“Maybe. If not this developer, another one. And maybe South Cove just got unlucky that the event happened here.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m beat and at a loss. We’ve got some leads to follow, but it seems like we just get one line tied up and six more fall down. Besides, my money’s on the ex-wife.”

  “Which one?” I asked, but I thought I knew the answer. The first Mrs. Gleason, who seemed so reasonable and not at all upset that the man she’d been married to had been run down in the road.

  “The first one. The power of a woman scorned times five.” He stood and kissed my head. “I’m going to go check the fax machine. Toby’s supposed to be sending something over.”

  “It might need paper,” I called after him. My mind was racing with ideas while I finished my breakfast. He still wasn’t back when I did, so I rinsed the dishes and put everything in the dishwasher. Except for our coffee cups. I wondered if I should make a pot or just keep using the pod machine. I’d probably drink the entire pot if I made it, minus the cup or two Greg would drink. I decided to take a chance.

  The pot had just finished brewing when he came back into the room. “Sorry. Toby called about a stop he’d made last night. He wanted to make sure his paperwork was covered.”

  “He’s done more than a few traffic stops during his tenure. What was so special about this one?” I refilled his cup and placed it on the table next to him. But I had a bad feeling that our morning together had just been canceled.

  “I’m going upstairs to get ready. I have to go in.” He took the coffee. “Thanks for this. I’ll take a thermos too, if you want to make one.”

  “You made breakfast, I can make a pot of coffee.”

  He leaned down to kiss me. “You’re amazing. And the stop was a DUI.”

  “He’s the DUI king. Didn’t you say he’s done more than you and Tim combined?” I still wasn’t getting why Toby was worried.

  “He’s never arrested a standing City Council member before. Alice Carroll is sitting in my drunk tank as we speak.” He glanced at the clock. “And I’ve got to get down there before her lawyer shows up and starts browbeating Toby into saying something stupid.”

  “Alice Carroll? Wow.” I sat down at the table and opened my laptop. “Darla’s going to have a field day with this.”

  “Just don’t tell anyone you know until it leaks. I just thought you might feel a little satisfaction that the store should be fine because the vandal ringleader was in jail last night.”

  I shook my head. “She still could have called someone.”

  “Not from my jail. Toby didn’t even let her call her lawyer until this morning, when she sobered up.”

  “Wait, if Toby’s still at the station, who opened the store?” I reached for the phone.

  Greg held up a finger. “I knew there was something else. He switched with Deek. He’s doing his shift tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know why we even try to have a schedule. They’re always changing it.” I opened my laptop and looked at my calendar. “Do I need to go to the store for anything?”

  Greg shook his head. “I’m good. And dinner will be catch-as-catch-can. I might not be home tonight with this new development.”

  “And next weekend, we’re in Vegas,” I reminded him.

  He leaned against the edge of the stairway, watching me. “You might have to go alone. Are we driving or flying?”

  “Seven-hour drive, three-hour flight for about one hundred dollars each way. I think we should fly.” I looked up from the laptop. “But I guess I’d better get tickets if we’re flying. I know Aunt Jackie and Harrold are driving up a day early. Which is another shift I have to cover. I really need to hire someone else.”

  “I’ll tell you tomorrow. I know it’s short notice, but if I can only get away last minute, I’ll either try to get a flight or drive up. Then you can drive back with me and we’ll save the return flight for another trip.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I made a note on tomorrow’s calendar. “I hate that you might not be able to go. Aunt Jackie was pretty excited about this Sunday dinner thing.”

  “At worst, I’ll drive up late Saturday and we can still do that. But you might have to drive me back. I’ll probably sleep in the car.” His phone buzzed with a text. He read it and responded. “I’ve got to go. She’s getting vocal and it’s worrying Toby.”

  She grinned as he ran upstairs. “But I bet you’re still going to shower first.”

  “Of course. I can’t go to work smelly. She can wait ten minutes before chewing my butt about Toby’s unwillingness to let her go home.” He disappeared up the stairs.

  “Some people,” I said to Emma. She doggy grinned at me like she totally agreed. But she typically agreed with me as long as Greg wasn’t there with her favorite treat or offering her a ride in his truck. I got out a piece of paper and started writing my to-do list. I had to go into Bakerstown because Emma was almost out of food. And if Esmeralda was going to check on her, she needed enough to get her through next weekend.

  Amy had invited Esmeralda to go, but this was a busy weekend for her other job. She had lots of clients coming in due to the moon’s positioning. Which was great for me, because both Toby and Greg were going to Vegas to hang out with Justin. We’d already made plans to shorten hours at the shop to just Deek’s shift. I hoped Amy had made her choice and the arrangements like she’d said, or we’d just be hanging out at the casino or walking the strip looking at the sights.

  I added “call Sadie” to the list. One, I needed to let her know that we’d be closed, so we didn’t need a large order this weekend. And two, I wanted to feel her out about Nick and his summer plans. I sure hoped I could count on him. I glanced at the clock. It was almost eight. If I didn’t call now, she’d be down until after noon with her nap.

  She picked up on the first ring. “I know why you’re calling. I’ll come by on Friday morning and refill what you need. Lille’s did a double order of desserts, knowing you’d be closed up most of the day.”

  “Well, I’m glad everyone is excited about me being out of town this weekend.” I kept writing notes on my to-do list as we talked.

  “She’s just expecting more traffic, that’s all.” Sadie always saw the good side of things. “Bill is taking me out to dinner after services on Sunday. He’s such a kind man.”

  Oh, it was Bill now, not Pastor Bill. I was happy for my friend. She deserved a good man in her life. “That will be fun. Hey, have you heard from Nick lately? Did you ask him what his summer plans are?”

  A pause over the line told me my answer before she responded. “He’s got an amazing opportunity in London this year. He’s working for a law firm in their administration department.”

  “What? He’d rather do that than sell coffee out of a hot food truck at festivals?” I joked. “That sounds awesome. Is he coming home first?”

  “No. He’s going straight from school. I guess he’s all grown-up now.”

  I heard the wistfulness in my friend’s voice. Nick’s change in plans had hurt her. “You’ll always be his mom.”

  “It’s silly, I know. I was just so excited to do our summer stuff. Like the first beach visit of the season. And a trip to the Castle for a swim. We always went into the city for a week’s vacation.” She paused. “But this is an amazing opportunity for his future. I can’t be selfish.”

  “Maybe he’ll come home before he goes back to school.”

  Sadie’s voice brightened. “He is. He’ll be here a week before he goes back. I guess next year will be the same. I’ll just have to make my own summer plans, right?”

  “Exactly. Maybe there’s someone nearby who’d like to do those things?”

  She chuckled. “Stop teasing me about Bill. We’re taking this slow. He’s got a lot on his plate right now.”

  “You better be a big part of that plate,” I chided. “You deserve to be treated like a queen.”

  “You’re a good friend. You know just what to say to get me out of the dumps.”

  I crossed Nick off my list. “I was the one who put you there, so I should be willing to help. I’ll see you tomorrow at the shop.”

  “Bright and early.”

  We said our goodbyes and I hung up. I went through my computer files and found the last ad we’d run to get staff. I pasted it into an email to my aunt and asked if I should post this in the newspaper and maybe in our newsletter. I heard the responding bing just a few minutes after I’d pushed send. “That was quick,” I said to the empty kitchen.

  My aunt had sent me a one-line response. “I think I have someone.”

  I emailed back a question: “Who?”

  No answer this time. I went and cleaned both bathrooms and scratched that off the list. Then I checked my email again. Still no answer from Aunt Jackie, but one from Deek.

  The gist of the email was about the signing on Thursday. He’d tried to get Masters to wait so he could gather more buzz, but apparently, the guy was planning on leaving next week. I wondered if Greg knew that. I responded back that it wasn’t a problem. We’d had a sign up for a few days, and Deek had posted it on our web page as soon as it was scheduled. If Mike didn’t get the turnout he wanted, it wasn’t because of our lack of trying. We were selling his books with a commission fee, so I didn’t even have to order books. I’d emailed Sadie to leave a couple dozen cookies for us tomorrow, but other than that, the signing was in the book god’s hands.

  I added a note to my talk with my aunt about the new hire for tomorrow’s list. Then I finished the tasks in my email and took a quick peek at flight schedules for the weekend. We could still get on a late Friday or early Saturday flight, but anything after noon and I’d be pushing the party time too close. Greg just might miss his time with the boys. But even murder wouldn’t be a good enough excuse for me to miss out on Amy’s bachelorette party.

  Even if it was my own demise.

  Chapter 18

  When I got to Bakerstown, instead of going straight to the pet store for Emma’s food, I made a quick stop at the Bakerstown Funeral Home. Doc Ames probably couldn’t give me any more insight into Frank’s death than I already had, especially because I’d witnessed the event, but I hadn’t seen him for a while. I took out the box of cookies I’d stopped to get at the shop when I parked and made my way inside the large doors into the chilly, formal waiting area. It gave me the chills every time I came inside. I guess I wasn’t as comfortable with the thought of death as my investigation habit would suggest. The velvet curtains and deep, dark carpet always reminded me of a gothic horror flick. I expected someone with a vampire cape and blood dripping from their lips to come out of one of the chapel doors at any time.

  When Doc popped out of the chapel, I barely concealed the little squeak that came out of my mouth.

  He grinned because he’d actually heard it or saw it on my face. “Sorry to startle you. But aren’t you a sight for sore eyes today? I was just thinking I hadn’t seen you around for a while. How’s South Cove?”

  “Crazy as ever.” I followed him into his office and was relieved to be in the crowded room with stacks of papers cluttering his desk and the credenza behind it. He poured two cups of coffee and I opened the box of cookies, laying Coffee, Books, and More napkins next to the box. I told him about Bill’s father and his absence, along with the attacks on the shop since Alice had put out the increase in Business-2-Business fees. “She even changed the name to add that cute little two numeral in the middle, instead of a real word. Amy overheard her talking about moving the meetings to Lille’s.”

  “I’m not sure Lille would enjoy the attention of the Council once a month. She loves customers, but hates the one-on-one with people. That’s why Carrie is her most important asset. She uses that woman way past her job duties as a waitress.”

  Interesting. I hadn’t even known that Doc Ames knew Carrie. Was there a bit of a crush here? Greg said I was always looking for a matchmaking opportunity. I decided to think on that one a little more. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

  We sat and ate the cookies in comfortable silence. Finally, he brushed crumbs off his hands. “I suspect you’re here about Frank?”

  “Actually, no. I just wanted to stop in. It’s been a while since we visited.” I sipped my coffee. I wanted a third cookie, but I restrained myself. I’d planned on stopping at the ice cream shop on the way home from Bakerstown. Living in sunny California made ice cream a year-round necessity. At least in my mind.

  “Oh, well, then I guess I won’t tell you that he was being slowly poisoned. If the damage from the truck hadn’t killed him, Frank would have been dead in a week or two, tops. At least if he’d kept getting his daily dose of poison.”

  “Shut the front door.” I stared at him. “Seriously? I thought this was an open-and-shut case of hit-and-run.”

  “So did I when the body first came into the building. I always do toxicology screens, just in case, but I’d noticed an odd tinge to his fingernails. I thought it might just be road dust because your main street is all brick, but I added a few additional tests. Did I hit pay dirt or what? Greg certainly was surprised when I called. But he did say I probably ruined his weekend. Did you two have plans?”

  I told him all about Amy’s party trip to Vegas after we got off work on Friday. “But now, I guess Greg’s going to be driving to Vegas alone on Saturday night. I should just tell my aunt we can’t make dinner on Sunday.”

  He shook his head. “No, I think you and Greg should definitely go to Vegas and to this dinner. It’s not often you get to spend time with friends and family. In my job, you see a lot of people with a lot of regrets. Don’t let this weekend be one of yours.”

  “Wow, way to put choices in perspective. It’s just a dinner.” I held up my hand to ward off the response that I saw forming on his face. “But you’re right. My aunt and Harrold are older and none of us are promised tomorrow, so we’ll go. I just don’t like him driving alone.”

  “Why don’t you wait for him?”

  I finished my coffee. “I would, but then I’d miss Amy’s thing. And right now, as crazy as she is about this wedding, I don’t know if she’d ever forgive me if I missed her party.”

  “Never get in between a woman and her wedding fantasy.” The phone started ringing. “I’m sorry, I should get that.”

  “No worries. I need to run and get Emma some food anyway. See you soon. And thanks for the great gossip.” I waved and backed out of the room, trying not to eavesdrop on the phone conversation. As the county coroner, Doc Ames had access to all sorts of interesting things. Most of which Greg wanted me to stay out of. I knew he probably shouldn’t tell me half the things he did, but he also knew I wasn’t going to go blabbing what I’d heard all over town. No matter what Darla did to me.

  I headed to the pet supply store, and thought about who in Frank’s life would have benefited from his death. I wondered if Greg had talked to the lawyer about the will yet. Did the trail of murder run side by side with the trail of money?

  I couldn’t think of what reason I could give an attorney to get additional information about Frank. I could lie and say I worked with Greg. And I did, technically. We worked last month on the back gardens up against the house. They were beautiful now and the lilies were just starting to fan out and fill the planter boxes.

  But that was probably pushing the definition. Especially if Greg found out. I consoled myself with a milkshake on the way home. And I’d gotten Emma a new stuffed animal I would give her before I left for the weekend. I hated for my dog to be sad. It was bad enough that Toby wasn’t going to be able to watch her this weekend. But she liked Esmeralda too. Emma probably held a doggy party on the back deck when we were out of town.

  Or maybe not.

  When I got home, I decided to let the rest of the to-do list set for the next time I did housecleaning. Which would be two weeks if we stayed in Vegas as long as we were planning. Or, if I drove back with Greg, it would be next week, when I drove him home.

  I picked up a new book and fell into the story. Greg found me there close to six and showed mercy on me. He’d brought home a Diamond Lille’s fried chicken box.

  Life was good.

  * * * *

  Good, but busy. I spent all day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday getting ready to be away on the weekend. We had books to order, payroll to finalize, and, of course, it was the end of the month, so the accountant wanted our books and receipts on Friday. Aunt Jackie had been too busy moving to do any of the monthly reports. I shouldn’t gripe about doing them, except she hadn’t warned me. I’d assumed she was handling them, but apparently, she and Harrold were spending her shift talking and mooning over each other and making plans for a honeymoon that was over a year away. Who does that?

  By the end of my shift on Thursday, I was ready to sell the store, marry Greg, and become a stay-at-home mom with twelve kids. I just didn’t know if he would rubber-stamp the plan.

  I stopped at Diamond Lille’s for lunch on my way home. I was still driving back and forth to work, which seemed totally stupid, but it made Greg feel better. In the morning, Emma whined and stared at her leash, but we were banned from the beach as well. I’d just ordered food and had my iced tea and a book open when my phone rang.

  “I’m not coming back,” I said to Toby. I knew his cell number. And my phone showed a picture of whoever was calling. As long as I’d set it up right.

  He chuckled. “I’m not calling you back. Greg called looking for you. He said you could go running today if you wanted.”

  I sat up straighter. “He caught the guy?”

  “No such luck. But they found the truck. Parked in the art district in the city. Apparently, it had a few parking tickets, so when the cop who was going to tow it ran the plates, he found our APB.”

  “They just dumped it?”