“Where are you?”

  “On the floor in the Train Station.” I looked at Herman, who’d turned white.

  “Tell Harrold to go lock the door and put up the closed sign. Then the both of you get into the back.”

  “It’s Herman, not Harrold.” I put my hand over the mouthpiece and relayed the information to the shaken Herman.

  “Just close the store.”

  I nodded. “Lock the door and close the store. As soon as Greg comes, you’ll be able to reopen.”

  He walked over and locked the door, turning the sign to “Sorry We Missed You.” And instead of screaming in terror to the back room, he paused at the counter. “Now what?”

  “You call 911 and I’ll follow you into the back room. Lock that door too.” I didn’t know there was a door, but there was one in my shop, and our buildings seemed to be built in the same manner.

  As we made our way to the back room, I heard a key turn in the lock. Turning, I saw Harrold and Aunt Jackie walk in the front door.

  “What in the heck is that kid doing?” Harrold grumbled. “This is prime walk-in time and he’s got the door locked.”

  “Maybe he ran to Lille’s to pick up food,” Aunt Jackie suggested. “You shouldn’t be so hard on him. Besides, we’ll have to wait for him to get back before we can move some of the heavier stuff up to your apartment. I don’t want you doing that on your own.”

  I popped up and ran to the door, pushing my aunt and Harrold out of the way and toward the back room. “Go get in the back. Greg’s on his way.”

  “What are you talking about? Why are you locking the door again?” Harrold took my aunt’s arm and moved her to the back room. At least he wasn’t fighting me as if he questioned my sanity.

  I clicked the lock and glanced out the window. No one was standing there with a gun. Which was a good thing. “I’ll tell you when we get to the back. I didn’t see your car out front. Where did you park?”

  “I have Herman’s truck and I parked it in the alley by the back door. I can’t leave it there long; your boyfriend will ticket me.” Harrold pointed to one of the chairs near the desk. “Jackie, go sit down, and Jill, tell me why we’re hiding on a sunny Saturday.”

  “Was there anyone in the alley when you parked there?” I knew the answer from Harrold’s look.

  “No. It was empty. Why?”

  I went to the window. An older green Chevy sat by the door. The black truck, and probably Alice, were long gone. “Then we don’t have to be back here.”

  A knock on the front door confirmed my statement, and Greg stood there with Toby. I went over and unlocked the door. “I swear, they were there just a few minutes ago.”

  “I believe you. I’m going to go back to the station to review the security tapes from this street as soon as I’ve checked on you.” He reached out a hand and shook Harrold’s, then Herman’s. “I haven’t seen you in a few days.”

  “Jackie’s been keeping me busy. We were going to wait to tell you two tomorrow over dinner, but you kind of caught us red-handed.” Harrold put his arm around Jackie. “We’re shacking up.”

  Aunt Jackie slapped his stomach. “Now, Harrold, don’t call it that. We are being sensible. We’ve been spending so much time together, it just made sense.”

  I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh. I glanced at Herman. “I guess the kids are the last to know.”

  He shrugged, grinning. “I knew this morning when Pops called to borrow my truck and my muscles. So, I guess you’re the last to know.”

  Toby laughed, but when I looked at him, he turned it into a cough. “Well, if everything’s all right here, I’ll go back to Josh’s and finish the break-in report. Weird thing is, nothing seems to have been taken. But the back door was clearly kicked in.”

  I sent a quick glance to Greg. In the back alley, it was hard to see what door led to what shop. Had they just mistaken Josh’s place right next door to mine?

  He put a hand on my shoulder. “Look, I’m sure it’s a coincidence.”

  “Maybe, but maybe that’s why I didn’t get hit last night. They damaged the wrong door.”

  Toby paused on his way out. “Man, I’m not telling Josh that. He’d be mad at you.”

  “I know. He’d probably think I needed to pay for his damage because it was my fault he got hit.” Things were crap right now. With a capital C.

  My aunt stepped closer to Harrold. “Jill, maybe we should talk about what’s been going on. I think you’ve kept me out of the loop long enough.”

  “Well, get your moving done and come on over. I’ll be home the rest of the day and after one tomorrow. Deek and I are splitting the Sunday shifts.”

  Toby looked sheepish. “I could come in. I have a few hours before I have to go back on nights.”

  “And when are you going to sleep? We’re fine, although Jackie and I need to talk about hiring someone else.” I made waving motions with my hand. “Go take care of Josh. You know how worked up he can get. You’re on the schedule for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week. Let me know if you can’t make it.”

  As he walked out, Greg kissed the top of my head. “Thanks for making him feel better. He’s getting closer to full time with me, but I’m sure he’ll want to keep a few shifts for his house fund.”

  “And another one bites the dust.” I looked over at Herman. “You’re not looking for part-time work, are you?”

  He laughed. “I have a full-time job that actually pays enough to live on. Sorry, Jill, but I’ll ask around.”

  “I might know someone.” My aunt looked thoughtful. “I hadn’t thought of hiring someone now, especially with Nick coming home soon.”

  “I’m not sure Nick is going to want to work. According to Sadie, he’s already interviewing for full-time spots in the city. The kid’s a powerhouse. And she hinted that he was taking a trip to Europe this summer too.” I rolled my shoulders. “The life of a small business in a small town. We’re always hiring.”

  Harrold shook his head. “I just cut my hours. I haven’t had anyone work with me except for Herman, here, for years.”

  “And you barely make enough to pay the building costs.” Aunt Jackie looked around the showroom. “I was going to wait until we were married, but it might be time to think about either expanding or closing.”

  Harrold looked down at her, shocked. “Close the shop? Then what would I do with my time?”

  “And that’s our clue to leave. Let me know if you all are planning to come to dinner over at Jill’s tomorrow. I’ll make sure I set up my day so I can make it.” Greg led me to the front, then paused at the edge of the alley. “So, you saw the black truck and Alice? Anything or anyone else?”

  “No, I’m sure it was the truck because I checked the license plate. And we’d just seen Alice at Lille’s.” I didn’t remember seeing a driver, but I hadn’t taken a lot of time to stare. “I should have gotten closer.”

  “You did exactly what you needed to do. Got somewhere safe and called me. Actually, I’m kind of proud of you. I can’t believe you finally listened and stayed away from danger.” He pointed to his car on the other side of the street. “I’m parked there.”

  “And?” I didn’t understand his point.

  He put his hand on the small of my back. “I’m dropping you off at home. You’re not walking anywhere until I find this truck and its driver. You need to stay safe.”

  “I’m not an idiot.” But I followed him to the truck and crossed over to the passenger side. I’d accept the ride home because I wanted to. No use being all principled and freaking out whenever I saw a vehicle coming my way. Besides, I just wanted to lock myself in the house and watch movies. Ones where I knew the ending and everything would be okay. And maybe some ice cream.

  “Okay, didn’t mean to insult you, but if you’re letting me drive you home, I’m fine with that.” He started the truck. “So, your aunt and Harrold are moving in together. How are you feeling about that?”

  “After the whole breakup thing, I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth. They’re good together and they both deserve to be happy again.” I watched out the window. “I guess I have an apartment to rent. I wonder if Toby wants to upgrade his digs.”

  Greg chuckled. “I’ll mention it to him, but I think he likes the money he’s saving by living in a studio. Do you want to make up flyers? I can post them down at the station.”

  “Not just yet. Aunt Jackie thought she knew someone, but that might have been for the job. I don’t know, everything’s so crazy right now. If that falls through, then yeah. I’d rather have someone living in the apartment so that the building isn’t completely empty once the shop closes.” I turned and studied him. “Do you think Josh’s break-in was actually meant for my shop?”

  “Maybe.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, probably. There just wasn’t any rhyme or reason for it to be Josh’s place. He had money in the till. Small, valuable antiques in the display case that would have been easy to access and take. But nothing was touched. It was like they got in and realized they were in the wrong place, so they left.”

  “Good thing I installed the extra security. Do you think they know I put up the cameras?”

  Greg stared at me. “I’m an idiot.”

  “Okay, I’ll bite. Of course, you are. But what are you talking about?” I got my keys out of my tote. Emma wasn’t going to be happy we weren’t running, but she’d get over it. Especially when I had an afternoon of cuddling on the couch planned.

  “Your cameras cover that entire back parking area. I bet you got something on your feed. I’ll call Toby and have him go over and check it out.” He pulled the truck into the driveway, then leaned over and kissed me. “Thank you for what you did today.”

  “Freaking out Herman and calling in backups for a truck that wasn’t there when you got there?” I rested my hand on the door lever.

  “For thinking about calling me first. And keeping yourself safe. Sometimes you barge in where you shouldn’t.”

  I shrugged. “I knew what he did to Frank. I wasn’t taking any chances. But I’m really going to give Alice a piece of my mind if we’re right about her. I can’t believe someone would do all this over a land deal.”

  “If that’s what’s happening.” Greg laughed at the look I gave him. “Okay, so it looks like Alice is knee-deep in this, but looks can be deceiving. We need to prove she’s involved.”

  “In the movies, she’d be locked in your cell at the station already.” I climbed out of the truck and walked around to the driver’s side. “Thanks for the ride.”

  He kissed me. “I’ll wait until you’re inside. Please lock the doors. I’ll call when I’m heading home. And in the movies, the first guy or gal I locked up would just be a red herring and the real killer would be hiding in your house.”

  I shivered and glance at the porch. “Don’t say things like that. Maybe you should come in and walk through.”

  “You’re fine. I was joking. Besides, you have Emma. She’s not going to let anyone in besides the people she trusts.” He leaned back in his seat. “But if she doesn’t greet you, back right out. I’ll be watching.”

  “Great, now I’m scared of my own house.” I tried to joke it off, but Greg did have me a little worried.

  “You should be cautious. Someone is messing with you and someone else is dead. It might be total coincidence, but you can never be too careful.”

  When I opened the door, Emma stood there, tail wagging. I waved at Greg and went inside, locking the door after me. “Hey, sweetheart. Do you need to go outside?”

  The dash to the back door answered my question. Emma was house-trained, but even she had her limits. And I’d been gone a while. I followed her into the kitchen, picking up the mail from the floor as I went. A pink envelope with familiar handwriting caught my eye.

  I sat at the table while Emma explored the backyard and opened the card. It was from Sasha. A picture of her, her daughter Olivia, and a tall, black man at Disneyland fell out. Everyone was smiling, including Minnie Mouse, who knelt by Olivia. I turned to the card.

  Just wanted to let you know Olivia loved the gift you sent for her birthday. She wore the South Cove T-shirt to Disneyland. Michael took us for the weekend. He works for a hedge fund here in the city and is supersmart, especially with numbers. We’re happy here, safe, and making new friends, but Olivia and I miss our South Cove family. Tell everyone we said hello.

  I studied the picture again. Sasha had moved on. I’d thought that maybe after the internship, she’d come home and patch things up with Toby, but I guessed this Michael was the new man in her life. I let Emma inside, locking the kitchen door, then put the card and letter away in my office. From what I could see, Toby wasn’t even dating yet. His heart was broken. Seeing Sasha and Olivia happy with another man in the picture would just be cruel.

  With my newly imposed house arrest, all I could think of doing were outside things. The flower garden I needed to plant. The swing that called to me to come sit and read. Instead, I grabbed an iced tea and my research notebook and turned on the television to the cooking channel. I wasn’t looking for new recipes, but the shows in the background were calming and helped me focus.

  As I saw it, the first ex-Mrs. Gleason was a strong front-runner on the list of possible killers. Even with her physical limitations, she had the money to hire out a hit-and-run. And she’d had her assistant researching Frank’s marital history. I wrote down all the “facts” I thought made her look guilty, then, after the research item, I wrote one word. Why? Why was she so interested in Frank’s love life now?

  I turned the page and wrote down everything I knew about Alice Carroll. I didn’t really have any evidence that she was involved in Frank’s murder except for the last item. She’d been seen with the murdering truck. Well, I’d seen her with the truck. Hopefully, one of the security cameras had picked up this image as well. I hoped Greg would find it.

  Then I made a page for the last wife. California. Where was she? Was she just on some artist retreat or was something more sinister involved in her disappearance? I wondered what Frank’s will said. Who got the family money he’d been living off and donating during his lifetime?

  I gave the true history author his own page, but he didn’t have any reasons to want Frank dead. In fact, from what I could see, he was on the same mission as Frank. Save and make people aware of the disappearing California historical sites before they were all torn down and replaced by water parks.

  That line of thinking made me write down one more suspect. The water park developer, Aaron Presley. He had reason to get rid of Frank if he was truly working on getting the wall in my backyard certified. If I had a historical marker, they couldn’t buy the property and flatten the land for a parking lot.

  I glanced around the living room I’d painted myself right after I’d inherited the house. This place was home now. And no amount of money was going to change that.

  I picked up my phone and made a call to the Heritage Society. Because it was Saturday, I only got voice mail, which verified their hours as Monday to Friday, eight to five. I put a note on my calendar to go visit them on Monday.

  I wanted to see exactly who was taking over Frank’s caseload and look at the file for the wall. Then I could decide if it was worth my time to start over.

  I closed the notebook and picked up the remote. Scrolling through the channels, it didn’t take me long to find a rerun of a sappy movie. Emma moved from the floor to the couch and laid her head on my lap. And we stayed there until Greg got home a few hours later.

  Chapter 16

  Sunday, I didn’t have a customer for two hours after I’d opened. No one had tried to break in. Or plastered the front windows with paper. Or tried to con an employee into closing the shop. I sipped a hot chocolate as I glanced around the clean and empty shop. I probably should have cut hours today without Toby, but we’d make it through. And because nothing had happened to the shop, I wondered if the pranksters had taken a day of rest. Or if my talk with Alice had actually made her think twice.

  I didn’t care what Greg said about proof. I knew Alice was behind all the problems I’d been having lately. I started to wonder what I could do to her real estate business for payback. Cancel ads in the paper? Call up sellers and tell them the company was going out of business? Spray-paint her sidewalk? The last one held some merit, but then I decided the sugar was getting the best of me. I needed to play a clean karma game here, even if she didn’t.

  Sometimes being the bigger person in the argument didn’t feel as satisfying.

  A couple wandered in and I made some drink suggestions. They waved me off and went straight for the bookshelves. My kind of people. I moved from the couch to back behind the coffee bar. The author speaker notebook was tucked under the bar. I opened it to this month and saw a new entry in Deek’s neat printing script. Mike Masters had scheduled a book talk and signing for next Thursday. The guy was persistent, that was for sure. I couldn’t be mad at Deek. Masters was an author and in the area. Deek had probably thought he’d hit the nail on the head with this event.

  I realized the couple was waiting in front of the counter. A large pile of books sat in two stacks, and from the titles, it looked like a his and hers division. I picked up the top book from what I assumed was her pile. “I loved this book. She’s really clear about steps to achieve financial freedom. Even with starting in debt.”

  “I’ve heard great things about it, so I told Nan I’d buy it for her.” He glanced at the menu. “Can we get two large iced teas to go? That would be awesome.”

  I made the teas, then rang up the purchases. “Anything else? All our bakery items are fresh this morning and tasty.”