A Cup of Murder (Roasted Love Cozy 1)

“We’ll see who bankrupts first. You don’t deserve to be in this otherwise peaceful neighborhood, Michael Simms. I hope that the worst thing that can happen to you will happen.” I knew he was out of earshot, but it helped to get it said.

I continued to mutter threats to the owner of Sunrise under my breath while I picked up my keys and opened my car. I slumped in the seat and took deep breaths. Glad I had driven to work that morning rather than my usual walk, I started the ignition. I had wanted to run needed errands but lost interest in that soon enough. I was glad I wasn’t going to be walking home after that episode. I would have been too rattled while wondering if they followed me, all set for a second scare. I chortled nervously. The man and his dog were out of sight but not out of mind.

Chapter Two

Thoughts of Jacob’s outburst earlier flooded over me. He had never showed anger like that in all the time I had known him. He certainly had never come even close to hitting me. His rival was to blame for bringing forth such wrath in Jacob Weaver. My boss harbored anger deeper than I had ever seen in any man. I was at a loss as to how Jacob allowed the owner of Sunrise to get to him. He neglected his own business now that the seething inside him mounted on a daily basis. Jacob was losing sight of the quality business he had built over the years and that would do him in, not Michael Simms.

Clearing traffic, I pulled from the curb. Neither the owner of Sunrise, nor his Barista Jen Perry, was in sight which was fine with me. It was time to get home and forget the nightmarish day. I loved my job but maybe I had outlived it all and should search for something else. Something told me now was not the time to toy with ideas like that. Besides, I had rent and utilities to think about. The day I found my cute little bungalow was my lucky day. I had overheard someone in the coffee house saying they had a rental available and I pounced on it. It was small but I loved it. Best of all, I could afford it.

When I reached my driveway, I was still a bit unsettled. I needed a distraction. I called my best friend Sara and ask how her day had gone. My longtime friend’s voice never failed to soothe me. I didn’t tell her about mine except the incident with the dog attack. I felt somewhat better once I heard Sara’s story of the oddities of a new employee she worked with at the bookstore several blocks down on the Piazza. I hung up slightly recovered and was ready to go relax a bit with a light dinner and a book.

An uneasy feeling overtook me when I put the key in my front door lock. I glanced around and everything looked as normal as usual. I vowed to calm down. My neighbor, Ed from next door waved when I caught his eye. He was retired and now spent most of his time making his yard a showplace with blooming flowers and greenery in just the right places for all of us to admire. If my tulips came up in the spring I was happy with my yard but the more he worked at his, the more meager mine looked. At least I had chosen a neighborhood with friendly people. All the houses were similar to my smal

l bungalow but none looked identical to any of the others. Hues of varied colors gave each a special identity of its own.

I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder once again before I swung my door open. I had no known enemies, unless I now counted Michael Simms and Thor. As unsettling as my experience was, I strongly doubted they had followed me home. Allowing my scare to cause paranoia was not something I planned to let happen. I dropped my purse on the small cherry table inside my bedroom and then deposited an empty latte paper cup in the trash and sat down. I was certain my jumpiness had to do with the scare Thor the monster gave me, and his master’s response was hard to shake from my head. But Jacob’s actions bothered me even more. Deep breaths came in handy at times like this.

While cutting vegetables for a salad and seasoning the pork chop for searing, I realized I wasn't going to shake off the events of the day. I finally accepted that and directed thoughts down a more productive avenue. I knew a detailed plan to retrieve Roasted Love’s business was imperative and had to be done sooner than later. It would prove no easy task unless I could persuade Jacob to curtail his temper and focus on our customers and their satisfaction. He had to be made to realize he was driving customers away ever since Sunrise opened a month earlier. Losing the rest of our clientele would only prove Michael Simms right. That was not an option.

I took my food out to the bricked patio with a glass of fruit-infused sparkling water to complete the meal. I savored my food and watched two birds at the cherub-shaped fountain a few yards away. The fountain had been here since before I moved in. I liked watching the birds tease each other when they splashed in the water. Ground cover surrounded the cherubs and a large red maple towered over the scene. The birds seemed to be arguing or was that my imagination? I shook my head and breathed in the refreshingly cool evening air. I had no intentions of watching anyone else get mad at anyone and especially two birds that should have been, in my estimation chirping happily and getting along.

Thoughts of how to save Roasted Love flooded over me but none in particular hit like I hoped. The idea of calling Jacob and telling him I wanted to meet with him away from the coffee house entered my mind. I rethought that inspiration. My day did not need to be extended any further. Instead, I decided to face my boss directly the first thing in the morning. I hoped he had managed to control his mood by that time.

The two birds now perched close together. I was satisfied they had come to terms with whatever put them at odds earlier. The sky turned to night and dozens of glittering stars appeared that soothed my being. It'd be nice if you could actually see the millions that were up there, but such is life in the city. Once back inside, though, the events of the day seeped back in. The restlessness I felt covered me again. It was going to be a long of fitful sleep and tossing and turning.

After the attack dog Thor had threatened me and his master taunted me, it goes without saying that my sleep was taunted with dreams of a huge black creature lunging at me and again and again. In the middle of each nightmare, I awoke in time to escape the large sharp teeth. In one such dream, a laughing man stood in the background watching as if his choice lion was in the arena and sure to win over the weak prey set before him.

I finally got out of bed around four in the morning and sat at my kitchen table. I decided I may as well start getting my plan to save Roasted Love in action, or at least get a plan down on paper. The coffee pot cycle ended and I stumbled to get a cup from the cabinet. Settling at the table again I noted the paper was still as blank as my mind. I laid my head on the shiny oak surface and fell asleep.

If I knew what caused my unrest the night before, I’m not sure it would have made any difference.

Chapter Three

Jerking awake when my head rolled to the edge of the hard table top I noted six a.m. on the wall clock. Once showered and renewed, I made up my mind that this day was a blank palate to paint a new outlook for Roasted Love. The sunshine flowed through my windows and I knew today was a good day to walk to work. The only requirements for me this day was to take a positive look at my job and do it to the best of my ability. All errands could wait to be taken care of until later in the week.

I decided that some early morning exercise would lift my spirits, and despite yesterday's run-in, I was going to walk to work. Neighbors on the tree-lined street were moving toward their own day. A couple of them were outside retrieving newspapers or getting into their cars. I knew at least two of them would be in Roasted Love for their favorite lattes before heading on to work.

“It’s going to be a beautiful day,” I said to no one in particular.

Talking to myself so much was probably not a good idea. It could be one of those habits that one day people would look at me and point to the lady babbling to herself. I decided I didn’t really care what people thought down the road. Nothing was going to spoil my day today.

It didn’t take long to discover that the day was not going to be so beautiful after all. I was a block from the Piazza when I heard sirens. When I turned the corner to Roasted Love, the street was dotted with police cars and an ambulance. The revolving lights interrupted the beams of sunshine. I saw two officers roping off the street with yellow tape that extended to the Sunrise. Dread overtook all optimism I felt earlier and I wondered what had happened.

My eye caught sight of a muscular young man was helping load a gurney onto an ambulance. His thick black hair was short and between the sun rays and flashing lights it looked like lightning strikes hitting it. My eyes shifted to the form that was covered on the stretcher. A shock of blond hair could be seen from under the edge of the unzipped covering. I froze.

The handsome paramedic glanced in my direction with a half smile as he hurriedly finished zipping the bag. I bumped into the door of Roasted Love and quickly grabbed the rail to steady myself before walking inside. A few customers sat in front of now frothless lattes and cappuccinos and stared out the window. Partially eaten French toast and blueberry muffins were arranged on Roasted Love’s signature plates. Janie, the server behind the counter cast large luminous eyes in my direction and motioned toward the kitchen behind her. Without a word, I kept going toward the kitchen.

Jacob sat in the corner near the time clock wringing his hands and muttering incoherently. I heard words like ‘I can’t go back to prison again’ or similar but I got the meaning of what he was saying. Not ready to talk to him, I ignored Jacob, getting a sicker feeling in my stomach by the minute. I punched the time clock, shoved my stuff in my locker and continued past Jacob as if he was not there. He didn’t look up at me, but kept moaning which told me he didn’t know I passed by him.

I pulled Janie aside. “Did you get here before or after Jacob?”

“Before,” she replied. “Jacob arrived a bit after I did.”

Neither of us spoke again. I tried to start my day in the usual manner but thoughts and images flew through my mind. I recalled how upset Jacob was when I left him the night before but I pushed all connotations from my head. It was way too early to start thinking about implicating him in any way. He surely wouldn’t put himself in a position as serious as bodily harm to someone, even someone he intensely disliked.

I recalled the incident of the night before when Michael Simms and his dog threatened me. Wondering if the owner of Sunrise had returned to his shop or walked in a different direction, I mentally kicked myself for not noticing. I had no idea whether that would tell me anything or not, or if it mattered anyway.

“Laila,” said Janie. She wiped her hands on the cloth and her hands twitched. “Some of the customers are blaming Jacob. Three of them were in here when he flew off the handle yesterday about Mr. Simms.”