Schooled in Deceit: A Lacamas Village Cozy Mystery, Book 1 by Jacqueline M. Green

Author:Jacqueline M. Green [Green, Jacqueline M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The next morning, I opened the back of the Subaru in the grocery store parking lot and stared in dismay. I forgot to return the shopping bags to the wayback of the car when I had last used them. I wasn’t always great about recycling, so bringing my own shopping bags felt like the least I could do.

I sighed and reminded myself to throw a couple of Audra’s bags in the car when I got home.

As I tucked my phone into my purse, I pushed aside thoughts of Rodney and his photos. How dare he try to manipulate me that way?

My thoughts ping-ponged between my grocery list and Rodney as I pulled out a shopping cart and turned left into the store, which happened to be the bakery section.

Why did they always put the bakery section at the front of the store? I mean, I knew why they did it. But why did they have to do it? It was hard to bypass the delicacies. I stopped beside a shelf of chocolate muffins. They were vegan, so I put them into the cart with a grin, feeling like I was getting away with something.

I pressed on through the store, just winding my way up and down the aisles. I loved going into grocery stores I hadn’t been in before. Even though a lot was the same, there was always something new and different. Before long, my cart was filled with healthy items – broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus – and other questionable items, like the muffins and gluten-free tortilla chips that barely – and arguably – stayed this side of the junk food category.

As I neared the checkout, I noticed Elijah Douglas from the homeowners association across the bins from me. He smiled and waved, then turned back to his cart. I did the same and got in line. The cashier bagged my items as I shoved my debit card into the machine.

Declined.

The cashier looked at me apologetically.

“What? That’s not possible,” I said, pulling out the card and trying again.

Declined.

I held up a hand. “Just a minute. Let me try another one.”

I shoved a credit card into the slot.

Declined.

My mouth fell open. I held up both hands as I looked at the cashier and all the items already packed in bags. My mouth opened and closed a few times.

“Something has happened,” I told the cashier earnestly. “Can I just set these aside and go figure it out?”

The cashier nodded, but a voice interrupted. “Is there a problem, Misty?”

I turned to see Elijah standing on the other side of the line. “I don’t know what’s happened. I have plenty of money in my account, but my cards have been declined.”

I gasped. “Rodney. My husband. He must have closed my accounts.”

Elijah waved away my worries, stepping forward with a card in his hand. “I can take care of this.”

“Elijah, I can’t let you do this.”

“I insist,” he said, sliding his card into the slot.

“I’ll pay you back as soon as I can,” I told him.

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