Fatal Whispers by Sandra Nikolai

Author:Sandra Nikolai [Nikolai, Sandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vemcort Publishing

Later that morning, Doreen and I took over customer service duty on the floor while the rest of the staff handled orders. Among the customers to walk in was an elderly couple who spent a while perusing the items in the store.

“Wayne, look at this scarecrow,” a gray-haired woman said to the man standing next to her. “Isn’t he the sweetest thing?” She nudged him. “Well?”

“I can see it, Ingrid, but there’s no price tag on it,” Wayne said. “Can we go now?”

“Let’s ask the clerk how much it is.” Ingrid approached Doreen and asked her.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, it’s not for sale,” Doreen said. “We use it for decorative purposes only.”

“Surely you can make an exception,” Ingrid said. The warm smile she gave Doreen would have melted the North Pole.

“Give me a moment,” Doreen said. “I’ll go ask my boss.” She went upstairs and returned moments later. “Okay, I can sell it to you, but you can’t tell anyone else you bought it here. We don’t make a habit of selling our displays.”

“We won’t tell a soul.” Ingrid gave Wayne another nudge.

“Course not,” Wayne said.

Doreen lifted the scarecrow off the stand. “Would you like it gift-boxed? It’s free.”

“What a marvelous idea,” Ingrid said. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll wrap it and meet you folks at the checkout counter in a little bit.” Doreen heaved the scarecrow over her shoulder and carried it to the workroom.

The exemplary customer service that Doreen had shown the couple impressed me. Was Bianca right? Had I exaggerated my suspicions about Doreen’s questionable behavior?

The phone rang and I answered. Bianca wanted to see me upstairs.

My palms felt moist. Had she discovered that I’d downloaded employee file information?

I entered Bianca’s office. “What’s up?”

Her brow wrinkled as she studied a sheet of paper. “I’ve been reviewing our guest list for the Halloween party,” she said as I took a seat opposite her. “I can’t fit everyone in the shop if they all show up. I decided I’d mail out the invitations today anyway and see who replies. I’ll hire the decorators and place an order with the caterers too.” She put the paper aside. “It’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you.”

Uh-oh. I braced myself. Had I blown Plan A wide open?

She sat back in her chair. “Do you remember how Detective Flanagan said the police would run the anonymous phone call through some tests?”

“Yes,” I said.

“He just called me. The police didn’t need to identify the Good Samaritan because he came forward.” She swallowed hard. “You were right. It was Henry.”

“Oh, no.”

Bianca pressed a hand against her chest. “Why would Henry want to destroy my shop? Did I do something to make him hate me?”

“He doesn’t hate you,” I said. “You gave him a job he loves.”

“He admitted he set the fire in my office and then called the fire department to report it. It doesn’t make sense. Tell me, has the world gone mad?”

I saw her point. It was bad enough that dangerous perpetrators crept in our midst.

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