by Jessica Beck
“I thought Stephen said that he’d identified all of the prints in your kitchen.”
“He did, but what could it hurt having these as well?” I asked as I tucked the folded paper into my back pocket. “Sorry about the way I acted in there.”
“How’s that?”
“I kind of got a little carried away,” I admitted. “You were supposed to be running the questioning, but I kept talking.”
“It’s okay. It’s hard to keep quiet, isn’t it?” she asked me with a grin.
“Apparently,” I admitted. “I hope we have better luck with the Cliftons.”
“We couldn’t have much worse, could we?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Never say never. I know you aren’t going to like it, but I say we tackle them head on with the truth this time.”
“Why not?” Grace asked. “Which truth do you think we should use?”
“That we’ve heard she was having an affair with Simon and that she was spotted near the scene of the crime last night,” I said.
“Wow, the direct approach. I like it,” Grace said.
“Then we have a plan.”
Chapter 11
The office supply store was small by most standards, and I wondered how they managed to stay in business. Their competitors, probably big-box stores and Internet giants, surely beat them on pricing, selection, and availability. Shops like it were dying everywhere across the country, and I wondered when and not if our shopping culture would change forever. At least no one had been able to figure out a way to sell and ship fresh donuts online yet, but there was no doubt in my mind that sometime in the future, it would probably happen, though I doubted it would be in my lifetime.
A pretty brunette in her early thirties was sitting behind a desk going through stacks of paperwork. She was alone, which was what I’d been hoping for, and what was more, she appeared to have been crying, and recently, too.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“That depends. Are you Rosa Clifton?” I asked her.
“I am,” she said brightly, doing her best to sound cheerful. “Did someone recommend me to you? I can offer you competitive prices and fast shipping as well as personal service for whatever your office supply needs are.”
It was a pitch I was sure she gave to every new customer that walked through the door, but we weren’t even pretending to be buyers at the moment. “We’re here about Simon Reed.”
That shut down her smile instantly. “It was a real tragedy, losing him like that,” she said automatically.
“Professionally or personally?” Grace asked her.
“Pardon me? Simon was a part-time employee here. Of course he’ll be missed, but there was nothing personal about our relationship.”
“Funny, that’s not what we heard,” Grace said softly.
“I don’t have the time or the energy for people who have nothing better to do than spread lies and rumors.”
“We spoke with someone who should know, Rosa. You were also spotted at the pop-up bistro last night right around the time of the murder. Have the police been here yet to speak with you?” I asked her.
“Or do they even know about your relationship with Simon yet?” Grace asked. She then looked at me as she added, “Maybe we should tell them.”
“Please. Don’t,” she said, grabbing our arms simultaneously. “My husband can’t find out.”
“We heard that he already knows,” I said. I wanted to be sympathetic to this woman’s plight, but she’d had an affair with the murder victim while being married to someone else, and that particular sin was a tough one for me to swallow, since I’d experienced it from the other side myself. “In fact, he was there, too.”
“I thought he was there for the food after Simon told us both about the bistro,” she said weakly. “And then I realized that he had no interest in the cuisine. He was following me, waiting to catch us together! You’ve got to help me. I’m afraid for my life!”
“If you need help, you should call the police,” Grace said.
“That’s what we’re going to do,” I added.
“Please don’t!” she pled with us.
“Rosa, they need to know,” I said as a big, heavyset man came out of the back room.
“I thought I heard voices out here,” he said good-naturedly. “Ladies, welcome to our store.”
Rosa begged us with her gaze not to say anything about Simon. I understood her need for us to cooperate, but we were investigating the man’s death. How could we not talk about him? “We were good friends with one of Simon Reed’s friends,” I said.
“Yeah, that was a real shame what happened to him,” David said with a frown. “Do they have any idea who did it yet?”
Was that a casual question, or did he have a more personal reason for asking? “From what we’ve heard, the police are still tracking down suspects. Were you at the restaurant where he was attacked last night?”
David Clifton shrugged. “Sure, I decided to swing by at the last minute. Simon said the guy cooking there was pretty good, so I popped in for a bite. I didn’t want to wait for a table though, so I took off before the fireworks started.” So, he’d just admitted being at the crime scene, but he was trying to divert our suspicion away from himself at the same time.
“Did anyone happen to see you leave?” Grace asked him.
“Probably, but nobody I could name,” he answered with a shrug. “You were there, Rosa. Did you happen to see me leave?”
“I didn’t see you there,” she said in a meek voice.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked as he took a step toward her. “I could swear that I saw you there, too.”
“Maybe I did see you after all,” she said in a voice so soft I barely heard it. “I’m not sure.”
Her husband seemed to stare at her quizzically for a full minute, though I knew that it was probably just a few seconds. Then he shook his head as he stepped away from her and turned to us. “Sorry. We can’t help you. Did you happen to need any office supplies today?”
“No, that’s not why we’re here,” Grace said.
“Well, that’s the entire reason that we are, so if you’ll excuse us, we have work to do.” The dismissal was clear, and I didn’t want to push him on it just yet.
“Thanks for your time,” I said, and Grace and I left.
“Should we call the police and report him?” Grace asked the moment we were outside.
“For what, exactly? He might be gruff, but I’m not sure he can be arrested for his attitude.”
“Did you not see how scared Rosa was of him?” Grace asked. “Suzanne, I know infidelity is a hot button for you, but we can’t just leave without doing something.”
“What do you propose we do?” I asked her. “I’m serious, Grace. If she wants out of her marriage, she’s going to have to find a way to do it herself. If I could help her, I would. I just don’t know where to start.”
“I’m calling Stephen,” she said as she reached for her phone.
“This isn’t even in his jurisdiction,” I reminded her.
“Maybe not, but he’ll know what to do.” The call went straight to his voicemail though, so after leaving him a brief message, she put her phone away and turned to me. “Is it just me, or did we make things worse than they were when we got here?”
“It feels that way, doesn’t it? Let’s go back in and see if we can get her out of there,” I said.
“Why the sudden change of heart?” she asked me.
“It’s not all that sudden. I don’t have to like her behavior to try to protect her. After all, I wasn’t exactly a fan of Simon Reed, but I’m still trying to find his killer. I shouldn’t have to remind you that we’ve searched for the murderers of some pretty unpleasant people in the past.”
“No, I’m
well aware of our track record together,” Grace said. “How should we handle this?”
“You see if you can distract David, and I’ll talk to Rosa,” I replied.
“Wouldn’t it be better the other way around?” she asked.
“I saw the way the man was looking at you. Trust me, he’d rather help you with an order than he would me.”
“Seriously? I didn’t notice anything.”
“It was there. Believe me.”
“Okay, if you say so,” she said. “Let’s go.”
“Back again already?” David Clifton asked, clearly confused about seeing us again.
“I had a question about a bulk order,” Grace said. “I’m the regional manager for a rather large cosmetics company, and we’re thinking about changing suppliers for our office products. Do you have a minute to talk to me about it?”
“Absolutely,” he said. The man was nearly drooling, whether from the prospects of a potentially big order or spending time with Grace, I couldn’t say.
As they began to discuss the hypothetical order, I turned to Rosa. “I need some new pens for the donut shop. Could you help me while they’re chatting?”
“Certainly,” she said, pointing me toward the other side of the small shop, where I’d spotted them before.
Once we were there, I asked softly, “Rosa, do you need help?”
“I thought you wanted to buy some pens,” she said, clearly confused by my question.
“I mean out of here. You’re scared of him, aren’t you? Grace and I can get you out.”
She glanced over at her husband, who was lost in conversation with Grace at the moment. “No, I’m okay.”
“Clearly that’s not true. You’re afraid of him, aren’t you?”
“He’s got a big heart,” she said apologetically. “David would never hurt me.”
“Can you be sure about that, though?” I asked. “He doesn’t seem to be the type to forgive and forget adultery.”
“Nothing ever really happened between Simon and me,” she said, clearly backpedaling as fast as she could. “It was all just innocent flirting. I never would have gone through with it. I love my husband.” The last line had been said with no conviction whatsoever.
“Are you sure that’s the story you want to stick to?” I asked her.
“It’s the truth. Why shouldn’t I stand by it?”
“You asked us for help earlier, and don’t try to deny it. I know that wasn’t my imagination.”
“I just don’t want you to make him mad,” she said. “Most times he’s pretty good. Maybe I’ve overstated things. I have a tendency of being a little overly dramatic at times. He’s a decent man, and in his own way, I know that he loves me.”
“Is that reason enough to stay, though?” I asked her. I might not have approved of the way she’d dealt with the stress of her marriage, but that didn’t mean that I wanted to see her living in fear, either.
“It’s complicated,” she said.
“It always is. So, is there anything we can do?”
“Yes,” she said.
“All you have to do is name it,” I replied.
“Leave here, and don’t ever come back. You’ll only make things worse if you stay.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” I asked her.
“I’m positive.”
What else could I do? I walked over to Grace and said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve got to get back to April Springs. Are you coming?”
“We’re just about finished wrapping things up here,” David said, clearly upset about having the proposed sale end so abruptly.
“Give me your card,” Grace said. “I have to clear it with my boss, anyway.”
“Fine, but I’d like your number for our records. Surely a woman in your position has a business card as well.”
“You know what? I’m all out,” she said as we walked toward the door. “I’ll call you.”
David was still frowning as we left, and we didn’t slow down until we made it to my Jeep.
“What did she say?” Grace asked.
“She wants us to leave her alone,” I said. “Grace, I tried to get her to let us protect her, but she clearly wasn’t interested.”
“What about her plea for help earlier?”
“She claims that she was being overly dramatic,” I said. “What can we do?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not giving up just yet,” she said.
“We’ll figure something out together,” I said as I took off. “Where to now?”
“I’ve got a date with Stephen in forty-five minutes,” she said. “Do you mind heading back to April Springs?”
“That sounds like a good idea to me. We’ve run out of people to talk to here, anyway. Where are you two going?”
“I’m not sure. He said it was going to be a surprise,” Grace said.
We were within a mile of the April Springs city limit sign when I heard a siren behind me. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw lights flashing.
What had I done now? I wondered as I pulled over to see what was going on.
Chapter 12
“Was I doing something wrong, Chief?” I asked Chief Grant as he approached my Jeep window.
He leaned over and told Grace, “Your phone is off.”
She pulled it out, and then she smiled. “So it is. You didn’t have to pull us over to get my attention, though.”
“Suzanne, would you mind driving to the donut shop parking lot? I need to talk to both of you.”
“That sounds serious,” I said, but it was to his retreating back. “Wow, he really doesn’t like you to be out of touch, does he?”
“That’s not what this is about,” Grace said as I pulled out and headed for Donut Hearts.
“How do you know?”
“If I can’t read him at least a little by now, I’ve been wasting my time going out with him,” she explained. “If it were Jake, would you be able to tell what was on his mind by that exchange?”
“Not nearly as much as I’d like to,” I admitted.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” she said.
“Maybe. I wonder what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out. Maybe we should go inside so we can have some privacy.”
“If we do that, I can guarantee you that someone is going to bang on the door and expect donuts,” I told her.
“Seriously? It’s way past your regular business hours.”
“It doesn’t matter if it were eight o’clock at night,” I explained. “There’s something about a donut shop that some folks can’t seem to pass up.”
“I’d say that’s in your favor, normally.”
“Normally, but not always,” I said. “We could always go back to the bench where we spoke with Emma last night.”
“That sounds good to me,” she said. We parked in front of the shop and made our way over. The chief must have gotten distracted by something along the way, because it was a good five more minutes before he drove up and parked beside my Jeep.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he joined us. “Why aren’t we meeting inside?”
“Suzanne doesn’t want to sell donuts she doesn’t have,” Grace said. It made perfect sense to me, but the chief was clearly baffled by her explanation. Instead of asking for clarification though, he just shrugged it off.
“You two managed to stir up quite a bit of trouble in a short amount of time in Union Square.”
“It’s a gift, isn’t it?” Grace asked him.
“I don’t know about that. I got permission from the police chief to ask a few questions myself, and the next thing I know, I’m getting complaints that two of my citizens are going aro
und getting everybody all riled up.”
“Riled up? Really? All we did was ask a few simple questions,” I said. “Who complained about us?”
“I don’t know, and that’s the truth, but even if I did, I’m not sure I would tell you. When you run your little investigations, you need to keep a lower profile, do you understand me? I hate getting chewed out, which is what I just endured, especially if I haven’t done anything to merit it.”
“Sorry,” Grace said as she patted his shoulder.
“It might go a little farther with me if you sounded more sincere,” he grumbled.
“I do the best I can,” she said. “While you’re here, I need you to look into something for me. Rosa Clifton is in an abusive relationship with her husband, and she wants to get out.”
I had to say something at that point. “Grace, we’re assuming a lot of things in that statement. We don’t know that it’s abusive, and when I asked Rosa if she wanted any help, she was most emphatic about turning us down.”
“Because she was afraid of the repercussions,” Grace said. At that moment, we both noticed the chief shaking his head. “What is it?” Grace asked him.
“The woman played you both,” he said simply.
“What are you talking about?”
“I was there two hours ago, and when I walked in, she had her husband backed into the corner. She was terrorizing him about something, and for a second there, I thought I was going to have to pull her off of him.”
“Maybe she finally got up the nerve to fight back,” Grace said a little uncertainly.
“There have been three domestic disturbance calls to their home in the past nine months,” the chief said. “Neither one of them would admit to anything, but according to their neighbors, Rosa was always the aggressor, never David. I read the reports. If Rosa got you two believing that she was the one in trouble, then she did a mighty fine job of acting.”
I thought about our conversation with the man, and I realized that it was tainted more by Rosa’s reactions than anything her husband had actually said or done. Could it be true? I prided myself on being able to read people, but if what Chief Grant was saying was correct, Rosa had gone out of her way to deceive us. But why would she do that? Was she simply trying to cover up her affair with the deceased, or was it something darker than that, say murder? And was her husband really the injured party? Everything the chief might have said could have been true about Rosa being the aggressor, but that still didn’t clear the man of murder.