Deathly Ever After Read online

  Putting her mug of cocoa down on the coffee table, she picked up her cell phone, muted the TV. It was time to face what had happened. Putting it off any longer wouldn’t help.

  Chapter Five

  Autumn woke the next morning to the beeping of her alarm. Usually she woke up a few minutes before it went off, but she hadn’t slept well the night before. Lying in bed, staring up at her ceiling, she felt surprised that she hadn’t had nightmares.

  A whine from Frankie made her roll over and turn off the alarm. The little dog peered at her with one eye, then tucked her nose under her short tail and, to all appearances, went back to sleep. Autumn wished she could do the same — minus the tail — but she had to get to work. Nick had offered her the day off last night, and she was beginning to wish she had accepted.

  “Up and at ‘em, Frankie,” she said, pushing the blankets down and slipping out of bed. “Moping around all day won’t help, not when there’s breakfast to be made. I’ll make you an egg too, come on.”

  She wasn’t sure whether it had been the word “breakfast,” or “egg” that had caught the dog’s attention, but all of a sudden the little terrier was showing the energy that they were famous for, jumping down from the bed and dancing in tight circles in front of the bedroom door. The sight made Autumn smile, and her heart lifted slightly. Life would go on… well, for everyone except Dennis.

  She made a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and microwaveable bacon for herself, added a spoonful of the eggs to Frankie’s food, then hurried through the rest of her morning routine. She could always grab a plate at Asheville Meadows if she was still hungry, and she didn’t want to risk being late. It was one thing to clock in a few minutes late on occasion when she worked at the grocery store, but quite another to be late when over thirty people were depending on her for a meal.

  By the time she reached the nursing home, she was feeling more like herself. It was a bright day; almost too bright, in fact, with the sun shining off of the snow. One of the aids, Jillian, was outside salting the sidewalk, and waved at her cheerfully as she went in.

  Autumn took a deep breath as she walked through the doors, breathing in the familiar, homey smells. Cleaning solution, flowers, air fresheners, and new carpet. She realized with a pang how much she would miss this if her dream of turning the Green River Grocery into a restaurant became a reality. She had only worked at the nursing home for a year, but she already felt comfortable there.

  “Hey, Autumn!” Emily, one of the aids who assisted her in the kitchen part-time called out. Autumn smiled and waved at her, glad that the younger woman had finally started calling her by her first name.

  After stopping in the office to hang up her coat and purse and checking to see if Nick was in — he wasn’t — she went to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. Lunch and dinner varied daily, but breakfast stayed more or less the same throughout the year. It was the easiest meal to prepare, and most of it, such as the cold cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, and juice, didn’t take any time at all to get ready. The oatmeal, eggs, and sausage or turkey bacon weren’t much more difficult. Only on weekends did they have pancakes and waffles, when breakfast was held slightly later, and everyone ate together. On weekdays, breakfast lasted from seven-thirty to nine, and residents came and went as they pleased. It was a relaxed, casual atmosphere that Autumn loved and, other than waking up early, it was her favorite time of day to be there.

  She was in the middle of preparing a plate for one of the residents when Nick appeared in the kitchen doorway, holding a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed dog that looked almost exactly like Frankie.

  “Hey,” he said. “I thought you might be feeling a bit under the weather today, so I thought I’d bring you something nice.”

  She took the flowers and the stuffed dog, hugging it to her chest for a moment. “Thank you, Nick,” she said, meaning it. “I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like you.”

  “You didn’t have to do anything,” he said, kissing her on the forehead before bending over to rummage through the cupboards and find a vase for the flowers. “I’m sorry about what happened last night. Are you okay?”

  “I’m going to be,” she said. “It just really shook me up.”

  “Do you think you still want the building?” he asked, straightening up and rinsing out a tall vase before filling it with water.

  Autumn blinked as she handed him the flowers. She hadn’t even thought about that. “Of course I do,” she said automatically. “I mean… there isn’t a better building in town. The Green River Grocery is a waterfront property right in the middle of town, with a gorgeous view and enough land that I can build an outdoor patio that overlooks the river. It’s the perfect place for a restaurant.”

  “But is it the perfect place for you? This isn’t the first time someone has been killed on the property. I’m not trying to discourage you, I’m just worried that even though it looks perfect on paper, it might not be the right place for you to commit to with all of the baggage it comes with.”

  “I…” She broke off, biting her lip. What he was saying made sense. The thought of going back to the building made her skin crawl. If she went ahead with opening a restaurant in that location, she would be spending a lot of time on the property, a lot of time alone there. But she couldn’t let her entire future be dictated by her fear, could she? And it wasn’t as though the only memories she had of the place were bad. She had plenty of good ones there, too.

  “I think I need to try. I want this, Nick. Now that I’ve been thinking about the restaurant as a possibility instead of just a dream, I’ve come to realize just how much I really want it. When I imagine myself five years down the road, I see myself serving salmon and wild rice to a young couple on an outdoor patio overlooking the Green River on a lovely summer day. It’s still the perfect location for me. I know it probably sounds silly, but I don’t want to let the building’s past define it.”

  “I understand,” Nick said. “And I hope you know that I’ll support you no matter what you choose. I just have one request.”

  “What is it?”

  “Be careful. You don’t know why that man was killed, and until the police solve the crime, you could be in danger.”

  Autumn felt a chill, remembering her trepidation the night before when she pulled up to her dark house. “I’ll be careful,” she promised.

  “The fact that the person who was killed was interested in the building sits wrong with me,” he said. “If you ever start to feel uneasy about something, whether you’re alone or with someone else, call me and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

  “I will,” she said, shooting a glance toward the kitchen door then stepping closer to kiss him on the lips. “Thanks, Nick. That means a lot to me.”

  “Well, you’re important to me. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

  Autumn smiled, but the expression faded quickly as she remembered something. Dennis’s grandparents lived at Asheville Meadows. She inhaled sharply. Did they know yet? She doubted it. They had found his body yesterday evening, not extremely late, but well after most residents were in bed and the nursing home was closed to visitors, and right now it was still early in the morning. She knew that Dennis’s parents visited a couple of times a month, so they couldn’t live too far away, which meant they would probably come here in person to share the news.

  She voiced her realization to Nick and saw him pale. “I’m going to give them a call,” he said. “Mr. And Mrs. Leroy are some of our oldest residents, and I don’t think they’ll take the shock well, so I’m going to make sure the nurse is standing by in case either of them has a medical issue. Our counselor is off today, but I’ll see if she can come in as well. I should have thought of this last night, I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess I’m used to the bad news going out to families. Thankfully, it’s rare that one of our residents loses a child or a grandchild.”

  Autumn was back to feeling slightly ill, and knew that the res
t of the day wouldn’t get any better. Her improved mood had been nice while it lasted, but knowing that the elderly couple who she had served countless meals to was about to get news that would change their lives forever had brought her right back down to the horrible feeling of helplessness and depression that she had felt the night before.

  Chapter Six

  She got through the rest of breakfast, and was grateful when Emily volunteered to help her with the dishes afterward, because it meant they would be done sooner. She had seen Dennis’s parents come in just as the last of the stragglers were finishing up breakfast. Nick had met them just outside the dining area, and they had followed him back, presumably to Mr. And Mrs. Leroy’s room. She hadn’t seen any of them since, and could only imagine how the news had been taken.

  Once the kitchen was clean and ready for lunch, which she would begin making soon, she left to go find Nick. He wasn’t in his office, and she didn’t want to disturb the Leroys if he was with them, so she wandered the halls, pausing to greet residents and staff alike, and spending a few minutes chatting with her aunt and uncle.

  Just as she was beginning to wonder if she should go back to the kitchen and review the lunch menu, she rounded a corner and almost collided with Nick. He reached out an arm to steady her, then asked her if she would walk with him back to his office.

  “The Leroys know,” he said without preamble.

  “How did they take it?”

  “I wasn’t there when their daughter and her husband told them, but the nurse told me she had to get a mild sedative for Mrs. Leroy. I can’t even begin to imagine their pain. No parent wants to outlive their child, and no grandparent wants to outlive their grandchild.”

  “It’s horrible,” Autumn agreed. “Was Dennis married? I know I saw him come in with a woman a few times. Oh my goodness, he didn’t have children, did he?”

  She had been thinking of the body as a body — horrible and sad in its own right — but now that she had seen that man’s parents, she was beginning to be able to imagine him as an individual, which was even worse.

  “I know the woman you’re talking about, and I believe she was his wife. Maybe a fiancé, I’m not sure. And I don’t believe he had any children. At least, if he did, they never visited and the Leroys never talked about them, and you know how much the residents love talking about their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

  “That’s good,” Autumn said. “I mean, not the fact that he never got the chance to have children, but the fact that at least he isn’t leaving any behind. Losing a parent can’t be easy at any age, but especially not when it’s so sudden and unexpected, like this was.”

  “I know what you meant,” he said, touching her arm. By now they had reached his office, and he glanced at the clock with a sigh. “I’ve got a phone meeting with the board of directors in a few minutes. I probably won’t get a chance to talk to you again until after lunch. Can you do me a favor and make up a couple of plates for the Leroys? You can have Emily or one of the other aids take it to their room. I think they’re going to want their privacy today.”

  “Of course,” she said. “Let me know if there’s anything else to do. I want to help however I can. I know it’s irrational, but I feel like it’s my fault, since I’m the one who found his body.”

  “It’s not,” he said, giving her a quick hug. “The only person at fault is the one who killed him, and I’m sure the police will catch him soon.”

  Autumn was busy for the next few hours, and didn’t get a chance to sit down and take a break until after lunch had been served and then cleaned up. She didn’t mind; it felt good to be busy. She no longer wished she had taken the day off, and to the contrary, was almost dreading going home to her empty, quiet house where she would have little to distract her from her thoughts.

  Pouring herself a glass of apple juice, she perched on one of the tall stools in the kitchen and pulled out her phone, which she hadn’t checked all day. There were a couple of text messages from Alicia, an email from the vet reminding her that Frankie was due for her vaccinations soon, and a missed call and voicemail from Jed. She checked Jed’s message first.

  Hey, Autumn. I’m leaving the keys for the Green River Grocery under the mat on your front porch. I’ve got to go out of town unexpectedly, and I might not be coming back for a while. If you still want the property, I’ll accept your offer once this is all figured out. If you don’t want it after all of this, I understand, but I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an eye on the place for me for a while. Thanks.

  Puzzled, Autumn listen to the message a second time. It didn’t make any sense. Why would Jed be going out of town at a time like this? He sounded almost frightened in the message. Her first instinct was to ask Nick to listen to the message and tell her what he thought, but he still hadn’t come out of his office.

  She glanced at the time. She had a while before she had to start on dinner, and as long as the meal wasn’t late, this time was her own to do whatever she wanted with. Impulsively, she stood up and hurried to the office to grab her coat and purse and double check that Nick was still busy. With him otherwise occupied, her go to person was Alicia. With luck, her friend would be free to grab a coffee, and the two of them could discuss Jed’s voice mail. But first, she wanted to grab those keys.

  Fifteen minutes later, she was inside her house, waiting patiently while Frankie relieved herself in the back yard and fiddling with the set of keys Jed had left under her doormat. Alicia wouldn’t be able to meet her for another hour, and she was trying to talk herself out of going to the grocery store first. With a mysterious death and a killer on the loose, she knew it probably wasn’t a good idea, but all the same, she was itching to look around the store. Despite everything that had happened there, she really wanted to look at it with fresh eyes. Eyes that would be imagining a beautiful restaurant in its place. I just don’t want to go alone…

  She opened the door for Frankie, then smiled as she watched the Cairn terrier come in and shake the snow off herself. She didn’t have to go alone. Dogs weren’t called ‘man’s best friend’ for nothing.

  Chapter Seven

  Autumn pulled into the empty parking lot and shut off her engine. Beside her, Frankie was quivering in delight. Their walks in the park had been happening with less frequency now that it was cold out. The city salted the pathways, which helped to keep ice from forming, but the salt burned Frankie’s paws. The little dog was going stir crazy, and Autumn was glad that she had thought to take the terrier with her. Frankie would love exploring the store, empty though it may be.

  She clipped the leash to Frankie’s collar and opened the door, letting the dog jump off her lap down to the pavement before getting out herself. Out of habit, she locked the car behind her before heading toward the building. Even after all this time, she felt the stirrings of deja vu as she unlocked the door and let herself in. How many times had she done this over the years? Of course, that was where the similarities ended. Inside, the store was dark and cold, the heat set to keep the building just above freezing but nothing more, to save Jed money. The store was mostly empty, with just a few rickety shelves remaining, and the occasional forgotten can of food.

  She shut and, after a moment’s thought, locked the door behind her, then unclipped Frankie’s leash. “Go explore,” she told the dog. “But don’t go too far. If a knife-wielding killer jumps out of the shadows, you’re responsible for saving my life.”

  Frankie put her nose to the ground and immediately took off. Autumn watched her for a moment, wincing as she wondered if there were rats. The last thing a restaurant needed was rodents. Still, actually buying the building seemed like it might be on hold for a while, and she would have plenty of time to make a list of all of the work it needed.

  She made her way to the back room, where she hit the master switch for the lights. She considered turning the heat up, but decided against it. She wouldn’t be here for that long, and she didn’t want to risk forgetting to turn it back down an
d running Jed’s heating bill up.

  With the lights on, she was able to look around the backroom, trying to imagine it as a kitchen instead of a storage area. She would have to install walls to cordon off the utilities, but that still left her with plenty of space. The ceiling was high, with small windows near the tops of the walls. The floor was bare concrete, and she tried to envision it tiled and polished until it sparkled. Soon, she had a mental picture of where each of the stainless steel appliances would go. Feeling hope flutter in her chest, she smiled to herself as she returned to the main area of the store.

  This area would require more work than the backroom. The walls and floor were grungy from years of use, and there were marks where the heavy shelving units had stood. Everything would need to be redone. The only windows were near the front of the store, and she knew she would want to add a couple large windows to each wall. She envisioned an open, light-filled restaurant that looked out over the river. She would install hanging light fixtures with warm yellow bulbs, and would have to figure out a theme for the decor. She closed her eyes, imagining the place coming to life around her. It would be a lot of work, and it would cost a lot of money, but it was possible. She smiled.