“Of course,” Holt replied immediately. “What’s happened?”
“I’m not entirely sure yet,” Tom said grimly. “But I think we might have a copycat from ten years ago, and this time they’re going after Margo and Willa.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes,” Holt said, and the line went dead.
Tom pulled up in front of Teacups just as a figure dressed completely in black was attempting to manipulate something at the front door of the shop. The person was so focused on whatever they were doing that they didn’t notice his arrival until Tom jumped out of his patrol car and started sprinting toward them.
The moment they spotted Tom, the figure took off running toward the alley behind the building. Tom gave chase, his adrenaline surging as he rounded the corner of the shop. But his foot hit a slick patch of what felt like cooking oil, and he went down hard, landing flat on his back with enough force to see stars.
As Tom lay there trying to catch his breath and assess whether anything was broken, a familiar face appeared above him.
“Taking a nap down there?” Holt asked dryly, walking around to offer Tom a hand up.
“Very funny,” Tom muttered, accepting the help and dusting himself off. He quickly explained what had happened, describingthe figure in black and the chase that had ended with his ungraceful fall.
When they reached the front door of the coffee shop, both men stopped and stared at what they found. A key was jammed partway into the lock.
“My hunch was right,” Tom said quietly, his voice filled with grim certainty. “Someone is definitely targeting Margo, and they’re being very subtle about it.”
19
HOLT
The morning sun was just breaking over the horizon when Holt arrived at Teacups to meet Tom. He found the police chief already there, standing outside the coffee shop with Margo, who was unlocking the front door.
“You’re back to work already?” Tom asked Margo, genuine concern evident in his voice. “Does your mother know you’re here?”
Margo laughed, though Holt could hear the strain beneath her cheerful tone. “She doesn’t have much choice in the matter. After my baker got hurt in that fall, we found a dead rat in the kitchen, which, for some reason, chased away more of my waitresses. I’m now really short-staffed, so I can’t be taking time off for a minor burn.”
Holt’s eyebrows shot up immediately. “You didn’t mention finding a rat yesterday. Did you tell Tom about that, or any other incidents?”
“No, I didn’t think it was relevant,” Margo said, shaking her head as she pushed open the door and led them inside. “I calledpest control right away, and they said it probably came in from outside. It was just a one-off. They didn’t find any others. The exterminator did put down traps as a precaution.”
“And you haven’t found any other rats since then?” Holt pressed.
“No,” Margo replied, frowning as she flipped on the lights and moved toward the counter. “I check the traps every day, and they’re always empty.”
Holt knew his next question would sound strange, but they needed to establish all the facts. “Do you know what the rat died from?”
Margo’s eyes filled with amusement despite the serious conversation. “No, I have no idea. My mother doesn’t mind working on animals when Aunt Lacey’s out of town, but that’s mostly domestic pets. Rats definitely don’t fall into her area of expertise,” she teased.
Holt grinned despite himself. “I know how it sounds, but have any of your customers gotten sick recently? Food poisoning, stomach issues, anything like that?”
“No, nothing like that,” Margo assured him. “But three of my waitresses quit right after the rat incident. I only have Nurse Martinez now.” She pointed up. “She lives in the apartment upstairs and helps out when she can. Her fiance, Dr. Reeves, also pitches in when he’s not on shift at the clinic or too exhausted after a long day.” She moved to get the shop ready for her customers. “He lives in the other flat upstairs.”
“So right now it’s just you running the place?” Holt asked.
“Me and my chef, Tina, who also handles all the baking now,” Margo explained. “She’s actually much better at it than myprevious baker ever was. I should have just let Tina handle everything from the beginning like she wanted to.”
“Tina Winters?” Holt asked, recognizing the name.
“Yes, that’s right,” Margo nodded. “Her husband Tony helps out here on weekends when we get busy.”
“Do they all have keys to the building?” Tom asked, as his eyes scanned the room.
“They used to,” Margo said, glancing at the front door, and then gave them a tight smile. “But I changed all the locks yesterday after what happened the other day. I know it sounds paranoid, but I thought, just in case I did lock up and maybe one of my staff had come back and they had forgotten to lock up.” She looked at Holt. “I haven’t made any spare keys yet. There just hasn’t been any time. I was planning to get around to it sometime this week, though.”
“Don’t,” both Holt and Tom said simultaneously.
