Triple Dip Debacle: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 7) Read online

  “Yes I am,” he answered looking at his watch and then at Dottie. “Why don’t I drop you off at your son’s place and I will check in at the hotel. Then we can get together this afternoon and go over the venue, dress and other items.”

  It was like this was Dottie’s wedding and Stormi was simply an afterthought. This was worse than I could ever imagine. I knew Dottie had her shortcomings, but this was beyond the pale. Earlier I was nervous on how she would react to Brandon and I dating. You never knew with Dottie. She might be fine with a situation, or send you a curve ball and be the exact opposite of what you thought she’d be. But at that moment, seeing how she plowed over Stormi and her wedding, I didn’t really care what she thought about Brandon and me. We were adults and if Mommy Dearest didn’t like it, too bad. This was normally not how I was, but the morning’s debacle had changed my tune.

  Dottie gave Stormi a peck on the cheek. Stormi stood like a post. Dottie turned and she and Mr. Pennington headed out the front door. As soon as they left, we all exhaled.

  “Well that was quite the show,” Trixie exclaimed. “And all I wanted was a pint of mocha almond.”

  Stormi sat on one of the stools next to Trixie. “I knew she’d railroad me…but I had no idea it would be like this. Hiring some cockamamie wedding planner.”

  Trixie put a hand on Stormi’s shoulder. “I know it was a hit to the gut, but your Momma acted out of love. Just remember that.”

  Trixie sticking up for Dottie? I think it was more she was trying to smooth down the rough ridges Dottie created.

  Stormi nodded. “I know and I’m really not that mad at her. But why did she have to hire this jerk? Surely she could have hired a wedding planner without an attitude.”

  I had to agree with Stormi, the guy was a twit. For all his snobbish ways, I’m surprised anyone hired him. His uncouth style and the way he talked about Stormi’s weight was uncalled for.

  The front door opened and Paige came in pointing towards the road. “Was that Dottie I saw? I thought she wasn’t coming until this afternoon?”

  “She came early,” I replied.

  Paige walked up to Stormi, looking at her red eyes and swollen face. “Looks like she’s already spread her sunshine around.”

  We told Paige what transpired that morning as customers came in and out to get their ice cream or smoothie fix. Even Winchester decided the coast was clear after Dottie and Mr. Pennington left. After meeting Dottie, he had slunk back to his bed in the back, but now he was greeting customers by doing tricks like his little dance on two feet. He even got Stormi to smile.

  “I told that weasel, Mr. Ping Pong, that I wasn’t going to go with any old idea he came up with,” Stormi claimed to Paige and Trixie.

  Paige looked at me and mouthed ‘Mr. Ping Pong.’ I shook my head as a sign to just go with it.

  “Well that’s good Stormi,” Paige said. “You’ve told him where you stand. And hey, if he is the so-called premier wedding planner that he claims to be, you just might like what he comes up with.”

  Stormi harrumphed. I knew Paige was putting a good spin on it, but honestly, we had to for Stormi’s sake. And you never know, maybe the twerp would come up with some good ideas. I just wish his delivery were softer. Especially when it came to Stormi’s shape. Calling her plump? He’s lucky she didn’t rip his face off. Stormi was curvy and she looked dang good if you ask me and most of the people in Caesars Creek.

  Finally, the day ended and I was glad. However, I’d forgotten about Brandon! Before closing shop, I called him on his cell phone. He answered and I could hear Dottie in the background. She must have been cooking because there was a lot of clanging and banging in the background.

  “How’s it going?” I asked.

  “As well as can be expected.” He sounded beat down. I wasn’t surprised.

  “It has to be better than what Stormi went through today.”

  “Yeah, I heard about the wedding planner. In fact I got to meet the dirtball.”

  Ah, it seemed Mr. Ping Pong was still his usual charming self.

  “Sounds like him. Well hopefully tomorrow will be better.”

  I was wrong again. It would only get worse.

  *****

  The next day Paige came in to help me while Mr. Ping Pong (for some reason the name was sticking and I cringed at the thought that we might slip and say it to his face) took Dottie and Stormi to Atlanta to pick out a dress and other essentials for the wedding. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Brandon since our short conversation on the phone. That morning during a break putting up drywall at a house in town, he stopped by the Frozen Scoop.

  When I saw him, I walked over to give him a hug. “So how was the first night with Mom?”

  “Actually not too bad.” That was a shock!

  “After dinner she settled down and we had a nice evening. And she’s still a fantastic cook. I devoured the lasagna she made last night. And then she fixed brownies.”

  At least he was eating well.

  I walked back behind the counter as he sat down on one of the stools on the other side.

  “So it wasn’t as bad as you feared huh?”

  “At first she was after me to add some décor to the apartment, get better cookware for her to work with, and how was she going to sleep on that old guest bed. But after we ate and had a glass of wine she chilled.”

  I wiped the counter with my dry rag. “That’s good. Did she tell you what happened here yesterday?”

  “Yes she did. She was sorry about upsetting Stormi. She honestly thought Stormi would be excited about having a wedding planner. She said she never dreamed Stormi would react the way she did. I swear, my mother is completely clueless on how she comes across. I know she hired this guy thinking she was doing the right thing.”

  “But it wasn’t the right thing. She stepped in where she shouldn’t have.”

  Brandon nodded. “I know…but what can I say, she’s my mom.”

  He was right, she was his mother and sometimes you have to overlook certain uhmmm idiosyncrasies. But while her intent may have been to help, it ended up hurting the very person she wanted to assist. While at times it’s easy to overlook a loved one’s shortcomings, especially when they don’t cause harm. This time however, Dottie had gone too far in my book. Stormi would only get married once…we hoped. It should have been her prerogative to hire a wedding planner, and then one that would show her respect. No, I wasn’t happy with Miss Dottie, but I would keep my opinions from both Brandon and Stormi.

  “Have you told her about us yet?”

  “I thought about telling her this evening…with you there. You know her, she loves to cook so why don’t you come over for dinner and we can both tell her.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was be around Dottie any more than I had to, especially feeling the way I did. But I knew Brandon wanted me to come, so I told him I would. After he left, I went to the back to make my ice cream cakes while Paige handled the front of the store. Making the cakes and decorating them took my mind off the stress of Stormi and her mother. For two hours, I enjoyed the solitude while listening to the hubbub of my shoppe.

  I was just setting my last ice cream cake into the freezer when I heard a commotion out front. I could hear Dottie and Stormi’s voices. Now what?

  “Don’t you like any of his ideas Stormi?” Dottie asked. “I thought that poofy tulle wedding dress was divine.”

  Dottie was following Stormi as she raced around the corner. Mr. Ping Pong came through the door carrying a box, which he set on one of the tables. There were a few customers in the shoppe at that time eating their raspberry and maple delight ice cream cones.

  Once she was around the counter, Stormi stopped and turned. “I don’t want a poofy dress Momma, I want a mermaid dress. I’ve wanted one for years now and that’s what I’m going to get.”

  “You don’t have the shape for a mermaid wedding dress,” Mr. Ping Pong piped in as he removed items from the box.

  “Mr. Pennin
gton, I would take care not to address my daughter in such a vulgar fashion,” Dottie said. Finally!

  “I’m sorry you feel that way Miss Dottie, but I’m only speaking the truth. You want your daughter to look good on her wedding day don’t you? Well it would be wise to hide her shape in a more appropriate gown.”

  Stormi moved past Paige and I towards Mr. P. “I’ve had about enough of you Ping Pong.”

  Stormi grabbed an item Mr. Pennington placed on the table. It was a knife. She held it in the air in front of Mr. P. “Unless you want me to shear the rest of the hair off your head, then I’d shut that pie hole!” She slammed the knife back on the table and marched to the back of the store through the swing door. The remaining customers watched in amazement, ice cream melting down their cones. I decided to let Stormi stew on her own for a few minutes.

  Paige pointed towards the table. “What is that? A knife?”

  Mr. Pennington took a handkerchief out of his pocket and picked up the knife delicately.

  “Yes, it is part of the cake service set. Its stainless steel and the server is shaped in a heart.”

  Paige and I walked over to look at the set. The knife and server were silver plated and very beautiful. A black silhouette cake topper of a bride and groom sat within the box. It was striking and would show up elegantly against the white wedding cake.

  I pointed towards the cake topper. “Did Stormi pick that out?”

  “Yes she did,” Mr. Pennington answered. “Not what I would have chosen, but it will work I suppose.”

  He was such a twit. I couldn’t believe Miss Dottie paid $15000 for this guy. He was definitely taking her for a ride. The other customers stood up to leave and I thanked them for coming and apologized for Stormi’s outburst. They laughed and said that was typical Stormi and didn’t think a thing of it. Thank goodness. I loved my Stormi, but she had a difficult time keeping her emotions in check.

  At that moment, Bruce stuck his head through the swinging door. “Hey if you girls have a second, come look at my new office furniture.”

  “Did they deliver it already?” Paige asked. “Oh boy, I can’t wait to sit my tush in something soft and comfortable. Goodbye drabby chair! I won’t miss you stabbing me in the butt cheek.”

  Paige helped Bruce with his financial planning business next door to my shoppe. They hadn’t the chance to get new office furniture so Paige was elated. “Come on Tara. We can take a few minutes to go look.”

  Right then I saw ol’ Charlie making his way to the front door. I walked over to let him in, making sure to dodge the flimsy pole holding his slow moving vehicle sign. “Let me get Charlie’s coffee and we’ll run over real quick,” I said.

  Dottie walked over to Charlie and gave him a pat on the arm. “How have you been Charlie? It’s been awhile.”

  I handed Charlie his coffee. “I’ve been fine and dandy. How about yourself Miss Dottie? You’re looking mighty fine.” You old rascal. I could see the twinkle in his eye.

  Dottie giggled. “You old flirt, you haven’t changed one bit.”

  “I see you still have that same sass.”

  I looked at Paige and she shrugged her shoulders. Maybe there was a spark there. Who knew? Of course, there was quite a bit of age difference. I think this was harmless flirting.

  Bruce was getting impatient. “Are you girls coming or not?”

  “Can I come too?” Dottie asked. “You don’t mind do you Charlie?”

  Charlie blew on his coffee. “Of course not dear. You run along and I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Charlie if anyone comes in, tell them we’ll be back in a jiffy,” I said.

  He raised his coffee cup in compliance.

  As we walked into the back of the shoppe, I noticed Stormi wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I turned to Bruce. “Did you see Stormi back here?”

  Bruce walked towards the back door. “Nope, didn’t see her at all.”

  We didn’t think much of it. I figured she took a walk around the block to clear her head. She did that sometimes. We all headed to Bruce’s office building next door to my shoppe.

  The furniture in the reception area was sleek and modern. A cherry wood desk with a nice comfortable leather chair sat in the waiting area. Paige plopped down in the chair and sighed.

  “I don’t know how much work I’m going to get done! This is so comfortable I’ll likely fall asleep.”

  Bruce smiled. “That does it…we’ll have to send the comfy chair back to the store and return butt stabber to its original station.”

  Paige spun around in her new chair. “Too late, it’s already in the trash bin out back. I hummed taps as I tossed it over.”

  Bruce sat on the edge of the desk. “Awww, poor butt stabber chair. We hardly knew ye.”

  “Thank goodness,” Paige replied. “You don’t know how many times I wanted revenge for all the needle pokes it gave me.”

  “Okay, enough about butt stabbing chair. Let’s see the rest of the furniture,” I said.

  Dottie made over the furniture and even decided to hire Bruce as her financial planner while we were there. That was a good decision since she’d wasted $15,000 on Mr. Pennington. Along with the desks and office chairs, Bruce bought several couches, high back chairs, and a coffee table for the waiting area. Before we knew it, almost 40 minutes had passed.

  “Oh my, I’ve got to get back to the shoppe,” I exclaimed when I realized what time it was. Dottie stayed behind to talk to Bruce more about her finances as Paige and I walked out the back of Bruce’s building to enter into the rear of my shoppe. I stopped when I saw the back door standing wide open.

  I pointed towards the door and stopped. “That’s strange. I’m sure I closed the door.”

  “Maybe Stormi came back and forgot to close it,” Paige replied.

  We walked through the door into the back of the shoppe. Our eyes immediately flew to the swing door that leads to the front. The door was propped open and Stormi was kneeling over Mr. Pennington who was lying on the floor.

  “What’s going on?” I asked as we walked closer.

  Paige gasped and we stopped in our tracks. Mr. Pennington lay on the floor with a knife sticking out of his chest!

  “What happened?” I asked Stormi.

  “I don’t know,” she answered. “I just got here myself and found him like this. I didn’t know if I should pull the knife out or not.”

  “Stormi, get away from him!” Paige commanded. “You’ll contaminate the crime scene.”

  Stormi stood up. “What if he’s still alive? Wouldn’t it help to remove the knife from his chest?”

  I grabbed the cell phone out of my purse, but Stormi waved me off. “Don’t bother, I already called them.”

  Paige took a couple steps towards Mr. Pennington to get a better look. “I thought you said you just got here.”

  “I did,” Stormi answered. “As soon as I saw him I called 911 and then went to see if he was breathing. That’s when you both walked in.”

  Paige shook her head. “I think he’s beyond help. Looks deader than a doornail to me.”

  Stormi moved over to us, and when she did, the swing door she had propped open swung shut hard right on Mr. Pennington’s leg.

  Paige remained looking at Mr. P. “That door has some kick to it.”

  “I’ve been meaning to have Brandon adjust it,” I said, still staring at the knife protruding from Mr. Pennington’s chest. “Just haven’t gotten around to it.”

  We could hear the sirens in the distance, but we were rooted to the spot. We all jumped when we heard a blood-curling scream. Miss Dottie walked through the back door and saw Mr. Pennington.

  Her hand raised to her mouth. “What in all that is holy happened here?!”

  Paige looked over at Dottie. “Looks like a murder to me.”

  Dottie looked around the room. “Then what are we all doing standing here? Waiting for the culprit to come back and finish us off too?”

  I herded us to the back door. “S
he has a point.”

  *****

  We were all taken down to the police station. Not as suspects, at least most of us, but to give our statements. Dottie, Paige and I sat in the old chairs in the waiting area of the station. I remembered these chairs all too well when we accompanied Trixie here when she was under suspicion for her first husband’s death. The chairs weren’t any better now than they were then.

  Stormi was back in one of the interrogation rooms with Officer Jerry Burkle. Since she and Greg were engaged, the chief of police didn’t think it a good idea for him to question her. Greg was setting up another room where he would question the three of us.