I couldn’t breathe. Not at all.
Nonna’s smile was brilliant. “Try it, young man. I dare you.” With that, she swept outside into the rain.
Holy. Crap.
Chapter 5
Later that afternoon, I finished sweeping up the glass into the dustpan as Nana flitted around her shop, rearranging lotions and candles by the wellness teas.
She eyed the center where the pedestal had been. “I do hope they find my nugget heirlooms.”
“They will,” I said, stretching my back. “We need to figure out how your lotion got into Gloria’s pie.”
“We don’t really know that it was my lotion,” Nana said, her cheeks pink.
I stilled. “You said that it was?—”
Her shoulders drooped, but she looked adorable, having changed into a green sweater and dark jeans. “I know. You can tell it’s my lotion because not only could I smell the peppermint, but also the eucalyptus, lavender, and of course the hint of nutmeg. It really does set it apart.”
“I’m sure that it does.” I always loved her different lotions. “But how did it get into the pie?”
“I have no idea.”
I needed to figure this out. “Do you know might’ve had a sample of the lotion?”
She threw both of her hands up. “Everybody has my lotions. I’ve been giving ‘em out for years. Anna, you know that.”
Yeah, I did know that. “So you’re saying anybody could have had some of your lotion. How did they get it into the pie?”
“I really don’t know.” Nana’s brows drew down. “Seriously, I’m the only one who had the key to the refrigerator. Nobody could get into it.”
“Where’s the key now?” I asked.
“I gave it to Birdie Yonderelli this morning. She’s working there. Did you know about that?”
“Yes,” I said. Birdie’s husband died two months ago, and the Elks had offered her a job, mainly to get her out of the house and interacting with people again. I didn’t think she needed the money. “Did she have any idea about the pies?”
“Of course not,” Nana said. “Nobody did. This doesn’t make any sense, Anna.”
The sound of pounding and the whir of a drill echoed through the peaceful day, blending with the light patter of rain against the windows. Bampa had found an old door in their basement that had once belonged to one of the mansions on the hill. It fit perfectly, topped with a bit of stained glass that caught the light.
I raised my voice so she could hear me. “Aiden is meeting with Sheriff Franco right now. He’s trying to get all the CCTV from town to figure out who planted the dynamite. Maybe we’ll catch whoever snuck into the Elks building as well.”
“That would be perfect.”
Aiden had been more than gentle when questioning my grandmother earlier, and I thought he’d been sweet. Oh, he’d never be mean to my grandmother, as obviously he didn’t suspect her of planting dynamite, but he could still come off pretty intimidating when he wanted. He didn’t want that today, which was good.
She moved to change the location of a couple of the oils from the bottom shelf to the top shelf on the far wall. “Aiden was quite kind earlier. When are you two getting engaged?”
I blinked. “We just got to the ‘I love you’ part of our relationship on Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve had a crush on him since you were a kid.”
I shifted my weight. “That’s not a secret.”
“It’s nice to see him crushing back,” she said, giving me a wink.
I chuckled. “You sound all modern and hip.”
