Murder Over Mochas

by Caroline Fardig

  Ryder said quietly, “I know you’re still holding out for a murder, but Scott could have easily done this to himself, not even realizing the potential consequences.”

  I whispered back, “Or his wife could have easily poisoned him.”

  “Why do it in Nashville?”

  “For the alibi. You drop dead at home, the police look at your wife. You drop dead somewhere else while your wife is supposedly a couple of hours away, wifey is no longer a suspect.”

  “Wifey may have been long gone by the time he died, but she was in town earlier that day on business. Not exactly the best alibi. Your theory is a bit convoluted.”

  “This whole case is convoluted. Besides, poisoning isn’t a crime of passion. It takes some pre-planning. Maybe she overthought it.”

  Marie came in, her orthopedic shoes squeaking as she shuffled across the floor. She cleared her throat. “Dr. Richardson said you wanted to see me?”

  Ryder must have realized he’d come on too strong earlier, so he gave her a big smile and softened his voice. “Yes, please have a seat, Marie.”

  She lowered herself into Dr. Richardson’s vacated chair and placed her trembling hands in her lap. I couldn’t decide if she was just old or freaked out.

  Ryder said, “Could you walk us through what happened when Scott O’Malley came to your office last week?”

  Marie cleared her throat again. “Yes, Officer…He came in and introduced himself rather brusquely. He’s not our normal Silver Spruce representative—that nice Jared fellow is. This new boy was gruff with me, insisting to speak with the doctor.” She held her head up proudly. “But I wouldn’t let him. Dr. Richardson doesn’t like interruptions, and he has made it clear that he no longer wants to meet with anyone from Silver Spruce Pharmaceuticals.” She shrugged. “He didn’t tell me why. I don’t know why he wouldn’t want to meet with Jared. He’s such a sweet boy.”

  Hmm. I had a feeling her old lady crush on Jared rivaled the one Gertie had on Ryder. She was veering off topic, so I said, “And what did Scott say after you told him he couldn’t see the doctor?”

  “Oh, then he began pacing the waiting room, muttering to himself. Then all of a sudden, he began begging to use our restroom. I often have bouts of incontinence, so I’m sympathetic to people who have an uncontrollable urge to go.”

  I flicked my gaze at Ryder, and sure enough, he seemed appalled at Marie’s oversharing.

  She continued, “I let him go on back, although now I realize he was pulling the wool over my old eyes in order to gain access to our supply room where we keep our drug samples.”

  I asked, “When did you notice the cabinet had been broken into and the samples were missing?”

  Looking away, she replied, “Later that afternoon.”

  Ryder shifted in his seat. “Were you the one who noticed it?”

  Toying with a shiny gold bracelet barely peeking out under her cardigan sweater sleeve, she cleared her throat again. “Yes.”

  A thought was forming in my head, so I went with it. “About Jared—he still comes around to your office even though he knows he has no chance to speak with Dr. Richardson?” I asked.

  She smiled and blushed slightly. “He said he would miss me too much if he didn’t. Dr. Richardson doesn’t mind accepting Silver Spruce products as long as he doesn’t have to listen to a sales pitch. So, I let Jared add his samples to our collection, and that seems to make him happy enough.”

  “And Jared never leaves anything here except the drug samples?”

  She shifted her eyes away from us. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Marie struck me as a meek, simple old lady. Judging from the way she was dressed in her ill-fitting cardigan, dated dress, and droopy nylons, she wasn’t making a killing working here. However, just like Dr. Devaux with his Burberry tie, she had a fancy accessory that was likely out of her price range.

  “That’s a lovely bracelet you have there.”

  Her hands began to tremble again. “My…my daughter gave it to me for…Christmas.”

  Ryder caught my eye and shook his head slightly, signaling that we needed to pull back. He gave Marie another kind smile. “How nice. Getting back to the day Scott was here, since he wasn’t your normal Silver Spruce rep and he came in here and caused trouble for you, did you mention it to Jared?”

  “Of course. I called him right away, and he came straight over to apologize.”

  I nudged Ryder’s foot with mine.

  He asked, “So Jared got here just after Scott left?”

  “Yes, he wasted no time. He wanted to make sure Scott hadn’t completely ruined the relationship between Silver Spruce and this office.”

  “Did you tell Jared about Scott stealing the samples?”

  “No, I didn’t know it at the time.”

  There it was.

  I asked, “Did Jared bring some samples with him that day?”

  “Yes, what a dear he is. He brought some new and expensive meds that he doesn’t normally have with him.”

  I nodded. “It was nice of him to do that. He sounds like a great guy. So he put the samples he brought in the cabinet and then went on his way?”

  “He did. He’s so helpful.”

  Ryder said, “Did Jared say anything about the broken cabinet?”

  Marie’s eyes grew wide. “What?”

  “You said Jared put the samples he brought that day in the cabinet for you. He was here after Scott left. So surely he would have noticed the broken cabinet.”

  She drew in a breath. “Oh…oh, yes of course.”

  I pointed out, “A few minutes ago you told the detective here that it was you who noticed the broken cabinet and the missing samples. Now you say Jared was the one who noticed it. Which is it, Marie?”

  Marie fought to keep her composure, but couldn’t keep her lower lip from trembling. “I…I forget. I’m an old woman, after all.”

  Ryder said gently, “Marie, is Jared giving you presents—like that bracelet you’re wearing—to keep you quiet about some of the things he does? Maybe about things he knows Dr. Richardson won’t like?”

  A single tear slid down her weathered cheek. “He’s a nice boy.”

  “He stole the sodium oxybate samples, didn’t he?”

  Gulping, she shook her head. “No.”

  “Would you like us to bring your boss in here and ask that question again?”

  That got her. Her eyes brimmed over with tears. “Please, no. I need this job. I have to work to support my grandkids. Please don’t tell Dr. Richardson. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

  Ryder said, “We want to know who took the sodium oxybate.”

  She sighed and whispered, “Jared.”

  “Did he ask you to make it look like Scott was the one who took it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did Jared give you something to keep you quiet?”

  She nodded and held out her wrist. “This bracelet.”

  “Has he ever given you anything else, or was this the first time?”

  Marie’s face crumpled. “It wasn’t the first time. My granddaughter has asthma, and the government-sponsored insurance plan she’s on only pays half of the cost of the inhaler. That’s a hundred dollars a month I can’t afford. Jared is able to supply me with what she needs free of charge in exchange for me making sure he keeps a foot in the door here at the office.”

  I wasn’t expecting to see the other side of the kickback scheme. Aside from the bracelet, Marie wasn’t profiting from frivolous gifts and favors like the other recipients. She was receiving something that would keep her granddaughter alive.

  I blew out a breath. “Okay, Marie. We’ll leave you alone after one last question. Jared was scheduled to come here today. Did he ever show up?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m a little worried, because he didn’t call to let me know he wouldn’t be here. It’s not like him. Plus, it’s time for him to bring another inhaler for my granddaughter. Her last one is almost out, a
nd we have no extras.”

  After leaving Marie to weep quietly in Dr. Richardson’s office, we headed back to Ryder’s car.

  “This is bad,” I said.

  “Yeah, you made that poor old woman cry.”

  “Hey, you were right in there, too, pal. I meant that there’s an excellent possibility Jared Fisher had a hand in Scott’s death.”

  “We need to find this guy. Now.”

  Chapter 19

  As Ryder drove us to the last doctor on our list, I called Doug McKay again, only to find out that Jared was scheduled to be out on calls the rest of the day. So essentially, he didn’t have a clue where Jared actually was, unless he was covering for him. I didn’t believe McKay to be smart enough to pull that off, but either way, I didn’t let on that Jared was nowhere to be found.

  After that, I called Lizzie. If anyone knew the dirt on people or where to find it, it would be our friends at the local newspaper. “Hey, do any of you know Jared Fisher? His boss thinks he’s out on the road all day, but we can’t find him anywhere and he won’t answer our calls on his cell. We seriously need to talk with him.”

  “I think Blake knows him. Hold on.” She put me on hold for a few moments, then got back on the call. “Yeah, he’s an acquaintance. Want Blake to give him a call and try to set up a meeting with him?”

  “That would be great. Thanks.”

  “Did you find anything out from your list of doctors?”

  I gave her the short version of what we’d found out. “We have one more stop to make. Oh, and of course Ryder’s date with Dr. Grantham tonight.”

  “You did better than we did. All we got out of anyone was, ‘Oh, Silver Spruce is awesome and so great to work with.’ No complaints, no confessions of taking bribes to dispense certain medications. Although I did notice one of them, Dr. Muniz, had a photo on his desk of himself on a fancy boat, holding a huge fish, and I swear your girl Mandi was in the background.”

  “Great. Now they’re handing out trips, also. Were all of your doctors clients of Mandi and Jared?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ours, too.”

  “Do you think they’re the only Silver Spruce reps giving out the swag?” she asked.

  I thought about Daniel and Chandra. They didn’t strike me as underhanded, like Mandi and Jared did, but who knew? Sometimes you did what you had to do to get your job done. Like stealing evidence and unlawfully entering people’s homes and motel rooms.

  “I don’t know. But I’m sure we’ll find out. Thanks.”

  Ryder, who’d been quiet while I was on the phone, said, “I’m kind of surprised you let those reporters in on the investigation. You’re always so personal about stuff like that.”

  “Well, I told them there’d be hell to pay if my name ended up in the paper. And we’d hit such a wall this morning, I was ready to try anything.”

  “I thought it was because Ryan is always telling us how many murderers his sister has taken down, and you wanted to see firsthand if her skills are on par with yours.”

  “No, it’s only guys who measure themselves that way. Girls only care about who’s prettier.”

  He snorted and rolled his eyes.

  —

  When we got to the last doctor on our list, we sat in the car for a moment to try to devise a game plan.

  “You know anything about this guy, Dr. Li?” Ryder asked.

  I shook my head. “Not really. I think he’s middle-aged and married, maybe has a couple of kids. Just a normal dude.”

  “I say we do good cop/bad cop. Guys with kids cave when they think everything they’ve been working their whole lives to build could collapse in an instant.”

  “You’re going use this man’s children to scare him into talking. That’s real nice.”

  He shrugged. “It’s either that or you honey-pot him like I have to do with Dr. Succubus tonight.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Using his children it is.”

  This time the receptionist was a young woman who started drooling the second she saw Ryder walk through the door. He didn’t even have to pull out his badge to get her to agree to let us see her doctor. We didn’t have to wait, either. She showed us back to Dr. Li’s office, and he walked in minutes later.

  “My receptionist said you’re in the middle of a murder investigation and need my help. What is it you think I can do for you?” he asked, not seeming particularly happy about having to meet with us.

  Ryder stared him down. “You can start by telling us everything you know about Scott O’Malley and Silver Spruce Pharmaceuticals.”

  Dr. Li stared right back with the same stern expression. “You can start by telling me who you are and showing me your badge.”

  Ryder unclipped his badge from his belt and held it out. “I’m Detective Ryder Hamilton. This is Juliet Langley, a private investigator who’s consulting on the case.”

  As Ryder went to put his badge away, Dr. Li held up his hand. “Let me have a closer look at that badge.”

  Frowning, Ryder extended his arm so Dr. Li could get a better look at his badge.

  “Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. You’re a long way from home, Detective. And well out of your jurisdiction.” He stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have patients to see.”

  That was it? This guy was a real piece of work. Screw good cop/bad cop. I wanted answers. “Wait a minute. A man is dead, and you won’t even listen to our questions before deciding you’re not going to answer them? That’s a bunch of crap.”

  “What’s ‘a bunch of crap’ is you bulldozing your way in here and trying to question me without cause. My wife is a lawyer, and I know I don’t have to speak to you.”

  I hopped up from my seat. “Well, it’s clear to me that you have something to hide, Dr. Li, and I’ll bet it’s the kickbacks you’re getting from Silver Spruce. What’s your weakness? Shiny cuff links? Fishing trips? Hookers?”

  “Out!” Dr. Li roared. “One more word, and I call the cops.”

  I opened my mouth to fire something back, but Ryder grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the office before I could say anything more. He didn’t let go until we were safely in the parking lot.

  “What the hell was that? I’m the bad cop,” he griped.

  “And I’m sick of jokers like him standing in my way of getting to the bottom of this! This is my life we’re talking about. If we don’t figure this out, I could wind up in jail.”

  “If you don’t calm down and get your head in the game, you’re going to wind up in jail for something unrelated. Like harassment.”

  I fought to keep the tears away, but I knew they were coming. “Why does stupid Scott get to ruin my life twice, huh? Why do I deserve that?” One tear spilled over, which I angrily wiped away.

  Ryder’s face softened, and he put his arms around me and held tight. “It’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to deal with any of this. If you want, we can say screw it and go home now. We can get you a lawyer, and Maya and I will take over the investigation. All you have to do is say the word.”

  I sighed. As wonderful as it would be to stick my head in the sand, I was in this up to my eyeballs. It was my problem, and I was a grown woman. “Thank you. That’s a tempting offer, but you know I’d never be able to sit on the sidelines and let someone else do my dirty work for me. Scott may have been a dickhead, but he didn’t deserve to be killed for it. As much as I hated him, I still want his killer brought to justice.”

  He let me go. “Okay. As long as you’re in it, I’m in it with you.”

  Smiling, I said, “Thanks. That means more than you know.”

  Ryder nudged my shoulder with his as we began walking toward his car. “Don’t go getting all sappy on me. We have a lot more work left—”

  My phone rang, interrupting him. It was Lizzie.

  After I answered, she said, “Hey, we found Jared Fisher.”

  Finally. “Where?”

  “At the Old Depot, drowning his sorrows.”

 
—

  The Old Depot was easily the grossest bar on the planet, and I’d been to some real stinkers in Nashville. We met Lizzie and Blake in the parking lot, but Lizzie wouldn’t even get out of the car.

  “I’m sitting this one out,” she announced. “My gag reflex is super strong right now, so there’s no way I could survive even a minute in there.”

  Blake seemed a little apprehensive about going in there himself. “Right, but more importantly I’m hoping there’s no bar brawl in there tonight.”

  The Old Depot, which had been the town’s actual train depot back in the day, was well-known for its rowdy bar fights that broke out almost weekly.

  I nodded. “I’ve seen some good ones in there. It’s early, though. You should be fine.”

  Ryder was looking at me thoughtfully. “You know, I think Juliet should sit this one out, too.”

  My jaw dropped. “Excuse me? Didn’t we just have a discussion about you not fighting my battles for me?”

  “My suggestion has nothing to do with that. Jared Fisher doesn’t like you, and your temper is already working overtime. Blake knows him. Let the two of us go in there and bro down with him. Maybe he’ll start talking if he thinks he’s only having drinks with the guys.”

  I glared at him, mulling over his idea.

  He added, “You can listen from the car.”

  “Fine,” I conceded, begrudgingly realizing he was right. We got out the listening equipment and checked it, then I settled into Ryder’s passenger seat and started the recording. As he began heading toward the door with Blake, I said, “A word of advice—don’t antagonize any of the hicks. They’re mean. Oh, and only drink bottled beer. I’m pretty sure they don’t wash the glasses.”

  Ryder winked at me. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  When they disappeared through the door, I called to Lizzie, “Want to listen in with me?”

  Her face lit up. “Absolutely!

  “Hop in.”

  She slid into the driver’s seat of Ryder’s car. I set the speaker and the mic on the dashboard and turned off the mic so we wouldn’t bother Ryder.

  “Where’s Julia?” I asked. “I thought she’d want to hear this, too.”