Killer Breakfast Specials (A Sage and Dash Cozy Mystery Book 2) (3 page)

When Julia Withers dropped by with a stack of flyers, The Nook’s door was locked. She was about to leave when Libby and Rosie were making their way down the street, bickering about some nonsense. It was always something with those two.

The women noticed Julia at the front of the building, and let her know they’d be re-opening in the morning.

“I’ve got an announcement here. I was hoping you could pin it up on your community bulletin board. We’re having a meeting and introducing one of our new business owners. I’d like the new post master to come to the meeting, too, so we can get to know them. There’s also word that there was some interest in the vacant Randolph building. I’ll need to get more information. Something about a dinner place, maybe a steak house or something. It would need a lot of work, so I’m not sure how soon something like that could happen. Quite honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t choose to go to the city. I mean, we don’t have a huge influx of population here. Of course, our prices reflect that. Maybe they’re just starting out. I wasn’t privy to the original information while Mr. Staggs was…. Right. Now that I’ll be stepping in as the business committee leader, I’ll be sure to gather the necessary tidbits of information.”

Boy, that woman could talk and talk. And fast.

Rosie nodded along and took a flyer. “Sure, I’ll post it.”

Libby glanced at the paper, but her mind was elsewhere. A certain Sheriff had just thrown her for the loop of the century. Who would have guessed it? He was sweet on her? But, then again, so was Owen. Dear, sweet Owen. Libby smiled. He’d understand, right? It was a ‘get out of jail’ free card. One dinner.

***

It was a slow morning at The Breakfast Nook, at least the earlier portion. That was fine by Rosie, she needed some down time. Things were spinning out of control lately. Her mother covered the front, while she sat with Dash for a while in their home on the backside of their café. She smoothed her fingers through the cat’s soft coat. “Why can’t things be easier, Dash?”

“Mew.”

“I know, right? And what’s up with Sheriff Snyder? That came out of left field. I’m not sure what to think about that one.”

“Mew.”

“Are you going to sunbath on the front porch today, buddy?”

The cat’s purrs grew louder, as he pressed against her hand. Rosie scratched behind his ears, a particularly favorite spot of his.

Her mother called out to her from the door that led to the restaurant. “Rosie, you’ll want to come here.”

“I’ve got to go pussy cat. Be good today, and I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“Mew.”

The toxicology report was in. They were in the clear. Rosie sighed with relief. She was certain it wasn’t her muffins, but hearing it made her feel that much better. At least they were no longer being suspected of any foul play. The last thing they needed was another spotlight on them.

Another interesting piece of information washed out in the report. A toxic substance was found during the autopsy. They wouldn’t release any more details, but it appeared a poisonous cocktail had led to the man’s death.

Twyla Jones pulled open the door to The Nook and tripped walking over the threshold. She was always a tad clumsy, but at least she looked good when she fell time to time. She loved fashion and all the baubles and whistles of accessories. Accessorizing was a woman’s crown jewel. Twyla strolled to a seat, as if she were a queen and didn’t just trip over her own two feet and a non-existent bump in the floor.

Rosie brought Twyla’s usual cup of tea and then went to take her order.

“Oh, I’m not even sure I can eat. My poor father. And that bitter sister of mine is nothing but trouble. Greedy, greedy woman only cares about herself. We’ve barely buried my father, and she’s all about the will,” she lamented. “Anyway, I’ll take a three egg omelet, egg whites please, with a side of wheat toast, and be a dear… skip the butter.”

“I’m sorry about your father,” she relayed.

“Of course you are dear.” She flapped her napkin, then placed it on her lap.

“Did you hear anything about the cause…” Rosie shouldn’t ask, but she was curious what Twyla knew.

“Yes, they informed us last night. It seems somebody wanted to do him in. Breaks my heart. He was such a sweet man. Why on earth would anybody want to hurt my father.” She feigned crocodile tears. “Oh, I am famished suddenly. Be a dear and put my breakfast on.”

“Right away,” Rosie said. Weird. Could Lila have had something to do with her father’s death? And Twyla, she barely seemed upset. She couldn’t have… okay, one too many mystery novels. Go make eggs.
This is no longer your concern. You’ve been cleared
.

***

When Lila Jones showed up for lunch, she was beside herself with grief. Her tear-stained eyes were red and bloodshot. Placing her order, she had to stop twice to wipe her eyes and once to blow her nose.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Libby said.

“I miss him so much,” she sobbed. “We’re all alone in the world now. Mom and Dad, gone.”

“Tragic, yes. Life can be cruel at times,” Libby answered, trying to remain sympathetic. It’s not that she wasn’t feeling bad for the woman, but that her mind was on other things. Mainly, Owen and Gary. She didn’t mean to be distracted, but ever since the incident, well, it wouldn’t leave her mind. How dare he just kiss her like that, and yet it was so spontaneous and exciting.

“And I’ll have toast points with my soft-boiled eggs,” Lila finished.

“Right, sure, and to drink?”

“What are you insinuating? These are tear-stained bloodshot eyes, not…I’m sorry. I’m a little on edge. Did you hear the news? My father was murdered. It wasn’t natural causes. Of course, it wasn’t. He was a spry gentleman.”

“Coffee, tea…” Libby trailed off, not sure what to make of the woman’s odd reaction.

“A strong cup of coffee, please. As strong as you’ve got it. I need the energy. A little extra caffeine will boost me. I’ve got a horrible suspicion my sister could have done something. It guts me from top to bottom, just thinking about the possibility, and yet how can I not. She won’t stop yammering on about the will.” She mumbled something under her breath. “Dear girl has barely shed a tear. Makes you wonder. And let’s be honest, all my sister has ever cared about was herself.”

“Right… I’ll go get that started for you.” Libby excused herself. Once in the kitchen, she sidled up to her daughter. “Rosie, you won’t believe what I just heard.”

Libby filled Rosie in on the gossip slipping from Lila’s lips.

“Interesting, I’d say. Her sister was here this morning, weaving a yarn about Lila. Looks like Lila and Twyla don’t have quite as strong of a bond as they used to.”

“Do you think one of them could have done it?” Libby asked. “Or could they have been in it together?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s not like a lot of other people would want sweet Mr. Jones dead. The question is why? I mean, I don’t remember them having problems with their father, or even being upset with them.”

Libby pursed her lips. “Do you think it was one of those ‘medical’ self-appointed angel people? Like an angel of death, thinking they’re helping someone to pass? Maybe Mr. Jones made arrangements, or a nurse was good and ready for him to move on.”

“I don’t know, but something isn’t right.”  Rosie finished up with the order she was making and went back to the front of the café.

Myrtle came in and sat down. She looked a little flustered, but nothing too far out of the ordinary. Gloria, her partner in crime was nowhere in sight.

“Hey Myrtle, it’s nice to see you. We missed you at breakfast this morning.”

“Well, I didn’t want to run into Gloria. I knew she’d be here.”

“Are you and Gloria on the outs?”

Myrtle groaned. “You could sort of say that. I may have let slip one of her secrets by mistake, but not intentionally. Well, now she has a bee in her bonnet and is giving me the old silent treatment. Though, to be honest, a few days break from Gloria could be good for anyone.”

“Myrtle!”

Myrtle shrugged. “It’s the honest truth.”

“Can I get you your regular?” Rosie asked.

“What’s going on over there?” Myrtle whispered, pointing to Lila who was in full sobbing mode again.

“She’s still mourning her father,” Rosie mentioned.

“Quite a bit in public if I do say. I mean, if I was full out crying, I’d be at home, not showing the entire world.” She lowered her voice. “To be honest, I was never a big fan of Twyla or Lila Jones.”

“Oh?”

“Well, they’ve been fighting over their family money for as long as I’ve known them. They bullied their father after their mother died, and I’m sure they made him change that thing over and over, demanding a bigger piece of the pie for each of them. Those money-grubbing fools missed out on the wonderful man that their father was. Was always a sweet man, polite, good-natured, but his spoiled and greedy daughters, well, I’ve been less than impressed by them.”

Rosie had a thought. Greed. Money. Inheritance. Her mother’s out-there scenario just might be truer than she wanted to believe. Maybe it was time to look at them a little closer.

Libby and Rosie hatched a plan. They’d head over to the nursing home to see who’d been visiting Mr. Jones and at what time. Was there somebody else they should be looking at? The twins were now worth taking a closer look at. What about Coral Blossom? She picked up the muffins, but she was in the profession of helping people, not ending their lives. Or was she an angel of mercy?

Libby had read about those people. The ones that thought they were doing patients a favor, putting them out of their misery. She shuddered thinking about those poor patients. That one man in New Jersey and Pennsylvania was finally caught in 2003 after he admitted to killing over forty people by lethally injecting them with medication. Sixteen years as a nurse. Now he was serving a lengthy prison sentence. He wasn’t the only one that acted on that impulse. Could they have their very own ‘Angel of Mercy’ right there in their hometown?

Or could it be somebody more sadistic? Helpless victims might be in trouble if one of the nurses was wielding their power the wrong way. No. She couldn’t think that way. She only had respect and gratitude for the nursing community. There were no bad apples locally. She knew much of the staff as they frequented The Nook. She couldn’t picture one single nursing home employee that would possibly commit such a heinous crime.

Then there were those that were weird in believing they could be a hero. Jeopardize someone’s life, then save them. Only it could have gone wrong. Oh, dear. Libby’s mind was running wild with conspiracy and crazy thoughts. She needed to stay focused. The Jones twins were the first place they should be looking.

“Myrtle mentioned an inheritance. While Mr. Jones didn’t live a life flaunting his wealth, apparently he’d done quite well for himself. He tucked most of it away. She said they’ve been fighting over control of the estate after their mother died and their father started having medical problems. They used to be closer, but apparently money can do ugly things to a family,” Rosie said, filling her mother in on what she knew so far.

“Okay, let’s go check the logs at the nursing home, and see when the girls visited. Let’s see if he had any other visitors the night before.”

A sun-kissed woman walked into The Nook and looked around. “Good morning.”

“Hi, can I help you?” Libby asked. The visitor broke her train of thought.

“Hello. I’m Saanvi Varty, it’s nice to meet you. I’m new in town and was told that this is a good place to get a bite to eat.”

“Oh, how lovely. Sit wherever you’d like and I’ll get you a menu. What brings you to Spring Valley?”

“I’m opening a beauty shop a couple of blocks away. My husband, Ash, just opened a Jif-tastic Oil place one town over. As for me, I’m not quite ready, but in a week or two the Snip and Clip will open its doors.”

Libby squealed and stuck out her hand. “Oh, you’re the new business in town! We’ve heard it was coming soon, but not a lot more. They were going to discuss it at a meeting next week. We’ve had a bit of a shake-up recently. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Saanvi shook Libby’s hand and asked for a spot of tea. She glanced over the menu while Libby went to retrieve her beverage.

Rosie would be thrilled to meet her as well. Rosie was over giving Dash some attention. With everything going haywire, they didn’t have the free-time they usually did.

***

“So I think, maybe we should check things out. What do you think, Dash?”

“Mew.”

“That’s what I thought.” She scratched the cat’s ears and then slid her fingers through his soft fur. “Do you think he’ll be upset? I know it’s not exactly a traditional date, but we’d be spending time together? Don’t judge me too harshly, kitty.”

“Mew, mew.”

“I know. We can go out to dinner after.” Rosie sighed. Dr. Jeff Tucker would be running the other way if she didn’t finally commit to spending time with him. It’s just that things kept coming up. And now, instead of their date this weekend, she wanted him to investigate one of the Jones twins with her. It could be fun, right? Working on the case together? Finding answers? Of course, first she had to run over to the nursing home after the café closed.

“I should get back to work. I left Mom over there without me.” Rosie stood and headed through the door that led to the restaurant.

“Rosie! Honey, come meet Saanvi. She’s the new owner of the Snip and Clip that’s opening soon.”

“Oh, wonderful. I have to drive a good twenty minutes for a haircut. Having a place closer is a plus, especially when things are busy.” Rosie went over to say hello.

“So what brings you to this area,” Libby asked.

“We were in Dallas, and my son’s studies brought him here. We decided to relocate with Rajvi. Ash and I were ready to start over, anyway. Things got a little dicey in Dallas. It will be nice to live in a quiet town.”

“You’re a busy family with two businesses and studies,” Rosie said.

“Ah, yes, well if we were together all day, we’d kill each other,” Saanvi said with a chuckle.

The women looked at one another awkwardly.

Saanvi continued. “No worries, there won’t be any deaths in Spring Valley. It’s just an expression.  Anyway, my son is a doctor studying geriatric medicine and involved in research at the University.”

“Right, sure,” Libby said excusing herself. “Let me go start your breakfast.”

“It’s lovely to meet you Saanvi. I hope you visit us often.”

“Thank you,” she said. Her phone buzzed. “I need to get this. Excuse me.”

“Certainly,” Rosie said, heading back to the kitchen.

Libby looked at Rosie. “I didn’t mean to freeze up. It’s just…”

“I know. Bad timing.”