Raspberry Revenge

by Jessica Beck

  “I love it when my life is this easy,” Trish said. “Sweet teas, coming right up.”

  After she was gone, Momma said, “Now, on to my news. I spoke with Curtis Daniels. It was quite illuminating.”

  I thought about pursuing my last line of questioning, but when I glanced at Grace, she shook her head slightly. Was she reading my mind? Probably not, but we were close, so it wasn’t that far a stretch to believe that she knew what I was about to do. Most likely she was right about not pushing my mother any more than I already had, at least not for the moment. After all, she’d just dropped a bombshell on me. It was only fair to give me a little time to come to grips with the information. “What did he have to say?” I asked as Grace nodded in approval.

  “It was more about what he wouldn’t say,” she said. “He brushed me off completely. The man barely shared two words with me before he found a way to get off the phone.”

  “How exactly is that illuminating?” I asked her, since evidently our definitions of the word varied greatly.

  “Suzanne, he’s been after some property I own in Union Square for ages. He never fails to bring it up every time that we talk, and yet he didn’t even ask me about it when we chatted today.”

  “So, is that significant?” Grace asked.

  “You’d better believe it. I’ve been keeping him on the hook in order to squeeze more cash out of him, but today, it was as though the deal never even crossed his mind. That’s very telling, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Remind me never to do business with you, Dot,” Grace said with a grin.

  “I’d never treat you that way, dear,” she said as she reached over and patted my best friend’s hand. “You’re family, in every way that counts.”

  “That means a great deal to me,” Grace said haltingly. I glanced over at her and saw that there were tears forming in her eyes. I knew that my mother was a surrogate parent for her, and more importantly, so did Momma. She’d always had a soft spot in her heart for Grace, and sometimes, especially when I’d been a mouthy, rebellious teen, I’d resented it, loudly, but the older I got, the smarter my mother became. It was funny how that worked out.

  “How should we approach him?” I asked her as Trish appeared with three glasses of her famous sweet tea.

  “Who exactly are we approaching, and can I get in on it?” the grill owner asked me with a laugh.

  “Don’t you even want to know the circumstances before you volunteer your services?” I asked her, smiling.

  “No need. If it’s good enough for the three of you, then I’m all in.”

  “What if we end up going to jail?” Grace asked her.

  “Who better to share a cell with than you ladies?”

  “Sorry, Trish, but it’s nothing quite so dramatic,” Momma said, happy to play along.

  “Maybe next time, then,” the diner’s owner said. Was she honestly a little disappointed that we weren’t about to do something illegal?

  After she was gone, I asked Momma, “Do you have any ideas about how best to approach him?”

  “Our best strategy is to just march into his office later today and demand a meeting with him,” she said.

  “Can’t he just refuse to see us?” I asked.

  “Not if he still wants that property,” Momma said smugly. I had a hunch that she was right, since her instincts were almost always dead on, especially when it came to business. My mother had been the land baron of the family for as long as I could remember, which was what had surprised me even more about my father’s purchase. I was upset learning what he’d done, but mostly I was happy to know that he’d been thinking about me and looking out for his baby girl, something I always was to him and would be even now if he were still alive.

  “When should we tackle him?” I asked.

  “I believe later this afternoon should be just right, since I know he leaves his office promptly at a quarter after four every day, rain or shine. The real question is what should we do in the meantime?”

  “If it’s okay with you, Grace and I have to go see someone before then,” I said.

  “Would you care to share the identity of your mystery suspect?” Momma asked.

  “It’s Amber North,” Grace answered softly.

  “I don’t envy you that visit,” Momma said with a slight shudder.

  “Do you know her?” I asked my mother. I couldn’t imagine the circumstances when those two diverse women would have ever met.

  “Our paths have crossed a few times in the past,” she said, but when I looked expectantly toward her for more information, none was forthcoming.

  “Were you two able to speak with anyone this morning?” Momma asked.

  “That’s right. We haven’t told you about that yet.” I recounted our chance encounter with Christine in front of Gabby’s shop, keeping her identity a secret, as promised. Chops to Momma. She didn’t ask either one of us who our source was. I continued, “After she pointed us in Nathaniel’s direction, we went straight to his office. He actually thought we were going to invest with him.”

  “It’s not that ridiculous an idea, Suzanne,” Momma said. “Contrary to outward appearances, Nathaniel Bloom does quite well for his clients. A little too well sometimes, if you ask me.”

  “I’m going to ask you what you mean, if Suzanne won’t,” Grace said. “Is there something you know that we don’t?”

  “I’m not saying he’s used his position on the city council for the betterment of his financial clients, but some may argue that’s the case. Also, he offers better returns than most index funds do, something that is highly suspicious in and of itself.”

  “Do you have any investments with him?” I asked. Maybe it could serve as a way to get Nathaniel to speak a little more freely with us, and I wasn’t above using whatever means I had at my disposal to make that happen.

  “No.”

  When she didn’t elaborate, I asked, “Why not?”

  Momma frowned before she spoke again. “There’s just something about the man that I don’t completely trust,” she said. “Don’t ask me to explain why I feel that way, because it’s something I’ve never been able to quite put my finger on.”

  “Enough said. I trust your gut,” I answered. “We’re going to take another run at him, but not right away. I think we’ll let him stew overnight before we approach him again.”

  “So then it’s settled,” Momma said. “After you and Grace speak with Amber, you and I will tackle Curtis, Suzanne. It sounds like a good strategy to me.”

  “I just hope we find whoever killed Harley,” Grace said.

  Trish had approached, loaded down with a full tray, but I’d somehow missed spotting her approach. “I knew you three were up to something,” she said triumphantly. “There’s no way this much brain power would be gathered together in my simple eatery just to share a meal.”

  “We thought we might do a little investigating,” I admitted, knowing that Trish could be a good source of information, though not as good as Gabby Williams was. “Do you know where Gabby is, by the way?”

  “Maybe she and George ran off together,” Trish said with a grin as she placed full plates of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and peas in front of each of us.

  “Don’t even kid about that,” I said.

  “What’s this about Gabby and George together?” Momma asked.

  Trish took it as an invitation to join us, which I was certain none of us really minded. “They’re both missing. Haven’t you heard the news?”

  I’d neglected to share Gabby’s absence with my mother, who looked at me carefully before I got up the nerve to just shrug. “Sorry. I was going to get around to mentioning it.”

  “I’m sure that you were,” Momma said, clearly not certain of that fact at all.

  Trish took the opening to say, “I was just kidding about them being
together. Gabby is probably off on one of her mysterious overnight trips. I have no idea where our mayor is, but I’m fairly certain that they are miles apart, wherever they are.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a second,” Grace said.

  Before Momma could ask anything else about Gabby, Trish said, “If you’re looking into Harley’s murder, you should talk to Megan Gray.”

  “Megan?” I asked her. “What does she have to do with what happened to Harley?”

  “Didn’t you know? She’s been in love with him for years,” Trish said. “The poor woman has been following him around town like some kind of lost puppy dog for years. Haven’t you noticed?”

  “I suppose I have, now that you mention it. It doesn’t make sense, though. If she had a crush on him, why would she kill him?”

  Trish smiled as her voice softened. “If she’d left it at a crush, she wouldn’t have, but she marched up to him yesterday at that table over there and told him how she felt. I still don’t know where she got the nerve to do it.”

  “How did he react to the news?” I asked her.

  “In the worst possible way, if you ask me.”

  “He rejected her openly?” I asked.

  “No, it was worse than that. He laughed at her.”

  “Wow, she must have been humiliated,” Grace said.

  “I’d say that was one of her emotions, but there was some fury in her as she left as well,” Trish said.

  “Isn’t she quite a bit younger than Harley?” my mother asked.

  “Twenty-five years, at least,” Trish said. “Megan’s always had daddy issues, so that didn’t surprise me. Her father ran off when she was just a kid, and she’s been interested in older men just about ever since.”

  “She’s kind of…nondescript, isn’t she?” Grace asked.

  “Megan’s downright mousy,” Trish agreed. “But there was nothing submissive about her yesterday.”

  “Trish, any day would be fine,” Jack Jefferson said loudly as he waved his bill at the register up front.

  “Hold your horses, Jack,” Trish said before she turned to us. “Ladies, if there’s any way that I can help, all you have to do is ask. Harley was a bit of a blowhard at times, but he wasn’t all bad, and he was always a great tipper. I’ll miss him.”

  Trish got up leisurely and walked to the front, pushing Jack’s patience as far as she could without having him explode on the spot.

  “Well, what do you think about that?” Grace asked. “Who would have thought that was even possible?”

  “It adds another suspect to our list,” Momma said. “Suzanne, may I go with you when you interview Megan? I know her mother quite well, so that might be of some assistance, and besides, Grace already has two suspects, and I have only one.”

  “Grace, what do you think?” I asked her after taking a bite of the delicious lunch.

  “It’s fine with me. I’m drowning in paperwork, so it will give me a chance to catch up at home while you two are off sleuthing.”

  Momma reached across the table and patted her hand. “You truly don’t mind?”

  “Truly,” Grace said.

  After we finished eating, Grace and I both reached for the bill simultaneously, but Momma was quicker.

  “You don’t have to treat us to lunch,” I told her.

  “Nonsense. How often do I get the opportunity to buy lunch for my two favorite women in the world?”

  “Don’t rob that from her, Suzanne,” Grace said with a grin before turning to Momma. “It’s nice to be in the top two, but out of curiosity, which one of us is number one?”

  “Don’t answer that,” I said, half in jest but still afraid of what her answer might be.

  Once we were outside, Momma said, “I’ll be at my place when you’re ready for me, Suzanne.”

  “I’ll see you then,” I said.

  After she was gone, I turned to Grace. “You really don’t mind this new arrangement?”

  “Not a chance. Talk about classing our group up, your mother puts us over the top. Besides, I know that you’ll keep me in the loop.” She looked at me intently before she asked, “You will keep me in the loop, won’t you?”

  “You can count on it,” I said. “Are you ready to tackle Amber?”

  “I guess that I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Grace said, and we went off in search of the cleaning service owner to see if she could shed any light on what had happened to Harley Boggess.

  Chapter 8

  “Do you have a second, Amber?” I asked, knocking on her front door repeatedly before she finally answered. “Grace and I would love a few minutes of your time.”

  “Why? What do you want? Do you have something you need cleaned?”

  I didn’t have an answer for her, but Grace saved me. “As a matter of fact, Suzanne just learned that she’s inherited the old lawyer’s building on Viewmont Avenue, and she needs it cleaned from top to bottom. We were wondering if you’d like to bid on the job.”

  “I don’t do bids,” Amber said flatly. She had no doubt been cute as a button when she’d been younger, full of curves and no hard edges, but over the years, her cuteness had faded as her weight had increased. It was hard to imagine her with Harley, but then again, I was almost always amazed when any two people managed to find each other. I would have never put my ex-husband Max with my friend Emily either, but that was working out splendidly for both of them, so who was I to judge?

  “How do you get new jobs if you don’t bid on them, then?” Grace asked her.

  “I have a flat rate I charge per hour, and most folks seem happy enough with my system.”

  “And those that don’t?” Grace pushed.

  “Then they can go someplace else. It doesn’t matter to me either way. I have enough work to keep everybody on my staff busy. In fact, I’m always on the lookout for more employees.” She looked at me intently for a moment, and then she asked, “When should we get started, Suzanne? I might be able to pencil you in for sometime next week, but I’m not making any promises.”

  “You haven’t even told me your rate yet,” I reminded her. After she quoted an hourly rate to me, I tried my best not to frown. It was quite a bit more than I would have been willing to pay, even if I were in the market to have someone else do it for me. I wasn’t afraid of hard work or getting dirty, either, so when it came time to clean the place up to see what I had, I was sure that I’d be able to do it myself, and if it was too overwhelming, I had enough family and friends who would pitch in without having to be asked twice. I took that fact for granted, something that was actually quite nice. “Let me think about it,” I said.

  “Sure, but don’t wait too long. My schedule fills up pretty fast.”

  Amber started to close the door on us, but I managed to grab it before she could shut it all of the way. “There’s something else that we’d like to discuss with you since we’re already here.”

  “Now?” she asked as she glanced back inside.

  “Why, is this a bad time?” Grace asked as we both tried to see if anyone else was there. “You don’t have company, do you?”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that one of my favorite shows is coming on in ten minutes, and I never miss it.”

  “We won’t overstay our welcome. I promise,” I said as I pressed her closer. Grace moved in as well, and if Amber was going to be able to take another breath, she had no choice but to back up into her foyer and allow us to come inside. She obviously didn’t want to do that, but finally, she relented and stepped aside.

  “Do either one of you want some tap water?” she offered lamely. “Sorry, but it’s all that I’ve got.”

  I doubted that was true, but we weren’t there for the refreshments. “No thanks. We just need a minute of your time, and then we’ll be on our way. We understand that you were dating Harley when he died.” />
  “Who told you that? Never mind, I already know. It’s not like it was any big secret or anything, but we weren’t ready to announce it to the entire world, you know? I bet it was Nathaniel Bloom; he must have shot his mouth off about it. Yeah, Harley and I were dating.”

  “Did you love him?” Grace asked softly.

  “Love? I don’t even know what that word means anymore. Maybe. We liked each other’s company. Is that love? Who knows? I’m upset somebody killed him, so yeah, maybe I did love him, in my own way.”

  I hoped if Jake were alive when I died, he’d be more emphatic about how he felt about me. It wasn’t very heartwarming. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I said automatically. I had too many Southern manners bred into me not to say it, even if I wasn’t entirely sure that it was appropriate. “Since you cared so much for him, I’m sure you want to help us find his killer.”

  Amber pursed her lips. “You two are digging into it, are you? It figures.”

  “Why do you say that?” Grace asked.

  “You’re kidding, right? You two have a reputation for being busybodies, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

  “Mind? Why should we mind?” Grace asked, and I could hear her gearing up for a reply that I knew Amber wasn’t going to appreciate very much.

  Before she could go any further, I said, “Then you understand. Have you two been fighting lately?”

  “No, we hardly ever fought at all. The only time we ever really argued was when I thought he was letting other people push him around. I couldn’t tolerate that, so I made him see that he needed to stand up for himself more, with George and Nathaniel and Curtis, every last one of them.”

  So, she wanted him to be more assertive, just not with her. “How did they react to his change of attitude?”

  “They didn’t like it, but then why should they? Harley was going places, you know? For starters, he was going to run for mayor. That’s probably why George stuck that letter opener into his chest.”

  “Do you honestly believe that George Morris killed him?” I asked.

  “Who else could have done it? George had the most to lose, and everybody knows what a hothead he is.”