by Jessica Beck
“What about his supposed mistress, his personal assistant? How personal is she? And why wouldn’t Jason let Jennifer’s husband see his books? Don’t forget, he might have some shady ties in business, as well.”
“I’m not discounting any of the possibilities,” Jake said as he started dialing. “Let me call someone I know who might be able to help without raising concern on anyone else’s part.”
“Is it a former colleague?” I asked him.
“I suppose in a way you could call him that. Topper’s had some useful inside information for me in the past when it came to business connections.”
“Are you saying that he’s a snitch?” I asked my husband, surprised he’d use someone like that as a resource.
“I think they prefer to be called confidential informants,” Jake said with a grin.
“And he’s a friend of yours?” I asked.
“Suzanne, I have all kinds of acquaintances, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are friends. After all, in my job, there were only two kinds of people I generally had much contact with; some of them were on one side of the law, and some of them were on the other. If you don’t want me calling Topper though, I won’t, but I’m warning you, we’re not going to be able to dig up a tenth of what he’ll be able to tell me off the top of his head, especially given the short notice. It’s your call, though.”
I thought about it less than five seconds before I nodded. “Call him.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” I said. After all, if Jake trusted this man, then so did I. Besides, he was right. What choice did we really have? I’d grown adept at investigating murder in the past, but this was clearly beyond my scope.
Jake made the call, sounding for all the world as though they were best friends. After he finished, he said, “It shouldn’t be long. Now we sit tight and wait.”
“It occurs to me that I don’t know everything there is to know about you,” I said softly.
“Why would you?” he asked with a hint of laughter in his voice. “After all, I had a life before we met, and so did you. Isn’t that part of the fun, getting to know each other better every day?”
“I suppose so, but I thought it would be more like finding out your first crush’s name, not something like this.”
“Her name was Jillian. She was my babysitter, and I remember her being an older, beautiful woman. It turns out that she was only three years older than me at the time.”
“Did you also discover that she wasn’t very pretty, either?” I asked him.
“Oh, no. She was incredibly attractive. I ended up running into her a few years before you and I met, and if anything, she’d just gotten prettier over the years.”
I wasn’t sure I was happy with that answer. I knew it didn’t make sense to be jealous of this woman from my husband’s past, but I couldn’t help myself. “Did you two finally go out?”
“No, it was clear that she kind of resented the fact that I was arresting her for attempting to murder her business partner, so I didn’t even ask her out,” Jake said with a grin.
“My, you’ve led an interesting life, sir,” I said with a returning smile of my own.
“And to think that it’s not even over yet,” he admitted as his phone rang.
“That was quick,” I said as he started to answer it.
“But we still don’t know if he found out anything we can use. Let’s see if he was able to get anything.”
CHAPTER 4
After a few minutes of conversation, Jake hung up, frowning.
“What did Topper say?” I finally broke down and asked when he wasn’t in any hurry to volunteer the information.
“Evidently Jason Martin took out a sizable loan in the past few months from some pretty shady sources. He’s got some large payments due pretty soon, and if he doesn’t pay them, he’s going to have more problems than he bargained for.”
“So maybe there’s a reason he took out a large life insurance policy on Elizabeth after all,” I said.
“It’s certainly something to keep in mind. Suzanne, I know you’re not a fan of me going anywhere armed, but I’m starting to believe that I should take a weapon with us tomorrow.”
“I was just about to suggest the same thing,” I said.
“Really?”
“Really. The truth is that I’d feel better knowing that you were armed. I’m tempted to take my baseball bat I keep under the register myself.”
Jake smiled at my suggestion. “I understand the impulse, but it might be a little hard to explain to the other guests. Don’t worry. Once we get there, we’ll find you a blunt object to use yourself. Are you sure you don’t want to take a class and get a weapon of your own?”
“No, thanks,” I said. “I’d probably end up shooting myself instead of the bad guy. No, I’ll stick to a baseball bat. At least my weapon can’t go off accidentally.”
“Neither can mine, if I handle it properly,” he said. “Is this going to ruin the party weekend for you, Suzanne? I know you were looking forward to a fun time without any worries or responsibilities.”
All I could do was shrug. “It is what it is. It’s not going to be the party I was hoping for, but we’re needed, Jake. What choice do we have?”
“If I ever needed a friend, I couldn’t imagine anyone better than you,” he said, and then he offered me a tender kiss.
“You’ll never have to worry on that count. I’ve got your back, Jack,” I said with a grin.
“It’s Jake, not Jack,” he answered, smiling in return. “How quickly they forget.”
I had a difficult time getting to sleep that night, and I stopped my alarm a full three minutes before it was set to go off. I had one more morning of making donuts at the shop, and then Jake and I were leaving for the penthouse that Elizabeth and her husband had procured for the weekend.
It would be tough getting through the day, but I didn’t have much choice.
The donuts needed to be made, no matter what issues I might have on my plate at the time.
“Hazel, I didn’t think I’d see you until tonight,” I said as the third member of our book club came in just before closing. She was a plump, older woman, with a normally ready smile that was distinctly absent at the moment. “Is the party still on?”
“Yes, despite my best efforts,” she said with a heavy sigh. As she studied my nearly empty display case, she asked me, “Suzanne, do you have any bear claws? I’m so stressed out all I can think about is food.” Hazel was constantly struggling with her diet, and there were times I felt bad about enabling her, but hey, I never said a steady diet of donuts was good for anybody. Every now and then though, a tasty treat could satisfy a sugar craving better than just about anything else.
“Are you sure you want one?” I asked her, despite my earlier pledge not to interfere.
“I’m positive,” she said. “Hand it over.”
I grabbed the last bear claw, put it on a plate, and slid it across the counter to her. “On second thought, maybe I’d better get that to go,” she said.
As I made the bear claw transition from plate to bag, I asked, “What did you say to Elizabeth to try to get her to cancel the party?”
“I tried to tell her that the weather report was so dicey that we should cancel it for everyone’s sake, but she said that it was nonsense. She wasn’t about to let a little rain or sleet ruin her weekend.”
“I thought we might get snow or even freezing rain?” I asked her. It was all my customers had been able to talk about all morning. We were always in an odd position when it came to predicting our weather. There were instances in the past when towns nearby got snow while we got only rain, but sometimes when they got rain, we got the freezing variety, which was the worst of all worlds, in my opinion. Ice accumulated on everything, and even at a quarter of an inch, it could bring power lines and large tree branches down. I loved snow, and there was even room in my heart for rain on a hot summer day, but freezing rain and I did n
ot get along well at all.
“That’s what I told her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. Is there any chance you’d speak with her yourself, Suzanne?”
I thought about it, but then I shook my head. “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t make sense. You and Jennifer have both already tried, and you are her oldest friends. I’m afraid I would be shouting at the wind if I tried it myself.”
“I understand,” she said. “At least some of the other guests are cancelling.”
“Because of the weather?” I asked.
“That’s the excuse they are all using, but I have a feeling there’s more to it than that.”
“How many people were originally invited?” I asked. “And just how big is this penthouse where we’ll be staying? I was under the impression that this was going to be a small, intimate party for just the book club and our spouses.”
“You didn’t know?” Hazel asked. “Apparently it’s grown all out of proportion since Jason started adding folks to the guest list, too. I’ve been told that there will be plenty of room for everyone, even if every last invited guest were to show up. It’s the entire penthouse floor of a high-rise apartment building near Charlotte. Elizabeth’s husband invested heavily in it. Evidently the problem was that they couldn’t rent space on any other floor after they sank all of their money into the project.”
“Why not? Is it built that badly, or is it the location?”
Hazel frowned. “From what Reg heard, it’s a little bit of both. The contractors took quite a few shortcuts, but there’s something much worse, at least in this modern age. The entire place is in a cell phone dead zone. They’ve been working to get a signal there that doesn’t require all kinds of electronic boosters, but so far they haven’t had much luck. Even with the boosters it’s hit and miss, but when the power goes out, which happens quite frequently according to my husband, the place is one big dead zone. Evidently Jason isn’t quite the business whiz he thought he was. Anyway, twenty-four people were invited originally, but when I spoke with Elizabeth, she told me that only six other couples would be there now.”
“There’s Jennifer, me and you, as well as our spouses,” I said, counting the book club. “Who else will be there?”
“Jason’s assistant is going to be there with another woman from the office, and some mystery man and his wife will be attending, too. Evidently he has something to do with one of Jason’s businesses. I asked Elizabeth for more details, but I honestly don’t think she knows anything more than that. The last couple have been their friends forever, but Elizabeth seemed to think there was some fresh bad blood between Jason and the husband. This weekend is going to be an absolute nightmare, Suzanne. Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“I wish I could come up with something, but the only thing I can think of is to be there for Elizabeth if she needs us,” I said.
Hazel took a step closer. “Jennifer told me your husband was a police officer,” she said softly, though my only customers were too engrossed in their donuts to bother with our conversation. It wasn’t exactly a secret, either. Everyone in town knew what Jake’s former occupation had been.
“He worked for the state police, but he’s retired,” I said.
“Still, it’s good to know that he’ll be there,” Hazel said, “just in case.”
“Just in case” of what I wasn’t sure, but I simply nodded. “I think so, too.” It was almost closing time, so I said, “Hazel, I hate to rush you, but I need to close the shop so I can go home and get ready for the party.”
“Of course,” she said as she started for the door.
I called out to my remaining customers, “It’s closing time, folks, so if there’s anything else you’d like, it’s time to make your picks.”
Once everyone was gone, I’d started to lock the door when Hazel came back, tapping insistently on the door.
“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?” I asked her when I opened the door back up.
“I was halfway out of town when I realized that I forgot to pay you for my treat,” she said as she tried to shove a ten-dollar bill at me.
“First of all, that’s way too much, and second of all, you don’t owe me a thing; it’s on the house.”
“I can’t let you do that,” she said, still shoving the money at me.
“Hazel, if you hadn’t come in when you did, I would have just donated it to the soup kitchen, so we’re good.”
“Fine,” Hazel said as she stepped past me and shoved the bill into the tip jar on the counter. “There, I didn’t pay for my bear claw after all.”
I thought about retrieving her money and returning it to her, but I honestly didn’t have the energy. “Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m glad you’re coming,” she said, and then she was finally gone.
“What was that all about?” Emma asked me as she walked out to collect the last of the dirty dishes.
“Have you been eavesdropping on my conversations out here again?” I asked her with a smile.
“Hey, it gets lonely back there. Are you really still going to that party? Dad said the weather was going to be atrocious by nightfall.”
To be fair, Emma’s father, Ray Blake, often predicted calamitous events in order to sell more newspapers, so the man wasn’t exactly the voice of reason and moderation in April Springs.
“We should be there in plenty of time before bad weather hits, so I think we’ll risk it anyway,” I said as I started running reports in our cash register. “Do you have big plans tonight?”
“I’m helping Barton get ready for his grand opening,” she admitted. “It’s taking quite a bit more time than we thought it would.”
“Are you still going to class?” I asked, chastising myself even as I said it. It wasn’t my job to make sure that my coworker was attending college, but then again, Emma was a great deal more to me than just an employee.
“Yes, Mom,” she said with a grin. “I have to admit though, I’m stretching myself a little thin at the moment.”
“I know it’s a lot of pressure on you both, but you’ll be fine,” I said, doing my best to reassure her, even though I wasn’t sure that they’d be okay at all.
“Thanks, and thanks again for the time off,” she said as she headed in back to finish the last of the dishes.
“Just be sure to come back to me,” I whispered softly under my breath.
“Did you say something?” Emma asked as she turned quickly.
I must have spoken louder than I’d intended to. “No, it was nothing. I was just talking to myself,” I said.
“Okay. As long as you don’t start answering, you should be fine,” she replied, laughing it off.
I was worried about Emma, but at least her situation wasn’t pressing.
I had more on my mind at the moment about the party and my friend Elizabeth’s state of well-being.
On the two-hour drive to Charlotte, maybe Jake would be able to help settle my vivid imagination.
If not, I was going to be in for a long three days.
“Suzanne, I’m worried about this weather,” Jake said as he looked up at the sky from his place in the passenger seat of my Jeep. His truck was parked safely back at the cottage. It was fine in good weather, but sometimes it seemed to get stuck even if there was just a heavy dew, and we were already getting a great deal more than that at the moment. It had been spitting rain for most of the way, but at least for the moment, none of it was freezing on the windshield. In his retirement, my husband had, among other things, become some sort of amateur meteorologist, watching weather trends and recording information from the backyard weather station I’d gotten him for his birthday. The equipment sensed and recorded everything from the wind speed and direction to the rainfall to the high and low temperatures of the day. There were even functions to it that I didn’t understand, but Jake did, and that was all that mattered. My idea of weather forecasting was sticking my hand out the window. That told me all that I needed to know about the weather
. If it was chilly, I grabbed a jacket. If it was raining, I got my raincoat. And if it was hot, I forgot about a coat altogether.
It was simple but effective.
“It’s just rain,” I said as the wipers cleaned the slate of glass yet again.
“For now, anyway,” he said, frowning at the sky as though it had offended him.
“Aren’t you at all worried about tonight?” I asked him.
“I’m reserving judgment at the moment,” Jake said stoically. “There’s a very good chance that nothing out of the ordinary is going to happen.”
“That may be true, but we still have to be ready in case something does,” I reminded him.
“You know me. I am ready and able to handle anything that comes my way,” Jake said.
“Except the weather,” I answered, teasing him slightly.
If he noticed my teasing, he didn’t respond. “Wow, this building is really on the outskirts of the city, isn’t it?” Not only was that true, but the surrounding land looked to be in tough shape as well. There were several buildings that had been started and then suddenly abandoned, and it gave the area a kind of postapocalypse feel.
“It’s not very inviting, is it?” I asked him.
“At least the top floor and the roof are both lit up,” Jake said as he pointed skyward.
He was right. The lobby and eleven stories of dark floors sat just below the top lit one, and there was a mass of floodlights perched on the roof itself that lit up the darkening sky. As I recounted the floors once more, I came to a jarring conclusion. “The penthouse is really the thirteenth floor, isn’t it?”
“I’m sure they don’t call it that.”
“Maybe not, but it’s the thirteenth all the same.”
My husband touched my arm lightly. “Feeling a little superstitious, Suzanne?”
“I’ve got a host of bad feelings about this weekend. The fact that it’s the thirteenth floor is just icing on the cake.”