by Jessica Beck
“You know, the more that I think about it, that’s probably where I should be, too,” the mayor said. It was clear that old habits were hard for him to break.
I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “George, I think you were right the first time. Don’t you think your calming presence is needed more down here than it is upstairs?”
The mayor didn’t look very happy about it, but he nodded nevertheless. “So, what do you think? Should I go ahead and make an announcement?”
“I’d hold off on that just yet if I were you,” I said. “At the very least, I suspect that whoever is going to investigate this is going to want a complete list of names of everyone who is in attendance tonight.”
“Do you think one of these folks did it?” George asked as he looked around the crowded basement room again.
“If I were guessing, I’d say that it’s a real possibility. What better alibi could anyone ask for than having forty or so other residents of April Springs vouching for them? Not that it’s going to mean much in the end.”
“You’re thinking that whoever killed Chester upstairs came down here afterwards for an alibi? That’s some pretty cool thinking for a murderer.”
“Who knows? Maybe they’re still in shock from what they did. I can’t say. All I know is that someone in an official capacity needs to collect every name they can get.”
“You’re right. I know one thing: Phillip shouldn’t run this investigation himself. If he couldn’t investigate his ex-wife’s murder, he surely can’t look into who might have wanted to see his brother dead.”
“He’s been through a lot lately,” I agreed.
“Do you think Jake would take over if I asked him to do it?” George asked me.
“You can always try, but I doubt that his boss is going to allow it. The man’s been complaining about Jake never having enough time ever since he went back on full duty after being shot.” My boyfriend had been out of work on medical leave after being wounded by a murder suspect, and if I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn that his boss resented the time that he’d been away from his job recuperating. I had a hunch that his superior was going to go ballistic if Jake asked to be loaned to the April Springs police force one more time.
“I could always ask the man myself,” George said. “He might listen to me.”
“It’s worth a shot, if that’s what you really want,” I replied.
“Can you think of anyone in the world more qualified than Jake to investigate this?” George asked. “Because I know that I can’t.”
“Present company excluded, you mean, right?” I asked the mayor with the hint of a smile.
“Don’t kid yourself. I was pretty good when I was on the job, but Jake is better, and I’m not too vain to admit it.” The mayor paused, and then he added, “Go on. I know that you’re dying to get upstairs. Don’t worry about this crowd. If things start getting unruly, I’ll settle them all down.”
“Thanks,” I said as I kissed his cheek. He might present a gruff exterior to the world, but I knew that there was a kind heart underneath it all no matter how deep it might be buried.
As I walked up the steps, fighting the urge the entire time to take them two at a time, I looked back and saw Gabby moving in to speak with George.
Whatever that man earned as mayor wasn’t nearly enough, at least not in my opinion, anyway.
As I closed the first-floor door behind me, I saw flashing lights just outside penetrating the growing evening darkness. Momma was at the door letting the EMTs in, and I nodded brief hellos to them both, since they frequented my donut shop. I worked the kind of hours the service industry could count on, which explained some of the myths about cops and donuts. It also seemed to apply to firefighters, ambulance drivers, and anyone else who had to be out and about in the early morning hours when just about every place else was closed.
“How is it going downstairs?” Momma asked me as we watched them carry the stretcher upstairs to the conference room.
“I had to tell the mayor what was going on,” I said.
“Was that wise?” Momma asked me.
“Since he’s the only one down there who could stop a riot if it started, I think so, yes.”
There must have been a hint of hurt in my voice at the question, because Momma patted my shoulder gently as she said, “Of course. You were absolutely right to tell him. This is just all such a tragedy.”
“How’s your husband taking it?” I asked. I still couldn’t bring myself to call him by his given name, and “Chief Martin” sounded a little too formal for the situation.
“I don’t really know. He asked to be alone,” Momma said, the hurt obvious in her voice.
“Try not to take it too personally,” I said as I touched her shoulder gently. “The man’s been through a lot lately.”
“I know that. I just wish that he would lean on me a little more for support.”
“I’m sure it’s just that old habits die hard,” I said. “After all, he couldn’t count on anyone but himself for years. It’s got to be tough asking for help now.”
“He doesn’t have to ask; I want to freely give it. I’m his wife, for goodness’ sake.”
“And there’s not a happier soul in the world about that fact than him,” I said. A troubling thought crossed my mind based on my conversation with George earlier about who would investigate this murder. “He’s not trying to run this investigation himself, is he?”
“Right now he and Jake seem to be tiptoeing around jurisdiction,” Momma said. “If it weren’t all so very tragic, it might be funny how careful they are both being about who should be in charge of this case. Obviously Jake needs to do it, but I can’t see telling Phillip that.”
“Should I give it a try?” While the chief and I had experienced our differences in the past, I might be able to get through to him.
Momma patted my shoulder as she said, “Thank you for offering, Suzanne. I may take you up on it if I have to later, but for now, let’s both just stay out of it and see how it plays out.”
A minute later, Jake walked down the second-floor steps and joined us. I’d half expected to see the police chief with him, but my boyfriend was alone.
“Where is Phillip?” Momma asked him.
“I tried to get him to leave the crime scene, but he just wouldn’t do it. He wanted to stay with the body,” Jake said. “He’d like you to join him, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind. By my husband’s side is where I belong.”
As Momma hurried up the stairs, I asked Jake, “How’s he doing?”
“Not good. The man’s a real mess, not that I can blame him. There’s no way that he’s going to be able to work this murder.”
“Are you going to do it?”
Jake just shrugged. “All I can do is ask, which I’m about to do right now. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” I said as Jake pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Hey, Boss. I’m in April Springs, and there’s a situation.” After Jake explained what had happened, there was a long pause on his end before he spoke again. “It’s his brother. Nobody could ask him to do it himself. It’s just not right, and besides, there’s a precedent that’s already been set.” After another pause, Jake added, this time a little testily, “As you’ve pointed out in the past yourself, because of my connections here, nobody’s more qualified to investigate this crime than I am.” This pause was shorter, but there was real anger in Jake’s voice the next time he spoke. “Fine. If that’s how it has to be, then I quit. No, I’m not bluffing. You’ll get my paperwork in the morning, but as of right now, I’m through.”
Then he hung up.
“Jake, did you just quit your job, or were you bluffing despite what you just told your boss?” I asked as he hung up his cell phone.
“Suzanne, you should know me well enough by now to know that I don’t bluff. No, I’m done. There’s no going back now.”
“Come on, Jake. You shouldn’t make a ras
h decision like this without at least giving it some thought.”
He took my hands in his as he answered, “Suzanne, ever since I took that bullet, thinking about quitting is just about all that I’ve done. I’ve grown too tired and too cynical to keep going, so I need to get out while I still can.” He smiled at me before he added, “Hey, I thought you’d be happy about my decision.”
“If it’s what you truly want, then I am overjoyed about the news. I just don’t want you to do it for the wrong reasons.”
“Even if one of them is to be closer to you?” he asked me softly.
I felt myself melt a little, but I had to stay strong. “Even then. Not that I don’t love the idea of you being around more, but I know how much your job means to you, how much it defines you.”
“You mean even more to me, though,” he said. “Trust me; I don’t want to end up like Chester, dying on the day that he retired. Think about how much he missed out on.”
“Hang on a second, Jake. You’ve got a problem,” I said with a frown.
“You mean besides the sudden loss of income that I’m about to face? Don’t worry. I’ve saved my nickels and dimes over the years, so you won’t have to support me before I find something else.”
“You know that you are more than welcome to stay with me and eat at my table for as long as you want to, but that’s not what I’m talking about. If you’re not a state police inspector anymore, how are you going to have the authority to investigate anything?”
Jake frowned as he considered the ramifications of his recent action. “To be honest with you, I hadn’t really thought about that.”
“Give me a second. I can make this all work out,” I said.
I hurried down the steps and found George Morris blocking the door. “Mayor, I need you upstairs for a second,” I said.
“I’m happy to help, but what do I do about them?”
I looked around and saw several folks milling about, all of them looking expectantly toward the door waiting for the guest of honor to appear. It was sheer luck that I saw a police officer I knew well just walking in with his date, who just happened to be my best friend, Grace Gauge. She was also my investigating partner, and I had a feeling that I’d need her assistance before this was all over, but for now, I needed her date. I waved, and they both headed toward me.
Once he was there, I said softly, “Officer Grant, there’s been a murder upstairs. The victim is the chief’s brother, Chester. Can you keep everyone down here until someone gets back to you with further instructions?”
“Mayor?” Officer Grant asked, knowing that I had no authority to make the request, but that his boss’s boss did.
“Do as she asks, Officer,” George said.
“Yes, sir,” he said smartly. I half expected him to salute, but if he felt the urge, he managed to restrain himself.
“Suzanne, do you need me for anything?” Grace asked.
“Not at the moment, but don’t go anywhere,” I said as George and I made our way upstairs.
“Don’t worry. You know me; I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
We found Jake standing by the front door, looking as though what he’d done so rashly had finally started to sink in. I’d briefed George about the situation, and the moment he saw Jake, he took over. “Inspector Bishop, the town of April Springs would like to hire you as its Interim Police Chief. I understand that you’re looking for work. Are you interested in the position?”
“I’ll do it on two conditions,” Jake said carefully after a moment.
“I’m sure that we can accommodate your requests,” George said, slightly taken aback by Jake’s tone of voice. “What are they?”
“I want it perfectly clear from the very start that this position is only temporary, no matter what might happen. Once this case is over, I’m relinquishing the post.”
It was an odd demand, especially since we already had a full-time chief of police, but George nodded anyway. “Understood. What’s your second condition?”
“I won’t wear a uniform. I’ll carry a badge and a gun, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”
“I don’t see a problem with that, either,” the mayor responded.
“Then I accept your offer,” Jake said as he shook George’s hand.
Momma and the chief must have been listening at the top of the steps, because they walked down and joined us. “The whole job is yours forever if you want it,” Chief Martin said grimly. “I’m done. Seeing my brother cut down like that on the day of his retirement is more than a man should have to deal with. I won’t risk another day on this job if I don’t have to, and fortunately, I don’t have to.”
Momma patted his shoulder. “There’s no reason why you should, Phillip. You’ve served this town well. Now it’s someone else’s turn.”
“Just as long as it’s not mine,” Jake said. “I’ll hang around until you can find somebody else on a permanent basis, but you’re not the only one retiring from police work. I just quit, myself.”
“Jake, are you certain about that decision?” my mother asked him carefully.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he said confidently.
“Then congratulations are in order.”
Jake smiled for a moment before it disappeared. “Thanks, but I want everyone to remember that I’m just here long enough to catch one killer.”
“That’s all that matters to me,” the chief said, and then, to my surprise, he handed Jake his badge. “Find whoever killed my brother, Jake.”
“That’s what I intend to do,” my boyfriend said as he slid the badge into his front pocket.
A thought suddenly occurred to me. “Has anyone told Shelly? Shouldn’t she have been here by now?”
“She knows what happened,” Momma said. “The poor woman was a wreck when I told her a few moments after she got here. Luckily a friend was here with her for the party, so she could take her home. I’m just glad that she’s got someone to stay with her.”
“The mayor asked Officer Grant to keep everyone downstairs,” I reported to Jake. “He’s down there awaiting further orders.”
“Good, because he’s going to get them,” Jake said as he started for the steps.
“Do you need any backup down there?” George asked him, a question that I had been about to ask myself.
“Not at the moment, but I might need you later,” he said. Jake barely looked at me as he left the room, and I knew that he was already in full investigative mode. Turning back to the former chief, Jake said, “Don’t let anyone touch anything upstairs until that scene has been searched and filmed, and that includes moving the body once they determine for sure that the victim is dead. Chief, I know that you’re finished with police work, but I need you for another hour before you hang it up for good. Can you do that for me?”
“For my brother I can,” the chief said. “I’ve got a full crime-scene kit in the trunk of my car, so I can do it myself,” Chief Martin said, and then he left for the parking lot.
“Is that wise, Jake?” Momma asked him after her new husband was gone.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have someone else handle the actual evidence gathering. Getting the kit will at least give him something to do.” Jake turned to the mayor as he asked, “Can you get someone else over here to take care of that?”
“I can, and I will,” George said.
“Good. Now if you’ll all excuse me, I’ve got work to do,” Jake said as he left us as well.
Now it was just down to Momma and me.
“You’re going to look into this murder yourself, aren’t you, Suzanne?” my mother asked me softly, even though we were now alone.
“Why do you want to know? Are you volunteering to lend me a hand?”
“No, that was a one-time experience for me,” she said. Momma had indeed been a great help in an earlier investigation, but she’d also expressed to me just how much she’d never wanted to do it again. “I’m sure that Grace would be delighted
to assist you.”
“She’s already offered her services,” I said, “but I’m sure that Jake can handle this without either one of us.”
“Perhaps, but I’m just as certain that he could still use your help. After all, no one knows April Springs better than you do.”
“Unless maybe it’s you,” I said.
“As I said, I’m not interested, but even if I were, I’m not sure that I agree with you anymore. Your donut shop gives you a reach into the community that I’ve always lacked. Use every resource you have to find this killer, Suzanne. My husband needs the peace that only that will bring.”
“Grace and I will do our best to lend a hand, but only if Jake approves,” I said. It was, in the end, all that I could promise her, no matter how much I wanted to please her. I wasn’t about to tromp all over my boyfriend’s investigation if he didn’t want me meddling in it. Then again, I’d provided a few valuable bits of information in the past, and I was hoping that I could do it again with this case.
“See to it that he does, then,” Momma said sternly.
“All I can do is ask him.”
“You can do a great deal more than that, and we both know it.”
“Okay then, I’ll ask him strongly,” I said with a slight grin.
“That’s my girl,” Momma said as her husband returned. She left me to speak with him in whispers, and I suddenly felt as though I didn’t belong in the room with them.
I decided that it was time to head downstairs to see how Jake was doing with his new job and his brand new title, too.
Chapter 3
“People, may I have your attention?” I heard Jake ask from the stage. Most folks in town knew who he was, but even if they didn’t, his commanding tone of voice would have gotten their compliance anyway. Officer Stephen Grant stood beside him on the platform, lending him more authority as well. After the folks gathered in the basement were listening, Jake continued. “I’m afraid that I’ve got some bad news for you. Our guest of honor, Chester Martin, was murdered this evening.”
For a split second, the crowd was stunned into silence, but that didn’t last long. Jake was suddenly hammered with questions from the audience before he could say another word. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn that there were at least a hundred people gathered there based on how loud they were being. It reminded me of the time I’d foolhardily volunteered at the elementary school during their lunch hour. After I left there, I had a headache for three days that no pain reliever in the world could touch from the constant din those kids could produce.