Mocha Mayhem

Chapter Eight

After I caught my breath, I considered what this meant for the case. We had not only a bidding war, but a bidding war that had been waged against someone who had an actual stake in the resort. But wait—hadn't Amelia said that the other bidders had been from out of town? Angela Smith had been around at least since I was a kid—I would certainly consider her a local. That meant there were more than two people who had wanted the resort—and who possibly had a motive for destroying Elaine's new place.

"So, what is the mystery around the resort?" Martha's words shook me from my thoughts.

"Wait." I stirred in the coconut flavoring and dark chocolate syrup. "How much do you know about this resort, Martha?"

Martha smiled sweetly, her gray hair bobbing. "I asked you first, Sweetheart." She adjusted the baked goods in the display case for something to do.

"Okay, if I tell you the scoop on the mystery, can you please tell me all you know about this bidding war? I mean, I'd heard that someone from out of town was the other bidder on the resort."

"Indeed." She nodded heartily. "There were at least three or four people bidding on the resort. It was...." She paused, searching for an appropriate descriptor. "...astonishing, to say the least. After all of these years sitting in neglect, for all of these investors to appear out of the woodwork was such a coincidence."

"Or was it?" I took a contemplative sip of coconut mocha. It looked like I had a lot more to discuss with Samantha tomorrow. This day had better hurry up. Or, hell, maybe I'd call Sam during my break; it wasn't like we had much going on.

Martha was still eyeing me with her knowing smile. "Are they saying the resort is haunted?"

"How are you—?" I glanced around again. What—was she reading from Sam's notebook? "Do you know Spooky-Pants Johansen, by chance?"

Martha giggled in her youthful way again. "Spooky—who? What are you talking about, child?"

"How do you know everything about my mystery?"

"I'm merely guessing. There have been so many rumors about that resort over the years. Surely, you remember. You grew up here, as well, if I recall correctly." She gave me a knowing once-over.

"That I did." I paused and took another sip, making sure to keep my voice low. "Yes, the current owner is concerned about the resort being haunted. There have been...sightings." I ducked my head over my coffee mug.

Martha's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Indeed!"

From the corner of my eye, I noticed our customers standing up and offering parting hugs to one another before leaving as a group out the front door. Martha and I shuffled over to the table the women had occupied, gathering up their used cups and dishes and wiping the table and chairs with a damp cloth.

"Basically," I continued, "Samantha and I are trying to find anyone who has a reason to drive people away from the new resort. That's why I was drawn to your announcement about Angela Smith. What exactly can you tell me about her interest in the resort?"

"Only what I know." Martha carried the used dishes in a plastic bin back behind the counter toward the kitchen. "I know that she was trying to buy the resort. Last fall, I was at her shop, and she was discussing the bidding war. She was describing how intense it was getting—how many people wanted the resort—and how she was no longer able to compete. She didn't have enough funding. She'd even considered putting her house up for sale and living in the back of her shop to have a little more cash to work with—but she wasn't able to pull it off." Martha placed the dishes in the kitchen and popped back out.