Candace McCauley, P.I Mysteries (5 Cozy Mystery Books Collection)

by Kira Reese

  ***

  Monday morning I arrived at work just as Evelyn hung up the phone.

  “That was the second call from Jon Dubois,” she said. “He is anxious to meet with you.” She smiled at me. “Congratulations to Nick on his win.” She handed me a fresh bouquet of lilies and baby’s breath. “This is the end of my lilies and I thought you should have them today.”

  I thanked her and knew she was sincere in her congratulations. I was aware she and Natalie put up enough with me talking about it in the previous weeks. I grabbed an iced coke before settling at my desk. Before I had time to dial Jon Dubois, Natalie swept into my office with a wrapped box. She was later than usual but arrival time was not something I was adamant about.

  “Open it unless you want to save it for when Nick gets home. It’s in honor of his win.”

  Her eyes said open it now, which I did while she called Evelyn in to take a look. Inside the long box were grill utensils that had Nick’s name on the handles and the date of his accomplishment.

  “How did you know he was going to win?” I asked.

  “From your ranting about it, he had to,” said Natalie. “Okay, in truth I had them bought and ready for engraving. The shop owner got right on it, and I picked them up a few minutes ago after I called him. His wife wrapped them for me. They know Nick well and were as ready as I was for the final touches.”

  “He will love them and that was very thoughtful of you, Natalie.” I was truly impressed with my employees’ sincerity. The sudden ringing distracted our conversation. It was Jon Dubois.

  Chapter 16

  Trust vs. Distrust

  I figured Janet Dubois’s brother must have something really important and immediately took the call.

  “I have to see you as soon as possible, Miss McCauley. I’m leaving the Oalmann house. Perhaps we could meet someplace in between the east side and your office?”

  We determined to meet at a restaurant at the edge of the neighborhood that my office was located in. He knew where it was and we arrived at the Oxford House at the same time. There were tables outside but we opted for a private one inside. I had eaten breakfast and was not ready for another meal. Apparently, it was breakfast time for Jon. I ordered a glass of iced tea and a small blueberry muffin. He ordered eggs and toast along with coffee. When the server left us, he got down to why he wanted to talk with me.

  “I just left the Oalmann house, as you already know. I had a long private visit with Jerome. He told me things I never knew about Janet.” He took a sip of the water in front of him. “According to Jerome, she was into drugs after all. She and his wife, Aniyah, got them from the same dealer.”

  I sat speechless. Even if Jon was not suspicious of Jerome’s information, I sure was. “Can Jerome be trusted to tell the truth?” I asked.

  Jon looked blank at first. He decided to defend his friend. “I don’t know of any reason to doubt him. I’ve known him for a long time.”

  “You’ve known your sister much longer. Did you ever see signs that she was on drugs? I know you didn’t see her often, but in the past, were there signs?”

  He shook his head. “That doesn’t mean in the last year she didn’t go for them,” he said.

  “Let’s assume she was on drugs as Jerome says. And he told you his wife was also into them?”

  The look on his face was miserable. “Jerome told me that is why he was rarely at home anymore. Aniyah was also into the drug world. He lost control of the situation.”

  “Look, Jon. Think this through. With two small children in the home, why wasn’t he concerned about their welfare and trying to take custody of them? Aniyah worked at the cleaners shop, and, according to information I have, she was faithful and did a good job there. The shop owner told the police she was most concerned about a better life for her children. The cops were also told that Jerome came and went as he pleased. She had the job of raising the children on her own, along with family pitching in when needed. Jerome is irresponsible.”

  I figured laying facts out provided the largest impact. It was as if he suddenly viewed his friend in a whole new light. His eggs and toast arrived. I had eaten half my muffin and he picked at his eggs.

  “I can’t believe I fell for his words,” he said. “I’m sure neither Janet nor Aniyah was into drugs. Jerome told me all that garbage to cover up something.” His eyes flared.

  “I agree with you. At least one person in their lives would have seen drugs as their way of life, and yet no one has hinted at it. In fact, only good has been said about both women. Your friend Jerome is lying about something.”

  “I really thought I was onto something,” said Jon. “I hope you know where to go from here.”

  I did know. That was to talk face-to-face with Jerome Oalmann. Before we left the restaurant I told Jon to hang in there. The truth would come out soon. He picked up the tab and we left at the same time. I headed directly for the Oalmann home.

  Getting information from Jerome proved harder than I first thought. Once he had his conversation with Jon Dubois, Jerome Oalmann disappeared from sight. I learned much later that Aniyah’s sister-in-law and brother started proceedings for full custody of the children. If I couldn’t speak with Jerome, his wife’s family was next in line.

  When I pulled along the curb in front of the small home I saw several people sitting on the front steps. One was an older lady I presumed was either Aniyah’s or Jerome’s mother. Her skin was a deep olive and fine lines creased her face. The other two were a young couple. They stopped talking when I approached them. I introduced myself and asked if I could speak with Jerome.

  The young man snorted. “He’s gone. Don’t ask us where. No one ever knows where he goes.” A girl and a boy came out the front door. Tears smudged the boy’s face. He grasped his younger sister’s hand. He looked approximately ten years old. The younger woman stood and reached for them. She drew them into a tight hug and reassured them everything was going to be okay. I presumed they were the Oalmann children. “You can see how he even runs from his own two children,” said the man.

  “Hush, Omar. Don’t talk like that in front of the children,” said the older lady.

  “Do you think he will be back soon?” I asked.

  A small voice from the porch answered. “He ain’t ever coming back.”

  Tears crept down the boy’s cheeks again. The young lady took both children back inside. I sat down on the step she vacated.

  “What can you tell me about Jerome? I ask because he may have something to do with a case I am working on.”

  “I can tell you we advised my daughter not to marry him. They were in love, so she said.” I learned the woman’s name was Rose, Aniyah’s mother. “They married and things were fine at first, at least for a year or so. Then he started leaving for long periods of time. She had no idea where he went. It took a few years before she realized it was up to her to raise their two children alone. If my son here had not been around, those two children would never know what a father is supposed to be like.”

  “In answer to your question, we have always believed he had something to do with the drug world,” said Omar. “Every time he came home, he was dressed pretty good. He appeared on the doorstep once a year, or less. When he left a few days later my sister always had a wad of cash. She told me she needed it but hated to have it in her hands since she felt it was illegally earned. Those were her words.”

  “Would he have caused her death?” I asked.

  “Maybe not directly, but I feel sure he had something to do with it. She told him once that she was going to turn him in to the cops,” said Omar. “She had a conscience and didn’t want his money that way.”

  “Did she tell him that recently?”

  “She told my wife of that conversation two weeks before her death. It was just after he breezed in and out. Since her death, it is the first time I personally have seen him for almost two years.”

  I again offered my condolences and left my cards with Omar and Rose. “Ple
ase call me if you can pinpoint any direct connection.”

  I thanked them for their time and drove away from the lower east side. All things pointed to Jerome’s drug involvement, but I only had hearsay. The real question was how Janet Dubois and Aniyah Oalmann connected in their untimely deaths. There had to be a common thread I missed.

  I called Jon and he answered right away. I told him Jerome had absconded again and family had no idea where he was.

  “Do you have Janet’s cell phone?” I asked. I knew the cops had one, but there could be a second one.

  “I found one under her pillow when I pulled the sheets the other day. The cop asked me and I told him I was sure she did have one but hadn’t found it. When they searched the house they found one in the kitchen. I don’t know why she had two, but I have it on the table to take to the precinct.”

  “If you will hold off, I’d like to take a look at it first. Has anything been deleted on it?”

  “If you are asking if I’ve deleted anything, the answer is no. I have not disturbed anything in the apartment at all other than what I need to live here.” His voice held accusation.

  “I wasn’t asking if you tampered with the phone, only if you could tell if messages were deleted shortly before her death.”

  He assured me he had not looked into her phone at all. I arrived a half hour later at the apartment and retrieved the phone. I moved down and noted text messages back and forth between Janet and her horse trainer and a couple between her and Sheila McIntyre. Those were text messages a couple of days before her murder. Recent calls before her death included several to and from her brother. He explained those were final plans before his arrival.

  I asked if I could take the phone with me and he agreed. Once back in my office, I searched her phone for more. I sat up straight when I noticed conversations between Janet and Aniyah. Aniyah instigated the texts. Two texts held my interest. Aniyah asked Janet how she could contact Jon. There was a second one where Aniyah attempted to explain her concerns about Jerome’s activities. She suspected him of illegal activity and wanted to talk with Jon. There were several phone calls between the two after the first texts were exchanged. It was disappointing that both women were now dead and there was no way to find out what the conversations were about.

  Everything else I found on the phone were normal exchanges between the stables, Sheila, the community college, which I presumed was an instructor or the office, and a couple to the café where she worked. When I asked Jon if Aniyah had called him at any point, he responded in the negative.

  I kept the phone another full day and made notes before I planned to take it to Ben.

  Chapter 17

  New Lead

  I had one more stop to make before I turned in Janet Dubois’s phone. I parked in front of Benny’s Café and joined other diners for lunch. Sheila waited on me with a trainee in tow. I ordered a chicken salad sandwich and my usual raspberry iced tea. The trainee placed a basket of two homemade rolls on the table. She did not realize that rolls weren’t necessary when someone ordered sandwiches. I smiled and thanked her.

  When my sandwich arrived, Sheila stood back and observed the trainee. I asked Sheila if Benny and Marge were in the back. She told me both were there and asked if I wanted to speak with them. I nodded and she offered to let them know. Just as I finished, the owners came into the dining area. The tables around me were empty by that time and diners were heading back to work.

  “Sheila said you wanted to talk with us,” said Benny. “Have you found out who is killing these women and why?”

  “We are getting close, but I wanted to ask you about someone who came in here a little while back. I know you can’t remember everyone who comes in, but this one may be important.”

  “If you are asking about that scruffy-looking man who came in a few times, we learned he was homeless,” said Marge. “Someone gave him money to get a good meal and he hasn’t been in since.”

  “I don’t know what this man looks like or his name. I have to find that out yet. It was someone who upset Janet.”

  Benny and Marge looked at one another. A fuchsia tint crept up Benny’s face. “If anyone was disturbing her in here, we sure didn’t know it. I’d like to know who it was.”

  Marge patted his hand and reminded him of his blood pressure. “Sheila mentioned someone who came in once. Janet asked her to take his table,” said Marge. “She may know more, though. We had no idea the person upset Janet. Perhaps he was her stalker?”

  “That’s one thing I’m trying to find out.”

  I wasn’t ready to tell them the man in the restaurant was Janet’s uncle, according to information already received. I just failed to find out his name from Jon. How that slipped my mind was beyond me. I supposed that with the background between Janet and her uncle he could be her stalker. The question was, why now? Marge motioned for Sheila to join us. I asked her again about the man Janet appeared leery of.

  “I should have asked her who he was,” said Sheila. Tears edged from beneath sandy eyelashes. “I wish I had talked to her more about it, but she brushed it off once she asked me to wait on him.”

  “What did he look like?” I asked.

  “He was big. I don’t mean he was tall, just a big man with muscles. I noticed his fingernails were grimy looking.” Shelia shrugged her shoulders. “I saw Janet’s eyes when he came in. She was startled at first. I knew she recognized him, but she didn’t tell me who he was. He ate and left in a hurry.”

  “Can you tell me approximately how old he was?” I asked.

  “About Benny’s age, I would say,” said Sheila.

  I thanked her and felt certain she described Janet’s uncle, though I would have to talk again with Jon to be sure. This time I meant to get the uncle’s name. I wanted to talk to the man.

  I left the diner and went to the precinct. Ben was in and I waited until another cop left his office. I sat across from him in my usual spot. Retrieving Janet’s second phone from my bag, I mentioned how her brother discovered it under her pillow when pulling the sheets from her bed.

  “I found texts back and forth between Janet Dubois and Aniyah Oalmann.” His eyes lifted in surprise. “It seems Aniyah was suspecting her husband of illegal activities, but nothing specific that I can find. There were phone calls exchanged after the texts.”

  “Hopefully this one will reveal more. The one we retrieved had outdated stuff on it and nothing significant.” Ben took the phone and placed it in a large envelope where he marked the contents on the outside of it. “Have you heard of an Otis Jackson?” he asked.

  It was my turn to jerk to full alert. “He is a trucker and loads down at the railroad warehouse every other week. I’ve talked with him. Why do you ask?”

  “Someone named Jimmy who works on the loading dock down there advised us to question Otis. This Jimmy thinks Otis may have seen something around the time of the murders.”

  I told Ben of my conversation with Jimmy and Tommy. I mentioned the aloofness of someone whose name had the letter J in it. “None of them mentioned Otis at all.”

  “The call came in about an hour ago. He didn’t want to give his last name and hung up before we could get more details as to why Otis Jackson may know something.”

  “While you are at it, you may want someone to see how much J may know.” I explained why J was all I had of his name. “He seemed to be holding back on something, or he just didn’t like private investigators,” I said.

  We talked briefly before the visit ended. I thanked Ben for his time and left for my office.

  Thoughts raced through my head as to what Otis Jackson knew. Every time I talked with him he seemed to be cooperating with me. Not that he had much information to give me, but he was friendly and appeared concerned as far as I could see.

  My cell rang just as I pulled into my parking space at the office. I did not recognize the number.

  “Miss McCauley, this is Jimmy down at the loading dock. I was the one you talked to.” I assure
d him I remembered him. “I was thinking after you left that one of the truckers talked a lot with Joe lately. I mean, usually Otis Jackson just loads up and gets back on the road, but he and Joe have gotten friendlier.”

  “Do you know what they talked about?” I presumed J was Joe.

  “All I know is that both of them did some time for drug dealing a few years back. As far as I know, Joe is clean but he isn’t the friendly type, so I’m not sure. They could be talking about drug dealings. I just thought since those women were found to have drugs in their systems, maybe Otis would know who dealt around here.” He paused. “I’m not saying Otis is back into the drug world. I just think he probably knows who is in the business.”

  I thanked him for the information but actually didn’t think it was much help. I knew Sleek was the main businessman right now. I decided to let the police question Otis and see what they came up with.

  I still had to get more information from Jon Dubois about his uncle. Specifically, I was missing his name and details of why he could be Janet’s stalker. It was frustrating that it still nagged me that Jon was not entirely forthcoming.

  Chapter 18

  Leann and Thomas Perkins

  At a stop sign I waited for several children to cross the street using the crosswalk. They were in their swimsuits. I smiled thinking they were enjoying the final days of summer before going back to school. Their laughter rang in the air and they were oblivious to anyone behind steering wheels. I drove forward when they reached the opposite curb and decided to continue on home. Natalie and Evelyn knew how to reach me. I would contact Jonathan Dubois in the morning.

  Just as I pulled into my drive, my cell rang. The number was unfamiliar. I answered and a deep cultivated male voice identified himself as Thomas Perkins. He was the father of the second victim, Nancy Perkins.

  “My wife and I would like to talk with you as soon as possible, Miss McCauley. I don’t mean today, but perhaps we could meet in your office sometime tomorrow?”