Illegally Iced (3 page)

Jake wasn’t about to take that, not even from his friend. “Chief,” he said, stressing the man’s title, “Suzanne has every right to be represented. If that makes her seem guilty in your mind, then that says more about you than it does about her.”

I had to stop this before it went any further. I knew how it could be when two people with stubborn streaks started butting heads. After all, Momma and I had played out that kind of scene ourselves too many times to count.

I turned to Jake and patted his shoulder. “It won’t take long. I’ll be fine.”

“I still don’t like it,” Jake said, continuing to stare at the chief.

I was about to say something when Chief Martin surprised us all by saying in a soft voice, “Jake, I respect the fact that you’re looking out for Suzanne’s best interests, but how is it going to look if I don’t talk to her right away? Everyone in town knows that I’m dating her mother. If I give her a free pass on this, it’s going to look bad for all three of us. You can see that, can’t you?”

“Does that mean that you don’t think I killed James?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not willing to say that just yet.” He then contradicted himself by adding softly so that no one around us could hear, “Of course I don’t believe it for one second, but I have to gather evidence as though I didn’t know you.”

I knew it couldn’t have been easy for the chief to say that, and I had to admit that it made me feel quite a bit better. “Jake, I’m going to talk to him alone.”

My boyfriend thought about it, and then nodded. “Okay, but try to curb that habit you have of overexplaining everything,” he added with a grin.

“I’ll do what I can, but I’m not making any promises.”

The chief and I walked into the shop, and I said, “I’d offer you coffee, but I just dumped the last of it down the sink. Should I put another pot on for you and your men?”

“Thanks, but we’ll be fine. Now,” he said as he took out his notebook, “tell me everything.”

“I just did,” I said.

“Indulge me, Suzanne.”

His pen didn’t move until I was willing to start talking, so I told him everything about my interaction with James again, and then once more.

“That’s all well and good,” he said after finishing the last note. “And after your conversation, did you speak with him again?”

“No. I couldn’t. I was working the front of the shop by myself, and I never heard a thing about what happened until I was locking up for the day.”

“Can Emma verify that?” he asked.

“No, she was in back.”

“Can anyone, then? Think hard. It could be important.”

“I’m trying, but there’s no one that I can think of.” And then I remembered Harry Dale. The man had come in with me after I’d spoken to James about his fire, and then he’d proceeded to nurse his coffee until I had to throw him out just before the mothers asked me to call the police. I’d resented him taking up my best couch for so long, but I was so happy that I could kiss the man right now. “Talk to Harry Dale. He sat right over there the entire time, from my conversation with James to the time just before Sandy and Terri showed up.”

Chief Martin chuckled a little, clearly relieved by the news. “Harry does tend to nest, doesn’t he? I’ll give him a call, and then you should be in the clear.”

“Maybe with you, but I’ve got a feeling that the rest of April Springs is going to be harder to convince.”

The police chief nodded in instant sympathy and understanding. “Folks do tend to believe the worst about people sometimes, don’t they?”

“When murder’s involved? You can count on it every time,” I said.

“Let me call Harry, and then we’ll see what we can do.”

He stepped away and grabbed his radio—no doubt to get Harry’s telephone number—while I swept the same part of our floor over and over again. Surely my customer would back up my story. But what if he didn’t? No, I couldn’t think like that. I wasn’t going to even entertain the possibility that he wouldn’t verify what I’d just told the chief. I glanced outside a full minute later and saw Jake staring inside the donut shop impatiently.

I held my hands up, trying to signify that he should be patient, but there was nothing else I could do to ease his concern.

I heard the police chief talking on his phone in the corner, and after a full minute, he smiled as he hung up. “You’re in the clear, Suzanne. You’ll be happy to know that Harry backs up your story one hundred percent.”

“Good for him,” I said with a grin of my own. “Does that mean that I can go back outside now?”

“Lead the way,” he said.

Once we were on the sidewalk in front of the donut shop again, he turned to me and said loudly, “Your alibi holds up, Suzanne. You’re in the clear. There’s no way you could have stabbed James Settle.”

“Thank you,” I said, and then winked at him when I was sure that no one could see me.

After Chief Martin crossed the street and returned to the crime scene, Jake rejoined me. “How did you manage to do that?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked with a grin.

“He was really looking out for you just then, wasn’t he? I owe the man an apology. I probably shouldn’t have butted in like that.”

“Jake, I appreciate you standing up for me, but you know that I can handle things by myself.”

He wrapped his arms around me. “Suzanne, there are times when it makes perfectly good sense to be independent, but you don’t
always
have to do everything on your own.”

“I don’t,” I said as I squeezed him a little hard before I let him go. “After all, I’ve got Grace, don’t I?”

“Among others,” he said with a twinkle strong in his eyes.

“Do you mean like Momma and George?” I asked, barely able to suppress my smile.

He kissed me, and then said, “Don’t push your luck. You know I’ll do whatever I can to help you. Do you want me to try to get out of this assignment? If you need my help investigating James’s murder, I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

I loved the fact that Jake knew me so well. There was no way I was going to walk away without trying to figure out who had killed James. “No. As much as I appreciate the offer, I’ll be fine with the reserves that I have in my corner now.” Almost as an afterthought, I added, “If I get in too deep, though, I may have to take you up on your offer.”

“That’s my girl.”

I was far from being a “girl” by just about anyone’s definition, but I liked the way it sounded when Jake said it.

“Now, I distinctly remember something about you promising me lunch, right?”

He laughed at the reminder, a sound that I dearly loved. “Name the place, and if I can afford it, you can order whatever you want on the menu.”

“Oh, this is going to cost you.”

“Where should we go?” he asked.

“I was thinking we could walk over to the Boxcar,” I said, pointing to the restaurant just across the road.

“Are you sure that’s not too close to the park?” Jake asked.

“You mean the spot where James was murdered?”

“I do,” he admitted.

“Thanks for thinking of me, but I can’t let that dictate what I do. If I let it stop me now, when will I ever be able to go to Trish’s again? It might not be easy, but I’d rather face it right now.”

“At least let me hold your hand as we walk,” he said. It was one of Jake’s increasing public shows of affection, and at the moment, I was doubly glad for it.

“It’s a deal,” I said as I slipped my hand in his. I tried to avoid staring at the tape cordoning off the crime scene as we neared it, but it was impossible. James’s fire had finally gone out, but his tools were still arrayed in front of his anvil. It looked as though he’d stepped away for a second and would be right back, but I knew that wasn’t ever going to happen. He’d become a presence in April Springs since he’d first come to town coveting our abandoned railroad tracks, but we’d worked that out long ago. I had a set of iron railroad track bookends he’d made for me from a different supply of rails, and they sat proudly on my desk. James and I had become friends since then, sharing time and enjoying the odd mix of characters that made up our little town together. I would miss him. In most folks’ minds, it might not have been much of a reason to throw myself into a murder investigation, but it was enough for me.

I was going to do my best to find the killer and avenge my friend’s death.

*   *   *

“Hi, Suzanne,” Trish said sadly as Jake and I walked into the diner. Her eyes were bloodshot, and it was clear that she’d been crying. “I’m so glad to see you.” As she hugged me, I saw her ponytail bob slightly, a trademark of hers since high school. She and Grace were two of my best friends in the world, and I loved them both dearly. I hated to see her so upset. As she pulled away, she dabbed at her eyes as she said, “Poor James. Who could have done such a terrible thing to him?”

“I have no idea,” I answered. It had hit her harder than I would have expected. Had she been that close to James, or was it the proximity of the murder that had shaken her so much?

“I hate to interrupt,” Jake said with a smile, “but I want every second I can get with you, Suzanne.”

“I understand completely,” Trish said as she seated Jake and me at a table near the register. She wiped at her eyes and, pointing to the menus, asked, “Do you even need those?”

“No, we’re good,” I said, and then glanced at Jake. “You know what you’re having for lunch, right?”

Jake pushed the menu away. “I trust your judgment, so I’ll just have whatever you’re having.”

Trish’s eyebrows shot up. “What?” Jake asked. “Did I say something stupid?”

“It’s just a dangerous thing to offer,” Trish said, trying her best to cheer herself up. “You’d better hope that Suzanne takes it easy on you.”

I considered it for a second as I pondered my choices, and then finally told Trish, “We’ll have two cheeseburgers all the way, a big basket of onion rings, and a pair of Cokes.” After I’d ordered, I turned to Jake and asked, “How does that sound to you?”

“Like I just got off too easy,” he admitted.

“I can be quite a bit more daring if you’re really game,” I said.

“No, I wasn’t complaining. Cheeseburgers sound great to me.”

Trish shook her head as she jotted down the order. “You’re getting soft, Suzanne.”

“I know,” I acknowledged. “What can I say?”

“You don’t need to say a thing. It’s written all over your face,” Trish replied.

I looked back at Jake to find him studying me intently.

“What are you looking at?”

“I don’t see it,” he said gravely.

“What?”

“What’s written on your face.”

I smiled at him. “It’s love, you big goof.”

“Oh, so
that’
s what that is,” he replied, grinning broadly at me. “I suppose I have some of that on my face as well.”

Our sodas arrived, and then in short order, our food. Jake and I tried not to talk too much about business—especially if it involved crime—while we were eating, but it wasn’t always easy to do.

We were just finishing up when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the number, clearly ready to dismiss it, and then he saw who it was. “I have to take this. It’s my boss,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

As Jake held a muted conversation, I looked around the Boxcar and saw that several people were studying me covertly. The moment our gazes met, each one looked quickly away. That wasn’t the way most folks treated someone they thought of as innocent. If there had been any doubt in my mind before about investigating James’s murder, it was all gone now. Whether I liked it or not, I was clearly guilty until proven innocent.

Jake was not happy when he ended his call and put his phone away.

“Was it bad news?” I asked.

“I can’t believe that I’m doing this, but I have to leave right now. I was hoping to wait until tomorrow, but evidently it’s more urgent than I was led to believe at first. Do you mind?”

“It’s your job. Go on,” I said. “I’ll take care of the check.”

“You got it the last time, and besides, I’m not in
that
big of a hurry.” Jake took a twenty out of his wallet and threw it down on the table before kissing me briefly. “I’ll call you tonight,” he said, and then he was gone.

Trish came out of the kitchen just in time to see him leave. “Is he coming back?” she asked.

“His boss just called,” I said. “He had to go.”

I handed Trish the money. “Keep the change,” I said.

She whistled softly. “That’s a nice tip.”

“If it’s too much, you can always bring the two of us some pie to make up the difference,” I replied straight-faced.

“Do you know what? That sounds like a great idea,” Trish said. “I need to talk to you.” Thirty seconds later she was back with two slices of apple pie, each topped with vanilla ice cream.

“Will the extra tip really cover all of that?” I asked as she slid one piece in front of me and kept the other piece for herself.

“Don’t ask questions and just dig in.”

“Those are orders I’m happy to follow anytime,” I admitted as I took my first bite. I would never tell Momma, but Trish’s pies easily rivaled her own.

As we ate, I asked Trish, “What did you want to talk about?”

She started to tell me, and then the tears began again.

I reached out and touched her hand. “Trish, are you okay?”

“Not so much,” and before I could ask her anything else, she stood up abruptly and ducked back into the kitchen. This was forbidden territory for anyone but her staff, but I knew that I couldn’t just let her walk away from me. Something was troubling her, and I needed to know if I could help.

I waited nearly a full minute, and then she came out again. “Sorry about that,” she said.

“Trish, what’s going on?”

“I was wrong before. I can’t talk about it, Suzanne, at least not right now, so please don’t ask me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, but thanks for caring.”

I knew when it was time to drop it. If and when Trish was ready to talk to me, I’d be there for her, but in the meantime, the worst thing I could do was push her if she wasn’t ready to talk yet. I tried to leave another tip to cover my portion of pie, but Trish wouldn’t let me get away with it. “Are you
trying
to hurt my feelings?” she asked the second she spotted the money.