“I'm so glad you guys were willing to meet me," I said as I was sitting the next morning at a table at Betty's Baked Goods with Katy and Trevor, who had both walked in at the same time.
"I'm always up for Betty's," Trevor said as he took a seat and Katy followed suit.
"I got you guys your usual. Hope that's okay."
"Of course," Katy said as she took the chai latte I handed her.
"We better never change our orders. It’s nice to be able to say, ‘the usual’," Trevor joked.
"Especially when Betty knows what the usual is for all of us," I said.
"I don't want to rush you, but I have to get to work at nine," Trevor said. “What is it you wanted to talk about?"
"I got a strange phone call at work yesterday," I said and filled them in on what had happened all the way through Josie coming into the flower shop and trying to get me to quit the contest.
"Did you tell Sheriff Blackford?" Katy said, a look of concern on her face.
"About Josie MacArthur coming in? No. I don't think he cares that she wants me to quit."
She gave me a look. "You know that's not what I meant. I meant about the threatening phone call. Shouldn't she tell the sheriff, Trevor?"
"You really should."
"I know. And for your information, I did tell him," I said, sitting back with a satisfied look.
"Hey, you tried to play us," Trevor said, and they started laughing.
"Yeah, I knew you would figure that I had kept that information to myself."
"What did he say?" Katy asked.
"The usual. That clearly my poking around had ticked someone off and I should keep my nose out of things."
"And like usual, you're probably not going to listen, right?" Katy said.
I shrugged. "I can’t help that I want to be helpful. But anyway, enough about that. I know that Trevor has to get to work. This is what I've heard so far. Dale took out extra life insurance on Susan and he won’t say why. At least he wouldn't tell me why. He just got upset and threw me out of his house. Jenni has been third place for the last five years for the Fall Harvest Festival flower arranging contest and told me that it wouldn't surprise her at all if a contestant had killed Susan to get her out of the running."
"Seriously? Over flowers?" Trevor said.
"Apparently this contest is something people take very seriously, and would you be surprised to know that our own Hunter's Hollow Fall Harvest Festival flower arranging contest is one of the biggest amateur contests in the Midwest?"
"Guess you learn something new every day," Trevor said.
Katy nodded her agreement.
I had been quite shocked to learn that as well. I’d also found out that some flowers can hear buzzing bees, but anyway… I digress.
‘Okay, I’m going to have to file that little fact away to pull out at the next party I attend,” Trevor said before I continued talking.
“Scott seemed a little annoyed that I was in the back room, even though Jenni had given me permission. It made me wonder if he had something to hide. Then Josie MacArthur comes in the flower shop and wants me to quit. Oh, and then we know about the two women—well, families—who Susan turned into CPS."
"Quite a few people who may have had it in for Susan," Katy said, breaking off a piece of the lemon bar I had got her.
"My money is on one of the women, or maybe both, that Susan turned in to CPS," Trevor said. “I'm not a mother, but I know how my mom was, and there's no fury like a mama bear."
"I would have to agree with Trevor. I find it hard to believe someone would kill a person over a flower contest, but I don't find it at all hard to believe that someone would kill a busybody who threatened anything to do with their child."
"Nikki wasn't all too welcoming last time I tried to talk to her at work. Maybe it would be better to talk to her friend Joyce. I’m not even sure what her last name is."
"Winters. It's Joyce Winters, and she works at Mi Casa," Katy said.
"Since when?" I wasn't ashamed to admit that I had a soft spot for Mexican food. In fact, in my world, the only food that a person needed was Mexican. Mi Casa was Hunter's Hollow's one Mexican restaurant, and I was there at least once a week. And I didn't remember any waitresses named Joyce.
"She just started. I think she and her husband are getting a divorce. She was a stay-at-home mom. I went on Friday to pick up lunch for everyone in the salon and she was there."
"So, I guess a trip to Mi Casa is in order."
"As if we needed an excuse for Mexican food," Katy said.
"What are you guys doing tonight?"
I didn't want to wait any longer than I had to before talking to Joyce. I wanted to hear her voice and see if she was the one who’d called me.