A Cuppa Trouble Page 3

  Randon sauntered toward the door then studied his screen again. “I wonder if they would want me to use my skills on the ‘dark web’ to catch thieves. I could even go undercover. Do you think maybe the thieves knew the Corvette belonged to me, and they are only using it to lure me into helping them commit cybercrimes? I could, you know. Remember when the Ohio Power company had a blackout a couple of years ago? That was actually—”

  “I’m not hearing this.” Connor covered his ears. “Go. Please.”

  Tandy groaned. There were a million other things she’d rather be doing, but she’d go with Randon. Even if George was a criminal in his past life, he still deserved to have investigators track down his killer rather than get distracted by conspiracy theories.

  Though once the murderer was locked behind bars, maybe Tandy could prod Randon into sharing his connection with a closed case involving Ohio Power and what had previously been labeled a terrorist threat. That would at least get her five to ten years of peace from him.

  She reached behind the counter for her black moto jacket and gray scarf. See? She didn’t only wear black. “I’ll drive, Randon.”

  “My Subaru would be safer, but I’ll let you drive since we’re not going far, and that will allow me to keep looking up articles on George.”

  He also let her open the door for him. Not exactly a gentleman, but he’d probably make some feminist really happy one day.

  Like she was happy. With Greg.

  On her way back from the police station, Tandy would stop by the law office to fill Greg in on her day. If he was going to be working late again, she’d even offer to bring him coffee.

  Randon trudged beside her, finally lowering his tablet to look around. “You drive a Volkswagen Beetle, don’t you?”

  “I do.” She braced herself for a scathing reply.

  “Where is it?”

  Humph. That wasn’t bad. She reached inside her pocket to push the lock button on her key fob three times. If she could remote start the engine and warm up the car, hopefully it would keep Randon from complaining the whole time.

  She liked her little car. It had served her well. Even kept her safe during that run-in she’d had with a rockslide.

  George’s body shop had fixed it. They’d done a good job. It was too bad her car lived on while he did not.

  Though was it alive? She hadn’t heard her ignition turn over.

  Pulling her car keys out of her pocket, she aimed them directly at…

  A Range Rover.

  She stopped. Squinted at the spot where the Range Rover sat. She must have parked behind the SUV.

  “Uh…” Randon looked around. “I don’t see a Beetle.”

  Tandy took another step forward. The spot behind the Ranger Rover appeared empty. In the morning’s commotion, had she forgotten where she’d parked? “I thought…” She pointed to the spot. “…I parked right there.”

  Randon’s eyes grew wide behind his plastic glasses frames. “Your car has been stolen too.”

  Chapter Three

  Once again, Marissa had to deal with the sheriff and FBI agent in her shop. After her crazy morning, it would be too much to handle if she hadn’t prepared by sneaking more of Tandy’s atrocious espresso shots. She much preferred tea, but it didn’t contain nearly the caffeine. Now she had enough energy to answer questions as well as clean up from the day’s business, which was good, because Tandy wasn’t being much help.

  Her business partner had sunk into a chair the moment she’d walked through the front door. “Why does this kind of stuff happen to me? It was my car that hit the rockslide. Now it’s my car that gets stolen.”

  Griffin and McNeil stood in front of her, both with arms crossed. Usually Griffin would have his phone out taking notes, but this time he seemed to be copying the FBI agent’s stance like a five-year-old would his father.

  McNeil chomped his gum. “Perhaps your car was stolen because it had been to the shop.”

  Griffin nodded like he agreed with the claim, though the wrinkling between his eyebrows suggested confusion.

  “What do you mean?” Tandy asked so the sheriff didn’t have to.

  Marissa bussed the tables around the trio so she could overhear their conversation without slowing down. Her brain worked every bit as fast. Tandy’s car had been in George’s shop. If he were involved in the car theft ring, then his employees could have been making copies of their clients’ keys. They’d also have addresses for where to track down the cars. As for Tandy, everyone in town knew she was starting a coffee shop that day and would be too busy to check on her car for hours.

  McNeil held a hand wide as if the answer was obvious. “Randon’s article revealed George was no stranger to car theft. If his body shop was the front for another ring, that could give someone the motive for murder.”

  Marissa didn’t want to think ill of the dead. Yeah, George had been arrested before, but he’d seemed like a nice guy since she’d known him.

  She juggled a cup and saucer. They clattered. Connor caught them.

  A roomful of eyes turned her way at the commotion. Now that she had their attention, she could make her point. “We can’t assume George is guilty simply because he made mistakes in his past.”

  The FBI agent sent her a skeptical scowl. “We can’t rule him out either.”

  “Come on, hon.” Connor motioned with his head toward the kitchen. “I’ll help you wash dishes.”

  Marissa followed with a sigh. “I feel like they’re missing something.”

  Connor stepped to the side so she could enter the back room first. “I’m sure they are. This is only the beginning of the investigation. Even if George was guilty, his murder is still wrong. The law enforcement officers are here to catch his killer.”

  “Or are they?” Randon challenged from his spot on a stool at the counter. With as long as he’d been there, they should start charging rent.

  Marissa bit her lip. “What do you mean?”

  Connor shook his head then disappeared into the kitchen. Her boyfriend hadn’t liked Randon since they’d met. Marissa wasn’t the guy’s biggest fan either, but if he knew something…

  “The FBI got here really fast this morning, don’t you think?”

  The whole day was a blur, though she did remember Agent McNeil arriving shortly after Sheriff Griffin. Which meant he couldn’t have come from Cincinnati. “Maybe he has a vacation home in Grace Springs.”

  “Yeah.” Randon snorted. “And he’d give up his vacation time to investigate this?”

  Marissa rested her elbows on the metal counter and leaned forward to keep him from talking so loudly. If he was going to say negative things about an FBI agent, it would be better if the man didn’t overhear. “Why do you think he got here so quickly?”

  Randon slid his narrowed gaze toward McNeil. “I think he was already investigating the car theft ring. I mean, the Feds don’t get involved if it’s only one car. Or one murder.”

  She hadn’t thought about that. “Have there been other thefts in this area?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” He slouched on the stool. “You know what really irks me, though?”

  “That someone would kill George?” That’s what irked her.

  “That.” Randon shrugged away the value of any life not his own. “And that the Feds wouldn’t let the public know there were robberies going on. I mean, if I’d known, I would have charged the tracking device on my Corvette. I haven’t been driving it in this snow, so I didn’t think I needed it on.”

  Marissa stood up straighter and glanced at her business partner on the other side of the room. She was also slumping under the burden of a stolen vehicle. “And Tandy could have gotten an alarm installed on her car.”

  Connor strode out of the kitchen, a dish towel over his shoulder. “Do you want to give Tandy a ride home, hon? I’ll finish up here.”

  Marissa met her boyfriend’s gaze. He’d been so busy helping out and supporting her that he hadn’t gott
en anything done in the loft that day. If she let him continue to run himself ragged, he wouldn’t finish in time for their grand opening on Valentine’s. Plus, she still had an excess of energy shooting through her veins from her intake of caffeine.

  “Oh, that’s okay.” She tugged the dishtowel from him and tossed it in the dirty towel hamper. “I’ve got to prep a few things for tomorrow. I know Tandy wouldn’t mind waiting for me, but she looks wiped out. Do one of you guys want to take her home?”

  Randon rolled his eyes. “It’s too bad owning this shop doesn’t make you ladies as much money as I make designing phone apps. Then she could afford a second car the way I do.”

  “On that note, I’ll give her a ride.” Connor unhooked his Carhartt jacket from a hook on the brick wall. “But I’m coming back here afterward to make sure you get home safely. I could even make you spaghetti for dinner if you want.”

  Marissa’s anxiety settled slightly at Connor’s offer. Spaghetti was the only thing her boyfriend knew how to make. But she’d take it. “That sounds like exactly what I need.”

  “Okay.” He hugged her to his side but didn’t follow up with a kiss. Probably because Randon was watching.

  Oh well. Connor would be back soon. He could kiss her then. That would be the only right thing about this day.

  This was the day Tandy had been looking forward to for months, yet now she couldn’t wait for it to end. Though, at the moment, she didn’t even know how she was going to get home.

  “Sheriff Griffin, could I get a ride?” She’d ridden in the back of his cop car once before. Apparently, her life had not improved much since then.

  “Sure, Tandy.”

  Agent McNeil looked at his watch. “If I leave now, I can interrogate the body shop employees before they close down.”

  “Except I can’t,” Griffin added. Obviously, an afterthought. “I’ve got to interrogate the body shop employees.”

  Tandy groaned and leaned back in her chair to stare at the ugly chandelier Marissa had insisted on keeping for her upstairs tea room. Anything above the first floor was Marissa’s territory. It was silly and not a big issue compared with everything that had happened that day, but it was one more thing that made life feel out of control.

  Tandy’s jacket landed in her lap with a soft plop. She looked up from it to the man who had tossed it there.

  Connor tilted his head toward the door. “Come on, kid.”

  Tandy glanced past him to where Marissa feverishly wiped off counters. She hadn’t realized before what a neat freak her business partner was. “Is Marissa ready?”

  “Nah.” Connor pulled his keys out of his pocket. “I’ll come back to help her after I take you home.”

  Again with the little things that felt huge. This simple gesture made Tandy want to break down in tears. Because Connor didn’t have to do that.

  She grimaced at the thought of how Greg should have been the one to offer. What did it say that Marissa’s boyfriend had to take care of both of them?

  “Thanks, Connor, but let me call Greg first.”

  “No problem.”

  He didn’t even sit down to wait. Like he knew she was going to get Greg’s voicemail. At least the law enforcement officers were already headed out the door and didn’t overhear her pathetic phone message.

  “Hey, Greg. I know you’re probably still busy at work, but I thought I should let you know my car was stolen. Connor has offered to give me a ride home. Maybe you could pick me up in the morning. Free coffee.”

  Ugh. Was she really dating a guy she had to bribe to stop by? She peeked up to gauge Connor’s response.

  He gave her an understanding smile. “Ready?”

  She automatically dug her keys out of her purse. She’d need one to get into her apartment, but would she ever use the car key again? What else did she have in her car that she’d never see again? Her phone charger that Marissa always asked to borrow. Her new business cards. Her doggy car seat.

  Cocoa would be there for her when she got home. Her loyal Pomeranian. At least she could count on him.

  She’d bring him to work tomorrow. She’d left him behind for their first day in order to make sure everything went smoothly. That hadn’t worked.

  “Thanks, Connor.” She stood. He held the door open, flipped the window sign to “closed,” then waited for Randon to join them on the sidewalk.

  Randon took off toward his Subaru, muttering something derogatory about the FBI.

  Tandy grimaced at his back. “I should especially thank you for not making me ride home with him.”

  Connor shot her a half smile. “After I tried to get you to take him to the police station earlier, I kinda owed you.”

  “There is that.”

  He opened the passenger door of his big truck. She climbed up, wishing it was Greg’s Mercedes. And not because she cared about the vehicle. In fact, she’d rather Greg drive a lemon if it meant he could be there to give her a ride in it.

  Connor climbed into the driver’s side, letting her sulk in silence. He turned on the ignition and icy air burst from the vents. She swiveled them to point away from her already frozen fingers.

  “Radio?” he asked.

  She suspected from the size of his truck and the fact that he was raised on a farm that he might want to listen to country music. That would only make her day worse. “No, thanks. I just want my dog, my bed, and my electric blanket.”

  “I’ll get you there as quickly as possible.” He turned on his headlights and shifted into drive.

  At the cross street ahead, a round, black car raced by.

  Tandy bolted upright. Adrenaline pumped through her veins like she’d eaten a handful of chocolate covered coffee beans. “That looked like my Bug.”

  Connor stepped on the gas. “Does anyone else in town drive a black Volkswagen?”

  “No.” One local high schooler had a convertible yellow Bug, but most people in the area preferred American-made.

  “It could be a tourist,” he pointed out logically even as he spun the steering wheel to follow.

  “Tourists don’t drive like that,” she responded with even more logic.

  He grunted acknowledgment, eyes focused on the car trying to disappear into the dark. “I know.”

  If someone stole her car, why would they be parading it through town? Were they kids on a joyride? She’d assumed that if George was involved in a crime ring that Sheriff Griffin would find the vehicle at the body shop. Oh… “They had my car at the body shop and had to sneak it out when Griffin arrived for questioning.”

  The Beetle turned at a side street. Connor flipped off his headlights then turned to follow. Tandy gripped the door handle as they eased into the inky blackness.

  The red taillights ahead flashed dancing shadows against surrounding trees. They passed a couple of streets, and the woods grew thicker. Then the taillights swung onto a gravel side road.

  Connor slowed.

  Tandy dug her nails into the fabric seats and leaned toward her window to get a better look down that side road. “There’s a house back there.”

  The driver of her Bug climbed out of the vehicle and pressed buttons on a keypad on the house to open an attached garage and park inside. She couldn’t make out features in the dim light, but it could easily have been one of the auto body mechanics. If the police were suspicious, wouldn’t they check the employees’ homes too? How long could this guy store her car here?

  Headlights illuminated them from behind, the bright light blinding in the rearview mirror. Connor’s truck could be seen if they kept sitting there. But if they left, would they be able to find the place again? It was so dark.

  Connor pulled forward and turned off the main road. The truck crunched into a small clearing, still hidden from their suspect’s house by a grove of trees.

  Tandy’s heavy breaths puffed in the air. She fumbled for her purse to call Griffin. Let him know she’d solved another case for him.

  Connor sat at alert, ears almost v
isibly perked up the way Cocoa’s did. His eyes scanned the dark shadows.

  Tandy would let him play watch dog while she called the authorities. She pressed the button for her contacts. The resulting beep tore through the spooky silence.

  “Wait.” Connor held a hand to stop her.

  She paused, though his wariness caused her pulse to thump louder than the beep had done.

  Gravel crunched behind them. Tandy jerked to turn the direction of the sound.

  The dark form of a man appeared from the street.

  She gripped Connor’s arm. “Go, go, go. Back out.”

  Connor shifted, but didn’t step on the gas. “I’d run him over.”

  “He’ll get out of the way.”

  The form grew larger. A flashlight beam bounced over the interior of the truck.

  Was this the guy who stole her car? Was this the guy who’d murdered George?

  Connor looked over his shoulder. “What if he doesn’t move?”

  Tandy reached across the bench seat to grab Connor’s jacket and shake some sense into him. “What if he has a gun? What if he shoots at us?”

  “Then I don’t want to antagonize him.” Connor shifted into park.

  Tandy’s heart shot tingles down her arms and legs. “Drive. What are you doing? What other choice do you have?”

  Connor wrapped his big arms around her. Did he think he was Superman and bullets couldn’t penetrate him? They were sitting ducks. Any criminal who found them here would know they were spying.

  His nose nuzzled her temple. What in the world?

  His mouth hovered by her ear, his breath less than pepperminty fresh. “Haven’t you ever seen this in the movies?” he whispered.

  Even if she was single and interested, this was not the time. She pushed Connor’s chest. “I don’t watch those kinds of movies.”

  Connor’s muscles stiffened underneath her palms. “Spy movies.”

  Why were they talking about spy movies? Why was Connor acting like he wanted to kiss her? They’d been following a car thief who might actually be a killer, and now that they were caught, he could kill them too.