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IT WAS TEN O’CLOCK the next morning and Dana had to take a quick break from the café. She had a massive headache and decided to head over to the Berry Cove Pharmacy in the Town Square.
The door chime sounded and Phil the Pharmacist greeted her with a warm and cheerful smile. He seemed quite happy unlike most of the towns people this morning. And who could blame them after that horrible murder that happened yesterday. She still couldn’t get over Brad’s untimely death.
“And how are you today, Ms. Sweet?” Phil asked her.
“Could be better, Phil. Right now, I’ve got a massive headache as you can imagine.” She walked over to the counter.
“Sorry to hear that.” The look of concern slid across his face. “I realize how you must feel, being that you had a beef with that Brad guy over at the Gazette. And then he turns up dead with one of your cakes.”
My, my, my! Word sure spreads around quicker and smoother than whipped peanut butter frosting over a chocolate cupcake, Dana thought to herself.
To her surprise, Phil spoke so nonchalantly while he busied himself behind the counter filling prescriptions drugs.
Dana sighed heavily. “I feel bad, Phil. I really do. No one deserves to be murdered.”
Phil said nothing for a moment. Then, he paused as if he had to think about what he was going to say and how he would say it. Phil leaned over the counter toward Dana. “I’ll tell you something, Ms. Sweet. Brad was no friend to anyone in this town. It could have been anybody who did it.”
“Really now?”
“Yep, that’s right. The guy collected enemies like pebbles on a beach. I’m surprised he even had any friends. He was a conniving fella.”
“Well, that’s not good. But it’s still sad about what happened to him. Everyone has redeeming qualities. He must have had some.”
Phil thought for a moment then shook his head. “I think he was the exception, Ms. Sweet. Now...what can I get you today?”
Dana was almost too stunned to speak for a moment. My, it really seemed as if no one in town really liked Brad—at all.
Seemed like Brad had something on everyone. And for Phil, the pharmacist to also be glad he was out of the way, it really made Dana think.
“Got anything that would make this headache go away?” Dana asked Phil.
“Try a clear conscience,” a customer murmured then walked away. Dana spun around. The woman was a stocky short lady who had a blue dress on and a large rimmed hat with glasses. She couldn’t quite see her face since she walked off quickly.
Her heart pounded hard and fierce in her chest. She felt her pulse reach the top of her throat, closing off her airway. It was an older lady who she’d seen before somewhere but she just couldn’t place where.
Okay, Dana. Just take a deep breath now. No one could possibly blame you for this.
Oh, great. First, her wonderful Nana’s bakery was struggling and now, after Dana took ownership, it might very well collapse after a bout of bad publicity with this murder somehow tied in to her famous Strawberry Cream Cupcake.
No, it couldn’t go down like that.
How could fate suddenly pull the rug from under her? Dana didn’t want to believe it. Someone tried to deliberately frame her and she was going to find out who.
She had to get to the bottom of this, even if it killed her. Well, maybe not that. Even if it gave her a killer headache.
The door chime sounded again as Phil perused the shelf for a pain killer to help rid Dana of her worries.
It was Mike, the mail guy.
“Hey there,” Mike said to Dana cheerfully.
“Hey,” she murmured, trying to throttle the dizzying currents of sadness overwhelming her. She wanted to ask him why he told the officer that she’d been trying to take care of business at the Gazette. But then again, she’d only appear to be guilty if she did. She really didn’t want anyone to know how much it bothered her—even though it did.
As her nana would say, “It’s not enough to be doing the right thing, you also have to appear to be doing the right thing, too.” Appearance was everything in this town, or everywhere, wasn’t it?
“Hey, you all right? Oh, wait a minute. Don’t worry about that guy. No one in their right mind would think that you could have anything to do with the murder. He had it coming though.” Mike placed his carrier bag on the counter.
“Then why were you so quick to tell the detective that I was on my way to take care of business at the Gazette, Mike?”
Okay, she couldn’t help herself. She just had to blurt it all out, didn’t she? She was never the one to keep things covered if her feelings were strong about something. That would just give her high blood pressure. Let your feelings be known as nana would say.
“Huh?” was all Mike said. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, never mind,” she replied, feeling rather childish. After all, he was probably just answering police questions. Just routine procedures, she supposed. Who could blame him? Even though it could have been taken out of context, she did say those words, didn’t she?
Then Grandma Rae’s words came back to her. She’d always say “Remember to keep your words soft and tender, because tomorrow you might have to eat ‘em.” Dana grinned at the memory. But boy, could her words turn on her now if a grand jury ever heard it out of context.
“Hey, you’re back so soon?” Phil looked aghast and turned his attention to Mike and shook his head, giving him a tsk.
Phil then turned his attention back to Dana and he handed her some tablets. A generic pill container of ibuprofen for her headache. To which she paid via her credit card.
She had few funds in the bank right now. She was already in overdraft. She was counting on doing well with the grand opening this week. She needed the money badly, especially after she’d used up most of her savings to save Nana’s café.
Dana looked at the mailbag on the counter. Mike probably had some more bills to give to Phil. Who could blame Phil for not wanting to see the mailman everyday?
––––––––
“DO YOU THINK IT COULD be Phil, the pharmacist?” Katie said to Dana later as they sat in the kitchen of the Victorian. Katie had just baked some fresh chocolate chip and oats cookies in the oven.
Dana had made a pan of her special recipe spaghetti and bolognaise. It was nice way to end the evening after a busy day at the café.
Everything seemed normal at the Cozy Cupcakes except, of course, a few chatters here and there from customers about who they think could have done it.
“Phil, the pharmacist? Why would you think that?”
Truffles curled around Dana’s leg in the kitchen and it warmed her heart. Just moments before, Truffles had already been given her evening meal and snack and pampered. Earlier she was laying by the fireplace in her kitty basket but she must’ve woken up by the sound of them in the kitchen.
“Hey sweetie. Did you have a nice nap?”
Truffles purred gently.
Dana smiled warmly.
Katie then reached down to stroke Truffles fur and Truffles purred even more with delight.
“You know, I overheard a few of the customers talking about Phil’s niece who dated Brad once, then he dumped her in such a humiliating way, online. On some social networking site. Could you imagine? I had heard about them dating but I didn’t realize it was like that. I guess everything’s coming out in the open now. You know how it is with small town talk.”
“Well, isn’t that something?”
“What’s something?”
“The fact that this Brad character made enemies with just about anyone and everyone like it was some sort of hobby. It’s crazy to think about really. But...” Dana paused momentarily, her thoughts spinning about what Katie had just said. “No, of course not. And I don’t think it’s Phil.”
“And why not?”
“Because where would the opportunity be? Sure, he had a motive. But what about opportunity?”
“That’s true. You have a point, Dana.” Katie scooped up a mouthful of spaghetti after twirling it with her fork and shoved it into her mouth. “Hmm, very tasty sauce,” she commented with her mouth full.
“Why, thank you, cuz. I’m trying out some of Grandma Rae’s recipes. Back in New York with the crazy hours I worked at the office, cooking meant picking up the phone and ordering, instead of picking up the frying pan.”
Katie laughed.
Dana scooped up a mouthful and placed it into her mouth. The taste of the sauce melted on her tongue. If she were being honest with herself, she really outdid herself this time. After she’d finished munching down on her food Dana said, “One of the bakers at the Baxter Bakery was at our café early that day.”
“She was?”
“Yes. I was wondering what she was doing there. But I just figured, she just wanted to taste one of our treats. No harm in an employee of a competitor stopping by for some breakfast just like everyone else, is there?”
“Do you think it could have been her?”
“I don’t know, cuz.”
“Or maybe Bianca’s mother set the girl up to it to spy on us. Or maybe it was Bianca who set her up to spy on us.”
“But why would Bianca or her mother set her up to do this?”
“I don’t know but I just heard Gerdie-Sue say something like Brad had something over Bianca and she couldn’t get out of the wedding so easy.”
“Really now?” Dana’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe her ears. It seemed like Brad had his share of those who wanted him out of the way. There was, unfortunate for him, no shortage of enemies there.
“Really,” Katie affirmed and nodded slowly.
“Well then that is a new development.”
Truffles left the dining room and kitchen and scurried away.
“I wonder what’s gotten into Truffs, there?” Katie said.
“I don’t know.”
Dana got up from the table scraping the heavy wooden Victorian-made antique chair on the tile of the kitchen. “Truffles.”
Truffles looked at the back door and hissed loudly.
“Truffles, sweetie, what’s wrong?”
Dana drew in a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched through the small window at the back as something moved in the bushes.
“Should we call the police?”
“It could be a raccoon or something.” Dana grabbed the long wooden broom from the corner and proceeded to open the back door.
“Dana!”
“Shh.”
Truffles ran out before Dana could stop her. Dana’s heart thrashed in her chest. “Oh, no. Truffles, come back!”
She feared for her kitty’s life and ran out after her. Dana tripped on something in the dark and fell over. The broom went flying and she could see that the rake had lifted up and wacked whoever it was in the bushes right in the head.
“Ow!” the man’s voice said and ran.
Dana heard Katie’s steps coming after her. The rest was a blur.
––––––––
THE POLICE WERE THERE shortly after, looking outside for any clues.
“So you said, you saw a man in the bushes?” Detective Evan clarified.
“Yes, well, no not quite.”
He sighed deeply and put his notepad away. “Dana, I really think it’s best that you leave the police work up to us. You should never have tried to approach a possible criminal by yourself. What would have happened if he’d confronted you with a weapon?”
“I had this.” Dana picked up her Grandmother’s antique wooden broom.
Detective Evan grinned and shook his head. “I hardly think you could stop a hardened criminal with that?”
Dana growled.
Detective Evan looked around the garden which was now lit up with the back porch lights. He kept looking at the bushes and pushing his hands through it. What was he looking for? Dana wondered. She also tried to observe him for any signs of head trauma.
Don’t be silly, Dana. Why would he be sneaking around in your garden late at night?
She sighed deeply.
After they finished their investigation, she was warned to stay out of trouble and leave everything to the police.
“By the way, we’re going to be needing you to stick around a while. You’re not planning on going out of town, are you?”
“No, why?”
“Good.”
After he left, Dana spoke to Katie in the study. “You know, until this thing’s been cleared up, we need to postpone the grand opening.”
“But why?”
“For one thing, we should at least wait until after the memorial service. I forgot to mention that Aunt Nia came by with the notice that was in the papers. I mean everyone in the town is still buzzed about the murder.”
“Isn’t that going to hurt sales?”
Dana shrugged. “I really don’t want anything to mar the feeling of the grand opening. We should really give it a bit of time. I just hope that everything goes well.”
“You and me both,” Katie said. “The economy is tight right now and this is the only job I have. I really need it to pay off my student loans. Mom and pops are not doing well right now, too.”
“I know,” Dana said, quietly. “I hear you, cuz. I really need this to work, too. I used up all my savings trying to keep things afloat.”
With those words, Katie, headed off to bed.
Dana then scooped up Truffles. “Truffles, my dear friend. What would I do without you?”
The kitty purred as Dana stroked her ginger mane.
Truffles was trying to warn her. She was glad to have her furry four-legged friend. Before dozing off to sleep, Dana entered some more notes about her recent mishap into her shiny silver aluminum friend, her MacBook Air which she simply referred to as Mac, and then dozed off to sleep.
But what she couldn’t help was that nagging feeling inside her of what else was hiding around the corner for her?