A Killer Cake

by Jessica Beck

  “Then are you saying that you didn’t have a business deal with Roy Thompson, one where you lost a substantial amount of money?” Moose asked gently.

  “What might sound like a great deal of money to you is merely pocket change to me,” the mayor said with the wave of a hand. “Look around. This office was furnished with my personal funds, not the town’s coffers. If and when I’m voted out of office, it all goes with me.”

  “My, you must be rich,” I said, speaking for the first time. “Surely you don’t make that much from your day job.”

  The mayor looked at me fleetingly as he explained, “It’s all old family money. I work because I want to, not because I need to. The business I had with Roy had an unfortunate outcome, but it was no one’s fault, and certainly no reason to commit murder.”

  “I understand perfectly,” Moose said with a smile that lacked much warmth at all. “If you’ll tell us where you were earlier today from eleven to one, we’ll be on our way and not bother you anymore.”

  “You must realize that I’m under no obligation to tell you that,” he said, the ire rising a little in his voice as he spoke. Was there a bit of a hunted look in his eyes for one brief second? I couldn’t be sure I’d actually seen it, it had flashed past so quickly.

  “No, that’s perfectly true,” my grandfather told him. “I’m sure that Sheriff Croft will ask you himself after we’ve spoken. Let me remind you that since he’s the county sheriff, you’re under his jurisdiction as well.”

  The mayor clearly didn’t like being outgunned, first with the judge, and then with the sheriff. “I have nothing to hide, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to share my whereabouts with you.” He kept staring at his telephone as though willing it to ring, and seven seconds later, it did just that. The mayor nearly leapt out of his chair to answer it, and I suspected that it had been staged just for our benefit. “Yes, yes, I understand,” he said gravely, and then hung up. “I’m sorry, but I’m needed elsewhere. Have a good day,” he said as he stood.

  Moose and I followed suit, and soon enough, the three of us walked out of his office together. The cop on duty looked surprised to see us being so chummy with the mayor, but he masked it well. “I’m truly sorry I don’t have more time for you,” Mayor Mullins said.

  “We’d be glad to hang around until your emergency is over,” I said with a polite smile, knowing that he’d never take us up on our offer.

  “Thanks for your kindness, but this could take some time.” He turned to the steps and headed for the second floor of the building, and for just a second, I thought about following him to see exactly what his ‘emergency’ was, but it wouldn’t do us any good, and I knew it.

  “Well, that was one colossal waste of time,” I told Moose as we walked outside and got into his truck.

  “What are you talking about? Were you in the same room as I was just now?”

  “I don’t follow,” I told my grandfather.

  “He’s clearly hiding something,” Moose said. “You could practically smell his fear in there.”

  “His pupils did dilate there for a second when you mentioned his alibi,” I admitted. “Did we mess up just now, Moose? What if we just gave the mayor a chance to put something together before the sheriff could question him?” It was one of my basic fears related to our investigations that we would end up inadvertently helping the bad guys instead of the good ones, and I hoped that wasn’t what we’d just done.

  “Trust me, the man didn’t act at all surprised by the news of Roy’s demise. He didn’t even try to dispute the fact that Roy had been murdered. When he came out of his office to greet us the first time, it was pretty clear that he already knew what had happened in Jasper Fork today. I’m willing to wager that he’s still working on something that will cover his tail, and it has nothing to do with our visit. It will be for the sheriff to determine, though. We’ve stirred the pot a little more, and that’s a good thing, as far as I’m concerned. Is there anything else we can do in Molly’s Corners, or should we head back to the diner?”

  “I vote we go to the diner,” I said as I looked at my watch. “If we hurry, I can relieve Martha before Jenny shows up for her shift.”

  “Your grandmother doesn’t mind working at The Charming Moose; you know that, don’t you?”

  “I know, but I still don’t like to take advantage of her good nature any more than I have to.”

  “You’re a good granddaughter, Victoria, just in case I don’t tell you enough.”

  I hugged him as I said, “As a matter of fact, you tell me just enough.”

  “Could we keep my arrangements with the judge from your grandmother?” he asked. “I still maintain that I did nothing wrong, but there’s no use causing trouble when there isn’t any reason to.”

  “I’ll do one thing for you,” I said. “I won’t volunteer the information, but if she asks, I’m telling her the truth.”

  “I can live with that,” he said. The next bit was said softly, and I doubted that it had been for my ears, but I heard it nonetheless. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come up.”

  GREG’S HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

  This soup is a family favorite when one of us is sick, but we don’t wait until then to have it as a wonderful lunch. It’s based on my mother-in-law’s family recipe, but of course, I’ve made it my own over the years, modifying it as the mood strikes me. This is especially delicious when it’s served with grilled cheese sandwiches.

  As an aside, my family likes their grilled cheese sandwiches these days made with mozzarella cheese, but cheddar is a wonderful choice as well. I’ve found that the key to a great grilled cheese sandwich is to grill it slowly, with butter on both sides of the bread, to give the cheese plenty of time to melt into gooey goodness.

  Ingredients

  1 Tablespoon butter, unsalted

  2-3 carrots, medium, peeled and chopped

  1 onion, medium sized, diced.

  1-2 cans chicken broth, 99% fat free (14.5 to 29 oz)

  1-2 cups chicken, cooked and cut into bite-sized chunks

  1 teaspoon basil, dried

  2 dashes salt, regular table variety

  2 dashes pepper, regular table variety

  1 to 1/1/2 cups noodles, cooked (we like wide egg noodles in our soup)

  Enough water to boil the noodles

  Directions

  In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat, and then add the carrots and onion, cooking them until they soften slightly. Next, add the chicken broth (the amount depends on the consistency you like. We prefer a less soupy mix and more of a stew texture, so we just use one can), basil, salt and pepper. Bring this to a boil, and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes on low heat.

  In another pot, cook the noodles until they are done per the directions on the package. After they’re finished cooking, drain them, and then add the noodles to the simmering broth mixture.

  Next up, add the cut up chicken pieces, stir them in together well, and then heat the entire soup throughout over low to low-medium heat. Serve this soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, and you’ve got a wonderful meal!

  Chapter 6

  “Welcome back, you two,” Martha said as Moose and I walked back into the diner half an hour later. “I didn’t expect you both back so soon.”

  “Neither did we, but our last appointment had a sudden emergency he had to take care of,” I explained with a smile.

  “Yes, I believe he was called away for something quite dire,” Moose kicked in. “Evidently, it was all just one big coincidence that it happened exactly after we asked him for his alibi. It’s funny how things work out sometimes.”

  “Do you think he was the one responsible for what happened to Roy Thompson?” Martha asked him gravely.

  “It’s way too soon to tell, one way or the other. After all, the man was just poisoned today.”

  I looked around the diner and was troubled to see that we had only one customer at the time, and it was a woman I didn’t recogn
ize. Had all of our regulars deserted us already? Word might not have had a chance to get out earlier, but if this was the result of that happening, what did that spell for The Charming Moose? “Has it been this slow since we’ve been gone?”

  Martha shrugged. “It has, but Victoria, you know as well as I do that from two to four, there’s never a big crowd in here.”

  “I know that it’s true in my mind, but in my heart, there’s an entirely different reason for it today. I hope we solve this one quickly.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Martha said, trying her best to be reassuring. “So, are you both back for good, or do I need to stay here longer?”

  “I’ve got a hunch that we’re done for the day,” I said, remembering the sheriff’s caveat that we weren’t to approach his three main witnesses until the next day at noon. “What do you think, Moose? Do you have any more ideas we can pursue?”

  “Not at the moment, but we both know that could all change with one telephone call. There are a few feelers I put out that are still working on answers.”

  I grabbed the order pad from my grandmother. “Well, until something else happens, why don’t you two take off? I’m sure you have better things to do than just hang around the diner all night.”

  “Are you kicking us out, Granddaughter?” Moose asked me deadpan.

  “Let’s just say I’m saving you for when I really need you both, and leave it at that,” I replied. “Shall we?”

  “When you two are finished teasing each other, I’d like to go home, Moose.”

  “I don’t see any reason why not. We’ve done all that we can for now,” Moose said. “What did you have in mind?” he asked as he winked broadly at Martha.

  “You’ll just have to wait until we get there to find out,” she said as she smiled at her husband.

  “I’ll call you later if something comes up,” Moose told me on his way out the door.

  “I’m counting on it,” I said.

  After they were gone, I refilled the lone diner’s coffee cup, and then I asked her, “Can I get you anything else?”

  The woman frowned a little, looked around at the empty diner, and then she said, “You’re Victoria, aren’t you?”

  “I am,” I said as I offered my hand. “And who might you be?”

  “Someone who wants to talk to you in private,” she said. I couldn’t get over how helpless she looked, as though she needed someone bigger and stronger to take care of her. “My name is Loretta Jenkins. I’m Roy Thompson’s illegitimate daughter.”

  “You sure know how to start a conversation,” I told her as I sat down across from her. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t even realize that Roy had any children besides Asher.”

  “He didn’t have any that he ever claimed, that’s for sure,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Loretta was a pretty woman in her early thirties, and knowing Roy, her mother must have been a real beauty for her to come out looking that good from that particular gene pool mix. Loretta had striking brown eyes, and hair so black that it almost didn’t look natural. She was petite, barely over five feet tall, and if she weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet, I’d eat my raincoat.

  “Might I ask who your mother is?”

  “You may. And it’s was now. Momma’s name was Honey Jenkins. She met Roy when he was sizing up some property he was thinking about buying, and from the way she told it, their attraction was nothing more than two lonely people getting together for one night. When she got pregnant, she contacted him, but he never got back to her. I didn’t find that last part out about until last month after Momma passed away. I was going through her things, and I found a rough draft of one of her letters to him. It was all pretty sad, and I was wondering how to handle it when I found out that Roy had been murdered.”

  “Loretta, how did you get the news that quickly?” I asked her. “This all just happened this afternoon.”

  “Oddly enough, I was in town trying to decide if I was ready to tell him about me when I heard that he died. I guess I’ll never get the chance to get to know him now.”

  If it were true, it was one of the saddest stories I’d ever heard in my life.

  “I’m sorry for your loss, but why tell me?” I asked her.

  “I heard around town that you were digging into his murder, and I didn’t want to talk to the police about my connection with Roy if I didn’t have to.”

  “Why not? That would seem like the next logical step for you to take,” I asked.

  “Well,” she said, suddenly not making eye contact with me anymore. “I have a few issues with the police. Nothing serious, just some outstanding parking tickets and things like that. I was kind of hoping to avoid all that by talking to you. Have you figured out who killed him yet?”

  “My grandfather and I are good, but it just happened less than five hours ago,” I said. “These things take time, and we’ve just gotten started. I’d ask you if you knew anyone with a motive to kill your father, but from the sound of it, you didn’t really even know the man.”

  “That’s true, but honestly, I might have a motive. I wasn’t going to push it before, but now that he’s gone, I’m going to make sure that I get my share of what’s coming to me.” I must have looked surprised by her callous admission, because she quickly followed that up with, “I never had a father, just a series of my mom’s boyfriends. Roy Thompson can’t leave a legacy behind in my heart, but he sure can make up for it in my wallet.”

  Wow, and she’d struck me as such a quiet, almost helpless woman at first glance. How quickly that had changed once she opened her mouth and started talking.

  “Well, I have nothing to do with his estate, and so far, I have no idea who might have killed him.”

  She nodded, slid a five under her plate, and then stood. “If you come up with anything, I live in Laurel Landing with my boyfriend.” She jotted down her number on a torn-off edge of her placemat, and handed it to me. “I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know what’s going on.”

  “You really do need to talk to the sheriff,” I said. “He’s not going to care about some parking tickets. He’ll want to interview you as soon as possible.”

  “I’m sorry, but that’s something he just can’t do,” she said firmly, and I could see an edge coming out of her that reminded me of her late father. There was steel there buried beneath the surface, an unexpected strength of will. “I trust that you’ll keep my little secret all to yourself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t take kindly to it.”

  “I’m not making you any promises,” I said, startled by her veiled threat.

  “You might want to reconsider that,” Loretta said as she stood.

  After she left the diner, I walked back to the kitchen. Greg was already standing in the doorway.

  “Did you hear any of that?” I asked him.

  “Just the part where she threatened you,” Greg said. “That woman is trouble.”

  “I’ve got a hunch that you’re right. What should I do?”

  To his credit, my husband didn’t even hesitate. “Call Sheriff Croft, tell him what just happened, and give him that telephone number.”

  “You’re not worried that she might try to retaliate?”

  “You can’t let that influence you,” Greg said. “The sheriff has a right to know, and besides, you’ve got a whole clan watching your back. Nobody threatens one of our own and gets away with it.”

  I kissed my husband lightly, and then I pulled out my cell phone.

  The sheriff answered on the first ring, and I said, “Sheriff Croft, we have to talk.”

  “Is it about Roy Thompson’s murder?” he asked, “because otherwise, I’m not interested.”

  “Let me ask you something. Did you know that Roy had an illegitimate daughter named Loretta Jenkins?”

  There was a moment’s pause on the other end as he processed the information, and then the sheriff asked, “Do I even want to know how you came by that particular bit of information?”

  “I didn’t do a thing,�
� I explained. “Apparently she came to the diner looking for me, and after she asked me for some information I didn’t have, she gave me a pretty clear threat not to tell you.”

  “Is she still there?”

  “No, after she threatened me, she walked out the door.”

  “It’s a shame she didn’t hang around,” the sheriff said. “Do you have any idea where she lives?”

  “She said that she’s in Laurel Landing, but I can do better than that. I’ve got her telephone number, if that might help.”

  “Let’s have it,” he said, and I read the number off the piece of paper she’d given me. “Victoria, you did the right thing calling me.”

  “There was never any doubt in my mind,” I said as I winked at my husband.

  “Would you like me to send someone over there?” the sheriff asked.

  “She doesn’t even know that I’ve told you yet,” I said. “Besides, we can take care of ourselves here.”

  “I’m sure you believe that, but I’m still going to ask some of my patrol officers to double up patrolling the diner and your house for a while.”

  “Do you honestly think she knows where I live?” I asked, suddenly a little unnerved that Loretta Jenkins might have that knowledge. The diner was one thing, but my home was my sanctuary, a place that Greg and I shared away from The Charming Moose.

  “With the technology available these days, I wouldn’t doubt it for a second,” he said. “I’m going to make her my top priority.”

  “Then you should know that she already admitted to me that she was in town today when her dad was poisoned.”

  “Slow down a second. We don’t even know for sure that Roy was her biological father,” the sheriff said.

  “You won’t think that after you’ve spoken with her. She acts like a chip off the old block, and I don’t mean that in a good way.”