Freshly Ground Murder Read online

  “I don’t know. We didn’t write down the pairings.” Bunny leaned her hip on the counter and held the cup up to her nose. “It’s awful funny that they gave you hair dye.”

  “Why?” Aunt Maxi glared.

  The bell over the door dinged. Otis Peavler shuffled through the door. The cold air whipped in behind him, causing me to look at the fireplace. I’d yet to get around to lighting it this morning.

  “Do you mind grabbing some of that wood for me, Otis?” I asked my shop neighbor. “I’ll get your usual.”

  Otis was the owner of Odd Ink, the tattoo parlor next door to me. I wasn’t sure how old he was but he had to be in his late seventies or early eighties. Most of the elderly women in town always fawned over him, but Juanita Lynn Anderson had laid claim to him a long time ago.

  “Don’t worry about the Coffee Chips.” He referred to the signature cookies that were always in the coffeehouse. “I’ll just have a large cup of the Christmas Harvest blend with a little room for some cream.”

  “Okay.” I stopped and watched him for a second as he stacked the wood into the fireplace and used one of the prelit logs to start a spark.

  It was odd for him not to get a batch of the cookies along with his coffee. He was a regular and he’s never not gotten the treats.

  “Can I interest you in anything else? On the house since you made my fire.” I poured him a to-go cup and slid it across the counter.

  “Nah. Doc Kels said I’ve got to cut back on my sweets. I got a diabetes diagnosis.” He frowned. There was such a sadness in his eyes. “It’s going to be strange not having my usual schedule,” his voice trailed.

  There seemed to be more meaning behind his sadness, but I wasn’t going to pry. I’d leave that up to Aunt Maxi.

  “You and Juanita haven’t had a fuss have you?” Aunt Maxi cozied on up to Otis and put her hand on this forearm.

  “Girl, you better watch yourself,” Bunny quipped. “Juanita is like one of them ninja people when it comes to her man.”

  Otis’s attitude took a little lift with the attention and big smile on his face.

  “Ladies, ladies.” He tsked. “I’ve only got eyes for my Juanita.”

  “Then why don’t she support you and come to church?” Bunny Bowowski acted as the church police. In a small town like Honey Springs, everyone went to church. Most of the time it was more of a social gathering than anything else. “Or why don’t y’all just get hitched?”

  “Why don’t you two stop being nosy?” I asked and winked at Otis. “I can dig up some really good sugar free recipes if you want.”

  “Nah. I’m good. Vegetables for me.” He gave a nod and headed on out of the coffeehouse, but not without being nearly knocked over by Louise Carlton and a pet carrier.

  “What was his problem?” Louise glanced out the coffeehouse windows and watched Otis hurry back to his shop.

  “He must be in a hurry.” I shrugged and walked around the counter to see what sweet animal she’d brought from Pet Palace.

  Louise was the owner of Pet Palace, Honey Springs’s version of an SPCA. Every week she brings a different animal to be featured at the coffeehouse to be adopted. It was a sticky situation with the health department, but we got around it and the community loved it.

  Pepper ran over to sniff the carrier.

  “This is Felix the cat.” She put the carrier on the floor.

  I bent down and looked at the scared kitten.

  “What on earth did you do to your hair?” Louise focused her attention on Aunt Maxi while Pepper and I focused on Felix.

  Felix gave a little open-mouthed hiss at Pepper when Pepper stuck his nose up to the carrier, but it didn’t bother Pepper any. Pepper had stolen my heart when I went to Pet Palace so he was used to being with all sorts of animals.

  “Well, Felix,” I picked up the carrier and took it back by Pepper’s doggie bed near the counter. “You’re going to find a special someone and we are so glad to have you as our guest.”

  I set the carrier on the floor and opened the door. Pepper was so instinctive. He sat next to the carrier and didn’t force himself on Felix.

  “That darn Secret Santa.” Aunt Maxi eyed Louise. “Are you my Secret Santa?”

  “No. I certainly wouldn’t’ve given you hair dye. And you certainly didn’t have to use it.” Louise shook her head and walked over to Felix. “He’s a special fellow. He’s been living in the woods as a feral. I finally caught him and it’s taken a few weeks to get him to rehabilitate. He’s very lovable after he gets over the initial shock.”

  She set a bag of kibble and some toys on the counter. It was just best to leave Felix alone and let him get used to the smells and sounds of the coffeehouse, which shouldn’t take long since he’s been in Pet Palace with all the noises there.

  “I’ve got to run, but here are some flyers for the Christmas Pawrade.” She took them out of her purse.

  “Just lay them on the counter next to the cash register. That way we can give one to everyone who pays.” It was going to be so much fun having a parade with all animals. Apparently, they’d been doing it for a couple of years and it’s a perfect time for the animals to get a home for Christmas.

  With the smooth Christmas music playing in the background, the warm smell of cinnamon floating around along with the coffee, and the flicker of the fire in the fireplace, my soul was full. It was already going to be the best Christmas ever. I could feel it.

  Two

  “Just hear those sleigh bells ringlin’, jing, jing, jinglin’ too.” Penny Bloom, my mom, sing-sang when I walked into All About The Details, the only event planning shop in Honey Springs and just a few doors down from the coffeehouse.

  She waved me over and patted the chair next to her. Aunt Maxi was sitting right next to her and patted the chair on the other side. This little invitation to sit with them wasn’t a friendly gesture of sorts. It was a competition on who’d I sit by.

  I waved at them and tucked my head, heading up to see Jean Hill about the tree farm order she’d put in. Not that I needed to clarify anything, but I did want to waste some time in hopes that other committee members would file in and take those seats.

  I love my Aunt Maxi just as much as I love my mom. Of course Mom and I are just finding a new sort of relationship that’s not so volatile since she never supported my visits with my father to Honey Springs when I was a child. That was her fault for not coming with us. Aunt Maxi had a way of taking things too personal and their relationship took a toll. Mom and I were working at repairing the past while Aunt Maxi and her would rather sweep it under the rug and play nice.

  Whatever it took was fine with me because I didn’t have time to police them.

  “Roxy,” Jean smiled and gave me a hug. “I’m so happy to see you. Even though we got to talk on the phone, it’s not the same as seeing you coming to the Farmer’s Market.” She patted my arm. “It’s a shame we can’t have the market open all year long.”

  “It’s good to see you too.” I returned the smile to my dear old friend.

  Recently her husband, Fred, had been a victim of a terrible murder and she’d put on a brave face since then. I loved getting all my fresh ingredients from them. Everything made in the coffeehouse that I could buy locally sourced, I did. Hill’s Orchard had many wonderful fruits and vegetables.

  “Are you ready for the big tree lighting?” I asked.

  “Oh yes. I swear Fred must’ve sent some special kisses over the tree farm this year because we have some real beauties.” Her face lit up. “I’ve got one that would look so nice in the coffeehouse window.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. You hold it back for me.” I nodded. “I’ve got your orders all ready to go. Can you think of anything else you might need?”

  “No, dear.” Her hand traveled my arm to my hand where she continued to pat it. “It’s so kind of you to ask, but I think we’ve got it all squared away.”

  “If everyone wouldn’t mind to take a seat, we’d like to
get things started.” Loretta Bebe’s drawn-out southern words trickled through the microphone.

  “Who gave her a microphone?’ Jean joked.

  “Beats me.” I winked and took the seat right where I was standing. Jean took the one next to me. I didn’t bother turning around to Mom and Aunt Maxi. I could already feel the heat of their death stares.

  “I’m so excited to be the new beautification committee president for this term.” Low-retta, exactly how she says her name, beamed from ear-to-ear. Even her dark fake-and-bake tan that normally was a dull skin tone sparkled. “As you know this year’s Christmas theme in Honey Springs is Christmas In The Park. I’m very excited this is going to be my very first event as president. I’ve asked Mr. Rich from Honey Springs National Bank to join us this morning for our very last meeting of the year so we can go over the yearly budget for next year.”

  When Evan Rich took the microphone from Loretta, I started to zone out and thought about exactly where I was going to put the Christmas tree in the shop. The only reason I was on any of the committees was to stay informed. It was the lawyer in me, a trait I couldn’t just shake. I also couldn’t help but notice that Otis wasn’t there in his usual upfront spot. There was something off with Otis today. Maybe I’d drop him off an afternoon coffee just to check on him.

  After the meeting I wanted to make sure I talked to Evan. He’d been so kind to me in the past year, helping me with laws among other things I snooped into.

  “How is Emily doing?” I asked him about his daughter, an amazing young woman who’d worked for me a little bit in the summer.

  In fact, I wanted her to take over all the baking and become sort of a partner. Emily’s parents really wanted to see her go to college, but it was going to be a waste of talent and time because Emily had no interest in the higher education degree they wanted her to get. It took a bit of coaxing, but they finally understood her love and began to appreciate her talent in and around the kitchen.

  “She’s doing amazing. She’s loving Paris. She sends these text pictures of her designs and they look straight out of a pasty magazine.” The pride not only was in his voice but on his face. “We can never thank you enough for the opportunity you’ve given her.”

  “I’m so glad my connection worked out,” I said.

  I wasn’t a pastry chef by any stretch of the imagination. When I’d gone to barista school, there were a lot of students who also created the most magnificent pastries to go along with their coffee creations. Most of them had already gone to pastry school at these crazy far-off places and a few had become very good friends. Just a few short phone calls and Emily was off to Paris to enjoy the beginning of her life.

  “She’s coming home for Christmas, so I’m sure you’re going to get a visitor.” He shook his finger at me. “But don’t take too much of her time. We want to see her too,” he joked because he knew that she spent many hours with me this summer and we’d get lost, never realizing we’d worked straight through the night a few times.

  “I won’t.” I laughed. “Will I see you at the tree lighting?”

  “You will.” He nodded. “Merry Christmas, Roxy.”

  “Merry Christmas.” I waved and was happy to notice the event center had cleared, which meant Mom and Aunt Maxi had too.

  The boardwalk was so festive and packed with holiday shoppers. Since I knew the Bunny had everything and everyone in Honey Springs under control, I strolled and took my time.

  The Beautification Committee had also invested in a sound system for the boardwalk and the sweet Christmas sounds of Bing Crosby’s carols floated along the light snowfall.

  “Excuse me.” I made my way around a middle-age man standing in the middle of the boardwalk, right in front of Odd Ink. He was looking side-to-side. “Can I help you find something?” I offered with a kind smile. “Or you can come into The Bean Hive for a warm cup of coffee?” I noticed him shivering. “On the house.”

  “That’s very kind of you. I’m actually looking for a hotel or motel to stay for the festival.” He had nice green eyes and blond crew-cut hair. He wore a blue peacoat and a pair of jeans with the edges tucked into some Bean Boots. He looked to be around fifty years old.

  “Why don’t you come in and get a cup of coffee. I’ve got to take some goodies to Camey Montgomery over at the Cocoon Hotel on the other side of the marina.” I pointed to the big white structure. He turned around and looked. “This is the Odd Ink Tattoo parlor and unless you’re getting some ink, I don’t think Otis Peavler has any beds in there,” I joked.

  “Sounds great.” He nodded. “Walker.” He held his hand out.

  “Roxanne Bloom.” I shook it. It was a nice firm shake. “But my friends call me Roxy.”

  “Roxy. You look like a Roxy.” He grinned.

  “You mean all Roxys have curly black hair that looks like car struts?” I laughed. I jerked my head toward The Bean Hive. “Lets go. It’s getting cold.”

  The Bean Hive was buzzing and while I got the order ready for Camey, Walker stood by the fire and warmed himself with a nice cup of the Christmas Harvest. Bunny had everything under control so I went into the back and got the order in bags and ready to go.

  “Where did Walker go?” I asked Bunny when I came back out and looked around.

  “He’s right over there.” She gestured to Felix’s cage.

  Walker had coaxed Felix out somehow and without holding him there, Felix was standing on Walker’s leg and batting at Pepper’s nose.

  “So you met Felix.” I was careful not to get too close to the shy cat. “I’m shocked he’s out. He’s not been out of that cage all morning.”

  “What’s the deal with the little guy?” Walker stood up and Felix ran back into the cage.

  “Let’s walk and I’ll tell you all about it.” I looked at Pepper. “Want to go see Camey?”

  He wagged his little stumpy tail and darted in and out of the customers beating us to the door.

  Walker had a couple of the bags in his hands and I had a couple. We strolled along the boardwalk while I gave him a brief history of why Felix was in the coffeehouse as well as the background on The Bean Hive.

  “Hold on a second.” I stopped when I saw Otis. “Hey, Otis. I missed you at the beautification meeting today.” He and Walker looked between each other.

  Walker must’ve gotten the hint that Otis was uncomfortable talking to me in front of him, so he took a few steps ahead.

  “I’m wrapping up the year-end business stuff so I couldn’t make it.” Otis leaned a bit and glanced over my shoulder at Walker. “Who’s that?”

  “He’s a tourist and I’m taking him to the Cocoon to get a room while he’s in town for the festival. I’ve got some fresh coffee next door. I bet if you give Bunny a wink, she’ll give you a cup.” I nudged him before I started to walk away. “I’ll see you at the tree lighting.”

  Walker practically knew everything about me and Honey Springs by the time we’d gotten to the front porch of the Cocoon Hotel. I didn’t know a thing about him. But I made him promise that he’d be at the tree lighting because it was going to be a spectacular part of the festival he couldn’t miss.

  The historic white mansion that was built in 1841 had been in Camey’s family for years. Camey had hired Cane Construction to help reconstruct the old structure into an amazing hotel that was situated right on the Lake Honey Springs and was able to keep the cozy character. The two-story white brick with the double porches across both stories was something to behold. Even Walker gasped when he saw it.

  “Amazing, right?” I sucked in a deep breath. My insides tickled. I was hoping to have a wedding there someday. I’d already planned it out in my head how the pictures would look.

  “That’s some really fancy iron work.” He noted the black iron railing that ran along the entire front of the porches and the marble staircases on each side of the front entrance. The summer and fall flowers had quickly been replaced with the colorful poinsettias of white, red, and pink. Even the ston
e statue in the middle of the fountain had been replaced by a living Christmas tree which was smart because the fountain base continually gave it plenty of water.

  “If it looks this beautiful in the winter, I can only imagine the summer season.” He shook his head. Even the tree trunks couldn’t escape being wrapped in white Christmas lights.

  The lit up, live garland was strung across the balconies and there was a wreath on each of the floor to ceiling windows that dotted the front of the mansion. I’m not sure how Camey did it, but there were some twinkling Christmas lights along the entire top of the hotel that made it feel. . . magical.

  The inside was as warm and inviting as the outside. And it was like stepping into a Southern Living Magazine from the North Pole.

  “Roxy,” Camey clasped her hands together. Her scarlet hair was pulled back and her thick bangs hung straight down and stopped right above her brows. She was very fashion-forward with her hair. Something I was very jealous of. I envied her and her youthful appearance for a middle-aged woman. “Your Santa Kisses are a hit. But the coffee is to die for.”

  “Santa Kisses?” Walker looked at me.

  “You’ll have to have a few.” I held the bags up and Camey took them. “Camey, this is Walker. He’s looking for a place to stay while attending the festival.”

  “Wonderful.” Her dimples deepened when she smiled. She’d never been married or had children. This hotel was her life. She put so much work and effort into it. Everyone loved how welcoming she was.

  “Yes. Wonderful.” Walker stared back at her.

  My ah-oh, there’s an attraction here meter went off. It was my cue to get going.

  “Walker, do you mind helping Camey with the bags because I’ve got to get going. I need to close The Bean Hive in time to get home and get ready for the tree lighting,” I said. “I hope you’re coming.”

  “He can ride with me,” Camey suggested. “There’s a few of us going from here and we’re taking the hotel shuttle.”

  “Sounds good.” He held up the bags in his hands. “Lead the way.”