A Murderous Misconception Read online

  Because of Andy’s infidelity, Katie’s life was now under a microscope—literally, thanks to those DNA swabs! She knew she should feel sorry for Andy, and she did…to some extent. But if he’d wanted Erikka so badly, why couldn’t he have simply broken up with Katie? It would’ve hurt, but it would have been so much easier for her in the long run.

  As she resolutely strode to the side entrance of Artisans Alley, she heard Ray call to her from somewhere behind her. She pretended not to hear him, and she tried to maintain her pace so it wouldn’t seem obvious that she was ignoring him. She knew Ray either wanted to discuss what had happened between the two of them yesterday, Erikka’s murder, or both.

  She didn’t have the energy to deal with any of it right now.

  Katie’s attempt to update the Artisans Alley website with information about the Harvest Festival proved futile. She merely sat and looked at the monitor, not taking in anything on the screen before her.

  Rose knocked on the open door, brandishing a box of the local confectionery’s finest chocolates. “Sue Sweeney brought these over this morning.”

  She placed the box on Katie’s desk, and Katie could see that the sweets were in the shape of baby booties piped with yellow frosting.

  “I corrected Sue’s misunderstanding,” Rose said. “But she left the chocolates anyway. What should we do with them?”

  “We should eat them. And all at once—every last one of them. Let’s get some coffee.”

  Rose grinned.

  The women went into the vendors’ lounge, grabbed cups from the drying rack next to the sink, and poured coffee. Katie was relieved that they made it back to her office and closed the door before anyone else saw them. She was in no mood to chat with anyone other than Rose.

  She and Rose spread out paper towels, and then Katie opened the box. She tried to pluck out a bonbon, but her long, unwieldy fingernails caused the chocolate to flip up into the air and plop into her coffee.

  “Oh, well. I guess I’m having a mocha,” Katie muttered.

  Rose laughed. “What are you doing with those ridiculous nails anyway? They aren’t your style.”

  “They were Nick’s idea. He thought they’d make me feel better and, in a moment of weakness, I succumbed.” Katie looked down at both her hands.

  “And now you regret your decision?” Rose asked.

  “More than you could possibly know.” She speared a chocolate bootie with an index fingernail and then handed the box to Rose.

  “Thanks.” Rose popped one of the candies into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “These are delicious.”

  “They are,” Katie agreed, as the hazelnut filling oozed into her mouth.

  “I noticed that Angelo’s is closed today,” Rose said. “There’s a note on the door, but I didn’t get near enough to read it. Is the pizzeria having the same problems you were having at your apartment—the thing that made you sick?”

  Katie shook her head. “No. It’s because of Erikka, Andy’s assistant manager. She…she was murdered.”

  Chapter 5

  Katie didn’t particularly care for website design. She could do it, but she didn’t enjoy it…at least, not until she could preview her work and see that the site looked just as she’d hoped it would. The problem was that the final approved preview came after much tedious tweaking.

  But, at last, there it was. Artisans Alley’s homepage proudly announced the upcoming Harvest Festival with animation, vectors, and a full schedule of events. The page looked terrific, and Katie published the updated page. She then tried to massage the knots out of her neck. It was a futile effort—even her knots had knots.

  There was a tap at her door. It was so light Katie wasn’t sure it was an actual knock.

  “Come in!” she called, just in case.

  Katie’s eyes widened when Sophie Davenport stepped into the office. Sophie was Ray’s oldest daughter. Although Katie had once felt she and the Davenport girls were friends, one by one they’d begun to dislike her. She was almost certain the girls’ animosity stemmed from Katie’s friendship with Ray.

  The memory of the kiss she and Ray had shared the night before rose in her mind. Could that be why Sophie was here? Had Ray said something to his daughters? But what? There was nothing to tell.

  While Katie’s brain was going into overdrive, she realized Sophie was speaking.

  “…I promise not to take up too much of your time.”

  “Of course,” Katie said. “Have a seat. You’ll have to excuse me. My brain is mush today.”

  “I can imagine.” Sophie carefully closed the office door and sat on the chair by Katie’s desk. “I heard about Ms. Wiley…and how you and Nick Ferrell found her.”

  “Yeah…that…um…that was rough.” Katie studied the young woman carefully. “Your dad hasn’t said anything, has he? About suspects…or motive?”

  “No. You should know better than anyone that my dad is pretty much cut off from the Sheriff’s Office these days, thanks to Detective Schuler.”

  Katie sighed. “Schuler made it clear to me this morning that he’s no fan of mine, either.” She took a peppermint from the jar and offered one to Sophie. “But this new guy—Spence—he isn’t averse to standing up to Schuler.”

  Sophie declined the mint. “I’ll ask Dad if he knows anyone on the force named Spence.” She inclined her blonde head. “You seem worried.”

  “I am,” Katie admitted. “I’m afraid Schuler will go after me the way he did your dad. To him, I’m a slam dunk—I found the body and, to his mind, I had a motive.”

  “But you’re innocent. Dad won out in the end, and I’m sure you will, too.”

  Katie wished she could be as certain—or, at least, as cavalier—as Sophie was.

  “That’s not why I came by to see you,” Sophie continued. “I wanted to tell you that I came back from college for a few days to ask a favor.”

  Katie’s hackles immediately rose. “Oh?”

  “I’d love to be able to tell my adviser that I’m going to have an unpaid internship at Tealicious with Chef Brad Andrews over winter break,” she said sounding hopeful.

  Katie silently mulled this over. Now Sophie’s visit made sense. The young woman hadn’t dropped in to check on Katie because she’d heard about Erikka’s murder and Katie’s finding the body. Sophie was no doubt thinking about how impressive an internship with Tealicious’s celebrated chef would look on her resume.

  Apparently uncomfortable with Katie’s silence, Sophie quickly filled the void. “I know my sisters and I have been real brats to you sometimes, but…you know…that’s how close friends behave with each other. You start to…accidentally…forgo the little niceties you extend to strangers.” She forced a weak laugh.

  Katie knew she could continue to let Sophie flounder a bit. Heck, she’d be perfectly justified in turning the girl down flat. But Ray was a good friend…good enough that he’d even offered to marry her and help her raise Andy’s child.

  “Yes,” she said. “Of course, you can be an unpaid intern at Tealicious over winter break. The holiday season will be hectic, and Brad and I will be grateful for the extra help.”

  With a squeal of delight, Sophie hopped out of her chair to give Katie a quick hug. “Thank you so much. Well, I’d better run, but I’ll be sure to ask Dad about that Spence guy.”

  “Thanks.”

  Katie hadn’t been ready to talk with Ray yet this morning. Not about anything. But now she realized that she needed all the help she could get to keep Detective Schuler from arresting her for Erikka’s murder.

  At lunchtime, Katie decided that more than anything, she needed some fresh air. But, given everything that had transpired over the past two days, she chose to stay off the Square to avoid well-meaning people who’d want to talk about Erikka’s death…and possibly her pregnancy, if they’d seen the sonogram posted on social media. So, she opted to eat a granola bar while strolling in the area where she and Nick had planned to run that morning.

  Natural
ly, that course led Katie near The Flower Child, the shop operated by Moonbeam Carruthers. Any other time, Katie would’ve gone into The Flower Child to browse and to chat with the proprietress. Today, she sought solitude.

  But it was not to be.

  “Katie! Katie Bonner, is that you?” Moonbeam stood in the doorway of her shop, her mass of long chestnut curls framing her face.

  Katie raised a hand. “Hi. Yes, it’s me.”

  “Sweet henna! Get in here!”

  Katie reluctantly closed the gap between where she’d been standing and The Flower Child.

  Moonbeam put her arm around Katie, pulled her into the shop, shut the door, and put the Closed sign in the window.

  “What are you doing?” Katie asked.

  “You need an emergency Reiki session.” Moonbeam propelled Katie into a room containing a massage table.

  “Oh, no…I mean, thank you. I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine,” Katie said as she tried to back out of the room.

  “You are not even in the same ZIP Code as fine.” Moonbeam’s bracelets jangled as she flailed her arms. “Have you seen your aura?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Katie said. “But I don’t have time for a massage. Plus, I left my purse back at Artisans Alley.”

  “It won’t take long, and this one is on the house.” Moonbeam took Katie’s arm and gently steered her toward the table. “If I let you leave here in the state you’re in, I’d never forgive myself.”

  Katie expelled a defeated breath as she sat on the table. “All right. What do I do?”

  “Slip off your shoes and lie face up.”

  Reluctantly Katie did as Moonbeam instructed and climbed onto the padded table.

  “Now do your best to relax. I understand that’s especially hard for you right now—”

  “Because of the body?” Katie interrupted.

  “What body?”

  “Erikka Wiley. I…we…she was found in the warehouse this morning.” Katie suppressed a shudder at the remembrance of Erikka’s rigor-stiffened body lying on the warehouse floor. “Haven’t the police been here to talk with you about it?”

  “Nobody’s been here to talk with me about anything. This is the first I’ve heard of it.” She stretched her hands out over Katie’s supine form. “I need you to relax and close your eyes.”

  “But if you didn’t know about the body, how did you know I’m stressed?”

  “Helen Keller could see that you’re stressed, and not only was she blind, but she’s been dead for more than fifty years.” Moonbeam’s tone sharpened slightly. “Now, shut your eyes and your mouth. I’m trying to help you,” she said kindly.

  Katie gave in and did as Moonbeam asked. As she lay on the table, she wondered why the police hadn’t spoken with The Flower Child’s proprietress. The backside of The Flower Child faced the warehouse. Moonbeam might’ve seen something important. Katie decided she’d question the woman herself, but as Moonbeam’s soft voice droned on about chakras and energy, and her hands rested lightly but firmly on Katie’s head, she thought it would be rude to interrupt. Her body felt as if it was melting into the massage table, and Katie wondered briefly if Moonbeam would be insulted if she dozed off.

  Katie’s thoughts drifted…. Should she have called Andy? Should he have called her or was it best to let things settle? Surely Schuler was looking at Andy as a potential suspect, too. Katie realized she should have called Seth to get advice, but as Moonbeam continued her ministrations, Katie felt so drowsy that….

  Opening her eyes, Katie realized she was still lying on Moonbeam’s massage table. She looked around the room. The door was closed, and she was alone. Yet she heard Moonbeam’s voice speaking with someone in another part of the building.

  Katie sat up and slipped her shoes back on. Feeling awkward, she stepped out into the store. Moonbeam’s customer was leaving.

  Turning to Katie, Moonbeam smiled. “Ah, feeling better?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry I fell asleep. I’ve—I’ve had a rough couple of days.”

  “I’m so glad you were able to relax.” She smiled. “Your aura is much improved.”

  “I didn’t do or say anything stupid, did I?” Katie asked, feeling awkward.

  “Of course not,” Moonbeam said and laughed. “I didn’t hypnotize you. I only gave you a massage.”

  “Right. Yeah. I just—” Katie shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation. When you said you found a body, that told me all I needed to know.” She straightened a tray of colorful crystals. “Would you like to talk about it?”

  Actually, Katie didn’t want to discuss her discovery of Erikka’s lifeless body, but she did want to know if Moonbeam had seen or heard anything that might lead to the killer’s identity. “The victim was someone I knew. She worked with my boyfriend Andy over at Angelo’s Pizzeria.”

  “The pretty brunette?” Moonbeam asked. At Katie’s nod, she continued. “I remember seeing her around the Square. She had a muddy aura, which led me to believe she had some major negativity in her life…maybe even draining any positive energy from those around her.”

  “She apparently did have some major negativity in her life because someone used her scarf to strangle her to death,” Katie said.

  Moonbeam clicked her tongue. “I’m ever so sorry to hear that. I’d hoped to help her. Every time I saw her, I encouraged her to come to see me at The Flower Child, but she never did.”

  “Did you happen to see her yesterday? Or perhaps last night?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Moonbeam handed Katie a red-orange crystal. “Put this in your pocket and keep it with you. It’s a fire agate, and it’ll protect you from all that negative energy.”

  “But Erikka’s dead.” Katie turned the crystal in her hand and thought it was pretty, but she didn’t think it would protect her from anything. “Besides, you’ve done enough for me already.”

  Moonbeam refused to take back the agate. “Erikka is dead, but all the negative energy she carried had to go somewhere. Be on your guard, Katie.” She said the words with such gravity that for a moment, Katie almost got sucked in.

  “Have a good—better—day,” Moonbeam wished her.

  Katie forced a smile. “I’m sure I will.”

  She left the building and headed west across the tarmac toward Artisans Alley. She could feel the weight of the agate in her pocket and wished she believed Moonbeam’s silly mumbo-jumbo. At that moment, Katie didn’t know what she should believe—or, more importantly, whom she should trust.

  Chapter 6

  As Katie entered Artisans Alley’s lobby, Ray was on his way out. “Hey, Ray,” she said in a half-hearted greeting.

  “I’m glad I caught you.” He took her by the arm and led her through the length of the Alley, not speaking until they arrived at the vendors’ lounge. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine.” Katie strode through the open doorway. “I’ve been at The Flower Child. What did you want to tell me about Moonbeam the other day?”

  “It seems inconsequential now in light of Erikka’s murder, but Moonbeam left Fairport because her business tanked after some people accused her of fraud.”

  Katie took a seat at her desk. “What sort of fraud? Her criminal background check was clean when Seth ran it before approving the lease.”

  “True. I didn’t say she had a record.” He sank onto the chair beside Katie’s desk. “She was never convicted of anything. It didn’t matter, though. The malicious rumors did her in.”

  “Why did you want to discuss it with me? Do you have reason to believe there’s any validity to the claims against her?”

  Ray shook his head. “No, and as I already pointed out, it doesn’t seem all that important anymore. But the other day, before everything turned upside down, I thought you should be aware.”

  “Thanks.” She took a peppermint from the jar on her desk and offered one to Ray. He accepted.

  “Sophie is thrilled about her internship wi
th you and the pretty boy over winter break. Thanks for doing that for her.”

  I did it for you. “We’ll be glad of the extra help. Sophie is an excellent cook and working with Brad will look great on her résumé.”

  “She mentioned your request for information on Captain Spence.” Ray said. “I worked with him, of course, but I put a few feelers out anyway. Everyone I spoke with agrees he’s a nice guy and a faithful cop. Totally by-the-book. I’m glad he’s on this case.”

  “That’s good to know. I appreciate your insight into him.”

  Ray’s expression hardened. “Sophie said you’re worried Schuler will come after you.”

  “Of course, he will.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I believe he’d love to put me away for Erikka’s murder. Don’t you?”

  “I won’t let that happen.” Ray gently clasped her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face, holding them in his. “I mean it. I’ll discover the truth, and you will be exonerated.”

  Of course, it was then—with Ray holding her hands and looking earnestly into her eyes—that Andy burst into the office. And despite their actions being perfectly innocent and the fact that her boyfriend had so cruelly wronged her, Katie tugged her hands away from Ray as if he were on fire.

  “What are you doing here?” Katie asked Andy.

  He ignored her question and lit into Ray. “You’ll take advantage of any opportunity, won’t you, old man?”

  Ray stood and faced Andy. “My, aren’t you the pot calling the kettle black? Taking advantage of Katie, among other women, seems to be your forte.”

  Katie scrambled to her feet and put herself between the two men, fearing they’d come to blows. “Don’t do this. Don’t make this about me or yourselves. We all have enough on our minds without adding petty insecurities to the mix.”

  “She’s right,” Ray said. “I came here to reassure Katie I’ll do everything in my power to ensure Schuler doesn’t pin Erikka’s murder on her.”