Chai Cupcake Killer: Book 4 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Read online

Irma waved at them from the porch, and they exchanged a glance once they backed out of the driveway.

  “So… escort service?” Echo mused.

  “Yep, we need to check that out, and we also need to see what dirt those two ladies might have had on Bubba Brookshire that would cause him to throw the family farm away,” Missy nodded. They had work to do.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Found it!” Echo exclaimed, pointing to the screen of her laptop. “Here it is—C&C Dating Factory, based out of Omaha. Dating, not escort service. Irma was really confused.”

  “Omaha? That isn’t exactly ‘up north’ and I can’t imagine that there’d be enough people who would sign up for a dating service to make it a worthwhile career,” Missy was puzzled.

  “That’s not how it works,” Echo murmured, clicking through the site. “They’re matchmakers, and they match computer profiles for people all over the US”

  “Hmm… new twist on an ancient concept, interesting. But how do they make money at it?”

  “People sign up for their ‘personalized services’ and they pay a fee for Carol and Chloe to match them up. In reality, they probably just feed the data into the computer and it spits out someone based on a compatibility algorithm,” Echo mused, still reviewing the site.

  “How much does it cost?”

  “I’m looking…” Echo switched from screen to screen until she found her answer. “Holy cow! People pay that kind of money to try and meet someone?”

  “How much is it?” Missy peeped over her shoulder at the screen.

  “That much,” Echo pointed.

  “Oh my goodness,” Missy exclaimed. “That’s a lot of money!”

  “And that may be why they were killed. I can imagine someone being pretty darn upset if they paid that kind of money and didn’t meet the love of their life, like the site promises,” Echo commented.

  “That makes sense,” Missy nodded. “Is there any way that we can search through their client list and see if Bubba or Evan is on it?”

  “I doubt it, these things are usually confidential. Sometimes clients are never even shown a picture of a potential date until they’ve already agreed to meet.”

  “Well, so what do we do now?”

  “Didn’t Grayson have a friend who was really good with computers?”

  Missy nodded. “Yep, I think he did. I wonder if he’d help us take a little look through the client list, if that’s even possible.”

  “If he’s Grayson’s friend, you’d think he’d want to do anything he could to help his buddy out, right?” Echo asked reasonably.

  “I sure hope so. We’ll ask him in the morning. What did you find out about Destiny’s mom and dad?”

  “Nothing yet, but I’m going to keep digging. I did discover that Bubba has been in and out of jail in LaChance, mostly for harmless stuff like disturbing the peace, being drunk in public, snoring in the library, that kind of thing, but if we can tie him to the dating service, we might have an entirely different story.”

  “Well, then, let’s keep on truckin,” Missy sighed, frustrated at their lack of progress.

  ***

  Missy and Echo were sitting on the front porch of the B&B, still trying to find clues about Bubba Brookshire and Evan Crandall, when a tall, dark-haired man came up the walk, whistling a tune that seemed somehow familiar.

  “Afternoon, ladies,” he greeted them with a dazzling smile—he really was quite attractive. “Mind if I pull up a rocker and enjoy this lovely southern sunshine?” he asked.

  “Not at all,” Echo replied, ignoring the look that Missy gave her. She was willing to take a break for a few minutes to chat with a handsome stranger. “Have a seat.”

  “What was that tune you were whistling?” Missy asked. “It sounds so familiar.”

  “It was a Chopin piece, one of my favorites,” he replied, easing into a wicker rocker.

  “Well no wonder it was familiar. My mom loved Chopin—I heard it all the time at home,” she smiled, remembering, and thawed a tiny bit.

  The quintessential southerner in her took over, and she decided to be hospitable, at least for a bit.

  “Are you staying here at the inn?” Echo asked.

  “Yes, I am. I’ve been enjoying the peace and quiet. The pace of life here is so relaxing.”

  “Are you in town on business or pleasure?” Missy inquired politely.

  “Well, the purpose of my trip is business, but it has certainly been a pleasure staying in this quaint little town. What about you two?”

  “Oh, we’re just on vacation,” she answered quickly, before Echo could speak. “What kind of business do you do?”

  “I’m in real estate development.”

  “That sounds complicated,” Echo chuckled.

  “Not really. I work for a company called ABC Elite. They pay me to travel a great deal, scoping out places that might have potential for development. It’s a great way to see the country,” he explained.

  “And somewhere around here has potential for development?” Missy found that curious.

  “No. At least not that I know of. I’m passing through and had some down time, so I thought I’d hang out here for a few days before heading further south.”

  “That makes sense,” Echo nodded. “LaChance is a nice place to just breathe.”

  “Exactly,” he sighed, content, and linked his hands behind his head. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “Not at all,” Missy replied. “It’s actually time for us to freshen up a bit before dinner. It was a pleasure talking with you, Mr.…?”

  “Chambers. Cade Chambers,” he extended his hand and they both shook it, introducing themselves.

  “Maybe I’ll run into you at breakfast,” he said as they walked into the inn.

  “It’s a good possibility,” Echo joked. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” he gave them a jaunty wave and remained stretched out comfortably in the rocker.

  “Wow, he was cute,” Echo remarked, once they were in their room.

  “You’re engaged,” Missy reminded her.

  “Yep, engaged, not blind,” she giggled.

  “And incorrigible,” was the retort as Missy launched a pillow at her friend.

  “Always.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Missy’s phone rang, waking her out of a peaceful slumber as the first rays of a lovely sunrise peeped over the horizon.

  “Hello?” she muttered, as Echo sat up in the other bed, groping for her phone to see what time it was.

  “Hey, Mrs. B., I’m really sorry to wake you up so early, but Grayson’s friend, the computer hacker, found something really interesting. Do you think you could come over to my apartment after breakfast?” Sarah asked apologetically.

  “Of course, honey. Just give us about an hour or so to get showered and grab a bite and we’ll head over there. Text me your address, will you?”

  They said their goodbyes and hung up.

  “You think it’s important?” Echo asked, bleary-eyed.

  “Certainly sounds that way,” Missy nodded.

  Fortunately, there were two bathrooms in their suite, so they were both able to shower and get dressed at the same time, then head down to breakfast.

  “Good morning,” Cade Chambers greeted them, looking up from a plate heaped with pancakes and bacon.

  “Hi,” the friends said in unison, quickly seating themselves at the long walnut dining table.

  Their hostess came in and filled their plates, and they dug in. Echo had called the inn in advance of their visit, so they had several vegan options for her.

  “Wow, it’s nice to see women who aren’t afraid to eat,” Cade remarked with an amused grin, as Missy and Echo shoveled fruit, granola, and soy yogurt into their mouths.

  They paused in their eating, looked at each other, and laughed, hands in front of their mouths.

  “Sorry,” Missy said, when she recovered. “We have someplace to be, and we’re eager to get there, so we�
��re letting our table manners slide a little bit.”

  “No worries. I’m just taking my sweet time with this incredible stack of pancakes. I have nowhere to be, and all day to get there.”

  “Sounds like a wonderful vacation,” Echo commented.

  “Indeed,” he nodded, drizzling more warm, thick maple syrup over his fluffy pecan pancakes.

  The two women took a few more bites, grabbed some grapes and strawberries, and pushed back from the table, headed for the door.

  “Have a nice day,” Cade called after them with a chuckle.

  “You too,” came the faint reply as they stepped out onto the porch.

  ***

  Sarah introduced Missy and Echo to a shaggy young man who looked as if he hadn’t seen the inside of a shower in some time. Sarah called him Twitch, and after observing him for a few minutes, they could see why. Personal quirks notwithstanding, the young man seemed to be a computer genius of sorts, and while he couldn’t crack the entire client database for C&C Dating Factory, he had found a way to search specific names.

  “And look at this,” Sarah pointed to the screen of Twitch’s laptop.

  “Who’s that?” Echo asked, seeing a photo of a very normal-looking man with a bushy beard and mustache.

  Missy’s hand went to her throat and she gasped. “That’s Bubba Brookshire. Scroll down, let’s see what his profile says,” she commanded, no longer noticing the faint aroma of corn chips that seemed to be coming from the unwashed young man.

  Echo read from the screen. “Potential matches… four. Matches met… two. Is there any way to see who the matches were?”

  Twitch shook his head, and one of his shoulders hitched a bit. “No. I’d need to know their names and search from there.”

  “Does it say how much he paid for his membership?” Missy asked.

  “I can’t access any of the financials,” Twitch sounded frustrated.

  “What about Evan Crandall? Is he in here?” Echo inquired, peering over Twitch’s shoulder.

  “Nope, no one by any name that’s even close to that. When I can’t find an exact match, I look for names that might be misspelled, and there’s nothing remotely like Evan Crandall in here,” he explained, looking disappointed.

  “Which means that Officer Simmons seems to have arrested the wrong man,” Missy mused.

  “At least it wasn’t me,” Grayson remarked.

  “And, at least now the police will have an actual suspect to look for,” Twitch added. “I did a Dark Web search on Evan Crandall, and he seems legit in every possible way. This guy has never had so much as a parking ticket, no shady friends, relatives, or associates—nothing out of the ordinary at all.”

  “Wait… Dark Web? What the heck is that?” Echo asked, eyes wide.

  “It’s a technical term which means…” he began.

  Missy interrupted, not having the patience for a lecture on the inner workings of the Internet. “In layman’s terms please,” she requested before he really got on a roll.

  “Well, essentially it means that I accessed parts of the web that normal humans like you and me aren’t supposed to be able to access. If any dirt on this guy existed anywhere, I’d have found it, and there’s just nothing. He may be a bit different, but he’s totally a straight-up dude,” Twitch summed it up.

  “We have to go talk to the police,” Echo looked at Missy, who nodded.

  “Of course that’s… that’s with the understanding…” Twitch stuttered nervously.

  “We never saw you, we never talked to you. Don’t worry, darlin. We protect folks who help us out,” Missy patted his shoulder as she and Echo grabbed their purses and headed for the door.

  “Let us know how it goes,” Sarah called after them.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Destiny Crandall walked slowly down the middle of the country road. She and her mom had been staying in their RV for the past few days while her dad sat in an awful jail cell. She walked toward the house. That house. The house that was to blame for what was happening to her dad. She thought that if she went over there enough times, she’d find the final clues that she needed to put the case together. Once that happened, she could go to the police, tell them what she had figured out, and her dad would be free.

  There was a man out front with a measuring tape. He looked friendly, but Destiny was leery. It seemed like everyone that she encountered at the house told her to “keep back, go home, and stay away.” There was a police car parked across the street from the house, and they didn’t seem to mind that the man with the tape measure was there, so maybe if she just strolled over, they wouldn’t bother her either.

  Sure enough, as soon as she was about a hundred yards from the house, the police car rolled to a stop beside her.

  “What are you doing out here, young lady?” the officer driving the car asked.

  At least he didn’t sound mean; some of the policemen had been quite gruff when she’d gone near the house before.

  “Just taking a walk, sir,” she replied with a small smile, hoping that he’d see that she was just an innocent kid. No such luck.

  “Well, you make sure that you don’t so much as set foot on the lawn of that house, y’hear?” he inclined his head toward the house.

  “Yes, sir,” she nodded, unable to smile this time.

  This was bad. She needed just a couple more things to confirm her suspicions about what had happened at the house, and she couldn’t gather more clues when the police kept forbidding her to go near it. Living on the road and spending so much time alone meant that Destiny Crandall had more time to read than most, and her favorite books were mysteries. She loved keeping track of the clues, and almost always figured out whodunit long before the books revealed the bad guys at the end. She had decided to approach this case as systematically as she approached those in the novels that she read, and was quite sure that she would be soon able to prove her theory.

  “Hey there, young lady,” the man with the tape measure greeted her.

  His smile was friendly, and the light button-down shirt that he was wearing stuck to his skin in the heat and humidity of the Louisiana day. Destiny saw a packet of cigarettes in the man’s shirt pocket—Camels—gross. Mom and Dad had cautioned her about cigarettes and how bad they were for the body, since she was little. She hadn’t known her Grandpa on her mom’s side, but he’d apparently died of lung cancer, so her parents were more than vigilant about such things.

  “Hi,” Destiny replied, surprised that he had spoken. “What are you doing? You’re pretty dressed up to be working outside,” she commented.

  It was true. The man wore nice, tasseled loafers—the kind her dad said that he wanted whenever one of his novels turned into a best-seller—the button-down shirt, and pleated charcoal trousers.

  “Oh, what I’m doing won’t take long,” he assured her. “I’ll be back in the air-conditioning before you know it.”

  “You don’t sound like you’re from around here,” Destiny observed.

  “I’m not. I’m just here on business. You don’t sound like you’re from around here either,” he stopped writing on his clipboard and swiped a hand across his brow.

  “No sir, I’m not. My name is Destiny,” she introduced herself, thinking that it was only polite.

  “Nice to meet you, Destiny. I’m Cade,” he wiped his palm on his pants and shook her hand.

  “Cade? I’ve never heard that name before. How do you spell it?” she inquired, always looking to learn something new.

  “C-A-D-E,” he spelled it for her.

  Destiny’s face went white, and her eyes grew large.

  “Oh… I… uh… I think I hear my mom calling me. I have to go,” she gulped and turned to run as fast as her legs would take her down the street.

  Cade caught the eye of the policemen who had watched the entire exchange from their car across the street, and shook his head, with a puzzled grin, making the officers smile. Kids these days.

  ***

  Missy was
furious when she stormed out of the LaChance Police Department. Officer Simmons had been patronizing and rude when she’d told him about her suspicions regarding Bubba Brookshire. He took a couple of notes and told her that he’d look into it, but she could tell that he was just pacifying her. He’d made some remarks about her having a vested interest in keeping her young protégé Grayson out of trouble. When she realized that she was getting nowhere with the smug, arrogant man, she and Echo left, more frustrated than ever.

  As she and Echo stood outside the tidy beige police department building, wondering what to do next—obviously they were going to have to catch the killer themselves—they saw Destiny come barreling around the corner, her face red from exertion.

  “Oh boy, am I glad to see you,” she threw her arms around Missy in a relieved hug.

  “We’re glad to see you too, sweetie,” Missy hugged her back, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

  “I know who murdered the ladies in the house,” she gasped. “I have to tell the police, so that they can arrest him. I know where he is.”

  Missy and Echo exchanged an alarmed look. How could Destiny have possibly figured out that Bubba Brookshire had done the crime, and how on earth could she know where he was? One thing that the gals did know, was that Officer Simmons would have far less patience for the precocious tween than he’d had for them.

  Looking around to make certain that no one had heard the young lady’s vehement declaration, Missy took Destiny by the hand.

  “Sweetheart, we want to hear all about that, okay? Why don’t you come with Echo and me? We’ll go get some lunch and you can tell us everything that you’ve found out, okay?”

  Destiny eyed her wisely. “You think they won’t believe me, don’t you?” she blinked.

  “I think that I’d like to see what you have to say first, because there may be something that we can do if the police don’t believe you,” Missy replied honestly.

  “They didn’t believe us either,” Echo confided.

  Destiny nodded. “Okay, that’s fair. I trust you, and the police have been very frustrating lately, so yes, let’s go have some lunch,” she decided.