Chapter 11

I slept fitfully that night yet woke feeling optimistic that things would work out all right. Motivational quotes bedecked the walls of my suite, and I zeroed in on my favorite: One day at a time. A colossal impact for so few words.

After a shower, I slipped into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt and pulled my hair back into a ponytail—again. I delayed leaving for a minute to inspect my appearance in a mirror. Other than my typically intense cobalt-blue eyes looking a little dull this morning, no one would be the wiser and know anything was wrong. Or so I hoped, anyway. Of course, Sister Alice would be the first to let me know if she thought otherwise. 

Tony was in the kitchen putting together a sweet roll basket at the work island. I snatched one, grabbed a giant mug, and strode over to the coffeepot. “Morning,” I said.

He glanced at me and then back to his project. “Look what the cat dragged in.” 

His hair was plastered in place with more than a dollop of gel. “I could say the same. How’s the headache this morning? You look a little better, at least.”

“I’m doing great. Benefits of being young.” 

I grinned. “Young is a subjective term.” 

“I’m choosing to ignore that observation.” 

“You’re older than me by two years, and I feel ancient this morning.” I took a much-needed swallow from my huge cuppa joe.

“Anything happen after I left yesterday?” he asked.

“Nothing worth mentioning.” My palms began to sweat as I thought about the phone call that ruined my night. I’d need to consume at least two mugs of coffee before delving into that this morning. “I’ll be in the office for a while, and then I have to run an errand around nine. Do you have things covered here?”

“Ye of little faith. Of course I do. Where are you going? Or is it none of my business?”

“I told you, an errand. It shouldn’t take me long. Jade and Lily are on their regular schedules today, so Lily will be in at eight.”

“You know what they say about when the cat’s away—”

“The mice—”

“Will play solitaire,” he said.

“I’m installing cameras in the kitchen,” I teased. 

“Too bad you didn’t have one in the kitchen the night Ivan died.”

My eyes flew wide open, and I gasped. “Tony, you’re a genius.” 

Tony studied me for a minute and cocked his head. “It’s about time you realized that. But tell me why you think so.”

“The cameras.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “What cameras?”

“The security camera doorbell and the one installed on the back that overlooks the lake.”

He visibly relaxed and returned to grating the mozzarella cheese for a spinach and bacon quiche. “Oh, that. I never understood what possessed you to have that doorbell cam on an inn. You’ve gotta be getting a million alerts on your phone. From the back camera too, what with the lake, the bonfire pit, and everything else back there.”

I assumed everything else he referred to was the fishers, ice skaters, and wanderers. “It’s worth it.”

“Your grandparents never had one, and they did fine.”

“They never had a murder here, either.”

He cast a look over his shoulder at me. “You had them installed long before the murder. Besides, I’m not sure what that says about you after being here for only six months.”

I shook my finger at him. “You’ll see what a benefit the cam will be. And if I can find someone coming in here around the time of the murder, that alone makes it worth it.” When he said nothing, I said, “I know you think I’m crazy. I’m running things as close as possible to the way Grandpop and Honey did. I only added some extra precautions.”

“Well, I’d say those precautions didn’t work.”

“Yet,” I said. “And thanks for the overwhelming support. Maybe I’ll change my mind about the lead chef position.” I stole a glance at him to find my comment didn’t faze him in the slightest bit. “For your information, I had them installed so I can see who’s wandering around the property at night or at the door after hours. If it’s not a guest with a key, they have no business here at night. Plus, I’m hoping to see the bear.”

“And for your information, that didn’t stop the murderer. Unless it was an employee you think is harmless but isn’t. Like Jade.”

“Tony Valentino,” I scolded. “You take that back. You know Jade didn’t do it.”

“No, I don’t know that. And you don’t either.” He pointed a spatula at me. “We hope she didn’t, but we don’t know. She was the last one to see Ivan alive.”

“No, she wasn’t. The killer was.”

“And who’s to say it wasn’t one and the same?” I cast him a long look. “I’m just sayin’.”

As much as I wanted to argue my case, I waffled back and forth on whether I was a hundred percent sure. So I zipped my lips. Or so I thought.

“No. No. No.”

“No, no, no, what?” Tony said. 

Even though my mind had been miles away, I’d remained rooted in the kitchen. I shook my head. “Nothing. Just thinking. Apparently, out loud.”

“Why haven’t the police asked you for the camera footage?”

I squished my eyebrows together. “I don’t know. Maybe they need a warrant first?”

“Or maybe they already have their minds made up without looking at all the evidence.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. But whatever the reason for the delay, it’s to my advantage.” I pulled up the security camera app on my phone, and leaned over the work island, resting on my forearms, the phone between my hands. Tony stood behind me, hovering over my shoulder.

I nudged him with an elbow. “Back up. I can feel your breath in my hair.”

“Ouch. I’ve never had a woman complain about that before.” He began covering the sweet rolls with sheets of plastic.

“First time for everything. Besides, you said I was crazy for having this camera out there, so why are you so interested in seeing what’s on it?” I scanned through the events until I reached the day and the suspected time of the murder. There were only a few captured events. The first was a bear, almost as elusive as the ghost, wandering around the campfire ring; the second was two guests coming in through the back entrance; the third was a fox trotting across the parking lot. I was losing hope when I opened the next one and caught my breath as I watched. “Tony. Com'ere and look at this.” 

He came up behind me. “Permission to look over your shoulder?” I elbowed him again, harder, and he grunted. “Ouch. Where’s your dog?”

“I wouldn’t ever let him hear you call him the D word.”

“I’ve heard you do it,” he defended himself, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his apron.

I turned to glance at him. “That’s different. He knows I love him.”

“So when you love someone, it’s okay to call them names? No wonder you’re single.” He snickered.

I stared at him with narrowed eyes. “Again, thinking I’ll hire a new lead chef instead of a sous-chef.”

“You wouldn’t,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You have to sleep sometime.”

I gave him a tired grin.

“All that over calling a dog a dog,” he said.

I pointed toward the kitchen doorway. “Aspen,” I said, loud and clear, “is right over there within hearing range while he waits for me. Now watch,” I ordered as I played the video again—a car’s headlights pulled in slowly before going dark, lights off. The driver parked off to the left of the lot in a dark alcove beneath a giant oak tree. There weren’t any security lights that way, and only the driver’s side was in the camera’s range. We waited, but no one got out. I zoomed in as close as possible but still couldn’t get a bead on the person or the make of the car. 

“Can you tell what kind of car that is?” I asked Tony.

He leaned in closer, and I moved over to the side a bit. “Breathing in your hair again?”

“No. Unlike you, I’m courteous and giving you space to see better.” 

“Um-hm.” After a moment, he said, “I can’t tell anything by looking at this. It’s too far away and in the dark. And the clarity in this video sucks. Are they all like that?” 

“I didn’t say it was a state-of-the-art camera. It’s a knockoff brand.”

“I can tell.”

“Whatever.” I played the video again and waited for someone to get out of the car. The door began to open. “There,” I said, pointing to the screen. I waited for the interior lights to come on, but none did. And then, as I held my breath, waiting to see the person, the door closed again. It didn’t reopen during the rest of the video, and there wasn’t any further activity to activate the camera again. I clicked on the following video eight minutes after the last, and the camera caught the car driving away, lights off. 

“Darn it.” I stood up and nearly knocked into Tony’s chin. He jumped and wheeled around toward the oven. When he opened the door, the smell of cinnamon billowed out and wafted toward me. My mouth watered. 

I sighed and logged out of the app. “I have to leave in a couple of hours, and I’ll be gone most of the morning.”

“So you’ve already said.” He stopped what he was doing and looked at me as if I was a sandwich short of a picnic. “You okay? Considering, I mean.” 

“Yep. Disappointed, but other than that, peachy.” I forced a smile. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. For sure to take over by the time you leave.”

“What’s the plan for my replacement? I’m not the only one who can’t continue two shifts every day. You can’t work ’round the clock either.”

I filled him in on Sister Alice’s suggestion last evening. He abruptly halted and stared at me.

“What?” I asked. 

“What we do isn’t something just anyone can fill in for. It takes training.”

I ignored the part where he sounded a little like Ivan. “No one said this person will be as good as you. But Sister Alice seems to have someone in mind who could have out-cooked Ivan.”

“Well, as good as he was, I could have done that,” Tony mumbled as he rolled his eyes. “It’s just that—can we at least see what she can do before we agree to it?”

“Of course,” I assured him. “You and I will agree together. This is your domain.” When he relaxed a little, I said, “Now, I gotta get Aspen out for at least a short time before we run our errands.” Errands. Yeah, right. “I’ll see you in a while. Call if you need anything.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” he said with a salute, spatula still in hand.

I pivoted toward the doorway and scurried before he could launch more queries in my wake. 

I snapped Aspen’s leash on his harness, then decided to let him roam and unclipped it again. We headed toward a trampled path through the woods. Aspen perked up and pranced beside me, no doubt relieved we’d finally gotten going. There wasn’t enough time to take him around Lakeshore Trail, but a short walk was better than none. By the time I got done talking with Detective Griffin this morning, I hoped this wouldn’t be our last walk. My heart rate sped up faster than it should have for just getting started. But Aspen didn’t seem to notice; his focus centered on two squirrels scampering around an enormous bright-yellow-leafed Eastern Cottonwood. 

Maple trees with bright tangerine-colored leaves and birch trees with fluttering golden yellow leaves surrounded the path. And oak trees displayed deep red leaves that reminded me of the murder. I shook my head to cast the memory from my mind. Aspen trotted next to me, staying close as if sensing my worry. Which only made me worry more. What would he do if they threw me in the slammer? Jail was no place for a dog. I wondered if Sister Ida allowed dogs in the house so Aspen could stay with Sister Alice. I shook my head again. This was silly. I had done nothing wrong, so I wasn’t going to jail. Was I? 

After another twenty minutes of trying fruitlessly to focus on the beauty encircling me, we headed back toward the inn. Lily should be there by now. I could check in with her before going to my office to brainstorm ideas for someone to help in the kitchen until I found a permanent replacement. I could ask one of the several part-time employees who covered the coffee bar, along with other miscellaneous needs, but they were part-time for a reason; they either had other jobs, kids, were in school, or other variables. And at the risk of sounding like Ivan and Tony, not just anyone could be a chef. I sighed and switched gears as I thought about my search for an attorney. I camped there for a moment to process the decision that could make or break me. I still hadn’t decided on that one yet. I was innocent. Innocent people don’t need an attorney.

My phone rang. I snagged it from my coat pocket and looked at the display. 

“Hey, Sister Alice. You must have been reading my mind.”

“I talked to Sister Eunice. She said she’d love to help Tony until you find someone permanent.”

“Really?” I exclaimed, causing Aspen to look up at me. “I mean, Tony and I need to talk with her first.” 

“Of course you do. But I wouldn’t scare her away when she’s the best option you’ve got right now. And I’m telling you, she could give Ivan a run for his money.”

“Can she come by this afternoon between noon and two? I’ll be back by then, and Tony will still be there.”

“I’m sure that won’t be a problem. She was helping Sister Ida at Lakes News and Reviews, but they cut her position. So she’ll be happy to get out and about.”

Lakes News and Reviews was the talk of the town last spring and summer when someone murdered a reporter for secretly working on a story about big pharma dumping drugs into the lakes, causing billions of dollars of damage. Worse, the owner of Lakes News and Reviews was in cahoots with the pharmaceutical company at fault. While the reporter’s murder permanently silenced her, it busted the story wide open into a scandal. New ownership ensued at News and Reviews, and they brought Sister Ida and Sister Eunice on board immediately after. My guess? It was a purely political move to help improve the company’s reputation.

“They don’t feel they need her to improve their image anymore, or what?”

“That could be one argument, I suppose. The other could be that it wasn’t her cup of tea to begin with. It was assigned to her without a say in the matter.”

“Nice.” 

“Attitude problem this morning, dear?” she asked in a no-nonsense tone.

I stopped walking, kneeled beside Aspen, and wrapped my arm around his neck. “I have to talk to Detective Griffin this morning. What if—”

“Part of the coaching process is encouraging your clients not to entertain ‘what if’ scenarios, am I right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Don’t be a yeahbut.”

“What?” I scrunched my face in confusion.

“Someone who denies themselves happiness or satisfaction regardless of the outcome. Don’t be one of those. The outcome will be fine. You’ll see.”

“Easy for you to say. Will you take care of Aspen for me if it’s not fine?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Of course I will,” she scoffed. “But if I tell you that, you’ll concede easier. Don’t do that. You’ve done nothing wrong. We’ll find the person who did this.”

“I wish I was as confident as you are.” 

“With age comes wisdom. You’ll get there. Eventually.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll see you this afternoon,” I said.

“That’s my girl,” she said. “And Andie Rose?”

“Yeah?” 

“You’re welcome.”

I grinned. “No wonder you and Sister Ida butt heads.”

“Well, all three of us know which of us has more fun. God knows I love her anyway. That’s what matters.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Despite the heaviness hanging over me, our conversation somewhat lessened the funk I’d fallen into. At least now I was hanging onto a flimsy branch on the cliffside instead of falling to my death into the abyss. But, still, the usual sanguine person who often annoyed people had moved out. It needed to come back home and kick the residing wimp out. Better an empty house than a bad tenant.

I stood and took a long inhale, settled a fist on my hip, posture erect. I’d seen a lawyer on a television show do that to promote confidence before attending a court process, and I’d found it worked miracles. I even suggested it to my coaching clients who dealt with confidence issues. I stood, probably looking like an idiot, but I didn’t give two hoots what anyone else thought about me. I was innocent. 

I might be a life coach helping clients navigate tough spots and realize their potential, but Sister Alice helped me recognize the importance of having a coach. And how hard it was to follow the suggestions I so easily handed to others.

I saw Lily, Marcie, and Frank’s cars parked in the lot when I reached the inn. I hopped up the stairs to the front entrance, my strength and energy revived a tad by Mother Nature, and almost bumped into Frank as he came out the door. Aspen was so close on my heels that he smacked into me at the abrupt stop and rubbed his paw over his snout. Frank’s bib overalls already had dirt on the front.

“Watch it there, Petunia. Don’t want to get hurt at the beginnin’ of your day.” He smiled through front teeth stained from years of chewing tobacco. He spit into the bushes beside the front stoop.

“Frank, that stuff will kill you. You know that, right?”

“It comes from a plant, Miss Andie. And my life is workin’ with plants. Me and plants are one with each other.”

“Marijuana is a plant, too, and you don’t do that.”

He looked down then back up at me. “Yeah? How d’ya know?”

I grinned. “Wild guess.”

He sniggered and went about his way to the gardening shed with the attached greenhouse.

“Hey, Lily,” I said as I strode up to the desk. “How’re things?”

She held up her coffee mug and took a gulp. “Better now. Jade coming in today?”

“I haven’t heard that she’s not. Why?”

She tipped her head to the side, tilting her chin down. “That girl’s as flighty as they come when there’s not drama, much less if there is. How that child of hers is such a good kid is beyond me.”

I smiled and rested my hand lightly on her shoulder. “Sometimes it’s hard to understand other generations.”

“You both are about the same age, and you’re not like that.”

“Everyone’s different,” I said, feeling a responsibility to defend Jade. “We need to give people room to be who they are, not who we expect them to be.” 

“Hm.” She twisted her lips. “I guess not all of us can be that good.”

“I didn’t say I do that. It just seemed like the right thing to say.” 

Lily nodded. “Well, it’s not a secret that she thinks I’m an old bat, so I guess we’re even.” She took another swallow. “Tony makes better coffee than Ivan did.”

I looked at her mug, a picture of the Maxine comic strip character, that said “Going to check out a couple of antiques—yep, time for my mammogram.”

I howled with laughter. That it was so out of her dapper and somewhat proper demeanor made it funnier. Finally containing myself, I glanced at my watch, shocked at how fast the last hour zipped by. “I’m going to fill a travel mug and run an, uh, errand. I should be back soon.”

“Want me to keep Aspen here?”

“No,” I said a bit too abruptly. I needed him with me. For one, I was going into a stressful situation. Second, Detective Griffin might be less inclined to throw me in the clink if a support animal was with me. “I’ll take him. But thanks, anyway.”