The detective made a pretense of needing to take a look at the front yard, so that Steve and Petaluma would follow him, and less than two minutes later, the tech who had gone to the back patio texted Chas that he had a knife that fit the description of the murder weapon. It had been unearthed from beneath the bush where the detective had noticed the loose soil.
“Would you come with me for just a moment?” Chas calmly led Petaluma into the house where a handful of forensics techs and a couple of uniformed officers were moving deliberately through the house, searching for more evidence. Taking her to the uniformed duo, Chas turned her over, telling them to put her, and Steve in holding cells to await questioning. They’d just become primary suspects. The detective would question them, and try to find out more about Logan Greitzer. Both of them had the odds stacked against them, it was now just a matter of figuring out who actually had killed Nari Lee.
Chas left the scene a short time later and went back to the station, where his already long and eventful day got a little bit longer. When he passed by an interrogation room, he saw Logan Greitzer sitting sullenly in an uncomfortable plastic chair, a paper cup of water in front of him. There was a uniformed officer outside the door, making a note on an official form.
“What’s the story?” Chas asked, inclining his head toward Logan.
“We got an anonymous tip that a bartender from the Seaport Lounge saw Logan at closing time on the night that Nari Lee was killed, so we checked out the area around the Seaport and found a bunch of bloody linens in their dumpster. The lab guys are testing now to see if there’s a match with the victim. We went looking for Greitzer an his mom said that he wasn’t home, so we went by the Lee house on a hunch and found him trying to break into the victim’s room.”
Chas frowned. Nothing was adding up. Just when the evidence seemed to point to Logan, there were discoveries made at Petaluma’s. After new evidence incriminating her appeared, Logan resurfaced again, looking guilty. Could they have been working together? It was time to find out. He stepped into the room with the angry young man, who didn’t even bother to acknowledge his presence.
“We meet again,” the detective remarked, sitting across the interrogation table from Logan.
No response, not even the briefest eye contact.
“You’re not doing yourself any favors by not cooperating, you know.”
Logan glanced up briefly, glared at Chas and resumed staring at the wall.
“There was some very interesting evidence that was found this evening. I’d say we found it right about the time you were caught trying to break into your ex-girlfriend’s house. You know, one of the worst mistakes a criminal can make is in thinking that there were no witnesses to see whatever they may have done. Then a witness comes out of the woodwork and boom, a conviction. A lot of guys go down like that, Logan.”
“So,” he finally muttered, defiant.
“So, if you don’t start talking, maybe the witness who saw you out at a bar on the night that Nari was killed, instead of at home in bed like you said, will start talking instead. I hear he has a lot to say. You lied, Logan… why?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Civil Servant,” the young man rolled his eyes and went back to his vow of silence.
Chas was a bit thrown off. He’d expected the kid to crack like an aged walnut, but he hadn’t even flinched. That kind of sociopathic confidence was rare at his age, unless he was a serial killer or something, a possibility that the detective didn’t even want to consider at the moment.
“Detective Beckett?” a uniformed cop opened the door after rapping on it lightly.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Chas asked, mildly irritated at the interruption.
“Councilman Greitzer is here to see you… with his attorney.”
“Of course he is,” the detective sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Send him in.”
The councilman breezed in, supremely confident, briefly shooting his son a warning look, and shook Chas’ hand. The two had met before, at charity events, but didn’t know each other well. Councilman Greitzer introduced his attorney, Marty Nussbaum, with whom the detective was also familiar. Marty was known for being the defender of the rich and shameless, and he rarely lost his cases.
The two well-dressed men sat like expensive bookends on either side of Logan Greitzer, facing Chas. Marty had a briefcase with him that he oddly hadn’t opened yet.
“My client is willing to pay a fine for accidentally trespassing on private property earlier this evening, with the understanding that you will drop any further investigation regarding his potential involvement in the Nari Lee case,” the attorney began, without preamble.
“Rather interesting that you’re offering a deal, and a ridiculous one at that, without having even spoken to “your client,” Chas observed. “And I’m not the DA, I don’t make deals.”
“It is my understanding that Mr. Greitzer is a person of interest in the murder of Nari Lee, is that correct?” Marty asked, ignoring the detective’s comment entirely.
“Actually, with the tip and associated evidence that we received this evening, his status in the case will be reclassified to primary suspect.”
“The anonymous tip, and the associated evidence were either fabricated or planted,” the attorney announced.
“I’m supposed to believe that?” Chas raised his eyebrows.
“We have proof.”
“Proof? What kind of proof?”
“Video proof, with time and date stamps. Do you have video proof from your anonymous report?” Marty challenged.
“We’re working on getting in from the bar, so we don’t have it yet, but we will.”
“You might want to hold off on naming Mr. Greitzer as a primary suspect until you have that tape, because it will show you that my client was not at a bar on the night of the murder, and I have proof of exactly where he was during the hours in question,” he patted the briefcase smugly.
“Fine, let’s see it,” Chas called his bluff.
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” the councilman broke in, receiving a scathing look from his attorney.
“What the councilman meant to say is that there are certain activities which take place on the videotape that would have to be overlooked in the interest of justice for my client,” Marty covered smoothly.
“So, what you’d like me to believe is that you have a tape which proves that your client is innocent of the Lee murder, but which implicates him in another matter… is that what I’m hearing here?” Chas asked.
“There would need to be a blanket immunity from prosecution extended to my client before we could allow you to view the tape,” the attorney clarified.
“There’s no way that I can agree to that and you know it, There’s also the matter of him trying to break into the Lee residence,” the detective stared him down.
“Fine then. If you charge him, we’ll see you in court. You’ll have wasted your time pursuing the wrong suspect, and the actual killer will still be at large. Hope your conscience can live with that, Detective Beckett,” Marty stood to go. “I’m assuming that you’re not detaining my client for further questioning at this time?”
“No, get him out of here,” Chas growled. “But if he leaves the state, I’ll charge you with aiding a fugitive.”
“I’m shaking in my boots,” Marty smirked, while the councilman avoided the detective’s eyes and hurried his son from the room.
Logan and his bookends passed Petaluma and Steve being led in while they were on the way out, and there didn’t seem to be any flicker of recognition. All three of the men leaving merely overlooked the loud couple that was protesting their innocence nonstop. Chas yawned and stretched and headed for the coffee maker. He needed caffeine to get through the contradictory evidence in this bizarre case.
The detective had just sat down behind his desk when the buzzer on his office phone went off.
“Beckett,” he answered, eyes closed, taking a si
p of Mississippi mud that burned its way down his throat.
“There’s a Mr. Lee here to see you,” the desk sergeant reported.
“Send him over.”
Jeong Lee appeared in the detective’s doorway and Chas waved him in, indicating a chair across the desk.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Lee?
“We just got back into town and I heard that some suspects had been detained. Have you found the killer?” the worried stepfather asked.
“We’re still looking into some things,” Chas said. “Can I take your jacket? It’s a bit warm in here,” the detective smiled apologetically.
“Yes, thank you. There were police officers at my house when I arrived, but they wouldn’t tell me much. Is there anything that I should know?”
“I think we’re getting close. We’re questioning a handful of suspects, and we’ve found more evidence…”
“Have you found the murder weapon?” Jeong interrupted.
“I’m sorry, I can’t comment on exactly what evidence we have. It’s way too early in the case, and if the press found out, we could lose our edge. I’m sure you understand.”
“Oh yes, of course,” he nodded. “I just want the monster who did this to our little girl to be brought to justice,” he sighed, shaking his head.
“Well, that’s what we want too,” Chas assured him.
The two men chatted for a few more minutes, and Jeong remembered something.
“Oh, I nearly forgot, when we returned home, my wife found something underneath Nari’s dresser when she was looking for her address book. It’s probably nothing, but I thought you might want to look at it just in case,” he reached into his pants pocket and brought out a small plastic bag which contained a tiny, pearl-handled pocket knife.
Chas took the bag, turning it back and forth to take a closer look at the pocket knife.
“Did your daughter carry a pocket knife?” he asked, still examining it through the bag.
“Oh definitely not, she was a glam girl,” Jeong smiled sadly.
“Were any of her friends outdoorsy types?”
“No, not at all. That’s why we brought this to you. It seemed so out of place that we thought it might be a clue.”
“Good thinking,” Chas nodded. “I’ll check it out and see what we come up with.”
“I really appreciate your thoroughness, Detective,” Mr. Lee rose to go.
“Not a problem,” he took Jeong’s blazer down from the coat tree behind his desk and handed it to him. “I’ll let you know if there are any breaks in the case.”
“Thank you, Detective Beckett. Have a good night.”
“You too,” Chas showed him to the door, not looking forward to interviewing Petaluma and Loud Steve. He briefly considered going home and doing it in the morning, but since he was already here and had consumed at least half a cup of the station’s strong, thick coffee, he figured that he might as well get it over with.
He dropped the pocket knife off in the lab to be dusted for fingerprints and swabbed for blood, then went to an interrogation room to wait for Petaluma to be brought up from the holding cell.
CHAPTER 11
Sarah, Missy, and Echo sat at their favorite table in the cupcake shop, discussing their plan for the day. It was time to finalize everything for the wedding, and all three women were stressed out because they were running out of time.
“Oh my goodness, these strawberry dream cupcakes are amazing,” Sarah exclaimed, biting deeply into the small pink cakes that had just been frosted.
Of course there was a vegan version for Echo, and the pregnant mama had allowed herself the luxury of having two this morning, rationalizing that she’d be so active with shopping and planning that she’d work off the extra calories.
“Thanks, I had a craving for strawberry shortcake and modified a recipe to make cupcakes that tasted like it,” Missy grinned, refilling Sarah’s coffee cup and bringing Echo a fresh herbal tea bag. “So, here’s a schedule I thought would be efficient for today,” she said, handing over sheets of paper to Echo and Sarah.
Sarah nodded her approval, reading aloud.
“Cupcakes with Missy first, I like that. Then finding a cake topper and taking it to the cake artist, paying the deposit to the caterer, hitting the craft stores for table and reception hall decorations, paying the florist, and…”
“Hey,” Echo interrupted. “Speaking of the florist—was Chas able to rule out Petaluma as a suspect?”
Missy shrugged. “I have no idea. He came home in the wee hours of the morning, slept for a couple of hours, then headed out again, so I didn’t have a chance to talk to him.”
“It couldn’t possibly be Petaluma,” Sarah said sadly. “Hopefully he’s discovered that by now.”
“Well, maybe if we get done with our errands early enough, we can stop by Loud Steve’s and check on her. She’d probably be glad to see you,” Missy smiled at Sarah.
“Oh, don’t be so sure. The last time she came into the store back home, she yelled at me and accused me of trying to snatch her baby out from under her nose. She was drunk and wouldn’t leave, so finally the man from the hardware store next door came over and helped Grayson get her out of there,” the young woman blushed, remembering.
“Well, look at the bright side, we won’t have to pay for entertainment at the reception,” Echo snickered. Missy and Sarah just stared at her. “What? I thought it was funny,” she muttered, taking a huge bite of cupcake.
The bell over the door jangled, and Izzy Gilmore walked in. Sarah’s mouth dropped open in surprise as she recognized one of her favorite authors standing in front of her, live and in person.
“Hey Izzy! How’ve you been darlin? We haven’t seen you in ages,” Missy hugged the pale, thin young woman hard, and invited her to join them.
“Oh, life’s been interesting,” the author hedged, keeping the hand with the amputated finger in her lap. “I’m working on another book, so I’ve been holed up with that, but I wanted to see daylight, so I figured I’d be safe here,” she said, kicking herself for revealing too much. Fortunately, no one picked up on her slip.
“Safe from the monsters you create in your books?” Echo teased.
“Something like that,” Izzy gave a wan smile.
“You look a bit peaked,” Missy noticed. “Can I get you some cupcakes and coffee?”
“Oh yes, please. And if you have something with caramel on it, that would really make my day.”
“One coffee with caramel creamer and a vanilla caramel delight coming right up,” she promised, heading behind the counter.
Echo introduced Sarah and Izzy while Missy was gone.
“So you’re getting married in a few days? Wow, that’s great! Congratulations,” Izzy said, making Sarah’s day.
The author hid the sadness and squashed the vision of Spencer that popped into her mind when she thought about love and commitment. She was determined to get over him, no matter what. When Missy set her coffee down in front of her, it was hard to get the warm, sweet liquid past the lump in her throat at first.
“So, the girls and I are running errands to take care of the last minute details for the wedding. Now, I know you’re an introvert and all, but I’d love it if you’d join us. We’re going to have a ball and I want you to come along,” Missy said, putting Izzy on the spot.
“Well… I… it’s Sarah’s day…” she blushed.
“Oh, I’d love it if you came along too!” Sarah exclaimed excitedly. “How many brides get to run their wedding errands with their favorite author?” she giggled.
Izzy nodded, still blushing. “Well, okay then, if you really don’t mind…”
“Of course she doesn’t mind, silly,” Echo teased. “It’s settled then. Let’s gobble up these cupcakes and hit the road, ladies, we’ve got a mission to complete.”
***
“What do you mean Petaluma is in jail?” Missy demanded, when Chas finally came home.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,
there are several things that seem to point to her involvement in Nari Lee’s death, and until I can either prove or disprove them, she’s going to stay put for a bit,” the weary detective explained.
“But sugar, the wedding is just days away. You and I both know that she didn’t do it, and we need to have her out of there by Friday for the rehearsal dinner.”
“Missy, I know that you mean well, but it’s just not that simple. I can’t put a murder investigation on hold simply because it conflicts with a wedding,” he sighed.
“I know,” she bit her lip, worried. “I just haven’t told Grayson about any of the murder stuff yet. I was hoping she’d be proved innocent long before it became an issue. I know you’re doing your best, darlin.”
“I’m trying, and I think I’m close, but I will have to go back into the office tonight.”
“Can we take the girls for a walk first?”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Chas agreed. There was nothing quite like a walk on the beach with Toffee, their sweet-tempered golden retriever, and Bitsy, the rambunctious maltipoo, to help him clear his head and lower his blood pressure.
His wife, the waves and the cool sand underfoot needed to work their magic so that he could get this case solved… for lots of reasons. Missy rose from the couch and smiled lovingly at her husband, offering her hand. He took it and they walked to the foyer to get the leashes.
***
“I’ve never seen so much pink in my life,” Echo commented, wrapping the stem of a silk hydrangea in pink ribbon.
“It’s my favorite color,” Sarah shrugged. “I was never allowed to wear pink when I was growing up, so I want as much of it as I can get now.”
Izzy stared at the bride-to-be as though she’d just declared that she was from outer space.
“What do you mean you weren’t allowed to wear pink when you were growing up?” she asked, baffled.
Sarah and Echo exchanged a look.
“My mother was… different. She didn’t let me wear pink because she said it was a frivolous color that would cause me to be paid undue attention and that I should be more modest,” Sarah shrugged.
Spiced Latte Killer: Book 10 in The INNcredibly Sweet Series Page 7