Sugar Coated Sins (11 page)

“Not just yet.
 
I need about ten minutes, but at least we
have some bribes we can use for our suspects,” I said as I pointed to the three
boxes of unsold donuts.

“Not a good day for Donut Hearts?”
she asked.
 
Grace had learned to gauge my
sales based on how many donuts I had left at the end of business hours.

“It was okay.
 
I never seem to sell as many in the warm
months,” I said.
 
“That’s all right,
though.
 
It’s not nearly as upsetting as
the days when I expect to sell a lot and don’t, for no rhyme or reason that I
can determine.
 
How was your morning?”

“Well, nobody got fired, but no
one got a raise, either, so I suppose that overall it was a wash.”
 
She grinned at me as she said it.

“That’s an interesting way to look
at it,” I said as I started counting the money in the till to see if it matched
the report I’d just run.
 
There was no
doubt about it; the numbers were down, but not so much that I’d have to start
cutting back on things like food and clothing, at least not as long as the
trend didn’t continue for long.
 
Emma
took off just as I finished making out the deposit slip, and as I locked up,
Grace asked, “So, after we stop by the bank to deposit that, what are we going
to do?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” I
said as I took two of the three boxes of donuts from Grace.
 
If I couldn’t use them or give them away
during the remaining part of my day, I’d just have to discard them, since I hated
stale donuts.
 
I had the photo under my
arm, so it was a little hard to balance.

Grace must have noticed.
 
“What’s that?”

“Jan came by.
 
It’s a photo from the newspaper when the time
capsule was buried.”

“That’s going to help
tremendously,” she said.

“Not as much as you’d think,” I
answered, and then I explained its poor quality to her.

“We could always throw ourselves
on Ray’s mercy and ask to see the original.”

She saw me squirm a little at the
suggestion.
 
“Suzanne, what did you do?”

“What makes you think I did
anything?”

“Because I know you too well.”

I finally admitted my earlier talk
with Ray.
 
When I was finished, I half
expected Grace to be angry with me, but instead, she just smiled.
 
“No worries.
 
I would have done the same thing myself.”

“I’m planning to apologize to him this
afternoon.”

Grace frowned.
 
“I don’t see why you should.”

“We want to see that original
photo, don’t we?”

She thought about that for a
moment, and then she said, “Let me ponder that a little.”

“Take your time.
 
I’m in no hurry to debase myself in front of
Ray Blake, trust me.”

“So, what do we do in the
meantime?” Grace asked me.

“We need to dig back into Benjamin
Port’s life just before he lost it.
 
That
means looking into where he worked and, more importantly, who he worked
with.
 
We also need to check out where he
lived and talk to any neighbors who might remember him.”

“If they’re even still around,”
Grace said a little skeptically.

“I know it’s not much, but it’s
the best I’ve got.
 
If you’ve got any
other suggestions, I’d love to hear them.”

She shrugged her shoulders.
 
“I don’t, so let’s go with your plan.
 
So, where exactly did Benjamin work when he
died?”

“I’m not exactly sure.
 
Let me check.”

“Who are you calling, Gabby?”

“No, I’d rather avoid speaking
with her again unless I have something to tell her.
 
I thought I’d give my momma a call.”

Grace smiled.
 
“Excellent.
 
I’m willing to bet that your mother knows something about Benjamin if
anyone in town does.”

Chapter
13

Momma answered on the fifth ring,
and she sounded a little on edge when she spoke.
 
“Hello, Suzanne.
 
What can I do for you?”

“How do you know that I’m not just
calling to say hi?” I asked, pretending to be offended that she’d assumed that
I needed something.

“I’m sorry.
 
Forgive me.
 
It’s been one of those days.
 
It’s
good to hear from you.”

“You, too.
 
How have you been?”

“Fine.
 
And you?”

“Just peachy,” I said.
 
There was no easy way to segue into it, so I
decided to dive right in.
 
“Did Phillip
tell you about what we found in the time capsule?”

“He did,” she said, suddenly guarded.
 
“I don’t really approve of him getting back
into police work, and I told him so in no uncertain terms.
 
It’s too dangerous.”

“He’s just researching a few
things for Jake,” I said in my stepfather’s defense.
 
“Apparently he loves digging into the town’s
past.”

“I know, but I’m not pleased at
all that his research involves a local murder, no matter how long ago it may
have happened.”

“Momma, like it or not, your
husband was a law enforcement officer.
 
I
doubt that he’s putting himself in danger, but if he is, I’m sure he can handle
himself.”
 
I marveled that I was in the
odd position of defending my stepfather to my mother, a surreal moment if ever
there was one.

“I understand all of that on an
intellectual level, but on an emotional plane, it’s entirely different.”

“Speaking of the time capsule, did
you know Benjamin Port very well?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just making polite
conversation.”
 
She’d busted me, but
there was no reason that I couldn’t continue to protest that there had been no
ulterior motive when I’d called.

“We did business together a few
times, but most of my dealings have been with his sister, Lisa.”

“Did they work together?”

“Of course they did.
 
Didn’t you know?
 
They owned Port Resources jointly, but when
Benjamin died, she took over the company completely.”

“Funny that I’ve never heard of
it.
 
Is it in town?”

“Yes,” she said, “but I’m not
surprised that they were off your radar.
 
They’ve always kept a low profile.
 
As a matter of fact, they have a small office near the hardware store,
but you’d never know it.
 
I don’t believe
they even have a sign on their door.”

“What exactly is it that they do?”

“Suzanne, this doesn’t sound like
idle chatter to me.
 
That’s really why
you called, isn’t it?
 
You’re on one of
your fact-finding missions, aren’t you?”

There was no way I was wriggling
out of this now.
 
“Can’t my call be two
things, catching up with you
and
getting a little information at the same time?”

“I suppose that it can,” she
said.
 
“As to what they do, they’re into
a little of everything.
 
The business
owns a few small properties around town and has a percentage in a few ongoing
businesses as well.
 
In addition, I
believe they own some timber rights and some natural gas rights as well.
 
Taken a piece at a time, they aren’t very
big, but given the diversity of their portfolio, they manage quite well for
themselves.”

“So, they’re a smaller version of
what you do, though not anywhere near on your level,” I said.
 
Dorothea Hart was many things besides being
my momma.
 
She owned so many businesses
and properties around April Springs that I wondered how she managed to keep up
with it all.
 
As to what exactly was in
her portfolio, the truth was that I had no idea myself.

“Well, I’ve been at it quite a bit
longer than either one of them have,” Momma said.
 
“So, you’re digging into another murder.
 
Is Grace helping you again, or are you doing
it on your own?”

“Grace is back on board,” I said.

“Good.
 
At least there’s that.”

“You realize that of the two of
us, I’m the calm and sane one of the pair, don’t you?”
 
I loved Grace like a sister, but she was the
danger seeker of the two of us, and for some reason, it was important for me
that my mother knew that.

“That’s why you two balance each
other out, Suzanne.
 
It’s also why I’ve
always approved of your friendship.
 
Please try to stay out of trouble, would you?”

“Hey, I’m not making any
promises.
 
Before you go, do you happen
to know where Benjamin lived when he died?”
 
If I was going to openly mine her for information, there was no reason
to keep being coy about it.

“He rented one of the lofts above
the bank.”

“Wow, those places are supposed to
be really nice, aren’t they?”

“They are now, but they weren’t
always so elegant,” Momma said.
 
“When
Benjamin lived there, they were quite a bit more bohemian.”

Knowing what a ladies’ man he’d
been, I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
 
“Did you ever visit him there, Momma?”

“Suzanne, are you asking me what I
think you’re asking?” she asked a little sternly.

“Forget it.
 
I withdraw the question.
 
I don’t want to know.”

“Well then, since you brought it
up, I’m going to answer you, anyway.”

“Really, it’s okay.
 
You don’t have to.”
 
What had I gotten myself into?
 
I didn’t want to know if my mother had
enjoyed a dalliance with the town’s Casanova.

“There are two apartments above
the bank.
 
While I was never in
Benjamin’s space, I have visited my friend Betty Mathis there quite a bit in
the past.”

Betty was one of my mother’s lifelong
friends, and I knew for a fact that the two of them still had dinner together
occasionally.

“Do you think she might be able to
help me in my investigation?” I asked.

“I don’t see why not.
 
She still lives in her loft apartment.
 
Would you like me to call her for you and
tell her that you’re on your way?”

I had planned on tackling Lisa
first, but if Momma was going to wrangle me some time with Betty, I decided to
go with it.
 
“That would be great.
 
Grace and I would love to speak with
her.
 
Do you think she’d mind if we both
came over?”

“It can’t hurt to ask,” Momma
said.
 
“Let me give her a ring, and then
I’ll call you right back.”

After we hung up, I brought Grace
up to date on my mother’s responses to my questions, since she’d already heard
my side of the conversation.
 
“We can
always tackle Lisa after we speak with Betty,” I finished.

“If you think Jake won’t mind,”
she said.

“I’ll double-check with him after
we see Betty.”

“Aren’t you going to get
permission to speak with her before we go?”

“Are you trying to make a point,
Grace?”
 
I knew that my friend treasured
the independence of our investigations, but the game had changed since Jake had
taken over as sheriff.

“Not at all.
 
I just don’t want you getting into hot water
with your husband.”

“Tell you what.
 
Why don’t you let me worry about that, okay?”
I asked her with a grin.

“Sounds good to me.
 
I’ve actually got plenty to keep track of
just focusing on my own life,” she added with a chuckle.

My phone rang, and after I
answered it, my mother said, “If you go over there right now, she’s expecting
you.”

“Thanks, Momma.
 
You’re the best.”

“Why would I be anything but?” she
asked with a laugh.

“Grace, are you ready to go talk
to Betty Mathis?”

“You bet I am.”

Her enthusiasm was a little too
much for the situation.
 
“Remember, she’s
not a suspect.
 
Betty is one of my
mother’s oldest and dearest friends, so we need to be careful about how we
handle this.”

“Got it.
 
Be subdued.”

She looked more chastened by my
warning than I liked.
 
“Don’t worry.
 
You can still be yourself.
 
Just tone it down a notch.”

“One notch it is,” she said a
little more brightly.
 
“I can do
that.
 
I’m sure that I can do that.
 
At least I hope I can.”

“If you have any problem, I’ll be
right by your side to keep you in check.”

“That’s all well and good, but
who’s going to keep you in line?”

“Funny, I always thought that was
your job,” I said with a huge grin.

“Suzanne, I’m glad we’re doing
this together,” she said happily.

“So am I.”

“Have you ever been in one of
these lofts before?” I asked Grace as we pulled into the parking lot behind the
bank.
 
While the financial institution
took up the first two floors, the top section had been divided into two
separate living spaces, at least according to my mother.

“No.
 
I wasn’t even sure that I ever really knew
that they were up here,” she said.

“This should be interesting,” I
said as we rang the buzzer by the back door.
 
There was a clicking sound, and then I heard Betty ask through a small
speaker, “Suzanne, is that you?”

“It is.
 
I’m here with Grace Gauge.”

“Come on up, ladies.”
 
There was a short buzz, and I grabbed the
door.
 
The remote door lock was probably
a blessing for the folks who lived there.
 
The stairwell was fairly narrow, and there was no elevator in the
building.
 
As we climbed to each landing,
we were met with solid steel doors, no doubt put in for the bank’s security
system.
 
At the top, there was one final
small landing with two doors side by side.
 
One had an austere doormat, while the other had one filled with images
of flowers and hummingbirds.

To my surprise, the door with the
plain mat opened before we could knock on the other one.
 
“Ladies.
 
Welcome.”
 
She must have seen the
hint of uncertainty in my glance.
 
“That’s where Nan Vasco lives.
 
Can I really call what she does there that?
 
She’s only in town one month out of the year
to visit her daughter.
 
It’s almost as
though I have the entire top floor to myself.”

We walked into her living space,
and I saw that it was loft living at its finest.
 
Air ducts ran along the ceiling, painted
matte black to match the corrugated metal ceilings, and roof rafters from the
old building were stained a deep brown shade that had to have come with
age.
 
The floors were hardwood oak, and
in places, the gouges in them were readily apparent.
 
There were only two room dividers in the
entire massive space, and they only went halfway up to the ceiling.
 
I saw a ladder in one corner of the loft
going up to a skylight access panel in the roof, but the day was overcast, so
the window didn’t shed much light.
 
Last
of all was the wide expanse of windows along the front wall.
 
Looking down, I could see Springs Drive, the
Cutnip hair salon, and, in the distance, St. Theresa’s.
 
If I leaned a little to the left, I could
even see where the town clock had once stood.
 
Now the space was surrounded by yellow police tape, but I knew that soon
enough, the clock would be back in its proper position.
 
Whether the time capsule would be buried back
where it had once been interred was still yet to be determined.

“It’s quite a view, isn’t it?”
Betty said as she moved beside me.
 
She
pointed two stories below us to where a mountain of cardboard boxes was stacked
against the front of the building.
 
“The
bank is replacing all of the old furniture downstairs to make it look more
modern, and they’re waiting for the City to come take all those boxes
away.
 
It’s a bit of an eyesore right
now, but you should see this view at Christmas.
 
It’s really beautiful with all the lights in town lit.”

“This is glorious just the way it
is,” I said.
 
“How did you happen to get
this space to live in?”

“Didn’t you know?
 
My family owned this entire building, once
upon a time.
 
When the bank decided to
buy it, my grandfather insisted that he retain a three-hundred-year lease on
the third floor.
 
As lovely as it is,
it’s still the cheapest place in town to live, and with the rent I’m able to
charge Nan, I manage to live quite comfortably, as long as my spending habits
remain modest.”

“Nan didn’t always have the space
next door, did she?” I asked her.