Death on the Coast, M Comley [book club books TXT] 📗

giant ovens. With practiced skill, she slapped them down onto a long, marble worktable to cool before she extracted them from the individual trays. In their place went a new tray of pies to be baked. Sal’s Sweets was known up and down the coast, a favorite stop for tourists during the season.

Lucy took a sip of her coffee and tugged at her sweetheart sweater. Her next project was to monogram one just like it that she’d found in the thrift store, except the new one was white. She still hadn’t decided which color thread to use, knowing that once she committed, the sweater would only match certain outfits. There was something about embroidery that was very calming to her. Her stitches were automatic, and that allowed her to eavesdrop on the conversations going on around her. That was where she got the majority of her tips for her newspaper articles. As much of a crusty boss as Len was, he gave her a long leash on how she spent her days. Although sometimes, her profession kept her from being a confidant to local townspeople. They weren’t keen on reading about their personal secrets on page two. She often went to the extent of explaining that whatever they were talking about was off the record, meaning she wouldn’t print it. What they didn’t realize, however, was that generally the gossip had already circulated town and her reassurances were a bit late.

Lucy wasn’t a gossip columnist. She was far from that. The newspaper’s main objective was to keep the community tightly knit and its businesses flourishing in the off-tourist seasons. Too many other small villages in the region had fallen apart, due most likely to shopping centers and the internet. Wellington vowed to be different, and Lucy had a role in ensuring that happened.

Lucy’s cell buzzed. She reached into the pocket on her purse and withdrew it. She blanched when Tina’s name showed up on the screen. “Hi, Sis?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t answer the phone.” Tina was in full sarcastic voice.

“What? Why?”

“Because that would mean you’re dead and not just blowing me off.”

“Huh?”

“You were supposed to meet me to pick out a dress. You forgot, didn’t you?”

Lucy palmed her forehead. “Oh, Tina, I’m so, so sorry.”

“Yeah, but that didn’t help me, did it?”

“There’s just so much going on. I’m not getting enough sleep, everything is so muddled right now, and we’re no closer to finding Angie’s murderer.”

“I don’t mean to be callous, but Angie is already gone. You promised to be here for me. I’m the one with the clock running, you know.”

“Tina, I can’t apologize enough. How can I make it up to you?”

“You can make sure my wedding gift is a really thick wad of money in an envelope,” Tina answered, and then the line went dead.

Lucy cringed and vowed to figure out something to make it better. She felt really bad and picked her embroidery back up to work on as she thought.

She surveyed the cafe from time to time as she worked. Surprisingly, Kathy Simpson had come in the door. She lingered at the counter, discussing the flavors of cookies Sal had to offer.

Once she’d made her purchases, Kathy presented herself at Lucy’s table. “May I sit down?”

“Well, of course you can. In fact, I’m happy to see you. I have some news.” Lucy was amazed how quickly her mind switched back to Angie’s murder, Tina’s situation already forgotten.

“Oh? Do you know who killed her?” she asked keenly.

Lucy shook her head. “No, not there yet, but little things are beginning to fall into place. Actually, what I wanted to tell you was that I spoke to Christine. I brought up the bracelet and how it was the wedge that came between you and Angie.”

Kathy nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “What did she say?”

“She admitted she was the one who took the bracelet.”

Kathy’s head snapped upward, her eyes wide. They were a deep aqua blue, and Lucy wondered why she had never noticed that before. That was when she realized Kathy normally wore glasses. “Never! What did she say?”

“She admitted to borrowing her mother’s bracelet from her jewelry box. Maybe she had a date or something and took it without asking, she didn’t really enlighten me on that. She returned it late that evening, or perhaps the next morning, but you and Angie had already fallen out about it by then.”

“Then, did Angie know it wasn’t me when she…?”

“Christine didn’t mention whether they’d discussed it or not. But obviously, Angie had discovered the bracelet was back, and I’m guessing that she probably realized she was in the wrong.”

Kathy’s expression turned sad. “You’d think she would’ve said something to me, maybe apologized? Is it possible that the bracelet was just a ruse? Did she want me to distance myself from her?”

“Only you can be the judge of that, Kathy. Were you close enough that you’d expect her to share every detail of her personal life with you?” Lucy was thinking about the pregnancy and still debated whether Kathy had known, or even Angie, for that matter. There were so many unanswered questions as far as she was concerned, but the coroner’s report made it clear there was a fetus involved and her pregnancy was a reality.

“Gosh, that’s hard to answer. When you’re good friends with someone, you tend to think they tell you everything, but I suppose there are always certain things I hold back, not willing to share with folks. Maybe she was embarrassed about something, and she didn’t want anyone local to know about it. Do you think that’s possible?”

Lucy shrugged. “It’s possible. It would be interesting to find out whether she tried to alienate anyone else in the community around the same time.”

Kathy sucked in a short breath. “I don’t know if I should share this, but I do know that she and Christine appeared to have fallen out over something. Nothing major, but she mentioned something in passing, and when she used