Toxic Troubles (An East Pender Cozy Mystery Book 11) Read online

  TOXİC TROUBLES

  AN EAST PENDER MYSTERY SERİES BOOK 11

  LEONA FOX

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Copyright © 2016 by Leona Fox

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  Ellen, Andy, and Kelly were sitting in The Chrome Cafe. After a stormy period, the weather had cleared up. The sun was shining in the iridescent blue sky, which pleased Ellen to no end as she had avoided running through the storms, just in case an errant bolt of lightning decided to find her. The storms seemed to have put all of East Pender in a shell, as though everyone had decided to stand still. There had been no crimes, at least none that warranted Ellen's attention. Although she wished there had been so something could have taken her mind off Maggie. Ellen still felt guilty about the way she had let her paranoia run rampant and turned a friend into an enemy.

  “It's nice to see the sun again. I thought it was never going to come back,” Andy said.

  “It would never have stayed away for too long. I think we needed the storm, it helped to clear the air,” Kelly replied.

  They spoke idly of the weather and other common matters for a while. Although Ellen mostly remained silent, having other things on her mind, she enjoyed the fact that both Kelly and Andy were back home, close to her. When they had returned they had witnessed an icy glare shared between Ellen and Maggie. Ellen quickly had updated them about what had happened during their absence. Both of them encouraged Ellen to try patching up things with the new arrival to East Pender, but Ellen shook her head. From experience she knew Maggie never would have allowed that, and Ellen couldn't blame her.

  “Well, I think it's rather rude of her to set up shop so close to you. I'm not surprised she won't consider making peace with you, she sounds rather bullish,” Andy said.

  “She's just...she has a way of living her life and she doesn't like compromising that. We actually were getting along well. I felt like I could talk to her, you know? And I really needed someone to talk to...”

  Andy and Kelly looked at each other awkwardly. When they came home and heard what had happened they both felt guilty for leaving Ellen, even though Ellen had insisted they go. It had been bad timing for them all and even though Ellen did not place any blame or guilt upon them, their love for Ellen ensured they felt ashamed for not being around when she needed them most.

  Kelly had been away on her honeymoon and it had been a wonderful time. Never had she thought that she could have been so happy, as she was lost in paradise with the man she loved with all her heart. The blazing sun had turned her skin a deep brown, and even though she had been back for only a couple of weeks she still was looking bronzed, and the happy smile had yet to disappear.

  In contrast, Andy had been at a training course and had returned feeling more secure in his profession. There always had been a level of insecurity with him since he had taken the job in East Pender after being unable to handle remaining in the city. People often looked down on cops in small towns. It was an elitism that pervaded the culture and people taking jobs in small towns were seen as taking the easy life. Even Andy had wondered if he still had what it took to compete with his peers. However, while leading the training sessions he had seen that he still had a lot to offer. While many of them enrolled in the session looked at him with derision at first, they soon came to respect him and he returned to East Pender with a renewed confidence.

  “She helped me talk through the crime as well. I'm not sure I would have solved it without her, and with the help of Sergeant Lister of course,” Ellen continued.

  “He expressed a similar feeling to me about you when he gave me his report. He made it quite clear that you were the reason Richard was caught and he wasn't getting anywhere in the case. I have to admit, I did think he was going to wear the responsibility better,” Andy said.

  “Some people just aren't cut out for that line of work. They're fine when they're being told what to do, but when it comes time for them to lead they don't have what it takes. They don't have the right stuff,” Ellen said.

  She took a sip of her drink and looked out of the window. “I hope he finds what he needs.”

  “I think he actually was afraid I wasn't going to approve his transfer request. I'm sure he'll be happier where he's going. He can get lost in the crowd and work behind the scenes, and help in his own way. Speaking of which,” Andy said, checking his watch, “I'd better get going. I've got to meet Iris for another meeting.”

  “How is she getting along?” Ellen asked.

  “She's a real go-getter. Kinda reminds me of myself when I was younger, which also means she's going to be trouble. I'll catch up with you later,” he said, bending down to give Ellen a kiss on the cheek, and nodding to Kelly. The two women watched him leave and Ellen sighed.

  “Are you jealous that Andy is spending so much time with a younger woman?” Kelly said with a teasing look in her eyes. Ellen gave her a tired smile.

  “I don't have the energy to be jealous. Besides, Andy talks about her too much for there to be anything going on. If there was he'd be much more clandestine about it. Andy's not like that anyway. If he was, I wouldn't have fallen in love with him in the first place.”

  “Good point, I was only making sure.”

  “It's actually good for him to have someone to mentor...pass on all his wisdom. Even though he doesn't talk about it often I think he would have liked to have had a child, so this lets him indulge his fatherly side.”

  “Have you met her yet?”

  Ellen shook her head. “No. I've been keeping away from the station for the last couple of weeks. Tried to focus on this place, not that it's done much good...” she said, her voice trailing off as she looked around at the unusually quiet atmosphere.

  A couple of people were sitting in the corner but, other than that, Ellen and Kelly had the place to themselves. Well, Scampy was there as usual too, and unlike his owner he was enjoying the emptiness of the cafe. It allowed him to run around the floor without the risk of getting tangled in anyone's legs.

  “You're really worried about Maggie, aren't you,” Kelly said with a hint of surprise in her voice.

  “Can you blame me?”

  “It's just that you've always been unflappable. I've never known anything to get under your skin. Even with all the crimes we've helped solve you've always kept a level head. What is it about this woman that's making you feel so threatened?”

  Ellen leaned back in her chair and gripped her large mug with two hands, feeling the warmth emanate through her skin. “When I help Andy with crimes it's not my job. I'm just doing it because I have a talent for it and I don't want to sit by and not help when I can make a difference. But this is my life, you know? My livelihood. You know as well as I do that the cafe wasn't exactly making loads of money and if Maggie steals all my customers, well, the better woman will have won.

  “This cafe though...if it has to close it's going to feel like a waste of all those years...of my inheritance. What would my parents think if they knew I had squandered it? I could have used the money they left me to travel the world, to move somewhere completely different...I don't like the idea tha
t I've wasted the last few years of my life.”

  “Ellen,” Kelly replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “I'm sure that on more than one occasion you've told me that nothing is a waste of time because, at the very least, it gives you experience. And you can't tell me you haven't enjoyed owning and operating this cafe. Without it your time here would have been completely different,” and as Kelly said that Ellen's mind drifted toward another life, another path where she did something else after her parents died.

  She could have left East Pender behind and traveled the world, but she never would have formed a friendship with Kelly, never would have fallen in love with Andy, and never would have owned Scampy. More than that, all the people she helped would have had different outcomes. She influenced so many lives, but that still couldn't quell the feeling of hollowness at the thought of the cafe failing.

  “I know that. I'm just feeling a little low at the moment, that's all. I guess I don't really know what my place is anymore. The work with the police is taking up more and more of my time...maybe it's right that Maggie is here. Maybe the people need a cafe that is dedicated to giving them a good space, someone who isn't so distracted all the time.”

  “Ellen, you're being way too hard on yourself and I don't like seeing you like this. You know you're going to be okay. If the cafe needs anything, like some investment, you know I've got you covered, and even if it did have to close I'm sure Andy could pay you for consulting with him. This isn't as bad a situation as it seems.”

  “Yeah, you're probably right,” Ellen said, smiling weakly, “I guess it just feels like there's a lot changing around here and I've never been the type of person who likes change.”

  “Some changes are good. I never thought I'd get married but here we are,” Kelly said, admiring the elegant ring that curled around her finger, the diamond sparkling as it caught the light.

  “Am I going to hear about your honeymoon again?” Ellen asked, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

  “It was the best time of my life,” Kelly said, her smile widening.

  Since she had been back from her honeymoon Kelly barely had been able to talk about anything else because it had been, in her own words, 'magical'. It was evident to Ellen that something had changed within Kelly as well. It often has been said marriage changes a person, and here Ellen was seeing it first-hand. Kelly seemed more secure in herself, more focused than she had been before. There was a calm serenity about her, as though she had worked out the mysteries of the universe...or perhaps it was that she simply didn't care about them any longer. Either way, Ellen was pleased to see her friend had made the right decision in getting married.

  “Are you not even the least bit curious as to what the place is like?” Kelly asked.

  “Of course I am, but given what happened between the two of us, I think it's bad form to go over there now. I don't want to distract from her opening,” Ellen replied.

  After Maggie's cafe was burgled she had to put the opening back a couple of weeks. In that time, she had placed large sheets over the windows so nobody could see inside. That made everyone far more curious and eager to attend when it finally did open, including Ellen. It took a lot of self-restraint not to head over there and see what was going on.

  “It'll even out, you know. People are just going there today because it's the grand opening and they're curious. They're not going to forget about you just because there's something new. Case in point,” Kelly said, nodding toward the door as Ray came in.

  The mill manager was looking good, if not a little more tired since he had taken over the manager role, but he greeted the women with a friendly smile.

  “It's good to see you Ray,” Ellen said, and rose from the table to serve him. “I'm surprised you're not at Maggie's with everyone else.”

  “After everything that happened I'm always going to be loyal to you. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have a job, and the mill would be in the hands of some horrible businessman. I owe you a debt that never can be repaid,” he said sincerely, and Ellen almost blushed.

  “Let's hope other people around here share your feelings,” Kelly said.

  “The problem with people is they're fickle. They see something new and shiny and their attentions gets caught by it, but don't worry. This cafe is almost an institution itself and people aren't going to forget it that easily. Just give them time, they'll come back. I did pass it, though. It's looking good in there. Whatever you may say about her she's done a good job at getting that place ready. Did most of it herself as well, she's a determined one, got a lot of heart,” Ray said, waiting for his hot chocolate. He placed a food order as well and remained leaning on the counter, happily chatting away to Kelly and Ellen.

  “That's enough about cafes anyway. How are you, Ray? How's the mill?”

  Ray ran his hands through his salt and pepper hair, and craned his neck back. “I gotta tell you, this management lark isn't that easy. Emily manages to handle the business side of it and I handle the people but, well, when I was just their rep it was different. I could be their buddy and we still could joke around, but now I have to make the hard calls and some of them don't like that. It's tough, you know? To have to tell your friends things they don't want to hear. It can get quite lonely but, hey, it needs to be done. So who am I to complain?”

  “I'm sure you're doing a better job than you think, and there's no better man for the job, in my opinion,” Ellen said.

  “That means a lot to me, Ellen. It really does. I hold your opinion in very high regard,” he said, and made his way to a table where he picked up a paper and started reading it.

  Ellen put his order through and then went to sit back down with Kelly. Ray was at the table over from them and was leafing through the paper, still chatting away happily.

  “I'm glad those storms are over, though. It was hell living through them. One night I was walking back and I was only out there for about five minutes before I was soaked through! Still, I guess a little bit of stormy weather isn't too big a price to pay for the rest of the year. I'm not looking forward to winter. Think I might go down and visit my brother in Florida. It's the cold, it makes my joints ache.”

  “I never thought you were that old, Ray,” Kelly said in her charming way that always made men take a shine to her.

  “It's a life of manual labor. I've put my body through a lot over the years. Sometimes when I wake up it's hard to get out of bed but, hey, you don't want to hear about the problems of an old man.”

  “We don't mind, and you're not old, Ray. But you actually could help me. I was just talking to Ellen because she's a bit down in the dumps. I was telling her East Pender wouldn't be the same without her.”

  “Oh, definitely not! I know my life certainly wouldn't be. I can't imagine what we would have done without you. I know Andy is the chief of police and I respect that greatly, but you're one of us, Ellen. You were born here and you have a connection to this town that goes beyond anything else.”

  Ellen felt like blushing again. Scampy ran up to her and started pawing at her legs. She scooped him up in her arms and cuddled him.

  “Frankly,” Ray continued, “I'm surprised you're not over there now to see what Maggie is doing.”

  “She didn't want to disrupt the opening,” Kelly said, rolling her eyes. Ellen pouted toward Kelly.

  “I don't think it would be disrupting. I think you're doing more harm staying here. At least if you're there people will know you showed up, that you were open enough to wish Maggie the best. I don't know the exact details of what happened between you two but she can't complain if you show up, and you'd look like the bigger person.”

  Ellen considered his words and after contemplating them for a couple of minutes she decided to indulge her curiosity, leaving Kelly to watch over the cafe in her absence. Before she left she served Ray his meal. Then she made her way over to Maggie's, anxiety swelling inside her as she thought about how her friend had turned to a rival, all because she had been swayed by her fears. />
  The doors to Maggie's cafe were wide open and the sounds of buoyant conversation rang down the street. Even from a distance Ellen could see that the place was packed, and she couldn't help but feel a professional envy for Maggie. The outside looked fairly plain, but inside the place had a unique feeling. Ellen pushed past a number of people, who all whispered in surprise at her presence, as she looked around at the building to see how it compared with her own.

  Maggie's cafe had a much different aesthetic than Ellen's. The walls were covered in expansive murals; a colorful mixture of paints that swirled and melted into each other. It had a lounge feel, with lots of low, comfortable seats accompanied by beanbags, cushions and pillows. The drinks she offered were exotic. They hinted toward a broader cultural experience than what one would have assumed after talking with Maggie who, with her thick Southern accent, seemed as though her blood ran red, white, and blue.

  The crowd shifted upon Ellen's arrival and she greeted the people around her with a smile, trying to ignore the way they looked at her, as though she were an intruder. The spat between her and Maggie was public, and while Ellen had tried to enforce a dignified silence, Maggie had not been so inclined. While at first Ellen had considered her a friend it seemed that when the battle lines had been drawn Maggie was a fierce rival and would do anything to sully her, but Ellen was determined not to sink to that level. Behind the counter, Maggie was red-faced and tired, but smiling widely at how rushed she was. As she cast her eyes across the cafe she saw Ellen, and her face turned into a scowl.

  “Congratulations on your opening, it looks like everyone is having fun,” Ellen said in a calm voice.

  “Thank you,” Maggie said tersely, then turned to serve another customer.

  “I just hoped, now that you're open, we can put what happened behind us. I was in a bad place; I didn't mean anything by it. I'd like us to be friends again.”

  Maggie swung her head around and looked at Ellen with fire burning in her eyes. Her voice was low and every word laced with bitterness.