Hot Coffee Iced Santa

by Cam Larson

  The hesitancy in his voice wasn’t lost on me. “I wonder how much you know about your Head Chef. Did he have anything against Frank?”

  “I can tell you that everyone I know in my restaurant had something against Frank at one time or another. You aren’t seriously thinking Peter D’Arcy had anything to do with it, are you?”

  There was no way I was going to tell Steven any questions I had about Peter at this point. “No, but I’m sure the cops are looking at everyone. I probably shouldn’t have even brought up your Chef. The cops have already asked you about your employees anyway.”

  We ended the call. I dialed Daniel. Christmas music came from a piano in the background.

  "Are you singing Christmas carols at your house?" I asked Daniel.

  "It's a family tradition. We stand or sit around singing while my mother plays the piano."

  "I don't want to interfere. Call me back when you get a break."

  "Don't hang up. I need a break," he said. His melodious chuckle soothed me as usual. I gave him his break.

  "Daniel, I found an astounding amount of bound-up cash at Frank's house." I told him how I got in and how I later found out the police hadn't searched there yet.

  "Are you saying they didn't take things from his house right away?"

  I told him Chief Hayes' explanation. "I was so lucky the cops didn't come in while I was in there. The wrap around each bundle had West River Bank stamped on them. Frank must have been taking a payoff from someone at the bank. That has to be it."

  "That is the only answer. Do you think Jared Freedman is involved?"

  "I haven't the slightest, but I think Frank invested with him. But from what I heard, they didn't get along, and Jared never mentioned any of it."

  "You may be on the right track, Laila." One thing about Daniel: he always remained calm. If we were face to face, I would have seen excitement and expression in his eyes. Over the phone, it was as if we were holding a normal conversation.

  I told him about my experience at the Post Office when I picked up the same cologne or aftershave scent as the night I was attacked. I hesitated. "Do you know what kind Steven uses?"

  "Not exactly," said Daniel. "But, I remember from college that he is allergic to most fragrances. So anything he wore would generally be all natural ingredients. It would have little to no odor. We all laughed at him at the time, but he was serious."

  "That is a huge relief for me. I have to think about Jason Miller, the high school kid, too. He's quite a flirt. I'm not so sure he wouldn't wear something strong like that thinking it was a way to get the girls." I felt now was the time to tell Daniel all I knew about Peter Darcy. I decided to let him in on the stalker, too.

  "Laila, for your own safety, my advice is to hand this over to Chief Hayes. You have gathered a lot of information."

  “He knows about the stalker. I don’t know if it was Peter D’Arcy or not. The Chief told me it could have been someone stalking others in the neighborhood.”

  Daniel’s voice was filled with concern. “I can’t tell you often enough to be very careful. I’ll call again very soon.”

  I leaned back and thought of everything we talked about. It called for courage, but I had to make another visit to Jared Freedman.

  Chapter Twenty

  There was no time in the next day to get to Jared's office again. My cell phone rang mid-afternoon. I had just sat down for a break with Lily. We were talking about errands I needed to run before packing up for my trip. She told me about gifts she had bought for her family.

  "Hi, Laila," said Steven. "Do you have a minute? Several friends of mine are going up to Windham Mountain and do a little skiing. Do you want to come with us?"

  "It sounds like a good idea, but I don't do so well skiing. I've never gotten off the baby hill."

  "Don't worry. None of us are all that good except for my friend Jason. He's a ski instructor. He likes to help people out. You know, like hone their skills?"

  I had to laugh. "It would be more than honing my skills. Besides, I'm on a tight schedule right now. I've got to get ready for my trip home."

  He paused for a few seconds. When he returned, his voice sounded close to begging. "You need to take some time and have a little fun. It looks to me like all you do is work. And the way you have gotten into the murder mystery tells me there is no time for Laila."

  I finally convinced him I would take a rain check on the invitation. If Daniel was here, I would look forward to a getaway like that. I didn't tell Steven that.

  "Okay, if that's the way you want it. I can cook a dinner for you tonight, if you want." Steven Landers was leaning a little too hard on me. I had no intentions of making dinners a regular thing with him.

  "What about Cassie? Ask her to go skiing with you or to one of your dinners." I thought of Cassie's lifestyle and her meager house. Steven was in a position to rent skis for her.

  "She is going skiing. She's had a few lessons and is doing pretty well with it all. She told me she is too busy tonight for a special dinner."

  I picked up on a slight derision in his voice in his last statement. I most definitely didn't want to fill the gap for Steven when Cassie wasn't available. When we ended the call, my inclination was to shake Steven Landers off my shoulders.

  Lily and I finished our conversation while I tried to forget about Steven. That evening when we closed Roasted Love, I felt the need for company. I asked Jacob if he wanted to stop by later for a coffee with me. I needed to talk to someone face to face. I thought a different opinion on things would be good, too. I could trust Jacob.

  When Jacob arrived at my door an hour after we closed, he handed me a large sack. I smelled the aroma of Chinese food. "I hope you didn't include chopsticks this time," I said.

  "I almost did, but thought I razzed you enough the last time. I'm glad I caved last time and got you silverware before you starved yourself."

  We both laughed at the memory. I moved stuff from the kitchen table and we spread the food out. Thor had eaten and watched us from the corner of the kitchen on his mat.

  "I want to tell you about this investigation I'm into. Maybe you have some input that I haven't seen yet. I can't get the look on Frank Duvall's face out of my mind. He was so, so, well I guess so dead. His face was contorted and I think he knew a violent death was imminent."

  "I remember how shaken you were when you told me how he was found." Jacob patted my hand. "You have to get that part out of your mind, Laila."

  I agreed on that. "Do you know Jared Freedman? He is an investment banker or something like that in the West River Bank building."

  "I remember several years back something happened at the bank that involved him," said Jacob. "I don't recall just what it was but I think it had something to do with him or his office."

  I stopped eating. "Do you mean he was in some kind of trouble?"

  "I just don't remember what it was all about. In his business, it most likely had something to do with a disgruntled investor. The markets aren't always that stable, you know." He picked up his chopsticks and went for a shrimp. I watched him as he successfully included a chow mein noodle and popped it into his mouth. "Why are you asking about Jared Freedman?"

  I told him about seeing him in his office. "He was more than ready to end the conversation with me about possibilities of Frank investing money there. There was just something left unsaid and no way did he want to say anything else."

  "He probably can't divulge bank information and was sticking to policies."

  "I get that, but there was just something evasive about him. He has an angry side." I told him about the woman who interrupted us. "The look Jared gave her was none other than menacing."

  "That could mean they just didn't like each other." Jacob clinched another shrimp.

  "You are as bad as Daniel. I know there are sensible explanations for stuff, but I also know what I pick up on when it comes to mannerisms and facial expressions. I'm telling you, Jacob, he was more than ready to get rid of me."
I looked at the man across from me. "I know these things."

  "Okay, Laila, I believe you. Maybe Frank Duvall's death had something to do with the investor. Are the cops looking at him?"

  "I’m not sure how far along they are at this point.” I told Jacob about the stash of cash in Frank's closet. "That has to be kept between you and me. I think Jared and Frank were into something serious together and somehow Frank was paid off. I just don't know how or why."

  "At this point, you need to let the cops do their job. It all sounds too dangerous for you to get too deep in it all. After what you told me about the attack on you, I'm surprised you weren't badly hurt."

  I knew Jacob was in his protective mode and I let it go. We cleaned up the remains of the Chinese dinner.

  "And did you tell anyone you were going down to that seedy part of town?"

  "I didn't expect to be attacked or I would have. I'll do that if I go back."

  Jacob muttered something under his breath. I didn't ask him to repeat it. Instead, I put on a fresh pot of coffee. We both reached for our coats when Thor demanded to go out and play.

  "That dog knows how to work you, Laila," said Jacob.

  "Me?" I said, "What about you? He knows all he has to do is look at you and you throw him a treat."

  Thor was just happy to have two of his best buddies play with him in the snow. Jacob and I were ready for a hot cup of coffee. When we came back inside, we filled our cups. My doorbell rang. Jacob offered to see who it was. I came up behind Jacob and didn't see anyone there.

  "Who was that?" I asked.

  "I don't know. He took one look at me and ran."

  I looked out the door into the snowy night. No one was in sight. I saw Jacob's SUV parked to the right of my car in the shadows. Whoever came to the door must have thought I was alone. "What did he look like?" I asked.

  "He was tall and had a stocking cap. What little I could see, his hair was dark. I should have turned the porch light on before I opened the door. Laila, when I leave, I want you to make sure your double locks are on. I'm sure it was just someone who got the wrong place."

  I didn't say it, but I was sure whoever it was had come to the right place. Several people came to mind as a choice of who had been at my door.

  Chapter Twenty One

  The next morning when I entered West River Bank, I walked right past Sharon toward Jared's office. I felt her eyes on me until I turned the corner to the investor's office. His door was halfway open and I saw him at his computer. I tapped lightly on the door. His facial expressions were those of rippling thin lines when he saw who it was. I didn't wait for him to invite me in. I had to get this over with before I weakened.

  "Hello again, Jared," I said. "Don't worry. I won't take up too much of your time."

  He swiveled around to face me directly. He didn't invite me to sit down and I remained standing. This wasn't going to be a long meeting.

  "What do you want from me this time?" he said.

  "I want you to tell me again that you had no idea Frank was an investor with you at this bank. In other words, you lied to me when I was here before."

  "I don't owe you any private information about past or present clients."

  "Just a heads up for you, Jared. It's either me or the cops. Either way you'll have to give up information when it comes to Frank Duvall."

  Suddenly my legs weakened and I grasped the back of the empty chair in front of me. There was that scent again.

  "Okay, so he did invest some money here. What does that have to do with anything?" Jared's mouth stayed in a thin line.

  I didn't trust myself longer. "That's all I wanted to know. Thank you." I turned to go. I had to see Chief Hayes right away. I would be lucky to stay upright all the way to my car. Jared Freedman smelled like my attacker. It was the same strong odor that was left that day at the Post Office, too. I didn't wait to ask him if he was the one who appeared at my door the night before.

  By the time I got to the precinct, my legs had stopped shaking. I took several deeps breaths and walked in. Chief Hayes came in from an opposite door. He shook snow off his coat and stomped his feet on the doormat.

  "Come on in to my office, Laila. I was just thinking about you."

  The first thought that raced through my mind was he knew I had been in Frank's house. I even thought he glanced at my boots. I imagined he compared footprints left at the dishwasher's back door to mine. My purpose in being at the precinct slipped from me. I followed him to his office.

  "Why did you think of me? Do you have anything new?" I asked.

  "There was quite a lot at Frank's house. The Techs are still going through his computer but it looks like he was investing money after all. There are several emails back and forth to the bank. That seems to be the tie-in. So far, no explicit companies he invested in have shown up. They'll find everything, I'm sure."

  I couldn't stand it any longer. If I expected the Chief to be open with me, I had to give him the same back.

  "Before you tell me anything else, I have a confession to make."

  "Well, I doubt you are getting ready to confess to murder. So what is it?"

  Donald had settled in his chair. He gestured to the one opposite him for me to sit down.

  "I was in Frank's house just before your cops searched it. When I called you to ask if they had found out anything there, I had just been there. The detectives came almost as soon as I hung up talking to you. I got out of there in time for us not to meet." He didn't respond. "I felt lucky they didn't find me inside his house. I left everything as I found it."

  "You do know that is considered breaking and entering, don't you? How did you get in or do you have a key?"

  "No, of course not. I only met Frank the night his body was discovered in the freezer. It was the first time I ever saw him. In fact, it was the first time I met Steven Landers for that matter." I knew I babbled. "Not only that, it was my first time to eat in his restaurant."

  "How did you manage to get inside Frank's house? And, what reason did you have to do that?"

  "I used a bobby pin. Anyone could have easily gotten in. It wouldn't have taken much with that flimsy lock."

  "We'll get to all of that later. What were you looking for?"

  "I wasn't looking for anything in particular. I was just searching for unknown clues."

  "Did you find any?"

  "I was blown away when I saw all of that expensive stuff in his house. When we went into his bedroom the stacks of cash were the most surprising of all."

  "We? Do you mean to say someone was with you?" His face switched to stern and accusing.

  "I had my dog with me. He was on a leash the whole time."

  Donald leaned back in his chair. The familiar slow grin began to spread across his face. "Is your dog your partner?"

  "I used him for my decoy. I pretended to walk him in the neighborhood. That was in case there was a neighborhood snoop around."

  "Okay, then, let's get down to business. I'm sure you saw the handwritten note between a couple of the stacks." I nodded yes. He didn't say anything until "It's time for a visit with Jared Freedman."

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chief Hayes buzzed for Susan and directed her to get Officer Stanton into his office right away. When Dan Stanton appeared, Donald told him to take a Detective with him and bring Jared Freedman in for questioning.

  "When they get Jared here, you can watch the interrogation through the window. I'll have my two lead Detectives with you. Officer Stanton and I will do the interrogation. What else should I know before he gets here?"

  I told him everything I knew. I included being in Jared's office just before I came to the police station. "He wears the same cologne I smelled the night I was attacked outside Tommy's Bar."

  The Chief flipped a pencil back and forth between his fingers. I searched my brain for more.

  "I have some speculations," I said.

  "I'll take them. What are you thinking?"

  "I'm thinking Frank did
invest his money. I also think Jared handled his account. The question is what happened that made Jared turn on him."

  "I don't know why," said Donald. "We have to find out the reason, if that is indeed what happened. And we have to find out how Frank had money to invest in the first place."

  "If Jared was paying him off, Frank must have known something that would get Jared into a lot of trouble," I said. "I don't know much about the inside workings of investments, but whatever was going on, Frank had plenty of cash in his closet."

  "We know now that Frank worked at that bank as a teller at one time," said Donald. "He was accused of misappropriation or something and was fired. It was before I came to West River. I would have to look at that case again to get details."

  "Blackmailing must have been going on," I said. "It wasn't beyond Frank to blackmail. It was another way for him to make easy money." I told him about Frank's demands for Cassie's tips. "The more I think about it, Frank Duvall was pretty smart."

  "He was, but not smart enough to stay alive," said Chief Hayes.

  We both looked at the door when Officer Stanton appeared. He told Donald the news of Jared's arrival. The Chief briefed him on known facts. They had their questioning strategy ready.

  I went to stand behind the one-way glass. The investor looked down and I could see small beads of moisture dotted his forehead His arrogance seemed to be missing for the moment. The Chief began by asking Jared if he had been a friend of Frank's.

  "Frank was a nice guy," he said. "I didn't know him well but what little I did know he seemed to be an all around good person."

  "You are the first person we've talked to who thinks he was an upstanding citizen," said Donald. "We have found that he had more enemies than friends. Was he investing any money?"

  Jared shifted in the chair. "He invested a little now and then."

  Donald laid it all out to Jared. He pointed out that Frank's bank account was a hefty one. "I don't know of any dishwashers who have lucrative bank accounts like his."

  "Was he blackmailing you for something?" asked Officer Stanton.