At that moment, Buster returned and handed Jazlyn a bottle of water. He held a look of uncertainty on his face.
“Look, I know what most people think of me. I’m a free spirit. And I’m not ashamed. I live in the moment, and I can live with that. Tabloid or otherwise. But I don’t want people to think I would harm Julia. I wouldn’t. I just wouldn’t.”
Cate raised one eyebrow. Her tone hinted of sarcasm when she asked, “Was Julia aware you were going to take her place? I thought Vera was to be the next in line to takeover.”
“No, she didn’t,” Jazlyn admitted and then looked to Vera. “I’m sorry, Vera. Asa has his own reasons and who am I to say otherwise.”
Vera said nothing but acknowledged the response.
As the four women lapsed into silence, Louie motioned for Buster to follow him away. “Let’s just go get some more food,” he said. “Give the ladies a moment.” Buster agreed and with that, they disappeared back among the tents.
“Are pre-hire retainers normal for television work?” Hannah questioned. “I’m not so familiar with how it all works.”
Without hesitation, Jazlyn answered, “Not of that size. But Uncle Asa is kind. He knew the reason I was visiting Julia and him was because I was broke. I had nowhere else to go. I had just graduated, and I guess he thought Julia needed a break. But she didn’t mesh with my choices sometimes. And with all the rumors flying around, Uncle was in a tough spot. He needed me out of the house, but there was no way he could win in doing so. If he tossed me out, it would look irresponsible and condemning. If he gave me a place to live, everyone would accuse him of keeping me. So he gave me a job and enough money to live well. To keep up appearances as the heir to her legacy. And he was angry with you, Vera, because you had gotten so close to her, and she had cut him out.”
“The night Julia died, something convinced her to leave the house and head out to the lake. Something she just wouldn’t do. Any ideas why she would?”
“I’m not sure. She did get a phone call just before I went out. I know it upset her.”
“A phone call.” Hannah weaved her hands together and pointed her index fingers to her lips. It was another quirk indicating her intrigue. “She didn’t mention from who?”
Biting her lip, Jazlyn shrugged. “I wish I knew who it was from,” she murmured. “But Julia wouldn’t tell me. I just know it upset her. I figured it had to be Jack. They always fought over everything. All the time. But in the week before, it had been worse. He even argued with her earlier in the day. But it ended with the usual accusations. But he came by at some point later to drop off some papers and apologize, as always.”
“Was their relationship always so contentious? Cate inquired.
“As long as I can remember. They had a running feud of sorts over her contract. He had trapped her into a lousy deal years ago and made sure it was iron clad. I can tell you this much. It must have been lucrative. Not even Asa could buy him off.”
As Jazlyn continued on about Miller, Hannah absorbed all the information. She started to piece together a picture of him within the complex web of Julia’s relationships.
“When they argued, they would insult each other,” recalled Jazlyn. “And he often said she couldn’t leave him because if she tried, he would kill her. Stuff like that. But Julia wasn’t fazed by his threats. She knew she was his meal ticket.”
To Hannah, Miller sounded like a conniving manager, a businessman who controlled Julia through a bad contract. He sought dominance over Asa via that relationship with the man’s wife. And she understood why a dirty businessman would want such a contract. The money involved was enormous. But she found his attempt to dominate Asa suspect. If it was just about the money, then Asa could have bought him off. “Every man has his price,” Hannah considered to herself. “And Asa has enough to meet Miller’s without flinching too much.”
Hannah soon found herself contemplating the meaning of Miller’s strange behavior. If it were a vendetta, then what could have brought it on? she asked herself. Then it hit her. Control and vengeance. Miller wanted both because it was his means of being with Julia. Without them, he would lose her. His actions went beyond greed. “Miller was in love with Julia,” Hannah concluded.
Cate looked up from her tablet where she was taking notes. “We knew about the contract. But I never heard of it being that aggressive. You seem to know him pretty well. Could he have just reached the end of his patience, lost it, and killed her?”
“Do I think he murdered Julia?” Jazlyn contemplated, then answered, “No. He often said things in the heat of the moment. But Julia could hold her own, that’s for sure.”
Hannah looked to Cate. “Makes me curious why the police didn’t look more into this case,” Cate agreed.
Hannah was about to ask a few more questions with Jazlyn when there came a loud noise from behind. She turned just in time to step out of the way of Xabiere, who came bursting into the tented area. He grabbed Jazlyn and looked her up and down. His actions were enough to tell Hannah that his interest went beyond friendship. Jazlyn’s stunned look spoke just the opposite. It told of fear and unease.
“Are you all right?” he demanded.
Jazlyn pushed herself away and put her hand up as a sign for Xabiere to step back. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Hannah watched the unfolding exchange with extreme curiosity. She wondered about the extent of the relationship. Was Xabiere just another of her many conquests? Or had it been at all intense at one point? How did each of them perceive it? “How is it these two had a relationship at all?” she asked herself.
Xabiere looked at the two women and then attempted to reach out for Jazlyn. Again, she stepped back. The frustration on his face became obvious, and he exclaimed, “I saw you leave and you seemed upset. It concerned me.”
Jazlyn drew her face in, both frowning and disbelieving. “And you came here. What? Are you following me now?” ‘
“No.”
“Then why are you here?” she yelled.
Thrown by Jazlyn’s accusation, it was Xabiere’s turn to take a step back. Hannah could almost see the cogs of his mind turning as he tried to squirm his way out. “Like I said. I saw you leave upset. When I got out the door, you had taken one of the carts and headed toward the tents.”
Jazlyn stared him down. She then turned to Hannah and Cate. “Could I have a moment?” Hannah could tell that what she was asking for was for Cate and her to step away, but not so far as leave her alone with Xabiere. Having agreed, they stepped from just under the tent at the far corner away from the two. It was just far enough to give an air of space yet close enough for Hannah and Cate to hear the majority of the conversation.
“First of all, I had an argument with Jack. Second of all, it’s no longer your issue. Last, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. You and I, it was nothing. It meant nothing. It wasn’t anything.”
Xabiere stood indignantly but continued to press Jazlyn for answers. “He’s trying to control you, isn’t he? Just like he did Julia. Drive you to suicide.”
Cate put her hand on Hannah’s shoulder and squeezed. “How did he know it was suicide? The public thinks it’s an accident?”
Not looking away from the conversation they were witnessing, Hannah said, “A very good question.”
“Just drop it. Like I said, it’s no concern of yours.” Jazlyn turned toward Hannah and Cate, but Xabiere grabbed her arm and spun her around. Hannah and Cate bolted toward the pair to intervene. Jazlyn jerked herself free and stepped back to find the two standing beside her, facing down Xabiere. By this time, he was flush with anger and yelling for all to hear. “Are you two still together? Are you in love with him?”
“What if we are?” She stunned him with her frank response. Hannah considered the statement as one made in the spirit of spite. Whether it was true before, she was unsure. But as of a short time prior, she knew that it was not ongoing.
It was clear that Jazlyn’s word had st
ung. Xabiere’s voice lowered and sounded piteous. “You know I care for you, Jazlyn. I love you. I would do anything for you. Even if it cost me my life. You know that. So I will wait. I will be patient until you are ready for me.”
“That’s never going to happen.”
“It will. In time. I can assure you of that,” Xabiere replied with arrogance showing. He gave Hannah and Cate one last sharp look and left.
“Are you all right?” Hannah asked Jazlyn?”
Shaking her head while shrugging her shoulders, Jazlyn watched where Xabiere had exited. “I don’t know. Between him and Jack and you two…” She threw a hand up and walked away in a direction opposite of Xabiere.
After a moment, Hannah pulled out her cell and checked the time. “Almost time for Hym to talk to Miller. We need to get going.”
Chapter 20
Hym slid a Styrofoam cup of coffee in Jack Miller’s direction. He made no attempt to reach for it. Instead, he crossed his arms and asked, “What are they doing here?”
Hym looked over to Hannah and Cate. “They’re working with me on this case.”
“Fancy that. I thought they were with Food Critic. I suppose Louie Woolridge works for you as well.”
Hym smiled. “It’s a small town. I’ll take what help I can get. Now, we had the opportunity to talk to the medical examiner, Lin Niu before she passed away.”
Miller pressed back into the chair. “Niu’s dead?”
“Just this morning. Possible suicide. But we’re looking into it given recent events. It’s obvious that you knew her.”
Miller did not flinch nor miss a beat. “Yes. She handled Julia’s death. I got to know her then.”
“She signed an affidavit stating that you coerced her into modifying the autopsy report. Is that true?”
“Regrettable. But yes.”
“Regrettable?”
“Well, it’s obvious you know the truth. Soon the public will as well. And the entire reason for preventing the release of the real reason for her death will be for naught. So, yeah. I bribed her.”
“Because of her murder.”
Upon hearing Hym’s accusation, Miller shot straight up in his chair. “Murder? What? No! Because she overdosed. I didn’t want the public to find out. It would ruin her squeaky-clean image. Bad business.” Miller paused and looked at Hym, Hannah, and Cate. “Murdered?”
Hym leaned back in his chair and considered Miller’s reaction. He came to the quick conclusion that he either did not know or was an Oscar worthy actor. “You can see how this looks. You had the records changed that gave the true reasons for her death.”
Miller was in a near state of panic. He shifted in his chair as Hym pressed on. “You interfered with an ongoing investigation into her death.”
“Yes. Her death disturbed me and I was thinking like a businessman. I tried to protect her good name and, of course, her causes.” Jack interjected.
“What was your relationship with her?”
“I was her media manager.”
“Did you have a romantic relationship?”
Jack’s face changed to one of disappointment. “In the beginning, I wanted more with Julia, that was no secret. I realized that it was never going to happen after she met her husband and married him.”
“Was there a physical relationship at any time?”
“Never.”
Upon occasion, Hym scribbled down some notes on a small notepad. He never looked up while asking, just after a second or two had passed. It was intentional. The pause allowed suspects to feel the so called ‘heat’ of the interrogation.
“You had volatile arguments with Julia quite often, even the day of her death. “Why was that?”
“When you have two passionate people, there will always be friction. We had a history and it led to disagreements.”
“On the day she died, you told her in a loud voice that you would kill her.”
Pausing after dropping that last nugget of information, Hym watched and waited for him to respond.
“We both said things while arguing that we both came to regret. But never that.” Miller looked around as Hym, Hannah, and Cate waited. After letting out a quick breath, he asked, “Do I need my lawyer present?”
“If you have something to hide.”
Jack pondered the situation for a moment before continuing. “On record, I will state that my soul intent was to protect Julia’s name and reputation after her death. She built her life on the purity of her image. If the information got out about the overdose, then that could taint her memory. She had no children. No legacy. All there was for her was her foundation, the charity. And it would have killed it off. I didn’t want that. So I arranged for it to go away. I don’t think any jury would put me in prison for that. Do you?”
“That isn’t for me to decide.”
“I know you have to charge me with something to keep me. So get on with it so I can post bail and we’ll get this behind us. ”
Hym resettled himself. “Fair enough. But I do have just a few more questions. Would you prefer that lawyer present?”
Hannah and Cate watched as Miller studied Hym’s face, contemplating his next move. Cate leaned over and whispered in Hannah’s ear, “He’s far more calculating than he appears. It wouldn’t be out of the range of possibility for him to arrange this.” Hannah agreed with a quick nod, which caught Miller’s attention. He lifted one eyebrow and looked them up and down before turning back to Hym. “Fine. I’ve committed one crime, which I confessed to. I have nothing else to hide. Ask how many questions you want.” Hannah noted a sharp increase in the confidence level of his voice. If he did do it, she considered, he’s certain there’s nothing left to disclose.
“Where were you that night?”
“I dropped off some papers for Julia around 8:30, 9:00 and then I hopped a flight up to Atlanta.”
“Can anyone verify that?”
“I had a meeting the next morning with Karas’ corporate legal team. They can vouch for me that I was there.” Hym entered it all into his notebook and then looked up to Miller.
“More? Fine. It was all charged to the company so they can get you whatever you need. Hotel receipts and such. Plus, you’ll see by the charges that I made a call from my hotel room to the studio and spoke to Jazlyn. She can also verify my call.”
“Yes, I wanted to ask you about her. Did you have or do you have a relationship with her?”
“We play around from time to time but we’re not a couple,” Miller answered. It was evident to all present that he was proud of the fact.
“What about the rumor she had a similar relationship with Asa Karas?”
“I have no idea what they do or don’t do when they are together. But I’m not into the whole love triangle/three way thing. I’m more a one woman at a time kind of guy.” Miller looked at Hannah and Cate, producing a slick, slimy, and lecherous smile. “And given that they’re related, well, that’s just a little beyond me, you know what I mean?”
Hym sent Miller a look. “You are a real ladies’ man, aren’t you, Mr. Miller.”
“Is that a crime?”
Hym frowned hard. Hannah could tell he did not like Miller or his response. But the law man was a true professional, as well as a gentlemen. The thought added to her growing sense of admiration for this man she had just met. Catching herself drifting away from the interrogation, a sudden shudder rolled up her spine. It caused her to jump. She looked around to see if anyone noticed. Finding all still locked on the conversation, she shook off her personal feelings. She refocused before dropping back in on the task at hand.
“It was my understanding that if Mrs. Karas was gone, then Jazlyn Karas would take over. Is that a fact?” Hym persisted.
Miller took up the coffee and took a drink, then made a sour face. “That was Mr. Karas’ arrangement with her as I understood it.” Setting the cup down, he said, “Wow. That is rank. I should send you guys over a coffee maker.”
“Is that a bribe?”
/>
”No, I’m just trying to save lives,” Miller said with a smirk.
“Can we just stay focused here? So, then, I’d guess that you and Jazlyn Karas would benefit if Julia Karas was out of the picture.”
Miller half laughed. “And you’d guess wrong. Look, I didn’t have a business contract with Jazlyn. If Julia stepped down or retired, my earnings would have diminish. That wouldn’t be wise on my part to kill her, now would it? As it is, my contract with Karas is coming to a close. Without Julia, I’m pretty much out.”
“I’ll need to see that contract.”
“And I’ll need to see that subpoena.”
“Something to hide?” Hymnal quipped.
“No. I just don’t like you people. Are we done here?”
“My office will be in touch with you after verification. And I’d appreciate it if you stuck around Zebulon. I’d rather not have to send for you.”
Jack got up to leave and turned to Hannah and Cate. “Ladies,” he said smirking, putting on his hat. Cate started to say something, but Hannah signaled for her not to. “Not worth it,” she said. With that, he strode out of the station, whistling a tune, while Hym glared. “Ass,” was Hym’s comment.
Hannah studied Hym for a moment. “Why’d he get to you?” Hym gathered up his notebook and pulled out a rubber glove from his pocket. Sliding it on, he grabbed Miller’s left over cup. He tossed the liquid in the trash on the way out of the small room and then placed it in an evidence bag. “DNA background check,” he said. “Gotta love it.” Then he answered Hannah’s question. “Men like Miller always piss me off. No respect for anyone. Just leeches. If he had a role in this murder, I’m going to find out.” Having reached his desk, he picked up a permanent marker and filled out the information on the evidence bag. He let out a slow breath. “I’m going to have to do some high preaching to get this approved.”
“Well, then,” Cate said, “I guess we’ll leave you to it.” And with that, both Hannah and she headed for the door.
“Before you leave,” Hymnal called out, “Ms. Starvling, might I have a word with you in private, please?”
The Chef at the Water's Edge Page 16