I slammed on the brakes right in the middle of the road as my body froze in shock. Ava yelled, but the sound waves hit my ear in slow motion. “JOOOOOOLIEEEEEEEEE!”
Then, time snapped back like a rubber band. “What in the name of Hades are you doing?” Ava screeched, shoving on my arm. “Pull over! Do you need me to drive? You’re going to get yourself, me, and my baby killed!”
Quickly, I looked in my rearview mirror. Luckily, it was the middle of the night by this time and no one was on the road. I realized I was sitting in front of the Leavensport Lions school district, and I pulled over into the large parking lot and took a few deep breaths.
“So, you weren’t using a decoy when you told the deputy you were pregnant back here?” I asked thinking back to Ava on the ground with the cop leaning over her.
“Duh—I just told you I’m preggos!” Ava started then dived into more of an explanation. “Okay, so you know Delilah and I have been talking about kids and looking into ways we could have our own. Well, we found something that worked, and voila!” Ava did jazz hands around her rotund middle area. The pickles and Almond Joy combo was making more sense now.
I took another puffy-cheeked deep breath and let out the air slowly. “I mean, that was last fall, then the marriage during the holiday season. I haven’t heard either of you mention babies since then. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Of course you’re going to make this all about you. I should have known,” Ava huffed. I thought I noticed a tear in her eye as she turned her face away from me, looking out the window of the car.
Hormones already? I guess I didn’t know how far along she was. “Ava, I’m sorry, let me start over. Congratulations! Seriously.” I reached for her hand with one hand and reached across the console to rub her arm with the other hand.
“I’m sorry, I’ve just been so moody. My emotions are all over the place. I feel like I’m losing my mind. Seriously, Jolie, don’t ever get pregnant. I’m not even that far along. We aren’t telling anyone at this point. We want to wait until the twelve-week mark. Another month.” Ava took a jagged breath in and let it out, blowing her nose hard.
“There’s a goose on the loose,” I squealed in the childish way we used to do as kids when one of us blew our nose.
We both cracked up laughing in the car and hugged. “I’m going to be the best auntie ever,” I told her. “I’m going to make Lolly look like Humpty Dumpty after he fell off the wall.”
“You bet you will!” Ava showed me the support I didn’t deserve after my initial reaction. Then she turned her head and squinted. “Hey, isn’t it kind of late for staff?”
I looked over to where Ava pointed. Three men or I guess it could be teens appeared to be coming out of the school building. I couldn’t tell as dark as it was and we were parked in the back by the street. I put the car in drive and turned the lights on, slowly moving toward the small group.
“I wonder if it’s kids doing a prank?” Ava said as we approached.
“Oh man, not you two!” an overgrown man-child said, slapping his pal on the shoulder haphazardly and jerking his thumb at us.
Mr. Cool-Hand Luke was none other than Caleb, the leader of Nestle’s construction crew, and his side-kick, Asher. Unfortunately, I knew the pair all too well since they made it a point to stop in for breakfast at least three times a week. I swore it had to do with Nestle wanting someone to keep an eye on us.
“What on earth are the Belligerent Buddies doing out in the middle of the night at a high school?” Ava queried.
We’d made up the title for the guys since they seemed joined at the hip and were both as rude as two bulls in a china shop.
“So odd for you two to be nosing around in business that doesn’t concern you,” Caleb sneered. “Run along, little girls. Isn’t it past your bedtime?” He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, as if we were children.
“Didn’t I see you at Chocolate Capers recently?” I asked the third guy, the shorter man who I’d seen flirting with my friend Betsy about a week ago.
“He’s Bobby Zane, the new principal here, what of it?” Asher crossed his arms.
“Do you need help?” Ava asked, leaning over me, peering up to Bobby, who seemed fidgety.
“No, these guys are here because…” he fumbled for words, looking from Asher to Caleb.
“We’re going to do some work on the gymnasium. You know, construction stuff.” Caleb pulled his loose-fitting jeans up around his waist, looking down at Bobby.
“Yeah, I’ve had a long day. They were supposed to meet me after school today, but something came up and I ran into them later and here we are. Hey, look at the time.” Bobby rushed his words, looking quickly at his wrist, then putting his hand in his pocket.
He did the motion so quickly that I wasn’t even sure he was wearing a watch.
“M-kay,” I mumbled under my breath while side-eyeing Ava skeptically. I rolled up my window and drove off making a mental note to add Bobby Zane to our I-Spy Slides as suspicious.
The next morning felt like the movie Groundhog Day as I drove into Ava and Delilah’s driveway and beeped twice to pick Ava up again, except this time for work. I’m sure she’d be just as exhausted as me since we got home so late last night.
True to the movie, Delilah came stomping toward me again, not looking any happier than she was last night when we both were in this same position.
“Hey, Jolie, we tried to call you to catch you but we had to leave a message,” Delilah started as I looked at my phone, realizing I’d still had it on mute from when I went to sleep around two a.m., a few hours ago. “Ava’s sick again this morning. I talked her into staying in bed. She said she’d come in a few hours if she’s doing better.”
“No worries. Has she had morning sickness for long?” I asked.
Delilah’s mouth tightened and her lips went white. Uh-oh. “So, she told you. We said we weren’t telling anyone at all until twelve weeks.”
“I don’t know that she would have told me except things got strange last night.” I struggled to find the right words.
Delilah tapped her pretty Color Street Spring Daisies nails on the top of my side mirror. “That’s why I told you I’m not comfortable with this PI business anymore. And it’s not just because she’s pregnant. I mean, it’s that too, but she’s going to be a mom—we’re going to be moms. So, someone else who can’t fight for themselves is going to be our responsibility.”
“Say no more. I get it. I really do. I haven’t had a ton of time to digest anything yet, but I do hear you. I will take the time to think about it and I’ll take care of it. I promise. I mean, I can’t have my little niece or nephew in danger now, can I?” I looked up, smiling at her with my face, but internally I was nervous as I knew I’d still have to solve the case. I’d never known Ava to allow anyone, including me, to tell her what she could or couldn’t do. But under the piercing green-blue eyes of Delilah, I felt obliged to say the right things. “Also, if she needs to stay home today, it’s no trouble. I can call in the Tucker Calvary if I get in over my head at the restaurant.”
I arrived at Cast Iron Creations and was doing the normal morning routine of lights, chairs, coffee brewing, prepping for breakfast while simultaneously rethinking the events of the last few days.
Another violent murder in our town. Too much had been going on over the holidays with the double wedding, selling my house, finding a house, moving in with Mick while Delilah moved in with Ava, not to mention helping Lia set up the shelter. We really needed to find time to look over our I Spy Slides and the connections to the mafia and what we recently found out about what went on in Leavensport in the late nineties.
I counted out twelve to-go boxes and began the breakfasts for the regulars, realizing I’d forgotten the greatest surprise for me was my best friend was pregnant. She had told me, but I hadn’t processed it completely. Plus, I needed to think about what Delilah said. Ava was out there with that cop last night risking her and the baby’s health trying to help me get inside the shelter.
A loud knock at the door up front startled me as I was boxing the last of the breakfasts. Quickly, I peered down at my watch. It wasn’t time to open yet. I picked up the warmer bag and put the boxes in it and wiped my hands on my apron, moving through the double swinging doors of the kitchen to the dining area. I saw Tom Costello with hands clasped, peering in the glass door.
I waved at him as I made a beeline to the cuddly cubicle, as I liked to call it, where we had a bench, big fluffy pillows and books on a bookshelf. The bench allowed guests to sit, read, and sip tea while enjoying the art gallery lane, which was always beautifully decorated by Delilah and her art students. I pushed two books into the shelf and straightened the pillows and then jogged to the door.
“Sorry, I know you’re not open yet,” Tom said, taking his tweed brown walrus hat off as he stepped inside.
“Coffee’s brewing, want a cup?”
“That would be wonderful, thanks.”
I poured a cup for Tom and grinned awkwardly. “What’s up?”
“Um, I can’t seem to get your grandma to give me the time of day. I hate to get you involved but I know she favors you. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to talk to her for me?” Tom sipped his coffee with one hand while restlessly rubbing the back of his neck with the other.
I looked down at my hands, picked up a stool to sit, then changed my mind and pushed the stool to the side. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m not comfortable getting in the middle.”
Tom looked crestfallen.
“Listen, you know Grandma. She’s stubborn. Way more obstinate than most people. So, she needs more time than most people do.”
Tom shifted on the stool. “That’s true. It’s just she yelled at me during the holidays to explain but never gave me the chance. Now, she’s refused to look at me since then. She won’t take my calls, emails, texts, visits.”
“She doesn’t understand. She thought you were one person and found out you were someone else.” I bit my lip feeling an eency-weency bit bad for being so blunt with him.
“I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done in my past, but I’ve paid for all that. I’m not the same man I was then.”
“Who were you?” I demanded. “That’s part of the problem, Mr. Costello. We were told you were the reason Karl was put in prison all those years for something he didn’t do. It seemed like you were having illegal raves or something in the tunnels below your store. And you aren’t denying anything or explaining anything!” I realized I was badgering him.
Tom exhaled a huge breath. “I’m happy to sit down with you, your grandma, and the entire Tucker clan and explain things the best I can. Just ask her . . . please?”
I looked up, seeing my regulars form a line at the door, then looked at my watch, realizing I was a few minutes late opening again. “I have to open up now. I’ll talk to her and try to get her to talk to you.” I jogged to the door to unlock it but before turning the lock I looked back at Tom and said, “But no promises.”
I had rushed to get the regulars rang up and out the door to their jobs on time and started taking orders and throwing eggs, bacon, sausage, flapjacks, and the like together in the skillets in the back. I’d thought Ava was going to run the front of the store and I got so lost in thought I hadn’t contacted my family or Magda to see if she could come in early.
I looked up, panicky, as the bell to the front door dinged yet again. I let out a breath as I saw Mrs. Seevers walk in with Caleb and Asher. I wasn’t thrilled to see the Belligerent Buddies, and I did briefly wonder what on earth Mrs. Seevers would have to talk about with them, but she loved to chit-chat and probably would with nearly anyone. I was happy to see her, though.
“Mrs. Seevers!” I hollered from the kitchen as she waved sweetly to the guys and rushed back to me.
“What’s going on, sweetie?”
“Ava is under the weather and I don’t have help. Could you please—”
“Say no more, dear.” Mrs. Seevers grabbed an apron, ordering pad, and pen. She got two more pots of coffee going, then took the other pots of decaf and regular around to fill up cups, telling others she’d be right with them to take their order.
What a lifesaver. Ava and I had had her working part-time for us in the past, so she knew the drill.
There was finally a lull and I gave Mrs. Seevers a hug. “Thank you so much! I was drowning there for a minute.”
“Oh, you would have been fine. I’m happy to help! So, did you hear about last night?”
“Um yeah, it’s horrible.”
“I heard that they recently got cameras up for security reasons but had them set in weird spots,” Bea said. “Supposedly, they have two suspects on camera. Did Mick say who they are?”
I tried to suppress a smile. That’s why she was here—she wanted the scoop. “I got in late last night and he got in even later than me. I was asleep when he got in and the same thing happened in the morning. When I left, he was asleep. I’m afraid I don’t know.”
“Hello, we need more coffee here!” Asher yelled across the restaurant from their corner table.
Mrs. Seevers started to jump up from the stool.
“Nope,” I said. “I got it.”
I plastered on a fake smile and forced my shoulders back, attempting to prevent my eyebrows from twitching with annoyance. I went over and quickly refilled the cups at the guys’ table and tore off the check and laid it near Asher, not asking if they’d like anything else then said, “I didn’t think I’d have the pleasure of seeing you two again so soon!”
“Don’t expect a tip with how slow the service was here,” Caleb mumbled ignoring my remark but commenting loud enough for me to hear.
I kept my back turned to him, moving down the row of tables and filling up some other empty cups. I saw Mr. Seevers had walked in and sat next to his wife, who reached over to pour him a cup of coffee.
“Hey, Mr. Seevers,” I said, sitting the pot down to take his order.
“Did those guys know anything about who was on the tape?” Mrs. Seevers asked.
“Didn’t ask them,” I said, grinning at Earl Seevers.
“Bea, mind your own business,” he shushed her.
I ran back to pull a savory ham, cheese, onion, and bell pepper quiche out of the oven as the two bickered at the counter.
“Where have you been, anyways?” Bea asked her husband as I brought a couple pieces of quiche out to them. She turned to me. “Oh Jolie, this looks delightful!”
“Thanks, it’s on the house. Your wife saved my skin this morning.”
“She’s a keeper.” He rubbed his wife’s knee. “To answer your question, I found out an old friend is back in town.”
“Who?” Mrs. Seevers and I said in unison. As much of a busybody as I thought she was, I had to accept I was just as bad.
“Harvey Tobias.”
Mrs. Seevers didn’t seem thrilled, but I wasn’t sure if she was upset with her husband being late or at Mr. Tobias turning up in town.
I was getting ready to ask her if she was okay when Asher yelled out, “Hey, does anyone work here? We’d like to-go cups for our coffee, please!”
I tipped my head from side to side to loosen my neck as Magda came in for her shift.
“I got it, Jolie,” Magda said, running back to get her gear as Ava slowly trudged in behind her.
“Thanks,” I said, noticing Magda had changed the spiky blue tips of her hair to a neon green.
“You didn’t have to—” I started but Ava rushed to the bathroom.
“Is she okay?” Mrs. Seevers asked.
“I think she has that stomach flu that’s been going around,” I stalled, watching Ava come out and move through the kitchen to the office. I followed her.
“I told Delilah you didn’t need to come in today. Go home and rest,” I said.
Ava shook her head, then stopped and put her hand on her stomach with an introspective look and a pause. “I’m okay. Supposedly, this is all normal for the first trimester. I can’t just stay in bed for nine months.”
I found myself trotting after Ava again as she walked back to the counter to make herself a cup of decaf tea.
I picked out a peppermint teabag and handed it to her. “Supposed to settle your stomach.”
“Who’s the hulked-out supermodel talking to your hubby outside?” Ava asked, dunking the teabag in hot, steamy water.
I did a rubberneck. I saw Mick outside across the street. Sure enough, he was standing near a woman, but her back was to me so I couldn’t see who it was.
“I’ll go see who it is,” Bea said, jumping from her stool, pushing through the door, and taking big strides toward Mick and the supermodel.
I looked panic-stricken at Ava, who just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. I went out, following Mrs. Seevers. On our way out, we passed my mom, aunt, and Grandma Opal, who were going into the restaurant. “Excuse me,” I said, squeezing past them, looking both ways, and crossing the street, forgetting I was still wearing my You’ve Got to Be Kitten Me apron with a fluffy pink kitten on it playing with black fuzzy yarn.
I suddenly sensed I had additional followers so I glanced over my shoulder. Apparently my mom, aunt, and grandma had done an about-face and followed me back out of the restaurant like a bunch of baby ducks trailing after their mama. Ava had come too, even waddling a little as she brought up the rear, just to complete the image. Mick’s face was beet red as he looked at the small crowd gathering. Now I felt foolish as I stood at a loss for words.
The woman had legs that didn’t stop. She wore a tight black miniskirt with spike-heeled princess sandals. Her hair was thick, dark, and naturally curly. She had a face out of Gone with the Wind, with pouty lips, delicate hands, and curves in all the right places. Her neon green tank top showed off her well-defined biceps. She hadn’t even spoken and I hated her. Her lithe figure, even the muscles in her shoulders and back complimented her designer outfit perfectly.
“What’s up?” Mick’s ears turned red.
I’m sure no one else noticed, but when my hubby got embarrassed, the tips of his ears always turned red. Looks like the Tucker women continued to make men shake in their boots.
“Oh—uh—well, Mrs. Seevers was coming over to ask you a question, then I realized I knew the answer. So, I came after her. And them…” I jerked my thumb behind me, “…they came in to see me and they…also followed.” I started the sentence standing tall and by the end of the last phrase my shoulders were sagging in defeat.
“Nice apron,” the princess said, grinning at me. “What’s in your hair?”
Of course, she had a heavy, sexy Italian accent too.
“My?” I reached for my head feeling a huge glop of something sticky.
“Oh, Jolie, you got raw egg in your hair again,” Aunt Fern said, reaching in her pocketbook for a pick and ripping the prongs through my matted hair, yanking my head sideways.
“OW!” I yelled, jerking away as a huge chunk of hair came out into her pick.
The woman giggled under her breath.
“Jolie, this is Imelda. She’s a friend from childhood.” Mick tried to ignore the comic scene. “And this is my wife, Jolie.”
Mick had moved next to me, putting his strong arm around my waist and patting at my gloppy hair mess as he grinned down at me.
I reached a hand out to Imelda. Wow, she smelled amazing. Was it possible that she smelled even better than she looked? “It’s so nice to meet you. Sorry for this,” I took both my hands to frame my entire self, head to toe.
I noticed Imelda had a huge black leather headband with a large red flower done in leather wrapped around her long locks. It was very unique, chic. Better than egg.
“Oh, you are Jolie. Okay, it all makes sense now.” She smiled.
“What makes sense?” I felt my voice waver into a singsong as I asked the question. My blue eyes darted back and forth and my mouth grew straight-lipped.
“We need to get back to help Magda.” Ava pulled on my arm as Mick reached down for a quick kiss.
My fan club followed as Mick yelled out, “Mrs. Seevers, what were you going to ask me?”
I stopped and we all turned around.
“It can wait.” She turned to me and shrugged as we all scooted into the restaurant.
“I don’t like her,” my grandma snarled once we got inside.
“Who, Mama Opal?” Ava asked.
“Matilda,” Grandma said.
“Who? I-MEL-DA?” I pronounced each syllable slowly.
“Whoever, she’s up to no good with Mick. You best keep an eye on that one!”
Bea waved down the women in my family and brought them to a table, beckoning Earl to join them.
I went back to the kitchen to start on some orders while Magda continued with the few tables up front.
“Since we both are off at the same time today, I thought I’d come over to your place so we can finally sit and revisit our slides,” Ava said, sitting at the office desk with the door propped open so we could talk.
“You know,” I took a deep breath. “I’ve got to get these orders up then get this gunk out of my hair. But I think it’s best if we just let the police handle this one.” I turned my back to her when I saw her face cloud over.
I got home from work later that afternoon and immediately fed the kitties, scratched some furry little heads, and gave them clean water. After that, I went around scooping out litter boxes and sweeping up loose litter. Then saw the note from Mick.
Sorry we missed each other last night and this morning.
Also, sorry for the weirdness this afternoon. I got
some lunch and won’t be home until around nine tonight.
I winced, wishing we could take time to talk but trusting we would get to it later. Then, I looked around at the mess that still needed to be sorted. So much more unpacking to do. I spent a couple of hours unpacking, cleaning, organizing the last few unpacked boxes. It was soothing—exactly what I needed. I always felt better when things had order and were organized.
It was only six in the evening. I made a grilled cheese and grabbed some Doritos and a Coke Zero and went to the couch, opened my laptop, and clicked on the I Spy Slides document. I reached for my tote and pulled out my journal to take some notes.
“Alexa, play Ella Fitzgerald.”
“Play-ing Ella Fitz-gerald,” Alexa replied.
The first thing I noted was that Lia was back undercover but no one seemed to know where she was located. This was day two of her being missing, if she was.
Next, I opened the document called “Goodfellas,” which was a flowchart of all the connections Ava and I had found to the mafia. So far, we’d figured Jackson Nestle was connected to the Canadian group and had connections to Mick’s family—the Sicilian mafia. For a quick minute, we feared Ava’s family was mixed up in the Dominican Republic mafia but found out it was other families that the Martinezes had worked with in the past.
That’s three—I used my stylus pen and circled the Irish name of Liam on the slide, not sure what to make of that, but then I added a new section and labeled it “Leavensport mafia” with a huge question mark. I shivered. I still couldn’t believe someone in our village was connected to this. So far, Tom Costello seemed to be the most likely. That made me wonder why I’d promised to try and get grandma to listen to him. Although, he did offer to speak to all of us. Maybe he could shed some light on all this.
I heard a key rattling in the door and sat up, wondering why Mick was home early. Instead, Ava came barreling through the door with a family-sized bag of marshmallows in one hand and a large pickle jar under her other arm. Her purse was hanging down around her wrist and she had a brown bag hanging from her teeth.
“What on earth?” I pushed the stuff off my lap and jumped up to help her. I pulled the bag from her teeth and took the marshmallows, allowing her to reposition her purse.
“Whew, thanks.” Ava swung the purse on the chair and sat the pickle jar on the coffee table.
“How did you get a key to our house?” I stood, hands on hips, as Ava reached for the marshmallows.
“Why shouldn’t I have one?” Ava’s nostrils were flaring. “You have a key to my house and I used to have one to yours. What’s the big deal?”
I scratched my head. “Again, why do you have a key to our house and how did you get it?”
“I mean, I may have told Marty that you gave me one and I lost it.” She popped a pillowy white marshmallow in her mouth and chased it with a bread-and-butter pickle.
I felt bile rise to my throat. I’m sure that was from the disgusting food combo I was forced to watch and not the stomach flu. Marty was a kind older member of our community who’d known us since birth. Of course, he would never question Ava. He knew our families were close and Ava and I even closer in friendship.
“So, you lied to the man.” I stood, arms crossed, tapping my foot. “Let’s say Mick was home and we had decided to have some romantic time over there on the table and you just barged in.”
“Um, first off, it’s not Saturday night, so I know you wouldn’t be doing the nasty with your man. Second, puleaassse, Jolie, as if you’d ever do it anywhere but a bed.” Ava rolled her eyes, stuffing more buttery goopy juice in her mouth.
“Okay, that is just rude. You do not know our sex schedule—"
“I do. You told me before,” Ava said in triumph.
“Just because I may have said something doesn’t make it true!” I threw my hands up.
“And you’re calling me a liar?”
I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth, hands in pockets, shoulders hunched, eyes looking at the ceiling.
“I came here to tell you Bradley told me who is on the video. The one you told me Bea was talking about earlier but—hey, you have your notes out and mafia slides up. You told me we were letting the police handle it!”
Wow, I really was a horrible liar. “You know—Mick left a note he’ll be home late. So, I thought I’d take a quick look until he gets home.”
“Oh really, so, this list of questions here: Where’s Lia? Who is the dead woman? What does Nestle have to do with it? Principal with construction guys? That isn’t you putting together a list before you start investigating? Because I’m the one who started the PI business. Not you.”
Oh boy, Ava looked hurt. Which, to me, was worse than mad.
I tilted my head and attempted to run my fingers through the curls but there was still a bit of egg from earlier. “I didn’t want to tell you this—” I started.
Ava’s large dark eyes looked up at me in pain. She normally wasn’t this emotional.
“Delilah is worried about you and the baby. She talked to me about it and I agree with her. I think I can handle this one on my own but it just occurred to me that you could help with things like this—where it’s safer.” I bit the inside of my cheek and breathed after spitting all that out quickly.
“I knew it!” Ava yelped. “How could you or she question that I’d endanger this little one? That is absolutely ridiculous. There are women who are pregnant all over the world with dangerous jobs and they don’t quit.”
“True, but it’s not like you’re a trained cop, Ava. We stumbled into this. You did an online program and Tabitha helped pushed things through. We aren’t the most experienced PI’s around.”
Ava pulled out her phone and dialed, standing to pace the floor as it rang. “Baby, can you come to Jolie’s so we can all talk?”
I shook my head. Oh man, I should have kept lying.
“Huh? Okay, we’ll see you then.”
There was a knock at the door as Ava hung up. “Was she already here?”
“No, she’s in the middle of something and will be here within the hour.”
I opened the door to see Tabitha staring at me with blank eyes.
“Hey, come on in,” I said, peering at Ava, whose one eyebrow was arched.
“You okay?” Ava asked.
“The dead woman—it was my cousin, Janelle.”