Last Chance for Murder (Lisa Chance Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  “I don’t know, I just thought… I mean, it was such a surprise. Did you know they were having problems?”

  “That’s none of my business. They’re adults, and can run their own affairs.” She drained her mug and picked up Lisa’s nearly full one. “Thank you for coming by, Lisa, dear. I need to get going now.”

  Lisa stood, surprised by her aunt’s sudden shift. “Oh, well, sure. I’ll stop by the gallery later. I’d love to see your latest work.”

  Her aunt put the mugs down and folded her into a hug. “You do that. I have some paintings that are really working.”

  Chapter 3

  Still in need of coffee, Lisa headed for downtown. She could have gone back to her mother’s house, but she didn’t want to explain to Penny why she’d left so early. If she waited a little longer, Penny would be at work by the time Lisa came back.

  The early morning light was kind to the buildings in downtown Moss Creek, forgiving their faults of cheap construction and derivative design to bathe them in the hopeful light of morning. The Folly, as always, stood out from its neighbors. It was a beautiful old building, stately without seeming pretentious. Lisa slowed down to ogle the lovely house as she headed for the diner.

  The street in front of the diner didn’t have a single open parking space. Lisa cruised around the block looking for parking, finally finding some in front of the dry cleaner. Must have been too early for dry cleaning.

  The bell jingled as she entered the diner. The foyer was packed with people, and Lisa craned her neck to try to find the hostess and get her name on the list. As she looked, a familiar face came into view, spotted her, and broke into a giant smile.

  Lisa laughed as the crowd parted and that familiar face closed the distance.

  “Lisa!”

  “Carly!”

  They threw their arms around each other and hugged. A bulge between them made Lisa look down in surprise.

  “Carly, you’re…” she gestured at her friend’s midsection.

  “About four months along,” Carly said, grinning and rubbing her hands over her growing belly.

  “Oh my god, I had no idea,” Lisa said, flushing with guilt. How could she not know her best friend from high school was pregnant?

  “I posted an ultrasound to Facebook — I know, so cliché — but I was going to call you and tell you all about it; that’s just so much more personal. Oh, it’s so good to see you!”

  “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you and Gideon.” Lisa looked around. “Is he here, or…?”

  “No, he’s working today. I was going to eat at the counter, but this place is a zoo this morning.”

  “Me too. Want to eat together? We can catch up.”

  “I’d love that,” Carly said, “but the wait is going to be twice as long for two.”

  Lisa looked at her shoes, disappointed. She didn’t much like eating alone, and she’d been so excited to see her friend again. Maybe the feeling wasn’t mutual.

  Carly frowned. “I can’t stand this crowd. Let’s get out of here. We can grab something from the drive-thru.”

  “You’re on!” They pushed through the crowd to the door. “Your car or mine?”

  Carly beeped the unlock on the small silver Subaru wagon right in front of them. “Unless you’re parked closer than this, let’s take mine.”

  They went to the drive-thru at Lola’s Burgers and More at the edge of town and got a giant box of food. Burgers, fries, chicken strips, milkshakes, soda, onion rings, a breakfast burrito, and pie. Lisa’s eyes bulged at the bounty.

  Carly shrugged. “Junior gets hungry,” she said, patting her rounded belly.

  Lisa looked out the window as they drove into the forest. The trees were cool and shady and green. It hit her again that she was really here, back where she started, so different from LA.

  Carly ate during nearly the entire drive, a little more than an hour, to the Grand Canyon overlook favored by locals. She slurped the last of the chocolate milkshake as she put the car in park.

  They hiked up to the overlook and sat on a boulder. The Grand Canyon, no matter how many times Lisa had seen it before, overwhelmed her with its beauty and majesty. The silver ribbon of water peeking through didn’t seem powerful enough to have carved the miles of rock around it, revealing their layers of color.

  Lisa sighed.

  “Yeah,” Carly said. “Me, too. No matter how big and overwhelming my problems feel, this place just, you know, seems to put things in perspective.”

  “Perspective? I could use a bit of that.”

  “Ok, fess up. What happened in LA? With Dylan?” Carly used the tone of voice she’d developed teaching school, firm but kind, ready to listen to everything but brooking no nonsense.

  “It was a total disaster.”

  “Ok, I know that’s not precisely true. You have an agent. You’re a working actor. That’s not a disaster.”

  “Had. I had an agent. And I got one job. One. I mean, other than extra work.” She laughed a bitter laugh. “You know what they call extras on set? Props that eat. I’m a prop! Not even a person.”

  “You ARE a person. And one job means you could do more jobs. Not that you have to be an actor; that’s not the point. But you can do whatever you set your mind to.”

  Lisa shook her head, staring out at the glory of the canyon. “I don’t know.”

  “I know.” Carly patted her hand. “Ok, what about your agent? You just got that job a few months ago. That seems like a valuable client to keep.”

  Lisa sighed. “Promise me you don’t tell anyone this.”

  “Ok.”

  “No, really. Promise me.”

  “Fine, I promise. What happened?”

  “I walked in on my agent in bed with Dylan.”

  “What?!”

  “It got pretty ugly. I might have said a few things I regret. Actually, I might have thrown a few things I regret.”

  “That’s… that’s… it’s so unprofessional of them!”

  Lisa laughed, tears in her eyes. “I tell you my agent and my boyfriend were screwing, and you see the lack of professionalism! That’s why I love you.”

  “Well, it is unprofessional. And sometimes our professional dignity is all we have to separate us from the animals. And I should know from feeling like an animal these days.” Carly patted her belly for emphasis. “Pregnancy has a way of making a girl feel downright mammalian.”

  They were quiet a minute.

  “Oh, the baby’s kicking. You want to feel?”

  Lisa put her hand tentatively over her friend’s midsection and let Carly guide it to a spot that looked strangely pointy. A second passed, and then she felt it, an unmistakable push against her palm. She took her hand away and stared at it.

  “That is pretty wild,” she said.

  “Untamed and full of life,” Carly agreed. “So I guess that means Dylan got to keep the agent in the split?”

  “You could say that.” It felt good to laugh again, and to have someone to tell things to. “You know, it had been a while that I knew something was wrong between us. Dylan and me, I mean. I had no idea there was anything wrong with the agent, besides the usual. But we just… it’s like we didn’t really talk anymore. Weeks would go by and I couldn’t think of the last real conversation we’d had that wasn’t about schedules or bills. It’s like Dylan had checked out early but didn’t bother to tell me.”

  “That’s the worst.”

  “I don’t know why he didn’t just say something. I mean, what could he have said, right? But still. I feel like he wasted my time. I’ll be thirty in October, and what do I have to show for myself?”

  Carly turned and took Lisa by the shoulders. “Stop it. What do you have to show? You’re a beautiful, vibrant woman. You made your way in Hollywood and got cast in a commercial. You have a long life ahead of you, with so many different paths open to you. Your age does not define you, and neither does that man-slut, Dylan.”

  Lisa smiled sheepishly. “You’re g
etting pretty good at your pep talks.”

  “Yeah, well, I give myself a practice pep talk in the mirror every morning.”

  Lisa put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the engagement ring. “I was going to throw this in the canyon,” she admitted.

  “You still could,” Carly said, “but it’s a pretty big rock. And you have no obligation to return it to a cheater. Why not pawn it and use the money for something better than that rat?”

  “Yeah, I like that idea better.” She put the ring back in her pocket. “Driving through Barstow, I also thought of throwing myself into the canyon. Just drive straight through and go right over the edge.”

  Carly’s face got very serious. “Lisa Chance, don’t you dare. You are too important to lose yourself like that.”

  “I won’t. I don’t even know why I’d think something like that. I blame Barstow. It really is a depressing town.” She laughed, hoping to reassure her friend.

  “All right. Good. But if you ever think that way, call me. Ok? Call me, any time.”

  “I will.”

  Carly took her hand and gave it a squeeze, and they sat and looked out over the gorgeous view. The sun had risen higher in the sky, and the colors of the canyon walls were different. The angle of the light and the time of year changed the look of that beautiful place in subtle ways. Lisa and Carly had spent enough time looking at it that every little change registered.

  “So what’s next for Lisa Chance?” Carly said. “Are you going back to LA?”

  Lisa shook her head. “No. LA feels like… like it’s more Dylan’s town than mine, like acting was more his thing, and I was mostly doing it because that’s what people do.”

  “What then?” Carly’s smile grew hopeful. “Will you stay here?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe? I really don’t know what I should do. I love it here. The trees, the mountains, the fresh air.”

  “The canyon.”

  “The canyon,” Lisa agreed. She shrugged. “I just feel so unprepared. Underprepared. I spent my twenties chasing Hollywood. But if I’m not acting, what can I do?”

  “Your mom would probably hire you at the real estate office.”

  “She can’t. You can’t sell real estate with a criminal record.”

  Carly nodded. “Right. I always forget about that. I guess that rules out joining Toby at the police department.”

  Lisa laughed. “Can you even imagine me as a cop?”

  “Maybe. You’ve got a good eye for detail, you’re good with people, you’re fit enough. Why couldn’t you make a good cop? I mean, other than the criminal record thing.”

  “Sure, fine, but I need to figure out a job in the real world, not in the pretend world where I never got charged with criminal trespass.”

  “Ok, what do you like? What do you know about? What makes you feel good?”

  “I like the canyon. I like coffee. I know about coffee from working at the Coffee Spot. I know about jail. From going there. I know about the Folly. From going there.” She sighed. It felt so hopeless trying to figure out what a nearly thirty-year-old woman with a criminal record and no college degree and no real work experience could do.

  “You liked working at the Coffee Spot, right?” Carly said, that tone in her voice again.

  “Of course. Hard to pay the bills in LA on coffee shop wages, but yeah. It was great.”

  “And you’re a go-getter.”

  “Sure, I guess.”

  “And you saw how busy the diner was this morning.”

  “Yee-aah.” Lisa was starting to get the drift of Carly’s thoughts.

  “What if you opened a coffee shop here?”

  “At the overlook?”

  “No, in town, silly.”

  Lisa opened her mouth to shoot the idea down, but stopped. She really had loved working at the coffee shop, and the town really could use a place like that. “But what about capital?” she said. “It would be amazing to start my own coffee shop, that’s true, but starting a business costs money.”

  Carly gestured at the majestic canyon in front of them. “Look at this place. Anything is possible. The only question is, do you want it?”

  “I do, but… I guess I feel like this is my last chance.”

  “Lisa Chance’s last chance,” Carly said.

  “Last chance café. Ooh, I like that. Lisa’s Last Chance Café.” She grinned.

  “Lisa’s Last Chance Café,” Carly echoed.

  Excitement bubbled up in her gut. “I’m going to start a coffee shop!” Lisa yelled into the Grand Canyon.

  Chapter 4

  Lisa slept in till nearly 10 the following morning, with the help of a phone on silent and the curtains clipped together with clothespins. Padding down to the kitchen for breakfast, she wondered if her mother would still be home or if the late sleeping would mean she was already at work.

  She peeked out the front window and was relieved to see her mother’s SUV was gone.

  Stretching like a cat, she went into the kitchen and started methodically going through the cabinets to find the coffee maker, coffee, grinder, and mugs. The coffee maker was easy to find and the mugs even easier, but the coffee and grinder eluded her. She finally found a mostly empty bag of pre-ground coffee in the freezer.

  Lisa wrinkled her nose. No whole beans anywhere. She shrugged to herself, accepting it as the fate of a trained coffee snob, and starting the pot brewing.

  As she waited for the coffee to be ready, a lime green Post-It note on the fridge caught her eye.

  “Lisa: Sorry to miss you for dinner. Meet for lunch at Nero’s. 1:00. Don’t be late. Mom.”

  Lisa groaned. So much for her lazy day. She’d slept well, feeling relaxed after her talk with Carly. She felt a renewed sense of purpose, opening a coffee shop. She just needed to figure out how to make it happen.

  But the thought of lunch with her mother, at her mother’s favorite restaurant, crowded out thoughts of starting her coffee shop. Penny liked to get people onto her preferred turf before springing things on them. So what was she going to spring on Lisa this time?

  The coffee finally finished. She poured herself a mug and took a sip. The taste was acceptable but not great. Brewing from pre-ground coffee had a tendency to introduce a stale note into the drink, and storing coffee in the freezer could make that worse by adding hints of whatever food had been in the refrigerator at the same time. The worst she’d tasted had been distinctly oniony. But it seemed that Penny didn’t keep anything offensive in her fridge.

  As the caffeine filtered into her veins, she felt her mind start to really wake up. She’d been in town two days and hadn’t seen her father yet. A smile spread across her face as she came up with an idea.

  She took out her phone and dialed Lou’s number. It went to voicemail.

  “Daddy, it’s Lisa. I’m in town and I want to see you. Could you meet me for lunch? How about Nero’s at twelve thirty? See you there! Love you, bye!”

  She put her phone down. Her mother wasn’t the only one who could arrange a surprise.

  *

  Lisa arrived at Nero’s at twelve thirty. It was the one restaurant in town that could be counted on to have linen napkins instead of paper, making it Penny’s favorite for wining and dining clients.

  Stepping inside and seeing the familiar décor, framed reproductions of the Italian Old Masters, and smelling the sauces simmering and the breadsticks baking brought Lisa back to one of her first dates with Dylan. Newly released from jail, she’d felt like her life was over and no one would ever be interested in her again. Dylan had shown up at her parents’ house in a rented tux, with a corsage and an invitation to put on her unused gown and have a make-up prom, just the two of them, starting with dinner at Nero’s.

  Tears pricked her eyes as she remembered how romantic he’d been when they were young. If someone had told her younger self he’d end up cheating on her, she never would have believed it. Funny how things turn out sometimes.

  “Bella, bellissima! It’s
so good to have you home again!” Nero pranced into the foyer and made a show of kissing Lisa on each cheek. His jacket was spotless, as always, and fit his bulk perfectly.

  “I’m surprised you remember me,” Lisa said. “I haven’t been here in years.”

  “How could I forget the lovely Lisa Chance, daughter of one of my most faithful clients?”

  Lisa laughed. “Of course. How have you been? How’s your family?”

  They chatted on the way to the table. Nero’s youngest grandchild was starting school in the fall, and he was bursting with pride.

  Settled at her table, Lisa sipped her glass of wine. Moments later, her father walked into the foyer of the restaurant.

  Lou Chance was dressed in an outfit Lisa remembered from years past, the absentminded professor look of muddy-gray khakis and a striped button-down shirt under a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches. Lou was anything but absentminded, but the stable and standardized professor look he adopted in his early years of teaching high school had meant he could dress in the dark and make it to 6 AM marching band practices.

  Lisa waved. Lou spotted her and headed to her table, nodding across the restaurant to Nero.

  “Daddy!” Enveloped in her dad’s comforting hug, Lisa felt stress melt away like she was a little girl again.

  “It’s so good to see you, sweetheart. I’m sorry to hear about things with Dylan,” he said, settling into his chair.

  “What have you heard?” Being back in the small town made Lisa worry about the gossip mill starting up again.

  “Nothing except that you split up. Are you ok?”

  Tears sprang into her eyes. As a teenager, she could always talk to her father. He had a warm and sympathetic aura that drew people to him. His office outside the band room at school had always had a constant stream of teenagers pouring out their woes.

  “I’m still in shock, I think. I mean, I really thought he was the one, especially after everything that happened.”

  He nodded. “It’s not easy,” he said. “No, not easy. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I should. I’m just kind of embarrassed, you know?”

  “Sure.” He nodded again and took a bite of the warm bread the waiter had dropped off at their table. “Bread?”