Confusion seeped through Addie. “So, she wasn’t in his car with him when he left?”
“He never left in a car. He went inside the main door.” Zach’s gaze went from Serena’s to Addie’s. “What’s this all about?”
“That’s the guy she’s dating now and the one she left here with earlier tonight.” Serena sank onto the other stool.
“Oh . . . well, I never saw her with him and when I went back inside that guy”—he motioned with his head to the screen—“was talking to Bruce, the manager, outside of one of the meeting rooms they rent out, and then he went in and closed the door behind him. Maybe she was in there?”
“Yeah, maybe.” Addie’s gaze flitted from the screen to Zach. “And you have no idea what else he said to Amber in the parking lot?”
“I wish now I’d paid more attention and had gotten closer when a truck started backing into the loading dock. At the time, I only wanted to make sure that this guy wasn’t going to hurt the poor woman whose boyfriend got killed. I never thought that he might have had something to do with it.”
“We still don’t know if he did, but that does prove what I saw in the park on Friday wasn’t happenstance. Jared knew Brett and Amber.” Addie scrolled down the page. “Who is this guy? He looks so upstanding on his company web page and is a major player in the investment field. At least according to the large corporations that have given him endorsements.” She continued to read. “Hmm, this is interesting. It says here, near the bottom under the services his firm offers, that it also can arrange for business loans and financing.”
“So, he’s like a banker, too?” Serena asked.
“It doesn’t look like he’s connected to any actual banking institutions, but it does say his firm can provide financing if required.” Addie glanced at Serena. “The wording on his site is fairly vague about the details so my guess is, given what Zach overheard him say tonight to Amber, licensed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or not, his private investment company might operate its financing division a bit on the shady side.”
“You mean, he’s like a loan shark, the kind of guy who goes around breaking kneecaps?”
“Who knows, and if the stakes are high enough, they have been known to commit murder, too.”
Zach leaned on his elbow and met Addie’s gaze. “But if he killed the people who owed him money, then how could he expect them to pay it back?”
“Unless it wasn’t Brett who owed him the money, but Amber, and killing Brett was a warning to her. A sign that he was serious.”
Zach motioned to the screen. “But would a guy like that do the dirty work himself? Wouldn’t he hire a hit man?”
“You’re probably right. Maybe he was only delivering the personal message to Amber to let her know he was around and watching her.” Addie scrolled farther down the page, stopped, and glanced back at Zach. “You know, you might not be far off in suggesting a hit man. That could be why Simon hasn’t been able to discover what the murder weapon is. Professional killers use a lot of methods that the typical murderer wouldn’t be aware of.”
“Wow. A shakedown in a parking lot certainly isn’t the kind of business meeting I imagined your cousin was running off to,” Serena said, and yanked her phone out of her pocket.
Addie pushed her phone down. “Wait. Who are you texting?”
“Marc. We have to tell him all this.”
“But none of this proves anything. We’re only guessing. Jared might be completely innocent of everything we think we know.”
Serena’s thumb hovered over SEND. “Are you willing to take the chance that your airhead cousin isn’t in danger until we, a couple of amateurs, can get absolute proof of what we figured out and then take it to him? It might be too late for Kalea by then.”
Addie dropped her hand. “You’re right. Tell him, and let him decide if it’s fact or fiction and worth looking into.”
Serena pressed SEND. “There, let’s see what he has to say after he takes a look at all this.”
Within a minute, her phone rang, and she glanced at Addie. “Wow, that was fast, and he’s obviously interested in what we have to say because my message garnered a phone call from His Highness and not a reply text.” She grinned and answered, “Hello . . . yeah, we came across some information about that mystery man Brett was arguing with in the park on Friday. His name is Jared Munroe, and I think you should come to Addie’s and take a look at it.” She gave Addie a wink. “What? . . . Oh, okay, sure . . . just a minute.” Serena looked apologetically at Addie, and she stepped out into the hallway.
Addie glanced after her and then at Zach. “I wonder what all that’s about?”
Zach shrugged. “They’re pretty busy at the inn tonight questioning everyone. Maybe he can’t get away.”
“But why all the secrecy to their conversation?”
“Secrecy . . . or Serena being overly dramatic?” His brow quirked.
Addie chuckled. “You’re right. Can I get you anything else? Want some tea?”
“No, I’m not much of a tea drinker.” Zach rinsed his plate and put it in the dishwasher.
“Does your bride-to-be, you know, the local tea merchant, know that?” Addie laughed and poured herself a cup.
“Oh yeah, she swears she’s going to convert me, but tea has never been my first choice in after-dinner beverage, but I could go for a cup of that coffee blend you use.”
“Okay.” Addie opened up a cupboard and plucked a pod of dark-roast coffee from a box and dropped it into the coffee maker. “It’ll just take a minute.”
“Great, thanks.” He leaned his elbows on the counter. “Say, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Shoot.” Addie took his brewed cup and placed it in front of him and pointed to the creamer and sugar. “Ask away.”
“Has Serena said much to you about my stepmother?”
Addie took in a slow, silent breath. What to say, what to say? She gulped. “Not really, why?”
“It’s just that Veronica and Serena don’t seem to like each other, and I’m afraid Serena is going to change her mind about marrying me because of all the stress Veronica is causing her.” His forlorn gaze caught Addie’s.
“Serena loves you. There’s no way she would change her mind about marrying you.”
“I know, but they can’t agree on anything about the wedding, and Veronica is a very domineering woman. I’m afraid she’s going to make Serena run.”
“The Serena I know isn’t a jackrabbit. She’s not going to run, but maybe you need to step in and speak to your father about the . . . well, the tension his wife is causing and remind him whose wedding this is.”
“I did, but he’s blinded by that woman. It’s like she’s cast a spell over him.”
“What does your mother say?”
“She said that she’d like nothing better than for Veronica to disappear, never to be seen again.”
“I guess that’s understandable after what happened in their marriage, but seriously.” Addie took his hand in hers. “Just be there for Serena, and show her your support and stand united against Veronica.”
“It’s hard sometimes. She’s so—”
“That was interesting.” Serena swept back into the kitchen. “He won’t be coming. When I told him what we had discovered, he said he already knew. As far as he could tell and Ryley could dig up, Jared Munroe is exactly who he says he is, a very rich, private financial investor and, therefore, not a suspect in anything related to the murder case.”
“What about him threatening Amber tonight? I saw it,” Zach said.
“I told him, and he said it didn’t prove anything, but he would keep it in mind should something else pop up.”
“Why all the secrecy to your conversation?” Addie asked.
“Oh, that.” Serena waved her off. “He wanted to put me on speakerphone with Ryley, and I . . .” Her gaze dropped. “Thought it best.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, well, plus he went into his us
ual rant about keeping our noses out of police business.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it, but if I find out you’ve been conspiring with Ryley behind my back . . .”
Serena responded with a dramatic eye roll.
Zach drained his coffee cup. “Well, if that’s the end of the action tonight, then I’m heading home. It’s been a long day, and I have to be at the clinic by eight tomorrow.” He set his cup in the sink and glanced at Serena. “Are you coming now, too, or are the two of you going to rehash what we learned tonight?”
“I think since Marc isn’t coming, all we’re going to do is exactly what Zach said.” Serena glanced over at Addie. “Or have you any new theories?”
“No, I’m all out of theories, and if the police are aware of everything we know, then all there’s left for me to do is try to get some information out of Kalea. Maybe she knows something about him that she isn’t aware means something else. My gut tells me his being here isn’t a coincidence, and Brett ending up dead and his threats on Amber are all related to the book and/or murder.”
“Just be careful. You know your cousin, and if you go asking too many questions, she’ll get suspicious and might say something to Jared. Then . . . well, you could be in danger if what we suspect about him is true.”
“I’ll be careful. I promise.” Addie started to close the door as Zach glanced back at her and then hastily at Serena. His eyes pleaded for Addie to say something before he turned, and his long legs took him down the porch stairs.
“Wow, he’s in a hurry to get home,” Serena said. Her voice strained as she watched him march across the driveway to their apartment above the garage. “He didn’t even wait for me.”
“He probably just wants to get warm. It’s freezing tonight, so don’t worry.” Addie grabbed Serena’s coat sleeve. “But he is afraid that his stepmother is going to make you change your mind about marrying him.”
Serena’s eyes widened.
“Just reassure him and present a united front to her. Let him know you’re not going anywhere.”
“Thanks. I had no idea he was feeling that insecure, but that’s how she manipulates. Divide and conquer. Yeah, we need to talk.” Serena bolted down the stairs after him.
Chapter Twenty
Addie ambled to the kitchen, grabbed her teacup and the brown paper from the table, switched off the lights, and returned to the front living room. She spread the paper across the coffee table and settled onto the antique horsehair-stuffed sofa. Pippi hopped up beside her and curled into a ball. “Well, my friend, as usual there are too many question marks here. Like this one.” She pointed to the paper and glanced at her softly snoring roommate and smiled.
She refocused on the paper. “Hmm.” She went to the desk, rummaged around in a drawer until she found a notepad and pen, and returned to the sofa, pen primed in her hand.
“If Brett stole the book, and someone knew it and wanted it from him badly enough to kill for it, why are all my top suspects still in town?” She tapped the pen on the coil-ringed pad. “Amber would have taken the book and fled if he had it or at least given it to Jared to pay off the money she owed him and then left if that’s what he was arguing with her about tonight. She would have been long gone before the body was discovered late Sunday morning, wouldn’t she?” She glanced at her sleeping friend. “You’re no help, are you?”
Pippi’s ear twitched.
“Okay, and what about Ken? If he and Brett were partners in all this, and he killed him, so they wouldn’t have to split the money, why didn’t he bolt right after either?” Her gaze narrowed on what she had written. “If Jared had killed Brett for the book or the money, if Brett was the one who owed him, and he had it, he wouldn’t be threatening Amber or sticking around, regardless of Kalea’s charms. No, none of this makes sense, does it?” She glanced at Pippi, who was so deep in sleep she jerked and softly yelped in a dream.
Addie looked back to where she had written Brett book thief? and drew a circle around it. “My guess is Brett stole the book. Gloria ID’d him as the first one on the scene, and I think his attempt to assist her was, in fact, a cover-up for him rifling through her pockets for the keys.”
Her chest squeezed with another thought. “He might have even pushed the ladder over to cause the whole thing. After all, didn’t Gloria say it shook just before she fell?” Addie shuddered and glanced at her notes. “So, if I’m right, they all have an interest in the book, for whatever reason, but none of them could have it now. Given that all three of my main suspects are still in town, they don’t know where it is because whichever one of them killed Brett, did it before he could tell them where he hid it. They’re all hanging around, trying to find it.” She frowned and bit her bottom lip. “Which also means Brett might have been killed for another reason than the money. Because dead men can’t talk, so if one of them had killed him for the book, then they’d never learn where it is.” Her gaze flitted between the brown paper and the notepad.
“Think, Addie, think. You’ve been assuming the motive was money for the book and that someone wanted the twenty-five thousand dollars so desperately they were willing to kill for it. What are other motives that can lead a person to kill?” She sat back, lost in her thoughts, to the tune of the pen clinking on the metal notebook coil, and then began frantically scribbling.
Monetary
Passion
Revenge
Personal Vendetta
Self-defense and in-defense
Anger
Hatred
Jealousy
She stopped scribbling and read over what she had written and moaned. “That leaves even a bigger window of what-ifs.” She tossed the notebook on the table and picked up her teacup, sipping the now-cold brew, and stared at the brown paper. “I don’t even know where to start.”
Pippi jerked, looked up at her through sleep-blurred eyes, and nestled her head on Addie’s lap. She stroked the small dog’s head and tried to picture in her mind what all her notes were trying to tell her, but it was no use. She needed more information, and at this point she couldn’t even be positive that it was Brett who stole the book. Because it didn’t make sense to her that someone would kill him for it and not know where it was to retrieve it.
Addie refocused and glanced back over her notes about the other motives for murder, trying to sort each one of them into an image in her mind with each of her three suspects: first Ken, then Jared and Amber, based on Jared’s threat toward her. Which other murder motives fit each suspect? But it was still no use. She didn’t have enough information about any of them to see a motive other than the book and money. She looked at the other motives she’d just written and muttered, “Well then”—she gulped—“Martha fits a couple of those to a T.”
Her eyes scanned the notebook. Personal Vendetta, check. Anger, check, Hatred, check. After all, Martha told Addie herself that she was furious with Brett for threatening Paige with a custody dispute, especially as he’d shown no interest in Emma or paid Paige any child support for nearly four years. That alone would be enough to set a mother bear like Martha into full protection mode of her baby bear Paige.
Addie scratched her head as she thought her theories through. She had told Martha the ballpark worth of the book. What if Martha figured out Brett was the one who stole the book, depriving Paige and Emma of their inheritance? Would Martha, could she, have killed him? She had to speak with Paige in the morning to find out if Brett even knew about the book and had learned somehow that Gloria had it.
She shuddered, folded the paper, and dropped it into the doggy bed along with the notepad and Baxter to take it all upstairs. She then went to the table in front of the window, turned off the light, and peered into the darkness. Her gaze focused on the fluffy falling snowflakes, and her heart fell, too. That meant any evidence left behind at the bakery or at the original murder scene—wherever that might be—would be lost. She’d begun to turn away when headlights started up her driveway, and as a car pulled up, she re
cognized it as Jared’s BMW. Addie dropped the blind, scooped Pippi into her arms, and held her snug, clasping her fingers over the small dog’s snout to keep her from barking. She needed answers and maybe eavesdropping in the dark would be one way to get them.
The front door flew open, and the entry was filled with the sounds of soft laughter and deep, breathy moans. Addie flinched. She was most definitely going to have to make her presence known before things between Jared and Kalea went too far and she found them in a compromising position.
As she moved closer to the double-wide living room door, she cringed when Jared pushed Kalea against the wall beside the marble foyer table. His hands and mouth searched out her body. “Should we take this celebration upstairs?” his smoky voice murmured as he kissed Kalea’s neck.
A soft laugh escaped Kalea’s throat, and she pushed him away. “I can’t. My cousin’s here and heaven knows what gossip she’ll spread around town about me.”
“Do you care?” He nibbled behind her ear.
“No, I don’t. However, my late aunt had a sterling reputation in this town, and I don’t want to be the one to tarnish it.” She ducked under his arm and sauntered toward the door out of Addie’s eyesight.
He moved toward her. “But my love, this is an occasion worth celebrating.”
“And we will when I visit you in Salem. It just can’t be celebrated in that way here, now.” Kalea’s sulky voice held a rich, seductive edge, a technique she had honed over the years. Addie could picture in her mind that her cousin was holding his jacket collar and cooing, her long lashes fluttering as she looked into Jared’s eyes to tease him about what would come and to appease him now.
“If you think it’s best. I can wait. I know a good thing when I find it, and my dear, you are not a disappointment so far.”
With that, the door creaked and a cold wind gust swept around Addie. She shivered as a car started outside, and she heard the front door click closed. She drew herself up stiffly, let out a deep breath, and stepped into the foyer. “What was all that about?”
A Page Marked for Murder Page 15