What next? Should he talk to Pike? He wasn’t even sure the man would agree to see him. There had always been a slightly adversarial relationship between cops and private investigators, and while he and Pike had always gotten along, Jack wasn’t on the force anymore. And what was he going to say, anyway? He didn’t expect the man to give a lot information, and he doubted Pike knew much about Candy’s personal life…unless he was a part of it, which lead Jack to the his next thought: how do I ask the man if he was fooling around with his secretary?
He’d put off that uncomfortable conversation for another day or two. In the meantime, he’d call Candy’s friend Diana and arrange for a meet up.
***
When Jack returned to his apartment, he was surprised to see a large manila envelope just inside. Clearly, the envelope had been pushed under the door. A sticky note on the outside read You didn’t get these from me. The note wasn’t signed, but Jack figured Nolan had dropped off the envelope and assumed the crime scene photos were inside, as promised.
Jack took off his coat, sat on the couch and opened the envelope. Just as he’d expected, it held the crime scene photos and the crime scene log.
Nolan’s notes were great, but nothing beat photos. And there were dozens—of the living room, of the kitchen, of the body.
It was rough seeing Candy in those photos.
Chapter Eleven
Sunday morning, Gaga grumbled as she unlocked the door to the candy store. This was usually her day to sleep in, but Nene’s stomach was bothering her. So Gaga had agreed to open the story instead.
Gaga turned the lights on and let out a loud curse when she saw the mess. This was getting to be an every-day occurrence. They never knew what they’d find each morning upon opening the shop. The day before, Gaga had spent three hours building a window display. She’d created an elaborate candy house with a pink iced roof, gumdrop door handles—even little gingerbread people. Now, instead of the house sitting in the front window, it was sitting on the display counter. Half the frosting was gone, all of the gumdrops were missing, and the gingerbread people were all in various states of missing limbs.
Gaga’s eyebrows fused together into one long brow across her forehead. Her mouth was set in a grim, angry line. It was a good thing that the detective agency was closed on Sunday. Had Jack or Curt wandered over, they might have found themselves in the same distress as the gingerbread people.
To add insult to injury, an empty container was left on the counter. Their thieves had washed down her display with two percent milk. Something needed to be done.
A few minutes later, Nene shuffled into the store. She saw the look on Gaga’s face and wanted to turn around and go back to bed. “Now what?” she asked.
Gaga pulled the ruined gingerbread house out of the garbage.
“Oh no,” said Nene.
“Oh yeah, oh no. It took me hours to make this, and look at it now.”
“It still looks delicious,” said Nene.
Gaga tossed the display back into the garbage. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? That whoever ate it, enjoyed it?”
Nene shrugged.
“I hope they choke on a gumdrop,” Gaga mumbled as she walked into the back office, slamming the door behind her.
***
Gaga and Nene were both behind the counter when Jack pulled into the parking lot. They were surprised to see him on a Sunday, but they were glad for it, too.
“Hello, ladies,” he said as he walked by their door. “Just forgot something in the office.”
“Oh, Jack,” Nene said. “When you’re done, could you stop by before you leave?”
“Sure.”
Jack quickly retrieved his note pad from his desk, locked up the office, and went over to see what Nene and Gaga might want.
“It’s happened again,” Nene told him. “Someone broke into the store, sometime last night after I left.”
“Really?” Jack said. “I left around midnight…I didn’t notice anything unusual.”
“Something needs to be done,” said Gaga. “This can’t go on. Today it’s my gingerbread people, tomorrow it could be the cash drawer. At what point do we get the police involved?”
“Well,” said Jack. “I recommend you file a police report. Tell them everything that’s been going on. I’ll be honest, there’s not much they can do. I suppose you don’t have cameras?”
Nene laughed. “No…we still use the Yellow Pages, remember? Video cameras are out of our century.”
“You know,” Jack told them, “I had a similar problem when I was working on the cruise ship. There were a lot of blind spots of that ship, but I needed to catch something on film, so I set up my own camera. You should consider investing in one or two, put them on before you leave at night. You might get lucky.”
Nene and Gaga looked at each other questioningly. “That might work,” Nene said finally.
“I don’t know,” said Gaga. “What are we going to do, watch eight hours of footage from the night before, every day?”
“Well it’s worth a try,” said Nene. “Don’t you think?”
“Maybe.”
Nene rolled her eyes. It was just like Gaga to be the loudest complainer, and the first to shoot down any solution. Jack watched the two sisters closely, and smiled slightly. The affection between the women seemed obvious to him, but they sure did like to bicker.
***
Jack looked out the candy store window. Curt was just getting out of his truck. Within a few seconds, he was standing in the doorway.
“Hey buddy,” said Jack. “What brings you in on a Sunday?
“I, ah…I left something in my desk. Just swinging by to pick it up.”
Jack turned back toward Nene and Gaga. “Have a nice day, ladies.”
“Bye, Jack,” Nene said.
“Humph,” Gaga said.
Jack followed Curt across the hall. Curt went to his desk and pulled out a large brown paper bag, then headed to the door.
Jack looked at the bag, curious, but didn’t want to be pry. He and Curt were friends and business partners, but that didn’t mean Jack was entitled to know all of Curt’s personal business. Before leaving, Curt turned back to Jack.
“So,” he said. “Did you go to Candy’s funeral yesterday?”
“Yeah,” answered Jack. “Depressing as hell.”
“Were there a lot of people there?”
“Yeah, mostly cops.”
“And how’d your meeting with Nolan go?”
“Good. Copied his notes and he dropped off copies of the crime scene photos too.”
Curt nodded. “Wow. That’s good,” he said. “Well, listen. I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow. You can catch me up on everything then.”
“Hang on,” said Jack. “I’ll walk out with you.”
Chapter Twelve
Monday morning, a rush of warmth and the aroma of fresh brewed coffee enveloped Jack him as he walked into Starbucks. He walked with a slight limp. Over the years, sitting for extended hours in a cramped squad car or chasing bad guys, who seemed to get younger and younger, had done a number on his knees. Usually he was fine, but the cold, blustery wind was not his friend. He thought fondly of Florida.
He couldn’t help smiling when he noticed a woman he recognized standing in line. She had a white scarf wrapped over her ears and cheeks, but her shoulder length dark blonde hair could still be seen. He’d have recognized her anywhere.
Jack walked over and lightly tapped her shoulder. She turned.
“Hey Jack!” she said, a smile lighting up her face.
“Hello, Katherine,” Jack said. Jack had met Katherine months earlier. She’d been a witness in a murder investigation he’d been in charge of. She’d also been a passenger on the cruise ship Forever as part of a large wedding party. “Small world. Though I shouldn’t be surprised…Starbucks has always been your home away from home. Don’t you own a coffee pot?” he asked.
“Coffee? At home? Bite your tongue.”
“Will this be your first or fourth cup?”
Katherine laughed. “This will be my mid-day pick-me-up.”
“Is Scott here?” Scott was Katherine’s fiancé.
“Nope,” she answered. “Not this time.”
They took a few steps as the line moved forward. “How’s his new bike store doing?”
“It’s good,” she answered. “Opened right after we returned from the cruise.”
“Wow…that was quick,” said Jack. “I’m sorry I missed the grand opening.”
“Well, you’re back now, right?” She paused. Wait…why are you back?”
Jack laughed. “Right to the point, huh? Call me a wimp if you want, but all my family is in Reno. So I came back. An old Army buddy and I have opened a detective agency.”
“Really? That’s interesting.”
“So, Scott’s store,” said Jack. “Tell me again where it is?”
“On Center Street, near the park.”
“Oh yeah, I’m working a case near there. That’s a nice neighborhood. How’s business?”
Katherine gave her order to the barista. “Pretty good, actually. His bikes are on the expensive side, but like you said, it’s a nice neighborhood.”
“Is he running the store all by himself?”
“No. You remember his brother Alex, right?
Jack gave his order. He and Katherine stepped aside and out of the way. “Sure, I remember him,” he answered. “I met him while I was dating your sister, and I met him again on the cruise.”
“Well, he took some time off from work to help Scott out.”
“He’s been driving down from Carson every day? That’s nice of him.”
“He and his new wife Sophie are thinking of moving to Reno.”
“Her, I definitely remember.” Jack held out his hand, palm down. “Short, dark hair, and a temper.”
Katherine laughed. “Yes. That sounds like Sophie. But in her defense, you met her not long after she discovered her wedding cake had been destroyed.”
“She reminded me of a young Demi Moore.”
Katherine’s name was called out. She picked up her coffee. “Everyone says that. Anyway, they’ve been looking for their first house. So sometimes he’s with her looking at places, and sometimes he’s at the store, helping Scott out.”
“Speaking of new homes,” said Jack. “When are you and Scott going to tie the knot?”
“Soon, we’ve been discussing dates. Once we decide, you’ll be the first to know—or the tenth.” She laughed. “So tell me about this detective agency.”
Jack smiled. “Our office is across the hall from a candy store slash bakery.”
“Lucky you.”
Jack tilted his head to the side, then said “You know, now that I think about it, you might know the owners…they were on the cruise too, attending the wedding. Nene and Gaga Albright.”
“Of course,” said Katherine. “They’re distantly related to Alex’s side of the family.”
“Wow,” said Jack. “Again, small world.”
“Well, you know, Reno’s not that big. So anyways, about your agency. Any interesting cases yet?”
Jack laughed. “We’ve only been opened a few weeks…but actually, I am working a case.” He just wasn’t getting paid for it.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know if you heard about that woman who was shot in Somersett? It was in the news because she worked for the police department.”
“That’s not too far from Scott’s store. I think I might have read something about it. I was relieved when they arrested someone. If the police already have someone, why are you investigating it?”
“Her family isn’t convinced they have the right guy. I’m not either. I know the guy they arrested.”
“So you don’t think he could have done it?”
Jack didn’t answer.
“Jack?”
“Sorry. The thing is, I do think he’s capable of doing it. I’ve known him a long time, he gets attached to women and they aren’t always as into him as he thinks they are.”
“So, why don’t you think he did this?”
“Just a feeling.” Jack hesitated. “How’s Amy doing?”
Katherine looked at him sadly. “She’s fine. She moved back to Seattle, just a few weeks ago.”
“Really?”
“Yes, she was offered a job there that paid a lot. She would have stayed for you. But, since it didn’t work out, I think she wanted to start over.” Katherine looked around the coffee shop. “Do you want to share a table?”
Jack shook his head. “Another time. I’m actually meeting someone.”
“Okay, then,” Katherine said, picking up her coffee. “I need to get going anyway.”
“Tell Scott I said hi, and that I’ll try to stop by the shop soon.”
She leaned in and hugged him. “I will. Bye, Jack.”
Jack watched her leave as he walked to the table where Candy’s friend Diana was seated. He easily recognized her from the party and from the funeral.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” he said.
When she looked up, he noted her bloodshot eyes. Candy had been around twenty-eight; Diana looked a little younger. Her short blonde hair gave her a slightly boyish look.
“No,” she answered softly. “Not very long.”
She held her cup with both hands and looked down at the table. Jack shook off his coat and put it on the back of his chair. He sat and opened the notebook he’d brought. “Am I correct that this will be your first interview?”
“Yes,” she answered. “I was supposed to meet with a detective Spencer, but once they arrested Mark Barnes...” She shrugged. “I guess they didn’t think it was necessary anymore. I have to admit, I was surprised by your phone call asking to meet with me.”
“The cop they arrested? He and I go way back. I’m not convinced they got the right guy. This is more of an unofficial investigation.”
“I still can’t believe Candy’s dead...I just can’t believe it.” She shook her head, took a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “How can I help?”
“How did you know Candy?”
“We both used to live and work in Carson City. She started working with the Reno PD about a year ago, give or take. I would drive down on the weekends and we’d go to the clubs or go shopping. That got old, so last summer, I transferred down too.”
“Would you say you were close?”
“Yes…I loved Candy, very much.
“Can you tell me about her private life? Did she have anyone who might wish to harm her?”
Diana looked up. She was slow to answer. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Candy was well-liked by everyone she knew. Maybe a little too well-liked sometimes, if you know what I mean.”
Jack shook his head. “No, I don’t know what you mean.”
Diana blushed. “I shouldn’t have said it that way. Candy and I were good friends, and I’d hate to give you a bad impression of her.”
“But?”
“But…she liked men. Meaning she had a lot of male admirers. Most weren’t nearly good enough for her. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if one of them got jealous of the others, or thought she wasn’t treating him right.”
“So you think maybe one of her male admirers thought they were exclusive, found out they weren’t, and killed Candy because of it.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. Let’s just say Candy wasn’t always as selective as she should have been.”
Jack poised his pen over the notebook. “Can you give me any names?”
Diana shook her head. “I know she slept with a lot of guys. She slept with one guy at the party, in a broom closet or something.”
“Did she tell you his name?”
Jack already knew Mark and Candy had hooked up at the party. He wanted to see how much Diana knew.
“I think it was…Ryan?”
“Ryan?” Jack worked to keep his face emotionless, b
ut this was news to him. Had Candy slept with Ryan at the party, too?
“I could be wrong. Maybe it was Mark, I don’t remember. Then there was your friend Curt.”
“What about Curt?”
“She flirted with him, too…right in front of me.” Her voice had a bitter edge.
Jack was starting to see things a bit more clearly. “You sound annoyed about that. Did you like Curt?”
“He was okay…nice, good-looking.”
“Did you and Candy leave together?”
“No. I assumed she and the guy she’d hooked with were going back to her place. Now that I think about it, I’m not as surprised as I was at first that Mark was arrested. I remember now the way he looked at her…it was like he was obsessed. This would be a lot easier if Candy hadn’t been such a slut.” Jack looked at Diana, unable this time to hide the surprise on his face. “Oh, that’s just how we talked about each other,” she explained. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved Candy, I did, with all my heart, but she was a little loose with the goods, if you know what I mean. I think someone got jealous. Maybe they just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Jack closed his notebook, feeling deflated. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Macy,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind…I may need to call you again, if I think of anything else I need to know.”
“I’d be surprised if you didn’t,” she answered. “I expect you’ll be thorough with this, so feel free to call me again, if you need to.”
Jack walked out of Starbucks and got into his car. He looked over at the envelope on the passenger seat. His conversation with Diana hadn’t been as helpful as he’d hoped. He’d go to the office and look at the photographs a little more, then get Curt to look at them, too.
He couldn’t help but feel like he’d wasted his time here.
***
“There he is,” said Curt, as Jack walked into the office. Curt made a show of looking at his watch. “Thought I was going to have to a form a search party for you.”
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