Tea Cups and Carnage (8 page)

I filled my mouth with a large bite of the salad, chewing my way through the living room. Peeking through the side window, I hurried and swallowed. Swinging the door open, Darla pushed a potted plant into my hands and moved me backward into the living room, not waiting for an invitation.

“Hey Darla, what are you doing here?” I knew what she wanted, but it’s always fun to play the game. Especially when they bring you presents. I sat the plant on the table near the door. The fern was in a Mexican-inspired clay pot that would look amazing on the front porch. And maybe if I kept it outside, it wouldn’t die on me. Greg had started calling me the foliage serial killer, since most of the plants he’d bought for me had wound up in the bottom of my trash bin.

Darla had sat on the couch, Emma in front of her with her head on the visitor’s knee. “Oh, I thought we could chat a bit. I’m doing a story on the Summer Festival and I wanted your take on how it was going so far.”

I crossed the room and sat on a chair across from her. “Good, but I don’t have any solid numbers for you. Mary said it would take a few weeks for those and, as you probably know, she’s gone to Idaho to help Ashley with the new baby.”

“But you have the food truck down at the beach. This is your first time doing an annex so to speak, how’s that going?” Darla sat straight, her pen at the ready.

Crap, I hadn’t even checked in with the truck this morning. They could be out of everything and just close up shop while Toby or Nick ran to the store for supplies. My gaze darted to the kitchen where my lunch sat. New plan, get rid of Darla, grab a slice of bread, swipe it with a tablespoon of peanut butter, and walk down to the beach. I’d eat the salad once I made sure the food truck was okay. “Honestly, I was just going down to check on the guys. I didn’t hear how it went last night. They probably reported to Aunt Jackie.”

“Oh.” Darla put her notebook into her purse and with her head tilted away from me, she asked the real question she’d come to ask. “So what happened out at the Coastal Inn? According to the manager, your boy still has room 110 yellow-taped off as a crime scene. Tilly’s a little upset since she thinks she’s losing her walk-up business. People don’t like to rent where there might be cops hanging around.”

“Sounds like you know more than me.” I moved the book to the center of the coffee table and lined it up with the long edge.

“Liar. You know something, I can tell by the way you’re avoiding the question.” Darla leaned forward. “Do you know who it was? Tilly was a little vague on the guy’s name.”

“When I check into a hotel, I have to show my driver’s license and a credit card. I take it Tilly didn’t get this from the dead guy?”

Darla laughed so loud Emma jumped from the spot where she’d been begging for attention from the new visitor. “Tilly doesn’t even look at the guest sign-in register anymore. How many Mr. and Mrs. Smiths can there be in the world?”

“But this guy wasn’t an hourly customer. He’d been at the Inn all week. Didn’t she get any information about him?”

Darla smiled and I realized I’d leaked some information. But the good news was, it hadn’t come from Greg. I’d seen the guy racing up and down Main Street. Or at least I thought it was the same guy.

“I guess her recordkeeping skills aren’t completely up to par.” Darla pulled out her notebook and scribbled something. “I take it you found out this from Greg?”

“No.” I paused, then, knowing I had to say something, I gave her the least amount I could. “I saw him drive past the shop on Tuesday, the day of the meeting. Didn’t you see him?”

She thought a moment, sticking the cap end of the pen into her mouth. “I remember Josh mentioning something about unreliable types but I thought we were talking about the festival.”

“We were, but the sound of the motorcycle was what got Josh all hot and bothered.” Well, besides the fact that Aunt Jackie was sitting with Harrold and Austin had stolen his spot next to Kathi. I wondered if his interest in the new shop owner was real or if he was trying to make my aunt jealous. Darla’s next comment brought me back to the conversation.

“That’s kind of a brief glimpse, how do you know it was the same guy?”

I ran my hand through my now dry hair. “I don’t,” I admitted. “Except I saw him again later that afternoon when he almost ran over a woman in front of Diamond Lille’s. He had on the same cut, one with a big pig on the back. I remembered seeing the pig when the motorcycle passed.”

“A pig? The local gang has a coyote or a wolf; I can never get that straight. Who would have a pig?” Darla wrote the word pig and underlined it.

“No clue. But I’ve got to get down to the beach and check on the truck. Do you want to walk down with me?” I didn’t really want the company, but maybe Darla would let something slip and I could figure out who had been killed at the no-tell motel without asking my boyfriend.

Darla stood and shook her head. “I’ve got to open the winery in a few minutes. Are you and Greg coming by tonight?” she asked, her tone hopeful.

“I probably won’t see him until after the festival is over. I’m working Sunday morning at the food truck, but I’ll probably go back later for the fireworks.” I wondered how many customers we’d have that late in the evening, but Aunt Jackie had reminded me that we could sell apple cider and hot chocolate as well as coffee. Still, I thought we’d sell more if we figured out an ice cream menu. Maybe coffee ices? This weekend’s sales records would help make my case. Ice cream and a small display of books.

I was talking to an empty room. Darla had already left the house so I walked to the door and waved when she looked up at the house from her subcompact. She looked so uncomfortable, crammed into the small front seat. The vehicle had South Cove Winery painted on the side with a follow me sticker on the back along with a wine glass. She seemed to love it. I personally liked driving something a little bigger.

I shut the front door and locked it. Emma looked up expectantly and I debated taking her with me. Since I wouldn’t be actually working the truck, I decided she could come along and after clicking the leash, we headed to the beach.

To my surprise, the coffee shack had a long line. Looking at the women standing there, I realized why the line was so long. Toby’s girls had followed him from the coffee shop to the beach food truck. I bet Sasha was bored out of her mind at the main shop. I knocked on the side door and a frazzled Nick stuck his head out. “What?”

His eyes flew open even wider and he put his hands up. “Gosh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. We’re just slammed.”

“How long has it been this way?” I nodded to the line.

Nick looked at his watch. “Since just after noon? We were busy in the morning, but nothing like this.”

“How’s your supplies? Do you need anything?”

I saw Toby pull the boy back into the trailer. “You go make coffee. I’ll chat up the boss.”

“You like having a minion.” I grinned. Emma barked a short hello. She liked Toby, especially after he moved into the shed a few months ago. I had a feeling they played a lot of catch when I wasn’t home. Toby didn’t seem to sleep much, if at all.

“I love having a minion. And Sadie raised him right. He’s polite, charming to the ladies, and a hard worker. He could probably take my job in a few years.” He turned his head back into the truck when he heard a large bang.

“Sorry,” Nick yelled. “I’m okay.”

Toby smiled at me. “I need to get back. The kid is all thumbs. Did you need something?”

“Just wondering if you needed supplies or if I needed to make a bank run?” With this crowd, my idea of having a low-selling weekend was going out the window. So much for ice cream.

“Nah, I stopped at the shop on the way here for cups and stuff. We may need to restock tonight before we close up, but I dropped the money bag off with your aunt from last night’s take and she had a new one for me this am.” He cocked his head. “I guess she didn’t tell you?”

I needed to be more active in this area. Especially after Aunt Jackie lost the city’s check.

Another crash sounded in the truck. “Sorry,” Nick yelled again. “It’s fine.” Although this time, he didn’t sound as confident. Toby and I looked at each other.

“You better go.” I shortened Emma’s leash as she was leaning too hard into the truck where a piece of cheesecake now sat on the floor just out of reach. “Call me if you need anything.”

I circled back around to the front of the truck. A twenty-something woman with purple stripes in her blond hair grinned. “That man could call me if he didn’t need anything.”

I smiled and headed back across the parking lot to get away from Toby’s girls. Sometimes they could get a little intense.

“Hey, Gardner. Come over here, I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” Lille stood at the edge of the parking lot watching the food truck.

I knew she hadn’t been happy when Austin had sold the truck to us when his wife passed, but that had been months ago. I wondered what I’d done now. I stopped a few feet away to give Emma a chance to greet the restaurant owner. “Hey Lille, what’s going on?”

“Who said you could steal my best worker?” She pointed at Nick now handing a coffee cup to the woman who’d spoken to me about Toby. I watched as the woman reached up and ruffled his hair and then tucked a bill into the tip jar.

“I didn’t know you offered him a job this summer. I talked to Sadie and she said he was free to work.” I felt a little confused. I hadn’t even been sure that Lille knew Nick had been her dishwasher before he’d gone to school. Tiny, the cook, typically hired all the back of the house staff.

“Whatever, just don’t screw with him. The kid needs money for college.” And with that, Lille climbed on her Harley, strapped a helmet on, and roared out of the parking lot.

I looked down at Emma. “Totally weird, don’t you think?”

She woofed. Which either meant, “You got that right,” or more likely, “Why aren’t we running?”

I turned back and watched Nick and Toby for a minute longer. The two were laughing about something a customer had said. Nick’s face looked beet red. I needed to talk to Sadie and ask her about Lille’s behavior.

The answer could be Lille is Lille. But there felt like there was something more in the way she watched the boy. Protective, mother bear even. If I didn’t know Nick was Sadie’s son, I would have thought Lille was his mom.

Looking both ways, we crossed Highway One and headed back to the house and my salad.

I could see the house when Ivy crossed over the street and waved me down. “Hey, you’re the woman that owns the coffee shop, right?”

I put a smile on and turned ignoring my growling stomach. “That’s me.” I held out my hand. “I’m Jill. You’re Ivy, Kathi’s sister.”

She shook my hand vigorously. “That’s me. Sorry about the outburst last night. Sometimes we Corbins don’t realize other people are around when we get into family stuff.”

“No worries.” I looked at my hand that she was still shaking.

She dropped it like she’d been burned. “Sorry. I’m a total klutz in the social department. I never was comfortable talking to people.” Ivy blushed red. “Look at me talking your head off. All I wanted to say was how much I love your little shop. I’ve always wanted my own store and that would be exactly what I would open if I had the money.”

“Are you going to work with your sister?” I looked down at Emma who was smiling at Ivy, asking for some attention. The dog liked her and that made me relax a bit with the woman.

Ivy leaned down and gave Emma a hug, patting her as she rose to her feet. “Pretty dog.” She looked toward the beach. “I better get going. I’m looking forward to seeing the Pacific. I’ve never been this close before.”

And then she ran down the road toward the beach and the ocean. I was unlocking the front door, and letting Emma inside when I realized Ivy hadn’t answered my question.

After eating, I settled back on the couch. With Greg busy with the investigation and the rest of town celebrating the Summer Festival, I was on my own for the evening. I could go down to the beach, but I’d probably wind up working the food truck and sending Nick and Toby home. They wanted the hours, so instead I curled up and started reading.

My phone buzzed just as I finished my book, putting it on the table with a satisfied sigh. Sasha had been right, again. The girl could pick a book as well as I could remember a regular’s drink order. I glanced at the display.

“Hey you. How’s the shop going?”

Aunt Jackie huffed into the phone. Sometimes she reminded me of the tigers I loved to visit at the local zoo. “What, you expect it to fall apart because you’re not here?”

I closed my eyes. Great, she was in one of her moods. In the past, they occurred mostly when she was dating Josh and he’d done something stupid. “You called me, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to remind you to do the bank deposit tomorrow. I didn’t see a deposit slip in the office drawer so I’m assuming you have the envelope with you?” I heard the door chime and my aunt call out, “Have a good evening.”

“I’ll have you know, I made the deposit. Check online if you don’t believe me.” I turned on the television, hit mute and thumbed through the guide wondering why I had over three hundred channels with nothing to watch.

“The system is down. Why didn’t you leave the deposit slip in the desk?” Her voice cracked.

“Hold on, are you all right? You’re not crying are you?” I turned the television off and sat down the remote.

“I’m fine. I just wish you would follow procedures so I don’t have to make these kinds of calls.” And then she hung up on me.

“Apparently, I broke a new rule regarding bank deposits today.” I looked at Emma. “Your Aunt Jackie is going off her rocker. Maybe we need to send her off on a vacation.”

Emma lifted her head and looked at the door. Realizing no one was there, she lay back down and fell asleep.

I chalked my aunt’s edginess up to losing the check earlier this week, but before I went to bed, I did a Google search on dementia, just to see if she had any symptoms.

When I decided her actions didn’t fit the symptoms, I deleted the history. No need for her to find that on my web history by accident.