by Cindy Bell
“Of course.” He opened the box and plucked out a donut. “So, what did you want to discuss? Most of the established trucks have already been listed for the main events, for the next few months at least, but I already have you on my list of trucks to tap for child-centered events. However, most of the time the ice cream trucks are preferred, so it might be tough to get you in there.”
“Is there anything that I could do to make it a little easier so we can get some events quicker?” She locked eyes with him.
“I’m not sure what you’re suggesting.”
“Only that if there were certain things that I could do to make our truck move up on the list, I’d like to know, so that I could improve our chances of being selected.”
“Ah, I see.” He sat back in his chair and folded his hands across his robust stomach. “What did you have in mind?”
“Perhaps we could exclusively advertise your events in our signage and on our menu.”
“I don’t think that would get me very far. It’s very expensive to run these events, and it takes so much of my time. Every little bit helps.” He smiled slightly.
“Are you saying a financial contribution would be more likely to get us a good spot?”
“I of course couldn’t say that, but when it comes to gifts, my finances can always use a boost. My wife loves to shop.” He gestured to a photograph on his desk of a beautiful blonde woman who could have been anywhere from her mid-thirties to late forties. “After I met all of the truck owners, I had to rush off to meet her at the outlets, and we spent hours there burning through my credit card.” He rolled his eyes.
“How much financial help are we talking about?” She studied him. If he was telling the truth about the shopping spree, that ruled him out as Adam’s killer.
“We’re not talking about it at all, actually. Remember?” He looked into her eyes.
“Maybe if I asked some of the other truck owners, they could give me an idea? Who should I talk to?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean. Perhaps you could do your own research on that. Anyway, I really only had about six or seven minutes, closer to seven really.”
“Seven?”
“Yes, that would be good.”
“Hundred?” Her eyes widened.
“Hundred?” He shook his head. “I was talking about minutes. I suppose if we were talking about money, it might be hundred.” He smiled.
“That seems reasonable. I’m so glad that I came to talk to you. It’s tragic what happened to Adam.”
“Oh yes, Adam and I spent a lot of time together. He was a good man. Terrible, what happened.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I had a lot of hope for that poor boy.”
“Hope?” She leaned a little closer.
“I kind of took him under my wing. I recognized that he had a lot of potential. He had a mind for business. I thought with a little guidance, he could do great things. You know, I have a soft spot for young entrepreneurs.”
“That was so kind of you. He must have been thrilled to have a professional on his side.”
“I think he was. I had him over for dinner a few times. I wanted him to see what life could offer.” He shook his head. “I never expected this, of course.”
“No, no one did,” Joyce said. “Did you know that Adam was going to add hamburgers to his menu?”
“He was? I had no idea.” Melvin’s eyes widened, and he shook his head as his phone buzzed. He glanced at his watch. “Sorry, I have another meeting coming in. I’m sure I’ll be hearing from you soon, Joyce.” He reached his hand across his desk to her. She took his hand in a firm shake. As soon as she released it, she headed for the door. She didn’t want to spend a moment longer around him because he seemed untrustworthy, and that put her on edge. As Joyce left his office, her mind reeled. He’d all but confirmed that he accepted bribes, which more than likely meant that he accepted bribes from Adam. That meant they had a business relationship behind closed doors, and if that was the case, then Cooper might have motive to go after Adam.
Although it appeared that Cooper wasn’t an honest man, Joyce wasn’t convinced that he was a killer, either. He had an alibi. He spoke highly of Adam and had invited him into his home. It was one thing to accept bribes and quite another to commit murder. She shook her head as her mind swirled with thoughts. As soon as she reached the car, she sent Brenda a text.
Chapter 8
Brenda stepped into the house and was greeted by silence. It startled her at first. Usually Sophie was right there to hug her. A glance at her watch showed that Sophie was likely already in bed. Her heart sank a little. Although she liked working with Joyce in the donut truck, sometimes she regretted the time she missed with her daughter.
“Charlie?”
“In here.” His voice wafted out from his office. She followed it and found him in front of his computer.
“Are you working on a story?”
“Not exactly. I’m investigating Adam’s murder.”
“Have you found anything?”
“Nothing specific, just a lot of financial transactions and business dealings that look a little shady. The deeper I get into this, the more concerned I get, Brenda. I wish you and Joyce would stay out of it.” He swiveled in his chair to face her. “How far do you and Joyce plan to dig?”
“All we want is a chance to find out what happened to Adam and to make sure that Green Street stays safe. That’s what you want too, right?” She pulled up a chair to the computer desk.
“Yes, of course.”
“So let’s work together on this. You, me, and Joyce. The sooner that we have the murder solved, the sooner we can all relax again. Right?” She smiled as she looked into his eyes. “I think it’s kind of fun actually.”
“Murder is fun?” He sighed and glanced back at the computer screen.
“No, not murder, of course. But having the chance to work with you on something. I feel like we’re on a team, not just a parenting team, but a real team.”
“I guess I can see it that way.” He tilted his head to the side as he studied her. “You’re so gorgeous.”
“Ha, right.” She shook her head and looked away.
“Yes, I am right.” He pulled her chair closer to his. “Stunning, beautiful, and intelligent. I don’t know how I ever got so lucky.”
“I’m the lucky one.” She kissed his cheek. He drew her in for a real kiss, and for just a second she forgot all about Adam and the truck, and even Joyce. She was immersed in his affection, and the reminder of just how much he loved her.
“Mommy! Mommy! There’s a monster under my bed!” The shriek shattered the intimate moment. It sent Brenda’s heart racing as she jumped up from her chair.
“See?” Charlie looked into her eyes. “I’m not the only one that worries about monsters under the bed.”
“I’m on my way, sweetie.” Brenda rushed to her daughter’s room. Sophie sat up, with red tear-streaked cheeks, and spread her arms wide for her mother’s embrace. Brenda scooped her into her lap and held her tight. “You know, there are no monsters under your bed.”
“But I heard one. I heard it!” Sophie sniffled.
“Maybe you were dreaming?” Brenda kissed the top of her head.
“Don’t worry, Soph, I’ll check under the bed, and in the closet, and in every corner.” Charlie began to search the room from top to bottom. As Brenda held her daughter close, she could feel her racing heart slowing in her chest. Charlie was calming her down. “There we go, not a monster in sight. I guess maybe there never was one, hmm?” He smiled as he ruffled her blonde hair. “I think Mommy was right.”
“You do?” Sophie gazed at him with wide eyes. “But I heard a monster.”
“It was probably just a dream, sweetheart.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Can we tuck you back in?”
“Yes.” Sophie sighed as she crawled back into bed. “I can’t ever get any sleep with these monsters on the loose.”
By the time the blanket was pulled up to her chin, she
was already starting to drift back off to sleep.
As they slipped out of her room and back into the living room, Brenda felt a sense of relief that Charlie was such a doting father. He always took the time to ensure that Sophie knew she was loved. Once he sat back down at the computer in his office, he turned to look at her.
“All right, we can work on this as a team, as a trio, on one condition.”
“What condition is that?” Brenda braced herself for something unreasonable.
“I want to be informed every step of the way. Whatever you two are getting into, I want to know about it. Is that fair?” He held her gaze.
“Yes, that’s fair. But Joyce doesn’t always tell me what she’s up to, so I can’t promise that.”
“That’s fine. Whatever involves you. All right?” Charlie asked.
“It’s a deal.” She leaned in close and kissed him. She waited for the expected interruption.
“I think she’s actually asleep.” He smiled against her cheek. “What do you say we take advantage of a little alone time?”
“Oh honey, I would love to. But I have plans to meet with Joyce and check out the comic book shop where Adam spent a lot of his time.”
“Great.” He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “I guess I can’t compete with that.”
“It will never be a competition.” She placed a light kiss on his lips, then pulled away as her phone buzzed with a text. “It looks like Joyce is on her way to the shop. She found out that Cooper definitely does take bribes, and Adam was probably paying him off.”
“See, that’s what I mean, Brenda. This could get very shady very fast, and men with money are men with power.” He locked eyes with her. “They don’t like to be questioned.”
“We’ll be careful, I promise.” She kissed his cheek, then headed out the door.
On her way to the comic book shop, her mind spun with all of the possibilities that the confirmation of the bribery opened up. Could Cooper have killed Adam in order to keep him quiet about the bribes? Was it possible that there were more truck owners involved, and one of them got angry with Adam? If Pierce got wind of the bribery, perhaps he became angry enough to kill? Or was Pierce in on it the entire time? She parked near the comic book shop’s entrance and waved to Joyce, who was already waiting on the sidewalk.
“I can’t believe Cooper admitted that to you.” Brenda shook her head as she joined Joyce.
“It wasn’t so much that he admitted it to me as it was that he was prepared to accept a bribe from me. I’m afraid we might have to play along or he may become suspicious.”
“Play along? But we don’t have extra money.”
“Then we’d better get this case solved quickly, hmm?”
“Yes, you’re right.” Brenda skimmed the front of the comic book shop and grimaced. “I think we’re a little past the age limit for this place.” She quirked a brow as she watched a few boys who looked no older than sixteen walk through the door.
“That may be true. We can always pretend we’re here to buy something for our kids. My son was into comic books for a little while.”
“I bet they were nothing like that one.” Brenda pointed out a poster on the front window that seemed to depict an alien race and several female zombies.
“Uh, no, at least I hope not.” Joyce laughed. “Let’s get in there. Hopefully we can find out something about Adam’s personal life from the people in here. According to Matt, they were like family.”
“And if they weren’t?”
“Well, I guess we’re about to find out.”
“After you, madam.” Brenda held the door open for her. Joyce crossed the threshold from a fairly well-lit street into what resembled a cave. Most of the store was dark, with some black lights scattered throughout. A few colored lava lamps were positioned on bookshelves offering just enough of a glow to illuminate the garish and violent images on some of the covers of the comic books. Joyce clutched her purse a little closer and edged her way further into the shop. Brenda followed right behind her.
“This is not what comic book shops were like when I was a kid,” Brenda mumbled as she caught sight of a young man peering at her from behind an almost unnoticeable counter.
“I imagine not. But maybe this will work to our advantage. As dark as it is, they might just mistake us for teenagers,” Joyce joked. She paused at the end of an aisle and looked up at a montage of photographs, all of which were somehow glowing. Adam was in just about all of them.
“Are you lost?” A tall man dressed in black leather, with long black hair to match, leaned against the wall beside her. When he smiled, his black lipstick cracked enough to reveal red lips beneath.
“No, not lost.” Joyce shifted on her heel to face him. “We’re here to learn more about Adam.”
“Adam?” His smile faded and his eyes narrowed. “How do you know Adam?”
“We work in the food trucks on the same street.” Brenda cleared her throat as a few other young men drew close to them. “On Green Street. We’re trying to figure out what might have happened to him.”
“We know what happened to him. Someone murdered him.” He brushed his hair back from his face. “Nothing can be done about that.”
“No, it can’t.” Joyce looked into his heavily mascaraed eyes. “But I imagine you can understand the need for justice.”
“Maybe.” He nodded to the other men. “Ease off, I think we’re scaring the ladies. Don’t mind them. They’re not dangerous, just bored and obsessively intense.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not afraid. Actually, it’s comforting to me to be in a place that Adam considered to be like home.” Joyce smiled.
“It wasn’t like his home, it was his home. I’m Patrick. This is Scott and Tray.”
“I’m Joyce, and this is Brenda. We own a food truck on Green Street. Adam was very kind to us and helped us when we first started. We were just hoping to be able to pay some of that kindness back. That’s why we’re here. We want to know more about him, and you, the people he considered to be his family.”
“Adam was a good guy. But we weren’t on good terms. It’s a shame, because our friendship lasted so long. But he didn’t want to listen to reason. I warned him about this, he should have listened.”
“Warned him about what exactly?” Brenda glanced at the other two men, then turned her attention back to Patrick. “Was there something Adam was involved in that upset you? Or worried you?”
“Adam was always looking for a way to get rich. He didn’t care how. It wasn’t that he was greedy, it was that he knew what it was like to have nothing. He never wanted to experience that feeling again. So he worked a few angles trying to get a foothold in a higher tax bracket. I warned him that he was playing with fire, people that wanted money out of greed. But he didn’t want to listen. He told me that I didn’t think big enough and I would always be stuck in this place.” He frowned as he glanced around the shop. “I’m not sure what’s so bad about this place. It used to be good enough for him.”
“Maybe it was the rough behavior?” Joyce suggested.
“Rough behavior?” He smirked. “What do you mean by that?”
“Adam had a friend, Matt. Did you know him?” Joyce asked.
“That old guy, sure.” He shrugged.
“He’s barely in his forties.” Joyce smiled.
“Old.” He shrugged again. “He was always attached to Adam. Kept telling him that he had to think about the future, and that he needed to pull away from us. That’s what we got into a fight about. Adam started to think he was better than the rest of us, and he needed to be reminded that he wasn’t. We’re all on equal ground here.”
“Maybe Adam found that he got something from Matt that was lacking in his life. Everyone needs that kind of connection.” Joyce gazed into his eyes. “No matter how much you think you don’t.”
“He had that connection here with us. It was his choice to walk away. He even got tangled up with someone who could have been his mother, all b
ecause she had deep pockets. He knew better. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” He looked past her to Brenda. “You and your friend need to leave, we’re closing.”
“Wait, Patrick. What woman was he tangled up with?” Joyce asked.
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell us her name. Just said she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. I told him he was losing his mind. Now go.” He pointed to the door.
“Patrick, please, there’s no reason to be upset. I told you, we were friends of Adam’s.”
“No, you weren’t. I was his friend. I was the one that helped him when he needed it. I was the one that knew just how hard he tried to make himself a success. I knew those things about him.”
“I’m sure you cared very deeply for him, Patrick. I’m sorry for your loss.” Joyce wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. Patrick’s body stiffened in reaction to the touch. A moment later, he relaxed.
“Thank you.” He pulled away from her. “If you do find out what happened to Adam, please let me know.”
“I will.” Joyce gazed into his eyes for a moment, then led Brenda to the door. Once outside, she turned back to look at her friend. “There’s another suspect to add to our list.”
“Do you really think he could have murdered Adam?” Brenda looked through the tinted window of the comic book shop. “Maybe out of jealousy?”
“Or rage. He feels betrayed by Adam.” Joyce shook her head as she walked towards the car. “It looks like Adam was driven by money. That might be the key to finding out who killed him.”
“So, you don’t think it was Patrick?”
“I don’t have a firm opinion on it yet, to be honest. But as of this moment, I don’t think we can rule him out. He was obviously very emotionally intertwined with Adam, and I think that counts for a lot.”
“Yes, you’re right. What about Cooper? If Adam threatened to tell?”
“Cooper has an alibi, he said he was at the shops with his wife. I can try to find out which shops, but at the moment I don’t know where they went, so I have no way to confirm it.” Joyce shrugged.
“I guess not.” Brenda shook her head. “I’ll speak to you in the morning.”