Did all the animals think I’d be in jail this time next week?
“Stop it,” I say, taking another long chug of my coffee, while watching him over the brim of my cup the whole time. “It wasn’t me. And we’ll clear my name.”
He couldn’t answer me now. It was Beth’s magic that helped him talk. When she left the room, none of the animals could verbalize. In some ways I was relieved, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what Marble had to say when Beth wasn’t around. Buster was usually a little more pleasant, but they were both cats, so they both had egos the size of Texas.
The cat simply blinked at me and looked away. His pupils had turned to slits in the bright light, but it made him look like he was even more done with me than usual. No doubt since he couldn’t talk, I wasn’t worth his time. Yeah, well, maybe I didn’t want to sit here and talk to him anyway.
I need to shake out of this mood!
I finished my coffee in a hurry, feeling awkward in the room full of silently judging animals. Even the bird and the turtle looked like they wanted to tell me to just give up. A mouse scrambled up my table, saw me, and ran away, eyes wide. As if she thought I was the killer.
None of these judgey animals were good for me right now. Not one bit.
So, I set Beth’s alarm on her shop and locked the door on my way out. I didn’t have a key, but this lock didn’t need one. Just for unlocking. When I glanced back inside, all the animals were still looking at me. Man, I was not going back to Beth’s shop until this whole thing was settled. Maybe it was the caffeine racing through my blood, or the lack of sleep, but they were making my mood worse.
My car was parked in the alley next to Beth’s shop, but as I turned toward it, Beth’s sister walked up. Shit. She’d been crying. A lot, by the looks of it. But she’d still managed to put on a tight pair of jeans, a low-cut tank top, and styled her long blonde hair in curls. Maybe I was being mean because she’d broken my friend’s heart, but I was having a hard time feeling sorry for her in the least bit.
“Is Beth here?” she asked in a wavering voice.
Okay, don’t scream. Don’t smack her. Forget every moment you watched Beth take care of this jerk. Forget that Beth gave up going to university to care for her little sister. Just, be an adult. Answer her nicely.
I took a deep breath and searched for the tiny kernel of empathy inside of me. “No, she left a few minutes ago. Are you okay?” God what a stupid question. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this? What was I supposed to say that wasn’t going to tear her down even more? The tongue lashing I wanted to give her was of epic proportions. I swallowed the urge once more though and waited for her response.
“Yes. No.” She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin she produced from her pocket. “I don’t know. The police just left my place. They’re ruling Roger’s death due to natural circumstances. There were no signs of foul play at all. They’re doing an autopsy, but don’t think they’ll find anything.”
Oh, thank goodness. It hadn’t been a murder. My heart fluttered in my chest with relief, or maybe it was just the caffeine. I wanted to jump for joy, but not in front of Tiffany. I might think she was a monster for what she did to her sister, but I wouldn’t let her turn me into a monster too. It took everything I had not to let the smile that was in my soul show in my face. “Any idea what he was doing at my house?” I asked.
She frowned. “No, there’s no reason for him to be anywhere near you, or any of Beth’s friends. We were blissfully happy together. He said he didn’t miss a thing about having that old, useless--” She saw the thunderous expression on my face, and quickly switched gears. “The thing is, I think there’s more going on here than just something natural. That’s why I was coming here. I need Beth to help me investigate Roger’s death.”
“Oh,” I whispered. “She should be back soon.”
Tiffany nodded. “Thanks.”
We stared at each other awkwardly, and I tried to think of a graceful way to end the conversation. As relieved as I was that I might not be on the hook for murder, I did not want to help Tiffany. I wanted as far away from this situation as I could get. Not just because of the murder, but because Roger dying didn’t erase what Tiffany had done. Nothing could ever erase that.
She drew herself up taller as though she was mentally dusting herself off. “The thing is, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to ask her… I’ve been standing here for a while trying to figure out what to do. But maybe I don’t have to. I’ve heard around town that you’ve helped Beth with some of her jobs. Do you think you could help me?” Tiffany looked like a con artist who had just found her new target... or maybe I just didn’t like her. “It will be so awkward asking Beth, given her history with Roger.”
That much was true. It would be awkward for Beth. But Beth was my best friend, and I was more like a ride-or-die type of bitch. No way I’d do something behind Beth’s back. “I don’t know, Tiffany. I don’t feel comfortable not including Beth, however awkward it might be. This is her business above everything else.”
“Please,” she got that whimpery voice that used to make Beth cave and give her whatever she wanted.
“I don’t
