Steaks and Suspects

by Gretchen Allen

  “Do you have contact information for Christopher? Maybe he can help,” Ryan suggested.

  Joss shook her head.

  “Would it be weird to go to the funeral home where Isa’s funeral was? I’m assuming it was at least sort of local if Christopher was at the diner looking through his mom’s photos.”

  Joss cringed a little. “Yes, I think it would be weird to do that, and perhaps a little morbid…”

  Ryan turned red.

  “But,” Joss continued, pulling out her phone. “Technology is a wonderful thing.”

  After a few taps, Joss found what she’d been looking for.

  “It’s not much, but I found an online guest book from the funeral home for Isa. I see a few people offering their condolences, a few mentioning they’d be donating in her name to the charities she was involved in, and even a couple people writing about memories they’d shared with Isa when they were younger. There was one message in particular that stood out; one that didn’t really offer anything like the others did.

  All my love, -A.S.

  Short and sweet, Joss thought. It could mean nothing, and it probably did. It looked like her only option was to somehow get in touch with Christopher and find out what he thought, if anything, about his mother’s death. She couldn’t imagine anything more uncomfortable than going to a grieving son and asking if he thought his mother could have been murdered.

  “That’s not very much,” Ryan pointed out. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to eat,” Joss said, reminding herself of her new bad habit.

  Chapter Eight

  “What is it that you want, Joss?” Kate asked, looking impatient.

  “I want to know the names of the previous owners of an address,” Joss explained.

  “You know that’s public information, right?”

  “I mean, yeah, but I don’t really want to look online and end up with the wrong information, and I definitely don’t want to risk going to the library to look at old records, only to end up with Sylvia telling the whole world what I’m doing.”

  “True.” Kate nodded. “You can’t always trust everything you read on the Internet, and Sylvia Leighton does have a big mouth. Two truer things have never been spoken. But why does it matter who knows what you are looking for?”

  “No reason,” Joss said, cryptically.

  “It seems like there’s much more to this than you’re ever going to tell me. So, since you aren’t willing to do the digging openly, I have one condition.” Kate raised her brows.

  “What?” Joss asked, nervous about what was to come.

  “Cater the Lemon Bay holiday party,” Kate said, curtly.

  “We always cater it,” Joss said, referring to the diner. They’d catered the town’s holiday party for as long as Joss could remember.

  “No. You cater it. For free. We’ll pay for the food, of course.”

  Joss knew she was being played like a fiddle. She should probably just suck it up and look for herself, but the thing was, it was going to take way longer than what she had time for to find what she was looking for. Chances were, she’d come up with nothing, anyway, so she gave in.

  “Fine.”

  “Fine,” Kate said with a grin. “Now, what house do you want to know about?”

  “Houses. Plural.” Joss grinned back. “Actually, I just need you to look up some names and tell me if they ever lived in Lemon Bay.”

  “That’s not what you said,” Kate pointed out, not hiding an ounce of her annoyance. “That could take me lots of time.”

  “Think of how much money the town will save at the party, though,” Joss reminded her.

  “Tell me the names you are wondering about.” Kate sighed. “Then let me eat my food, I’m on my lunch break for crying out loud.”

  Joss passed a folded sheet of paper to Kate and left the table. Kate may seem gruff, but the truth was, they were old friends. They’d been on the debate team together in high school and always went back and forth, even over silly things. Joss knew that Kate liked to give her a hard time but would do anything for her, and the feelings were mutual. Little did Kate know, Joss always catered the holiday party for free. The town paid the diner for the labor costs, but Joss donated her time, letting the other members of the diner’s staff be paid extra instead. They had families to entertain, and children to buy gifts for, Joss just had herself.

  Smiling, since things had worked out better than she’d hoped, Joss got back to work. The afternoon was a busy one, making the day go by much faster. She’d confessed to Luke what she’d done, getting the response she’d expected.

  “You two are something else. Remember the time you went to a debate in Hannaford Heights? It was a state competition or something, and you two dingbats ended up arguing against each other instead of for the same team?”

  Joss laughed, thinking back to the day. “She was wrong.”

  “She was, but I think you missed the point,” Luke mused.

  “Maybe so,” Joss admitted. “But it’s a real fun story to tell, isn’t it?”

  “So, can you tell me the big secret?” Luke asked, looking hopeful.

  Joss trusted Luke more than she trusted most people. He’d been there through some seriously rough patches in her life, and she for his, but this was something she wanted to keep to herself. Quickly explaining the story about Lilly, thinking that would be enough to satiate him, Joss was distracted by the sound of a notification on her phone. She pulled it from her apron, expecting a text from Kate but found an email, a long one.

  “Can I take a break?” Joss asked, not totally surprised that Kate had made it sound like the job was much bigger than it was. She’d already found the information, in no time at all.

  “Only if you tell me what you found out,” Luke replied.

  “Nothing,” Joss lied. “What do you mean?”

  “Please. If you had seen the look on your face just a second ago, you’d be asking the same thing. Who is this Lilly person? Is that even her real name? Does she have a record? Tell me everything,” Luke rambled.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know any of the answers to any of those questions. Can I just please take a break? I’ll cover for you when I get back. I’m sure you want another break yourself. After all, you’ve been working for a whole hour and a half without one.”

  Joss didn’t feel guilty for the little dig she made toward her boss. It was all in good fun. Luke loved breaks. He loved relying on Joss and the other staff at the diner to cover for him while he went outside to his car and puffed away on his cigars. Plus, once she did have answers to his questions, she knew that he’d forget all about her teasing, anyway.

  “Go.” Luke waved her off, shaking his head.

  “Thanks!” Joss called, dashing off to the office to look at the email from Kate.

  Nothing glaring popped out as Joss had hoped, but she did find out that Mrs. Krispin had told the truth, her family had built the house she lived in, and no one had ever lived there but her relatives, none of them having the name Lilly. She’d also learned Lilly’s last name and that no one by the name of Lilly was related to Christopher or Isa, and maybe that meant she could check Lilly off the suspect list for Isa’s murder, assuming she was murdered. There were a lot of assumptions, and Joss knew what the saying was, but one thing that stood out, one thing that made her feel better about looking into everything was the last bit of information in the email. Joss wasn’t even certain what made her ask Kate about it, a hunch was all she could say.

  The previous owner of 1409 Albright Street, Rachel’s address, was Arnold Sampkin. The first name meant nothing to her, but the surname matched Lilly’s, and the initials matched the guest book. That was all Joss needed to keep pushing on.

  Chapter Nine

  After a quick call to Ryan, him telling Joss that her idea was likely going to result in nothing helpful and warning her that it was a bad idea to begin with, Joss did what any level-headed woman would do. The exact opposite. She k
new this was a leap that maybe she wasn’t prepared to take, and blatant lying wasn’t exactly her area of expertise, but Joss knew something wasn’t right. She was definitely grasping at straws by matching the initials from Isa’s guest book to Arnold Sampkin, especially since there was no real link between Isa and Lilly other than the chance Lilly had stolen the letters, but it sure seemed likely that the A.S. from the guest book, the -A from the missing love letters, and Arnold Sampkin had to be connected in some way. Especially since it seemed that Lilly was not only somehow related to Arnold but the only one other than Rachel to be near the letters. Connecting the dots was becoming easier by the minute.

  With Kate’s help, Joss was able to get a current address for Arnold Sampkin, and thankfully it was in Lemon Bay. Exiting her vehicle, Joss walked up to the pathway to Arnold’s home, noticing there was a truck in his driveway. She wasn’t a great liar but fully recognized that the truth wasn’t going to work in this particular situation either, so Joss had concocted a plan she was almost positive was going to work. She knocked on the door.

  “I’m not buying anything,” a man’s voice boomed as the door opened.

  “Good, because I’m not selling anything,” Joss responded with a smile. “Are you Arnold Sampkin?”

  “Who’s asking?” he answered.

  “I found Lilly’s wallet. She must have dropped it, and I just wanted to make sure she got it back,” Joss explained, hoping against hope this was going to work.

  “I see. Well, why would you bring it here? Are you a friend of hers or something?” Arnold asked.

  Joss nodded.

  “If you were a friend, you’d know that she doesn’t live here.” Arnold moved to close the door.

  “We don’t know each other that well. We just met, and I remember her mentioning your name, so I just thought…”

  “Listen, I don’t know what kind of trouble my daughter is in, but I know if you call her Lilly, you must know her at least a little well. The thing is though, Miss, my daughter doesn’t live here, or even in this town. If you really had her wallet, why didn’t you go to the address listed on her license? Where is the wallet?” Arnold asked, looking toward Joss’ hands.

  His daughter. Thinking on her feet, Joss replied. “Well, I don’t have that reliable of a vehicle, and like you said, Lilly doesn’t live in town, so I was afraid my car wouldn’t make it.”

  “And the wallet?” he asked again.

  “It’s in the car. I didn’t know if this was even the right address or anything. I wasn’t going to risk bringing the wallet here, just in case.”

  Joss had no idea where any of that came from, but she felt confident that Arnold believed her.

  “You could have simply dropped it at the police station,” Arnold challenged, clearly trying to catch Joss in a lie.

  “I could have, but you never know. Things go missing all the time. I just wanted Lilly to have her wallet back is all. I’m sorry to have bothered you.” Joss took a step back.

  Arnold, seemingly giving in, sighed. “Like I said, I just worry about my daughter. I mentioned the police because I worry that she’s in trouble with the law again. Lizbeth has had some issues in the past with stealing, and I fear she’s digging herself another hole. She’s canceled several of the plans that I’ve made with her, and her mother barely ever sees her. It’s bad enough she’s a grown woman, still living at home, now she’s losing her wallet and having strangers come to my door, it just doesn’t make sense. Her mom, Sabrina, mentioned a Carla that she’s been spending time with lately, are you Carla?” Arnold asked.

  “Uhh. No. I’m not Carla. I’m sorry about your daughter, and I hope you hear from her soon. I think I’ll do what you mentioned and just drop her wallet off at the police station. It’s probably a better idea,” Joss said, backing away again.

  “Is she in trouble? How do you two know each other? I told her over and over that if she needs money, all she has to do is ask! If she sent you here looking for money or to try and rob me, I swear… As a matter of fact, I’m calling the police. No wonder she’s been in hiding. I should have known.”

  Arnold took a step inside his home, bringing a cellphone to his ear. Joss’ heart started pounding, and she ran faster than she had in years. Once she got back to her car, she drove away as fast as she possibly could. Joss couldn’t stop her mind from whirling. Not only had Arnold had referred to Lilly as Lizbeth and mentioned that she’d stolen things before, but that she’d been in trouble with the law as well. Something that Joss was also going to be if Arnold had caught sight of her license plate. The last thing Joss needed was a call in to Verona about this.

  Joss arrived safely at her home, unscathed and fearing a visit from the chief of police about her latest stunt. Fortunately, she didn’t have any unexpected visitors, giving her time to enjoy some romantic comedy movies and a nice meal while she found out the address for Sabrina and Lizbeth Sampkin. Things still weren’t making sense, but Joss was getting closer. She could feel it.

  Chapter Ten

  “Are you sure you can’t stay? Just for a bit?” Mrs. Krispin asked.

  “Not today. I promise I’ll come back again soon, though,” Joss promised, feeling bad for the older woman. She seemed lonely. Joss had a passing thought on how to remedy that, and once all this mess was over with, she’d talk to Luke and see what she could do to help keep Mrs. Krispin busy.

  After several snacks, and lots of lemonade, Joss had learned from a very helpful Mrs. Krispin that Arnold Sampkin, his on and off again wife, Sabrina, and their daughter, Lizbeth had lived in the house Rachel currently lived in. She knew as much from the information Kate had provided, but Mrs. Krispin made it real. Someone had actually known this family. Mrs. Krispin said she didn’t remember them well, but recalled that Arnold and Sabrina had been married twice, to each other. Both times they were married in their backyard. She said she remembered it because it wasn’t common for a couple to marry, divorce and then marry again. Of course, Joss questioned it, guessing that perhaps they had just been renewing their vows, but Mrs. Krispin claimed to recall that Lizbeth, a young girl at the time, had been sitting out on the porch alone during the second wedding’s reception. Mrs. Krispin felt bad for the girl and went to talk to her, not being able to imagine what it was like to have parents that seemed to have struggled in their relationship.

  “I meant to tell you that even though we looked at those receipts and I was at the store the day Lilly supposedly came knocking, I gave it lots of thought and I was definitely home because I remember seeing Rachel in a panic and that lover boy of yours rushing over to help. She came running out of the front door soaking wet, and I’d already come and gone to the store by then. If Lilly came to my door, I’d have known.”

  “Mrs. Krispin,” Joss asked. “Do you think you would have recognized her if you saw her?

  “I’m not as good as I used to be, but I always remember a face. I just might have.” She nodded.

  “I’ll see you soon. I have to go.” Joss gave the older woman a quick hug of thanks and dashed out the door, texting Ryan as she went.

  A second later, her phone buzzed.

  She came to the backdoor. Why?

  Just as Joss remembered Ryan saying previously, Lilly came to the backdoor, hoping to avoid Mrs. Krispin. Pushing that information to the back of her mind, Joss hopped in her car, heading to Sabrina and Lilly’s house in the town over.

  On the drive, Joss blasted her music as loud as she could handle it, trying to drown out her thoughts. She was learning more and more each place she went and person that she spoke to, but the one thing she was hoping for, to learn if Isa was murdered or not, just wasn’t something she was getting any closer to figuring out. It was still possible that she had died from falling and hitting her head. Joss just couldn’t help but wonder if there was a connection between Lilly and Isa. She’d made a mental note to see what she could find out about any sort of legal record Lilly might have. Legal records told a lot, but so would holdi
ng a conversation with Lilly herself.

  Joss pulled up alongside the curb in front of the home the GPS had said was her destination. There were no cars nearby and no garage for one to be hiding in. Joss frowned, worried that she’d driven all this way for nothing. She got out of her car, went up the three steps and knocked on the front door, not letting the mail overflowing from the box attached to the house go unnoticed. There was no answer the first time she knocked, or the second and third. Giving up, Joss turned to leave, her eyes drawn to a large, brightly colored envelope on the small table sitting next to the door. Not touching it, Joss bent down, seeing that it was addressed to Sabrina Sampkin from Absolute Travel. The picture on the envelope, along with the FRAGILE, IMPORTANT, and DO NOT BEND stickers slathered all over the front, led Joss to believe that perhaps Sabrina had recently or was going to soon be traveling to a tropical island. Joss had seen envelopes like that before. She knew most things were done online now, through websites and email, but Lemon Bay and its surrounding towns were small, and people liked to do things the old-fashioned way. It was possible that no one was answering the door because they were traveling. Sabrina and Lilly could have been out of town, or even the country.