"Obviously she doesn't care." Josie frowned.
"You're right about that." Kate wiped at her eyes. "I've given her a home, pay all her expenses, and this is how she treats me?"
I knew Charlotte's parents had relocated shortly after Amanda's father died, but Charlotte chose to remain in the area. It sounded like Kate had been pretty good to her niece, but she still desired more. Josie told me she'd heard Charlotte's father had had a huge falling out with his brother shortly before he died. Rumors were that it was money related.
Kate went on. "She's probably waiting around for me to die now. Then she'd inherit everything."
I flinched at the words. Could this be Charlotte's next plan? "I need to ask you something personal about Charlotte. Does she—um, have friends over to the house?"
Kate was thoughtful for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I don't remember her ever inviting anyone. She's really not the outgoing type."
"No one at all? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" Josie glanced sideways at me.
"No one I can think of," Kate said. "Of course, I'm away from home a great deal during the day because of my charity work, so anything's possible."
I decided to get it over with. "We think Charlotte might be gay."
Kate's eyes grew large and round, then she nodded slowly. "Yes, I thought of that, too. I wasn't positive, but there were a few signs. If it's true, I'm hurt she never confided in me. I mean, she knows I would have supported her lifestyle choice. I love her like my own daughter."
If Charlotte isn't worried about Kate knowing, then who? "You said Charlotte has withdrawn all of the money from the business account?"
"There's about ten thousand dollars left. How generous of her to leave that much." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I've frozen the account. I'll pay the employees out of my personal funds until I figure out what to do with the spa."
I had a stab of sympathy for Zoe, Connie, and even Liza. "So you have no idea who Charlotte's partner might be?"
"The day Amanda died she said she wanted to talk about Charlotte. I pressed for details, but Amanda said she'd come back, and we'd chat later in the evening. Of course, we never got a chance." The lines around Kate's mouth tightened. "I know what you're thinking, and you're mistaken. There's no way Charlotte killed Amanda."
I gave her hand a slight squeeze. "I know you don't want to even consider she'd do such a thing, but the fact remains—"
She interrupted my speech. "You don't understand. She couldn't have done it. Charlotte wasn't even in town that day. Amanda had her attending some seminar about facials over in Buffalo. She didn't return home until eight o'clock that evening."
Josie and I looked at each other in confusion.
"Are you sure she was there?" I asked.
Kate nodded. "Positive. The police checked the records. She signed in at the seminar about nine o'clock that morning and left at seven in the evening. Several people reported seeing her there as well."
"Another one of our theories bites the dust." Josie folded her arms and rested them on the table.
"Whoever did this must have been with Amanda when she went back to her apartment." Kate glanced at me in sympathy. "I spoke to her on the phone that afternoon, and she told me she was coming here. If someone was there, they would have heard the same thing. They wanted you to take the blame."
A light bulb went on in my head. "Wait a minute. So maybe Charlotte wasn't at Amanda's apartment, but what if her partner was?"
Kate placed her trembling hands in her lap. "I know the money laundering is horrible, but I refuse to believe Charlotte would orchestrate the killing of her own cousin." She searched my face. "And I never really thought it was you. To tell you the truth, I thought it might have been that Vido character she hung out with."
"You heard about his death?" I asked.
"Yes. The police think that he knew who the killer was, which, of course, put his life in jeopardy. I'm sorry he's dead, but I'll never understand why Amanda associated with him." The color rose high in her cheeks. "I never told anyone this, but my daughter was some kind of a sex addict."
I struggled to erase from my mind the mental image of Amanda and Vido together while Josie kicked me under the table.
Exhausted, I rubbed my eyes. The last few days of stress and sleeplessness were taking their toll. "Have you thought about having Charlotte followed? Even if she didn't kill Amanda, it's possible she may know who did."
"I suppose I could." Kate twisted a handkerchief between her hands. "I think the police may be planning on it as well."
As if on cue, the bells over the door chimed, and Brian walked in. He glanced from me to Kate in surprise. "Ladies. What's going on?"
I stood, ready to defend myself. "Kate came to tell me about Charlotte and the problems with the spa."
Brian's expression was grim. "I see. Well, I need to talk to you. In private."
What now? I gritted my teeth and turned to Kate. "Please excuse me for a moment." I led the way into the back room, with Brian at my heels. I wasn't positive we were completely out of earshot and no longer cared. I had nothing to hide.
I whirled around and placed my hands on my hips. "Okay. What did I do now?" My patience was wearing thin.
"For once, you didn't do anything. Your ex-husband was arrested last night in Florida."
My breath caught in my throat. "Colin? No. He couldn't have. I mean—"
Brian held up a hand. "Let me finish. A police officer came to his place of work last night to ask him some questions about Amanda. Colin started a fistfight and was arrested for assaulting an officer."
Josie appeared in the doorway, a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry, I was listening." She came over and draped an arm around my shoulders. "Thank God you're not with that loser anymore."
"My sentiments exactly." Brian studied me. "Are you okay?"
I put my face in my hands for a second and sighed heavily. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. He was furious when he called the other day."
Josie's mouth fell open. "He called? You didn't mention that. What'd he want?"
"Only to harass me." My voice trembled. "He accused me of trying to make trouble for him. He was angry the police were questioning him and tried to blame everything on me. Big surprise there."
Brian folded his arms. "He doesn't have an alibi for that night. He could have flown up here from Florida in about two hours. We're checking plane records, but haven't found anything so far."
I remembered Kate in the shop. "We'd better get back out front. I don't like leaving her alone."
"I'll bet she was listening too." Josie kept her arm around my shoulders as we walked back into the storefront.
Kate was still sitting at the table, handkerchief pressed to her mouth as if it were bleeding. She stood as we approached.
"I think I'd better go." Her voice shook, and she took a step forward, then staggered. Brian jumped forward and caught her in his arms. He gently placed her back in the chair.
"I'll get some water." Josie raced into the back room.
I pulled another chair up and lifted Kate's feet onto it, despite her feeble protests. Josie returned with a paper cup and held it to her blue-tinted lips.
"I'm sorry to be such a bother." Kate's voice was faint.
I rubbed her shoulders gently. "You're not a bother at all."
"Is that your car across the street?" Brian asked, and Kate gave a slight nod. Brian put his hand out for her keys. "I'll drive you home. I'll have another officer meet us at your house and bring me back here for my cruiser."
"Oh, no." Kate looked appalled at the suggestion. "I can't let you go to all that trouble."
Brian helped her to her feet and guided her toward the door. "I insist. You're in no condition to drive."
Kate sighed and handed him the keys. As they walked by me, she grabbed my hand in a fragile grip. "Thank you for being so understanding."
"Take care of yourself." My heart ached for her.
Brian turned around to give me a stern
look. "Don't go anywhere. I'm not finished talking to you."
CHAPTER TWENTY
It was past six, and my stomach growled from hunger. I hadn't eaten anything since that morning, when I had grabbed bagels for Josie and me from the little bistro down the street. I had a sudden, overwhelming urge for Grandma Rosa's comforting Italian cuisine.
I sat down at a table to call my parents' house. Grandma answered on the second ring.
"What's for dinner?" I asked.
"Eggplant parmesan and a nice green salad," my grandmother said. "We eat in half an hour. You are coming?"
Brian was due back any minute, and I didn't dare leave before his return. "Yes, but I might be a little late."
"Whenever you get here is fine." Grandma Rosa started talking to someone in the background. I heard my mother giggling, and my grandma sighed loudly into the phone.
"Tell Mom I'm not bringing a date."
Grandma Rosa snorted. "No, that is not what she wants. Your father would like you to bring him some fortune cookies. He is wondering if he should play the lottery tonight. If he wins, he said he is going to buy a gold casket and put it in the living room."
Good grief. This morbid fascination of my father's had to stop. "Okay, there's a few left in the back room. I'll bring him whatever we have."
"I am glad you are coming, cara mia. I need to talk to you." With that, my grandmother clicked off.
All of a sudden, everyone needed to talk to me. Perhaps my grandmother wanted to advise me about the opposite sex again. One never knew what she had in mind.
Josie appeared in the doorway of the back room, purse slung over her shoulder. She watched me inquisitively as I strode past her and grabbed the remaining fortune cookies out of a plastic container on the shelf, stuffing them into a paper bag. We'd only been able to salvage a handful of the treats after the break-in. There was no sense in making any more until we were ready to reopen.
"Has dear old dad got a hankering for a fortune? Oh, wait a second." Josie leaned over and grabbed a cookie from the bag. She waved it in front of my face while covering her eyes and chanted in a sinister voice. "Do not wear your best suit today because you may need to be buried in it tomorrow."
"Not bad. Maybe you should work for Hallmark or something. Start writing these sayings, and we won't have to buy them anymore."
"Yeah, like I'd have the time." She squeezed the cookie a little too hard, and it cracked in her hands.
"Nice going."
"Oops. Pops will have to make do with one less." Josie reached down to retrieve the slip of paper from inside. As she read it, she gave a loud bark of laughter.
"What now?"
She read aloud in a dramatic voice. "It says, 'Do not throw caution to the wind tonight.'" She chuckled and threw the strip and cookie into the garbage. "This cookie is nine years too late. I don't have to worry since Rob got his vasectomy."
I shook my head at her and grinned. "You're hopeless."
Josie observed me carefully. "I can stay for a little while if you need me to."
I stuffed the bag of fortune cookies into my purse and made my way back to the table. "No, thanks. I'll be fine."
"I don't know about that. He looked kind of ticked off at you."
"Believe me, I'm getting used to it. Listen, I think we need to go back to Snake Eyes tomorrow."
Josie wrinkled her nose. "Ew. But that place is so vile."
"Maybe we don't have to go inside. Just case the joint, so to speak. We've got to find out who Charlotte's partner is, and this is the only way I can think of."
"It might be days before they show up," Josie protested.
I stared at her pointedly. "Can you think of anything better?"
"Well, Kate's going to have her followed, right?"
I shrugged. "Who knows? Kate's dealing with quite a bit right now. We can't count on that."
Josie mulled this over for a second. "Fine. It's not like we have anything else to do around here anyway."
"Good. Let's plan to leave here about eleven in the morning. The new case should be installed by then, and we'll be free to go."
She knit her eyebrows together. "How are you going to pay for that? I mean, sorry, it's none of my business, but—"
I hated to alarm her, but with things getting dire after the break-in, she needed to be fully aware of the situation. "It's going to take the last of the money my aunt left me. I hope the insurance check comes through soon."
Josie clutched my hand in a death grip. "Sal, if something happens and we still can't open the shop by next week, what—" She stopped in the middle of the sentence, but I knew what she was trying to say.
"I don't know if I'll be able to make my rent next month. I'm good for September, but if we can't reopen for a while and the Health Department gets involved, we might be done for." I blinked hard, trying to prevent tears.
Josie squeezed my hand. "We'll get through. You'll see."
The front door opened and Brian walked in. He tossed his hat onto a chair and sat down next to me. "Kate should be fine. She called her doctor to come over, but my guess is she's suffering from stress and exhaustion."
"I'm glad she's all right." I got to my feet. "Would you like a cup of coffee? I've got a great dark roast—"
Brian caught me by the arm. "Sit down, please. I want to talk to you."
"Should I leave?" Josie asked.
Brian shook his head. "I'm going to read her the riot act, and you might as well stay and hear it too. It would save me from tracking you down later."
"Wonderful." Josie leaned against the wall.
My stomach twisted into a giant knot. "Okay, I know what you're going to say."
The lines around Brian's mouth hardened. "I came to tell you about Colin, and what do I find? You hitting Kate Gregorio up for information. Again, I'm asking you to stay out of this investigation."
I clapped one hand over my eyes. "Brian, please try to understand. She came here. We didn't go to her."
"That is true," Josie said.
Brian cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter. I told you to please let me do my job. Don't you think the police department is capable of finding the killer?"
I removed my hand and met his gaze. "Of course I do, but my entire business is at stake here. I have to do something."
"Has the autopsy been completed on Vido yet?" Josie asked.
Brian's smile appeared pained. "I told you ladies it's going to take several days for the toxicology reports to come back. Maybe longer."
I tapped my fingers on the table. "But you did say the cookies were laced with morphine?"
"Yes, the drip kind." Brian watched me curiously.
"Where would a person get that?" Josie wanted to know.
He shrugged. "It could be prescribed for someone. My mother used some last year when she broke her wrist. I imagine it might be difficult to figure out how much to give someone to kill them."
I was deep in thought. "But a doctor would know, right?"
Brian nodded. "I'm sure he would. Stop speculating though."
I clutched his hand. "Brian, I think Charlotte is involved. Maybe she didn't kill Amanda, but she could have killed Vido. She might have had a friend helping her."
"Don't you think we've thought of her? I know about the finances at the spa. It still doesn't make Charlotte a killer. A person of interest, yes, but not a murderer. She had an alibi."
"There's more. She's gay. Kate didn't know for sure, but she suspected. I think Charlotte's partner could have killed Amanda. Maybe they were acting as a team."
Brian was thunderstruck. "How did you find all this out?"
"Um, we—" I couldn't meet his eyes and glanced toward Josie for help.
Josie picked up her purse. "Well, I've got to get home to the kids. See you tomorrow morning. Night, Brian." With that, she rushed out the door.
Some best friend, deserting me in my hour of need.
Brian watched her depart then looked at me, arms crossed over his bro
ad chest, his Greek god-like face stern. "I'm waiting for an answer."
My insides filled with dread. "Josie and I did a little snooping yesterday. We found a place Charlotte likes to frequent. It's called Snake Eyes Casino."
Brian's jaw tightened, and his eyes blazed into mine. Nervous, I glanced down and busied myself with fingering the tablecloth. He said nothing for a full minute. I wondered if he was counting to ten, or perhaps ten million, before he was going to start yelling at me.
When he finally spoke, however, his voice was cautionary. "I know that place. It's a hellhole. A woman was raped there last week. Promise me you won't go there again."
I didn't answer.
"Sally, I'm not kidding around."
"I can't just sit here and wait." I grabbed a handful of my hair and twisted it in exasperation. "If this keeps up, I won't be able to pay my rent next month. This is my livelihood we're talking about."
Brian placed his hands on my shoulders. "I told you. Let us handle it. Don't you trust me?"
"You know I do, but—"
He pushed the hair back from my face. "No buts. I have enough to worry about without having to think about you, too." He ran a finger over my lips, and my heart stuttered inside my chest. "Okay, maybe that came out wrong. I like thinking about you when I'm stuck in my squad car during the middle of the night."
He placed his hand behind my neck, pulling me toward him. I closed my eyes and let his mouth devour me. His lips were moist, warm, and delicious. The kiss seared through every part of my body. When we finally broke apart, I longed for more.
Brian stroked my cheek. "Very nice. So, dinner tomorrow night?" He whispered as he kissed me again.
"Yes." My brain had zoned out.
"Good." Brian eyes sparkled. "I get off duty at six. I'll pick you up here at seven." He hesitated. "We'll eat at my place, if that's okay with you."
Heat crept into my face. "That sounds nice." And hot.
Tastes Like Murder (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 1) Page 18