One Cuppa Brew: Book 1 in The Thyme for Tea Series (3 page)

Pastor looked at her son incredulously. It took all she had not to turn around and repeat “seriously” to him, but she held her tongue. Further defending William might surprise Andy, but she couldn’t just let it go. “I simply find it hard to believe he is a cold-blooded killer. And if he is, how come he never killed me any of the three hundred or so times he saw me in the past six months? I don’t think he ever mentioned her looks, she must have been close enough that he didn’t question her, but I do know it had been years since he had seen her. People do change.”

“So what you are telling me is we have a dead lady who isn’t who she says she is, and a retired spy searching for a way to save his skin? Because running away doesn’t look very good for him, although it is all circumstantial evidence right now.” Andy’s voice faded, as though he was talking to himself. The Kinks interrupted their conversation as another customer came through the door. “Dinner tonight, Mom?” Andy asked. “I need to run a few errands.”

“That sounds delightful, Fisherman’s Corner around 7:00? That will give me time to close up and do a quick yoga session.”

“Sounds great, Mom. See you then,” he said with a kiss on her cheek and a wave goodbye.

Pastor turned to greet her customer as she watched her son go out the door. She was surprised the customer wasn’t one of her regulars, but a stunning lady young enough to be her daughter with a big hat and eyes that looked like she had been crying extensively. “Can I help you find something? Would you like a cup of tea? It’s amazing what it will cure.”

“That’s what Ray Davies sang as I walked in,” the stranger replied quietly.

Pastor smiled, “Not a lot of people know the song, let alone the group or the singer. Are you a fan?”

“Not really, but my twin sister couldn’t get enough of them for awhile,” she replied. There was a small smile on her lips, making her even prettier.

“I always wondered what it would be like to have a twin,” Pastor reflected. “I’m serious about the tea. It will work miracles.”

“I could use one of those right now. But does your tea find people? Or bring others back from the dead?” The woman looked like she might cry again. “Maybe later. I’m just a little upset right now.” The young woman said as she hurried out the door.

“Well, that was bizarre,” Pastor thought. The woman had seemed so distraught. This was an island, often a holiday destination. People had issues from home affect them while they were traveling, but mostly, people were happy and relaxed here. Not only had she grown fond of the area, bringing her boys to vacation every year near their grandparents, but as she aged, she appreciated the retirement community and the families spending time together. Summer and winter were totally different on the island, and that woman was one she would have expected to see during the summer. Summer women like her were carefree—other than a toddler or two, they usually had a young husband in tow, either trying to relax while away from his office or being the life of the party. Pastor shrugged her shoulders, knowing it would be a while before she could forget the conversation with the strange woman.

CHAPTER FOUR

Not all police departments welcomed federal agents, but with Andy’s last name, and Jason’s role on the force, he was well received. In fact, he wasn’t sure how much his friend had done without him, once he looked over the case file.

“I am so glad you are here! Dude, this is out of my scope. We might get a couple of drownings a year, at most, and that’s usually kids being dumb. I know we all talk about wanting to solve murders but when you get them, if they aren’t cut and dry, with lots of eyewitnesses, it kinda sucks.” Jason sounded like he had swallowed something disgusting. “Sheila had just made a special breakfast for dinner, with eggs and bacon, for the kids. Then I had to go see the body. Talk about losing your toast. Man, I don’t know how you deal with it so much.”

Andy shook his head, “All cases are new cases. The worst ones to accept happen when there is still some life left, but they pass on anyhow. Those are the hardest ones. Those, and the ones that have been dead long enough to really stink.” He remembered throwing up years ago. It had been awhile. In fact, he wasn’t sure he knew when he had last. He was getting jaded. Part of going undercover and sometimes having to be the one doing the killing made finding the bodies easier. You began to admire technique, and look at the killings critically. He could tell William must have had similar training, or he wouldn’t have been so spooked about this one. One thing Jason was right about, it wasn’t an easy case to solve. Unless you believed it was William, since the body had been left right outside his door.

“So what do you think of the obvious perp? Is he standing up to scrutiny?” Andy asked Jason.

“Man, I wish he would. But I know William. Which is something they must not have known before trying to pin it on him. He comes in to do agility tests with us; set up scenarios, help us practice for the physicals. When homeland security was offering a bunch of funding, he came in and sat down with a grant writer to make sure we got extra manpower, boats, gadgets, all kinds of stuff that we wouldn’t have thought to ask for without him. This just isn’t his thing. He would never leave a body in front of his door. It does make me wonder if she was going to talk to him, and that was a good place to do her in, though,” Jason offered.

“I hadn’t thought of that. And it makes sense. He is a decent-looking guy, and she was new in town, right?” Andy asked.

“Decent? He looks about twenty years younger than the rest of them, and can run circles around most of the police force. Yeah, I would say he’s in good shape,” Jason replied.

“Funny that Mom never mentioned that,” Andy said with a laugh.

“Your mom might not even realize it, you know,” Jason joined in his laugh. “Everyone knows she is above reproach, and a lot of people think she is some Catholic nun or something. No one would think of trying to date her, even though she is beautiful, wealthy...”

“Hey! That’s my mom you’re talking about!” Andy said, sounding more upset than he was. “But seriously, you don’t have much here,” he said as he waved the file around. “Did you have them run a tox screen on her? I know this sounds weird, but could you order dental records to confirm ID? Does she have family making the trip to do it?”

“We tried to locate the eldest twin this morning, but her cellphone seems to be off, and her employer said she was on vacation, starting yesterday. Maybe she went overseas, and turned off the phone,” Jason answered.

“Or, maybe she has been here killing her stepmother, or fake stepmother, depending on what we find,” Andy said, knowing Jason was thinking the same thing. His friend may have been rattled by the body yesterday, but he was a fine cop who had just made the choice to stay local. It was hard to leave this place and go anywhere else, Andy knew, unless you were just born with the need for travel and adventure. To those that grew up loving it here, the rest of the world was too hot, too cold, too hilly, had too many laws, and not enough water. “You want to take me back to the scene or you want me to go alone?” he asked.

“Man, I have so much more to do here; do you mind going back on your own? Sheila isn’t used to my schedule varying too much, like a city cop would. She is rather set in her ways, you know,” Jason answered.

“No problem. I’ll let you know if I find anything. Call me if new info comes in, even if it seems like nothing, okay? Otherwise I’ll see you bright and early. Maybe that blood work will be back?”

“Maybe.” Jason said, with the resignation of one not used to speedy results.

“Hey man, before I go, I just want to let you know I really appreciate you calling me in. Anything this close to my mom needs to be dealt with by family,” Andy said, as he paused at the door.

“Get out of here, dude. Just help me solve it and look like a hero! And don’t mention that puke to anyone!” the officer added the last bit with a laugh.

CHAPTER FIVE

Among the privileges of having a large amount of wealth in retirement, Pastor enjoyed the ability both to set her own schedule, and pay for her yoga sessions privately. Iris Potts had never been athletic as a youth, but she had become appreciative of sports while raising her three boys. When she finally realized, sometime in her forties, that simply dieting and walking every so often wasn’t enough anymore, she explored different fitness activities. At the time, restorative yoga was taught in her church on a donation basis, and Pastor thought it was wonderful. She also tried Zumba, ballet for adults, circuit training, and a few other fads. But when the instructor invited her to come to her studio and do a beginner yoga sequence, Pastor realized she had found the exercise that made the most sense to her.

Today there was an intermediate class in the community room at one of the condos still owned by her family, coincidentally beginning fifteen minutes after her shop closed. To her, this was almost better than private sessions. The class dynamics kept her motivated. If the group could do it, so could she. On the two nights a week the classes were offered, Pastor generally skipped her nightly beach walks to attend. The thought of skipping today and simply going home to relax before dinner was tempting, but she knew she would regret it if she did. Entering the class at least ten minutes early, she was surprised by how much talking was happening, and how quickly it stopped when people turned and saw her. She recognized Alice and Pam, two women that generally played doubles with Joe and William in the center of the room. She took her mat to the back of the room and laid it out, trying to ignore the silence, and the looks. She sat on her mat and crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and placed her hands gently on her knees. As she began to deepen her breath, she heard Pam say something to Alice. “How could she? I heard he hadn’t been dead very long? I thought those things took time.” The temptation to open her eyes was strong, but she was more interested in hearing what else they might say. She continued to allow her breathing to deepen, wishing herself to be invisible, as much as possible. Since her husband Chuck had died many years ago, she was relieved that they probably weren’t talking about her, which had been her first assumption in the quiet room.

Another voice that she didn’t recognize replied, “They had been married so long, and had joint accounts, a living will, etc. If probate goes smoothly, it only takes a few weeks. Money talks. His life insurance payout alone was huge, but I don’t know what she had. I believe his will split the inheritance between his wife and children, with annual payments and large assets, like their house, jointly held. Even though she raised them from infants, money can separate family. At the rate she was spending, I can’t see how much longer her inheritance would have lasted.”

Someone else replied, maybe Alice this time, “A suspicious death can be held up for a while. And murder can get messy in the courts. They will definitely have to give the allotted time for anyone else to come forward that may have a claim on her or her holdings. I just can’t believe it, we played tennis yesterday morning. And William, he wasn’t acting rude or anything, he was just very curious about where she learned to play tennis so well. Not that she was as good as I am.”

A third voice, this time, she was sure it was Pam, even though she was whispering, “Do you REALLY think it was William, I mean, why would he?”

“Maybe she knew something about his past he didn’t want anyone else knowing,” the voice Pastor believed was Alice answered. “Or maybe she didn’t like the way he was studying her so much and threatened him, but it backfired. The possibilities are endless, but it had to be him, right?”

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the instructor.
Thank goodness,
Pastor thought to herself. If I hadn’t been so curious I would have asked them to be quiet. Now I don’t know if they were saying things for my benefit, or if it was a real conversation.

Seventy-five minutes later, Pastor felt like an entirely new woman. This class had included a few yin poses in the later part of the class. She had soaked in the goodness, and it had helped clear her mind. She hoped it had done the same for the other women, and was torn between being polite and saying goodnight, or escaping quietly without eye contact. Good manners and years in the public eye won out, and she went and said hello to the ladies before leaving. If they had any regrets about speaking in front of her, they didn’t show it. In fact, Alice had invited her to walk out with them. She declined, saying she had to meet her son for dinner.

CHAPTER SIX

Pastor walked into the restaurant at 6:57, wondering if she would be there first. She spied Andy in the far corner, of course taking the position where he could survey the whole restaurant, just as his father had always done. She smiled, glad he didn’t look as much like his father as his older brothers. It always tugged at her heart to see them use Chuck’s expressions. But Andy looked more like Pastor’s younger brother, who lived in the Keys. Her brother taught marine mechanics at the community college. Given the sun exposure down there, he hadn’t looked as young as Andy in forty years, even if he was only twenty or so years older. She and her brother weren’t close; as he had been twelve years her junior, he was one of those late-in-life babies that some couples are blessed to have, but the teenaged siblings wonder why they are all of a sudden babysitting so much. She had been the babysitter. Andy’s face now reminded her of her brother Dennis before telling his parents he was moving to the Keys, before he had let the sun have his way with his skin.

Andy stood as she made her way to the table, and held out his arm as she sat. “So many manners, and yet still a single young man. When I am going to hear about a significant other?” Pastor asked.

“Not many women are willing to put up with my schedule, Mom,” Andy answered, his exasperation evident. They could just hit replay on this conversation, if they recorded any of their meetings.

“Fine. I won’t pester you more right now. What can you tell me about the body?”