Mixed Malice

by Beck, Jessica

  “I won’t concede the validity of your point,” he said. “Now, can we please get back to Snappy Mack and who might have wanted to kill him?”

  “Sure thing,” I said, knowing that, though I was willing to table this discussion for the moment, we would be talking about it again, and soon. “You didn’t happen to catch any of those names besides his son, did you? Ordinarily I’d say that the idea of a son killing his own father was too sad to even contemplate, but he did name him Sanderson, so I’m not so sure.”

  “Lots of men have family names they are burdened with,” Jake said. “It’s not motive enough for murder, Suzanne.”

  “I was just teasing. All I’m saying is that if there was animosity between the two men, he needs to go on our list.”

  “Agreed,” Jake said. “The partner’s name should be easy enough to find out, and as for the girlfriend, I keep thinking it belongs to a country.”

  “Something like America?” I asked him with a hint of laughter in my voice.

  “Strike that. Not a country, a city. Let’s see. Atlanta? No. Charlotte? I don’t think so. Cheyenne? No, Madison. That’s it, I’m certain!”

  “Good. It sounds as though we’ve already made some real progress,” I said, and then I glanced at the clock on my phone. It was just a few minutes past four a.m. “Too bad that it’s still too early to start checking on these folks.”

  “You know, a little nap wouldn’t hurt while we wait for a more reasonable hour,” Jake said. “The fire is warm, and it may be late for you, but I’m still on my own time schedule. What do you think about taking a little rest before we get started?”

  “Actually, it sounds delightful to me,” I said as I snuggled a little closer to my husband. “Wake me if you get up first.”

  His laughter served to soothe my troubled spirit. “I’m not entirely sure that’s even possible,” he said. “Good night. Again.”

  “Good night,” I said.

  I was afraid that I might have trouble drifting off to sleep, but a combination of the warm fire, my husband beside me, and the shock of finding my contractor’s body all served to knock me out almost immediately, and I was asleep before I knew it.

  Chapter 2

  “Wow, I can’t believe I’m getting a full breakfast this morning,” Jake said as I served him eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns the moment he took his place at the table. I hadn’t planned on putting out such a varied spread, but I’d awoken well before I should have, and besides, I was used to being busy early in the morning. He jabbed his fork at me as he asked, “Suzanne, are you sure you don’t want anything?”

  “Like I told you earlier, I already ate,” I said with a grin. I’d been planning to wait so I could eat with him, but my hunger pains hadn’t allowed it. “Well, just to keep you company, I might have a nibble or two while you eat,” I added as I took a piece of bacon and ate it. It was made from turkey and still quite good, but I missed real pork bacon sometimes. We had adopted some better eating habits, at least while we were at home, since Jake’s last doctor’s checkup. He’d been told that some of his cholesterol numbers were high, and I was doing my best to help them get back into acceptable ranges if it killed us both.

  “You almost can’t tell it’s not real,” Jake said with a smile of his own as he bit into another piece.

  “Hey, at least it’s not made out of wheat germ paste or something like that,” I said.

  “Is that actually a thing?”

  My husband looked so horrified by the prospect that I had to laugh. “I don’t know, but don’t worry. I won’t feed you any, even if it is.”

  Jake finished eating, and I was getting started on clearing the dishes when the doorbell rang. It was still before seven a.m., and though Jake and I were both used to being up by then, it was still odd having any visitors at that hour.

  “I’ll go see who it is,” Jake said as he started to stand.

  “Not without me, you won’t,” I answered, leaving everything right where it was sitting so I could join him.

  “Momma, what a nice surprise,” I said as I opened the door to find my petite mother, alone, standing on the front porch. “You know you don’t have to actually ring the bell. Feel free to just walk on in. After all, you gave me this place, remember?”

  “That’s right, and as such, that means that it’s not mine anymore,” Momma replied as she stepped in and kissed Jake’s cheek. I got one as well before she took in a deep breath as she pulled her jacket off. “Am I interrupting breakfast?”

  “No, ma’am, we were just finishing up. I made plenty, though, if you’d like a plate.”

  “Thank you, but I start my days most mornings with yogurt and fruit.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jake told her with a smile.

  “Don’t be,” she answered with a chuckle. “It suits me.”

  “Momma, not that I don’t love seeing you, but this is early even for you.” And then I got it. “You heard about Snappy, didn’t you?”

  “What an unfortunate name for a grown man,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice. “It’s all over town. Somehow I feel responsible for what happened in your shop this morning.”

  “You shouldn’t, Dot. Not unless you were the one wielding the screwdriver, that is,” Jake replied.

  She shuddered at the thought. “No, but I’m the one who brought him to town to work at Donut Hearts. If I hadn’t interfered, he wouldn’t have been there this morning or last night. Whenever it happened.”

  “Do you honestly think that his murder was directly related to the donut shop?” I asked her, surprised by the very thought of it.

  “What? No! Of course not! I believe no such thing.”

  “Okay,” I said, trying to calm her down again. “I didn’t mean to imply something that wasn’t true. It just sounded as though that was how you felt.”

  “Let me assure you, I don’t. Still, it couldn’t have been pleasant for you to stumble into your shop first thing in the morning and find the poor man’s body waiting for you.”

  “It wasn’t,” I said, not really wanting to get into it again, at least not with Momma. I knew I’d be asked about finding Snappy a hundred times before the sun set again, but one of them shouldn’t be from my own mother. “Jake and I are going to find out who killed him,” I said matter-of-factly, getting it out of the way before she could say anything to the contrary to try to dissuade us.

  “Hang on a second, Suzanne,” my husband said. “I’m not exactly sure we can say that.”

  “Have you changed your mind, Jake? Don’t you want to investigate with me?” It surprised me that he might be getting cold feet.

  “Not on your life. If you’re in, then so am I. What I was trying to say was that we’re going to do our best to add to the police investigation, but I have no delusions that we’re going to be naming a killer within forty-eight hours or anything like that.”

  “You don’t? Really? That’s funny. I expect to do it every time,” I answered truthfully. “It might not always work out that way, but there’s no reason not to believe that it might. Jake, we need to get something clear up front. Are you absolutely certain that you want to do this with me?”

  “Perhaps I should have called first,” Momma said as she reached for her jacket.

  We both looked at her and shook our heads in perfect unison. “No, you shouldn’t have. Stay right where you are.”

  Jake and I grinned at each other for a moment before he said, “I was by no means expressing anything less than my full confidence in our abilities and our desire to solve this murder. There, is that better?”

  “Much,” I said as I kissed him quickly. After that, I turned to Momma and asked, “Since you’re here, what can you tell us about Snappy, since you’re the one who found him?”

  “What do you know so far?”
she asked.

  “Jake spoke with him the other day,” I explained, “and during the course of their conversation, he found out that there are at least three people in Maple Hollow who might have a reason to do it: his girlfriend, a young woman named Madison, his business partner, a fellow named Hank, and the man’s own son, Sanderson Mack.”

  “My, were you investigating his life even then, before the murder?” Momma asked, clearly impressed by what Jake had managed to collect without even meaning to.

  “If you knew the man at all, I don’t have to tell you that Snappy liked to talk about himself,” Jake told my mother. It was as humble an answer as he could give, but it didn’t surprise me. I’d found over the years that the better someone was at doing something, the less they felt the need to brag about their abilities to others.

  “I knew that he liked to talk, but I never knew all of that. The truth of the matter is that he only did one minor job for me last month on a store I own in Maple Hollow. He seemed to do a good job, and he was the only one I could get to come to April Springs on short notice to fix Donut Hearts.”

  “I have to admit that it surprised me when you recommended a contractor from Maple Hollow that I’d never heard of,” I said. “Whatever happened to Hank Caldwell?” Hank had done some work for us on my great aunt Jean’s house after her murder. Momma and I had both been skating around mentioning her again. The memory of our loss was still pretty strong in each of us.

  “From what I understand, he retired and moved to Florida,” Momma said.

  “Did his assistant carry on the business?” I asked. “What was his name, Craig?”

  “Close. It’s Greg; Greg Raymond. He’s taken over, but he was tied up, along with most of my other contacts in the building trades,” Momma explained. “I believe he’s going to run for Hank’s seat on the city council soon.”

  “How do you happen to know so much about that little town? I’ve only been back a few times since Aunt Jean died.”

  “As I said before, I have some business interests there,” she said wistfully. “I actually went by her old house the other day. They’ve butchered the trees and the shrubs on the property. Jean would have been horrified.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, realizing just how painful the memory was for my mother.

  “About the greenery? Don’t be. They own it now; it is theirs to do with as they wish,” Momma said as she wiped away an errant tear. “Now, is there anything I can do to facilitate your investigation?”

  “Right now we’re just gathering information,” Jake explained, “but we might need your contacts in Maple Hollow if you’re really not opposed to helping us with this.”

  “I’d be delighted to aid you in any manner I can. Remember, I’m never more than a telephone call away,” she said, and then Momma grabbed her coat and started for the door. “I’m equally certain that offer goes for my husband as well. I’m sure Phillip would love to be included if the circumstances allow it.”

  “And you?” I asked her. “Do you want to get involved in the case as more than a silent partner?” Momma had helped me solve Aunt Jean’s murder, but she hadn’t done much in the supporting role since.

  “No, I’ll gladly leave that to all of you,” she said. “Too many cooks and all of that, you know.” Momma started for the door, but then she hesitated before stopping and pulling a business card from her pocket. “That reminds me. I’ve got another contractor lined up for you. His last name is Young; he’s a little brusque, but he’s available, he’s good, and given what happened to your last contractor, this one’s on me.”

  “I appreciate the recommendation, but I can’t take anything else from you, Momma,” I said, pushing the card back toward her.

  “Suzanne, I have only one daughter. Please let me spoil you.”

  Jake stepped up and took the card. “Thanks. We appreciate that, Dot. We’ll discuss the financial aspects of it after we hear from the insurance company.”

  It was a bold move on my husband’s part, but I knew that he’d done it in the name of expediency, mainly because all three of us fully realized that I’d end up taking the card, and most likely her generous offer, in the long run.

  Momma decided to quit while she was ahead. “Remember, call me if you need me. Phillip as well.”

  “We will. And thanks again,” I said as I plucked the contractor’s business card from Jake’s hand and waved it in the air.

  “Of course,” she said.

  After Momma was gone, Jake said gently, “I’m truly sorry about that. I knew I should stay out of it, and yet I walked right into something between your mother and you.”

  The look of contrition on his face was so sincere that I couldn’t bring myself to be cross with him. “It’s fine, as long as it doesn’t become a habit,” I said gently.

  “No worries on that count,” Jake replied. “Let’s put the leftovers away and then head out for Maple Hollow. What do you say?”

  “That sounds like a good plan to me, but I need to make one phone call first,” I said as I took out my phone and dialed the number on the card. After all, I hated what had happened to Snappy Mack, but I still needed my donut shop returned to its former glory, and as far as I was concerned, the sooner he could get started, the better.

  Chapter 3

  “What’s the word?” Jake asked me after I hung up the phone.

  “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” I asked my husband.

  “Bad news. Always the bad news first.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Well, I figure I can always use some good news after hearing the bad first,” Jake answered with a slight smile.

  “Mr. Young, or just plain Young, as he prefers to be called, can’t get started for three more days,” I said.

  “That’s not the worst news I’ve ever heard,” my husband said, and then he quickly backtracked the moment he saw my dour expression. “I mean, in the scope of things like complete world destruction, and things like that.”

  “That’s a pretty stout bar you’ve set there,” I said.

  “And the good news?”

  “Once he gets started, he thinks he and his crew can finish the entire job in two days. That’s a full restoration to all its former glory, and with a few new improvements inside, too. I think he’s overstating his ability, but he seemed sure of his schedule.”

  “What are you going to change about Donut Hearts?” Jake asked me, clearly unsure about how he felt changing something that was so much a part of me.

  “Well, for one thing, the floor never has been level in the dining area, so I’m going to take advantage of having the chunks patched and get that taken care of. Then it’s going to be a different color. I’ve had enough plum to last me a lifetime.”

  “Any ideas on the new color the floor might be?”

  “Not yet, but don’t worry. I’ll keep you posted,” I said.

  “While you were talking to your new contractor, I took a chance and called Chief Grant,” Jake admitted. “I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you to get off your call, but I figured I might as well touch base with the man while I had a minute.”

  “That makes sense,” I said calmly.

  My reaction, or lack of it, seemed to surprise my husband. “That’s it? You really don’t mind?”

  “No, sir. I figure I’ll save the things I really care about for what’s important. Did he have any news for us?”

  “Quite a bit, actually. He’s already spoken with our suspects,” Jake said. “The man is growing exponentially in his job skills.”

  “You sound surprised. Why wouldn’t he be improving? After all, he’s had a great teacher,” I said, since Jake had taken the young police chief under his wing when he’d been the interim chief of police.

  “There are things you
can teach, and then there are things you just have to learn on your own,” Jake said, deflecting my praise.

  I wasn’t about to argue the point with him. “Did he have any luck with our suspects?”

  “Not so far. It doesn’t help matters that he’s conducting a joint investigation with the chief there. Kessler is a good man, but he’s in over his head when it comes to murder.” Jake had met the Maple Hollow police chief briefly after Momma and I had solved Aunt Jean’s murder, and he was a better judge of the man’s competence than I was.

  “Is our chief going to be okay with us investigating in April Springs?” I asked.

  “He told me that as long as we stay out of Kessler’s way and keep touching base with him, we’ll be fine. If it’s all the same to you, I say we avoid Maple Hollow’s chief of police and go about our business.”

  “Don’t you have to check in with him or something when you go to his town?” I asked.

  “Why would I have to do that? I’m not on the job anywhere anymore. As far as the world’s concerned, I’m just another concerned citizen.”

  “With a long history in law enforcement,” I corrected for him.

  “We should be all right. Besides, Chief Grant already warned him that we’d be sniffing around at the edges of this case.”

  “I’m not sure interviewing the main suspects the day of the murder could be qualified as being at the edge of anything,” I said.

  “Maybe not,” Jake said with a slight laugh, “but Chief Grant wants our opinions of all three of our suspects.”

  “He wants yours, maybe,” I said. “I’m not so sure about mine.”

  “No, there you’re wrong. He was most specific that he wanted to hear what you have to say as well. Suzanne, the police chief thinks a great deal of your insights.”