Miss Frost Solves A Cold Case: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost Book 1) (8 page)

At four fifty-five, I met Owen and Buttercup, who was pretty much the exact opposite of my mental image of someone with that name. Short, spikey blue-black hair, heavy black eyeliner and pierced ear tips, which made mine hurt in sympathy. But she was sweet and, just like Juniper, happy to have another female on staff.

Owen was nice, but quiet. And he blinked a lot.

At five p.m. our shift was over, so Juniper and I ditched our aprons and bolted for the elevator.

“I’m on two,” she said as she pushed the call button. “So is Buttercup. Owen’s in the other apartment upstairs next to Toly and across from the corporate digs. Which means you must be on two also.”

“Yep. I wonder if you’re across the hall from me.” The doors slid back and we got on.

“You might have gotten Bertie’s old place.”

“No, I’m in 2D.”

Her brows lifted. “How do you know which apartment Bertie was in?”

Snowballs
. I thought for a second as the doors opened and we got out. “About that…” I gave her a quick rundown about hearing Spider crying, but told her I’d picked the lock. Telling her what I’d really done would reveal me as royal. Then I said I’d done some snooping while I was in there and figured out who lived there. I hoped that covered my slip.

“I’m glad you saved Spider.” She seemed mostly convinced, but Juniper was sharp. I wasn’t calling myself clear yet. “You can pick locks, huh?”

I shrugged. “Everybody has skills.”

“Sure, but mine probably won’t lead to me getting arrested.”

“You’d be surprised.”

She laughed. “Change and meet back here in fifteen?”

“Deal.” Once in my place, I switched out of jeans into black leggings, a snug tunic top and my black boots. Then I grabbed the snow globe and gave it a shake as I carried it into the bathroom with me to touch up my makeup.

My dad showed up as I was adding some eyeliner. “Hi, sweetheart. How was your first day?”

“Good.” Not counting the part that included Cooper Sullivan.

“Any news?”

“Nothing concrete. Toly’s a bit of a task master.”

“Is that your take or the opinion of the workers you’ve talked to?”

“Both.” I put the eyeliner away and did a quick dusting of powder to get rid of the shine that had accumulated after a day in the store. “I hope to know more about the workers who’ve left after tonight.”

“Why? What’s going on tonight?”

“I’m going out to dinner with the woman I worked my shift with. She’s really nice. Juniper Trembley. She was about to tell me something today, then we got interrupted with Toly and customers and couldn’t finish our conversation.” I ran a brush through my hair. “Anyway, we should be able to dig back in at dinner. I think she trusts me. Or is starting too.”

“Sounds like you’re doing very well.”

“I’m trying. Do you know what Snowy Saturdays are?”

“No, what are they?”

“You pretty much answered that question.” I gave him the same explanation Juniper had given me.

He thought for a moment. “That might explain why that store is so successful. I wonder if we should do that in all the stores. I’ll have to talk to Kris about it, see what he thinks.”

“Um, maybe wait until this is over? Otherwise Toly might wonder how you found out.”

“Good point. All right, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Dad, wait. Did you find out about the visitor record?”

He nodded. “Yes. That’s got to be Toly’s rule. HR didn’t have anything on that.”

Hmm. Toly was a task master and a fibber. “Two more things then. How long are the lunch breaks supposed to be? Legally, I mean.”

“I’d have to check Georgia laws. Each store is governed by the state it’s in.”

“There’s no company policy on this? With the perks of housing and the cleaning service, I would think breaks would be covered too.”

“I’ll find out as soon as I can. Good enough?”

I could Google it, I supposed, but this way my dad got to help me. Which I think he liked. “Yes, thanks. Second thing. Is there a quota the store has to meet?”

He narrowed his eyes. “You mean like sales? Not that I’m aware of, but I’ll check on that too.”

“Cool. Love you.”

“Love you too.” His image vanished and the snow settled.

I put the globe back on the side table in the living room, grabbed my purse, gave Spider’s tummy a little scratch since he was lying on his back on the sofa like a man with no shame, and went out into the hall.

Juniper was just stepping out of her apartment. “Ready to eat?”

“Is no ever an answer to that question?”

She grinned. “Let’s go.”

We headed for the elevator as I asked, “Where to?”

She pushed the button. “A place called Howler’s. It’s a little touristy, but very supernatural friendly, and get this, the owner is a werewolf.”

I probably should have acted more surprised, but this was not new information to me, thanks to Greyson. Who hadn’t tried to get in touch with me, I’d noticed. “Bridget, right?”

The doors opened and we got on.

Juniper looked a little shocked. “Yes. How did you know?”

“I ate there last night. She waited on me since I sat at the bar.”

“Yeah, but how did you know she was a werewolf? Most elves can’t figure that stuff out. Is that one of your powers? Because that would be cool.”

“No, nothing so amazing. Someone told me. That’s all.”

The lift touched down. We got out and I gestured to the bikes. “Are we riding or walking?”

“I’d prefer to walk.”

“Me too.”

As we pushed through the vestibule door, Juniper stopped.

“Hang on.” She opened her purse and started digging through it. “I think I forgot my credit card. I had it out to buy something online.”

“You need to run back up?”

“Maybe…”

“What are you doing by that elevator?” a voice barked.

We both turned to look. Toly stood in the doorway to his office, his gaze pinning us.

Juniper sighed. “I’m just looking for something in my purse. I’m not touching the stupid elevator.” She pulled her credit card out. “Got it. Let’s go before he has a meltdown.”

We pushed through the door and onto the street.

It was a beautiful night, but any warmer and I’d have to change out my boots for sandals. If I owned sandals. Which I did not. “He sure is touchy about that elevator.”

“Yeah, I guess if there’s an issue, the town will blame him, and then he’ll get in trouble with corporate. I sort of get it, but we all know to leave it alone, and we’re not kids. No one has any burning desire to take a ride in that thing.”

I did. A little anyway. “Any idea where it goes?”

“Down?” She laughed. “Don’t know, don’t care.”

I changed the subject since that one seemed dead. “So, we’re having dinner at a place run by a werewolf. That’s not something you get to say every day.”

Juniper nodded. “That’s for sure. And the food there is good and not too expensive. Which I’m sure you saw. Plus, it’s served in mass quantities. Which I’m sure you also saw.”

I laughed. “I did, and I’m not ashamed to say I cleaned my plate.”

Howler’s wasn’t a far walk so we got there a few minutes later. Thankfully, the dinner crowd hadn’t really descended yet, and we snagged a booth. Those always felt more private to me, which was good, because Juniper and I needed to talk.

We settled in, got drinks, and placed our orders (the prime rib special for both of us and an appetizer of loaded potato skins to share). Juniper was really easy to hang out with. That was a little different than being with Lark. Truth be told, Lark was a touch high maintenance. But you overlooked that stuff in friends, right?

With the food on its way, I started the conversation. “How long have you worked at the shop?”

“Just shy of two years.”

“You like it then?”

She nodded and sipped her Coke. “I do. It’s a good job. I like working with people and this town is great.”

That was for sure. “But?”

“But Toly can be—” She smirked. “I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff. You just started. You’re supposed to be in the honeymoon phase when everything is peachy.”

I used the backstory I’d been given. “Hey, it took me a year on the waitlist to get here, but I’m not some Pollyanna who thinks everything is perfect. I want to know what I’m dealing with.”

She sighed. “Toly can be a little odd. Lately more often than not. You saw how he was tonight.” She shook her head. “I think it’s his granddaughter, but he doesn’t talk about it much. It’s just what I’ve picked up from bits and pieces I’ve overheard.”

This was getting interesting, but I wasn’t sure it had anything to do with elves leaving the shop. “Like what?”

She leaned forward, her glass between her hands. “First of all, you have to know that he requested the manager’s job when he retired, specifically so he could live in Nocturne Falls and be near his granddaughter. She runs a B&B here in town. She’s the only family he’s got, as far as I know. Or at least the only family he’s still in contact with.”

“Makes sense that he’d want to be near her, then.” I drank some of my Dr Pepper. Elixir of life, that stuff.

“Sure. But about six months before I got here, her husband filed for divorce.”

“So two and a half years ago.” Which is when the workers started disappearing. But I couldn’t make the connection between the two things. Yet.

“Yep. I have no idea what happened and probably never will, but now she’s running the business by herself and having a hard time making a go of it. Or was. I haven’t heard much about it lately.”

“Having Toly here is probably a big help.”

“Totally. But that’s about the same time he started acting, I don’t know, more serious? More stressed?”

“Makes sense, though, right? His granddaughter’s having trouble, struggling. He’s got to be upset by that.”

Juniper nodded. “Absolutely, but he shouldn’t be taking it out on us. Also, that’s right around the same time corporate started pushing those Snowy Saturdays.” She rolled her eyes. “Toly monitors whoever he puts in charge of it relentlessly to make sure they get the shimmer right.”

The potato skins arrived, so we put the conversation on pause to nosh, resuming after we’d both downed our first one.

“You think he’s under pressure from corporate too, then?”

“Yep. I’m sure his job isn’t easy, not with the stresses of his granddaughter’s stuff going on too, but there are days when you just don’t want to be around him.”

It occurred to me that I might be able to wrap this thing up sooner than anticipated if what Juniper was saying about Toly was true. And I had no reason to think otherwise. Maybe the missing workers had gotten fed up with the cranky old guy and bailed. But that wouldn’t explain why Bertie had left all his stuff and sweetie-pants Spider behind. Unless Toly had fired him and taken away his keys so that Bertie couldn’t get back in. That was a possibility. “Is that why workers have left?”

“Could be.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“Well, they just stop showing up. You’d think if it was because of Toly, they’d file reports with HR or say something to someone, you know? They’d at least complain to the rest of us. Or threaten to leave.”

“Did Bertie give any hints he was leaving?”

She shook her head. “Nope. There one day, gone the next.”

“Nothing happened right before he left? No blowout with Toly, no personal issues, nothing? It’s really weird to me that a guy would leave and not take his cat. Or any of his stuff. There were clothes in the closet, shoes on the floor, and mail on the counter. I don’t know who moves and leaves everything.”

Juniper squinted, half a potato skin in her hand. “That is really strange.”

“Did the rest of them leave that way too?”

“Can’t say. It’s not like I went in any of their apartments, you criminal.”

I laughed, almost choking on my last bite of cheesy, bacon-y potato goodness. “Hey, I wasn’t accusing you of anything. But maybe you saw someone moving stuff?”

“Not that I remember. And I know the day Bertie left because I had to cover his shift.”

“Speaking of Bertie, maybe I should have a look around his place again.”

Her eyes lit up. “Can I come?”

“I don’t know. What if we get caught? Better that only one of us gets in trouble.” Actually, bringing her along would mean she’d figure out my lock picking abilities were limited to the simplest of locks.

“How about you go in and I stand guard?”

I snorted. “That won’t look weird at all, you hanging out in the hall in front of an empty apartment.” But clearly she wanted to come. And it could be a good bonding experience, securing her trust in me even more. “How about if I text you once I’m inside and the coast is clear?”

She grinned. “Cool.”

Our food arrived, and we dug in. The conversation shifted to how good the food was and then silence as we devoured it. In a sadly short amount of time, we finished.