“Sure. Right away.”

  She swiped the tears away and got into the driver’s seat.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Elle said, her tone dry and flat. “I can drive back to the tea shop. My car is right there.”

  Sadie started the car. “I think it’ll be safer this way,” she said, despite the ongoing spill of tears that blurred her vision. She swiped them away again and pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

  Fortunately, the drive to the tea shop was relatively short. As Sadie pulled into the parking lot, she was happy to see that Palmer had already arrived and was leaning on his car, waiting.

  Getting out of her car, Sadie rushed to him and buried her face in his chest as she allowed a long sad sob to escape.

  “You okay?” Palmer said, clearly concerned for her as he wrapped his arms protectively around her.

  She nodded into his chest and effectively wiped her nose on his shirt as the tears continued to fall.

  “Hi, Palmer,” Elle whispered as she came up to them.

  Sadie got herself together and pulled away from Palmer. As difficult as it was, she had to be strong for Elle. She also had to be strong as she embarked on the investigation of her friend’s death.

  “Let’s go inside,” Sadie managed to say.

  Palmer picked up his mobile lab and led the way. The little shop was empty. No patrons. No smell of hot tea. No ambiance music.

  Dead silence.

  Sadie’s things were all on the little table in the corner, just as she’d left them.

  “Okay,” Palmer said once they were inside. “Can one of you let me know what happened before I go nuts?”

  “Emma is dead,” Sadie said.

  Palmer took a startled step back and brought his hand over his heart. “What?”

  “I found her, hanging from a ceiling light in the kitchen.”

  Palmer frowned.

  “She also had a puncture wound in her belly,” Sadie added.

  “Okay,” Palmer said. He paced back and forth a few times as if to let the news sink in. “Okay,” he said again. “So, let’s start by taking a good look in the kitchen.”

  “Good,” Sadie said as she took a step toward the kitchen.

  “If it’s all the same to you,” Elle said, “I think I’ll just wait out here a bit. I don’t much feel like... well... you know.”

  “That’s fine,” Sadie said gently. “We’ll manage on our own.”

  “Do you think that I could have a cup of tea?” Elle said.

  A little surprised, Sadie hesitated.

  “There’s some tea in the refrigerator,” Elle went on. “Could you just heat a bit of that up for me? It was Emma’s favorite.”

  “Sure thing,” Sadie said, eager to do anything that could help Elle get through this difficult time.

  She followed Palmer into the kitchen and while he took a look around, Sadie poured some of the cold tea into a large mug and heated it up in the microwave oven.

  “Do you know if anyone else was in here with Emma?” Palmer said as he pulled out his equipment to dust for fingerprints.

  “I don’t think so.” Sadie pulled the mug of hot tea out of the microwave oven. “I’ll be right back.”

  She headed out to Elle who sat staring out the window.

  “Here you go,” Sadie said as she set the mug down on the table.

  “We built this place together, you know,” Elle said.

  “Yes,” Sadie said gently. “I know.”

  She waited a moment more and when Elle said nothing further, Sadie returned to the kitchen.

  “How’s she doing?” Palmer said.

  “In shock, I think.”

  “Understandable.”

  “I’ll say. Emma wasn’t my sister and I feel the shock of losing her. I was just talking to her.” Sadie shook her head. “I can’t begin to imagine how it is for Elle. Devastating. Absolutely devastating.”

  Sadie looked up at the ceiling light where she had found Emma. “Gosh,” she muttered. “I still can’t believe it.”

  “I found a few long strands of hair here,” Palmer said as he held up the tights that had been around Emma’s neck.

  “Red?”

  “I found two long red hairs, but one shorter dark hair.”

  “Bagged it?”

  “You know I did,” he said with a cocky grin.

  “Sorry,” Sadie said. “I don’t mean to second guess you. It’s just that...”

  “Don’t worry. I get it. You’re frazzled. Anyone would be in this situation. You were friends with Emma and this one hits really close to home. You don’t have to worry about offending me. I can take it.”

  Sadie smiled and nodded as she looked around the kitchen for more clues. “It all happened so fast. I mean, I was talking to Emma just... I don’t know.” She thought about the time lapse between when she’d spoken to Emma and when Lizzy had let out her horrified scream. She’d initially estimated it to be only ten to fifteen minutes, but she wondered if it hadn’t been a little longer. “I was so caught up in my work,” she said. “It just seems like I was talking to her one minute and finding her hanging up there the next.”

  Choking up as the vision of Emma hanging there came to mind, Sadie turned away.

  “I can take care of all this if you want,” Palmer said. “You don’t have to be here.”

  “I do,” Sadie said firmly. “I have to know what happened to her. I know it’s going to be hard, but I have to.”

  “Okay.”

  Palmer went on to dust a few more surfaces then turned to Sadie. “I think I’m done here. Is there anywhere else you want me to dust for prints?”

  “I don’t think so.” Sadie looked around. Somehow, she felt that she was overlooking something. There had to be more that she just wasn’t seeing.

  “Would you mind leaving me alone a moment, Palmer?” she said. “I just want to...” She pulled in a long deep breath. “I just need a moment.”

  “Sure thing,” Palmer said. “I was thinking of heading out to talk to Elle anyway.”

  “Good idea. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Palmer left and Sadie slowly walked around the small kitchen. Closing her eyes, she tried to bring herself back to that moment when she’d been working on her cookbook. Had she heard anything? Even a slight commotion? Something she hadn’t paid attention to in the moment?

  No. Nothing. Not a clang. Not a clatter. Not a ding.

  Nothing. Hmm. Almost too quiet?

  Light laughter brought her back to the present as she turned to the unexpected sound.

  Was that Elle? Laughing?

  It couldn’t be.

  Sadie emerged from the kitchen to see Palmer seated with Elle who was handing him a piece of her toffee candy. She was smiling at him, warm and pleasant, and not at all in keeping with someone in mourning.

  “I think I’m done here, Elle,” Sadie said as she came up to them. “Do you want me to drive you home?”

  Elle calmly took a sip of her tea then set the mug back on the table. “I wanted Palmer to try my new candy.” She looked pointedly at him. “So? What do you think?”

  He sucked on the candy he’d just popped into his mouth and nodded. “Great,” he said as he showed her a thumbs up.

  “It’s really time intensive,” Elle said. “And it’s really easy to screw up. I mean, I don’t know how many batches I made before I got it right. I know that I burned two batches, then I tried out a new ingredient for a different flavor and it just ruined it.”

  Sadie looked at Elle as she rambled on and on about her toffees. Was this just the shock talking?

  “I don’t mean to cut this short,” Sadie said as she walked to her table in the corner and gathered up her things. “But I really need to get home.”

  “Oh,” Elle said. “Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow, right? For the tasting?”

  “Uh? Oh. Yeah. Right. See you tomorrow.” Sadie hesitated, confused by the unexpected shift in mood. She returned to Elle’s table and looked at her. “Do you want a ride home?” she asked again.

  “No. I think I’ll hang around here a bit.”

  Sadie was struck by Elle’s unfortunate choice of words.

  “I really don’t think that you should be alone now, Elle.”

  “I’m fine,” Elle insisted. “I’ll hang here for a bit, then walk back to the hospital to get my car. It’s all good.”

  Palmer stood and looked quizzically at Elle then at Sadie who shrugged.

  “Call me if you need anything,” Sadie said as she laid a sympathetic hand on Elle’s shoulder.

  “Sure will.”

  Reluctant to leave Elle all by herself, Sadie slowly made her way to the door and after a last moment of hesitation walked out.

  “What do you think?” Palmer said as he joined her outside.

  “I think that we better solve this one fast.”

  “I’m on it.” He held up the bag of evidence that he’d picked up. “I’ll drop this off at home and meet you at your place.”

  “Good,” Sadie said softly. “I really don’t feel like being alone tonight.”

  “See you then.”

  Sadie got into her car and drove home. She felt slightly catatonic as she pulled into the drive, picked up her handbag and laptop, got out of her car and made her way to the door. It’d been a long and very strange day and she could feel the emotions bubbling up to the surface again.

  As she opened her door, she felt a fresh flood of tears threatened to fill her eyes, but the sight of Biscuit and Orchid sitting there waiting for her shifted her mood.

  “Oh, you guys,” she said as she let her handbag drop to the floor by the door, set the laptop on the console and went to them.

  Biscuit nuzzled into her as Sadie got down on her knees while Orchid repeatedly rubbed up against her, her long tail wrapping around Sadie’s arm every time.

  “Gee, am I glad I have you guys,” Sadie said, petting them both simultaneously. “Today’s been one heck of a day.”

  Biscuit looked up at her with that silly grin on his face. What can we do to cheer you up?

  “Not much, unfortunately,” Sadie said as she stood and looked down at her cherished pets.

  Well, then, is it too much to ask for dinner? Orchid jumped up onto the kitchen counter and looked pointedly at Sadie.

  “I guess I can manage that much,” Sadie said as she headed to the kitchen with Biscuit at her heels.

  She fed them both then simply stood watching them as she waited for Palmer to arrive. She had no desire to eat. Her stomach simply couldn’t handle food at that moment.

  There was a short, sharp tap at the door and then it opened.

  “Anybody home?” Palmer called out as he let himself in.

  “In the kitchen,” Sadie called back.

  He came into the kitchen with a large paper bag that he set down on the counter. “I figured you wouldn’t be in the mood to cook, so I picked up a few things at that fancy sandwich shop.”

  “Thanks,” Sadie said. “But, truth is, I don’t really feel like eating at all.”

  “Aw, come on,” Palmer said as he pulled out two sandwiches and three varieties of salad. “We have ham on rye, or chicken on whole wheat. And here, we have either macaroni, potato or chickpea salad.”

  “It all looks really good, Palmer, but...” She looked at everything that he’d brought.

  “Look. I’ll leave this all out, and when you get hungry...”

  “Thanks.”

  “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so shaken up.”

  Sadie shrugged as she reached out to unwrap the chicken sandwich. “I really liked Emma. I mean, we weren’t like super close and always together type of thing, but... we got along, and she was fun to talk to.”

  “Hmph,” Palmer let out.

  Sadie looked at him as she picked away at the sandwich. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s funny, but... you almost look more shaken up than Elle.”

  “Well, I think you’re wrong there,” Sadie said. “Elle was positively hysterical when she found out that Emma had died.”

  Palmer took a big bite of potato salad. “She seems to have gotten over it pretty quick.”

  Sadie picked up the ham sandwich and took a big bite.

  “Hey,” Palmer said. “You’ve been picking away at the chicken sandwich and now you’re taking the ham?”

  Sadie shrugged. “I just think that Elle is in shock. I really don’t think that we should have left her there alone.”

  “Don’t worry,” Palmer said, picking up the chicken sandwich. “She won’t be alone for long.”

  “How’s that?”

  “She has a date tonight.”

  Furrowing her brow, Sadie stared at him. “She has a what?”

  “A date. You know. Going out with a guy to dinner and a movie, or whatever.”

  “Palmer,” Sadie murmured softly. “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand her. Maybe she had a date and will have to cancel.”

  “Nope. She definitely said that she was going out... with a guy... on a date... tonight.”

  Dumbfounded, Sadie put her sandwich down.

  Chapter 4

  Apprehensive, Sadie slowly got ready for Elle’s toffee tasting evening at the tea shop. She was still shaken up by Emma’s death and her heart wasn’t really in the mood for a night out, but she hoped she’d discover something important about the events of the previous day.

  The very least that she could do was to try to find who had killed Emma. But as she went through her closet to try to find something appropriate to wear, the task grew more and more impossible.

  As tears filled her eyes, she headed back to her room and sat on the edge of her bed. The sound of Emma’s voice still echoed in her ear; her joy and enthusiasm about her new life with Adam, her pride in her success with the tea shop, and just her overall exuberance and joy of life.

  “Why?” Sadie muttered as she sought to understand what could have possibly happened.

  The question of suicide had briefly crossed her mind but had just as swiftly been swept aside. No. Emma’s life was taking a new and exciting turn. It was a time to celebrate, not end it all.

  But there was also the matter of how and where. Even if Emma had been somehow hiding some deep seated sadness, she wouldn’t have burdened Elle with such a horrific sight as to find her hanging.

  “What happened to you?” Sadie whispered.

  Closing her eyes, she let her chin rest on her chest as she was suddenly overcome with heavy sobs.

  “I don’t know how I’ll get through this,” she said between the sobs. “But I’m going to find out what happened, Emma. I’m not going to let your murder go unpunished.”

  With a determined swipe at her tears, she stood and headed back into the closet for a second attempt at getting dressed.

  Feeling anything but festive, she pulled a somber dark brown sweater over her black jeans, slipped into her black boots and headed out to the living room. Through the window, she spotted Palmer as he pulled into her drive to pick her up.

  Sadie turned to her trusty pets as she headed to the door. “You guys be good,” she said softly. “I’ll be back early.”

  She headed out and got into Palmer’s car.

  “How are you feeling?” he said as she buckled herself in.

  “Like staying home, rolling myself up in a blanket and doing nothing.”

  He chuckled as he pulled out of the drive. “I know what you mean. I didn’t really know Emma all that well, but I feel the pain of her death.”

  “I can’t imagine how Elle is doing. I don’t think I could bring myself to do anything at all if my sibling had just passed... and in such a horrific manner.”

  “Sometimes, people need to keep busy after an event like this. We all grieve differently. For some, sitting at home and just soaking in the sadness doesn’t help.”

  “Yeah,” Sadie said softly as she looked out the window at the passing scenery. “I guess.”

  They arrived at the tea shop and Sadie pressed a sad smile as she got out of the car. Looking through the many windows into the tea shop, she could already see the festive mood of the event.

  Palmer got out of the car and looked around at the packed parking lot. “Never thought so many people would be interested in tasting toffee.”

  Sadie shrugged. “Maybe it’s people’s way of supporting Elle in this difficult time. We all want to gather around her and give her a communal hug.”

  Palmer nodded. “Makes sense.”

  They headed to the front entrance and walked into the buzz of tasters who were greedily chewing on a toffee while sipping on their tea. Small bowls of toffee were set on every table while a long table set with a pristine white table cloth was set just in front of the service counter with more goodies.

  But considering what had happened the night before, the mood was unusually light and happy.

  “Hmm,” Sadie let out. “I have to admit, as I got ready for tonight I felt weighted down by such darkness and... well, suffice it to say that this isn’t quite the atmosphere I expected to find here tonight.” She looked around at the smiling faces.

  “Gee,” Sadie added as an uncomfortable shiver ran up her spine and brought a fresh sting of tears to her eyes. “I almost expect to see Emma walk out and greet every... everyone.” She choked on the last words.

  Palmer turned to her, took a firm hold of her upper arms and forced her to face him. “You don’t have to do this, you know. If you want to leave and go back home, I’ll bring you home, no problem.”

  “I can’t, Palmer,” Sadie said as she steadied herself and regained control. “I have to be here for Elle. She’s all alone now.”

  Palmer looked over Sadie’s shoulder. “She might not be as alone as you think.”

  “Huh?” Sadie said as she broke away from Palmer’s hold and glanced over her shoulder.

  “That’s not quite what I expected to see here either,” Palmer said. “Looks like the evening is going to be full of surprises.”

  Standing with a small group of tasters, Elle laughed and smiled as she chatted. She seemed perfectly happy and even upbeat.