A Bitter Cup Read online




  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Hill Country Mysteries

  Author's Biography

  A BITTER CUP

  A Dragon Cozy Mystery

  Hill Country Mysteries Book 2

  By Verena DeLuca

  A Bitter Cup by Verena DeLuca

  Published by Aconite Cafe

  P.O. Box 63

  Marble Falls, TX 78654

  www.AconiteCafe.com

  www.NAKBaldron.com

  © 2020 Verena DeLuca

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:

  [email protected]

  Cover by Aconite Cafe.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Wednesday, March 18th

  The cafe was already bustling with customers when I came down the stairs for the morning. I thanked every lucky bean I had that Aubrey was an actual morning person. I did not feel fully awake until after the lunch rush.

  Coffee saved my life daily. A rich espresso, or blended latte were my go-to drinks. My mouth watered at the thought of my first cup of the day. It was a warm hug in a mug.

  Not only was Aubrey my best friend, she was also the best employee, as she would regularly have an espresso and a warm pastry waiting for me in the storeroom.

  The room was a modest size, as it held the staircase that went up to my apartment above the cafe. The staircase met the back door, to the right of the door sat a stacking washer-dryer unit, and an industrial oven.

  Aubrey and I spent a saturday afternoon painting the entire room an iced coffee shade of brown as a part of my freshening up the cafe efforts. I also bought a small bistro table to put against the wall opposite the stairs just to be able to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee before dealing with customers.

  On the other side of the room, the staircase base took up most of the space with shelves in the spandrel. Before you reached the door next to it that led into the cafe, there was a full size fridge against the left corner, and a counter-cabinet combo with a sink for prep work that came out from the fridge towards the bistro.

  Once I walked into the cafe I made myself the Poison of the Week—Rosary Pea Cold Brew—cold brew blended with raspberry syrup. Each week I did my best to make a drink for the more adventurous members of our town, but this one may have been my best yet. I even changed my morning drink temporarily.

  Though, the customers' enjoyment of the drink might have also been attributed to the first heatwave of the year we were experiencing. It was never spring for long in central Texas, we already had our share of eighty plus degree days.

  "All you humans do is whine about the heat, as if you don't have free will to move elsewhere or create a climate indoors to solve the problem." Azure transmitted.

  "Hush it mister!" I transmitted back. I must have relaxed into my thoughts a bit too much. Trying to get a hold on blocking the dragon I inherited from my great aunt was as hard as learning a new language.

  Some days I did great with only communicating with him as needed, but others, well it was a work in progress. The perfect cup was not created in a month.

  "Probably not in a year either." He interjected again, but this time I ignored him. His fluffy black cat form was curled up in the window, soaking up the morning sun. Lucky little tea-tart.

  I watched as Aubrey served Charlie another cup of coffee, and took away the dirty plates from him and his ranch hand. She was a natural in customer service, unlike me, who had to have a memorized script for all interactions and regularly swallowed down remarks not suited for customers.

  Charlie usually sat at the bar, and had been a regular for as long as I could remember. He sure did tip better when I was waist high and in pigtails.

  On Wednesdays, he would opt for a table across from the bar so Doug could join him to discuss the ranch. Ranch talk for two to three hours a week seemed like overkill. As far as I was concerned the cows took care of themselves, but Charlie tried to explain more than once that there was more to it than just showing the cattle to fresh pastures.

  Somehow the two of them always looked like they were slightly dusty. From their cowboy hats to their boots, it was as if dirt had grown on them, and refused to leave. They were both in their late sixties, but I would have bet that Charlie was Doug's senior by quite a few years.

  I was just about finished with my second cup for the day, when Frank—my favorite handyman in town—stopped by Charlie's table. I could not hear what he said, but any tea-tart could see Frank was angry.

  He too was up there in age, and was usually a happy customer. While he was slightly overweight, he still indulged in sweeter coffees than his doctor would have liked. I often felt like a mother hen to retired old men with how often I joked with them about their health conditions when they ordered.

  But it was all in good fun, I would take a cafe full of them over tourists from the city any day. Regulars wanted coffee and silence. While tourists wanted to be dazzled with complicated drinks and long conversations about nothing.

  We were a hot spot destination for anyone looking to get away for a weekend. At only an hour north of Austin, couples could come down, enjoy the plethora of wineries, and get their small town fix any weekend of the month. Four years at the University of Texas was enough for me.

  Doug left the table as the conversation continued to heat up to allow them to speak in private. As he walked away Charlie turned to watch where he was headed. Clearly not happy to be left alone with Frank.

  Frank leaned across the table from the seat he had taken from Doug. He picked up Charlie's coffee cup as if he was going to drink it, but then sat it back down as he took the spoon from it.

  Who in the tea touches someone else's mug?! I would be livid. I shook my head as I leaned against the thin back counter so Aubrey could work while I enjoyed the free show.

  Frank placed a piece of paper in front of Charlie, and tapped the table with the spoon two times to regain his attention.

  They spoke in hushed tones while Charlie sipped his coffee. The cafe was too loud for me to make out much of what they were saying, but it was clear from their body language that it was not good. Figures the one time I wanted to hear what was going on, would be the time the cafe would not silence to also listen in.

  Come on Charlie, do not drink from that cup! You do not know where his hands have been!

  "I know I clearly told you that only I can hear your thoughts, how are you this dense." Azure transmitted.

  "You did not! And here I've been trying to transmit to people for weeks! Rude." I transmitted back with a blank stare.

  Doug returned from the bathroom as Frank's voice grew louder. Dropping all pretense of a civil discussion.

  ". . . you owe . . . not stand," Frank slammed his fist on the piece of paper on the table.

  His hand flailed in a grand gesture and bumped Charlie's cup which wobbled off the table and into his lap, before shattering on the concrete floor. Yet another, in a long line of sacrificed mugs toward the greater good of fresh coffee.

  The next moment Charlie hopped
up, almost dancing off toward the bathrooms.

  Frank gave a dirty look to Doug, as they exchanged seats again, and he stormed out of the cafe. His mustache bouncing angrily on his face, with each step. My mind raced to an old cartoon from my childhood about captain hook.

  Aubrey and I moved the two person table to clear the mess.

  "Sorry about that," Doug said.

  "It's okay," I said. "Not the first time a mug has been broken, and it won't be the last."

  I stood up with a dust pan of white ceramic as Aubrey mopped up the coffee, "But mind you, if you break another today, I'll have to call the sheriff."

  Doug chuckled and said, "Yes, mam."

  "It's Hailey," I corrected him. "You're old enough to be my father."

  His cheeks flushed, and he tipped his hat as a way of apology. Despite his age, even I would admit he was a handsome man in his rancher clothes. Tight jeans, pearl snaps and a slim figure.

  We moved the table back, then headed back behind the counter so I could brew another French press to replace the spilled coffee.

  "Can you believe that?" Aubrey whispered as we walked through the dropped counter flap closest to the bathroom. I emptied the dustpan into the trash and dropped the dirty rags into the wash bucket.

  "Right?" I said. "Who knew Frank had a temper. I can't recall him ever raising his voice."

  "Must have been serious," Aubrey said. "To come in here and embarrass Charlie like that? He won't forgive that any time soon."

  "Did you see him pick up Charlies coffee?"

  "No! Who does that?"

  "That's exactly what I was thinking. So wrong. Might as well have slapped him in the face."

  As if on cue, Charlie exited the restroom and returned to the table. He looked over to me, and I quickly carried him a fresh cup of coffee.

  "On the house," I said as I sat it down, though refills from the press were always free for regulars. It was not his fault he needed another cup.

  "Thank you," he said. "But I should pay. Least I can do for breaking your mug."

  "That wasn't your fault."

  "If I were ten years younger, my reflexes would have caught it. There was a time . . . Well, you don't want to hear about that. Thank you again."

  "Any time," I gave them both a warm smile before returning to Aubrey.

  "Charlie may need to start changing up his routine so people can't find him." I joked as I entered the server area.

  "No kidding, you could set a calendar by these guys."

  We giggled into a comfortable silence, as I contemplated what the argument might have been about.

  "Have you decided what you're going to do in here?" She asked looking around the cafe.

  "No, I know I need to bite the bean. But Tona was so particular about this space. I'm just not ready to change it."

  "At least there is no rush. When was the last time she did anything to the dining area? I can't recall it ever looking different."

  "That's because it hasn't. She was a creature of habit. I am also hesitant because I don't want the customers to hate a new look."

  "Oh geez, those guys will get over it." she said, smiling as if the idea of a regular ranting about paint just crossed her mind, "Have you found any goodies in the apartment? You could always add a bit of Tona back in the cafe after we paint it."

  "Don't even remind me of that hoard." I said, I grimaced and shook my head at the thought of all the boxes that filled the upstairs apartment still. "I will be buried in those boxes for months."

  She laughed, which in turn made me laugh.

  "We could have an unboxing party." She said.

  "Oh yeah, the two of us would only get as far as the first box. We'd spend more time laughing at all the ridiculous stuff she kept than cleaning it out."

  "Tona's memory is not for your amusement," The transmission from Azure, sobered my lighter thoughts on the matter.

  Aubrey interpreted my change in mood as sadness for the loss of Tona and went back to work refilling mugs around the cafe.

  "Don't be a wet tea leaf. It's a common tradition to gain amusement from deceased family members' possessions. Think of it as a form of mourning."

  "I don't find it amusing in the slightest."

  "No one invited you fluff ball." I mentally stuck my tongue out at him.

  "Joshua?" I asked as he walked in. "Is everything okay with Jess?"

  Joshua was Jessica's husband—though we knew her as Jess. I hired Jess during our second week to help on weekends, and the odd extra shift that came up. Aubrey knew her from the local moms group meet ups, and it could be said we all knew each other from high school. However, in the past month I had never seen Joshua come in.

  He had the slender frame of a boy that grew up bull riding, but instead of the cowboy special, he wore jeans and a green logoed nylon shirt for his father's business—Vance Feed Co. The new aged outdoors men shirts seemed breathable compared to the pearl snapped ones the older men still hung onto. Though, the openings in the back were hilarious to see in the wind. In a strong enough gust, a smaller guy might be able to use it as a parachute.

  His eyes wandered around the room with purpose, and almost failed to notice that I asked him a question.

  "Oh, she's fine," his eyes darted between me and Charlie. "She's really enjoying it here. Thank you for hiring her. But umm . . ."

  "You're here to speak to Charlie?" I asked.

  He nodded, not wanting to be rude, but clearly ready to get down to business.

  "It's okay," I said. "I'm not offended. I warn you though, he's having a rough morning."

  "Bout to get worse," Joshua said under his breath as he walked up to their table.

  Charlie excused himself and quickly returned to the bathroom. His pants looked like they were still damp from the coffee. But his urgency, screamed coffee at work.

  Joshua pulled a chair from the neighboring table to sit at the head of theirs and began to talk to Doug in a hushed tone. Apparently, it was a day for secrets.

  "None of my business," Doug said, and walked away downing the rest of his mug.

  "Can I get a refill?" He asked Aubrey at the counter down from me.

  I saw Joshua start to fidget with the freshly filled cup on the table and had to turn back to Aubrey. I was going to have to make a new house rule, keep your hands to your own mug.

  "I would have brought you a cup," Aubrey said as she poured Doug a refill.

  "Oh, that's okay," he said. "Needed to stretch my legs anyways."

  He gave her his best charming smile, and I imagined what William's reaction would be if he were here. Aubrey did not pay it any attention.

  "Can I get you anything else?" she asked in her most professional voice possible.

  The door of the men's bathroom opened, and Doug looked over his shoulder, "No I think that will do."

  Charlie pulled his chair away from Joshua and sat to where they were facing one another. Doug wasted no time in returning to the table, while Aubrey and I tried our best to appear like we were not listening.

  "You owe us over ten thousand dollars," Joshua said, with less professionalism than Frank had granted.

  "That's between you and the accountants," Charlie said. He was clearly not going to be humiliated again without a say in it.

  "We're behind on—"

  "That's your problem," Charlie turned to Doug and gestured with his hand. "We need to wrap up our business."

  Both men took a long drink from their mugs without looking at Joshua, and I could see his face reddening.

  "My father—"

  "Tell him he can speak to my attorney any time he likes," Charlie said and tipped his hat to him.

  Joshua stood flustered, and ran his hands down the front of his shirt. "You're a pig headed man."

  "Nobody is perfect," Charlie said, as if that settled the matter.

  Joshua glanced at me, and then seemed to think better of what he was about to do. Had he been about to hit the old man? No way.

  "So be
it, Mr. Hayes."

  Joshua replaced his chair at the correct table, and gave me a nod as he headed toward the door.

  "Better call John," Charlie said and left Doug at the table.

  "What was that about?" Aubrey asked.

  "I wish I knew," I said.

  "Can't be good, I'm going to call Jess an ask."

  "Stop it," I said giggling, "We don't need that drama, besides, it will be all over town by morning."

  "True, but before he leaves I am going to tell him to change his routine up."

  "If you can get Charlie to stop coming in at the same time every morning I will drink a cup of tea right at the bar."

  "You're probably right."

  A minute later, the front door jingled, and Charlie walked in looking worse for wear. He returned to his table as he shook his head towards Doug.

  "No good," he said to Doug. "We'll need to wrap this up. I've got to call my accountant."

  He sat down and took a long drink from his cup. Then stretched back in his chair with his eyes closed, as his hat tilted back.

  Aubrey was handing me an espresso, when Charlie fell out of his chair, sending another mug shattering against the floor. I would have to buy a new set at that rate. The old man was on the ground clutching his chest.

  "He's having a heart attack," Doug yelled. "Call 911."

  Aubrey's fingers dialed faster than it took for him to finish his sentence. "Aconite Cafe, Charlie's having a heart attack!"

  CHAPTER TWO

  Wednesday, March 18th

  "It's about time you grace my presence with something other than that homeless attire you are so fond of." Azure transmitted as I walked out of the bathroom.

  "I'm your protector, not your accessory."

  I knew I was going to regret my outfit by the end of the night, but after the day I had, getting dressed up would be a welcome respite.

  I settled on a teal knee-length A-line skirt, paired with a white V-neck shirt, and low black suede lace-up heels. The outfit made me feel like a ballerina, and I took every chance to twirl the skirt around. I also left my wavy shoulder length chestnut hair down and wild, hoping it wouldn't bite me later. March was notorious for having hot days and cool evenings.