For a minute, I didn’t understand her threat. This was crazy, why would anyone be telling me their homicidal plans? “You’re going to try to kill Greg?”
“Ha, not unless I can get him so worked up he has a heart attack.” The caller paused. “Are you stupid or something? I said I’m going to get Greg to come back to me.”
Then I realized it was Sherry on the phone. But what she’d said initially kept echoing. “Wait, Greg arrested someone for Kent’s murder? Who?”
“You really are worthless. Check out the local news station.” Then the phone clicked in my ear.
The good news was I didn’t have to help Pat prove Sherry’s innocence any longer. The bad news was the girl didn’t think I’d done squat, so her plans for the total destruction of our relationship was front and center on her mind. I paused the movie because I really wanted to watch the scene where Meg flies to Seattle and spies on Tom Hanks, and turned on the local newscast.
The weatherman—or meteorologist, as he liked to be called—was finishing up his weekend predictions. I held my breath, hoping Sunday would bring torrential rains or hurricane-strength winds. Instead, the day was going to be the first nice day in the entire month. Not what I wanted to hear. When he turned it over to the newscasters, I almost missed the short recap of a rumored drug bust in South Cove. We’d gone through this last year but Conner’s arrest felt more personal. The guy was one of the Business-to-Business members, even though he rarely showed. Now I understood what had kept him away; he had a second business to run.
“Unconfirmed reports from sources who claim to have been close to Kent Paine, who died under suspicious circumstances a few weeks ago, say the arrest may close that case, as well.” The blond newscaster read off the teleprompter, dropping her smile so she wouldn’t appear uncaring.
“Bad business.” Her co-anchor let his own smile drop as he shook his head.
“Very bad business,” I repeated, finishing the last of the nearly melted ice cream. I sent a quick text to Greg, knowing that he couldn’t talk, and went to bed.
CHAPTER 20
Except for a quick return text wishing me sweet dreams, Greg had been silent. I kept myself occupied, running with Emma before work, and then the shop had been busier than normal. Everyone wanted to talk about Conner’s arrest. Had I known him well? He seemed like such a nice boy. And, of course, the ultimate question: Do you think he really killed that banker guy?
By midmorning, I felt overwhelmed. Part of me knew my happy place wasn’t in the front of the house. I enjoyed working my early shift because we didn’t get the crowds. As an introvert, the constant stimulation of people wanting to chat drained me. Maybe someday when the business was doing better financially, I could just have Sasha work the morning shift, then I could just do the office stuff.
I was still daydreaming about it when Toby arrived. He blinked at the almost-full tables and hurried to take off his coat. “Looks like you’ve had a morning.” He chuckled as he washed his hands. Donning a clean apron, he started refilling the coffee cups. “Let me guess, they all want to know if you have insider information on the Conner arrest.”
“I’m sure your shift will be busier, since they assume you’re a better source than I am.” I poured out the last of the strong coffee into a cup and started a new pot. “If Greg and I ever break up, my walk-in traffic is going to die.”
“Not likely, you do realize the caffeine we serve is addicting. They’ll keep coming, just to see how you’re doing with the split. There’s always a mini–soap opera going on in small towns. Didn’t you know that?” Toby eyed the dessert display case and nodded his approval. “You’ve done all my prep work today. What, nothing to read?”
“I couldn’t get settled. I kept hoping Greg would call.” I collapsed on a stool in front of the counter, took a quick glance around the room, and lowered my voice. “Is it true? Did Conner kill Kent?”
Toby didn’t answer right away. Instead, he poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned over the counter. “Greg says he’s a person of interest. Conner swears he was out of town with some chick that day, but we haven’t been able to find her to support his story. It could all be a lie, but the dude sounds sincere.”
“A sincere drug dealer?” I sipped my coffee. “It would be nice to have this drama over.”
“According to Conner, someone approached him about the same time Craig Morgan was killed last year. The shop had been struggling, so he thought it would be a way to keep his art studio going until he was discovered for his true talent.” The bell rang over the door, and Toby’s attention went to the new customer. “And that’s all you’ll get from me. If you want more, ask your boyfriend.”