Hot Coffee Iced Santa

by Cam Larson

  "Will that be crucial to the case?" I asked.

  "I don't think so with all that we have," he said. "We plan to get another expert's opinion on it for good measure."

  "The note was found with the bundles of cash from West River Bank. Jared had a beef with Frank and then he met him in the bar that night. He left Tommy's soon after Frank did. What more do you need?"

  "We have enough now to charge him. The more proof we can present the surer his conviction." The Chief looked down at the pencil he twirled between his fingers. "He asked for a lawyer, by the way."

  The groan that escaped me wasn't lost on Donald Hayes. "That means there won't be a confession, after all."

  "I didn't expect him to own up to murder, Laila. He is too smart for that. His lawyer has enough work to do, now, with all the information he had already given us." He smiled.

  "I'll be in that court room when he comes up for trial. How long will I have to wait for that?" I said.

  "With the way things go, it will be next year. He's going to post bail if the Judge will allow that."

  "It's a murder case. Why would he get bail?" I said.

  "I doubt he will. He will have plenty of time behind bars to think things over."

  "It looks like West River Bank is getting another negative jab at its reputation."

  Donald agreed with me. "If you don't have anything else," he said, "I have to be at the next interrogation of Jared Freedman. This time his lawyer will be there. Do you want to observe?"

  I glanced at my watch. I had time. Jared shuffled in wearing the wardrobe provided by the jail. He kept his eyes down when he sat in the worn straight-back chair. The guard kept watch by the door. Jared's lawyer leaned in a couple of times to whisper something to him. The investor nodded half-heartedly. He didn't glance up when the Chief and Officer Stanton walked in. The guard turned and walked out. I watched from behind the one-way mirror.

  "We know you were alone with Frank Duvall in the restaurant kitchen the night he was killed," started the Chief. "Why were you there with him so late at night?"

  The suspect shifted in the chair. His lawyer nodded at him to talk. "I told Frank I would meet him there so we could work out a better schedule for my pay-offs to him. He demanded a huge hunk that was causing a hardship on me. He knew I was coming to meet with him."

  With the huge payoffs Jared received from his insider clients, I doubted it was much of a hardship. I could tell by the expression on the Chief's face, that he also thought it highly improbable, too.

  "How did Frank get back into the kitchen?" asked the Chief.

  "He left the door open a little. He put something to hold it open or something. He had to go out and play Santa for someone I guess. I thought he would be working late. That's why we agreed on eleven o'clock. I didn't expect to see him at Tommy's, especially in his Santa suit. I went there to hang out until the meeting time," said Jared.

  "We have several pieces of evidence against you regarding the murder," said the Chief. "We know you wrote the note to meet him at eleven. We know your DNA was found under his nails."

  Chief Hayes let that sink in. Jared's lawyer spoke up. "Can you give me a few minutes with my client?" The Chief and Officer Stanton left the room. Sound outside the room was turned off for the lawyer and client to speak privately. We stood in silence and watched. Jared bowed his head in defeat. The lawyer paced a couple of times across the room and then sat down again.

  I walked to the other end of the room and made a quick call to my boss at Roasted Love. I still had to go home and pick up Thor. That was especially important since I wanted Jacob to let me work later if I came in at noon instead of eleven. He agreed. He could hardly do much about it since I often worked beyond my regular hours when he was in a pinch.

  I returned to the small group waiting for the suspect and lawyer to finish their conversation. They all turned in my direction. "It looks like they are coming up with some kind of a deal," said the Chief to me. "It's bargaining time now."

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  By the time the lawyer presented his request for a deal, my watch read eleven-thirty. I didn't stay to hear all of it. I raced home and picked up Thor and made it back to Roasted Love at five minutes after twelve. Lily, Jacob and Eddie barely acknowledged me. Customers swarmed in with bags of Christmas gifts and pushed them under tables while they ordered. Everyone was in a festive mood. Most wanted sandwiches along with lattes and cappuccinos. I felt guilty and pitched in to relieve them. Eddie wiped his brow and returned to his position in the kitchen when I took over.

  "I'm glad you're back, Laila. I would rather be behind the scenes," said Eddie. "Everyone wants their orders out first."

  Selfishness mixed with guilt, I vowed to never leave the work to others again during the busiest time of the year. For the rest of the shift, I had no time to wonder what deal Jared Freedman and his lawyer wanted to make.

  When we finally closed the doors for the night, Jacob called us all to the kitchen. He pulled out a spread of Christmas goodies, delicately constructed finger sandwiches and told us to choose our drinks. He had decorated the small back dining room in his own fashion and we all sat down. I had almost forgotten it was the night we exchanged gifts.

  "I have to get the gifts from my car," I said.

  "So do I," said Lily.

  On our way out the back door, I remembered Thor was there. "I'll be back, Thor, and you can join the party. I'd better give him a run first," I said to Lily.

  "Good idea," she said. "Hand me your car keys and I'll get your gifts out for you." I told her they were in the trunk of the car.

  I let Thor out and watched him expend his energies in the snow. I met Lily half-way. Her arms were overloaded and I took my packages from her before she dropped them. I called Thor who bounded over to us. We took the gifts to the small private room. Thor walked along as if an important guest. I trailed with a dish of dog food that I set in the corner of the room for him.

  Watching everyone enjoying the party I was reminded how much of a family they were to me. Jacob was more than pleased with his gift certificate. Lily wanted to delve into the art supplies. The snowshoes I had gotten Eddie caused a grin to spread across his face.

  "You remembered, Laila," he said.

  I knew he liked to snowshoe in nearby mountain areas on his days off. "You won't have any excuses for not getting to work because of heavy snow," I said.

  Lily presented a book on "How to be a Private Eye" and a gift certificate to a favorite clothing store. From Jacob, I received a pair of insulated gloves with a matching scarf. He gave Thor treats.

  Eddie pushed his gift in my direction. I thought there was a faint tint of red on his face. "I had no idea what to get you. If you don't want it, I won't feel bad," he said.

  I opened the envelope and four movie tickets fell out. "Why would I not want this? You should know how much I love movies." He relaxed. He spent hard-earned money for these tickets and that made it more meaningful. Conversations picked up around the table until it was time to clear things away.

  It was close to midnight when I got home. I recognized Steven Landers' vehicle parked at the house down the street. Disgust came in waves. I wanted to call Cassie and ask her if she knew her boyfriend was two-timing her. A second thought told me to keep out of it all. She would find out soon enough. Maybe the trouble between her and Steven rested in that house.

  I flopped on my bed and stretched out.

  I slept soundly until time to get up the next morning. I was anxious to find out what deal Jared and his lawyer hoped for. I wanted to know details of the murder itself more than anything. What caused Jared to turn physically against the dishwasher? What was the argument that pushed him too far?

  Without a doubt, Jared, in his own way, admitted to the murder when he asked for a deal.

  My thoughts were interrupted when my cell phone rang. "Daniel, I can't tell you how good it is to hear your voice," I said. He called earlier than usual. I didn't care when he c
alled. It was always good to talk to him.

  "I wanted to call you last night but we had so much company in and out, it was hard to find a good time. What's up?"

  I told him everything I knew about Jared Freedman so far. "He and his lawyer want to make some kind of deal. I guess that means it's official. I'm going to go to the precinct to learn more."

  "I don't know what they could get in exchange for a confession. New York ruled the death penalty unconstitutional," said Daniel. "I'm as curious as you are how it's all going to pan out."

  We talked about Christmas and family. I didn't want to mention Steven and our impromptu meeting the other day. Steven Landers wasn't worth giving attention to in my mind. Besides, I didn't want to spoil my conversation with Daniel.

  “I guess all of this new information eliminates Peter D’Arcy, too,” said Daniel.

  “It does do that. The Chef is simply a man who cooks outstanding food, and loves a small dog.”

  The words ‘small dog’ mentioned by me almost caused me to tell Daniel what his gift was. Instead, I said, "I'll call you later after I talk to the Chief," I said. "I miss you."

  "I miss you, too, Laila. Talk to you soon. Stay safe."

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  When I came into the police station, Chief Hayes was talking with the receptionist, Susan. He turned when I approached from a short distance. "Laila, I thought you would drop in. Come on into my office."

  His desk appeared in order. One file spread across the center. His hands smoothed over it when he sat down. "I guess you are wondering what kind of a deal Jared and his lawyer wanted to make."

  "I am extremely curious about that. I want to know if you have details on how it all went down, too."

  "We'll get to that part. He finally spilled it all once we settled on the deal."

  I leaned forward eagerly. "What did they have to say?"

  "The night Jared met Frank at Tommy's Bar, he reminded him of the meeting set up back at the Steakhouse. According to Jared, Frank was drunk. He had played Santa at a party across town and arrived at Tommy's for another drink. Jared had seen him weaving in his car and followed him to Tommy's. It wasn't like he first told us about meeting Frank at the bar unexpectedly at all."

  "And they had a fight outside the bar. Frank's hat was knocked off his head and neither of them cared or knew about it," I said.

  "They did have a scuffle outside. Frank went in first. Jared sat in his own car and waited. When Frank took his time leaving the bar, Jared came in to look for him. Frank saw him and they did talk by the door as Joe told you. They both went outside and got into an argument."

  I shifted to the edge of the chair. "Frank finally agreed to go ahead and talk at the restaurant as planned," said the Chief. "Before that point, Jared pushed Frank against the outside wall and that's when he lost the Santa hat. Jared didn't bother picking it up or telling Frank it was on the ground."

  "Joe told me Jared had a drink. Frank had already left," I said. "So he must have been wrong."

  "Joe probably didn't see them both go outside together that one time. He didn't see that Jared came back in to have a drink after he talked with Frank."

  "Did Jared intend to kill Frank or just negotiate the blackmailing deal?"

  "I do believe the killing wasn't planned. But we only have one side to the story. According to Jared, when he got to the restaurant, Frank was making coffee. I think he was trying to sober up a bit so he could think clearer. Jared said they got into another argument in the kitchen. He pushed Frank once again. This time Frank fell against the sharp corner of the counter."

  I waited. That must mean they continued the fight inside the freezer. "Why did they go into the freezer?"

  "Jared said he felt remorse, or as he stated, ‘I didn't want to hurt Frank and told him I would get ice for the cut on his head.' Frank told him he would get it himself and went into the freezer to get the ice. Jared followed him in. If we believe his story, he did that to help make an ice pack for him."

  Okay. I still had to piece together how they went from getting ice to murder. "So they argued again in the freezer and things got out of hand," I said.

  "Yes, that is what happened. Frank turned on Jared and he knew there wasn't going to be any compromise regarding the blackmailing."

  "That must have made Jared pretty mad," I said.

  "He flew into a rage and attacked Frank again. This time it was brutal. Frank faced Jared with the ice wrapped in a towel when Jared hit him with a nearby kitchen mallet. Frank tried to get to the freezer door but Jared got ahead of him."

  "I can't believe he just left Frank in there."

  "He did that, Laila. He told us he hit him once more and left Frank inside. Once back in the kitchen, Jared broke the freezer lock so there was plenty of time before anyone discovered the body."

  "What in the world kind of deal does he expect to get?" I asked.

  "As you know, New York no longer has the death penalty. The most he would get would be life without parole. At first they wanted life with chance of parole in twenty years. In my mind, that was unacceptable and the DA agreed with me. They then asked for chances of parole in thirty years."

  "I don't think parole should even enter into it."

  "Nor did the DA. But with the full confession, the DA did agree to life with a chance of parole in thirty-five years. He will be a very old man by then."

  "I doubt anyone will fight for his release even if he lives that long. Those he swindled won't forget."

  "By the way, Laila, I didn't know it, but you were going to be Jared's next victim if he had found a chance." I stared at him. "It's true. Jared was on a roll in his confessions. He told us if you hadn't snooped around so much he wouldn't be sitting where he was. He admitted stalking you. He found out where you lived and spent time watching your patterns."

  "That answers who came to my door that night, and ran," I said. I explained the night Jacob was at my apartment and answered the door. Now I knew it had been Jared Freedman. I shuddered thinking how it would have turned out if I had been alone and opened the door that night.

  When I left the precinct my eyes locked onto Jared Freedman. He was in handcuffs on his way to the State Prison. I cringed when I noted the deep hatred that spilled from his darker than usual amber eyes. Though I knew he would never walk the streets again in West River, New York, I was well aware of the fear that seeped from my toes to the top of my head.

  I had managed to clear my mind of Frank's face when he was discovered dead in the freezer. Now it would take more time to shed the look the former investor shot my way.

  I felt Chief Hayes hands on my shoulders. "Don't worry about him, Laila. He will always blame you for what happened to him. He won't be a threat to you any longer. He chose his own path."

  I relaxed. "Frank Duvall chose his path, too. I'm sorry he had to die in such a terrible way but he took chances that could only end in a bad way." At times like this I was more convinced than ever that evil people existed in our world. "Go on home, Laila. You did a good job."

  My boots crunched on top of the snow when I left the precinct. I decided to drive to Tommy's Bar. Before I went inside, I took several deep breaths of the cold crisp air. There was no way I could hold my breath until I left but maybe the clear air I sucked in would hold well enough. The faint odors now familiar to me remained. I stepped into the muted bar. Two women sat in a corner booth, drinking martinis, or so I thought that was their drink of choice. Billy looked at me in what came across as exasperation. He gestured to the end of the counter. Joe hung off the bar stool, shifted back in place, and slid again.

  "Hi, Joe," I said. "Do you remember me?"

  His crooked grin and nod told me yes. "I don't have anything else to tell you about that night. You know, the night Frank was killed in cold blood?" I found myself understanding just about every word he slurred. My intention wasn't to get familiar with this bar or his speech. I called to Billy and ordered a coke. This time I planned to oblige him and a
ctually drink it.

  "I have all the information I need. I came in to tell you some good news."

  When he swiveled to face me, he managed to stay on the stool. His whiskey glass was half full. I sipped my coke through the requested straw. I tried not to notice the smudges on the glass.

  "You may have a chance to get some of your money back from Jared Freedman's estate."

  "Did he die?"

  "No, but you might be able to gain from his recent misfortunes." I didn't want to prolong my good news any longer. "He was arrested and charged with Frank's murder. He is on his way to the State Prison."

  "He'll get off," said Joe.

  "No, he won't this time. He confessed to the murder."

  "You aren't just saying that to make me feel better."

  Billy sauntered closer to us from behind the counter. He pretended to rearrange glasses. His back was to us, but his ears were wide open.

  "I'm not just telling you this. He was arrested and now charged. There is a mountain of evidence against him. If I were you, I'd get a good lawyer to fight for me while this case is red hot."

  I noticed Billy's profile when he turned slightly toward us. For the first time, a hint of a smile edged from his mouth. I left, wondering if Jared Freedman had cheated him, too.

  Opening the door to outside, I heard Joe's voice. "Billy, it looks like your brother-in-law is finally going up the river."

  Well, well, I thought. Lighter on my feet, I knew that much more than Frank's murder opened up for the world to see. A lot was in store for the one-time investor. Now I knew which one of Jared's brothers-in-law was a friend of Frank Duvall. It had to have been Billy, the bartender, who clued Frank in on Jared Freedman's illegal dealings.

  I was rooting for Joe. Maybe for Billy, too.

  Chapter Thirty

  "I'll be up all night packing," I said to Jacob. "Santa's death has kept me busy."