by Judi Lynn
“Can I interrupt for a minute? I knew everyone would be here.”
Peter started crying and Franny got up to nurse him in the other room. Jerod motioned to her empty chair. “Want some coffee?”
Jazzi loaded the dirty dishes in the sink to rinse later and returned with the pies—two coconut cream and two chocolate. “We’re just starting dessert.”
Gaff shrugged his coat off and came to join them while Ansel carried a piece of pie to Franny in the other room. Gaff waited until the meal was over before saying, “Thanks for letting me join you. Thane and Radley worked with Donovan, so I thought they could tell me if he’d ever known Ronnie.”
Thane shook his head. “Not that I know of. He never mentioned him.”
Gaff looked at Didi. “Gil liked the kid, didn’t he?”
She pushed her empty plate away. “I’m not sure he liked him, but he felt sorry for him. He said life had given him a bad hand.”
“Did you like him?”
Didi shook her head. “No matter what happened, Ronnie made sure he came out looking good, even if he had to throw someone else under the bus. I wasn’t a fan. He wasn’t crazy about me either. Gil’s group thinks I filed for divorce the minute Gil got behind bars, but that was Gil’s idea. He told me he’d only mess up my life, that I didn’t need to be stuck with a con, I deserved better. He chose Ronnie over me.”
Gaff nodded. “So, Gil was stuck with Ronnie, and Donovan was stuck with Brianne. Did they know each other?”
Didi looked surprised. “They might have. Gil said that Ronnie knew Donovan’s dad. They’d worked together in a warehouse or something. And Ronnie worked with Jarrett once in a while. And Brianne lived with Jarrett, so . . .”
Excitement buzzed in Jazzi’s mind. Were these the dots that connected Donovan and Didi? Had they found the thread of a trail?
Thane shook his head. “The difference is, Gil would still be standing behind Ronnie, but Donovan recognized Brianne’s pattern and cut her loose.”
Radley agreed. “Donovan had met a nice girl, Elspeth Smythe. He was ready to get serious with her.”
That news depressed Jazzi even more. Donovan had a shot at happiness and someone took it away from him.
“Gil didn’t deserve to die.” Didi squared her shoulders, ready to defend him.
Walker looked at her and smiled. “I like how loyal you are.”
Gran snorted. “You like everything about that girl.”
Walker’s cheeks flushed, but he didn’t deny it.
Gaff turned to Jazzi. “Want to come with me to see Brianne and Elspeth tomorrow? Elspeth isn’t a suspect, and I don’t want to make her nervous. You could help soften my visit. And Brianne … well, she’ll be a pain either way, but she sure isn’t fond of me.”
“I thought you were going to interview Gil’s cellmate.”
“I am, but I don’t want you around the likes of him. You might make the women open up, though.”
Jazzi wasn’t so sure. “I’ve met Brianne. She didn’t like me much.”
“Even better!” Gaff rubbed his hands together. “I don’t want you anywhere close to Jarrett, so we’ll meet her at Donovan’s apartment instead. I got it approved by the super.”
“Works for me.” Jazzi would love to see Brianne’s expression when she realized everything there was emptied out.
That settled, Gaff got up to leave and the rest of the guests were close behind. People were collecting their coats when someone pounded on the front door. Jazzi frowned. Who in the world could that be? Friends and family always came to the kitchen door. She went to answer it, and a big, bulky man pushed his way inside. His coffee colored hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. His steel gray eyes glinted with temper. He stabbed at her with his finger. “What right did you have to keep Brianne out of Donovan’s apartment? You’re the same blonde who went to see Ronnie, too, aren’t you? Why are you sticking your nose in my business?”
Before Jazzi could answer, Ansel came and stepped in front of her. “Threaten her one more time, and that finger won’t ever be the same.” Then Jerod, Thane, Walker, and Bain came, too. All big men. Last, but not least, Gaff sauntered to the door with a smile.
“Hi, Jarrett, what brings you here? I thought you didn’t know Donovan. Did you suddenly remember him?”
Jarrett’s lips pulled back in a snarl. “Brianne told me about going to Donovan’s apartment. Seems he was the sap she lived with while I was in the joint. She told me how the blonde here treated her.”
Radley pushed his way to the front of the group. “Jazzi didn’t say anything to Brianne. I did. Brianne must have realized I live in Donovan’s building. And the only way you could have found this house is if you followed me here. What were you hoping to accomplish?”
Jarrett relaxed his stance. He had to. If he didn’t drop the aggressive crap, Ansel would toss him out. “I was hoping she could tell me where you sent Donovan’s furniture.”
Gaff looked curious. “Why?”
Lies rolled smoothly off the man’s tongue, because Jazzi didn’t believe a word he told them. “Brianne was fond of a night table he owned. She was hoping to take it as a keepsake.”
“It was already spoken for,” Radley said. “Everything in the apartment is gone.”
Jarrett tried to hide his irritation. “I guess I’m too late then.”
Gaff’s expression shifted into cop mode. “If you came here to intimidate Jazzi into telling you what you wanted, I wouldn’t be happy. Neither would her husband or any of her friends. I wouldn’t come here again if I were you.”
“No worries. Brianne wouldn’t be happy if I spent time with a bombshell blonde. She’s the jealous type.” Jarrett looked toward the kitchen. His gaze settled on Didi. “Why is she here?”
“Because I invited her,” Gaff said. “She doesn’t want to see you, so you can leave now.”
“And not say hello to Gil’s wife?”
“His ex,” Gaff said. “And she has no fond memories of Gil’s old friends.”
Jarrett made eye contact with her. “Do you still live in the old neighborhood?”
“When she’s in town.” Gaff answered for her.
“Does River still go to the same school?”
The little boy looked alarmed and scooted closer to Didi.
“How do you know River?” Gaff snapped. “Gil was in prison when Didi adopted him. They didn’t keep in touch.”
Jarrett looked confused for a minute, then shrugged. “News spreads in the joint. Not sure who I heard it from.”
“Because you didn’t. Didi’s house was broken into. You wouldn’t know anything about that, I suppose.”
“Why would I?”
“That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? And why would you be here looking for a night table?”
“Hey, are you accusing me of something?”
“I’m putting you on the suspect list, that’s for sure.”
Jarrett’s angry expression returned. “I dealt with you enough before I was arrested. I don’t have to bother with you now.”
Gaff held out his hands, unperturbed. “I didn’t come to you this time. You came to me.”
“Maybe you should be looking at Gavin instead.”
“Gil’s cellmate?”
“He knew Gil still had a thing for Didi. And he couldn’t stand Ronnie. He and Gil bumped heads more than once.”
“I’ll be sure to let him know you mentioned him.”
Jarrett’s teeth bared in a smile. “You do that. I’d love to see good old Gavin outside of the pen.”
“Did you want to see Ronnie, too? You’ve heard he’s disappeared, haven’t you?”
Jarrett shrugged. “Nothing to me. I only protected him when he was in prison.” With that, he turned and left. Jazzi watched him climb into a rusted white Chevy.
Didi came to look, too. “Sure is.”
Gaff’s expression turned serious as he watched Jarrett drive away. “If I pull him in for questioning, he’ll tell me he was checking up on you for Gil, that he’d promised him to keep an eye on you.”
“Bull pucky.” Jazzi let out a frustrated sigh. “I wish he hadn’t seen Didi here.”
“Me, too.” Walker came to watch his car pull out of the drive. “If I see that Chevy anywhere near our house, I’m calling you, Gaff.”
Our. He’d called it our house. Didi noticed it, too. Jazzi smiled.
Gaff’s mind was still on Jarrett. “If you see him anywhere you go, let me know.”
Walker put a protective arm on River’s shoulder. “I think it’s time River changes schools. There’s a good one closer to my house.”
Didi glanced at her son. “He has friends where he’s going now.”
“I can make new ones,” River piped up. “Would I ride a school bus?” The idea clearly appealed to him.
“We’ll check into it, but he’s not going to school tomorrow.” Walker glanced at Didi for her okay, and when she nodded, River looked relieved.
There wasn’t much anyone could do at the moment. People started out the doors again.
Jerod and Franny took Gunther and Lizzie with them, but not before Gunther ran to give Jazzi a hug. “Can we stay here again sometime? Please?”
Eleanore looked offended. “What about your grandma? When are you going to come stay with Grandpa and me?”
Gunther licked his lips, nervous and surprised. “You usually take us places. And we stay at the lake with you.”
“It’s too cold for the lake now,” Eleanore said. “We’ll have to think of something closer to home.”
The boy’s eyes lit up, and Jazzi could almost see him calculating all of the places he could spend the night and be entertained. So could Jerod. He patted his son’s head. “You’re not ditching us every weekend. We’ll figure something out.”
By the time everyone had gone, Ansel, Jazzi, and Bain sagged onto barstools and had one last drink.
“I like everyone that was here,” Bain told her, “but I never realized how much work having a close-knit family was.”
“Anything worthwhile takes some effort,” she said.
“Well, I’m not putting any more effort into anything tonight,” Ansel said. He went to the living room and stretched out on a couch. Bain took his usual recliner, and Jazzi curled up with Inky and Marmalade on her sofa. She’d never realized how much work kids were. She had to give her cousin credit. He was a good worker and a great dad. Ansel would be like that someday. And her? She might drag and give it her best, like Franny.
Chapter 18
On Monday, the guys decided to wait to prime the downstairs until Jazzi went to see Brianne and Elspeth. Instead, they all trooped upstairs to the third floor attic to decide how to make it into a bedroom and bath. Even though it had windows, it had that musty, seldom used, attic smell. Jerod started a checklist.
“It needs insulation, drywall, and plumbing. I already bought the insulation. We can start on that today.”
Jazzi hated working with the pink rolls. They always made her itch, but the two-by-fours were bare. It would be the easiest way to finish the room. With Ansel and Jerod working on the ceiling, and her and Bain installing it in the walls, they had it almost finished when Gaff arrived.
When she slid into the car next to him, she asked, “Where to first?”
“To visit Elspeth. I’ve stopped at Jarrett’s to question him before, and Brianne doesn’t get out of bed until late afternoon.”
“A good thing,” Jazzi mumbled. “She needs all the beauty sleep she can get.”
Gaff laughed. “I like it when you’re catty.”
“I can sharpen my claws with the best of them, but I try not to do it too often. Donovan was right, though. Jarrett and Brianne deserve each other.”
The ride to Elspeth’s wasn’t long. She lived in an old brick apartment building close to River Bluff’s downtown. The trim all needed repainting, giving the building a rundown look, but it was sturdy enough.
“It’s close to her job,” Gaff said. “She works at the insurance company near the ball diamond.”
There’d been a big debate, but River Bluffs had decided to build a ballpark downtown, and it had been an immediate success. Restaurants and hotels sprang up around it. Before, downtown had been failing. Now, between the ballpark, the event center, and Headwaters Park, the city was alive again.
Gaff parked at the curb, and they entered a small foyer with steep stairs leading to the higher floors. They climbed to the highest one and turned left to apartment 3A. The stairs and hallways were downright shabby, but when Elspeth opened her door and invited them in, they entered a warm, cozy space. The aroma of tomatoes and garlic hovered in the air.
“Something smells good,” Gaff commented.
“Vegetable soup. I make a pot to take for lunch instead of eating cafeteria food.”
She smiled when she saw them look around her apartment in surprise. “We’re allowed to paint our rooms any color we want as long as we repaint them white before we leave.” Oak floors softly gleamed and area rugs added charm. The sitting room and attached dining room were a warm peach. Glancing through the arch to the kitchen, which was a decent size, Jazzi saw a robin egg blue tile backsplash. She had a thing for that color.
“Your apartment’s lovely.” The furniture was flowered and overstuffed. The girl was as pretty as her living quarters with long light brown hair and gray eyes.
“Thanks.” Elspeth motioned them to a love seat and two armchairs. “You came about Donovan?”
Gaff removed his notepad from his shirt pocket and clicked his pen. “Did you go to his funeral?”
She looked down and shook her head. “I didn’t know anyone there, not even his parents. I didn’t want to break down when I looked in the coffin. I took the day off work, though. I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. I’d finally met a good guy and then . . . “ She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Gaff nodded toward Jazzi. “This is Jazzi Zanders Herstad. She’s Thane and Radley’s sister-in-law. At least, soon now, she’ll be Thane’s sister-in-law.”
Elspeth grinned. “Donovan was close to both of them. He talked about them all the time.”
Gaff poised his pen over a clean sheet of paper. “We’ve heard that he wasn’t close to his father.”
Elspeth grimaced. “They never clicked. Donovan didn’t like to talk about him. He loved his mom, but they weren’t close either. I got the feeling he didn’t approve of his father but knew his mom would never leave him.”
“What was his problem with his dad?” Gaff asked.
“Ray shared news with his family on a need to know basis. That worried Donovan. He always thought his dad was involved in stuff he shouldn’t be.”
“Did he have anything solid to base that on?”
“Only tidbits he’d overhear once in a while when his dad talked on the phone and thought no one was around. Nothing specific.”
“Did he ever mention names of his dad’s friends?”
She shook her head. “Sorry. He really tried not to think about his dad too much or spend time with him. That’s one of the things he and Radley had in common. Neither of them was overly fond of his parents.”
Since she’d mentioned his name, Jazzi said, “Radley’s worried about you. He thought Donovan was lucky to find you.”
Elspeth gave a gentle smile. “He’s that type, isn’t he? Such a nice person.”
“He’s taking Donovan’s death pretty hard,” Jazzi confided. “It might be nice for the two of you to get together and talk about him.”
Elspeth’s gray eyes
widened in surprise. “Do you think he’d like that?”
Jazzi nodded. “Very much.”
“It would help me,” Elspeth admitted. “I don’t have anyone to share my feelings with about Donovan.”
“Would you mind if he called you?”
“Mind? I’d welcome it.”
Jazzi turned to Gaff. She hadn’t meant to hijack his interview, but he didn’t have any more questions.
“If you think of anything, will you give me a call?” He handed her one of his cards.
Elspeth stood to see them out, and Jazzi grinned to herself as they made their way downstairs.
“Playing matchmaker?” Gaff sounded amused.
“I know better than that,” Jazzi said. “But it wouldn’t hurt to throw them together and see what happens, would it?”
Gaff shook his head but helped her in the car before driving to Donovan’s old apartment. He stopped for the key from the super on their way up, and Brianne showed up ten minutes later.
She stepped into the room and glared at Jazzi. “What are you doing here?”
“I invited her.” Gaff leaned against a wall. All of the furniture was gone. Brianne walked to the kitchen countertop and hopped on it.
Brianne raised her hand to check her freshly painted fingernails and wrinkled her nose. “I always smudge one of them, no matter how careful I am.”
Gaff’s look conveyed how he felt about that. “I want to talk to you about Ronnie and Gil.”
She frowned. “What have they got to do with Donovan?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Gaff opened his notepad. “All I’ve come up with is that Ronnie knew Donovan’s dad. They worked together at a warehouse once. And Ronnie knew Gil. We think he’s the connection.”
“If he worked with Donovan’s dad, then they were involved in a scam of some kind. That’s all Ronnie was any good at.”
“Did Ronnie work with Jarrett?”
They already knew he had, so she didn’t bother denying it. “Off and on. He was a gofer. Jarrett couldn’t count on him for much of anything. And if anyone scared him enough, he’d blab everything he knew, so Jarrett didn’t give him much information.”