“What? No, I mean, one large coffee. A to-go cup?” My hand hovered over the cups, waiting for an answer.

  “To-go is fine. I’ve got an open house soon. I need to get going.” Alice scrolled through her phone while she waited for me.

  I poured the coffee and rang up the charge. “That will be four dollars and seventeen cents.”

  She handed me her credit card.

  I needed to say something. To ask her what she thought she was doing. And ask her why she thought she could just come in for a coffee when she was trying to torpedo my business. As I tried to phrase the opening in a diplomatic way, I ran her card.

  “Hey, Jill.” Deek bounced into the store. “I scheduled the middle school book club early and forgot to tell you. They should be arriving anytime.”

  I pushed the pen and charge slip across the counter with her card. This was definitely not the place to have this conversation. I’d stop by the open house, even if it was her turf in battle strategies. I was hoping this would be more of a conversation and not a battle. “Thanks for coming in.”

  “Make sure that house is spotless when I get there. The last one I did for that builder had been the workman’s lunchroom for what had to be months.” Alice turned away from me, and it took a minute for me to realize she was talking into an earpiece, not to me. I’d been dismissed as soon as I’d poured the coffee.

  After she left, Deek watched the doorway. “That woman’s aura is jet-black. I think you should stay away from her.”

  I nodded and didn’t mention to my psychic barista that I was planning on ambushing her later that afternoon.

  In a deserted house.

  Sometimes my planning sucked.

  Chapter 14

  Deek’s only book club of the day kept us busy right up to the time when I was supposed to leave. I’d told him before it started to let me know if he thought he’d need me to stay later, but he’d brushed it off. “That’s why I moved this one up a couple of hours. I wanted to get it done before you left. Did you see how many books those kids bought? They put me to shame.”

  “They’re off on summer vacation. What else is there to do but read?” I checked the treat case. I’d just finished restocking it a few minutes ago. The place was clean, again, and the last of the kids, with their parents, had left the store.

  Deek sank onto a stool in front of the counter. He drank down a glass of water. “Man, I love those guys, but they have so much energy.”

  “You’re working a lot of hours, especially since Toby bailed on us this week. Do I need to hire someone else?” I studied next week’s work schedule, which Aunt Jackie had put up last night. Toby had three shifts, but I wasn’t sure he’d be done working overtime with Greg by then.

  Deek shrugged. “I only have two classes this semester and they’re almost over. I’m not taking classes this summer and Nick will be back, right? I can probably hang on until either he’s here or Toby’s hours at the station are cut.”

  “And when are you going to write the great American novel?” I made a mental note to talk to Aunt Jackie soon about maybe taking on another part-time person. We had a budget meeting a few days before we took off for Amy’s party. With both her and me going to Vegas for a weekend, we might have to hire a temp for a week anyway.

  “I’m writing. Here and there. I get a few words at school, then more here if it’s slow, then a few at night when I can’t sleep. It all adds up.” He rolled his shoulders. “I have no idea if it’s any good or even making sense, but I’m loving the story. And I guess I’m my first reader anyway.”

  “When do you think you might start the writing group here? Did you ever talk to Jackie?” I’d forgotten and hadn’t mentioned it to her, but then again, Deek had the idea. He needed to promote it.

  “I wrote a proposal and sent it to her last night. She said we’d talk at the staff meeting at the end of the month.” He grinned. “Not sure if that’s a good thing, but it’s out in the world.”

  The bell over the door rang, and an attractive woman in her midtwenties strolled in. She glanced around the shop like it was the Hogwarts Castle in one of the amusement parks. Her black hair was tied back in several braids and she wore a yellow sundress. I labeled her a tourist and smiled at her when her gaze met mine. Something about her looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. “Can I get you something to drink while you’re looking around? We carry a wide variety of books, from beach reads to best sellers to local historical fiction.”

  “A mocha would be awesome.” She nodded at the table. “I see you have Wi-Fi. Do you mind if I hang around a bit and check my email?”

  “Of course not.” I nodded to Deek. “We’ll get out your mocha and you can pay when you’re ready. Deek will be glad to answer any questions you might have. I’m out of here.”

  Deek came around the corner of the coffee bar. “Go have fun. If I need you, I have my phone.”

  “Sorry it’s going to be a long shift. I’ll be available if you need me to come back.” I saw Greg coming up the sidewalk. “Maybe I should just stay?”

  “I think I can handle one customer. I promise if an unscheduled tour bus comes into town, I’ll call.” He finished the mocha and put whipped cream on the top. “Go, spend time with Police Dude. He looks a little worn out.”

  I studied Greg’s face as he walked inside the shop. Deek was right; Greg did look tired. I thought the lack of progress on Frank’s murder must be wearing him down. Of course, having the stuff going on at the shop probably didn’t help. We needed a real vacation, not just a weekend away to Vegas for Amy’s party. “Call me if you need me.”

  I met Greg just a few feet away from the door. “Can I buy you lunch?”

  He nodded. “Then I’ve got to go back to the station. Wives number two and three are coming in for interviews. They couldn’t get off work during the week.”

  “Then let’s have lunch and we can talk about anything but the case or my shop issues.” I linked my arm in his.

  “There are other subjects besides crime, murder, and intimidation? I think you’re joking, right?” He squeezed my shoulders.

  “Of course. We can talk about how I need to hire someone else part time. Know of anyone who doesn’t work for you who needs a job?”

  We left the shop and walked slowly down to Diamond Lille’s. It was a beautiful spring day, and I was surprised that we didn’t have more tourists sharing the streets. Maybe people were still getting their yards ready for the upcoming summer or watching their kids play Little League. It was funny what made a good weekend into a terrible one for sales. And what took a terrible one for the weather into an amazing sales weekend. I’d given up trying to guess what type of day the shop would have. Although since Deek had started the extra book clubs, I’d seen an uptick in both book and coffee sales on a weekly basis.

  The store would be fine. As soon as I got Alice Carroll off our backs.

  Diamond Lille’s was packed, and as if I’d called her up by thinking her name, Alice Carroll stood at the hostess stand. Lille was staring at her, and I tried not to laugh at the look the diner’s owner was giving the woman.

  “All I’m saying is, it wouldn’t kill you to have an actual keto menu. It’s the in thing now with all the celebrities.”

  “Good for them.” Lille stared at her nails, which today were painted a goth black. She glanced at us, then sighed. “Let me go to the kitchen to see if your order’s ready yet.”

  I thought she was showing tremendous self-restraint by not adding the rest of the sentence, which was something like so I can get you out of my face.

  Greg must have seen my intentions as he grabbed my arm. I shook loose, then approached Alice. “You’re Alice Carroll, right?”

  She was focused on her phone. “That’s me.”

  “The Realtor?”

  That got her attention. She changed her face from totally bored to a welcoming smile. Until she saw me. I swore I saw fear flit across her features for a second, then it was gone. “You’re Jill from the coffee shop.”

  “Yeah. I can’t believe we haven’t met before. Well, besides when you came in for coffee this morning. Did you get your open house done?” I knew how to do small talk. I just didn’t like it.

  Alice laughed, but it seemed faked. “I’m on my lunch break. I get exactly ten minutes to pick up food, and I have to pray the perfect customer doesn’t come in when I have my associate watching the house. Otherwise, my commission is cut in half, just because it takes this place so long to get food out.”

  “Oh, good. I was planning on stopping by this afternoon. I had hoped we could have a short chat.” I froze my gaze on her. “About the local real estate market?”

  “Are you thinking of selling?” A sly smile made her face look dangerous and not friendly at all.

  “See, that’s the thing. Someone has been spreading a rumor about my house being for sale. I wanted to find out what you knew about the problem.” I nodded to Carrie. “Sorry, that’s our signal. Our table’s ready and I’m starving. I’ll stop by later and we can continue this conversation.”

  “I really don’t know anything…” Alice called after us, but I ignored her.

  When we got settled and I had my food ordered and a vanilla milkshake on the table, I leaned back in the booth and relaxed.

  “Do you want to tell me what that was about?” Greg was watching me. Alice had left a few minutes after we’d walked away, but had shot daggers at us in that short amount of time.

  “Basically, I’m letting her know that she’s the one messing with me and I wasn’t going to let her do that anymore.” I sipped the shake. Heaven.

  “You think that was what she heard?” He watched me with the shake.

  I shrugged. “At worst, she knows I suspect her. And she’ll be nervous all afternoon about what I’m going to ask her.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re actually going over there.”

  Carrie dropped off our food. “Thanks,” we both said in unison, not meeting her gaze.

  “Okay then, I won’t interrupt the conversation.” Carrie laughed and left the table.

  “I haven’t decided. If I thought she’d be even half honest with me, I might. But I think I did what I needed to do. I put seeds of doubt in her plan. And if she knows that I know it’s her, maybe she’ll leave the store alone.” I picked up the taco burger and bit into it. It wasn’t the healthiest lunch, but I’d had a few bad days.

  “You might be playing with fire.” He focused on his own food. “But then again, you may have just solved your issue. I don’t speak female very well.”

  “You translate just fine. I’m not sure she’ll take the hint, but at least she knows that I know she’s behind it. And that’s half the battle. You can’t be a political figure and not know how the games are played. And I think she’s a shrewd player.”

  “Because she waited for Bill to leave to start?”

  “That, and using her daughter and Deek to actually do the dirty work. I bet that Realtor who came to my door works for her agency. She’s just moving around the chess pieces, but not putting herself, the queen, in play.” When Greg didn’t say anything, I glanced at his face. “What? I’ve been reading a chess mystery. Those players really know strategy.”

  Lille approached our table. “Food good?”

  “As always.” Greg smiled at her. “Tiny is a genius in the kitchen.”

  She nodded, then looked at me. “I heard from Harrold that you’ve been having problems at the shop. I wanted to let you know that I’m sorry about your trouble. People just need to learn how to be nice. It wouldn’t kill anyone.”

  “Thanks.” I was shocked at the sentiment. Lille hated me, or so I thought. But she loved Harrold. Maybe that was moving me off the bottom of her list and into her good graces.

  “Well, enjoy your meal.” She moved away from the table.

  We stared at each other for a full minute. “Did that really just happen?”

  He shrugged, watching Lille yell at a server for letting the food sit in the warmer too long. “All I can say is, it has to be the power of Harrold. He tames the most ferocious of female creatures. Lille, your aunt…”

  “Hey.” I started to say that my aunt wasn’t that bad, but Greg was right. Aunt Jackie could be a complete bear if she wanted to be. I realized I hadn’t seen her in a while and decided to give her a call this afternoon. She was off the schedule for the weekend; maybe we could sit and talk for a while. “You could be right.”

  Greg changed the subject. “So, when is Bill supposed to be back? How’s his father? Should we do something?”

  “You already fixed the shower in their bathroom. I think Mary appreciated that more than just sending flowers. I’ll call her this afternoon to see how she’s doing.” Another reason I missed talking to my aunt. I didn’t get any of the local gossip. Amy was too busy with the wedding. Sasha used to be my finger on the pulse of the community, but she moved away to the city for an amazing job offer. The store got cards from her every once in a while. I was happy and proud of her accomplishments, but that didn’t mean I didn’t miss her.

  “There is a lot going on this week, isn’t there?” Greg glanced around the crowded diner. “People go on with their lives with chaos all around them. And if you don’t pay attention, things happen that you can’t fix.”

  “You can’t take care of everyone, Greg.” I could see that Frank’s investigation was weighing on him. Probably harder than any he’d worked on before.

  “It’s not that. It’s just trying to keep in touch with the people who mean something to me. I haven’t talked to Jim in over a month. And my mom has to call me for us to stay in touch. I need to be better at keeping people close.” He smiled at me. “Like you do. You probably talk to your aunt every day. And Amy. And Sadie. You keep in touch with your friends.”

  “Well, not so much this week. I was just thinking I needed to reach out to Aunt Jackie because I haven’t talked to her for more than a few minutes lately. Even about this shop stuff.” I finished my lunch. “So, I guess we’re both slacking in the friends and family category.”

  “At least we’re keeping tabs on each other.” Greg reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’ve got to go to work. Please tell me you’re not going over to this open house to confront Alice. I’d like to keep seeing my girlfriend and not have another murder to solve.”

  “Well, at least we’d know the killer in this scenario.” I finished off my shake, but from the look on Greg’s face, he wasn’t amused. “Don’t freak. I won’t go over there. I was kind of thinking it was a bad idea anyway. And I need to stay close to the phone, just in case Deek needs me at the store. So, I guess it’s housework day.”

  “You promise?”

  I ate a stray fry that had hidden behind my coleslaw container. “I promise. Although I might do more reading than cleaning.”

  “As long as you’re home and the doors are locked, I don’t care. Esmeralda has clients this afternoon, so if you’re in trouble, call her. She’ll come over until I can get there.” He pulled out his wallet and threw cash down on the table for the meal. Greg was old-fashioned. Every Friday when he got paid, he took out cash for his meals out. I would have used my debit card, but he said it helped keep him accountable. When he was out of cash, he stopped eating meals out. The good news was, he got paid every week.

  I grabbed my tote and followed him outside. I took his hands and reached up on my tippy-toes to kiss him. “I promise I’ll stay safe.”

  “You better change that to try to stay safe. You have issues even when you’re on your best behavior.” He touched my cheek. “Do you need me to walk home with you?”

  “I think I know the way.” I squeezed his hand. “See you tonight for dinner.”

  “Meat and potatoes, right?”

  I laughed. “I’m not trying out any recipes, if that’s what you mean.”

  As I walked the sidewalk toward home, my thoughts were on Alice and her reaction. She knew something about my house and the problems I’d been having. I had proof of that. Now I just had to keep her scared of me so she’d stop playing her games.

  I paused at the door to Harrold’s train shop. His son was behind the counter, and he waved at me as he saw me in the window. Maybe I wouldn’t call my aunt. It looked like she and Harrold were off doing something. I didn’t want to interrupt them.

  I kept walking, but when I reached the alleyway that ran behind the train shop and Diamond Lille’s, I heard voices. Maybe Aunt Jackie and Harrold were just now leaving. I looked around the corner, but instead of my aunt, Alice Carroll was standing in the alleyway, talking to a guy in a large black Ram. The truck had the same license plate as the one I’d called in. It was the truck that had killed Frank. The one Greg had been unable to find.

  I ducked back around the building and ran into Harrold’s store. I ran behind the counter and sat on the floor. Herman, Harrold’s son, stared at me. I pulled out my phone and called Greg. “Hey, Herman. If anyone comes in, I’m not here, okay?”

  “Sure, whatever you want.” He didn’t look convinced, but I was almost positive he wouldn’t tell Alice I was hiding behind the counter.

  The phone kept ringing, and finally, Greg’s voice came on the line. It was his voice mail.

  I called again. I’d give his cell one more try, then I’d call 911. The guy who killed Frank was right behind the building. We had to catch them. And I couldn’t walk home until Greg did just that.

  Chapter 15

  This time, Greg answered the call. “Hey, Jill, I’ve got an issue to take care of here at Josh’s. He’s had a break-in.”

  “The truck that hit Frank is in the alley behind Harrold’s and Diamond Lille’s. And Alice is talking to the driver.” I think my news saw his break-in and upped the ante with a murder. Yes, the cards reference was from another book I was reading.