Trouble in the Tarot (14 page)

“They might, or you might?” The distrust was back in her eyes.

“I’m just trying to cover all possible scenarios.” I felt for Ophelia because I really did think she was innocent, but I wasn’t about to let my granny take the fall.

Ophelia raised her chin defiantly, any fear she might have had completely erased. “Anyone at that party could have stolen the cookies and pie, stolen Granny’s car, and run over Bernadette. They all wanted to win. I just
wanted to get my vacation back. And while you’re checking all angles, you might want to talk to the BB’s Baked Goods staff.”

“Why? I know people didn’t like her much as a person, but I thought that people respected her as a businesswoman. And she’d just done so well at the auction.”

“If she was such a great businesswoman, then why did she call a meeting the morning that she died and fire her entire staff?”

“How do you know that?”

“I was going in to buy some turnovers like I’ve done every day since I’ve been in town, but the doors were locked. Some sort of meeting was going on, so I went next door to Sam’s. When the meeting was done, a staff member rushed out in tears and came into Sam’s, looking for a job. When a second employee stormed into Sam’s, almost knocking me down, I’d had enough. I demanded to know what was going on. That’s when they told me.”

Why indeed,
I thought, my mind already spinning with my next move.

“Sunshine Eleanor Meadows, get your scrawny behind back in here this instant,” Joanne bellowed from across the street.

I spun around and gave her a sheepish grin, but the expression on her face said she was way beyond forgiveness. She was in full-blown bridezilla mode, and I was so getting the most hideous bridesmaid’s gown of all.

9

“She likes you, you know,” I said to Sean Tuesday evening as we parked on the street in front of BB’s Baked Goods.

Storm clouds had rolled in, promising the threat of rain. The washing machine was fixed, and my parents had the Dynamic Duo in hand…which meant a free evening for me. I hadn’t heard a word from Mitch, but after all I’d found out, that didn’t surprise me.

He was up to something.

Jo was working, and Sean had the night off. Not that I would have asked Jo to go with me to question Bernadette’s staff. Jo hadn’t quite come out of bridezilla mode, and I wasn’t taking any chances. The dress she’d picked for me? So not pretty. I had decided to wait until she was in a better mood, and then beg her to have pity on me.

“Who likes me?” Sean perked up and stared at me with the most serious, intense gaze he’d ever given me.

“Wow.” I laughed, having almost forgotten what I’d said. “You’ve got it bad.”

He lowered his eyelids defensively over his baby blues, his dimples disappearing from sight. “What are you talking about?” He shoved a hand through his blond hair.

“I’m just in shock. I can’t believe a woman has finally gotten to you.”

“I still don’t know who you are talking about.” He stepped out of my bug and closed the door behind him, pacing in front of its rounded hood and headlight eyes.

I hurried after him and locked the car behind me. “Yeah right. You are so smitten with Zoe Burnham, you don’t have a clue what to do with yourself. I just never thought I’d see the day, that’s all.”

He turned around to face me, with hands on hips, and shook his blond head with a half smile. Even when Sean was frustrated, he was still adorable. “You’re crazy, lass.”

“Remember my reading?” I wagged my brows, shaking my own blond spiky hair. “I think not.”

“Doesn’t matter.” His face fell, and his shoulders drooped a bit. “When she looks at me at all, she looks as though I’m about as appealing as gum on the bottom of her shoe.”

“That’s because you’re going about it all wrong.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Don’t try to feed her the same pick-up lines you feed all the bimbos you meet.”

He straightened, and his shoulders stiffened. “Zoe is hardly a bimbo.”

“That’s my point.” I dropped my hand. “Look, you help me tonight, and I will help you in return.”

“I’m listening.” He looked skeptical.

“By the end of summer, I will get Zoe to agree to be your date to Jo’s wedding. All you have to do is help me solve Bernadette Baldwin’s murder. Deal?”

“Deal.” And just like that, his dimples were back.

“Let’s go, Romeo. I have a craving for turnovers.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” He followed right behind me, but we both stopped short.

“BB’s is closed,” I said. There was no police tape since this wasn’t the scene of the crime. Just a closed sign taped inside the front door with the lights turned off.

“Huh. Maybe it’s closed because of Bernadette’s death,” Sean reasoned.

“Or maybe because she fired all her staff, and there’s no one left to run it.”

“Wait, what?” He looked as stunned as I’d felt when I heard it. “Why in the world would she do that?”

“That’s the million-dollar question. She made it seem like she was doing well, but Ophelia Edwards said that when she went for her morning pastry, the doors were locked and some sort of meeting was going on inside. She said she went next door to Sam’s instead, and when the meeting ended, some of Bernadette’s staff came into Sam’s, looking for a job. Belle said she saw the same thing.”

“Maybe we should talk to Sam then,” Sean said.

“It couldn’t hurt, I suppose.” We headed next door into Sam’s Bakery. The place was packed. The widow Ida and Mimi were there, as well as Quincy, Harry, Hazel, and even Ophelia.

“Evening, folks. What can I do for you?” Sam asked when it was finally our turn at the counter.

“Actually, I was wondering, could I have a word with your employee, Zach Ewing?” I asked, smiling at Zach, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable at the sound of his name.

Sam looked at me, and then Sean, and then back to me. “Sure.” He turned and faced Zach. “I’ve got it. Take your break now. Be back in ten.”

Zach didn’t look pleased, but he nodded his consent, peeled off his apron, and then joined us out front. We led the way outside to one of the patio chairs where it was less crowded.

“Hi, Zach. I’m Sunny M—”

“I know who you are. What do you want with me?” He ran his wrinkled hand over his gleaming bald head and eyed me warily.

“Well, I was wondering if you could help explain what happened at BB’s Baked Goods?” I asked. “Why is it closed down, and why on earth did she fire all of her staff?”

“Don’t know.” He shrugged. “For a while there, we all thought she was hurting for money. But then business started to pick up, and everything was great. Then, whammy, out of the blue she ups and fires us all. It don’t make a lick of sense. I just thank my lucky stars that
Sam gave me a job. Others got a job at the café, but not everyone came out so lucky.”

“And you have no idea what happened to make Bernadette suddenly have a money crisis?” Sean asked.

“Not a clue. Like I said, I could see if the business was doing poorly, but it wasn’t. Business had picked up, and Bernadette seemed to have money to spare. I don’t know what the heck happened. All I can say is she made a lot of people very angry.”

“Angry enough to kill her?” I asked.

“Anything’s possible.” He suddenly seemed to realize how his words sounded, and he held up his hands. “I was home all night, complaining to my wife. Just ask her.”

“We will,” Sean said firmly, tossing me a wink, which I took to mean he was the bad cop. “And while you’re sharing information, care to share a list of all her employees?”

“Wait a minute,” Zach said and narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t I hear that you weren’t supposed to be working on this case?”

Darn small town!

“And what’s up with him?” Zach jerked his head at Sean. “He doesn’t have anything to do with the police at all, so why’s he here with you asking me questions he has no right to?”

“Never mind. I’m sure we can find it,” I said in full good-cop mode. “I think your ten minutes are up, but thanks for your help. Shouldn’t you be getting back to work?”

He gave me a dirty look and walked off, mumbling, “Damn waste of a break.”

“Now what?” Sean asked.

“Now, we wait.”

“For what?”

“For everyone to leave so we can snoop around BB’s. There has to be a reason she fired everyone, and I’m not going home until I find it.”

Sean blew out a breath. “Zoe better be worth all this. That’s all I can say.”

“Oh, please.” I shoved him. “You’d help me either way just for the sheer adventure of it.”

“Probably,” he admitted, lightly shoving me back.

We climbed into my bug to drive around back and down the street to wait for nightfall. I’d learned my lesson about hiding my car. It did tend to stick out, and the last thing I needed was one ornery detective figuring out what I was up to.

*    *    *

A while later, once it was fully dark outside, we crept out of my car and snuck around the back of BB’s Baked Goods.

“It’s time,” I said.

“For what? A little B and E?” Sean rubbed his hands together, looking a little too excited about the prospect.

“No. I don’t want to get into any more trouble than I have to this time around.” I gave him a devilish grin. “I have something else in mind.”

He looked at me with dread. “Like what?”

“Dumpster diving.”

“Are you serious?” The shocked and disgusted look on his face was priceless.

“As serious as Father Moody in church on Sunday.” I bit back a laugh as Sean made the sign of the cross. “Don’t be such a wimp.”

“If there are any rats in there, you’re gonna pay, lass.” He leaned forward and added, “Dearly.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I patted his chest. “We’re wasting time, Romeo.” I crept forward and peeked over the side of the full, smelly Dumpster. Wrinkling my nose, I batted my lashes at Sean and said, “After you, my hero.”

“Oh, no. Me poor mother would skin me hide if I wasn’t a gentleman.” He purposely laid on a thick Irish accent as he stepped aside and gallantly swept his hand in front of him. “Ladies first.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” I pulled a pair of latex gloves from my purse and set it on the ground just as a boom of thunder rumbled overhead.

Sean raised a blond brow at me.

“What can I say, my dad’s a doctor. I grew up around these things. I’ve suddenly found a great use for them. They come in handy on certain undercover assignments.”

I slipped on the gloves and huffed out a breath as I climbed to the top of the Dumpster, rethinking my decision for a second, but then raising my chin in determination. “This one’s for you, Granny,” I muttered
and then plugged my nose as I jumped in feet first. Thank goodness I’d thought to wear sneakers instead of sandals.

“You’re crazy, love.” Sean started laughing from the top of the Dumpster. “I can’t believe you actually did it.”

“Ewwww, it’s so nasty in here.” I tried to pull my sneakers free of the muck with no success. “It was in the eighties today. Do you
know
what that does to garbage?” I gagged and tried not to breathe through my nose.

“I work in a restaurant, darlin’. My mama might have raised a gentleman, but she didn’t raise no fool. That’s why I’m up here, and you’re down there.”

“What does that mean?” I narrowed my eyes. “You’re supposed to be helping me.”

“I am. I’m your lookout.” He winked. “Besides, someone has to watch your purse.”

My jaw fell open as I gave an outraged gasp.

“Better close your mouth, love. Wouldn’t want any bugs flying in.” He overexaggerated his shudder.

“You look inside my purse, you’re a dead man.” I pointed my finger at him, praying I didn’t have anything embarrassing in there.

He held a hand over his heart. “You wound me. I would never think of doing such a thing.”

“Next thing we do, you’re going first. End of discussion. Period. Amen.”

He had the nerve to laugh again. “Deal.”

“Gee, where did I hear that before?” I grumbled.

“What was it you said? Oh, yeah. We’re wasting time.
Better hurry, there, Sunshine. It’s about to downpour. I’ll whistle if anyone is coming.” He disappeared before I could argue further.

Having no choice and already ankle deep in garbage, I started wading my way through trash bags. Most bags were filled with baked goods and plates and utensils and napkins. Your average, everyday bakeshop paraphernalia. I was covered in all kinds of icky sticky debris and getting worried I wouldn’t find anything useful.

I tripped over another pile of garbage and fell face-first onto a small trash bag. Thank God this one was only full of paper. I sat back and ripped the bag open. Tons of shredded documents. I sifted through the whole thing, and had just about given up, when I found a partially shredded note. I carefully pulled what was left of it out and read it.

I know what you’re doing. You’re a fraud. Do what I say, or I’ll tell everybody and you will be ruined.

Holy cow. Someone had been blackmailing Bernadette. What was she doing? What did the blackmailer want from her? This could be a note from the killer. It was creepy. The letters were cut out glued onto plain white copy paper like a serial killer might do.