A Bitter Cup Read online

  "Cute?"

  "What do you want me to say?" I transmitted. "You look like a balloon."

  Together we laughed, as he surrendered to his food belly. After a deep sigh he continued, "On the map Frank had outlined a chunk in marker. I assume it's a piece of property he wants. But I've flown over that ranch many times, and I am positive that it's a part of the current Hayes ranch."

  "I doubt Charlie would have any interest in breaking up his ranch."

  "I agree. I pondered this while I flew tonight. All of the men in question have frequented this cafe for many years. None would have the courage needed to act alone. So I put forth the idea that Frank and Doug did it together."

  "So, that's your big solution," I transmitted. "Doug and Frank tried to kill Charlie together?"

  "Of course," he transmitted and rolled onto his other side, so that he looked up at me with his skull against the ground. "Frank hated the way Charlie treated him, and was owed money. Doug figured he was doing all the work, and deserved the property. So, together they hatched a plan to kill off the old man and each get rich. Only they didn't count on my magic saving the old man's life."

  Azure let out a loud yawn.

  "I don't know. That seems like you're grasping for beans."

  "That's enough mystery for one night," he transmitted and the self-assurance was palpable. "Besides, it's time for more important matters. The tribe meeting."

  He was right about the meeting, but something did not sit right with me about the theory. Obviously, Joshua could not have done it, but for Frank and Doug to poison Charlie together? I was starting to think it was a wild goose chase, and the whole thing was a misunderstanding of an accident.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Thursday, March 19th

  The cafe was closed to the public, and the dragons were already in their circle away from us. The other women were gossiping about their week, while I prepared drinks. We just were waiting to begin.

  The front door jingled as I was pouring the last cold coffee. I looked up to see Tori and Butter walking in. Silence fell upon the room.

  All eyes turned to them, and the eerie silence was unsettling. Though I prepared for this moment, it still took the breath out of me to see them again. They were not faring any better, and nearly buckled at the door. But it was apparent they too rehearsed as Tori took a visible deep breath, and slowly walked forward.

  Instead of her usual business club attire she sported a black yellow jackets football shirt, and jeans. Her pomegranate hair was in a messy bun and she had on the least amount of make-up I had ever seen her with.

  "Hello," Tori said to everyone, as she took the open seat reserved for her. It was not in her normal fake chipper voice, but quiet and reserved.

  "Hello," everyone said uneasily.

  Butter walked into the circle and sat before Azure. No doubt awaiting his approval or further punishment.

  Azure had made it clear to me, there was to be no further reprisal for their misdeeds. They had poisoned Azure by slipping him a treat laced with Rosemary, and it had caused him to puke up everything he had eaten for the day. But after a long night's sleep, he had recovered. There had never been any real threat of him dying, but all the same, punishment had been called for.

  Tori and Butter had been exiled for a month. Cut off from all tribe matters. I had not been allowed to use Tori's bakery, but thankfully Aubrey had been more than willing to step up and bake for the cafe.

  However, with Tori back, that meant I would have to shift my business back to her. Tribe law. All of us were obliged to do business with one another solely if the others provided a good or service we needed. It ensured stronger economic and social bonds, and gave the dragons more opportunities to spend time with one another.

  I brought over a black coffee with cream and sugar for Tori, and took my seat at the head of the circle—my back toward the dragons. Azure was the tribe's leader and that made me the head of the dragon protectors. Never would I have wanted to be in such an authority position, but after a month, I had adapted to the idea. The other women, for their parts, seemed to accept me without complaint.

  Power had been the whole reason for Tori and Butter's misbehavior. Hopefully their month alone would be enough to ensure they never question Azure's or my authority again.

  "First order of business," I said in my best regal voice. "Is the matter of Victoria's return."

  Azure had been giving me pointers. "Always speak with a downward inflection, never an upward one. You don't ask questions. You demand explanations."

  It had sounded like pompous tea leaves to me, but he had been right. Once I learned to speak with a more authoritative tone, the meetings became orderly and productive. Rather than jumbled spats of gossip.

  "With her and Butter's exile finished," I continued. "They are welcomed back into the tribe, and the ban on business is lifted."

  I adjusted in my seat to look directly toward her, "I'll call you later this week for the next delivery."

  Best to lead by example, and show that the matter is settled.

  I addressed the group, "If there's anything you wish to say on the matter, now is the time."

  "So that's it?" Skylar asked. "They poison Azure, and one month later it's over?"

  "While I can't speak to how Butter will be dealt with long term for leading the deception," I said. "I can say that we are a tribe, and in times of torrent behavior we need to acknowledge it, handle it, then heal from it as a tribe. Tori will have to live with the part she played in the poisoning, but we don't have to hold it over her head for the rest of her days. We are bigger than that. She has served her exile, and is now welcomed back into the tribe."

  I looked around the group to see if anyone else had something to say. Several looked as if they wished to speak, but none of them voiced their thoughts.

  "May I?" Tori asked in a timid tone, unlike her usual self.

  "Please."

  "I want to apologize to you," Tori said while she looked me in the eyes, and glanced around the group. "And to all of you. I betrayed the trust and bond that is our tribe. I cried myself to sleep for the first week. The first night I missed the tribe meeting I cursed and broke a mixing bowl.

  "However, I know it is not your fault. It was entirely my fault. Butter may have slipped me the wrong spice, but I should have realized it. Part of me wanted to put you in your place, and that was wrong. I beg you for your forgiveness."

  I rose from my chair and walked over to Tori. Tears were running down her cheek. I leaned over and hugged her, and after a second, she hugged me back. A moment later, the entire tribe of women encircled us into a group hug. Not what I bargained for when I broke my own no touching rule, but I hoped it meant everyone could move past this misadventure.

  "What are you doing?" Azure transmitted. "This isn't a football match."

  "Healing," I transmitted back. "You mind your dragon affairs and leave this to me."

  "You brought me into it with your unruly emotions."

  It felt like hours that we all stood huddled together in a group hug. When we broke apart, all the women—myself included—had to wipe away the tears from our cheeks. The group hug and cry had been exactly what the tribe needed to heal and move on. The matter was officially buried.

  "On a happier note," Sofia said, "The cat show is only two months away."

  "The what?" I asked.

  I was in a group of crazy cat ladies of course there was a cat show to attend. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. But it made perfect sense. Azure would love for some judges to spend hours admiring his luscious fur.

  "The cat show," Sofia said. "It's a yearly competition in Austin. Tribe Rune has won for twenty years in a row now. Last year was Ash."

  "It's a tradition," Skylar said and gave me a look that said she found it ridiculous.

  "The dragons act like they don't like it," Beth said, "but we know better. They're all vain and competitive."

  "So, this is something we have to do?" I said,
making sure to push my tone down toward the end.

  "Oh yes," Tori said, sounding far more like her usual perky self. "Butter has been working on his walk. Ever since last year."

  "Fascinating," I said, trying to tread carefully, as it seemed some of the ladies were more into the event than others. "So is this like a day trip? Are there real cats in the competition?"

  "It is the social event of the year for us protectors." Sofia said, clearly in her element. I guess she did scream posh show cat owner in a sense. "We make it a girls weekend, and stay in the hotel of the event. Tribes from around the state come in and we are able to mingle and compete for gold."

  "The real cats that enter don't stand a chance against all the dragons." Vera said, "It's a wonderful time. Have you ever watched the shows on the television? Garth and I love them."

  "I've watched the puppy bowl before, does that count?"

  Laughter filled the room, and I hesitated to add any more comments to the discussion. I was in no way okay with spending a weekend surrounded by felines.

  Just when I thought I had dragon protector under control, I got cat trainer poured on me. My life was no longer as easy as drip coffee. Sometimes I missed when my biggest concern was double tour bus weekend.

  "Azure will fill you in. Don't worry about a thing, dear." Vera said. "You're going to adore it."

  "Well, I'll coordinate with Azure then," I said.

  "You're a show cat too?" I transmitted.

  "I'm the show cat!"

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Friday, March 20th

  By the time I came downstairs for my morning shift, with Azure close at my heels, Aubrey was bustling about taking care of our customers. Aconite Cafe had never been so busy on a Friday morning. I suspected the gossip around town had spread, and everybody wanted to get in to see where Charlie had been poisoned. Though I noted his table was the only one that remained empty.

  "Good morning, how are things going?"

  "Oh, you know," Aubrey said. "Slow as tea. You may want to see about advertising."

  "Hailey," Jeremiah called from his usual seat before I could respond. "Now that you are down here, maybe you could speed things up and bring me some coffee?"

  "Sure thing Jeremiah," I said, doing my best to keep my temper in check.

  He was a nice enough old man, but the emphasis was on old. He had grown very impatient in his later years, no doubt from years of people pleasing, over at the Sunrise Market. Nowadays the market ran itself, with all the people he employed. But customer service could sure leave a lasting impression on anyone in the trenches. And besides Aunt Tona had taught me to respect my elders, and Jeremiah was most certainly that.

  I carried over a fresh cup of coffee and said, "Will there be anything else?"

  "Yes," he said. "You can tell me who you think poisoned Charlie."

  "I have no idea what you are talking about," I lied with an innocent smile.

  Last thing I needed was to add to the circling gossip mill. There was no way telling him what I knew would help Joshua. But if he wanted to let me in on his secrets, that would be just fine.

  "Well," he said, letting the word hang on the air as he stirred cream and sugar into his coffee. "My money is on Frank."

  Aubrey dropped off another order of coffee, and made her way over to the table to listen in. This could be just what I was looking for, someone who had the dirt needed to solve the case.

  "Go on," I said.

  "This was well before your time," Jeremiah said. "But back in seventy-three and seventy-four, the whole town was struggling. Most ranchers had to fire all of their hands, and do the work themselves. But not old Charlie. Darn it, if he wasn't the only rancher for a hundred miles making money."

  Jeremiah took a bite of his pastry and looked at both of us, knowing he had our full attention. He washed it down with two swigs of his coffee before taking a final bite of his pastry.

  "See, back then," Jeremiah continued. "Frank's father owned land in what is now the Hayes ranch. Charlie of course inherited most of his land from his father, just as Frank was no doubt supposed to. However, in the summer of seventy-four Frank's father was forced to sell off all of the cattle and the bank wanted to take the ranch to cover the remainder of his debts.

  "Rather than go to auction and be forced to take pennies on the dollar, he made a deal with Charlie. Though, I've heard rumors that Charlie wasn't much better than what the auction would've been. Neighborly kindness has never been Charlie's strong suit."

  "So, you're saying that Frank tried to kill Charlie over some land that was sold fifty years ago?" I asked.

  "To you it might just be land," Jeremiah said. "But to Frank that was his heritage."

  "I'm with Hailey," Aubrey said. "That seems like a weak reason to kill somebody."

  "The land was only the tip of the iceberg," Jeremiah said. "There have always been rumors floating around that Charlie has intentionally sabotaged other ranchers."

  Jeremiah took another bite of his pastry, to allow his words to sink in.

  "What do you mean, sabotage?" I asked. Charlie was sounding more and more like an old man I did not want hanging around the cafe.

  "Calves die," Jeremiah said. "Groundwater dries up, brush fire spreads, and Charlie keeps getting richer. People talk. A lot of bad luck for everyone around Charlie, and a lot of good luck for him."

  "That's dangerous gossip," Aubrey said. "These are serious allegations."

  "No one's making allegations," Jeremiah said. "Like I said, just rumors and speculation. But regardless, it doesn't take much to make someone a killer. Running a family legacy through the mud is enough to tip the scales in some. Like I said, my money is on Frank."

  "Well, I hope you're wrong," I said. "I prefer to think it was an accident."

  "Not everyone is as sweet as honey like yourself." He said with a wink. "When you've been left destitute, with no legacy to pass on, you might think otherwise."

  "Sweet as lemons maybe," Aubrey said, and rolled her eyes at me.

  "It'd have to be honey, how else would I have attracted such a bee like yourself?"

  She mouthed wow, and mocked storming off to make more coffee.

  "That's right, time for the worker bee to get back to work." I said, giggling the words out as I followed her behind the counter.

  She stuck her tongue out, and we got down to business getting every customer refreshed and served so we could head to the storeroom to go over the facts.

  After an hour went by we were finally slow enough for Aubrey to put up the tent, and we snuck into the back under the guise of getting more supplies for the cafe.

  "Do you really think Frank would've tried to kill Charlie over land?" I asked.

  "I don't know," Aubrey said. "I never would've thought anyone in Marble Falls could poison someone."

  "I know what you mean."

  We sat down at the bistro. The revelation from Jeremiah gave us something to think about. Someone in our community could have really been the poisoner. It was a heavy weight on my mind, the idea was hard to fathom. But at the end of the day, my thoughts kept circling back to Brett.

  "New baking arrangement," Azure transmitted as a reminder.

  "I hate to pile on more bad news," I said. "But I also have some good news."

  "What is it?" She asked.

  "Which do you want first, good or bad?"

  "Good of course."

  "Two months from now Azure is going to be in a cat show," I said trying not to laugh.

  "There is nothing funny about the show," Azure transmitted.

  "Of course, there is," I transmitted. "You prancing around for spectacle. And for what? So, you can be crowned the prettiest kitty?"

  "Oh my," Aubrey said. She was clearly trying to swallow a giggle as to feel out how into it I was before raining on my parade, "First of all, that's adorable. Second, take the mask off, I know you're not Hailey. Also, I need to see this. For moral support obviously."

  "Wow, a little suppo
rt would go a long way you know!" I said with a blank face, but I ended up caving into a fit of giggles before I could get out the full sentence.

  I cleared my throat and tried again. "Okay, seriously, Tona signed him up for it prior to her death. There is a cash prize for the winner, so I thought what the heck, right? It's a weekend event in Austin, so I'll need you to cover the cafe for a couple of days. Is that okay?"

  "You know you can always count on me, as your employee. But as your best friend, it's not right that I can't be there to see it."

  "We will see how Jess does Saturday running the cafe by herself. Maybe she could cover so you can see the finals?"

  "Yes!," Aubrey said. "That would be so fantastic. So, what was the bad news?"

  I should have prepared better for the conversation. But with the cat show, baking was the least of my worries. Aubrey being classified as an outsider was worse than tea. I had found myself wishing she could be in on the protector nonsense more and more over the past month. Originally, I had lied, and told her Tori needed a short break. But now that lie seemed hardly believable.

  "Tori's break is over," I said. "She is supposed to start delivering pastries again next week."

  Aubrey's face dropped and she said, "I understand."

  The sound of the front door bells jingled.

  "Better go check on that," she said.

  My shoulders slumped as Aubrey walked out of the back. Being able to contribute to the cafe with her own creations had been a source of joy for her. Each week she went on and on about the various breakfast pastries she had attempted. I hated to cut her out of the deal, but tribe rules were not mine to change. Tori was a baker, and I needed pastries for my business, therefore I had to do business with Tori. Even if it meant disappointing my best friend in the whole world.

  "What am I, liver and onions?" Azure transmitted.

  In the midst of my self-pity I dropped my block and he heard my thoughts.

  "It's just not fair," I transmitted.

  "The rule is there for the good of the tribe. As tribal leaders, we have to set the example."