Chapter 29
Connect the Dots
“Who’s Helene Holiday, andwhy would she have died in the Miners Tavern?” A natural question, or so Hailey thought as she reined in her galloping thoughts and her worry for Noah. God, the last thing he needed was a carcass of thehumanvariety in his restaurant!
After watching an emergency vehicle speed down Bowen Street, she had texted him, and he’d quickly replied that everything was all right, that he’d explain later, and to come back when she was done at Mountain Coffee.
At the moment, she was helping Amy stock supplies rapid-fire so she could hightail it over to the tavern. Noah’s fan club had left after their main attraction lit out—with Dixie puffing after him—which left only Amy and her in the quiet coffee shop.
“You know that store down the street that sells crystals and beads and local art pieces?”
“Where you bought that mosaictable?”
Amy handed her a box of stir sticks and pointed at an empty spot on the shelf. “Right. Well, Helene owned it. She’d been sick for a while, so it’s no surprise she’s gone, but I have no clue why she would have passed inside the tavern. She liked going in there because Noah would fix her what she called ‘special toddies,’ but I don’t think she’d been in for quite a while. Maybe she was hoping for another toddy?”
“Except the place is closed. Did you know her well?”
“Oh, everyone knew Helene. She was our … Hmm, how should I put this? Our town eccentric? She was a hippie chick stuck in the sixties who might have dropped one too many hits of acid. One minute you were her BFF, and the next she was muttering curses at you, and you’d never know why. I used to think she was casting spells on me until I figured out she wasn’t even aware I was there half the time.” Amy snorted.
Hailey vaguely recalled the shabby shop window she’d passed by on her first full day in Fall River. It had held an eclectic collection of odds and ends, but what had snagged her attention was a cluttered array of crystal prism balls hanging from the ceiling at varying heights. They had caught and reflected infinite rainbows of light, and she had idly wondered if the prismed beams ever blinded people.
Hailey held out her good hand for another box. “Does she have family?
“Two daughters, I think. One of them has been here helping take care of her mom and the shop. Very reclusive, though. The other one is some high-flying lawyer or financier in Chicago. I wonder what’ll happen to the place now.”
Hailey straightened a row of paper cups and nearly jumped when Amy gasped and laid a hand on her arm. “Omigod, that would be a perfect place for a bookshop!”
Hailey’s mouth swung open. “What? Where?”
“Helene’s shop! If her daughter doesn’t decide to keep it, that is. You should check it out.”
“Amy, I can’t open a bookstorenow. I don’t have enough saved, and what I do have I’m going to need to support myself. Don’t take this the wrong way: I’m grateful to be working here, but it’s not going to pay the bills.”
Amy parked a fist on her hip. “What bills need paying?”
Hailey let out a mirthless laugh. “Rent? Food? Gas? Insurance? Clothes?”
“Between Mountain Coffee and the tavern, your food is covered. As for gas, you don’t have to drive all over the Western Slope anymore, so you don’t need as much. Same with car insurance. In fact, that’ll come down. As for health insurance, you probably get some sort of grace period.” The more Amy talked, the more excited she grew. “You’re on a month-to-month, right?” When Hailey nodded, she ran on. “Give them notice, and voilà! No more rent payments.”
Hailey scoffed. “And where am I supposed to live?”
Amy wiggled her eyebrows. “I hear Noah’s loft is a cozy place for two.”
“No way! We just started … I mean, we hardly know each other.”
“So? What better way to get to know each other than being on top of one another in a love nest?” Amy giggled, and heat blazed up Hailey’s neck. Had she meant the innuendo? “You can always stay with me and Mick. We have a guest bedroom.”
That idea didnotappeal. Hailey pictured Micky’s leers morning, noon, and night.
Amy grinned. “Next roadblock to you opening a bookstore in Fall River?”
Hailey flapped a hand at her. “You’re talking crazy, girl. Even if Icouldafford to buy or rent the place, it needs a lot of TLC. Alot.” As Hailey’s memory sharpened, a building way past its glory days took shape in her mind’s eye. She shuddered.
“Well, think about it. Now shoo. You need to go find out what happened at the tavern so you can tellme.”
Hailey gave her a quick hug before rushing out the door. Yeah, she was dying to find out what had happened, but now that the debris of the last few head-spinning days had settled, it was time to call Kaylee and update her. Besides searching out a heavy dose of her sister’s wisdom, Hailey needed advice on the scheme she was forming.
The first thing sheheard when she opened the tavern’s back door was Noah’s strained baritone. “You about gave me a heart attack, Dix. Why did you say Helenediedhere?”
