Townsend Development occupied a building on Main Street that didn’t belong in Blithedale. A square of glass and steel, it looked as if someone had lopped off the top of a city skyscraper and dumped it between the Blithedale municipal building and the public library.
Passing the parking lot out front, she pretended to be sauntering by as she studied the cars. It didn’t take her long to guess which one belonged to Darrell. It was a large, black SUV with vanity license plates that said, “DRL 4EVR.”
Past the public library, she stopped. She needed to watch the front of the building to spot Darrell coming out. Across from Townsend Development lay a small cafe called Bonsai & Pie.
Alice crossed the street.
Inside, the cafe was tiny. The only seating was a row of four stools under a counter by the window. Behind that, the glass display nearly spanned the width of the room with lots of pies on display. A tabletop fountain sat on the counter, with water cascading down three tiers of granite rock.
The thing that stood out the most, however, was that every other surface—from the counter to shelves along the walls—held pots or trays with distinctive, miniature trees. Bonsais.
There were tiny pine trees, one that looked like a maple, and another with beautiful white flowers.
Turning her attention to the glass counter, Alice bent down to take a look at the pies. Key lime pie. Apple. Cherry. Coconut cream. Georgia peach. Strawberry and rhubarb. Sweet potato. Chocolate pecan. There was even a tiramisu.
“See anything you like?”
At the sound of the woman’s voice, Alice straightened up. The woman had a shaved head, dreamcatcher earrings, and a loose tie-dyed dress.
“Did you make all these?”
“Yes, and the bonsais, too.”
The woman made a sweeping gesture, and Alice looked around at the bonsai trees again. A couple stood on the window counter, one on the glass case, and the rest on wall shelving. All told, there must be more than a dozen.
“So many,” Alice said. “And they all look different.”
“That’s a juniper. And that one’s a Japanese maple.” The woman gave Alice a sad smile. “But look at me, gabbing away. I love bonsais and could talk about them for hours. I’m Andrea, by the way, and you must be Alice.”
“Nobody’s a stranger in a small town, huh?”
Andrea nodded. “Plus, you made a dramatic entrance in a wedding dress.”
Alice couldn’t deny that. She ordered a cup of coffee and settled onto a stool by the window. She had a clear view of Darrell’s workplace as well as his car.
She sipped her coffee. A man left the building and got into a Lexus and backed out of the lot. She watched the car turn onto Main Street and drift away. If that had been Darrell, she wouldn’t have been able to check if he was wearing a necklace or not. And because she didn’t have a car, she couldn’t follow. She took a sip of coffee and considered how she could get closer.
The door to the cafe opened and a woman entered.
“Here you go, Lorraine,” Andrea said, handing the woman a pie box.
“Oh, the book club ladies will be so pleased. Your key lime is everyone’s favorite.”
The woman hurried out and Alice watched her cross the street and climb the steps to the public library. She guessed Lorraine was a librarian bringing her friends a treat for afternoon coffee. And that gave her an idea.
“Andrea, what’s your most popular pie?”
“Apple crumble. It’s a crowd pleaser.”
Alice drained her coffee and slid off the stool.
“One apple crumble to go.”