“So Tom knew about the allergy. Oscar decided to kill his wife, who irritated him with her ‘perfection’ of all things, with this same knowledge. Oscar got cocky and left the incriminating list of groceries out in his office, confident he’d hidden his intentions from everyone. But Tom, who would sometimes be in the office as Oscar’s colleague, saw the entry G-W-P for ground white pepper on it and suspected Oscar was up to something. Everyone knew Oscar had something big planned. As big as murder. We can’t be sure when Tom believed Oscar would kill Kathryn. It may be that he thought Oscar was going to hurt her somehow, his feelings probably colored by jealousy and a deep desire to get rid of the horrible man she married. Whatever it was, Tom would not allow Oscar to harm Kathryn.”
“So it was a case of stopping Oscar before he got the white pepper,” Noah said.
“Exactly. Just like Officer Schafer-Schmidt said. Tom knew Oscar would need to go to a grocery store at some time and kept a close watch on him. He saw Oscar go into Esther’s Family Grocery, witnessed his satisfaction with the place, and made his own plans to stop him. And they were ingenious in their simplicity.” Li’s eyes shimmered like new armor. “It bothered me like crazy that no one saw anything amiss that night. In a store that empty, anything out of the ordinary would be noticeable. The problem was the weapon: a scanner. Customers do NOT handle those tools. If any of the customers handled the scanner, it would be noticed. But since everyone said it was a normal night and nothing seemed out of place, then the person who handled it had to be the type of person who was expected to do so.”
“Whoa whoa whoa.” Reuben held up a hand. “Reverse. Rewind. Back up. Care to repeat that in English?”
“A handheld supermarket scanner is an occupation-specific weapon. Think of it like … a nightstick to a police officer. If a civilian in civilian clothes carried around a nightstick, people would notice it. Because it wouldn’t be right. It would be unexpected. But if a police officer carried one, no one would pay any real attention to it. It would be typical and expected. Provided one thing: the officer would have to be in uniform.
“See what I mean? In order for the killer to escape detection carrying around the fatal scanner, he would have to look like an employee at Esther’s Family Grocery! And that was easy! We wear a uniform, a very simple uniform to acquire. White button-up shirt, black slacks, black shoes, black necktie, and the crowning touch: a brown apron. All very easy to get. Tom’s only real danger was getting the apron, which was the evidence we got on him before his arrest. A receipt for an apron matching the ones in our store.”
Fernando was an inch away from falling off the edge of his chair. “Then what happened?”
Li had a sudden vision of himself as an oral storyteller of long ago, a crowd of people huddled close to him and the fire to hear the ancient tale. This section had a sizeable contribution from Detective Hughes. “Tom and Staci got home from the baseball game at a quarter after six. While Staci sat by the front window being a convenient witness to Oscar’s alibi, Tom went off to ‘work on his article.’ In reality, he changed into his employee disguise, waited for Oscar to leave around a quarter to seven, and followed him to Esther’s Family Grocery. At seven o’clock, Oscar arrived at the supermarket, Tom close behind him. As Oscar went to the spice aisle, Tom discovered the scanner on a shelf, probably one left behind by Lazy Leo. It made a sturdy weapon of opportunity and furthered his disguise.
“Tom went to the aisle next to the spice aisle: pasta. Through the perforated backing of the shelves, he could see Oscar biding his time for the perfect moment to grab the white pepper. When Oscar crouched down, Tom used a box of pasta to tip over a bag of sugar on the opposite riser. The sugar fell, hitting Oscar on the head and stunning him. Just enough to scramble his thoughts so he didn’t cry out. Then Tom scurried around the corner and used the scanner to finish the job. All his outdoor activities gave him the requisite strength to commit the murder.
“He had to act quickly. He raced to the public restrooms in the back corner of the store, stuffed the scanner in the toilet and flushed it to wash off fingerprints and any trace evidence, slipped off his apron, and left by the back doors. In the alley, he balled up the apron and tossed it aside, so it wouldn’t be found in his possession.” Li’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Reuben. “I think Bill liked his new cat bed.”
Reuben’s jaw dropped. “You mean … that’s the apron?”
“I’m pretty much positive it is.”
“Holy cow. What happened after that?”
“Not very much. He went home, changed, and went to dinner with Staci. No one tied him to the murder. His connection to Oscar was tenuous, no witnesses saw him at the store that night, and his motive was purely the welfare of Oscar’s wife. That’s why I didn’t suspect him until later.” Li’s gaze became contemplative. “I started changing my thinking when I realized that Oscar was the only victim so far. It seemed to me that whoever killed him had no intention to kill anyone else. And that was the case. Once Tom got rid of Oscar, all his problems were solved. Kathryn was saved … and free to marry again. Maybe even marry her unknown savior …”
Li thought about the remaining Lindstroms. Kathryn had moved back home to San Francisco with the intention of never setting foot past Modesto ever again. Jason had left too, after finding some old friends from his school days. The last letter he sent to Li said he found a job and was attending college as a journalism major. The picture sent with the letter showed Jason with a full smile and a healthy glow to his cheeks.
Li thought he would survive after all.
Reuben, still reeling, shook his head. “What a crazy week that was. You saved our butts, Li. If you didn’t believe Fern and me, I … we … it would have been really ugly.” A shadow flickered on his face. It was chased away when Noah kissed him on the cheek. “You’re a hero, Li. Thank you.”
Li’s face flushed pink. “Um … you’re welcome. I … I don’t know about hero …”
“You are, Li. Leave it at that.” Reuben settled further into his seat with a sigh. “I am so glad I left that place. Terrible vibes. This new job is much more in my wheelhouse as a business major.” Noah gently elbowed him in the belly. Reuben blushed. “Oh, sorry, Li. It was total and complete crap what Leo did.”
“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t surprised.”
Shortly after the multiple arrests, Leo pulled Li into his office and said how he was sorry this had to be such bad news, but that he felt he had hired Li too hastily and was afraid Li’s “adventures with law enforcement” wouldn’t reflect positively on the family-friendly mission of Esther’s Family Grocery. Never mind the murder.
Layman’s terms: Li was out of a job. Again.
Noah intervened. “We’ll help you find another job as soon as possible. We owe you big-time, Li. Anytime. Anyplace.”
“Guys, guys … It’s okay.” Li lifted his hands, and his smile was broad. “Turns out one of my earlier contacts got back to me for a job opening. I start next week.”
The other four cheered, congratulated him, patted his back, called for a toast.
Sarah asked the all-important question. “So where will you be working, Li?”
“Clerk at That’s How I Want to Die Mystery Bookshop.” Li shrugged. “I know it’s not the most glamorous work, but hey … a job’s a job.”
About the Author
Daniel Stallings’s love of Golden Age detective fiction inspired him to update the classic murder mystery for the modern age in his first Li Johnson mystery, Sunny Side Up. In addition to writing mysteries, Stallings works in theater as a producer, director, and actor. Combining his interests in mysteries and theater, Stallings operates Mastery Mystery Productions, which produces custom interactive mystery game events. He currently serves as President of the Eastern Sierra Branch of the California Writers Club. Stallings lives in the city of Ridgecrest in California’s Mojave Desert.
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