Coffee is Murder

by Arnold, Carolyn

  “You conducted an autopsy two weeks ago on a woman named Beverly Sparks.”

  “Yes, I remember her. Respiratory failure.”

  Jimmy wasn’t sure whether the sharp memory of the medical examiner was worrisome or provided hope. It could go either way. One, Needham would be insulted by the questioning, or two, with the procedure clear in his mind it might provoke a sensory memory. There was only one way to find out.

  “Her daughter believes she was poisoned.”

  “I remember her carrying on about it, but if her mother was, no evidence supported that in my findings. I can only catalog what I find.”

  This is where things might get dicey. Jimmy had to push a little. “When you were conducting the autopsy did you notice any odor coming off the body?”

  “You mean besides regular decomposition? If there was anything else, it was masked. What are you driving at? What poison?”

  “Cyanide.”

  “Ah, a bitter-almond smell, but it only results sometimes. Ms. Sparks was dead for twelve hours before she was found, and longer still before she made it to a cooler, let alone my slab.”

  And there it was, the old man’s seeming disregard for the dead. It was a good thing they were incapable of hearing how he spoke about them. Although, maybe they did and haunted him. It could be restless spirits and the resultant lack of a good night’s sleep that made the man cantankerous.

  “All right. Well, thank you for your help.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Enjoy the sandwich,” Jimmy mumbled once his back was turned.

  -

  Chapter 14

  GOOD DISGUISE

  “WE DON’T HAVE THE TIME to wait on them to ship out.” Sara made a plea to Dee Dee.

  “Well, even if I did take on this job for you, I wouldn’t be able to get to it right away. I’ve probably taken up too much time talking to you guys already as it is.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re head of this department then.” Sean tried to appeal to her ego.

  “I still report to people. I’ll probably just skip lunch. Eat a carrot stick or something.”

  Sean wasn’t going to touch that. “I’m sure you could use your power of influence and get the strips expedited overnight. If you reach the company before one, you might even have them as soon as tomorrow.”

  “Can we have the company’s name?” Sara asked.

  “Sure.” Dee Dee walked around behind her desk, opened a drawer, and came out with a business card. She took a pen from the holder and scribbled on the back. “I think their website is their company name with dot net.”

  Sara touched the back of the woman’s hand in the transfer of the card. “Thank you. We appreciate your help.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t test them for you. But like I said, time just won’t allow for it and especially not as fast as you want results. Now, you said that someone poisoned coffee? I would think the person tasted that it was off.”

  “It was dark cherry almond flavor,” Sean said.

  “All right. That I can understand. See, cyanide has an almond-like flavor, but it has a bitter aftertaste. Given the coffee you mentioned they may have thought it was an edge to the beverage. It would be an excellent way to hide the poison. The thing with cyanide is, it has to be in large doses to kill. Either that or prolonged exposure.”

  “For our case, it was the latter. The victim drank five to six cups a day.”

  “A day? Speaking of, are you still drinking coffee like that, Sara?”

  “How did you—”

  Sean cupped his wife’s elbow, prodding her to show restraint. The last thing they needed was her getting defensive about her habit, and Dee Dee clamming up as a result. But Sean was curious about one more thing.

  “Where do people get cyanide?”

  Dee Dee dragged her gaze from Sara to Sean. “First of all, it’s not as easy to get as one might think.”

  Sean took a seat, but, based on the reflection in Dee Dee’s eyes, he stood up again.

  Dee Dee continued. “Cyanide is released from natural substances such as fruit seeds, apricots, peaches, and apples. Still, the amount required to kill is hard to obtain. In laboratories, it is locked up. It can come in the form of gas, liquid, or white crystal powder. It has practical use in many industrial processes. You said that the coffee was poisoned. Are you thinking this is happening at the company itself?”

  “It’s too early to know for sure.”

  “Well, it’s probably someone who has easy access to the poison. Maybe a spouse or friend who has a tie to one of the industries that use it. That might be a quick way of narrowing in on whoever did this.”

  Sean nodded and glanced at Sara.

  The clock on Dee Dee’s wall was reading just past twelve. They needed to get to a computer and a phone to order those testing strips.

  “We better let you get back to things. Thank you, again, for all your help.”

  “You got it, sweet cheeks.” Dee Dee laughed once Sara did.

  -

  Chapter 15

  THAT’S A LOT OF POISON

  “SEE, THERE WERE NO HARD feelings there, Sean.” Sara giggled most of the way back to the car.

  “You are finding all of this too funny.”

  “Come on, Sean, don’t be so serious. I don’t blame her for having a crush on you.”

  He tapped her nose with his finger. “You are good at charming people you know.”

  She smiled and sauntered to her side of the car. “One of my gifts, I suppose.”

  He opened the door for her. “You don’t have to suppose—it is.”

  “Thank you.” She was laughing again when he shut her door.

  By the time he was behind the wheel, she had composed herself, her mind now on the case. “Sean, if someone at the company poisoned the beans, and it wasn’t an intentional effort to kill Beverly, then this is something huge. The person we’re after could be responsible for more than one death. If nothing else, their intent was to hurt people. It doesn’t matter if their motive was sabotage. The result is the same.”

  “I know. This case has the potential to be a big one for sure.”

  “Monumental.” She didn’t want to admit to Sean that she was thinking about the media attention their agency would get as a result of all this, and the ensuing workload. Dee Dee and her government job would hold no contest when compared to their to-do list.

  “We also have the chance to make a difference with this one and save who knows how many others.”

  “You’re right.” She’d choose to focus on that aspect as it was more motivating than a busier schedule. She leaned against the headrest. “Dee Dee said the cyanide testing was easy. I wonder why Sophie didn’t do it for herself. Or send the beans away?”

  “She probably couldn’t afford to. We might have to buy the strips in bulk, remember?”

  “Of course I remember.”

  He licked his lips. He was teasing her. Her memory was flawless.

  “I don’t know. It’s likely nothing.”

  “What is it?”

  “Well, she can afford to pay us but she can’t afford some strips?”

  “We don’t even know how much they cost yet.” Sean pulled out his smartphone and started moving around the screen. She saw him bring up the Internet browser. “What’s the company name again?”

  “Pole-Carron, with a hyphen.”

  “Hmm.”

  “What is it, Sean?”

  “I did a search with the company name and added cyanide test strips. I got to the order page right away.”

  “And?”

  “It’s a very small investment. For one hundred strips, it’s only a hundred and twenty-five dollars.”

  Sara hadn’t expected that result. Even though her trust was misplaced on occasion, she prefer
red to give people the benefit of the doubt. It was a happier existence that way. “Maybe she didn’t know what she’d do with a hundred of them. But I also remember her saying she didn’t know where to test them. Maybe she’s not computer savvy.” The statement fell from her lips, and she identified it as a flimsy defense. “Never mind. I heard what I said. It doesn’t make sense.”

  They held eye contact for a while with neither of them saying anything.

  Sean spoke first. “Before we get too carried away, let’s get these beans tested.”

  -

  Chapter 16

  MULLING IT OVER

  IT WAS THE NEXT DAY and Sara was feeling disheartened. She didn’t get much sleep because she’d tossed and turned, thinking about Sophie and her mother. The answers weren’t coming quickly. And Jimmy hadn’t had any luck with Albert Needham. On a good note, the test strips were set to arrive at the firm early that morning.

  They also made a call to Adam yesterday to have him research Tasty Beans and to pull an employee list. He had a gift that enabled him to do things behind the scenes. Maybe they weren’t always legal, per se, but his skillset served their purposes quite well. The secret was not getting caught. Either way, Sara found it justifiable if it meant the killer answered for his crime.

  While Sara had tried to get some words into her manuscript before they were to head over to the office, the creative flow wasn’t happening. She had never been one of those authors who pounded out fifteen hundred words an hour, but normally she had something to show for her efforts. So after stumbling through the compilation of three paragraphs, she headed to the front door where she waited for Sean.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “I’ve been waiting for a while now.”

  “Waiting on me? Well, that’s a switch.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her out of the house.

  On the drive, she kept glancing over at him, but his focus was on the road—where it should be really. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair and tucked some longer strands behind his ear. Not that they were sticking out. Sean always had himself put together—it was one of the things she loved about him. She was simply showing him affection.

  He caught her hand and kissed the back of it. “A penny for your thoughts.”

  “They are more expensive than that.” She smiled at him as she pulled her hand back. “Is it just me, or was it easier to separate yourself when you were a cop?”

  “I hear what you’re saying, darling, I do.”

  “So you think you get more emotionally involved now, too?”

  “I think it’s bound to happen. It’s our names now. We want to make a difference.”

  “And you know what? We are, Sean.”

  “We are.” He pointed at the delivery truck in front of the firm. “Looks like we arrived right on time.”

  -

  Chapter 17

  A SACRIFICE FOR THE CAUSE

  THEY WERE WILLING TO SACRIFICE the coffee machine for the purpose of this experiment. It was the kind that ground the beans and then brewed the pot. Its value would be added to the expense list for the case if the test strips returned positive.

  The motor whirred as it minced the beans, releasing their rich aroma into the air.

  “It smells good in here.” Helen came from the front and entered the break room. “What is that? Cherry? Almond?”

  “Don’t get too excited. This is the batch we’re testing for cyanide,” Sean said.

  Helen winced. “I’ve suddenly lost my urge for a cup.”

  “Good idea. I wouldn’t even recommend inhaling too deeply.” He caught the fear in Sara’s eyes. “Remember how much Beverly had to drink. If these beans are poisoned, there isn’t a high concentration.”

  “You’d be hoping so anyway, or the three of us will be joining Mrs. Sparks,” Sara responded.

  Five minutes later they had a half pot of coffee made and Helen had returned to the front desk.

  “Moment of truth.” Sara turned to Sean, who pulled out one of the strips.

  “Now according to the directions, it’s an easy process.” He held the strip over the coffee and was about to put it in.

  “Wait a minute.”

  His hand stopped, hovering above the brew. “What is it?”

  She giggled. “You read directions?”

  “Listen, you, I’ll deal with you later.”

  “You’d be thinking so anyway,” she teased further. “I’m sorry, go ahead. You know how I sometimes get when I’m nervous.”

  “Yes, dear. So, according to the directions, we just have to dip this in the liquid, remove it and compare it to this chart they gave us. It takes anywhere from one to ten minutes for the results to show.”

  “Why do I have a feeling that time will pass slowly?”

  “You know what they say about a watched kettle. In this case—”

  She held up her hand. “I get it.”

  About two minutes later, the strip was changing color and a quick comparison with the chart gave them their answer.

  “The beans were poisoned,” they said in unison.

  -

  Chapter 18

  SNIFFING OUT A MOTIVE FOR MURDER

  SARA HUGGED ADAM WHEN HE came into the conference room. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Thanks, I think.” Adam passed a glance to Sean.

  “So what did you find out for us?” Sean directed Adam to take a seat across from him, next to Jimmy. Sara sat beside Sean.

  “I did everything you asked of me and probably more.” Adam fired up the laptop and connected wirelessly to the electronic interactive board.

  “You’ll do anything to show off,” Jimmy chirped in.

  “Someone has to come to the table. Whoa.” Adam laughed.

  Jimmy’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not my fault I got the old coot.”

  “Come on, Jimmy, he’s not that bad,” Sara said.

  “You’re right, he’s worse.”

  Adam logged in to his computer. “I found out the entire history of the company. They are located on the outskirts of Williamsburg, Virginia. Tasty Beans has been in business eighteen years and is a family owned business, a husband and wife team. They have two children—a boy and girl—the ‘million dollar family.’ The eldest is the son, and he has shares in the company already at the age of sixteen. The daughter will get a portion on her sixteenth birthday, which is still four years away.”

  “How much is the company worth?”

  “They are in the black if you were wondering about them possibly sabotaging themselves as some sort of fraudulent play.”

  “Continue.”

  “All right, I’m almost there.” With a flick of his wrist, the board lit up with a picture of a family. “These are the McAllisters. The owners, in case you hadn’t guessed that already. The husband, Luke, is worth twenty-five million.”

  “That would be a lot of coffee.”

  “Yes it would, but they are moving a lot.” Adam clicked on the laptop’s touchpad. The screen changed. “These are the comparative sales numbers, showing this past fiscal year and five years ago. As you can see, they have grown steadily.”

  “What about their criminal background?”

  “Sean, all of their records are clean.”

  “It could be one of their employees then. Someone who isn’t happy or has a bad history,” Sara brainstormed.

  “I wasn’t able to check into everyone’s background. They have more than a couple hundred employees.”

  Sean let out a whistle. “Coffee is big business.”

  “You’re spot on with that assessment.” He gestured with a bob of his head toward the screen. “As you can see, they made twenty-eight million in sales last year alone.”

  “What about their competition?” Sara asked.


  “I was just getting to that. Java Worldwide is their top competitor. They are located in Texas.”

  “Texas?” Sara chuckled. “I’m not sure why I find that funny, but I just don’t think of Texas as coffee land.”

  “Same with Williamsburg, isn’t it?”

  “Not as much of a stretch really.”

  Adam drew his eyes from Sara. “Anyway,” he clicked the mouse again and other financials came up, “these are the numbers for JW.”

  “JW?” Sean asked.

  “Java Worldwide.”

  “Yes, but why abbreviate it?”

  Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Does it matter? Anyway, JW is suffering. Their sales are decreasing. I’m thinking it’s their motto that is killing them. They promise to deliver worldwide, but they can’t control customs and there are delays. It’s resulted in an onslaught of horrible customer feedback, and people don’t return.”

  “It’s possible that someone from JW is sabotaging TB—What? If you’re going to condense one company’s name, it’s fair game.” Jimmy seemed pleased with himself. It caused Sean to smile.

  “It is, but remember the distance between them.”

  “The world is small these days, Adam.” This was from Sara. “JW could have placed a corporate spy at Tasty Beans. Only, instead of just observing, they are paid to destroy the company.”

  “I like the way you think, darling.”

  “Thank you.” She squeezed Sean’s hand.

  He noticed the two men across from them shaking their heads and making kissy faces at each other to mock him and Sara.

  “You guys are just jealous.”

  “Yeah, the rest of the world is.” Adam laughed.

  “Not me, not anymore.”

  “Jimmy?” Sara said slyly.

  “Yep, I’m a one-woman man and Meredith has changed my outlook on life.”

  Adam slapped Jimmy’s shoulder. “That’s good for you, old man.”

  “Hey, young whippersnapper.”