11. Melly

11

MELLY

" A lfred has a motive and the means to commit the crime," I said as Elrik drove his truck from the hospital parking lot and into town.

"I'll notify Detective Carter of what we'd discovered and overheard." Elrik pulled his vehicle into the lot across the street from Creature Cones and shut off the engine. "But this doesn't mean he dumped the Xylitol in Grannie's punch. Others were there that evening. This could be a coincidence."

I stared through the windshield, my face hot and my hands flexing into fists on my lap. "Why haven't they announced they got married? That's what I want to know. Grannie must not know about it. You'd think Sue would've told her. They're best friends."

"Ask her."

"I plan to."

We got out of the truck and crossed the road.

"Did you discover anything online?" I asked, wondering what surprises he might've unearthed about my grandmother's other friends. You could live your entire life in a community and think you knew everything about everyone, only to have something creep up behind you and bite you on the butt.

"A few things, though nothing worth mentioning yet," he said. "I'll look some more tonight." He opened the door to the ice cream shop for me, and we stepped inside, finding only Carla there, sitting at one of the tables, scrolling on her phone.

She sprung up as we stepped into the shop. "There you are."

"Has it been busy?" It wasn't right now, but this must be a lull.

"It was one customer after another for about an hour after you left, but it suddenly slowed right down to nothing."

This was odd for a sunny midday, but I was sure the place would be swarming with customers soon.

"Would you believe only one person has been in for ice cream in the past hour?" Carla said.

"That is weird." I turned to stare out the plate glass window. Maybe there was a fair outside of town and that had drawn everyone away. Or they were all at the beach. Eating at restaurants. Avoiding ice cream for some strange reason.

Elrik shot me a frown.

Carla joined me at the window. "I don't get it either. I thought I'd be run ragged while you were gone."

"I'm sorry we took so long."

Carla shrugged. "I don't mind. It's my job."

"Something came up with Elrik's truck," I said. "And then we went to the hospital to see Sue before she was discharged."

"How's she doing?"

"You should give her a call or go see her." It wasn't my place to discuss her health and her need for dialysis, but I was sure Sue would mention it at the next church social—assuming they held one again. They might decide to cancel them for the foreseeable future.

It also wasn't my place to discuss Carla kissing Alfred.

"I'll give her a few days and then do that." She flashed me a smile, and I didn't get the impression she was uncomfortable about the idea of visiting the girlfriend of the man she'd kissed.

"Would you like to take a break?" I asked. "I owe you."

"Sure. I want to walk down Main Street and feel the salty breeze in my hair." She dimpled her smile Elrik's way. "Would you like to walk with me? You must have more questions."

"I'm afraid I can't." His gaze sought mine. "I need to go to the office and take care of a few things. I'll see you later?"

"Do you want to get together after I close at four?" I didn't need to remind him of the time. I'd mentioned it yesterday, and he wasn't the type to forget. But for some reason, I wanted to make it plain to Carla that Elrik was taken. Sort of. Was that what it meant when a guy declared he was your fated mate?

"I can come by when you close." He shot me another smile that faded quickly. After giving Carla a curt nod, he left.

She stared after him and sighed. "Did you work on getting a ring on your finger while you were gone?" She ran her hand through the sunlight beaming in through the big window, making her enormous diamond sparkle.

"We're just friends."

"A friend who's coming by the moment you close down this place?" Her low laugh rang out. "I assume you're going to . . . I don't know. Stroll through town. Make him a home-cooked meal. They do say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Is that how you hooked Walter?"

"He did enjoy my hot crossed buns." She winked, but the light dropped away from her eyes. "Every time I make them, I think of him."

I rubbed her arm. "I'm sorry."

After nodding, she went out to the tiny room behind the main part of the shop to grab her purse, returning to exit out the front door. "I won't be long. I'll loop around Main Street and come back to help. I'm sure we'll be busy by then."

"I bet we will."

The bell jangled as she opened the door, and I followed her out onto the sidewalk. Maybe I should set up a table and give out samples. That was how I'd drawn in customers when I first opened.

"There you are." Estadore, the griffin realtor who owned Griffin Grove Real Estate Group hurried down the sidewalk, his lion's mane ruffling in the breeze and his tail swishing behind him. He was one of three griffins in town, though they weren't related, and he was a sweetie. He'd stopped by the hospital after Grannie broke her hip to bring her flowers .

"Hello," I said, hoping he was here for ice cream.

However, he stopped beside Carla, only giving me a nod.

"Wonderful news," he said to Carla. "We've got an offer on the place in Florida."

"Ahh!" Carla's bright gaze met mine before she turned back to Estadore.

I hadn't realized she'd put the Florida place up for sale, but I wasn't surprised. She hadn't gone there in years. She said her heart wasn't in it without Walter. I could swear she'd mentioned that she was thinking of renting it, though maybe I'd misheard. While a real estate agency could handle short- and even long-term rentals, things got broken or damaged. She'd shown me pictures, and the house was full of gorgeous antiques. I couldn't imagine renting it as it was.

To give them privacy, I walked over to the window boxes and started grooming the annuals I'd planted there this spring. I wasn't trying to listen in, but the wind caught their words and sent them in my direction.

"How much is the offer?" Carla asked with excitement.

He named a price that made my eyeballs pop.

Her growl rumbled my way. "That's not enough. I told you I needed a certain amount. The second mortgage . . ." She glanced in my direction.

When I saw how pink her face was, I opened the door and went inside.

This time, I did snoop on purpose. I crept over to the open window, close to where they stood.

Second mortgage? Carla had inherited a lot of money— so she'd bragged around town multiple times. Why would she need to borrow money against the property?

"This price will cover both the first and second mortgage," Estadore said.

"I want more. I need it." Desperation came through in Carla's hissed voice. "Counteroffer." She named a figure that made my eyes widen even farther. "I won't take less than that."

"I thought you wanted to wash your hands of the properties."

Properties with an S?

"I do, but . . ." She lowered her voice.

I leaned against the wall beside the window, straining to hear their every word.

"You were able to liquidate the belongings?" she said.

"Yes, I got quite a bit for them at auction." He named a number that made my heart flip over. "I mailed the cashier's check, and you deposited it."

"Yes, I did. Sorry. I forgot. It was barely enough to cover my current expenses. Contrary to popular belief, my husband didn't . . ."

What expenses? Shouldn't everything be covered by the wealth Walter had left her in his will?

"I'm sorry you're having financial difficulties," Estadore said. "I'm doing all I can to help. But the market is horrible in Florida right now. Hurricanes, politics, and the insurance fiasco are making everyone eager to sell. I think this offer is solid, and you should seriously consider taking it."

"I can't accept it. What's left after paying off Walter's loans will barely cover three payments on my place here. "

Wait. Walter took out loans on both properties? He'd been dead for ten years. He'd supposedly left Carla the two homes, plus more money than she could spend in a lifetime. If that was the case, and he'd, for some reason, taken out loans on both of the properties, why hadn't she used the money she inherited to pay them off years ago?

"I'm truly sorry," he said. "As for your home here, we're seeing a lot more interest. I think we'll have a solid offer soon."

She was selling the house on the water as well?

"I have three groups coming later this week to take a look, and one of them is particularly eager," Estadore added. "Your home here on the Cape is exactly what they've been looking for."

"And the auction for the furnishings?"

"All arranged."

"You said you'd be discreet. I don't want anyone learning about my . . . difficulties."

"This company is impeccable. No one in this community will know a thing."

Except me. She was hawking all her belongings, selling the properties Walter had left her. What would she offer for sale next—the very large diamond engagement ring Walter had given her?

I felt bad for her. Despite looking like she was a gold digger to almost everyone in town, I knew she wasn't. She'd loved Walter. I'd seen that in their every interaction. Now it appeared he'd left her a bunch of debt.

She'd had ten years to figure this out. Why wait until now to sell?

Perhaps she'd used what little money he left her to cover the payments on both loans. But she'd known that would run out. How did she expect to make payments on the debt after that? She worked part time for me, and while I paid above minimum wage, she wasn't making enough to cover the rent on an apartment in town, let alone interest payments on two mortgaged waterfront properties.

"I'll reach out once the three have looked at your property here in town," he said.

"Thanks."

As Estadore left, I walked over to the counter and casually leaned against it.

Carla crossed the street and hurried down the sidewalk, taking her walk.

With no customers and them gone, I went back outside and sat on one of the pretty iron chairs, giving Elrik a call. I filled him in on what I'd overheard, though I wasn't sure any of the information played a role in what happened at the church social.

"It's interesting that you overheard all this," Elrik said. "I was just doing a deep dive into Carla and Walter online. Walter was wealthy at one time, but a divorce with a different, though also very young woman left him short on cash. He was able to hold onto the properties in Florida and here in town, but to do so, he had to sell most of his shares in his business. When he married Carla, there wasn't much left but the properties. He mortgaged both homes not only to buy her the huge ring she's wearing, but to give her the impression he had endless wealth."

"Wow," I said. "You found all that online? "

"With some snooping."

"When I look online, all that comes up is porn."

His low laugh rang out. "Do you click on it?"

"And risk picking up a computer virus? Never."

"Wise."

I scrunched my face. "That's me. Hopefully, I'm wise enough to discover who wants to put my grandmother in jail. Carla hasn't shared any of this with me, not that she'd have to, though she must know I'd understand."

"If she can't find buyers fast, she'll lose both places to the bank. Over the past ten years since Walter's death, she's continued to live the lifestyle he promised her. She's attended Broadway shows. I saw pictures of that online. Other images showed her coming out of highly exclusive restaurants and making purchases at Tiffany's."

"You'd think she'd remember how to be frugal."

He grunted in agreement. "Without money coming in, my assumption is she's had to dip into what Walter had left in investments. She's no longer even a minor shareholder in his business, so she must've sold those shares years ago. She's a month late on the second mortgage he took out on the Florida place, so I can see why she's eager to sell."

"For the right price. I doubt she wants to lose money on the sale." Poor Carla. She must be eager to get rid of all that debt. Yet why continue living a lifestyle she couldn't afford?

"She's not making much at Creature Cones," I said. "She implied to me this job was something fun to do to get out of the house, that she was tired of sitting on the deck overlooking the water and reading books. I could give her a raise and offer her more hours, but I doubt that'll make much difference. I wonder if she has other assets she can sell."

"I suspect not if she's selling both properties."

"That's one thing I don't understand. After ten years of making payments, she should've taken care of a good portion of the debt. She should have equity in the properties."

"Not if you only pay the interest on the loans," he said.

"I assume you discovered that online as well. How was such a thing allowed?"

"Walter's brother was a banker. He did the deal himself."

"Wow. I imagine he got in trouble for that."

"He doesn't appear to have suffered. He has a huge place on Long Island. A young wife."

"It runs in the family. Maybe he'll help Carla out." She should ask him.

"I doubt he will. According to what I discovered online, he was opposed to their marriage."

"I was a teenager when they got married." I smiled at the memory. "She asked me to be her junior bridesmaid. Grannie helped me pick out a dress, and I got to straighten her long train when she stood at the altar beside Walter. You could be right, however. I might've seen things with a dreamy eye back then. Walter was old. No denying that. But he was a nice guy, and he doted on Carla. She seemed to feel the same, and I took it at face value. "

"She may have loved him. It wouldn't be the first time."

"I always thought she did. I'm sure on the surface, it looked like she didn't. He was so much older than her. Many in town thought she was only after his wealth." Supposed wealth. If she was, her eyes had been opened after he died. "For what it's worth, she seemed to care for him. They were happy."

"It's really hard to tell with something like that."

"Does any of this tie Carla to the Xylitol?" I was confident Alfred had done it, but maybe Elrik was looking at this from an angle I hadn't seen.

"I'm not sure. I'm still following a few leads."

"Well, keep me informed."

"I will."

I hung up and stood, realizing that I'd had no customers for longer than I could remember on a warm summer day.

A human couple with two small children were walking my way.

"Half price sale," I said cheerfully. "Two cones for the price of one."

They stopped and while the kids hopped around in excitement, the parents stared at me in horror.

"That's the place we read about online. Johnny. Janie. Come with me." The woman jutted out her hands to her children, and once they'd latched on, the family pivoted and hurried down the walkway in the opposite direction.

Read about online? My reviews were excellent. I hadn't even picked up a one-star troll yet, though I expected it would happen one of these days .

With fear jarring through me, I hurried inside and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. I scrolled to the Mystic Harbor website, the one where my five-star average consistently winked. Creature Cones had even been featured at the top of the "places to try" section on our town's home page.

My business now had a one-point-six review average.

Days ago, my business had been rated four point nine with thousands of raving reviews. Now, my ice cream shop had over two thousand new one-star ratings.

Many of the reviews warned people not to go anywhere near Creature Cones.

Unless they wanted to be poisoned.