Jeopardy in July: A Jamie Quinn Mystery (Jamie Quinn Cozy Mystery Book 5)

by Barbara Venkataraman

  I nodded. Nice to know I wouldn't be in danger. "Will I be wearing an earpiece? I'm just asking because I have really small ear canals and ear buds always fall out of my ears."

  Nick rolled his eyes and Jayashree made a note on her tablet.

  "How is this going to work?" I asked.

  Jayashree gave me an encouraging smile. "Here is the plan, Jamie. We already checked the visitor log and the cameras for Memorial Day and there were no male visitors that day in the right age range. Therefore, we can conclude that the suspect either snuck in to speak with Clarence or he lives there. We've narrowed down the field of potential suspects considerably because we know the suspect moved into the facility within the last five years."

  "How do you know that?" I stood up to brush cookie crumbs off my lap, much to Nick's dismay. I hoped he'd be the one to do the vacuuming.

  "Good question," Jayashree said. "We have proof that the suspect was living abroad five years ago. With that piece of information, as well as the gender, race and age range, we were able to reduce the list to five possible suspects."

  I kicked my shoes off under the table. "Only five? That's great! I thought the list would be huge. What do I need to do exactly? Is there a script you want me to use?"

  Nick perked up. "Yes, we want you to pretend you're writing a human interest article about the residents of La Vida Boca."

  I stared blankly at him. "Uh, Nick, as much as you hate to admit it, I'm an attorney, not a journalist. These people know me. I can't pretend I've changed careers. That's just weird."

  "But Grace said you used to write articles for magazines," he said.

  "Sure I did," I said. "Back when I was an English Lit major."

  "What if you were writing an article for a legal journal?" Jayashree asked.

  "Maybe I could work with that," I conceded. "Who's on the list?"

  I looked at the list Jayashree handed me and my heart sank; I recognized four of the five names. Herb was on there, as was Teddy, his friend Harry, and Luke a/k/a Mr. Casanova from the seminar. The only one I didn't know was a man named Samuel and I fervently hoped it was him. I would talk to him first.

  "What questions am I supposed to ask them?" I said.

  Nick handed me a sheet of paper titled Topics for Discussion with seven topics:

  --Ask how holidays are celebrated at the facility

  --Were they there for the 4th of July? How about Memorial Day?

  --Ask about their background, what kind of work did they do?

  --Ask if they are Florida natives. If not, what made them decide to move here?

  --Where are they from originally?

  --What made them choose this facility?

  --For Teddy and Harry, ask them additional questions about their purchase of the Chagall: When did it occur? How much did they pay for it? How much did they sell it for? How did Clarence convince them to buy it? Did he say where he got the painting?

  "One question, Nick."

  "What is it, Quinn?"

  "If I'm supposed to be researching an article, why am I asking Harry and Teddy about the painting? That makes no sense."

  "I knew you'd say that." Nick replied. "When you finish your other questions, you can tell Teddy you want to talk to him about the painting. He told you he wanted to make things right and now you want to help him do that."

  "Fine, that works," I said, "but I can't do that with Harry. What I can do is ask Teddy if he told Harry about the painting being a forgery and, if so, what was his reaction. Depending on his answer, I can go from there."

  "Excellent plan." Jayashree said reaching into a small metal box on the table and removing a piece of costume jewelry. It was a stick pin the length of a matchstick.

  "That's pretty," I said.

  "Glad you like it, this is the recording device you'll be wearing," she said.

  "Ha! That's more like it. And Nick said this wasn't like an episode of NCIS. Wrong again, Dimitropoulos."

  Nick groaned. "I can't believe you're our best hope, Quinn. Life can be so cruel."

  I laughed. "You're welcome to wear the stick pin and give it your best shot."

  "And what will you be doing?" he asked.

  "I'll sit in the panel truck and play with all the gadgets."

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  I was more nervous about spilling coffee on my stick-pin-recording-device than I was about my assignment. After all, I only had to talk to people and talking was what I did for a living. Like they say, talk is cheap until you hire a lawyer.

  It was ten in the morning and La Vida Boca was its usual beehive of activity. Not really, everyone was just sitting around the lobby like they always did. Jayashree's last piece of advice to me was to be flexible because it was a fluid situation--like in court, when a star witness changes his story. Flexible was fine, but my plan was still to interview Samuel first. If he was the scammer (and I hoped he was), then I could stop looking. The receptionist desk was the best place to start.

  "Good morning, Glenda, how are you today?"

  "As well as can be expected," she said without looking up from her crossword puzzle. "What's an eight-letter word for baby buggy?"

  "Carriage?"

  "That's it." After she finished writing, she made eye contact. "What can I do for you?"

  "I'm looking for a resident named Samuel."

  Glenda returned to her puzzle. "We don't have anyone named Samuel here."

  Nonplussed, I stammered "But Glenda… you can tell me--I work here. Don't you remember me?"

  "I know who you are," she said matter-of-factly, "and I'm telling you, nobody named Samuel lives here." Then she dismissed me by answering the phone that had been ringing since I got there.

  Glenda had to be mistaken. I would just ask around until I found Samuel. Be flexible, Jamie. Who should I ask? Everyone. I started with a sweet-looking grandma on the closest loveseat. I approached her with a warm smile.

  "Excuse me, do you know who Samuel is?"

  She took my hand. "Samuel? He's my younger brother."

  "That's great!" I said. "Do you know where he is now?"

  "I imagine he's out back," she said, nodding her head.

  "Okay, is he on the shuffleboard court? In the garden? At the pool?"

  With a beatific smile, she said "He'd better be feeding those chickens or he's going to get a beating. Mama always says hard heads make soft behinds."

  I heard Nick laughing through my earbud. "Good job, Quinn! You're an ace detective."

  "Get out of my head, Nick!" I hissed. "Or I swear I'll throw this earbud into the next flower arrangement I see."

  "Don't worry about it, Jamie," Jayashree assured me. "You'll find him, keep going."

  It was a setback, but I could do this. If I worked my way around the room, surely, somebody would know who Samuel was. I was about to approach another resident, a man in an armchair reading a book, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Jodi Martin, dressed in business attire in lieu of her gardening outfit.

  "What a surprise, Jamie! After the other day, I didn't think you'd be back."

  I nodded. "Yeah, me either. Stanley…?"

  She shook her head. "It's been tough for everyone, he was well-loved."

  "I'm so sorry to hear that."

  Jodi looked around before whispering in my ear, "We never found those berries, by the way. We looked everywhere."

  I gasped. "That's very bad news. Did you tell Wilma?"

  Jodi nodded, her face grim.

  "What did she do about it?" I asked.

  "Basically, nothing. She said she would look into it," Jodi said. "I'm thinking of calling the police."

  "What is she talking about, Quinn?" Nick demanded, taking over my right ear.

  "Go away!" I said.

  "Excuse me?" Jodi said, confusion in her hazel eyes.

  "Sorry! I tell you what--I'll speak with Wilma and make sure she does the right thing, ok?"

  "Thank-you! I've been so worried about this. You'll let me know?
"

  "Absolutely," I said.

  After she left, I lowered my head so I could yell at my stick pin. "Nick, I swear, you'd better cut it out."

  A familiar voice in my other ear said "Why are you talking to your jewelry, Darlin'?"

  I jumped. "Man, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" I pointed to my pin and then pointed to my ear and said "Shh" very quietly.

  Duke nodded and mouthed "okay."

  I took out my phone and typed a message "Turn around so your back is to the camera." I showed him and he complied. Then I typed a second message "I can't be seen with you, you're on your own. Thanks for coming though!"

  After giving me a two-finger salute, Duke walked off to who knows where to do who knows what. Not my problem. Once more, I started walking toward the bookish man in the armchair but was stopped by none other than Tillie, who had crossed the lobby to see me.

  "Hey Tillie," I said.

  "Hello! Did you happen to bring any of that delicious fruit today? That was so kind of you and we appreciated it very much and I was hoping--"

  "I'm afraid not," I said. "But I'll bring you some fruit next time, okay?"

  Dejected, she trudged away. This time, I made it to the armchair and asked the man about Samuel. Not only had he never met a Samuel at La Vida Boca, but none of the other residents in the lobby had either.

  I talked to my stick pin again. "Jayashree, I'm striking out here. Are you sure the guy's name is Samuel? Could it be a mistake?"

  After she confirmed that Samuel was in fact a resident who currently lived at the facility, I was determined to track him down. Before going outside to ask around I stopped at the vending machines to buy a bottle of water. As I was leaving, I ran into Jessie and Marley in the hallway and the reception she gave me was chilly.

  Arms folded across her chest, Jessie stared me down. "I thought we were friends, Jamie."

  "Aren't we?" I asked. "What did I do, why are you upset with me?"

  "How do you not know?" she blasted me.

  "I'm sorry, but I don't."

  "Way to go, Quinn," Nick said, hijacking my ear again. "Glad to hear you annoy other people too."

  Since I couldn't respond, I slapped my stick pin with the palm of my hand and it felt good.

  "Please tell me," I said.

  She shook her head in disbelief. "You were there! You were at the pool when Stanley died and you just left. Uncle Teddy had to watch his friend wheeled out on a stretcher. Do you know how devastated he was? And you didn't even come tell me."

  I looked at the ground, trying to find the words to express myself. Finally, I said "Yes, I was there and yes, I left. I left because I was so upset I couldn't deal with it. I didn't think I'd ever come back here. It was just too much for me."

  I looked at Jessie and she had tears in her eyes. "Now, I understand. I'm sorry I doubted you."

  We hugged it out and Marley wedged himself between us, wanting to be included.

  "So, why are you here now?" she asked.

  "Doing a favor for someone," I said. "Maybe I can stop by the shelter next week and we can have a fun visit for a change."

  Jess smiled. "Perfect! I'll get some pizza."

  "It's a date!" I said and we went our separate ways.

  I'd almost made it outside when I was stopped again, this time by Sylvia, the card dealer.

  "I heard you were here," she said, "and I really need to talk to you."

  "I'm kind of busy right now, can it wait?"

  "It can't. I need legal advice," she said. "It's an emergency."

  "What is this about, Sylvia?"

  Looking frightened, she closed the gap between us. In a strained voice, she said "I think Stanley was murdered!"

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  "But Sylvia," I said gently, "when Stanley drowned, he was alone in the pool. I saw him."

  She leaned in again, as if afraid of being overheard. "That's not the whole story. The day after he died, I went to Stanley's apartment to collect a suit for him to be buried in. While I was there, I found a note on the table that said Enjoy these fresh-baked cookies."

  "I'm not sure where you're going with this, Sylvia."

  "The note was signed by me! I didn't give Stanley cookies, I swear to you. Why would someone do that?"

  She was so shaken I had to guide her to a chair and help her sit down.

  "It's strange, but it doesn't mean he was murdered," I said.

  "There's more. The day Clarence died, we had breakfast together and he said his oatmeal didn't taste right. That it tasted sweet. Clarence never put sugar on his oatmeal."

  "Maybe he got the wrong bowl?"

  "No, I'm telling you, I think they were both poisoned! I'm not crazy."

  I wasn't convinced that cookies and oatmeal added up to murder, but I had to say something to calm her down. Then the answer came to me.

  "Sylvia, I have this friend at the State Attorney's office, his name is Nick Dimitropoulos and he can help you with this. I'm sure he'll conduct a full investigation. Let me give you his private cell number. Do you have a pen?"

  It was hard to write with Nick yelling in my ear, but somehow I managed.

  After Sylvia left, I took out my phone to look up the Doll's Eye plant. Jodi had told me it could cause cardiac arrest and foaming of the mouth, but I wanted to know more. To my horror, I learned that a number of children had been poisoned from eating the berries, which looked like candy and tasted sweet! If Sylvia was right, someone had poisoned Clarence and Stanley with Doll's Eye--but why kill two members of the Card Sharks? If it was the scammer, it made sense that he would want to kill Clarence, who could expose him, but why Stanley? Suddenly, I understood. He wanted to kill off the poker club so he could sell the real Chagall. They were the only people alive who could tie him to the entire scam! Unfortunately, that didn't eliminate Teddy and Harry as suspects, either one could still be the scammer. And how did Eli get poisoned, was it an accident? He had survived when the other men hadn't. I needed to find Samuel, now more than ever. My thoughts were interrupted by Jayashree's voice in my ear.

  "Jamie, what's happening there? You haven't found Samuel, but you did promise an elderly woman some fruit, spoke to another woman about missing berries, patched up a friendship, and discussed two possible poisonings with someone named Sylvia."

  I explained my theory about the scammer being a murderer and how, if that were true, it didn't eliminate any of the five men on our list. After some discussion, we agreed to stick to the original plan. Having talked to everyone in the lobby, I went outside and made my way to the shuffleboard court where a couple of men I recognized were playing a game. It was Luke and Duke, Mr. Casanova and Mr. Casanova Jr. Somehow, they'd found each other. I needed to speak to Luke, but Duke being there was a complication. So much for him staying out of my way.

  "Hello, gentlemen," I said. "Looks like you two have hit it off, birds of a feather."

  "Why, hello to you." Duke laid his stick on the ground and closed the distance between us so he could take my hand. Instead of shaking it, he kissed it. "I don't believe we've met. I'm sure I'd remember you, Darlin'."

  I laughed. "You're pretty memorable, yourself. How are you doing, Luke?"

  "Just dandy. Isn't this guy great?" He pointed at his new friend. "He reminds me of my younger days. The ladies loved me back then."

  "Sounds like you have a lot in common. I mean, I wouldn't know since I just met you," I said to Duke, snatching my hand back. "Do either of you know a resident named Samuel?"

  Luke shook his lion's mane of white hair and Duke shrugged, playing along.

  "I hate to interrupt your game, but could I speak with you for a few minutes, Luke? Would you mind?" I asked Duke.

  Duke's eyes widened when he realized Luke must be on my list.

  "No problem, I have some things to take care of. I'll see you at Happy Hour!" he said to Luke.

  "He's terrific!" Luke said after Duke left. "What a fine fellow, he taught me some new jokes too."
<
br />   "I bet he did," I said. "He seems like a real joker. Why don't we get out of the sun?"

  We sat on a bench by the door and I asked Luke the questions on my list, pretending it was for an article. He was quite charming and I enjoyed our chat, but he was not the scammer. It only took one question, what did he do for Memorial Day? He told me his cousin took him to a barbecue on the beach and he was there all day. He even told me his cousin's name and which beach they went to. It couldn't have been Luke arguing with Clarence that day.

  I was standing up to go inside when Duke came tearing through the door chasing an older man, a man who seemed focused on reaching me.

  Duke grabbed him by the arm. "I asked you why you're looking for Jamie Quinn and you didn't give me an answer."

  "Why should I? My business is with her."

  Duke stood in front of me. "Her business is my business, that's why. Now, who are you? "

  The man looked harmless in his ill-fitting clothes and uncombed hair. Even his glasses were on crooked. There was something definitely off about him. I decided to take a chance.

  "What is it you want to tell me?" I asked him.

  "I have nothing to tell you. I have papers to serve on you," he sniffed indignantly.

  Duke and I knew better. "Are you appointed by the Sheriff's office to be a private process server?" I asked.

  "No, I'm exempt from that." He pushed his glasses up on his head. "I'm from the family of Wise, sovereign nation."

  My mouth fell open. "Are you--did you send me a letter before? You're Marcus J. Wise!"

  "And you are in violation of my copyright and also in breach of contract. You owe me one and a half million dollars. Plus interest. Since you just violated my copyright again, now you owe me three million dollars. Consider yourself served!" With that, he dropped the papers at my feet and stormed off.

  "Well, Ms. Esquire," Duke said, laughing, "now I've seen everything."

  Then I heard an angry voice and, just like a horror movie, the call was coming from inside the house.

  "Quinn," Nick said in my ear, "what the hell is going on?"

  Chapter Fifty-Five