Crumbling Up Crooks

  Crumbling Up Crooks

  Little Dog Diner, Book 5

  Emmie Lyn

  Contents

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  More Blueberry Bay

  More Emmie!

  About This Book

  Don’t get married on Christmas Eve, they said.

  The holiday will overshadow your special day, they insisted.

  Little did they know that a shockingly festive murder would put everything else on hold.

  When all signs point to my sometimes friend, sometimes rival, Detective Crenshaw, I’ll need to work fast so that he’s not forced to spend his holiday in the slammer. But in throwing myself feet first into the real crook’s crummy conspiracy, I could be risking so much more than a spoiled day… The future of my forthcoming marriage could very well be on the line too.

  Oh, boy… Can Pip and I solve this one in record time so that my fiancé’s and my perfect day can go off without another major hitch?

  1

  I should have been more careful. I thought.

  Three seconds too late.

  “Yikes!” I screeched as my foot shot out in front of me. My arms flailed wildly as I desperately grabbed at something to break my fall.

  All I got was a handful of thin air before I crash-landed on the hard sidewalk.

  If I hadn’t been in such a rush to get out of the frigid wind gusting off Blueberry Bay and into the warmth of Creative Designs, I would have seen the patch of ice and carefully stepped over it.

  Isn’t there usually an if? Especially in a situation like this?

  But, there you have it. Hi, I’m Danielle Mackenzie, Dani to my friends, and lately I’ve been rushing from one place to another trying to wrap up all the last-minute errands before my wedding on Christmas Eve.

  Panic hit as I realized I only had the rest of the week left to finish a month’s worth of tasks.

  One by one I moved my limbs. Nothing broken. Thankfully, my thick winter parka cushioned the landing. Wasn’t it important to find the best side in every situation?

  Still, I patted my chest with the false expectation that I could actually show down my racing heart.

  No worries, I calmly said to myself. My errand at Creative Designs would be easy-peasy and then next on the list was helping Lily at the Little Dog Diner, closed for the season, but open for my wedding preparations.

  Pip, my loyal Jack Russell terrier, looked at me with what I could only imagine was laughter in her deep brown eyes as she gave my chin a sympathetic lick.

  “You think it’s funny, Pipster?” I asked, ruffling the hair on her neck. But I had to agree, and now that I knew nothing except my ego was bruised, I pulled her into my arms and laughed along with her.

  I pushed myself up, dusted the snow off my coat, and checked to see if anyone had watched me take my embarrassing tumble. Not much was happening on Main Street in Misty Harbor this cold morning. Only a few cars made their way past us without stopping.

  I caught a flash of dark red from some early bird walking briskly in the distance, so I assumed no one witnessed my out-of-control clownish spin.

  I carefully took the last few steps to the door of the Creative Designs gallery.

  At times like this, I wondered two things. One, why did Luke and I decide to get married on Christmas Eve when the weather could be so unpredictable; and two, why didn’t I let Luke pick up our wedding rings? That, in itself, would have spared me a trip in the cold and a bruised bottom.

  Too late to change any of that, I told myself, as I pulled the door open.

  As I entered, the sound of shattering glass filled Creative Designs.

  That couldn’t be good, but it wasn’t my problem. I’d pick up my wedding rings and get out.

  “Kelly? Is everything alright?” I called. When no answer came, I assumed the owner of Misty Harbor’s popular gallery for Maine artists was busy and hadn’t heard me enter. Well, she probably was busy… cleaning up a mess in the back since the retail area seemed normal. Except for a low background murmur of Christmas music, the store was quiet. Too quiet.

  Was my hearing working, or had I only imagined the loud crash? Despite the Christmas music, there had to be a reason for the unusual silence.

  I clenched Pip’s leash tightly in my hand so no one could blame her for any possible disaster. One false step and any number of fragile items could start tumbling to the floor. I took a tentative step toward the center of the gallery, hoping Pip would behave impeccably as she normally did when we went shopping.

  Beautiful watercolor paintings of the Maine coast and lighthouses lined one wall like a museum gallery. Stunning jewelry of every shape and color filled the island of glass display cases down the middle of the shop. Shelves arranged with earth-toned ceramics lined another wall, and one corner showcased the whimsical work of a local artist who knitted socks and felted hats for kids of all ages. I had my eye on one hat in particular.

  The back wall held the showiest display, which sparkled with tiny lights. Nick North, an up-and-coming glassblower, had arranged a herd of glass reindeer and Christmas trees on a white fluffy material that looked just like snow.

  Even though the display was incomplete, the magic of his work glittered brightly. When finished, the reindeer would look like they were flying over Misty Harbor pulling Santa on his sleigh filled with a huge sack of presents.

  I looked down at Pip, adorned in a red and green seasonal bandana. She had her deep brown eyes focused on me waiting for an explanation of what had happened, no doubt wondering, as I was, what we were supposed to do next.

  Again, I asked myself why I had agreed to pick up our custom wedding bands instead of letting Luke handle this quick errand. Right, it was supposed to be easy, but here I was wondering what had made the terrible noise when I’d entered. I prayed I wasn’t stepping into a disaster.

  I slowly inched forward hoping someone would show up, hand me the two rings so I could leave. Across the street at the Little Dog Diner my best friend, Lily Lemay, working her fingers to the bone preparing desserts for Kelly’s open house tonight, was waiting for me to lend a hand.

  “Kelly?” I called again, louder this time, but it had no effect. “Should we leave?” I asked Pip when no one answered.

  Another crash came from the back area, not glass this time, more like a dull thud, and then a muffled moan.

  That didn’t sound good; it made my heart jump into my throat.

  More problems, I worried? Please. Not now. Not when I’d promised to help Lily with her Christmas open house catering job the weekend before my wedding. Sure, I’d told her months ago when it seemed like a snap to squeeze a few extra hours in.

  Really? The week of my wedding? What the heck was I thinking?

 
; The door opened between the retail area where I waited, and Kelly’s back office and work area.

  It was about time, I thought. Get my rings and get going. I had things to do and places to be. I sure as heck wasn’t going to let Kelly persuade me to help with any cleanup.

  But it wasn’t Kelly who stood swaying in front of me.

  “AJ?” I said, reaching for the counter to balance myself at the surprise of seeing Detective AJ Crenshaw.

  “Call an ambulance, Dani,” he managed to say just before he collapsed.

  I ran to his side. “AJ?”

  I shook him but he didn’t respond. “What happened?” I yelled. I guess I thought that if I was loud enough, my question would get through.

  His eyes fluttered, and he mumbled, “Got hit from behind.”

  My fingers trembled as I punched in 9-1-1. Somehow, I managed to give my location and stressed that Detective Crenshaw had asked for an ambulance before he fell to the floor. Then, I returned my attention to AJ and noticed a glass reindeer clutched in his hand.

  Well, part of a glass reindeer.

  The back part to be exact.

  Covered with blood.

  Had AJ cut himself?

  “Come on Pip. Let’s look at what happened in the back of the store.”

  Okay, I know I should have stuck to my original plan of not getting involved, but with a broken piece of bloody reindeer staring me in the face, this whole scene had taken on a new level of urgency.

  Maybe Kelly was in the back. Hurt.

  I peeked through the door, gasping at a room that looked like it had been hit by a tornado—broken glass everywhere, a trail of bloody red splatters and a pile of boxes.

  Why did I let my curiosity override my common sense instead of backing out and closing the door?

  Before I could stop her, Pip leaped forward and pulled the leash from my hand. With a yip, she burrowed under the boxes as if she was hot on the trail of a chipmunk in a wall of cardboard boulders.

  I couldn’t leave now, not with Pip in here, so I tiptoed around broken glass reindeer and Christmas trees to lift the cardboard box she’d disappeared under.

  “Oh my goodness!”

  My hand covered my mouth as I stared at Nick North, the glassblowing artist. A red stain blossomed through his shirt. Half of a glass reindeer, the front half, protruded from his chest. Or at least as much as I could see since the antlers seemed to be buried in him. I couldn’t imagine that he’d done this to himself.

  I lifted his wrist and felt for a pulse like I’d seen actors do in the movies, but I couldn’t feel anything. Was I doing it wrong? Maybe, but I didn’t think so. The color in his face had already turned to a pasty gray. I had a sinking feeling that this guy, Nick, wouldn’t be creating any more Christmas magic out of glass. Ever.

  I heard a voice coming from the front of the shop. “Anyone here?”

  I dropped Nick’s wrist.

  “Come on, Pip,” I said and picked up her leash. We carefully avoided the broken glass as we made our way back to where we should have stayed to begin with—safe in the front room with Christmas music playing in the background and Christmas lights twinkling.

  The paramedic kneeling next to AJ looked up when he saw me. “What happened?”

  I shook my head, still reeling from what I’d seen. “Good question but I can’t help you with an answer.”

  I could speculate, but I wasn’t going to do that. AJ was the only one who could explain what happened to Nick or himself since Nick wouldn’t be talking ever again. And I sure hoped that AJ wasn’t the reason why.

  Grabbing Pip’s leash, I moved us out of the way to watch and wonder what the heck had happened in the back room of Creative Designs.

  2

  When Detective Jane Winter entered, moments behind the paramedic, she surveyed the scene in Creative Designs with an air of confidence. She zeroed in on the paramedic attending to AJ before scanning the rest of the shop.

  Jane was a brand new hire on the Misty Harbor police force, and from what I’d heard, a woman out to prove herself as quickly as possible. I suspected that goal would certainly clash with AJ. He had seniority in the department. Once he came to and saw he wasn’t in charge of whatever had happened, I didn’t need a crystal ball to foresee the conflict between the two detectives.

  My source for this information about Jane Winter was Misty Harbor’s best, and only investigator, Maggie Marshall. Besides being AJ’s girlfriend, Maggie knew a thing or two about his competitive and possessive nature when it came to investigations.

  Maggie wasn’t thrilled with Jane, either, but not because of loyalty to AJ’s job. It was more along the vein of the jealous girlfriend side of things. Maggie was very selfish when it came to AJ. Sharing him was not in any size, shape, or form one of her talents.

  At any rate, while I tried to disappear among the felted hats and warm wool socks, I sent Maggie a text message thinking it would be best for her to hear about AJ from me first. Before I hit send, though, who should barge into Creative Designs but Maggie herself wearing a look that transformed from unexpected excitement to ready-to-kill the first person who crossed her path.

  No one but Maggie could pull that off so well.

  Jane barricaded Maggie from entering before she’d gotten both feet inside the gallery. “This is a crime scene,” the new detective declared.

  The two women glared at each other. I had my money on Maggie for no other reason than loyalty to my friend.

  We made eye contact, and she told Jane, “I need to talk to Danielle Mackenzie.”

  Jane flicked her wrist and said, “That makes two of us.” Then she pointed at me. “You… outside. I’ll deal with you later.”

  I didn’t need to be asked twice. “Come on, Pip. Time to skedaddle.”

  “Stay out front until I come out to get your statement,” Jane added.

  Was she serious? It was December… in Maine with a bitter wind howling off the ocean. I didn’t plan on pacing the sidewalk to keep my toes from turning into lumps of ice even with my wool socks and insulated boots on.

  “How about I wait across the street for you in the Little Dog Diner? It’s closed so there won’t be any customers inside.” I said in my best have-some-pity-on-us voice possible.

  Jane sucked in a big lungful of air as if I was the biggest pain in her life at the moment even though she had an injured detective on the floor and a body in the back room. Granted, she hadn’t discovered that yet. Me? I was only in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  “Okay. Wait at the diner,” she said, much to my surprise. Then, she made a perfect pivot, which I took to mean time to go before she found the body and changed her mind.

  Maggie looped her arm through mine. I had to jog to keep up with her as she rushed out the door.

  “What the heck happened in there?” she asked.

  That wasn’t a question I could answer easily.

  “Why did you barge into Creative Designs like a wild woman on a mission?” I asked to divert her.

  “AJ sent me a weird text saying to meet him in the gallery. I was thinking maybe he was ordering some kind of jewelry for me for Christmas. Since I hate surprises, I assumed he was going to ask my opinion. What was going on and why was Jane running the show?”

  With those words out of her mouth, something must have connected in Maggie’s investigative brain. “Was that AJ on the floor?” she asked in barely a whisper.

  I nodded, wondering what took her so long.

  She turned, ready to charge back to AJ’s side. “Is he ok?”

  I clamped down hard on her arm to keep her from bolting back to the scene. “I think so, but I’m sure Jane won’t let you near him for now,” I said.

  “Of course, she won’t.” Maggie looked none too happy about the situation.

  “And,” I continued, “I don’t know what happened inside, but I did see Nick North lying in the back room with what looked to be the front end of one of the glass reindeers stuck in his ch
est.”

  Maggie stopped and grabbed both of my arms; her eyes wide with shock. “How did that happen? Did he stab himself?”

  “I don’t think so. The room was a disaster, like he’d been in a fight.”

  “With AJ?”

  “Why would they fight?” This quick assumption on Maggie’s part didn’t bode well for AJ.

  Maggie hesitated. Was she weighing what and how much to tell me? She sighed, an admission that she only had one choice.

  “In AJ’s opinion, Nick North was scummier than the contents of a septic tank. He didn’t treat AJ’s sister, Kelly, with any respect, either. In other words, if you haven’t figured it out already, AJ couldn’t stand the guy.”

  Oh boy. I didn’t like the sound of that on top of what I’d seen inside. “I wonder where Kelly is.”

  “That’s the thing, Dani. AJ agreed to watch the store for her for about an hour this morning before his shift started. She had to pick up some more decorations for her open house. Kelly was beyond excited that Nick agreed to let Creative Designs be the exclusive seller of this new Christmas line. I mean, over the top, in la-la-land excited. Personally? I think she had a major crush on the guy. Anyway, tonight’s open house was supposed to be the big showcase.”

  “Did AJ know Nick would be at Creative Designs when he agreed to watch the store? You know, because of their less than amicable relationship, it might not have been the best arrangement.”

  “I don’t know about that. So, you said it looked like there’d been a fight in the back room?”