by Jessica Beck
He jumped off the swing as though he were sitting on a spring. “What took you so long? I was about ready to come after you.”
“Jake, I warned you that it might take some time to get Gabby to open up. I was kind of surprised how well it went, myself.”
“Did you have any luck getting any information out of her, or do we need to start our investigation from scratch?”
“I’ll tell you all about it, but let’s go inside so I can warm up my hands. I know that the calendar says that it’s officially spring, but I didn’t wear a heavy enough jacket for the walk.”
“Would you rather warm your hands up with the truck heater, instead?” he asked. “It blasts better heat than you’ll get inside without the fireplace going.”
Not many things worked well on Jake’s ancient truck, but the heater it sported was still first rate. “Are you that eager to get started?” I asked him with a grin.
“You would be too, if you’d been sitting here waiting.”
He had a point. “Okay. You drive while I warm up my hands.”
My husband looked surprised by the speed of my agreement, but he was too smart to question it. Jake jogged around and opened my door for me, something that I didn’t think I’d ever tire of. “Where do we go first?” he asked.
“Well, it’s going to take a few minutes before I can tell you everything so we can come up with a plan. We could always park at the donut shop and chat there.”
“No, that might give some folks the mistaken impression that you’re open for business. Why don’t we go to the crime scene and chat there?”
“You want to go back to the wagon factory?” I asked him.
“Call it whatever you’d like, but you knew what I meant.”
“I suppose it’s as good a place as any,” I said as the heater kicked out enough warmth to cook a roast. My hands had gone past getting warm and were now starting to roast in the oppressive heat. “Could you turn that down a notch?”
Jake grinned at me as he did as I’d requested. “I told you it was a good heater.”
“I never doubted it for an instant,” I said as Jake drove past Grace’s place. Her company car was gone, and I wondered where she was off to. One thing I was fairly certain of was that she wasn’t investigating any murders. It appeared that part of her life was over, at least for the foreseeable future. Whether she’d ever come back to it was anyone’s guess, but I knew from our recent conversation that it wouldn’t be any time soon. We drove past the donut shop, through the center of town, and then onto the road toward Union Square, though we didn’t have to go anywhere that far. Just on the edge of town limits, Jake pulled into the parking lot of the old wagon factory.
We weren’t the only ones there, though.
A police squad car was parked in front of the building, and one of the police chief’s officers was out front, apparently standing guard.
Jake pulled in, and the officer walked over to us before he could shut the truck engine off.
“Sorry, folks, but the building’s closed,” the man said solemnly, and then he grinned at us both as he added, “My orders were to let you down easy if you came asking.”
“Thanks, Griffin,” Jake said cordially. “I appreciate that.”
“You don’t have any donuts on you, do you, Suzanne?” the officer asked me.
Though he hadn’t been in town—or on the force, for that matter—very long, Happy Griffin was another cop/customer of mine, so all of us knew each other.
“Come by tomorrow morning and I’ll take care of you, on the house,” I said with a smile.
“I appreciate the offer, but the chief won’t let us take anything we don’t pay for,” Griffin said. “Sorry I can’t let you in.”
“We understand completely,” Jake said. “Do you mind if we park over there and just look at the building, as long as we stay in the truck?”
“You can have a picnic for all I care,” he said, and then he went back to his station. He’d been a fairly new hire, and Stephen Grant was the only chief he’d ever known. Though he hadn’t been in town long, Griffin was a welcome addition as far as I was concerned. Anyone who liked donuts as much as he did was okay in my book, until I learned something that made me think otherwise.
“So, tell me what you’ve got,” Jake said after he’d backed the truck up in a parking space so we could see the building without turning our heads.
“Don’t you feel funny just sitting here like this?” I asked him. Griffin was doing his best to ignore us, but we’d made eye contact a few times, and when we did, he offered me a three-finger salute and grinned.
“The view might spark something,” Jake said, “but if you really want to go, we can find somewhere else to park.”
“No, this is fine,” I said, doing my best to ignore the new patrolman.
“What did Gabby have to say?” he asked.
“Sully didn’t trust the two guys working for him, Bob Greene and Jim Burr. Evidently there was some bad blood between them. She also said that one potential suspect is Carl Descent. He’s been trying to get the project shut down since before it even started. Apparently Momma outbid him at the last second, and he’s been mad ever since. What brings Sully into the mix is that he found out Descent was going to raze the building, so he put in a good word for Momma with the owner.”
“Wow, that’s a lot to digest in one session,” Jake said.
“Hang on. There’s more. Sully also managed to alienate his competitor, a woman who thought they were discussing more than merging their electrical contractor operations. Her name is Shirley Edam, and it sounds as though she had a few reasons of her own to want to make Sully suffer.”
“How in the world did Gabby gather that much information so quickly? Sully just died a few hours ago.”
“It turns out that she had the inside track. She was dating the man,” I said.
“Wow. That puts an entirely different spin on things, doesn’t it?”
“Jake, you don’t think for one minute that Gabby had anything to do with Sully’s murder, do you? Take it from me. She didn’t do it.”
“Suzanne, I know that she’s a friend of yours, but how can you be so sure?” Jake asked me carefully.
“Because I know Gabby,” I said.
Jake thought about that for a few seconds, and then he asked, “Would you mind if she at least stays on my list until I get my own reasons to take her off?”
“That’s fine, but you should know that she’s not even going on mine,” I said.
“Agreed. We’ve certainly got a lot to work with. That was smart going to Gabby for information, Suzanne.”
I loved hearing his praise, but I couldn’t take credit for all of it. “To be perfectly honest, I had no idea that they were dating, Jake.”
“I understand that, but you still knew the best source to tap in April Springs, and you went after the information. The fact that Gabby knew so much was just icing on the cake. You’re better at this than some folks around town give you credit for.”
“Do you mean you?” I asked him with a smile.
“Not me. I’ve always known you had the knack.”
I laughed out loud at his comment. “I know better. It took you a long time to come on board, and you know it.”
“What can I say? You convinced me,” he replied as he started the truck.
“Where are we going?” I asked him as I waved good-bye to Griffin.
“We need to tell Chief Grant everything you just learned.”
“It’s already been taken care of,” I said. “Gabby was on her way to see him when I left her.”
Jake looked surprised by the news. “Was that her idea, or yours?”
“We made a deal. You and I would investigate the murder, but only if she told the chief everything she knew.”
“But we were going to investigate it anyway,” Jake protested.
“We both know that, but Gabby didn’t.”
“Remind me never to cross you,” Jake said
with a smile.
“I’d be happy to, anytime you get close to the line,” I said as Jake turned right. “Where are we going now?”
“We need to find Bob Greene and Jim Burr. I want to talk to them.”
“Before the chief gets to them?” I asked.
“You’re the one who uncovered the fact that Sully didn’t trust them, but you have to believe that the chief has already spoken with them, anyway. I’d say that we were entitled to have the first crack at them now that we have new information, wouldn’t you?”
“We both know that wasn’t our agreement,” I said as I handed him my phone.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked as he looked at it.
“Call Stephen Grant and make sure that Gabby’s talked to him.”
Jake pulled over and parked the truck. “And if she has?”
“Then get his permission for us to track down a lead or two ourselves.”
“Is that the way this is going to work?” Jake asked with a slight grimace.
“Welcome to my world,” I said as I hit the chief’s number on speed dial.
Jake had a lot to learn about investigating on the side, but I knew that he’d catch on quickly, and I was more than happy to be his teacher.
Chapter 6
“Let me put this on speaker so we can both speak with him,” Jake said after he studied my phone for a second.
“My cellphone will actually do that?” I asked him.
“Suzanne, it’s amazing what phones will do these days if you know how to use them.”
“I just use it to make regular calls,” I said. “But I know that Grace can practically launch missiles with hers.”
“Hello?” Chief Grant asked from the speaker. “Suzanne, is that you?”
“I’m here, and so is Jake,” I said loudly. “Can you hear us okay?”
“It would be easier if you stopped shouting,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“Did Gabby find you yet?” I asked him, modulating my volume a little.
“She just left. Thanks for sending her my way.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“Chief,” Jake cut in, “we need to know our boundaries on this. Should we leave all of the suspects for you, or is there at least one person we can speak with?”
“Actually, you can go ahead and take a run at Bob Greene and Jim Burr. I spoke with them before Gabby came forward.”
“Did you have any luck getting an alibi out of either one of them?” Jake asked him.
“They said that they were together on another job site across town at the time of the murder,” the chief said.
“That should be easy enough to check.”
“Not if they were the only two subcontractors at the site,” Chief Grant answered. “I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that they were ready for me when I asked them, as though they’d planned it out ahead of time. Only why would they do that if they didn’t have something to hide, right?”
“That’s my instinct as well,” Jake said. “We’d be happy to see if we can rattle them a little on our end.”
“Fine, but remember, neither one of you has any official status in the case. You have to tiptoe around your questions.”
“That’s why I’m here,” I said with a grin, “to remind him of that.”
“Suzanne, I understand that you spoke with Grace earlier,” the chief said, his displeasure clear in his voice.
His statement surprised me. “Am I not allowed to talk to my best friend these days?”
“Of course you can. Just don’t push her, okay?”
I understood his reasons for trying to protect his girlfriend, but not from me. “Stephen Grant, I’ve known you since you were a child, so don’t you dare try to tell me how to behave. I don’t care if you’re the chief of police or the emperor of Mars, when it comes to Grace, I’ll do as I please.”
Instead of getting upset, Chief Grant just chuckled. “What are you going to do if I disregard your orders and tell you how to act anyway?”
“Gosh, I thought you liked eating donuts at my shop,” I said sweetly, making sure that he could hear my smile shine through my voice.
“Is that a threat, Suzanne?”
“No, sir. Think of it more like a promise.”
There was a pause, and then he said softly, “I hear you,” and then the interim police chief hung up.
Jake was frowning at me as he handed my phone back. “You were a little hard on him, weren’t you?”
“Funny, I thought I took it easy on him. Stephen Grant might be her boyfriend, but Grace and I are sisters in every way that matters. I figured it would be easier to smack him with a newspaper and rub his nose in it early so he wouldn’t do it again than to have that particular conversation with him again.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that happening,” Jake said with a smile. “You know, you sounded a bit like your mother just then on the phone as you were scolding him.”
I grinned back at him. “I’m not quite sure how you meant that, but I’m going to take it as a compliment, anyway.”
“Good, because that was exactly how it was meant to be taken,” he said. “Now that we’ve got a green light, let’s say we go tackle Sully’s two employees.”
“That sounds good to me. I wonder where we can find them,” I said.
“I suppose we could check the bars around the area.”
“That’s a bit of a stereotype, isn’t it?” I asked him. “Just because they are blue-collar workers doesn’t mean that they drink every day after work.”
“Normally I’d agree with you, but their boss was just murdered, so I’ve got a hunch they might be mourning his loss about now, and I know a lot of men who aren’t afraid to drown their troubles in a bottle.”
“Point taken,” I said. “Besides, what have we got to lose doing it your way? Let’s try the closest bar.”
Ultimately, I had to admit that I wasn’t all that surprised when we found the two men sitting side by side in the nearest bar, both wearing their red-and-black-checked flannel shirts from work. The sight of their attire reminded me of seeing their boss earlier, and I felt a knot grow in my stomach. One thing was certain; Jake had good instincts. He couldn’t have been a top-notch investigator for the state police without them.
“Hey, guys,” I said as we approached them at a table near the back of the bar. Jim had his feet up on an empty chair beside them–I could see his shiny new pair of cowboy boots–while Bob had on an old leather bomber’s jacket. “Do you mind if we join you?”
“Sorry, but this is a private party,” Bob said, staring down at his drink without looking up.
“I understand that,” I said, “but you’re not the only two people in April Springs who are going to miss Sully Jackson.”
Jim looked up from his drink and frowned. “I’ve never seen you in here before, Suzanne.” He appeared to be the drunker of the two by far, and I wondered if he’d started drinking before his partner had arrived on the scene.
“I’m more of a tea drinker myself,” I said. “Have you gentlemen met my husband?” I asked as I turned to Jake, who had stayed a step behind me. “Jake Bishop, this is Bob Greene and Jim Burr. They worked for Sully.”
“Worked with him was more like it,” Bob said as he shook my husband’s hand. “He was about to make us partners in the business.”
“Is that so?” Jake asked him. “Then I’m doubly sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks,” Jim replied as he shook his hand in turn.
“Can we buy you both a round in honor of your boss?” Jake asked as he took a seat without being invited. Before they could reply, he waved to the waitress, who came over instantly. “Two more for them, please.”
“Aren’t you drinking, either?” Jim asked a little testily.
“Not at the moment,” Jake said as he pulled out his wallet.
“If you’re too good to drink with us, then we’ll pay for our own,” Jim snap
ped as he reached into his shirt pocket and started to pull out a roll of bills. I hadn’t been meant to see it, but I’d caught a glimpse before Bob knocked his hand away.
“Don’t be that way,” Bob said. “If the man wants to buy us a drink, then we’ll graciously accept his kind offer. That’s the problem with you, buddy. You can be a mean drunk sometimes.”
“I’m not drunk,” Jim protested, his words slurring a little as he spoke.
Bob looked at his friend, and then he shook his head. “Well, even if you aren’t, I’m heading that way fast myself.” He turned to Jake for a moment and said, “Thanks for the offer, but on second thought, we’ll pass.” Then, slapping his coworker on the shoulder, Bob said, “Come on, pal. It’s time to go.”
“We just need a minute of your time,” I said as the two men stood a little unsteadily.
“Sorry, but it’s going to have to be later,” Bob said. Up until then he’d been pretty good at hiding his own level of intoxication, but that façade was slipping quickly away. Clearly both men needed to sober up.
“Neither one of you should be driving,” Jake said. “At least let us drive you home.” How did he propose to do that? We were in Jake’s truck, and there was no way that the four of us were about to fit in the front cab. It was a real working truck, with a single bench seat up front, and not one of the fancier newer models that looked more like cars than trucks on the inside. This was even more exaggerated by its extended bed, a full eight feet long. Jake was proud of the fact that he could lay a sheet of plywood down in back without lowering the tailgate, a reason to brag that was completely lost on me. It seemed to matter to him, though, so that was all that really counted.
“No, thanks. Stella will give us a ride,” Jim said as he threw a fifty-dollar bill down on the table. It appeared that the men had been celebrating for a while. “What do you say?” he asked her as she approached us. It was clear that she’d been keeping her eye on us ever since we’d walked through the door.