| |
THE NEXT MORNING, GERDIE Sue came rushing into the Cozy Cupcakes Café with her pink crocodile skin Hermes Birkin designer handbag in the crux of her arm. The sweet scented whiff of her Chanel perfume permeated the air around her.
“Did you hear what happened last night, child?” Gerdie said to Dana. Gerdie was always one to bring in news to the café. Even if Dana hadn’t had a chance to catch up on what’s going on. Of course, Gerdie Sue, being one of the wealthiest twice-widowed resident of Berry Cove, had more time on her hands than the rest of them. She was a sweetheart at times, just very chatty. And she herself had been the victim of gossip-gone wrong and had been wrongly accused of murdering one of her step-daughters after one of her wealthy husbands left Gerdie everything in his will and nothing to his own kids, who were known to be overindulged and bratty.
“Last night? No, I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Is this about the accident that happened yesterday?” Dana asked as she fixed up the display case with some new signs for their specials of the day.
Trust Gerdie Sue to be up on the latest news in town.
“It sure is,” Gerdie grinned, smacking gum in her mouth. “I just got back from the salon.”
“They’re open so early in the morning?”
“You know Bea opens up for manicures early nowadays. Where have you been?”
Dana sighed. “Obviously not at the salon nearly as often as I should be.”
And trust Bea’s Salon, the informal gossip headquarters of Berry Cove, to be up on the latest news bulletin. Dana swore Berry Cove didn’t need to have a radio or news station to get the local news, weather forecast, crime reports, traffic conditions, and reports on what was happening around town.
“Let me guess, they found the suspect,” Dana said.
“Hmm-mmm. His name’s Chuck Samsfield. I’ll take a buttercream cupcake and a small French Vanilla cappuccino. Make that to go,” Gerdie ordered from one of the cashiers.
“Chuck Samsfield?” Dana asked.
“Oh, he’s had a few DUIs under his belt. He’s the one that hit that utility box one Christmas. Remember that?”
“Oh, right. Of course. That was him?”
“Yup. His wife was at the salon the other day talking about how she was leaving him. He runs around cheating on her. He’s never home. And he drinks too much. Don’t know what she ever saw in him.”
“Probably they knew each other from high school, Gerdie. I mean, he must have some good qualities about him.”
“Like leaving the scene of a crime?” Katie chimed in as she brought a basket of cupcakes up to the front.
“Well, that is terrible,” Dana agreed.
“You’re telling me. I hear he’s a hit and run kind of guy. Well, they’ve booked him, but his lawyer got him out on bail,” Gerdie added.
“Really? Already?”
“His wife’s got a lot of connections. Her daddy’s a lawyer.”
“I see,” Dana said.
“And he must be one proud father-in-law,” Katie chimed in.
“You could say that again,” Gerdie said.
“I bet that’s why he’s still with her, if he’s running around town with other women and fleeing the scene after hit and runs, he must be staying with her for the perks,” Katie added.
“Oh, Katie. What a thing to say,” Dana said.
“It’s true, isn’t it? Why else would she be with him?” Katie said.
“Well, I sure hope they give him a stiff sentence—especially if he really was under the influence.” Dana finished with the sign on the display. They were giving away a free buttercream cupcake with the purchase of a coffee and a cupcake. Sort of like buy one get one free for your best buddy or for yourself for later.
“Oh, he’s got the best lawyer in town,” Gerdie said. “I think he always gets off on some sort of technicality or something.”
“Oh, that’s not good.” Dana felt a twinge of annoyance. She really thought it was awful when criminals got off on a technicality. But if she knew Detective Troy, he’d be up on this guy like white on rice. He won’t let this guy get away, even if he was out on bail now. He’d make sure the evidence stacked against him was iron clad.
Just then, silence fell on the crowd in the café as the door chime sounded. In walked poor Ned and his assistant Tiffany.