up to speak.
“I know my brother is doing everything in his power to find her,” Hadley added, seeing the woman needed a little more time.
“Thank you, dear.” Brenda nodded, swiping at her misty eyes.
“I thought you might be back for these,” Dennis said, holding out two boxes tied with blue metallic ribbon.
“Thanks.” Hadley walked forward, pulling out her wallet. “I completely spaced earlier.”
Dennis raised a hand and waved it back and forth. “Don’t you worry about paying me. You let your brother know if he brings Miranda back, these boxes are just the beginning of free candies for the rest of his life.”
Mouth open, Hadley looked to Brenda for confirmation as to whether or not this was real.
Brenda ran a hand over the back of her neck. “I’d better get home in case Miranda tries calling our landline or comes home.” The woman’s voice quavered as she spoke her hopes out loud.
Waving goodbye, Hadley turned back to the candy shop owner. “Dennis, you know I can’t acce—”
He pushed the boxes toward her. “You can and you will.” He leaned closer. “I’ve heard about you helping Paul on some of his cases. I know you two will bring Miranda home, so it’s really just a premature thank you.”
His mouth pulled into a smile. It looked so foreign—so abnormal on his face—Hadley just stood there, stunned and clinging on to the boxes of chocolates.
“Well … thanks?” She smiled in return, or maybe it was more of a grimace.
Little did Dennis know Paul seemed to be less and less inclined to accept her help, especially since the crimes had become seriously dangerous over the past year. And while she knew she would do anything she could to help find the missing young woman, she dreaded asking Paul for permission to do so.
After another round of thank yous, Hadley left the shop and walked down the street to her own piece of the downtown business puzzle. The lavender-and-white awning sat atop her Pretty Jam Good Canning Headquarters sign. She knew if she went inside, she would only get sucked into checking her online orders or rearranging one of her many ingredient racks—she tended to try new organizational schemes when she had a lot on her mind—so she bypassed the kitchen, ducking into the side alleyway between her shop and the building next door.
Finding her bike leaning where she’d left it that morning, Hadley placed the chocolate boxes into the basket. She plopped her helmet on her head, then expertly swung her leg over at the same time as kicking off.
With a quick check of her watch, Hadley realized her talk with Kelsey and detour to the coffee shop had eaten up more of her time than she’d thought. Instead of turning left onto Barberry Road like she normally would’ve when going home, she stayed on Main Street, heading for her parents’ house.
She’d been right about the chilly air. It bit right through her sweater, reminding her it was past time to fish out her winter coats from her moving boxes. To keep her mind off how cold she was, Hadley focused on the lovely feeling of riding through her childhood neighborhood. Sure, neighborhood was a stretch since there was only one house every acre or so, but the large oaks bending over her and the evergreens standing tall in the distance brought her a small bit of peace, and her shoulders relaxed. Seeing the big rock the locals had painted up to look like a mama bear protecting a smaller baby bear rock, Hadley took a left toward the river.
And while she’d spent the majority of the last three days there, it still felt odd driving the same roads after staying away for the better part of the year. Being decidedly not rich, her parents had put their house up for a month-by-month lease while they were away. The renters had left last week and Hadley wanted to make sure the place was perfect for them when they came back.
Even though the tenants had kept the place clean and seemed extremely considerate, she and Paul had still steamed all of the rugs, washed all of the linens, and set up the guest bedroom for their grandma.
But Hadley was surprised to find Paul’s truck in their parents’ driveway when she pulled up, her bike tires crunching to a stop in front of the little green house. Hope swelled in her chest. Had they found Miranda? Was he off for the night, ready to celebrate their family coming back together? She hurriedly leaned her bike against the porch and covered the chocolates with a scarf so Paul wouldn’t catch a glimpse. After setting her helmet on the railing, she headed inside.
“Moooo,” she called, cupping her hands around her mouth as she entered.
Unsure when it had started, her family’s tradition of lowing like a cow to alert others to their presence had been a great help during particularly difficult games of hide-and-seek—or a method of taunting those who would never find you, if you were Cousin Marty. It was like the James family’s own wacky version of Marco Polo.
A dejected “mooooo” drifted in from the kitchen, so she followed the sound.
Paul sat at the table in the breakfast nook, scribbling furiously on a yellow notepad, a scowl contorting his face. Her hopes they’d found Miranda dissolved.
“Whatcha doin’ here?” she asked tentatively.
Paul glanced up. “Just finished questioning Cassie. Figured I’d drop by to greet Mom, Dad, and Gran before I go back to the station.”
Hadley grimaced as she took in his tense mood. “Questioning Cassie went that poorly?”
At first, he only grunted in response, but after a second, he sighed. “She confirmed Miranda was supposed to stay over, but said the boyfriend came and got her and claimed not to know anything beyond that.”
Sitting down across from him, Hadley chewed on her lip. “Kelsey mentioned the boyfriend too. His name is Jaxon Bayne and he’s from Cascade Ridge. According to Kels, he’s some teenage drug dealer—bad news.”
Paul raised an eyebrow and scribbled a note down on the pad. “A bad-news boyfriend is always a good suspect.”
