A Thymely Death Read online

  Olivia looked over her shoulder. She saw the frightened woman disappear behind the gate into Mother Earth, with Cookie following. Michael waited for Olivia, and they approached the entrance together.

  Once inside, Olivia saw Cookie and the woman running ahead. Michael and Olivia sprinted to keep up. She led the way past the jungle of trees and potted plants.

  Olivia could hear Cookie soothing the woman. "It's going to be okay," he said. "You call for an ambulance, I'll check for vital signs." Olivia heard the woman still sobbing.

  Pushing their way through the greenery, they emerged into a clearing and found Cookie hovering over a man in a wheelchair. The sobbing woman stood to the side holding a cell phone to her ear.

  Eyes wide with fear, she said, "I'd like an ambulance sent to Mother Earth in Lily Rock. We're located at 222 Main Street." Her hands visibly shook. "We have a senior citizen who's unconscious and we cannot detect a heartbeat."

  When the call ended, Olivia stepped forward. "Hello," she said softly. "I'm Olivia Greer. I was talking to Cookie when you came for help…" She waited for the woman to reply.

  Cell phone still clutched in trembling fingers, the woman had streaks of mascara running down her cheeks. Her violet eyes opened wide, enhancing her childlike appearance. She lifted her hand. "I am Echo Kravitz. I own this business." She glanced toward Cookie then back to Michael. "Such a terrible thing to happen just when we got up and running."

  Echo Kravitz? The same last name as Cookie. What are the chances of having two Kravitzes owning two new shops next to each other on the same street…

  Instead of pointing out the coincidence, Olivia skipped over the matching last name, choosing to engage the woman instead. "You've created a beautiful place."

  "I did it all myself," she admitted. "I don't suppose anyone will visit now that my first visitor turned up dead."

  Olivia looked out of the corner of her eye at Cookie, who pressed against the chest of the man in the wheelchair. Echo Kravitz feels a bit off to me. I wonder why she's more concerned about her business than the old man in her garden?

  A quick glance at Echo made Olivia want to look more closely. No lines or wrinkles. Her eyes are huge. The hat covers her hair. Her neck looks older than her face, and I bet she has extensions.

  Echo gave Olivia an appraising glance. Her eyes quickly shifted as she stepped toward Cookie. A quick breeze came up, blowing her hat off her head. It landed in the dirt. Yep, extensions. Look at all her hair.

  Olivia hung back, watching Echo stare at Cookie.

  He held the tips of his fingers on the old man's neck. Echo's hands trembled. Cookie ignored her, his eyes focused on the man in the wheelchair. Cookie shook his head in frustration.

  "It doesn't look good," commented Olivia.

  "I checked his vital signs before I called for help," Echo admitted. "They may be able to revive him if they get here quickly, though I doubt it."

  "Were you a nurse in a previous life?" Olivia asked.

  "No, not a nurse. I was a caregiver for my father before he died. It took years and left me penniless."

  Michael, who waited a few feet away, took that moment to edge closer to the two women. He stood next to Olivia and she touched his hand briefly. Now all three of them watched Cookie.

  I wish they'd get here. Every minute feels like forever.

  Echo glanced at Michael, her eyes lingering for a moment. Olivia watched as she nervously folded and unfolded her hands. Then Echo lifted the hair off of her neck with one hand, her eyes darting to the ground as if she'd misplaced something valuable.

  Spotting her straw hat, she bent over to dust it off against her pants. Then she plopped it back on her head. She tucked flyaways from her blondish hair under the brim.

  Olivia looked down at Echo's worn sneakers.

  "And your name is?" Echo asked.

  Olivia felt Michael's arm around her shoulders. He pulled her close to his body before answering. "I'm Michael Bellemare, Olivia's boyfriend." He looked at Olivia for approval, a bright smile on his face.

  "You just started dating?" asked Echo, a hint of hope in her voice.

  "Oh, we're way past dating," Michael said with a chuckle. And then as if he'd thought better of telling a stranger about their personal life, he looked at Olivia for confirmation. "Aren't we…past dating?"

  Olivia shrugged. You're on your own, buddy. We have a possibly dead guy right here in front of us and you've somehow gotten into a conversation with another woman about our personal life. Have at it!

  Avoiding the awkward conversational turn she said, "I'm going to talk to Cookie for a minute." Disengaging from his arm around her shoulders, she stepped closer to the man slumped over in the wheelchair.

  Cookie rocked back on his heels before standing to his full height. He stared at the body, then shook his head. "I hope the ambulance gets here soon." Olivia watched him rest one hand on the shoulder of the motionless man, as if afraid to let go.

  "Hello? Anyone here? I'm coming, Robert," came a shrill voice from the front of the garden. A woman rushed from the thick jumble of greenery into the clearing. Her eyes widened at the sight of the wheelchair. "Robert, I was a little late but you didn't have to fall asleep. I can explain…" Her voice faded away as she stared with wide eyes at the body. Olivia watched as comprehension came over her. She screamed, "Robert, darling!"

  Cookie stepped closer to offer an explanation. The woman rushed past him babbling, "I only left him for a little bit. He's always loved gardens and he wanted to rest here while I ran a few errands in town. It took longer than I expected, but I came right back. I was going to wheel him onto the bus. I told Flex I would." Her chin quivered as she stared at the man in the wheelchair.

  Michael stood beside Cookie. "I'm afraid Robert may have passed away. Cookie tried to revive him. The paramedics might be able to help."

  She raised a hand to her forehead. "I know this shouldn't be too big of a surprise. He's suffered a decline with his Parkinson's for several years. I know it shouldn't be a surprise," she repeated.

  The woman walked around Michael and Cookie to stand closer to the wheelchair. She spoke softly. "Robert, it's me, Sasha. I want you to know that we all love you." She braced her hand on the blanket folded over the man's lap, leaning over to give the pale cheek a kiss.

  "What's this?" Reaching under Robert's hand, she pointed at a sprig of greenery and a cookie lodged between his thumb and the blanket.

  Michael bent over the body. He tugged at the green sprig trapped in the old man's fingers. He set the cookie aside, holding up the sprig in his hand. "Is this a weed?"

  Echo spoke quickly. "That's a member of the Thymus vulgaris species, used for culinary purposes, and one of the herbs I grow and sell. Look, you can see over there." She pointed to a raised bed where plants grew. "The top row is thyme, many varieties. If you roll the leaves in your fingers you can smell the lemon. It's the perfect herb to put into the Mother Earth bag of herbs de Provence."

  And that's way too much information about a twig.

  Michael sniffed at his palm and then bent over to tuck the sprig back into the hands of the old gentleman. "I guess passing away in a garden with a fresh sprig of thyme and a cookie in your hand isn't the worst way to go," he said.

  Sasha looked away, her eyes falling on Echo. "Did you call Hello Age to let them know about Robert?" Before she could answer, an ambulance siren wailed from a distance.

  "I hear an ambulance now," Echo said. "I did not call Hello Age. I didn't know if he was…really dead." Her hand went to her throat.

  Olivia listened to the siren, her heart thumping. Along with the siren she heard an answering cry, a prolonged high-pitched yowl from the street. I think that's Mayor Maguire. He's signaling the ambulance. I bet he's waiting outside the gate.

  They all stood quietly, listening to the siren and the dog.

  Within a few minutes, two paramedics ran down the path, a stretcher between them. "Did you call 911? Is this the guy?" one said, pointing to Robert in the wheelchair.

  "Yes, yes, that's him," said Echo quickly. "I called and I think the man is dead."

  "I'm his daughter-in-law, my husband is the next of kin," said Sasha. Then she began to explain again. "I just left him for a few minutes to get some shopping done and…"

  Olivia watched one paramedic lift the man's wrist to take his pulse. The green twig dropped to the ground. She blinked.

  "There's a twig and cookie under his hand," she said. "I bet the cookie came from the baking class next door."

  Cookie took a step closer. "I'll be damned. He died with one of my signature cookies. Kind of beautiful if you ask me."

  "I'll take that," said the daughter-in-law as she snatched the sprig and the cookie. "While you're at it, you can look in his pocket for a cell phone."

  The paramedic slid a hand into the old man's pocket. He held out an iPhone to Sasha. "Is this the one?" he asked.

  "It is. He never used it. We just gave it to him to make him feel better. He hasn't talked for months." She slipped the phone into her purse.

  In a rush of activity, the paramedics moved the man from the wheelchair to the stretcher. One leaned over to push a few times on his chest. "We have to call time of death," he said with a shake of his head.

  "Oh, you don't have to worry about that," insisted Sasha. "My husband is the next of kin and he has a DNR, a do not resuscitate, in his medical file. He didn't want to be revived, so you don't have to do any of that last-minute life-saving stuff. Just pack him up and get him to the funeral home."

  Olivia shrugged. DNRs and time of death are not the same. Is she deliberately trying to hurry this along?

  She reached into her purse again, and this time she pulled out a card. "Here you go. The Rest in Peace Mortua
ry. I'll call ahead so they expect you. Down the hill in Temecula, only an hour away. Tell them Sasha Ulrich sent you."

  One responder took her card, looking at the details. "Do you need this for the number?" he asked her.

  "Oh no, I have another card. Just move along," she said, her voice filled with urgency. Gone was the distraught daughter-in-law, replaced by a woman who planned ahead.

  Olivia's stomach clenched. Now isn't she the efficient one… Wait a minute. Ulrich. The old man's name and his daughter-in-law's name, and more importantly…Raleigh's name—all the same?

  A chill ran up her spine.

  That's one too many coincidences.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Up early the following morning, Olivia looked toward the window where the sun appeared suddenly as if released from a jar. Branches from the pine trees stirred, bringing a smile to her face. What a glorious day.

  When she went upstairs, she saw Sage and Michael sitting at the kitchen table, both scrolling on their phones. Sage in pajama pants and a loose T-shirt, her feet snugged up in lamb's wool slippers. Michael, barefoot, dressed in jeans and an untucked cotton button-up. He looked at Olivia and gave her a wink.

  "Do you like the slight taste of peppermint?" he asked, holding up his Carpe Diem coffee mug and offering her a sip, which she gratefully accepted. He then took back his mug and sipped, raising his eyebrows at the sisters.

  "I do," Olivia said, pouring a mug for herself. "It tastes like you waved a candy cane over a deep roast."

  "It's okay," mumbled Sage, eyes still on her screen.

  His lips turned down in a playful pout. "I do my best for the ladies," he mumbled. "I spend so much time at your house, I need to bring gifts, something original, my A game. The coffee blends are my signature offering, so to speak."

  "You do feel like a roommate." Olivia sat at the table.

  "Silly man," said Sage, looking up from her phone. "You don't need to bribe us to hang out. You're a fixture like…Mayor Maguire. You wander in and we feed and pet you."

  Michael sighed. "For once I don't want to be compared to the mayor."

  Is he serious or just trying to make us laugh? Sweeping her concern aside, Olivia focused on the coffee. "I, for one, love the flavors. Will peppermint coffee be your go-to blend?"

  Michael took a sip, swishing the coffee in his mouth as if it were a fine wine. "I have flavor plans, blends, and mixes. In fact, I have an entire file I keep on my computer. Maybe I'll name the blends, you know, like Michael's Paschal Pastiche for early spring. I like that. Has panache…"

  He continued with his theme. "I'm expressing a new side of my personality that I call the barista archetype." Michael raised his mug as if to toast the women.

  Olivia suppressed a giggle. "So I'm not an expert, but I don't think there is a barista archetype. A hero archetype, maybe, and a jokester. You might even pass for an artist, what with your architectural chops. But a barista?"

  Michael tapped his temple with a forefinger. "I've been thinking very hard on these coffee blends. Once I got into this new persona, I transitioned the peppermint from mid-December to my early spring concoction. No one does peppermint for spring that I know of. I would be original." He jokingly puffed up his chest.

  Olivia, who never doubted Michael's originality, raised her eyebrows. "Architect turned barista…interesting. Plus I didn't know you were so liturgical. Paschal, really?"

  "Oh, I have hidden depths you never dreamed of," Michael assured her. "I don't go to church, but I know the seasons. My mom was a cradle Episcopalian."

  "From my perspective it sounds as if you've been talking to Meadow," sighed Sage. "She's the tea woman and now you are the coffee guy. What will be next, Mayor Maguire's seasonal dog bones?"

  "Not a bad idea," Michael instantly agreed. "I bet Cookie has a few nutritional dog bone recipes up his sleeve. That could be a thing. Dog bones for free with every purchase at the bakery. He could advertise bake-your-dog-a-bone classes." Michael's eyes brightened. "I know, the mayor could be a special guest at the bakery. He would sample all the bits and pieces that were left over, get his photo taken. He'd like that."

  "That could work. M&M is always hanging around for dropped goodies in the restaurants. I think our mayor has a sweet tooth and I know sugar isn't the best for dogs." Olivia frowned. "Cookie could put together a recipe specifically designed for a dog's good health."

  "Cookie must be excited about his new bakery," Sage said. "I thought I saw a sign in front of the business yesterday: Thyme Out. That's the name?"

  "That's the name," Olivia confirmed. "Kind of cute, don't you think? Speaking of Cookie, we spent a lot of time with him yesterday. I suppose that's all over town." Olivia leaned closer to Sage. "Any news from Meadow about the guy who died in the garden?"

  Sage took another sip and then spit it back into the cup. "Too much peppermint for me," she said, lunging to the sink. "No, but Mom told me that you two were there when the paramedics arrived. She was sorry to hear that the old gentleman died."

  Sage's mouth turned up at the corner. "It's a burden and a gift being Meadow's daughter. There aren't that many people left who have lived in Lily Rock long enough to be called an Old Rocker." She rinsed the remaining coffee out of her mug before placing it in the dishwasher, then turned back to say more.

  "Mom found out about the death when someone checked out a book." Sage sighed. "Of course, Meadow took the sudden death as an opportunity to talk about herself and her end-of-life concerns. Last night she called and talked for over an hour to tell me about wills and directives. The dead guy is Meadow's new hero. She's all for exiting her mortal coil in a similar circumstance—in a garden with a shortbread cookie, at least that's what she told me."

  "Meadow is Meadow," Olivia said.

  Sage pushed her chair under the table. "I'd better finish getting dressed. You two have a good day."

  Taking a moment, Michael leaned toward Olivia, staring at her lips. He reached out to pull her chin closer and then kissed her. He nodded and leaned back in his chair. "I will excuse Sage for tossing my peppermint coffee. She's been through a lot; her job was threatened only months ago. I didn't want to ask her directly, but any more trouble at the music academy?"

  Olivia licked the taste of peppermint off her bottom lip. "Not really, the school board dismissed Simon Court as soon as they could and left Sage as the principal. She may have been a bit shaken after all the publicity last fall, but she's still on the job."

  "She's good at her work and the students like her. I was hoping it would turn out that way." Olivia watched him stare into the empty mug, as if it were an unfathomable abyss. He seems preoccupied.

  "Is something on your mind?" Olivia asked in a gentle tone.

  Her cell phone rang before he could answer. It wasn't a number she recognized. She held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

  "It's me, Cookie," said the hurried voice.

  "We were just talking about you. I didn't know you had my number. Now I have yours. What's up?"

  "I was wondering if you would drop by today, you know, just to go over what happened yesterday? I could use a little emotional support."

  "It was pretty awful, the poor man dying right next door in the garden."

  Cookie sighed. "So I've had a little employee fall out since yesterday, that's why I wanted to run it past you. Raleigh has been ignoring me since the death at Mother Earth yesterday. You coached the kid at the music academy, I thought you could help."

  "I coached Raleigh while I was undercover for Janis. In all honesty I didn't recognize them yesterday until Michael pointed them out."

  "Did you get a chance to connect again?"

  "We started to talk, but the Hello Age bus drove up and your class needed help out of the door."

  "So would you come over in a bit to talk to the kid? They haven't said a word to me all morning, just walking around in kind of a daze. I have to repeat every question to get Raleigh to do simple stuff. We opened fifteen minutes late because I couldn't find them. Finally I discovered Raleigh sitting in the back patio looking into space. I'm confused why the death of a random old man would cause them so much grief."

  "I'll come over in a bit," Olivia said. "See you soon." She clicked off the phone and then filled Michael in.