Chapter Five
It’d been a few days and there was no news. No one else had even gotten a little sick, so food poisoning was ruled out. The entire town was on edge but no one else had died. Clearly it was personal—whoever had killed the sheriff was only after him.
Gran had fallen asleep early and I needed to get out.
I walked into the packed bar and found that it didn’t help my mood at all. People were looking at me.
Katie waved me over and found me a spot. “Hey, you look like you need a drink.”
“Business has been slow. It’s not that way here.” I looked around with a teensy bit of envy.
Katie looked around. “People want to forget when bad things happen, especially things that they can’t control or explain.”
“They think you did it,” Lurlene said from a few spots down.
“Please. That dog won’t hunt.” I shook my head.
Katie bit her lower lip.
“Really? What reason could they possibly think I’d have to want to hurt the sheriff?” I asked.
Lurlene pursed her lips. “He pulled you over. Maybe you just wanted to make him sick? A little payback for police harassment. Maybe you put in too much poison?”
My jaw dropped. “I’d never poison anyone. How could people think that?”
Katie scoffed. “It was probably a heart attack or something. Natural. The guy drank, smoked and had a bad diet.”
Deputy Lou Foster sauntered up to the bar and took the stool between me and Lurlene. “Ladies.” He touched the brim of his hat.
“What’ll you have, Lou?” Katie asked.
“Coke. I’m always on call now,” Lou said.
“Any news?” I asked.
Lou sighed. He wasn’t the cleverest of the deputies, but he was the most likely to spill things he shouldn’t. “Nothing really. Just ruled out some things.”
Gus walked up and stood next to me. He felt so tall and solid standing close by. “Ladies, Lou. What’s the good word?”
Lou shot Gus an annoyed glance but covered quickly with a sip of his drink. “I was just going to update the ladies. Post-mortem said his heart gave out, but his physical said nothing was wrong so they’re still looking. Something else killed him.”
“Any poison in that blender of yours, Belle?” Lurlene teased.
“If there were, I’d be dead. I had the same thing as the sheriff, made not five minutes later,” Gus defended.
I tried not to blush. Gus was the man every woman was talking about, but he wasn’t just good-looking—he was kind and honest. But the dark brown hair and slight stubble made it hard to focus on his character.
“A deputy for an alibi. Whatever did you do to get him so firmly on your side?” Lurlene asked.
“An officer of the law can’t be bribed,” Lou jumped in.
Gus nodded. “He’s right. At least a good one can’t. There were plenty of witnesses to the sheriff and me being there.”
Lurlene shot me a look. “They’re checking everyone, but come on. She worked at Starbucks and had to make drinks fast. All the customers out from socializing while she’s behind the counter working the machines. I have full faith that Belle could’ve slipped a special ingredient into the sheriff’s smoothie after it was blended. Powder or something. Or even blend it in then swap out the pitcher for another one before she made any else’s drink. I could never work that fast.”
“Working fast doesn’t make someone a murderer,” Lou replied.
I got the sense that Lou wasn’t in a rush to solve anything. He liked the attention, the power and the intrigue.
“Fast doesn’t mean easy either,” Katie snarked at Lurlene.
“You fast girls do stick together.” Lurlene put money on the bar. “Gus, would you walk me to my car?”
“Allow me.” Lou stood up.
“But…thanks.” Lurlene fumbled for a polite way back to the man she wanted to get alone.
“It’s part of my job. I’m working here a bit, security on a trial basis.” Lou looked at Katie.
“It’s true. One of my half-brothers started community college and his schedule sucks. Lou is helping,” she replied.
Lurlene smiled. “Well, this is a friendly favor, not a job.”
Gus stood up straight, like he’d oblige. “I’m not sure we know each other well enough to be friends, but I’m certainly not going to step on Lou’s toes. Katie should get what she paid for and I should work on making friends here.”
Lurlene was stuck as Lou offered his arm.
Being a polite southern lady sometimes cornered a woman. I’d been there. I almost felt sorry for her, but Lou wasn’t drunk or creepy. She started to leave. I gave her a little wave and turned to Gus.
“That woman could start an argument in an empty house,” I scoffed.
“The problem is, who else has motive?” Katie said once they were gone.
Gus sighed. “I wish we had a better lead. He didn’t do anything out of the ordinary that day except the smoothie.”
“But Belle would never hurt a fly,” Katie insisted.
Gus grinned at me and I had to look away. This guy was too good to be true. He had flaws—I just had to find them. Gran’s advice on marriage was finding someone a person loved enough to put up with their bad habits and quirks, because no one was perfect. Gus’ looks and musical interests were pros…but there had to be some cons somewhere.
“I believe it, and plenty of people had access to the sheriff. Poison can be passed in other ways, not just food. But why would anyone want to kill him? He’s been elected in a landslide year after year, according to what I’ve heard,” Gus said.
“But you’re new. No one is going to talk bad about the sheriff to a new deputy,” Katie pointed out.
“Who would have a grudge against Monroe?” Gus asked.
I shared a look with Katie. “I mean, obviously someone else wants that job. Plenty of people, I’m sure. But to kill over it? That’s crazy.”
“Some people become obsessed over things. Something not that big to others feels intensely personal to someone else,” Gus replied. “Obviously they’ll be looking at people he put into jail who are now free.”
“That makes way more sense,” I agreed.
“We definitely don’t know the sheriff that well. I don’t know his secrets,” Katie said.
“Exactly. I didn’t raise my voice to the sheriff when he pulled me over. Why would I do anything to hurt him over a warning?” I sipped whatever Katie had put in front of me.
“That makes no sense. Is your grandmother doing okay?” Gus asked.
“She’s worried about the sheriff’s widow. Business has been down and she’s worried about that but won’t say it. She does appreciate your breakfast business,” I replied.
“Home-cooked pastry is hard to beat. It’s pretty busy still,” Gus remarked.
“Sure, for her coffee and pastries. The smoothies are dead. I even bought a new blender since Katie’s is still in police custody for some reason.” I stirred my drink mindlessly.
Gus put his hand on my arm and I tried not to jump as my skin tingled.
“They don’t have the tox screen back. If they find something, they’ll be trying to match it up with anything and everything. The diner still has pots and pans in evidence,” Gus said.
“Thanks,” I replied.
“I’m lucky he didn’t come in that day or the night before. He usually drinks bottled beer, but they’d be accusing us of slipping him a mickey.” Katie shook her head.
“They?” Gus prompted.
“Gossips in town. Girls from the wrong side of the tracks will always get the blame.” Katie went to service more patrons.
“Which side is the right side?” Gus asked.
I chuckled. “Sweet Grove isn’t laid out like that exactly. Gran is a staple of the community, but the Baxters have never been well off. Then my mom came along and was sort of wild. That kind of thing—you’re only as good as your most embarrassing relation. Now, if you’re rich, you get away with more.”
“I can’t believe that,” Gus said.
“Then you’re not paying attention to gossip. Which is a good trait, but if you’re going to be a deputy, you have to deal in how people do act, not just how they should,” I teased.
Gus leaned on the bar. He smelled good in a hard-to-pin-down way, with a hint of pine trees. He was in jeans and boots with a gray dress shirt open at the collar and rolled up at the sleeves.
“I filter information just fine. Rumor and gossip can be remembered without being given credit. Everyone has an agenda. They all have an angle and their own goals and priorities,” he replied.
“I don’t have an angle,” I defended.
“Saving your Gran’s business isn’t an angle?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s a goal, sure. Small businesses are getting edged out and it’s harder to turn a profit. She’s getting older. Maybe I should’ve just convinced her to sell her house and the shop and move to Atlanta with me. At least then we wouldn’t be poor as field mice.”
Gus was quiet for a moment and I wished I hadn’t said that. Did it make me seem guilty? I hoped not, but it did make me seem desperate and afraid. I didn’t want him thinking I liked him and was looking to land a man for stability.
“I’m glad you didn’t. I might have missed out.” He sipped his drink.
“Missed out?” Katie came back at just the wrong time.
“On Gran’s great pastries…if they had closed the shop during the investigation. That would be such a bummer. Luckily the sheriff only had a smoothie. Small towns need their core eateries,” I said.
Katie nodded. “She should make it a donut shop or something.”
“I like the fancy coffee and I’m man enough to admit it,” Gus said.
That manly to own it, here? He was great. Too good to be true.
Another bartender rang a bell over the bar. “Last call.”
“It can’t be that late.” Gus checked his phone.
He had a few texts from a pretty, redheaded young woman, but I glanced away. He was probably taken and his girlfriend was just settling her job before she moved to Sweet Grove.
“Sorry we talked your ear off.” I hopped off the stool. “I’ll help clean up, Katie.”
“Thanks, but you don’t have to.” Katie sighed as she watched half the bar settle their tabs and head for the door. The other half ordered one last round. “It has been crazy busy tonight.”
“See? You need the help.” I finished my drink then went around behind the bar and bussed the glass.
“One more?” Katie asked Gus.
“No, I’m fine. Good night.” He dropped payment on the bar.
Katie shook her head. “No charge.”
“That’s not a smart way to do business.” Gus headed for the door.
An hour later, we were largely cleaned up as far as tables and bar top went. The other bartenders were stocking for the next day. I was sweeping the floors while Katie polished the brass on the bar and the door handle.
“Gus really seems to like you,” Katie teased.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not getting my hopes up. It was enough that Lurlene didn’t get her claws into him yet.”
Katie giggled and sighed. “Just be careful. I think those deputies would be thrilled to pin it all on you.”
“Why? I mean, I get they want to solve it, but they want the real killer. I hope it was all just a big accident,” I said.
“An accident? How?” she asked.
“If nothing from the diner, my stuff or the sheriff’s home tests positive for poison, maybe he got something some other way? Maybe he accidentally took too much of a medication. Someone could’ve slipped him a medication or spiked a drink,” I suggested.
“Like GHB. Some women won’t accept drinks from men even if I take it over. They don’t trust it hasn’t been tampered with. They want bottled water that’s sealed. They open their own beer bottles. Usually they’re visitors, but it freaked me out the first time,” Katie said.
“That’s all the time in the city. Locals are trusting of each other. But it’s possible someone could’ve done that to the sheriff’s coffee or anything, really. I guess we have to wait for the tox screen,” I said.
Katie held up her hand. “If I were you, I’d get back to normal. Make your smoothies and coffee drinks.”
“It won’t be tacky?” I asked.
“Name one after the sheriff. Like in tribute. You did nothing wrong and you know it. You’ll be at the funeral, but you know you’re innocent and the business must go on.” Katie put her hands on her hips like a superhero.
“Thanks. I needed that. I think I will.” I grabbed the dustpan and brushed the dirt into it. “People are still going to try to blame me.”
“You just got back into town. No mysterious deaths before that. I know it’s a coincidence, but you have that going against you over every other person in Sweet Grove,” she pointed out.
“Darn right,” I agreed as I dumped the dirt into the trash can.
“Thanks for the help. Go home and get some sleep. You have an early morning,” she said.
“Always. I’ve learned to live on less sleep.” I grabbed my purse and headed out to my truck.
There was a note under the windshield wiper. I grabbed it and unfolded the piece of paper.
Cowardly Killer
I didn’t recognize the handwriting. Probably a joke from Lurlene to try to get rid of me.
Coming home was always going to be hard, but this was taking the cake! I crumpled up the paper and hopped in my truck. Tossing the paper and my purse into the passenger seat, I had the keys in my hand. I took a moment to breathe then shoved the key into the ignition and turned.
I drove toward home with a slight detour past the shop. There was a big box on the porch. Why would someone deliver something to the front of a business?
I parked the truck around back and went inside. Once I’d opened the front door and used my body to hold it open, I slid the heavy box inside. The shades were all down and I immediately locked the front door behind me before I proceeded to push, kick, nudge and shove the large box behind the counter. I didn’t need Gran tripping on it or trying to move it if she decided to beat me in to work in the morning.
I heard the door rattle.
Ducking down, I slid the box where it was totally out of the way and peeked over the counter.
I saw a figure trying the door. I kept silent and they went away. Only then did I approach the door and make sure all three locks were engaged. I made my way out back and checked the alley before I walked out.
It looked deserted. I locked the door behind me and dashed for my truck. Driving home, I obeyed every speed limit and traffic sign like I’d just gotten my license. No one appeared to be following me.
By the time I parked at Gran’s, I felt less paranoid. Someone had been trying to get into the shop. That wasn’t my imagination. But who and why?
Maybe there really was a killer loose in Sweet Grove?