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The next morning, Annie woke her up by sitting on her stomach.
“Brrt,” she greeted Lauren.
“Is it time to get up already?” Lauren blinked her eyes awake. She hadn’t heard the alarm.
“Brrt.” Yes.
She stumbled to the kitchen and fed Annie, then stepped into the shower, hoping the warm water would wake her up. Although she hadn’t had sweet dreams, she hadn’t experienced nightmares either, just a deep, dreamless sleep.
At breakfast she told Zoe more about her conversation with Mitch last night.
“Maybe someone’s building a gnome garden,” Zoe joked. “It’s a shame Mitch isn’t investigating Edna’s death and Detective Castern isn’t chasing down gnome thieves.”
“Mm,” Lauren agreed gloomily.
They finished getting ready, then went next door to the café.
“Maybe I should think up a new cupcake flavor,” Lauren suggested.
The faint clang of pastry tins signaled Ed was already in the kitchen, hard at work.
“Good idea.” Zoe’s eyes lit up. “That might cheer us up.”
Lauren decided to think up new summer flavors for the rest of the morning, and take her mind off Edna’s murder.
But unfortunately, Detective Castern stood outside the café, right on the dot of nine-thirty.
“Oh, no.” Lauren froze in the motion of unbolting the big oak door.
“Brrt?” Annie trotted up to her and peered through the plate glass. “Brrp.” She sounded disapproving.
“Exactly,” Lauren told her. “But we must be polite to him.”
“Brrp,” Annie grumbled, ambling back to her bed.
“What is it?” Zoe leaned across the counter.
Lauren tilted her head in the direction of the street outside.
“No way!” Zoe’s eyes rounded.
“Yep.” Lauren slowly finished unbolting the door.
“Good morning,” Detective Castern greeted her as he strode into the café.
“Hi, Detective Castern,” Zoe spoke up. “Would you like a latte? Cappuccino? Mocha?”
“No, thank you. I would like to speak to Lauren – Ms. Crenshaw.”
“Yes?” Lauren said politely.
He scanned the empty room and took out his notebook, flipping it open.
“I have some follow up questions for you,” he told her.
She nodded.
“What time did you get back to the bed and breakfast from your dinner at the Italian restaurant in Zeke’s Ridge?” he asked.
Lauren was sure he’d asked her that on Saturday night.
“Around nine-thirty,” she answered pleasantly.
“And then what did you do?”
She told him she and Mitch entered the foyer, and spoke to Harry for a moment.
“Was Harry already in the foyer when you stepped inside?” he asked.
“No. I don’t think so,” Lauren replied. “It all happened so quickly. I remember feeling startled that Harry was suddenly there.” She hoped she hadn’t said anything to make Harry a target in the detective’s eyes. She’d liked Edna’s husband and couldn’t see him as a killer. She hoped he wasn’t one.
“That will be all for now.” Detective Castern flipped shut his notebook. “I may come back later.”
Lauren nodded, glad there hadn’t been any early customers to witness her questioning.
“Phew,” Zoe said after he’d left and the door had shut behind him.
“Exactly.”
“Brrt!” Annie agreed from her cat bed.
“Hopefully he won’t come back again,” Zoe said. “Now all we need are a ton of customers to take your mind off his questions.”
As if on cue, the door opened, and Hans stepped inside.
“Brrt!” Annie ran to greet him.
“Hello, Liebchen.” The dapper man in his sixties bent stiffly to greet her.
“Hi, Hans.” Lauren smiled at one of their favorite customers.
“Hello, Lauren, hello, Zoe,” he replied, smiling at them. “Where shall I sit, Annie, hmm?”
“Brrt.” This way. Annie strolled toward a four-seater near the counter, as if she knew that Hans couldn’t hurry after her.
“Ach, thank you, Liebchen.” Hans sat down on the pine chair. Annie hopped up on the one next to him.
“What can we get you?” Lauren headed toward his table.
“A cappuccino I think today.”
“Ed’s made honeyed walnut Danishes, and apricot pastries,” Zoe announced, joining them as well.
“And I’ve got vanilla, cinnamon swirl, and orange poppyseed cupcakes,” Lauren added.
“How am I going to decide?” Hans’ faded blue eyes twinkled. “And I must have one of these mugs with Annie’s picture on them. I’ve heard a lot about them.”
“Really?” Zoe looked delighted. “I’ll bring one over to you.” She raced to the counter, grabbed a pottery mug and raced back.
“Ja, it is very nice.” Hans studied the cup. “Look, Annie, your face is on this side.” He held out the mug to her.
“Brrt.” Annie seemed pleased as she looked at her portrait on the mug.
Hans ordered a honeyed walnut pastry along with his cappuccino.
“Now I’ve sold five,” Zoe crowed as she and Lauren walked back to the counter. “Maybe pottery really is the hobby for me.”
“You could be right,” Lauren agreed. Sometimes Zoe’s crafting efforts ended in disappointment – she was just glad that so far that hadn’t happened with pottery.
They took over Hans’ order. He was their only customer, and he invited them to sit down.
“I have also heard about this murder at Zeke’s Ridge,” he said as he sipped his coffee. “Are you all right, Lauren? Mitch was with you, ja?”
“Ja – I mean yes.” Lauren’s cheeks grew hot. Did everyone in the small town know she’d gone away for a weekend with Mitch? Probably.
“Then there should not be a problem,” Hans said. “Mitch will solve the case and catch the killer.”
“It’s not so simple as that,” Zoe told him, wearing a glum expression. They told him about Detective Castern.
“That is not gut.” Hans shook his head. “I just hope he can solve this crime.”
“So do I,” Lauren agreed, also hoping that the detective didn’t really consider her or Mitch suspects.
More customers arrived, and they left Annie sitting with Hans.
“Oh, we forgot to tell him about garden gnomes disappearing.” Zoe tapped her cheek. “I wonder if Hans has one in his yard?”
“We’ll tell him when he leaves,” Lauren proposed, already steaming milk for a large latte.
“Maybe we should buy one,” Zoe proposed, her brown eyes sparkling. “We could put it in our garden and then catch the thief!”
“What if it’s stolen while we’re serving customers?” Lauren pointed out the hole in her cousin’s plan.
“We could set up a camera to record anyone coming into the garden,” Zoe countered.
“How much is that going to cost?”
“Ooh, I know! Maybe the police department could pay for it – and the gnome. It could be a sting operation.”
“Do you think we’re watching too many crime shows?” Lauren asked.
“With all the crime happening everywhere, I don’t think we’re watching enough!”