Tea Cups and Carnage (9 page)

She’d kill me for sure.

Walking through town first thing in the morning was the best part of my day. The street sweepers had already removed the dirt and trash from the day before. The city greenhouse guys were walking through town, watering the flowers. Besides them and the birds chirping in the trees, the town was an empty slate. Anything could happen today. Anyone could walk into town. I’d had my share of celebrity sightings. But mostly, I liked the days when normal people came in and surprised me with their unique lives.

I saw Greg sitting at the iron table in front of my shop as I crossed the street. I planted a quick kiss on him as I pulled out my store keys. “What’s the occasion?”

He pulled me down on his lap and kissed me more thoroughly this time. When he was finished, he ran his thumb across my lips. “Can’t a guy miss his girl?”

Smiling, I leaned my head into his chest. “I missed you last night too.” I’d gotten used to spending our evenings together so when he was on a case or out of town, I felt his absence. I rested there for a second, listening to his heartbeat. “Darla came by yesterday to pump me for information about the dead guy at the motel.”

“Information you didn’t have, right?’ He chuckled. “I have to give her credit, even with a full house at the winery this week, she’s keeping on the story like white on rice.”

“She said that the guy had been staying at the hotel for a while. Do you have an identity yet?” I didn’t want to raise my head but I knew I’d start having customers arrive soon and the commuters would want their coffee.

“I have to say I’ve been proud of you staying out of the investigation.” He nuzzled the top of my head with his lips. “Darryl Corbin.”

This time my head did raise and I stared into his face. “You’re kidding. Any relation to Kathi and Ivy?”

“That’s the interesting part. Apparently he’s from the same small little town outside San Antonio where Kathi and Ivy lived. I’m assuming some kind of relationship. I’m actually waiting for our new shop owner to arrive across the street so I can ask her a few informal questions.” He nodded to the building still only partially renovated for Tea Hee.

“So this
wasn’t
just an ‘I miss Jill’ trip.” I stood and unlocked the door. “I’m disappointed, mister.”

He came up behind me and nuzzled my neck as I put my keys back in the tote bag. Chills ran down my body and a smile curved my lips. I met his gaze in the reflection of the window. Heat seared through me as I saw the desire in his eyes.

“Wrong place, wrong time.” I pulled open the door and flipped on the lights. Crossing over to the coffee bar, I turned on the machines and after throwing my tote into the back, washed my hands. “You want something?”

“Yes.”

I shook my head and laughed. “Let me rephrase that. Do you want some coffee?”

We locked gazes for a second, then he laughed as well and sat on a stool at the bar. “Please.”

I started the two main coffeepots and then a smaller one for my few decaf drinkers. I pulled out a slice of Sadie’s Apple Caramel cheesecake and sat it and a fork in front of him. “Here.”

He took a bite, then groaned. “Just when I think her creations can’t get any better, she out does herself. Seriously, if we weren’t dating, I’d marry Sadie just for her food alone. I can’t believe she’s still single.”

Of course, we both knew that Sadie had been dating recently but when Austin broke it off to return to his wife, my friend’s heart had been broken. She’d forgiven him, but she wasn’t ready to jump into the dating pool again. “I think she and Pastor Bill have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

Greg nodded. “I could see that. Bill’s a good guy. He was on my basketball team last year at the gym. Pretty good defender with a nice three-point shot.”

“You judge a guy based on his sports ability?” The coffee had finished brewing so I poured us each a large cup using the wide-mouth porcelain cups we’d brought in last month. Drinking out of them made me want to slip down onto the couch and read while I enjoyed my coffee. I hoped my customers would succumb to the same inclination. But right now, I just wanted some time with my guy.

“Not just that, but if a guy is a good team member, you can trust him on and off the court.” He shrugged. “It’s just been my experience. Take it for what it’s worth.”

I thought about the guys Greg played sports with. I’d assumed he pulled the same set of players for his team each time because they were friends, but maybe there was more to it. I’d always been a sit and chat kind of friend. Well, except for with Amy. Now we were taking an exercise class together which gave me something to complain about during our talks. Of course, Amy liked to discuss the actual class.

I wanted to ask him more questions, but then he turned around and stood. “Got to go. Your new neighbor just arrived.” He kissed me and headed out the door. I hadn’t realized he’d been watching the street using the large mirror over the coffee bar while we talked.

“See you later,” I called as he strolled to the doorway.

Greg paused and smiled at me. “I’ll stop by the food truck about noon on Sunday and we’ll go get lunch at that new Cajun place in Bakerstown. Will you be off by then?”

“I’m working the morning shift, then coming back to close up either Sunday night or Monday morning. You can drive the food truck back to its normal parking spot behind the shop if we do it Sunday.” I put on my hopeful face.

Greg laughed. “If that’s how you want to spend No-Guilt-Sunday, I’ll do it. But I’d rather sit on the deck and drink a few beers with you.”

I shrugged. “Then I’ll close up the food truck on Monday morning. Emma is missing her guy.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He put up a hand waving goodbye and walked out of the shop. I saw him jog across the road and as he left, Ivy Corbin entered the shop door.

She smiled at me as she walked over to the counter. “You do grow men fine out here.”

“I think so.” I took Greg’s cup and empty plate off the counter and sat them in the sink. “What can I get you?”

“Large coffee. I’m heading down the street to talk to every business owner in town. Who knew finding a job would be this difficult? I put in an application at the winery and the diner, but so far, nothing.” She pulled out her wallet and handed me a credit card. “And a girl’s gotta eat.”

I poured the coffee and sealed a lid on top. Handing her the cup, I picked up the credit card to run the charge. “So where are you staying?” I knew Kathi was still at Bill and Mary’s bed and breakfast, but she had money.

“I’m at a place down the road, but I need to find someplace cheaper before I run out of credit cards.” She signed for the coffee and stuck it back in her purse. “Do you know anything about the Coastal Inn? It looks cheap.”

“It is inexpensive, but there’s a family-owned motel just a few miles down the road. It’s not as fancy as the bed and breakfast, but it’s clean.” I wanted to add safer to the descriptor, but felt like maybe that was implied. Even without the crime scene tape, the Coastal Inn gave off an air of danger and malevolence every time I drove by the place. I handed her a South Cove map and circled the Ocean Motor Court. “It’s just past the Inn on Highway One.”

The maps had been Mary’s brainchild and I loved them. As part of their chamber of commerce dues, each business got a spot on the map and several, like mine, had paid for advertising slots on the back. I used them to direct tourists to other businesses, and I’d seen many people using them to plan their walking tour of the town.

A rumble came from the outside, and we both turned toward the noise. As the sound grew, the large motorcycle I’d been seeing around town sped past, the guy still wearing the pig on his back. My eyes widened and my arm went up in a fist pump. This guy was huge—and alive. Which was more than I could say for Darryl Corbin. When he’d passed by, I shook my head.

“Seriously, they need to catch that guy. He’s been a menace to anyone walking across the street for a week. I’ll be glad when his vacation ends and he goes back to wherever he’s from.” I paused, then looked at Ivy. The girl had paled under her sun-kissed cheeks. “Hey, are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Ivy turned back toward me, her eyes wide. “Maybe I have.” She held up the map. “Thanks for this.”

I watched her as she disappeared out the front. I glanced at the clock. The shop hadn’t been open for a full hour yet. Ivy was from the same town as the dead guy. Maybe she knew him. Kathi had been busy running through the pageant circuit, but according to her sister, Ivy had been taking care of her father. Greg was interviewing the wrong sister.

I thought about Ivy’s reaction to the biker. She’d been jumpy, but had there been something more?

I decided she was one person I needed to get to know better. If I’d been Greg, I would have asked her to sub in on my sports team. I needed to find a way to get her off her game and talking.

It was time to invite Ivy to lunch—except I didn’t have a phone number to reach her. Nor did I know exactly where she was staying, except it was down the road.

I got busy with my morning commuters and forgot about Ivy. Everyone who stopped by the shop wanted to talk about the crime scene tape they’d seen on their way in. Did I know about the murder? Who on earth could or would do such a thing? Did I think that the murder would hurt the Summer Festival attendance?

The last question concerned me, and I didn’t have a good answer. Now, more than any day, I wished I had Mary to ask. She knew all about ways to minimize conflict or bad publicity. But she was busy being a new grandmother. I powered through the questions and tried to put a positive spin on the investigation.

Or at least as positive as a murder could get.

The bell rang over the door and Josh Thomas lumbered in wearing his typical black suit with a white dress shirt and black tie. When he and Jackie had been dating, she got him to purchase new shirts so at least the one he wore wasn’t threadbare. When he first opened his shop in South Cove, I thought he took his antique persona too literally. His clothes mirrored his love of the old and still useful.

“Hey Josh, what can I get for you?” I put on my sales smile, even though I knew he was probably here with his weekly list for the monthly Business-to-Business meeting. Somehow, he thought if he promoted his ideas on a regular basis, I wouldn’t file his lists in the round filing cabinet.

He was wrong.

He glanced around the room and the empty shop seemed to encourage and deflate him at the same time. He stood at the counter and looked up at my menu like he’d never seen it before. “I guess I’ll have a large coffee, no cream or sugar.”

Surprised, I almost asked if the coffeemaker in the shop was broken. But a sale was a sale. “Sure, can I get you something to eat with that?” I went to pour his coffee knowing he’d turn down any treat. The only time he ate cheesecake was when we gave it away during the monthly meetings. The guy could squeeze a dime pretty tightly.

“I’ll have one of those apple things we had a few days ago.” He cleared his throat, then added, “It was really good. Sadie’s a great baker.”

I about dropped the filled paper cup. Grabbing a sleeve for the to-go cup, I sat it on the counter. “Sure. You want that to go, right?”

He took out his wallet and pulled out a twenty. “No, I’ll eat here.”

I glanced around the empty shop as I ducked to grab the cheesecake. This wasn’t good. Josh hadn’t been around the store lately, not since Aunt Jackie and Harrold had started dating. Maybe he was finally breaking out of his shell, or more likely, he had council business to discuss with me.

I put the filled plate on the counter and rang up his order. “Seven dollars even.” I nodded to the twenty. “You want me to take it out of that?”

“Please.” Now he just seemed amused at my unease.

I counted back his change and he took his time returning the bills to his wallet, making sure they were all facing the same way before closing the black leather.

He looked around the room again. “Why don’t you pour yourself a coffee and come join me. I’ve got something I’d like to ask you.”

Great, here it comes.
The thought almost spilled out of my mouth, but I clenched my teeth together. “Sure.” I grabbed my still-full coffee cup and followed him to a table. The wheeze in his breathing sounded more pronounced since I’d last seen him.

He settled into a chair and took a sip of his coffee. “This is really good. Did you know I bought some of your beans before, when . . .” He paused and I knew he was thinking about the past. He used a hand to brush the thought away. “Never mind, that business isn’t what I came to talk to you about.”

“Council business? All you really need to do is send me an email the week before the meeting and I’ll add it to our list. I can’t always guarantee that the agenda item will be added.” Then I threw Bill Sullivan under the bus. “You probably know that Bill has veto rights on the topics discussed. It’s part of the agreement with the city.”

He nodded, looking thoughtful. “That’s understandable.”

I was floored. Who was this guy and what had the alien pod monster done with Josh? I just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

“Sorry, I’m getting off track. What I wanted to ask you is if you could see your way to watch my shop for a few weeks. Kyle will work the business, but he’s still young and needs to have someone to check in with him. I’d also like you to make any bank deposits while I’m gone.” He pushed a piece of paper toward me.

I studied the list, stunned at the request. I didn’t think Josh liked me enough to even say hello as we passed on the street. Now he wanted me to help run his business? I pushed the paper aside. “What’s going on?”

“I told you, I need you to help me out for a week or two. I’ll try to be available by phone the second week, but I can’t promise anything the first week.” He took his own copy of the list out of his pocket and smoothed the creases. “Now is there anything on this that you’d like me to go over? The bank manager has already been alerted to your limited access to the accounts. If you need additional funds made available because Kyle finds a piece to purchase, you have the authority.”