Gelato with a Side of Murder Read online

  Now, with her standing in front of me, I could finally stop freaking out. Even so, there was still a huge question mark in my mind that I wanted to clear up.

  Before I delved into my questions, I smiled wide at the tall, trim, square-faced, forty-eight-year-old brunette.

  “Daphne. You don’t know how happy I am to see you,” I said.

  “I know you were really worried about me,” she replied.

  “Of course I was. Where have you been?” I asked. “And why didn’t you answer your phone?”

  “I know it’s going to be hard for you to believe, but I just checked my messages a few minutes ago.”

  “You’re right. That’s impossible for me to believe,” I said. “Unless…did your phone battery die?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then why didn’t you pick up your phone?”

  “Because I was out of town at a spa retreat and had my phone turned off.”

  “All night?” I asked.

  “That was kind of the point of the retreat. You know, to disconnect and recharge,” Daphne said.

  I shook my head in disbelief. “Of all the times to unplug from the world.”

  “I know, right? I end up choosing the day when chaos decides to descend on Treasure Cove.”

  “Unfortunately, chaos is no stranger to this town.”

  “True. I just happened to go the spa on the day that chaos decided to make a repeat trip here.” Daphne exhaled. “Who knew things were about to get crazy again?”

  “They didn’t just get crazy. They almost turned deadly,” I replied.

  “I’ll say. It’s a good thing I wasn’t driving when I checked my messages. Otherwise, I might have gone right off the road when I listened to yours.”

  “Thankfully, you had a safe trip back. I’ve done enough worrying lately.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “I’m telling you. I could use a spa retreat of my own right now.”

  “You should take one. And Jake should be paying for it.”

  “Very funny.”

  “You think I’m joking? It’s the least he could do for you.”

  “Maybe so, but there’s a fat chance of that happening,” I said.

  “I don’t doubt that. But Jake really should open up his wallet. After all, he owes you his life,” Daphne said.

  I remained modest. “David and I just happened to be in the parking lot at the right time. Luck had a lot to do with it.”

  “Sabrina, you can be humble all you want, but I know you did something incredible even if you aren’t willing to admit it.”

  “Not everyone in this town agrees that I did something incredible last night.”

  Her nose crinkled. “What are you talking about?”

  “There are a number of people in Treasure Cove who wish that Jake hadn’t survived that attack.”

  Daphne shook her head in disbelief. “That’s messed up.”

  “I agree. But we’re living in bizarre times. Besides, Jake has made a lot of enemies,” I said.

  “No one knows that more than I do,” Daphne replied. “But you know what? Even after the sour way that things ended between Jake and me, I never would have wished for someone to try to kill him.”

  “No. Then again, you’re not a lunatic. The same cannot be said for Jake’s attacker.”

  “Clearly.”

  “Let’s go back to the way that things ended between you and Jake for a second,” I said. “Why didn’t you tell me you had broken things off with him?”

  Daphne bit her lip. “My emotions were just really raw. I was working through a lot of sour feelings and just kind of wanted to get my bearings back first.”

  “I understand, but I could have helped you. I mean, that’s what friends are for.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I was going to call you and ask you to come over to my house with a bottle of wine and a quart of ice cream.”

  “I would have been there in a heartbeat,” I said.

  “I know you would have. But I’ve gone the ice cream and cabernet route before, only to still feel miserable the following morning. That’s why I wanted to try something different this time.”

  “Did it work?”

  Daphne became pensive for a moment then nodded. “Yeah, it did.”

  “Good,” I replied. “But just know that I’m here for you if there’s anything you want to get off of your chest.”

  “Absolutely. And thank you for that.”

  I smiled. “Like I said before, that’s what friends are for.”

  “By the way, how did you find out that Jake and I had broken up?” she asked.

  “He told me last night at the hospital.”

  Daphne grimaced. “Is he going to be all right?”

  “The doctor said he’ll make a full recovery.”

  She exhaled. “That’s a relief.”

  “I know it’s going to sound funny. Especially since Jake was stabbed. But he actually got really lucky.”

  Her forehead wrinkled. “How so?”

  “If the knife had gone into his body a few inches higher, he’d be dead right now.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah. It’s amazing what a difference a few inches can make. Or a few seconds, for that matter. I mean, if I hadn’t gotten out of David’s car at exactly that time and spotted Jake’s attacker…” I had trouble finishing my sentence.

  Daphne put her hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you were there to warn Jake.”

  “And I’m glad you weren’t there in that parking lot last night,” I said. “I mean, just think. If you hadn’t broken up with Jake, you probably would have been coming out of the restaurant with him. Which means you could have gotten caught in the middle of the altercation. Or worse.”

  Daphne nodded. “I could have gotten stabbed as well.” She took a deep breath. “I know. It’s so chilling to think about.”

  “Why don’t we talk about something else?”

  “We can talk about anything you want. I’m just counting my blessings that I left Jake when I did.”

  “Speaking of, if it’s not too sore of a subject, why did you break things off with him?”

  “Do you know what it’s like dating a man like Jake Williamson?”

  I shrugged. “I have no clue.”

  “You’re lucky. That means you didn’t have to experience what it feels like to always come in second to whatever business deal he was on the verge of making or whatever growing dollar figure happened to be in his bank account or what new market share he could control.”

  “I’m sorry he never put you first.”

  “Yeah. Well, I’m sorry that Jake never kept his promises. He told me he was going to cut back on his work hours. That he wasn’t going to be so tyrannical about buying up every business in town. That he would devote more time to me and our relationship. But in the end, those were all just empty words. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. So I left him.”

  “Good for you,” I said. “You deserve better than Jake.”

  She nodded. “It took me a while to realize that, but I finally came to my senses. That said, finding a better man is a different matter entirely.”

  “Someone will come along.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because that’s what my instincts are telling me.”

  “In that case, I believe you. It turns out you have amazing instincts,” she said.

  “They haven’t steered me wrong yet,” I said.

  Daphne’s nose crinkled. “Can your instincts give me any more information to work with? Like the name of this special someone that will come along?”

  I grimaced. “No. But just hang in there. My gut is telling me that you’ll find happiness soon enough.”

  Daphne crossed her fingers. “I sure hope so.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Kelly. Break time is over,” I said.

  The curvy, blue-eyed, angular-faced, thirty-year-old checked her phone and then grimaced. “Sorry,” Kelly r
eplied. “Delilah and I just got to talking, and I lost track of time.”

  Kelly got up from the table, leaving only Delilah O’Keefe sitting there. The thin, fifty-two-year-old had wavy, long, brown hair and a round face. She wore a crystal necklace, a number of jangly bracelets, and a flowing ankle-length dress that had a New Age pattern on it.

  Delilah spoke to me with a soft, soothing voice. “Don’t blame Kelly. I was the one who kept her talking.”

  “I don’t blame anyone,” I said. “It’s just time to get back to work.”

  Delilah held her hand up. “Wait. Sabrina. Before you go, there’s something I need to say to you.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I think it is imperative that you stop by my shop later,” Delilah said.

  Uh-oh. I had a feeling that a New Age sales pitch was about to come my way.

  I gave her a polite smile. “Sorry. But I have plans today.”

  “Fair enough. But definitely come in tomorrow then,” Delilah said.

  “I’m working tomorrow,” I said.

  “Not all day, though, right? Surely you have half an hour to spare at some point,” Delilah said.

  I bit my lip.

  Kelly looked at me with pleading eyes. “Sabrina, please make time for this.”

  “You should listen to your friend,” Delilah said.

  “If it’ll help, I can cover for you here at Daley Buzz so you can stop in at the crystal shop,” Kelly said.

  “It’s settled, then,” Delilah said. “Please stop by my place as soon as you can.”

  I held my hand out. “Wait. I’m confused. What’s the big deal with me going to the crystal shop, anyway?”

  “Kelly told me about what happened to Jake Williamson last night. It’s so disturbing,” Delilah said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, it is.” I squinted. “But it also had nothing to do with me. I mean, David and I just happened to pull into the parking lot shortly before it occurred. So I don’t get why you want me to stop into your shop—”

  Delilah stared deep into my eyes. “Sabrina. We both know that danger is no stranger to your life. That you always seem to find yourself in the middle of sticky situations. It’s only a matter of time before trouble arrives at your doorstep. That’s why it has never been a more important time for you to get a sphere of protection enchantment.”

  Delilah’s bluntness put me back on my heels.

  I took a deep breath before replying. “Look. I know you’re just trying to help, but I already got one of those circle of protection enchantments a while back and it didn’t work.”

  “How can you say that?” Delilah asked.

  I opened my mouth to answer.

  Delilah spoke up again before I had the chance to get any words out. “You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

  “Well, yeah,” I said.

  “So how can you tell me it didn’t work?” Delilah replied.

  I remained tongue-tied for a moment.

  “You don’t have an answer, do you?” Delilah asked.

  I held my pointer finger up. “Yeah, I do. I mean, you said it yourself, trouble has a way of finding me.”

  “True, but you always escape danger unharmed. That is the enchantment at work,” Delilah said.

  My eyebrows knitted. “By your logic, then, if the enchantment is working so well, then why are you urging me to come to your shop for this sphere of protection thing?”

  “The original enchantment I performed will not protect you forever. It needs to be refreshed. And if my astral predictions are correct, you will need an even more powerful enchantment to ward off the danger that is yet to come,” Delilah said.

  “What kind of danger are you talking about?” I asked.

  “The kind that makes getting a sphere of protection enchantment an absolute necessity,” Delilah said.

  For someone who didn’t provide a lot of details, Delilah sure had a knack for being able to incite panic. Unfortunately, it all sounded like an attempt to wring money out of me.

  I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to pass.”

  Concern filled Delilah’s eyes. “Sabrina, this is your life we’re talking about. You can’t afford to live so cavalierly without any astral armor.”

  Ugh. The last thing I wanted was a high-pressure sales pitch.

  I replied politely, but firmly, “I’m going to take my chances.”

  Delilah reached for the crystal necklace that she was wearing. She then took it off and held it out for me. “Here. Take this.”

  I shook my head. “No. I can’t—”

  Delilah put the necklace in my hand. “Please, take it.”

  I grimaced. “But it’s yours.”

  “I have more at the shop. You, meanwhile, need all the protection that you can get,” Delilah said.

  “I can’t just take your necklace.”

  “I insist.”

  I pulled out my wallet. “Fine. But I have to give you something for it—”

  Delilah shook her head. “Put your wallet away. I don’t want your money.”

  I squinted. “Seriously?”

  Delilah nodded. “Yes. Money is not nearly as important as your safety.”

  My eyes widened. Maybe I had been wrong about Delilah. Perhaps her high-pressure sales pitch wasn’t a shameless cash grab, after all.

  I stared at the crystal necklace. “I still don’t feel comfortable taking this. It’s yours. You should keep it.”

  “But—” Delilah started to say.

  “I’ll tell you what, though,” I said. “I’ll stop by your shop tomorrow afternoon. Then you can tell me more about this sphere of protection enchantment.”

  “Good. That is a wise decision,” Delilah said.

  “In the meantime, both Kelly and I have to get back to work,” I replied.

  Chapter Eight

  I pulled Kelly aside before she headed back behind the counter.

  “We have to talk,” I said.

  A glimmer was in Kelly’s eyes as she replied. “Isn’t Delilah wonderful?”

  I held my tongue and forced a smile. I had a much more New Aged term for her, but I decided to keep it to myself.

  “She’s something, all right,” I said.

  “Speaking of, I’m glad you’re going to get this sphere of protection enchantment. It could be a real lifesaver,” Kelly said.

  Bless Kelly’s heart. She was so sweet and earnest. She believed every word that came out of Delilah’s mouth. Unfortunately, her blind faith in Delilah put me in a delicate position. Especially since I wasn’t convinced that Delilah’s services were anything more than New Age hocus-pocus.

  “Maybe,” I said.

  Kelly stared deep into my eyes. “No. Definitely. Sabrina, this is not a matter that you can afford to take lightly.”

  “I’m not. It’s just that I’m not as firm of a believer in those enchantments as you are.”

  “You should be. This is a dire time.”

  “Kelly, don’t you think you’re overstating things a little?” I asked. “Besides, I’m not really comfortable with you discussing details of my personal life with Delilah.”

  She gave me a chilling look.

  The expression on her face was enough to make me quiver.

  “If the situation wasn’t so grave, I wouldn’t have involved Delilah. But the fact is, you’re going to need all the astral armor you can get,” Kelly said.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  Kelly reached for the crystal necklace that she was wearing. “Here. Since you refused to take Delilah’s, I’m going to insist that you take mine.”

  “Wait. Why?”

  “For protection, of course.”

  I shrugged. “From what? You need to tell me what’s going on. Kelly, what has you so spooked?”

  “I had a vision last night,” she replied.

  “What kind of vision?”

  “The kind that you can’t afford to ignore.”

  My musc
les tensed up. “Why? What did you see?”

  “You, Delilah, and an unmistakable level of trauma,” Kelly said.

  I crinkled my nose. “Can you be more specific than that?”

  “I know you really want details, but I don’t have many of those. My vision was more a collection of haunting images mixed with this piercing feeling of dread.”

  I winced. “Wow. That’s both vague and terrifying.”

  “Why do you think I was so desperate to talk to Delilah? I was hoping she could make sense of it. Or have an idea about how to keep it from becoming a reality.”

  “I know your heart is in the right place, but even a few small details will help more than any enchantment than Delilah can perform.”

  “Sabrina, now is not the time to let your doubts about celestial assistance cloud your judgment. You need to open your mind. Your survival may depend on it.”

  “Can we just push all this crystal stuff aside for a second?” I asked.

  “No.”

  I shrugged. “Why not?”

  “It can’t be coincidence that both you and Delilah were in my vision.”

  “Sure it can. I mean, you have been talking to Delilah a lot lately. At the same time, you have been very concerned about me. Maybe your mind just lumped us both together by accident.”

  She shook her head. “Trust me. Nothing that I saw was accidental. I believe that Delilah was in my vision because she might be the only one who can help you.”

  “I’m going to pay Delilah’s shop a visit tomorrow. In the meantime, can you give me something a little more concrete to work with about this vision of yours?”

  “Just that the stars are misaligned. And with the moon waning in such an ominous fashion, you need to be on high alert.”

  Chapter Nine

  Kelly’s words sure put a scare into me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake off her warning. The problem was, even though she had no evidence to back up her claims, it didn’t mean that she was completely off base. After all, what if she was onto something? How foolish would I feel if I didn’t give her words of caution some weight?