Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystey Book 1) (13 page)

“Not at first, but when I
tried to look at the weights he quickly ushered me off the boat. I don’t know
if he suspects anything, but his attitude changed from being very friendly to
almost icy.”

“Kelly, Kelly, what am I
going to do with you? I know Rebel is protective, but I’m getting really
worried about you. Now it looks like there are four suspects, all of whom might
like to see you deep-sixed. Actually, I’ve just made an executive decision. I’m
going to be spending the nights at your house until this thing is solved. I
know Rebel is a great guard dog, but I’d feel better if I was there. Maybe
between both of us, we can keep you safe, because you certainly seem incapable
of doing it yourself. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He ended the call before
she could say anything.

A few minutes later she
opened the door for him. “Mike, I’m sorry for worrying you, but if it means
you’re going to spend more time here, then it’s worth it. Come in, it’s getting
late and we both need some sleep, but that doesn’t mean we have to go to sleep
immediately once we get in bed,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes and a
smile on her face.

Kelly swung her long legs over the
side of the bed and got out as quietly as possible so she wouldn’t wake Mike
up. She let Rebel out, fed him, and got dressed. Minutes later they left for
the coffee shop.

It was another busy
morning at Kelly’s. Everyone wanted to talk about what had happened at the
Black’s ranch and what was going to happen to Jeff Black. The gossipmongers
were more than happy to share their tidbits, the biggest of which seemed to be
that Marcy and Brandon had left Cedar Bay yesterday afternoon.

Someone claimed that Marcy
had called the principal and told him Brandon would be able to deliver the
valedictorian speech, but that he would not be attending classes during this
last week of school. The principal said he understood and it wouldn’t affect
Brandon’s class standing or grade average, because the last week of school for
seniors was more or less a time for saying goodbye to each other, signing
yearbooks, and taking pictures, rather than furthering their education.
Everyone felt sorry for Brandon.

Speculation at the coffee
shop was also high on whether or not Marcy would actually leave Jeff
permanently. Some hinted that Marcy probably had several male friends in
surrounding towns and that the only reason she had stayed with Jeff was for the
money. No one knew if Jeff had other assets or hidden money, but there was talk
that if he did, Marcy would probably return.

When Kelly walked into the
storage room to get more napkins and silverware during the lunch hour she
noticed she had a message on her phone from Amber’s best friend, Lindsay
Williams, asking her to call. Even though there were a number of customers who
were ready to order, she decided to return the call.

“Thanks for getting back
to me, Mrs. Conner. If you have some time after the coffee shop closes today, I
was wondering if I could stop by. I’d like to talk to you.”

“Why don’t you come here
about three this afternoon? I should be finished with everything by then. Want
to tell me what this is about?”

“No, I don’t know if it’s
important, but it’s been bothering me ever since Amber died.”

“Okay. See you then.”

Promptly at three there
was a timid knock on the front door of the coffee shop. Kelly walked over to it
and saw Lindsay standing outside. “Come in. Would you like some iced tea or a
soft drink?”

“No thanks,” she said in a
shaky voice as she stood in front of Kelly.

“Why don’t we sit in a
booth? I think they’re a little more comfortable. I’ll be with you in a minute.
I need a refill for my iced tea.” She knew she’d probably had enough caffeine
for the day, but she wanted to give Lindsay a moment or two to compose herself.

When she returned to the
booth she said, “I can see this is difficult for you, Lindsay. What can I do to
help?”

Lindsay began to cry
softly. “I don’t know where to start. It just hurts so much, knowing I’ll never
see Amber again.” Tears slid down her face. Kelly stepped behind the counter,
got a box of Kleenex, and set it on the table in front of Lindsay. Lindsay took
several out and tried to wipe away her tears.

“Mrs. Conner, I know Amber
really liked you. I know you and the county sheriff are close. I’ve been
debating whether I should tell him this, but I was afraid he might think it was
just silly girl stuff.”

“Lindsay, I promise you I
won’t think whatever you tell me is silly girl stuff, okay?”

“Thank you.” She
shuddered, took a deep breath, and began to speak. “I’ve known Amber for as
long as I can remember. She was my best friend. We did everything together from
talk about boys to go to church together to becoming cheerleaders, everything.
I knew her better than anyone else in the world. I think I knew her even better
than her parents did.”

“Yes, I often heard Amber
speak about you. It was evident from the way she spoke about you that you were
her best friend.”

“Well, here’s the thing. I
know you hired Madison to work here, but I don’t know if you really know what
went on between her and Amber.”

“She told me she and Amber
didn’t get along.”

Lindsay laughed bitterly. “That’s
putting it mildly. Madison hated Amber. It started last fall. Madison and
Brandon had gone out together a few times. One night after football practice
when we’d been practicing our cheerleading routines at their scrimmage, Amber
couldn’t get her old car started. She tried several times. Nothing happened.
Brandon was walking to his car and offered to help. He tried to get it started
and again, nothing. He offered to take Amber home. From what Amber told me the
next morning they sat in his car and talked for two hours. He never took
Madison out again and he and Amber started going steady. They were voted
homecoming king and homecoming queen. There’s no doubt they were the most
popular couple in school.

“Everyone was so happy for
them when they both got scholarships to Oregon State. It was kind of like if
you were near the golden couple, you were golden too. There was only one person
who wasn’t happy about it. That was Madison. You probably know she comes from a
bad background. Her father’s a washed-up fisherman who’s never had a real job.
He even tried to start an oyster farm business, but it failed too. He’s a real
loser.

“Her mother left them when
Madison was a little girl. The only thing positive Madison ever did was go out
with Brandon, the star quarterback, a few times. When she was with him, for the
first time in her life, she felt like she was someone. I don’t know if you know
about her grades, but she barely got the grade point average she needed to have
to graduate. Believe me, it was that close.

“Anyway, after Brandon
stopped seeing her, Madison began to hate Amber. I mean really hate her. I
can’t begin to tell you how many bad things she did to make Amber’s life
miserable. Amber would turn in a finished essay or test to a teacher and it
would disappear. Her locker was broken into and nude photographs were put in
it. Everything was stolen out of it - her cheerleading sweater, some personal
things, her purse with her wallet which had her driver’s license in it. After
the homecoming dance, she found the sash she’d worn cut into pieces and
scattered outside the front door of the school. It was one thing after another.
Amber finally figured out who was doing these things against her and told the
principal. He called Madison into his office and told her if there was one more
incident, she would be expelled from school.

“Was Amber afraid of
Madison?” Kelly asked.

“That’s what I’m getting
to. Yes. A few weeks ago Amber was walking to her car. She’d stayed at school
later than usual to help tutor a freshman who was having trouble with algebra.
No one was around. As Amber was getting into her car Madison walked up to her
and threatened her.”

“What do you mean,
threatened her? Did Amber tell you exactly what she said?” Kelly asked.

“Yes, Madison said ‘You better
watch out. You ruined my life and took Brandon away from me. I’m going to kill
you.’ That’s exactly what Amber told me she’d said to her. I’ll never forget
those words and now with what’s happened…”

Kelly reached across the
table and put her hands over Lindsay’s. “Oh Lindsay, you poor thing. Have you
told this to anyone else?”

“No. I’m not sure they’d
believe me. It’s a pretty common thing in high school for girls to hate one
another. That’s why I didn’t go to the sheriff. Like I told you earlier, I was
afraid he’d think it was stupid girl stuff.”

“Well, since you came here
and told me, you obviously don’t think it’s stupid girl stuff and neither do I.
Let me ask you this. From both a physical and psychological standpoint, do you
think that Madison, because of her hatred of Amber, was capable of killing
Amber?”

Lindsay sat quietly for a
few moments with her head bowed, looking down at the table, obviously deep in
thought. Finally, she raised her head and looked directly at Kelly. “Mrs.
Conner, I’ve asked myself that question a million times in the last few days
and I think the answer is yes. She’s physically very strong. I know she works
out a lot with weights. Hate to say it, but sometimes when someone doesn’t have
much in the brain department, they try to make up for it in the body
department. You know what I mean?

“Psychologically, who
knows? She sure hasn’t had much parenting. I’ve heard her dad drinks a lot and
when he gets drunk, he’s a mean drunk. I even heard that he’d hit Madison a
couple of times. It wouldn’t surprise me because she’s come to school with
bruises a bunch of times and once she even had a black eye. She had to use a
lot of make-up to cover it. I remember because it was the day the cheerleader
photographs were taken for the yearbook and we all wanted to look really good.
She said she’d missed a step on some stairs and fell down. I always thought
that was strange. She basically kind of raised herself. She’s never had any
friends. I think the only reason Brandon went out with her a few times is
because of you know.”

“No. What do you mean?”
asked Kelly.

“Well, all the guys knew
Madison was easy. They liked to brag that she had ‘hinges on her heels.’ There
was even a rumor that they used to pass her around after the football games.
She and Brandon really didn’t go together. He was more of a gentleman than a
lot of the other guys. I think he felt like he should take her out before he
had sex with her. Anyway, in her mind it meant they were going together, but
they weren’t. I think she was so desperate for attention that when the star
quarterback paid some attention to her, she fantasized that it was more than it
really was.”

“Lindsay, I can’t even
imagine how hard this must have been for you to come here and talk to me.
Thanks for trusting me. Do you have any objection to my telling Mike about our
conversation? I think it’s very important and should be part of his
investigation.”

“No. If you think it might
help find who killed Amber, tell him whatever you want. I know it will never
bring her back, but something is totally off with Madison.”

“Lindsay, you need to go
home. This has been very emotional for you. Try and get some rest. You need to
be fresh for graduation and by the way, your singing is absolutely beautiful. I
was amazed that you could do as well as you did at your best friend’s funeral.
That must have been very hard for you. Do you plan on pursuing singing as a
career?”

“Well, I’m lucky I was
able to get a scholarship to a small college in Washington that specializes in
music, so sure, I’m hoping I can, but let me tell you, singing at Amber’s
funeral was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

“I’m sure college and your
music career will work out well for you. And Lindsay, Madison may work for me,
but I promise you that she will never know about this conversation.”

“Believe me, Mrs. Conner,
it’s a conversation I wish I never had to have. Thanks for listening.”

Kelly closed the door and
locked it when Lindsay left, glad to be alone. Rebel sensed her sadness and
looked up at her with his big brown eyes.

“Rebel, I don’t know what
to think. Here’s another suspect with a motive for killing Amber. That makes
five. I’m sure Mike will have some thoughts on it. Let’s go home, big guy.”

It was early evening and Kelly had
just finished watering the plants and cleaning the bathroom and kitchen when
she heard Mike knock, unlock the front door, and open it.

“I like the sound of you
opening the door. It seems pretty natural,” she said, walking over to Mike and
giving him a big hug.

“Well, I have to admit I
like knowing someone is waiting for me and that I’ll probably get a pretty good
dinner. Speaking of which, what is it tonight? I know it’s early, but I’d like
to start thinking about it.”

“Tonight we’re having my
famous meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. I made a lot, figuring I
could take the rest to the coffee shop and make meat loaf sandwiches tomorrow
for the lunch crowd.”