Mocha mayhem, p.12
Mocha Mayhem, page 12
This space, where they discussed a case as if her opinion mattered, meant a great deal to Scarlett. “You mean that murder, especially of one of their own, feels like a step too far?”
“It’s not something I can prove or disprove yet. . .”
“Stop!” Scarlett yelled, her hand shooting out to the dashboard as the car lurched and shuddered.
“What the heck?” Nate roared. “I could have killed us!”
Leaning forward, she pointed to the tree closest to her. “Look at how there are no branches at a certain height. I bet there are cameras along here.”
Nate groaned and adjusted his seat belt, which was probably digging into his chest the way hers was.
“Thanks for pointing that out and nearly giving me a heart attack.”
“Sorry. I wanted to make sure that my eyes weren’t playing tricks.” She pointed. “Now that we’re right beside it, I can see a metal box up there.”
“It’s best if we don’t hang around on this road.” Nate slipped the car out of neutral. “I’ll come back tomorrow and check out your theory about the gate and cameras.”
Satisfied, Scarlett leaned back in her seat. “So, bringing me along wasn’t the worst idea?”
“We both know you would have come out here with or without me. But I don’t want you to be under the illusion that I won’t lock you up if you decide to take on this case yourself.”
His terse words reminded Scarlett that he’d felt like he had no choice, and instead of lightening the mood which had been her intention, she’d made him once more resentful.
They drove home in the same way they’d arrived—solemn and lost in their thoughts.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
We need to talk.
No one likes to wake up to that kind of text. The moment she turned on her phone and saw it, Scarlett felt her temper rise. It had been sent last night, along with many more. It was easy to ignore them when she was out with Nate embroiled on the mystery and slightly harder when she’d arrived home and faced her sisters’ de-brief.
Not usually vindictive, Scarlett decided as she dressed that Sam could wait to have the conversation he so desperately wanted. After all, she’d had to wait to find out that her boyfriend was in love with another woman.
By the time she made her way to the kitchen, she’d gone through a dozen scenarios of what she would heatedly say to the paramedic lothario, and then her mood somersaulted into a frozen lake.
Sam sat at the kitchen table with a wary Ruby and a fuming Violet was making coffee. He was fortunate that this sister held no weapon. He jumped up as she entered.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Scarlett managed stiffly, ignoring his awkwardness.
“I’m sorry to turn up unannounced, but you must know that I’ve tried to reach you a dozen times.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I have to get this off my chest, and I knew you’d avoid me if I asked for a meeting.”
“And, again, this is all about you.” Violet’s sarcasm was well-founded.
Sam shook his head violently, keeping his eyes on Scarlett. “You don’t understand. No one could have seen the change in circumstances.”
“Seriously?” Violet glared. “That’s your idea of an apology?”
Sam’s cheeks reddened, but he wasn’t backing down. Not a wise move, if he had any idea of how Violet’s temper was akin to a caged beast when her sisters were upset.
“I have apologized. I do apologize, but this is more than that. Scarlett, I never considered what would happen if Lexie didn’t marry Chad. The three of us were so close that I knew nothing I could say would change their minds, and despite how they felt, they’d go through with the wedding. I learned a long time ago to curb my feelings for Lexie, and that allowed us all to remain friends.”
“Good for you!” Violet raged. “You get exactly what you want, but that’s not so comforting for Scarlett.”
“Can you let me finish? Please,” Sam begged.
Violet sniffed disdainfully. “I don’t know why you think you should be allowed to. Especially after practically forcing your way inside this house.”
“Actually,” Scarlett intervened. “I’d like to hear what Sam has to say. Then we can be done with the whole thing.” She sat at the far end of the table and clasped her hands in her lap, steeling herself to hear why she wasn’t good enough.
Sam hesitated before reclaiming his seat. Lifting his chin and looking her in the eyes was at least something. “After you found Chad, I felt this huge loss. His friendship meant the world to me, and Lexie was the only one who could possibly understand. I went to her for consolation and to tell her that it wasn’t her fault.”
“You never gave me the opportunity to try to understand, and the explanation is far too late,” Scarlett retorted. “I was there, remember, trying to give you space. Trusting that’s all you needed.” Her anger flared and then was suddenly gone, replaced by loss and deep disappointment. Maybe he was still nice, kind, and caring, but Sam was also a coward.
Ruby hunkered in her chair, while unfortunately for him, Violet was still furious.
“So, we’re supposed to believe that you didn’t kill Chad so you could finally get Lexie?”
His head snapped around to her. “What? How can you ask me that?”
“Because we thought we knew you.” Violet pulled a disgusted face. “We were mistaken about that, which makes me wonder what else we got wrong?”
“I made a mistake, maybe several,” he protested. “As I said, there was no other scenario where I could manufacture this outcome. I’ve done all I could not to hurt Chad.”
Ruby broke her silence. “Hurting Scarlett shouldn’t have been an option either.”
Sam hung his head. “You’re right. I’ll never be able to apologize enough, but I swear I did not kill Chad and never meant to hurt Scarlett.”
Scarlett shouldn’t feel sorry for him, but he looked so beaten. “Do you think Rebecca could have done it? Wasn’t she in the same position as you, since she loved, Chad?”
He looked up, hopefully. “I haven’t been thinking clearly since it happened, so I didn’t give that any thought, but, yes, Rebecca could be guilty. I should talk to Nate. It might help get his department to back off Lexie and me.”
“Oh, Sam.” Ruby shook her head sorrowfully. “There are more people to worry about than you and Lexie. Chad has a family, and others are suffering in other ways with all the doubts and suspicion.”
Sam blanched at the softly spoken reprimand. “It’s not like I haven’t spent time with Chad’s brother, but all the other men have been locked up together discussing Lexie’s fate, and the women have been consoling Mrs. Wood, pretty much since it happened. Rebecca was never going to marry Chad. She loved him, but she understood that the older generation wouldn’t allow it, just as I did.”
“This is all so sick.” Violet glared at Sam. “You can’t force people to love each other.”
“I feel the same way. Only, I had plenty of years to come to terms with it, and being Chad’s friend meant accepting the strangeness. At least that’s the way I justified it to myself.”
Scarlett frowned, then fetched a notebook and a pen from the counter. “Could you please write down the hierarchy of the families?”
Relief washed over his features. “Of course.” He barely thought about it before scribbling down a list.
Scarlett watched over his shoulder. The writing was different as she suspected it would be. Sam could be doing it differently on purpose, but she hadn’t given him time to work on that when she’d fleetingly considered that he’d sent her the note. He worked fast and methodically, and soon there was a list of the last three generations.
“You said that Lexie would have to marry someone on this list, right?”
Sam tapped the pen on one name, then another. “In my opinion, Chad’s brother, Michael, is the top option. Followed by the chief carvers son, David.”
“Eww!” Violet gagged. “This is horrible.”
“Yes, the timing is ugly, but apart from the lack of love, no one is related unless distantly in Russia,” Ruby pointed out. “If the Turners had a son, then a suitable bride would have been found from their hometown.”
“What are Lexie’s thoughts on this?” Scarlett was proud that she could discuss this reasonably and glad that the urge to yell at him had gone.
“She doesn’t like any of them enough to marry,” Sam said quietly.
Scarlett’s heart sank. “But they’ll force her to, and she still has no choice who it will be?”
“None. Her family will disown her if she doesn’t comply with the board’s wishes.”
The idea of being handed around to the next best prospect was revolting and a terrible situation for Lexie. How long would they wait to announce another engagement, Scarlett wondered. Months? Weeks?
“Then she’s complicit,” Violet stated matter-of-factly.
“That’s harsh, Vi,” Ruby interjected. “We don’t come from that world, so we don’t know how it would feel.”
Violet sniffed. “I know that no one will ever get to choose my husband, and the last time I checked in this day and age, a woman has rights.”
Scarlett thought of Lexie and the lost look on her face. Having to marry without love for a second time, no matter that she might be allowed a few months to grieve, was heartbreaking. There was one option that no one had mentioned. “Why don’t you elope?”
All eyes were on her as she spoke to Sam. “Unless money and power are all Lexie cares about, it makes perfect sense. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I don’t have anything to offer her,” Sam protested.
“You have a good job, and she could work. I know she wants to. This is no time to be a wimp.” Scarlett shrugged. “If you want her so badly, then you have to make her believe you’ll make it happen no matter the consequences.”
“Scarlett!” Violet yelled. “This is beyond niceness. You don’t have to make their lives easy.”
Scarlett managed a small smile. “Mom would expect us not to make things harder for anyone just because we can.”
“That’s very noble, but have you given a thought to the fact that Lexie is recently widowed. There’s no way she’ll be contemplating marriage any time soon. It’s simply not decent.”
Sam nodded. “Violet’s right—and wrong. Lexie loves me, and she’s grieving, as am I. That doesn’t mean another wedding won’t be in the planning very soon.”
“Since you seem to have an answer to any suggestion, you better tell us what you want from us?” Scarlett asked.
Sam’s eyes glistened. “Definitely, your forgiveness, then help in finding the killer. I’m anxious they’ll try again if a groom is announced or our secret is discovered. Nothing can go under the radar for long at that place, and it could be Lexie next time.”
He didn’t attempt to hide how scared he was, and it showed how much Sam loved Lexie that he would try anything to prevent her from being hurt—even asking his ex-girlfriend to help.
Scarlett took in a deep breath. “Even after all you’ve said, it was still wrong to let me believe that you were in love with me.”
“I didn’t lie, because I do love you—just not in the way I should,” he finished lamely.
Scarlett sighed, weary of the conversation. “Is that supposed to appease me in some way? By not telling all the truth, you are as guilty as if you lied.”
“You’re right.” Sam hung his head once more. “I can’t justify it. I’m sorry, Scarlett. You don’t deserve all this.”
“That’s a start. Anyway, you might have to wait for complete forgiveness, but the truth is I’ve been focusing on little else other than finding the murderer.” Preferring to keep it quiet as Nate suggested, Scarlett omitted to tell Sam about the late-night drive. She stood and stretched, feeling a little lighter. “Now, we need to get to the café. We’re already late.”
Reluctantly he went to the door, hesitating before he opened it. “If you don’t mind, I do have one suggestion.” When she didn’t object, he continued. “Lexie, overheard her mom say that the Carver community is bursting with speculation, but they’ve effectively closed ranks. Nate’s been there, but they don’t trust him, and the time I’ve spent with Lexie has made them watchful of me. If you went there, they might recognize you as the caterer, but it might be a better chance to get some information.”
While it occurred to Scarlet that Sam wasn’t too bothered by any danger, she might incur, she merely nodded. “I’ll go there when I can.” What that meant was defying Nate again, and she wasn’t eager to do that so soon. However, waiting hadn’t worked so far.
“Thank you, and thanks for listening. I am truly sorry, and I appreciate how unfair it is to ask a favor when you’d be perfectly within your rights to kick me off the property and never want to see me again.”
Violet shut the door behind him with a bang, a certain gleam in her eyes. “He shouldn’t tempt me. I can see that we aren’t going to talk you out of this, so we’ll all go. I’ll make us a picnic this afternoon, and we’ll have supper at the beach, so we have an excuse to look around.”
Scarlett looked through the window, noticing for the first time that the rain had cleared and the sky was changing color. “Today? Are you sure? I don’t know how safe it will be or what we’ll find.”
“Let’s not give anyone time to figure out our plans. It’s not a closed community, despite it having that feel about it. We’ll chat with people like we usually do and search for sea glass,” Violet assured her.
“Okay. But we need to get a move on—we’re so late.” Scarlett pulled out a bag and began throwing in some herbs and tomatoes from the fridge.
Ruby pushed the chairs in. “Since I’m awake, I’ll come and give you a hand to make up time.”
“That would be fantastic. We may as well all go in the van. Be ready in 10 minutes.” Scarlett ran down the hall to her room to get her bag thinking ahead to this afternoon. Nate surely wouldn’t be upset over a picnic, right?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
With Ruby’s help, and Violet taking time to chat with the customers relieving Scarlett from that duty, the day went without a hitch—until Olivia stopped by as they were closing.
“I’m glad I caught you before you left.” Her usual smile was missing.
“Is something wrong?” Scarlett asked.
“I saw Ruby at lunchtime, and she told me about your trip to the Carver community this afternoon.”
Scarlett sighed. She should have recalled that her sister could never keep a secret from Olivia. “We’re curious and want to see first-hand how village life works. It has to be different from even our small town.”
A delicate eyebrow arched. “Is that all there is to it?”
Keeping any guilt off her face was tricky for Scarlett, who didn’t want to upset her aunt but didn’t want her to come. “We’re taking Bob for a run at the beach. We haven’t done anything together for a while, and thought a picnic would be nice.”
“That’s hardly a quick trip,” Olivia observed her. “Have you forgotten that there’s a murderer on the loose?”
“Not at all, but it will be daylight, and there’ll be people around.” Scarlett cleaned off a table and carried a tray out to the kitchen.
Olivia followed like a mother hen. “Most of them are lovely from out that way, but we can be reasonably certain that one of them is not.”
“As far as we know, no one’s said that it’s likely to be one of the villagers,” Violet chipped in as she loaded up the basket.
“I don’t exactly think it’s someone from there, but other people visit it. Some from nearby,” Olivia added pointedly.
Scarlett read through the thinly veiled subtlety. “So you’ve decided on the murderer being a family member?”
“Absolutely.” Olivia nodded. “The only thing I’m not sure of is which family.”
“But definitely one of the four?” Scarlett was secretly pleased to see Olivia just as invested in solving the crime as she was. It would make life easier.
“It has to be, and I can tell that you feel the same way.”
Olivia was a little smug, but Scarlett couldn’t lie. They’d had a couple of conversations about this very thing, and it made so much sense that the killer was someone Chad knew well. Someone who could get to the beach and away from it without arousing suspicion.
“I do, and it’s so frustrating not to be able to chat with any of them, which is why we’re heading out there now. Someone must have something to say that will be of value and point us in the right direction. Although, every lead we’ve had has been a dead end.” She smiled wryly. “Just to reassure you, we’ll be together, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Hah! As if I could ever stop worrying about the three of you.” Olivia sniffed. “You’re all the family I have, and I don’t want you getting in over your heads with this.”
Scarlett wiped her hands so that she could hug her aunt. “I promise we’ll be careful.”
“Mind you do.” Olivia sniffed again. “You should also know that George has been wandering the town, and he tried to attack a massive Pitbull today not far from here.”
“Oh, no! Is George okay?”
“He wasn’t harmed at all. In fact, the man, who I assumed was the dog’s owner, pried George off after several scratches for his trouble and sent your cat on his way with no more than a stern talking to. The dog looked like he could bite George in half with his huge teeth, and wanted to, but he didn’t move. It was as if he was waiting for the man’s permission to retaliate.”
Scarlett flinched at the scenario. “A pit-bull? The owner wasn’t a giant, was he?”
Olivia laughed. “Now that you mention it, he was rather large. And very stern. Although I could see that he loves animals so he must be far nicer than he appears.”
