Killer Run (16 page)

“I'll do some number crunching tonight. I was hoping it wouldn't be much. Since we put Sasha on full-time, the profit margin has been a little tight.” I finished eating and took my plate to the sink to rinse.

“You do have the Miss Emily fund,” my aunt reminded me. My friend had left me a sizeable inheritance as well as the house I was continually remodeling last year when she died. Well, when she was murdered. So far, I'd spent some of the money for remodels and set up a couple of college funds for some very distant relatives of my friend.

I finished off the rest of my orange juice. “I'm considering that money my rainy day fund.”

“It might be time to think about the rain.” My aunt shrugged. “I just think if we're going to jump into this season, we may want to buy soon so we aren't late to the party. If they already have a coffee/treat vendor, we won't get invited to the festivals.”

 

I thought about my aunt's warning as I drove into Bakerstown for the third day in a row. This time it was just me, and I turned the stereo up to full-blast level, singing along with my favorite songs, trying to get the food truck out of my mind.

Maybe we needed more information. Like a field trip to a festival to see if they did already have a coffee truck. No use getting worked up about something that might never happen. I made a mental note to check out local festivals on Sunday. Maybe Amy would want to come along and we could make a girls' day out of the errand.

One decision done, I turned in to the parking lot of Home Heaven and grabbed the list of items I'd need to strip the metal bed frame. After that, I drove to Bakerstown Floral. Allison Delaine was working on a floral arrangement in the front of the shop when I entered.

“Good morning, how can I help you?” she called out, her Southern accent softening her words.

I handed her a card that listed off my position as liaison for the South Cove City Council. “I'm Jill Gardner, and I run the Business-to-Business committee for South Cove. I saw you on the news last night and realized we'd never met, so here I am, meeting and greeting.”

She broke into a wide smile. “I can't believe they finally ran that interview. We recorded it almost three months ago. I guess yesterday was finally a slow news day.”

“Well, any publicity is good, right?” I took in the shop. The smell of cold, fragrant flowers was overwhelming. “I'd love to chat about your committee and how you run things. I've been liaison with South Cove now for over five years, and it feels like it's time to mix it up.”

Allison tucked the last red rose into the bouquet and turned it from side to side to check its balance. The final piece was stunning. “I'm sure you'd find our little meeting boring. I barely can get anyone to come unless they want to complain about something. Last month I invited a guest speaker on shop safety and had three regular members show up. It was embarrassing.”

“But those three members got good advice, right?” I played with a dangling ribbon that had come unrolled while Allison was working. “Believe me, I'm fighting with the same problems. Maybe we can brainstorm some solutions.”

She took out her planner. “I could do coffee next week, if that will work. I've got an employee to cover the early shift on Wednesday. How about I come by your place at ten?”

I took one of her cards off the counter and wrote the day and time on the back. “Perfect. I'm looking forward to chatting.”

“I am, too. I had talked to a PR company about doing some pro bono work for the committee last month, but she turned me down.” Allison put the calendar back under her counter and then put the completed bouquet into the refrigerator behind her. “One down, six more to do today before my delivery guy gets here.”

Clearly, that was my clue to exit stage right. “I'll be out of here then.” I tapped the card on the counter, curious whether the PR company she'd referred to was Promote Your Event. “The agency must have been doing really well for her to turn down your offer. I'm sure they would have gotten a lot of business from the committee members just by doing a little free work.”

She took a purple vase off a nearby ledge and pulled a pile of different-colored lilies from a box on the bottom refrigerator shelf. She shook her head. “Actually, no. Sandra, she's the owner, said she was selling the business. That's why she didn't agree to take on our work. I got the impression the deal was already in the works.”

R
eturning to South Cove, I drove through town on my way back to my house. Sadie Michaels's purple PT Cruiser sat in front of Coffee, Books, and More. I parked the Jeep behind it and went into the shop. Toby looked up from checking off the delivery list. “Hey, boss, what are you doing here?”

“Stopped to see Sadie. Is she in the back?” I walked around the counter and headed to the back office door.

“Yep. They're finishing the last load of the order.” He pointed to the clipboard. “We've been killing it with the Sweet Summer Lemon Surprise this week.”

“Sadie and her specials.” I paused, remembering that tonight was date night. I needed to hurry if I was going to get anything done before Greg showed up. The cheesecake would be perfect with coffee after our dinner. Or maybe iced tea. I'd put a jar of sun tea on the porch as soon as I got home. “Pack one up for me, will you?”

“It's a lot of calories. You sure you don't want just a slice?” Toby set the clipboard down and leaned on the counter. “You know you can't resist temptation.”

“Jerk. Greg's taking me out tonight, and I thought I'd serve dessert on the back porch.” I studied my midday barista. “If it's any of your business.”

Grinning, he saluted me. “Your wish, yada, yada, yada. Greg didn't mention he'd be off-duty tonight. I guess I'd better think twice before calling and interrupting your date. I'd hate to lose both of my jobs at once.”

“Whatever.” I pushed through the swinging door separating my back office and storeroom from the front of the building. Sadie was standing by the walk-in wrapped in the arms of Dustin Austin, her new boyfriend. She must have heard my entrance because her face turned beet red and she pushed away from Austin.

“Jill. I didn't expect to see you today.” She ran her hands down her hair to make sure it was straight and snuck a peek at Austin as she did. She reached over to straighten his T-shirt. I had to admit, the guy made sixties grunge look good on a middle-aged man.

“Apparently not. Hey, Austin, how are things in the bike rental business?” I looked around the crowded storeroom. At least they'd put away the delicate desserts before falling into each other's arms for a steamy kiss.

“Actually, better than I expected. I was concerned when that walk was scheduled for last weekend. You know, Saturday is my highest rental day of the week, but apparently, the participants are fitness nuts. I got more rentals Sunday than I have all season. And I'm expecting a tour group this weekend that's renting over the three days.” He checked his watch and kissed Sadie on the forehead. “Sorry, sweetie, but I've got to go open the shop. I'll call you tonight.”

I watched as he walked out to the front of the shop, then I turned back to my friend. “So, things are going good?”

She slapped my arm. “Stop teasing. I wish you hadn't seen that.”

“Believe me, I've seen two people kissing before.” I pointedly looked at the storeroom. “Although I think this is the first for this location.”

“Austin was helping me with my deliveries this morning. We don't get a lot of time together on the weekends.” Sadie smiled and grabbed hold of the handcart. “I bet you and Greg have the same issue right now.”

“If tonight's date goes as planned, this will be the second time I've seen him since the walk.” I held the door open for her as she maneuvered the empty cart. “I started remodeling my guest room to keep myself busy.”

Toby snorted. “And took on the task of finding Harrold's vandal.”

“Jill, you didn't.” Sadie stood the cart next to the counter. “You could be in danger. What if the person finds out you're looking for him or her? They could go after you or your shop.”

“Where devils fear to tread, Jill jumps in,” Toby deadpanned.

I sat on one of the stools. “Look, I'm not doing anything dangerous. I'm just trying to help out a fellow business owner.”

“I hope you're having more luck than the official investigation is. Whoever's been doing this is hiding their tracks well. And they knew that the city hasn't turned on the cameras after the corner where Diamond Lille's is set.” Toby sighed. “Either they are extremely smart about their actions or just plain lucky.”

“I hate to see Harrold have to go through this.” Sadie leaned against the counter. “I can't stand it when I see bad things happening to good people.”

“I know. Harrold's gone through a lot in the last few years.” I felt strands of guilt with my words. I hadn't been focusing on The Train Station vandalism. I'd been off on some wild-goose chase with Aunt Jackie, trying to solve Sandra's murder. Which I had no business doing. And if Toby or Greg found out, I'd be in a bunch of trouble.

Sadie's face brightened. “I know, I'll drop off one of my Sweet Summer Lemon Surprise Cheesecakes to the shop right now. I've got one last one in the truck that I was going to give to Austin, but I think Harrold needs cheering up more.” She shrugged. “Besides, Austin just seems to devour everything I give him. I swear, he'll consume a full cheesecake in a day.”

“The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.” I quoted the old saying. “But it looks like you've already caught that guy, hook, line, and sinker.”

She blushed and pushed the cart to the door. “I'm off to see Harrold, then home. Nick has the afternoon off, and we're going shopping for his dorm room today. He's so excited.”

Nick Michaels, all-around good kid and Sadie's pride and joy, had scored a full-ride scholarship to Stanford. In Sadie's world, that was the best of all possible options. The kid was in a great school, but close enough to come home on the weekends. I didn't want to burst my friend's bubble, but I thought the chances of him coming home most weekends was as slim as if he'd been accepted to Harvard. Nick loved being involved in school projects, so I assumed by the end of his first semester, he'd be a member of, if not running, several school clubs. The kid just liked people.

“Tell him hi for me.” I watched through the window as Sadie put the cart in the back of her car and then sped away to the other side of Main Street. I turned to Toby, who had been watching her, too. “She's just too nice.”

He nodded, then pushed the box holding the cheesecake toward me. “I'm afraid she's going to get hurt.”

I put my hands on the box but didn't lift it. “You mean by dating Austin?”

Toby nodded. “He's too smooth. There's something off about the guy.”

I started to ask Toby more, but then Aunt Jackie burst through the back door dressed in her bright pink walking outfit, complete with a pink sun visor and oversized sunglasses. She took two bottles of water out of the front cooler and put them into a mini backpack. Then she noticed me. “What are you doing here?”

I held up my hands. “Just picking up dessert for tonight. Greg's taking me out for dinner.”

She eyed me suspiciously. “They serve dessert at most restaurants, you know.”

“What can I say? I like to be prepared.” I shrugged and picked up the box. “Besides, Sadie was here and I wanted to say hi.”

“Well, I'm glad you stopped in, actually.” She looked at Toby, then dropped her voice. “The files we picked up from the courthouse aren't complete. I've called Madeline and she has another stack for us. Can you go pick them up?”

“Today? I've already been to Bakerstown this morning.” My hopes of getting the bed frame stripped were decreasing by the minute.

She nodded. “If you don't go today, we won't be able to get them before Monday. The courthouse isn't open on the weekends.”

“You could have called me.”

Aunt Jackie shrugged. “I just realized there were years missing about an hour ago. When I called Madeline, she told me she had the second file on her desk and had forgotten to give it to us. What part of this is my fault?”

I held up my hand. “Fine, I'll go. But I swear, this is my last trip into Bakerstown this week.”

My aunt started to say something, but then the bell over the door rang and Josh entered the shop, dressed in his knock-off tracksuit. Aunt Jackie went around the counter and handed him the backpack. “Well, we're off. If I don't show up for my shift, we're somewhere on the Mission Trail, probably dead from exhaustion.”

“Not funny,” Josh muttered.

I looked at Toby. He grinned and responded, “I thought it was a little funny.”

The two disappeared out the front door, and I watched as they started walking toward the beach and the entrance to the Mission Trail.

“I still don't see those two together as a couple,” Toby muttered, then when the bell over the door rang, he smiled at the group of women who piled through the opening. “Looks like I've got work to do.”

“I'll talk to you later.” I picked up my box and wound my way through the chatting women. Toby knew how to draw in the customers; his personality and good looks had women driving miles just to get his coffee and a smile. He was my best marketing ploy, one that my aunt had hired without my permission. I set the cheesecake on the driver's seat and glanced at the car clock. If I hurried, I could pick up the additional records and be back at the house in just over an hour. I threw my jacket over the cheesecake to keep it cool and out of the sun. Pulling out of the parking spot, I turned on the air-conditioning.

When I arrived at the courthouse, I found a rock-star-front-row parking spot on my first spin around the lot. And then Madeline was at her desk and held out the papers as soon as the elevator doors opened. I parked the Jeep next to the garage and then, using the backyard gate, ran the box to the house. The day's temperatures had even worked in my favor. Instead of the ninety-degree heat we were forecast for the weekend, today had been cloudy and fair, the breeze keeping the temperatures in the seventies.

I slipped the cheesecake box onto the bottom shelf of my fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Fifteen till two by the kitchen clock. Greg would pick me up at six. So that gave me four hours to strip the old paint off the bed frame. I let Emma out to the backyard and grabbed the Home Heaven bag out of my car. I sat on a small bench I'd installed outside the garage and started reading the directions. The stuff had to set for fifteen minutes, and the warnings said to keep it off your skin. I prepped the area in the garage, laying down newspaper, went inside and got a flannel shirt and my gardening gloves, then started brushing away.

The fumes were making me dizzy by the time I'd finished the back railing, but as I stepped away, I could already see the paint dripping away. If this worked, tomorrow I could paint and Monday I'd set up the bed in the morning in time for a new mattress to be delivered that afternoon.

Except, as I thought through my plan, I realized I'd forgotten one thing. I'd already stripped the wood floor, but I needed to varnish it and find a large rug to go under the bed. And I didn't want to have to set up the bed myself. I reevaluated my weekend. Okay, if the bed frame was ready to paint tomorrow, after I got that done, I'd varnish the floors. Then Sunday, I'd drive back into town to find a rug.

But Sunday I was planning to hit a few festivals to check out the food truck option. I could do both. Why not? Maybe some of the flea markets in the area would sell a rug and I could find a quilt, too. I could do it all.

Feeling proud of my ability to time-manage all my tasks into the weekend, I started clearing off the old paint. An hour later, I'd only finished the first pass on the back side. I'd have to reapply the stripper and work harder. As I used the putty knife, I suddenly realized the one flaw in my carefully planned-out weekend. I didn't have wood varnish to finish the floors. I'd have to drive into Bakerstown
again
sometime on Saturday and buy some from Home Heaven.

I was still sure I could do it all by the time my cell rang. I put the phone on speaker so I didn't have to pick it up, as my hands were still in gloves and covered in old paint and stripper. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. Where are you? You sound like you're in a tunnel.” Greg's voice boomed through the speaker and I heard Emma's excited whine from the backyard.

“Working in the garage stripping this bed frame I found.” I reached my arm up and pushed my hair back out of my eyes with my forearm. “I'm considering the wisdom of purchasing new right at this juncture.”

He chuckled. “You like doing things the hard way. And it usually works out for you. I'm on my way over. Do you need anything?”

I looked down in horror at my worn and stained clothes. I'd been hoping for an hour to shower and change. “You're leaving the station now?”

“Actually I'm in Bakerstown. I was with Doc Ames this afternoon.” Which meant he'd been looking over the autopsy records and talking about the cause of death, but we both skipped that part of the sentence.

“Hey, can you stop at Home Heaven and get five gallons of wood floor sealer? I need the clear stuff. Ask Joe, if he's working. He knows what I've been using on the house.” My weekend just got a little less complicated, and I'd have time to get ready for date night. I started putting away my tools from today's activities. At least I'd gotten one thing done and I'd learned a better way to finish the other end first thing in the morning.

“I was thinking something simple like picking up your dry cleaning or a bottle of wine.” Greg sighed. “But yeah, I can stop.”

“I'll see you in thirty to forty minutes?” I pulled off the gloves and took off the oversized man's button-down shirt to reveal a soaked tank below. I really needed a shower. I picked up my phone and turned it off speaker.