Murder as Sticky as Jam Read online

  How could someone have been in the warehouse?

  Vicki jumped in to say, “We weren’t using the warehouse. It was badly in need of repair.”

  “It was just me in the shop today, I swear.” Mona said. “There wasn’t anyone with me.”

  “You may not have been using your warehouse, but someone was there today,” Leo said.

  Vicki shook her head and said, “No, Leo. You must have it wrong, we would’ve known if someone was there.”

  Mona thought about her morning at the shop and quietly admitted, “Wait Vicki, it might be true, I mean I did have the music on while I was pricing stock in the front of the store. Someone could have been in the warehouse, and I may not have heard them. I just can’t imagine who would have been back there, it was a mess.”

  Leo provided the answer, “We were able to identify the remains as belonging to Collin MacInroy.”

  Vicki gasped, and Mona stared at Leo, “Collin was in our warehouse? What in the world was he doing there?”

  “Collin MacInroy?” Mona muttered. “Lacey’s husband?”

  “That can’t be right, it just can’t be,” Vicki said.

  Leo shook his head back and forth in silence. “I’m afraid it’s true.”

  A stunned silence fell on the group. Mona knew Collin had been Leo’s dear friend in high school. They had served in the military together, but they’d returned home separately and never seemed close again. She studied Leo’s face now, full of grief, and she longed to embrace him. Instead, she reached out and brushed his hand.

  His jaw tightened, and he gave her a brief nod.

  Vicki had no reservations, she wrapped Leo in a bear hug and said, “No. Leo! Not Collin. I’m so sorry!”

  Leo stiffened under his sister’s hug, and he uncoiled himself from her grip. He stood. “I have to find out why he was there,” Leo said.

  “I was at Lacey’s bakery today when the fire broke out,” Mona said. “She called me and, pretty much, insisted that I go over immediately to meet with her.

  “Meet with her for what?” Vicki asked.

  “She said I had to approve a recipe, how weird is that, I was at her bakery when her husband was in the warehouse, that can’t be a coincidence, can it?” asked Mona.

  “That is interesting,” Leo said, pulling out a small notebook from the breast pocket of his uniform. “I have to take a statement about your whereabouts today and the events of the morning, are you prepared to do that tonight?”

  Vicki and Mona exchanged glances, and Mona sighed.

  The news of Collin’s death in her warehouse was more than Mona could handle for one day, she turned to Leo, “You’re the officer in charge of this case, if I need to make a statement tonight, I’ll do that for you, but I can’t think anymore—”

  “I can swing by in the morning.” Leo offered.

  “If it can wait until tomorrow, I’d be grateful,” Mona said.

  Leo nodded and put the notebook back into his pocket. “It’s been a tough day for all of us,” he said, standing. “How does seven tomorrow morning sound?”

  “Seven will be fine, I’ll make sure I’m awake,” Mona said.

  Leo turned to Vicki. “Vicki, are you going to be okay?”

  “I’ll be okay.” She glanced at Mona and gave her a reassuring smile. “We both will.”

  Mona grimaced but said nothing.

  Vicki turned back to her brother. “Do you need a statement from me, too?”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow and arrange for one of the other officers to take your statement, since I’m your brother. I don’t want anyone accusing me of having a conflict of interest.”

  Vicki nodded. “Okay. If you need me, I’m staying here with Mona tonight.” She leaned over and gave Mona’s knee a squeeze.

  “No problem,” Leo said.

  Mona started to stand to see Leo out, but he stopped her.

  “Don’t get up,” Leo said. “You’ve been through a lot today, get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Vicki said.

  Mona waved at them, “See you later,” she called to Leo as he left.

  Vicki closed the front door softly behind them, and Mona was left alone in her living room.

  Arson and murder.

  Those words replayed over and over in her head as she lay on the couch and pulled the afghan over her head. Willing herself to wake up, she found that she wasn’t dreaming.

  This wasn’t a nightmare.

  It was all happening, and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it.

  <><><>

  Mona awoke before dawn the following morning, she hadn’t slept well and the image staring back at her in the bathroom mirror confirmed that. Even the dark bags under her red, puffy eyes had dark bags.

  Mona showered, dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Brushing her hair, she debated with herself about putting on make-up.

  Do I want to look like I’m trying to get his attention?

  Settling for tinted moisturizer, a dab of concealer, and a swipe of berry lip stick, she walked out of the bathroom and joined Vicki in the kitchen.

  Vicki greeted her with a smile, “Good morning, I made a pot of coffee.”

  “What would I do without you?”

  “This morning you might have to find out, I’ve to get back to the farm, my chickens and honey bees are probably wondering where I am.”

  Mona tried not to panic. She hadn’t planned to be alone with Leo, “Vicki, can’t they wait until after Leo leaves, I mean, after I give my statement?”

  Vicki slid her purse onto her shoulder and hugged Mona as she said, “I wish I could stay, but I need to get home to see about the chicks; they are accustomed to their freedom at five a.m. and I’m already overdue.”

  “I understand, call me later.”

  “I sure will, bye!” Vicki waved as she walked out the door.

  Mona poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that it was quarter to seven, and Leo would be there any second. Her heart raced, and she was overcome with anxiety.

  Managing to convince herself that she was over Leo all those years he was in the army, Mona wasn’t prepared for his return. It was easier to lie to herself about her true feelings when Leo was on the other side of the world and not seated across from her. Drinking coffee in her kitchen, her hands trembling, she hated to admit it, she was still in love with Leo.

  She ran to her bedroom and looked at the reflection in the mirror, she suddenly didn’t like what she was wearing. Staring at the clothes in her closet, she fretted about what to wear.

  Her cell phone vibrated on her nightstand, and she jumped for it. Maybe Leo was calling to cancel.

  The screen told her it was Aunt Bee again. She hesitated, if she didn’t pick up, Aunt Bee would be on her doorstep soon, and yet, did she really have the energy to talk to her Aunt right now, when Leo would be here any minute?

  The doorbell rang, it was too late to change or talk to Aunt Bee. She sent her into voicemail and raced out to the front room.

  Mona opened the door to find Leo standing on her front porch gazing at the mountains in the distance. He spoke in a hushed tone, “The view from your porch is magnificent. I missed the mountains when I was in the desert.”

  Mona stepped out of her house and joined him, “That is one reason I stayed in town. I don’t think anywhere else in the world could rival this.”

  They stood side by side, gazing at the green mountains rising into the low hanging clouds of the morning sky. Neither spoke in that tranquil moment, but the thoughts swirling in Mona’s head didn’t let her enjoy the moment.

  Leo was standing beside her, her heart ached to feel his arms around her, his lips on hers, but it was a daydream. Leo had never held her, and she’d never felt his kiss. If anything, he was always fraternal with her, but this misty morning on the porch, she discovered she wasn’t over him.

  Resisting the
urge to throw herself at him, she looked at the mountains instead, waiting for him to speak or act.

  “I could stand on your porch for hours, but we have work to do, are you ready?” Leo asked as he tuned to face Mona.

  They were only about a foot apart.

  It would be so easy to lean in and kiss him.

  “Mona, are you okay,” Leo asked.

  Mona jolted out of her fantasy. “What?”

  “Are you ready to give me your statement?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry, I didn’t sleep well, please, come in,” she said. “Vicki made us some strong coffee before she left.”

  Leo nodded and followed her inside to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and waited patiently for her to pour him a cup.

  I could get used to looking at him, Mona thought. He looks like he belongs here.

  He belongs with me.

  She placed the coffee on the table in front of him and asked, “How do you take it?”

  “Black is fine. Just a word of warning, this is going to be informal, so I may have to ask you to come to the station in the future as things come up, do you understand?”

  “Sure,” Mona replied as she sat down.

  “Good, let’s get started. I need to ask you a few questions to get the ball rolling in this investigation. You were the only other person in the shop yesterday. Any details you can provide will help me solve this case and find out what happened to Collin.”

  “Collin, I’m struggling not to think about that, I had nightmares about it last night when I tried to sleep. How is Lacey, I mean, how is she taking it?”

  Leo answered, “I’m not supposed to talk about this, but I’ll tell you she’s taking it hard, telling her about her husband was difficult.”

  “I’m sure it was,” Mona said as she assessed the situation.

  It had been a strange chain of events, Leo had broken her heart when he started dating Lacey. Then right after graduation, he left Lacey and joined the army. Lacey married Collin less than two months later. Although shortly after that. Collin followed in Leo’s footsteps and joined the military. Now, he’d died in a fire in Mona’s warehouse while she was with Lacey, and Leo was the one to notify her of her husband’s death.

  “Are you ready to begin?” asked Leo.

  “I’m, ready when you are,” Mona said as she thought about Lacey and the circumstances surrounding Collin’s death.

  Was it a coincidence that Collin dies only a few weeks after Leo returns to town?”

  “Mona, did you hear the question?” Leo asked.

  “Can you repeat it?” Mona asked.

  “You told me that Lacey called you just before the fire, is, that right?”

  “It is, it should be on my cell phone, in the history.”

  “Good, I may need to see that at some point in the future, so don’t erase it.”

  “Fine. I have it right here,” answered Mona.

  “About the warehouse, you and Vicki both said you never used it, tell me about it,” prompted Leo.

  “The warehouse was part of the shop, but it wasn’t renovated, and the roof leaked. It needed some serious repairs and a good cleaning. I had high hopes that it would be stocked full of jams, jellies, and your sister’s honey products, but it doesn’t look like that is ever going to happen now,” Mona said; her throat constricted, and her voice cracked.

  Leo looked alarmed, and Mona regretted becoming emotional in front of him. She reached for a napkin to dab her eyes, but Leo pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket.

  “Here,” he said, handing her the soft cloth.

  Their knuckles bumped, sending an electric jolt through Mona making her cheeks flush. She cleared her throat and nervously wriggled in her chair.

  Oh my Lord! I’m an idiot! Get it together, Mona! She thought.

  The doorbell rang and startled them.

  Oh no!

  Aunt Bee!

  Leo swiveled in his chair, turning toward the front room. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  Mona rose. “It’s probably my Aunt Bee.”

  There’s no avoiding her now! What terrible timing she has. I should have returned her calls.

  Leo stood with her and walked behind her as Mona crossed the front room and opened the door.

  Aunt Bee stood on the porch. Her curly white hair peeked out from under a leopard print cowboy hat. She wore an outrageously bright pink wrap-around skirt and a white blouse with a lacy neckline. Her boots matched the hat. She looked embarrassingly adorable, and Mona cringed while Leo chuckled.

  Aunt Bee threw herself into Mona’s arms. “My dear! Why haven’t you called me? I thought you’d gone up in a puff of smoke!”

  Mona squeezed her Aunt. “I’m sorry, Aunt Bee. Forgive me. I’m still slightly in a state of shock.”

  Aunt Bee untangled herself from Mona and pushed inside the house. She stopped short at seeing Leo. “Oh my goodness. What is this handsome young man doing here?” Aunt Bee wiggled her hips and shoulders and gave Mona a meaningful look.

  Oh Lord! Can a hole open up and swallow me whole, please?

  Leo smiled. “Hello Aunt Bee. I’m here on official duty I’m afraid.”

  Aunt Bee gave a pouty face and grabbed his hand. “One day, Mr. Leo Lawson, you’re going to realize that my Great Niece is a good catch—”

  “That’s enough, Aunt Bee,” Mona said, her face burning. She rushed to separate her Aunt from Leo.

  Aunt Bee giggled. “But I haven’t finished telling him how great you are.”

  Mona said. “We’ve known each a long time, Aunt Bee—”

  “Which means, I know how great Mona is,” Leo said, with an easy smile.

  Aunt Bee shrugged, undeterred. “Well, maybe. But do you know how head-over-heels in love she—”

  Mona coughed over Aunt Bee’s last word, and Leo quirked an eyebrow at her.

  An awkward silence descended over them, and Mona figured talking about murder was a better option than committing one.

  “Leo’s here because Collin MacInroy died in the fire yesterday,” Mona said.

  Aunt Bee took a step back, a wrinkled hand jumping to cover her heart. Her face showed shock, and Mona suddenly regretted blurting out the news. She clutched Aunt Bee’s hand and ushered her to the couch.

  “Oh, poor Collin! Poor Lacey!” said Aunt Bee. “That’s horrible. He was so young.”

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Mona asked. “I just made a pot of coffee.”

  Aunt Bee nodded at her, and Mona hesitated for a moment to leave Aunt Bee alone with Leo, but one glance at Leo told her he was back to business. He’d pulled out his notebook and asked Bee, “Did you know Collin very well?”

  Mona retreated into the kitchen and poured Aunt Bee a rich sugary cup of coffee. She put a few of Vicki’s honey cookies on a small tray and headed back into the living room.

  Leo and Aunt Bee dug into the cookies, leaving only crumbs on the tray.

  “So, Mona, tell me about the kitchen at Jammin’ Honey. Did you do any cooking yesterday morning?” Leo asked

  Guilt choked Mona, and she couldn’t meet Leo’s eyes. In her mind, she frantically retraced her steps in the kitchen yesterday. She had turned off the burner. She was sure of it.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and said, “I made a pot of coffee and turned a burner on for a quick batch of jam.”

  Leo studied her a moment. “Uh huh. Then what?”

  “I got a call from Lacey, telling me to get over to the bakery, so I turned the burner off,” she hesitated and looked at his face for reassurance. When all she saw was grim determination, she steeled herself and repeated. “I turned the burner off and left the shop.”

  Leo’s fingers drummed on the coffee table. “Are you certain that all sources of heat were turned off?”

  “Of course she is!” Aunt Bee screeched.

  Mona nodded at Aunt Bee, feeling grateful for her support.

  Nothing like a defensive octogenarian in your corner.
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br />   “I don’t normally leave anything on, maybe the coffee pot since I was coming right back, but that shouldn’t have triggered a fire,” she answered. “Right, I mean it’s got an automatic shutoff ...”

  “All the newfangled gadgets have automatic shut offs these days,” Aunt Bee said.

  Leo nodded. “Right. And the burner, you’re sure you turned it off?”

  Am I sure?

  “Yes, I never leave burners on,” Mona said, “At least, I don’t normally.”

  “Never or not normally? To be clear, you don’t recall whether you turned off the burner or not, is that correct?”

  “Don’t badger her!” Aunt Bee squealed.

  “I’m not badgering her,” Leo said. “I’m asking a clarifying question.”

  “Ugh! Okay you two, don’t argue,” Mona exclaimed. “I’m doing the best I can.” She buried her head in her hands.

  Aunt Bee stood. “Now you’ve upset her!”

  Leo stood too. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get to the bottom—”

  Mona motioned for them to sit down. “Calm down. I’m sorry to say, I just don’t remember exactly. I swear to you, Leo, I really think I turned it off ... but I’m not a 100%.”

  He nodded and made a note.

  What did he just write?

  As if reading her mind, Aunt Bee exclaimed, “What did you write down? She turned it off. She says she turned it off! Don’t you dare write anything other than that down. I don’t care how cute you are!”

  Leo smirked. “Okay, Aunt Bee. I don’t want to do anything to make you angry.”

  Mona grabbed at his hand. “Leo, if I left the burner on, it would be the first time I’ve ever done that.”

  He gave her a sympathetic look. “Unfortunately, there’s a first time for everything, and all it takes is one mistake and you have a mess on your hands,” he said.

  Mona stiffened.

  It’s coming out all wrong. I sound like an irresponsible dingbat.

  “That morning, can you remember any odors?” Leo asked. “Did you notice smoke or a burning smell?”

  “No, not that I can recall, I was in the front of the shop for most of the morning.”

  “Did you see anything unusual or see anyone acting out of the ordinary in any way?” Leo asked.