by Linda Wiken
“This is J.J. Tanner. We met when you and your sister came to see my friend Alison. I’m sorry if I’ve gotten you at a bad time but I was hoping we could talk a bit more about Jessica and Jeffrey.”
“Oh, J.J. No need to explain who you are. You’ve been on my mind.” She noted his voice had visibly brightened. “I was hoping you’d call. I’d be happy to help in any way I can. Perhaps we can meet over drinks tonight?”
Hm. She’d rather have this conversation over coffee. She didn’t want him getting any ideas, as tempting as that might be. “How about coffee this afternoon?”
“That sounds good, too. Where and what time? I’m happy to come to Burlington.”
Neutral territory. “How about the Coffee Bean in the Church Street Market at two o’clock?”
“I know it. Okay, see you then. Do I need to wear a carnation or anything?”
She could hear the laughter in his voice. “If you like. They always add a colorful touch.”
As she hung up, she was smiling to herself. This might be interesting.
*
• • •
J.J. had chosen a table for two next to one of the ceiling-to-floor windows in the Coffee Bean. Whenever she ventured into downtown Burlington, it was usually on her list of places to stop by. For one thing, she loved their coffee, which was roasted right on-site. For another, it was the rustic décor that acted as a lure. The barn-board wall that ran the length of the shop added just enough contrast to the remaining original redbrick interior. If there was time, she planned to wander through the market area afterward. It was too bad the Williams-Sonoma store had closed but she could count on stocking up on Champlain chocolates at their shop just down the street.
J.J. smiled in anticipation of her shopping trip then settled back to wait. She’d made sure to arrive fifteen minutes early in case traffic was heavy.
Brad smiled as soon as he saw her. “Can I get you a refill?” he asked, seeing her near-empty mug on the table.
“No, I’m good for now. Thanks anyway.”
She watched while he ordered his own coffee and waited. He was awfully good-looking and he didn’t appear to be aware of the attention he was getting from the women in the room. The collar of his blue plaid shirt peeked out from under his brown leather jacket, and his jeans fit oh so well. I hope this is a good idea.
Once he’d rejoined her, shrugged out of his jacket, and taken a sip of coffee, he looked expectantly at her. “Before you start asking your questions, have you heard if there are any new developments?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I actually haven’t heard anything from the police since the day I went into the station to give a statement.”
“But his other wife, Alison, must know what’s happening. She’s a cop, after all. Or, so I understand.”
“They’re not sharing anything with her right now and I’m the last person the police would tell anything to.” How sadly true.
She didn’t miss Brad’s slight scowl but wondered in the next second if that’s what she’d really seen since his warm smile flashed again quickly. She felt herself grinning back at him. He seemed to have that effect on her.
“Okay, let’s get started.” He leaned forward and placed his hand on the table, close to hers. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, first, thanks for meeting me. The last thing I want to do is bother Jessica about anything.”
He looked stricken. “No, you can’t contact her. She’s still too distraught. I can tell you anything you need to know.”
“Okay. Well, can you tell me how they met?”
Brad leaned back and smiled.
“At a fund-raising spaghetti dinner dance, if you can believe it. Sounds like a true romance novel, if you ask me.” His smile widened. J.J. wasn’t a fan of romance novels, but she wasn’t about to admit it right now.
“Anyway, they saw each other, Jeffrey asked her to dance, and the rest, as they say, was history.”
Very similar to his meeting with Alison. A pattern? A creature of habit? Does it matter? “How long until they got married?”
“I think it was only a couple of months.” He held up his hands. “I know, I thought it was too soon, and looks like I was right. But she was in love. They were married by a justice of the peace with me and a girlfriend of hers as the witnesses.” His eyes closed as if he were back in time remembering.
J.J. gave him a few seconds before asking, “Was it a happy marriage?”
“It sure seemed to be. Of course, they’d both joke about how his working four days and having to stay at the fire station during that time kept the marriage fresh. Added some mystery. I guess he wasn’t lying about that.” His frown stayed longer this time.
“What was your take on him?”
Brad shrugged. “I liked him. He was a friendly guy and he treated my sister right.” His frown returned. “At least she was happy during their time together.”
“And she never said anything about worrying he might have someone else in his life? She never wondered about an affair even? Or hinted that anything might be wrong?”
“Nope. Like I said, she was happy. That’s why it’s such a shock to her right now. First, his dying, and second, finding out he had another life.” He shook his head. “What possessed the guy? And, how did he get away with it?”
“That’s what I’m wondering.” J.J. sipped her coffee and tried to think of other questions to ask. Jessica was obviously a dead end.
“Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?”
J.J. was so surprised she took a second look at Brad to be sure what she’d heard. He looked sincere, hopeful, even. He seemed like a friendly guy and he had a way of giving a girl his full attention, which impressed her. She thought briefly of Alison, but then figured, why not? It was only dinner. Then she thought about Devine. Silly. “Sure. That would be nice.”
“How about Tuesday? I have a late-afternoon appointment here in town. Is there any restaurant that you’re dying to try?”
“Um, I can’t think of anything right now.”
“No problem, I’ll figure it out and text you. I’m sorry but I must run. I’m meeting some buddies from my hockey team for dinner.”
J.J.’s ears perked up at the mention of hockey. “No, that’s fine. By the way, was Jeffrey on your team, by any chance?”
Brad looked startled by the question. “No. No, he wasn’t. I’m glad we got together for coffee, even if the conversation material wasn’t the most pleasant. But we’ll make up for that on Tuesday.” He reached over and squeezed J.J.’s hand, smiling the whole while.
She felt a tingle in her spine and realized that she was suddenly looking forward to Tuesday.
*
• • •
On the drive home J.J. kept running over two questions in her mind. First, how was James legally able to get married a second time? She hadn’t heard back from Evan so she took that as a sign he hadn’t been able to get any information. Or he had forgotten about it.
So, next question, who else knew about his first marriage? Somebody must have, to be able to frame Alison. No, that didn’t necessarily follow. She’d been so hung up on his dual life that she’d forgotten about who exactly was being framed. It wasn’t a secret that Alison and James were married, so it could be someone, a criminal perhaps, who wanted to take revenge on Alison the cop.
But surely the police were all over that assumption. She bet Alison had spent a lot of time thinking about it, too. So, why hadn’t they found the guy?
She did a U-turn just before she reached her street and headed to Alison’s house. She was surprised the aunt didn’t answer the door.
“No guard?” she asked as Alison invited her in.
“I convinced Pam to go for a walk. She was driving me nuts. She has eyes on me at all times except for when I say I’m lying down. But I can’t hide out in my room all the time. I love her dearly and she was so good to me when they were raising me, but I really need my space back. I’m so glad
to see you. I’ll put the coffee on.” She led the way to the kitchen and pulled a French press out of the cupboard.
J.J. sat at the round pine kitchen table and waited for Alison to pick up the conversation. She didn’t want it to sound like she was here to interrogate her. She was pleased to see that Alison looked more like herself today. Her jeans looked new and the chambray shirt matched her blue eyes. She’d pinned her hair back but let it hang loose around her shoulders.
Alison cut a couple of slices from a banana cranberry loaf and slid the plate in front of J.J.
“No calories there,” J.J. said with a small groan.
“My aunt is a marvelous baker and she thinks that’s the cure for whatever ails you. I’m afraid to step on a scale, especially since I haven’t been working out at the gym.”
“Why haven’t you?”
Alison was pouring their coffees but turned to give J.J. a look of surprise. “I’m talking the police gym, and that’s the last place I want to go right now. I can imagine what they’d say.”
“I’d actually think that would be the first place to go so you could find out what they’re saying. Aren’t you curious how the investigation is going? Has Hastings given you any information at all?”
Alison sat across from her and slid her coffee across the table. “He hasn’t said a thing. I haven’t talked to him since yesterday.”
“Are they checking into your past cases?”
“Get real. Of course they are. That’s the first thing he asked about. He wanted to know if I could think of anyone with a grudge against me, although this is an extreme way of getting even. Now, if someone was out to get James but also hated me, that would work. And before you ask, I can’t think of anyone in that category, either. As for my cases, I’m a lowly officer and I haven’t done any real detective work. The most someone could be angry about is a speeding ticket. Although I had great hopes for what I was working on right before they suspended me.”
“What was it?”
“It was an auto theft ring we were trying to break and I’d been doing some surveillance, to the point where they were actually asking for my input. I thought I might be pulled deeper into the case. But now …” She slumped back in her chair.
“But once they find the killer, surely you’ll be back on it.” J.J. hoped so, anyway. “Do you mind if we talk about all this?”
Alison shrugged. “No. It’s what’s constantly on my mind so I might as well be discussing it.”
“Okay, then what I don’t get is how he could get legally married a second time. Isn’t there some cross-reference or something in the vital statistics department or wherever? I mean, he’d have to provide his social, wouldn’t he? Of course, I’ve never been married so I don’t know what you need to get a license.”
“I have no idea if they would flag for that. But remember, he got married in a different state. That may have made the difference. Other than that, I don’t have an answer.”
“Hm. I did try looking him up on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and all the rest just to see if he had accounts and may have made mention of anything incriminating.”
“What would that prove? I doubt he’d tweet, Just got married. What if we had mutual friends who saw it and told me? Remember, he was really quite clever to have covered his tracks. He wouldn’t do something so foolish.”
“You’re right, of course. I just wanted to cover all bases. Besides, who doesn’t have one of those accounts these days? Okay, I know you don’t but almost everyone else I know does.” She grinned. “I guess you two had something in common after all.”
Alison narrowed her eyes and then burst out laughing. “So right. Anyway, that’s not my major concern right now. I just want to know who killed him.”
“Of course, but don’t you think it might be tied in?”
“Only if his second wife did it, and if she had, how would she have known where to hide the body?” Alison took a second slice of the loaf and bit into it.
“Well, if she’d killed him because she found out about you, she could find out where you live and try to frame you.”
“You’re right, but I didn’t take her to be a killer. Just anguished. And don’t you think she looked a bit too lightweight to heft his body up into the back of my SUV? Of course, her brother could have helped her.”
“You may not be in the best frame of mind to determine her innocence at the moment.” J.J. reached across the table and put her hand on top of Alison’s.
“You’re right, again.”
“What if it wasn’t a legal marriage? What if he just led Jessica to believe it was? Maybe the justice of the peace was in on it.” The thought had just occurred to J.J. but it was a good one.
Alison gave it a moment’s consideration and then shook her head. “James would have had to get someone to play the role of the justice of the peace, at the very least. A bribe maybe? I doubt it. It doesn’t seem too likely.”
The back door was pushed open and Pam walked in, treating them both to a big smile. “Hello, J.J. What a day it is. I must remember to go for a long walk every day and then reward myself.”
She took a plate out of the cupboard and helped herself to a slice of the loaf then poured a cup of coffee. She sat across from J.J. and didn’t waste any time.
“Tell me, J.J., do you have a boyfriend?” Pam took great care in sipping her coffee rather than looking at J.J.
“What?” J.J. glanced at Alison, who shrugged her shoulders. “Uh, no. Not really. I wouldn’t call it that. Why do you ask?” Do I really want to know?
“I’d like to repay you for that delicious dinner you prepared for us the other night. And also, for being such a good friend to my dear, dear Alison.” She leaned on the table, closer to J.J. and made eye contact. “You know I’d mentioned that my son, Henry, is a chef. He’s head chef at a very fancy restaurant in Middlebury, the Tastery. Other places have tried to lure him away, but Henry, he’s loyal. To a fault. To his job. To his family. To his girlfriend, if he had one. What do you say?”
J.J. was wordless. What part of that should she respond to? She looked at Alison, who was quick to cover up her grin.
“Dinner, you say?”
“Yes. I’ll bring Henry here and he can cook us up a feast, this first time. After that, you two are on your own. So, yes?”
Oh boy. What could she say? “Yes. That would be lovely. Thanks, Pam, and thank Henry for me.”
Pam waved her hand in the air. “Don’t worry about that, you can thank him in person. We’ll do it a week from this Sunday, yes? I know it’s his day off and he doesn’t have anything planned. Is it okay for you?”
J.J. did a quick mental review of her calendar. “I think that works for me.”
Pam nodded, obviously satisfied, and finished off her piece of loaf and the rest of the coffee in her cup. “Now, I’ll leave you two to your talk while I go upstairs and have a short rest before I get started on the dinner. It will take a while to cut up and prepare all the vegetables. I think my Alison will enjoy this meal.”
She had a big smile on her face as she left them.
“Uh, thanks for being no help at all,” J.J. said to Alison once they’d heard Pam reach the top of the stairs. “I was completely unprepared for a matchmaking meal coming up. That is what it was, right?”
Alison nodded, smiling. “You actually should feel quite honored. It’s not every woman that Auntie tries to set up with Henry. She’s usually quite protective of him. She must really like you.”
“Honored, you say.” Two dates made in one day. Were things looking up or down?
CHAPTER 11
J.J. had just made it inside her front door when there was a knock on it. She opened the door and looked in surprise at the older woman standing in front of her with a plate of sugar cookies in her hand. She looked very stylish and very friendly but J.J. didn’t have a clue as to who she could be.
“I’m sorry to just drop by like this, dear, but I just baked these and thought you might li
ke some.” She edged in through the door. “We haven’t met. I’m your neighbor from 210, Lola Pollard. We have someone in common—your next-door neighbor, that delightful man, Ness Harper.”
Delightful was not one of the adjectives J.J. would have chosen to describe Ness. This could prove interesting, though.
“Why, how thoughtful, Lola. Thank you. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea or coffee?”
“Oh, how nice of you. Hot tea would be perfect on such a nippy fall day. You’re not about to eat supper, are you?” She was peering around as much of the apartment as she could see.
J.J. had lost track of the time and wasn’t even sure when she would be eating. “No, it’s fine. Please, have a seat in the living room and I’ll put the kettle on.”
Lola walked over to the love seat and put the plate of cookies on the ottoman before doing a tour of the living room, checking on book titles in the bookcases, and finally sitting down. J.J. was watching her covertly while making the tea. Her first impression was that Lola did have a nice trim figure, shown off by the floral jersey top and black leggings she wore. And the obviously dyed red hair seemed in keeping with her name. And, she did seem nice enough.
“You have a lovely place here,” Lola said over the whistle of the kettle.
“Thank you.” J.J. said nothing else until she set the cups of tea in front of them and sat down. “I like living in this building. Do you?”
“Oh, definitely. Such intriguing people.”
Uh-oh, maybe the wrong opening. “Have you lived here long?”
“Only three months, and you know with so many people working, it’s hard to meet them. But Ness, now there’s a man in need of a woman. And I have seen you going into his place and him visiting you, so I thought you might know him well. I really could use some help with this.”
J.J. almost choked on the cookie she’d just taken a bite of. She quickly took a sip of tea, which also gave her time to think.
“It took a long time before Ness and I even started talking even though we live next to each other and would often pass each other in the hall. I took it to mean he wanted his space.” Take the hint? “But eventually, one word led to another and I think we’re fairly good friends now.”