One Cuppa Brew: Book 1 in The Thyme for Tea Series

by J. Louise Powell

  An hour later the lights switched off in the pawn shop. LED strip lights from the inside window came on, highlighting the bars across all the windows. Maybe that was forewarning for someone breaking in; the view they would have from the inside would be much like that of the one they would get from their jail cell. Poetry. William chuckled. It comes in the strangest places. The man he was interested in following stepped out, his huge body filling the entire doorway, it seemed. The man practically sniffed the air, like a bear. Briefly William wondered if he had been spotted, but then he realized it was probably habit for a man of that size, in this profession. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a figure in black rushed the man, and plunged a knife deep into his side, taking off as quickly as he appeared. The huge man toppled, clutching his side as he fell to the ground. William acted without thinking, moving across the parking lot at lightning speed, too much in the groove to berate himself for missing the presence of someone else in the night.

  He reached the fallen man, stripped off the sleeve of the man’s jacket and forced it into the wound to plug the flow of blood. It didn’t appear to be a mortal wound, probably because of the size of the man, but it could have been a fatal hit to someone of William’s stature. He had to move the pawn shop owner to a secure location before the assailant thought to return and make sure the job was done. William found the large man’s keys and unlocked the pawn shop, dragging him back inside. Worried about an alarm going off, William realized it might actually be to his benefit to bring the cops without having to make a 911 call. He glanced around inside the shop to see if there were any obvious clues as to why someone would attack him and noticed the man had a few pages sitting in the printer. He went over to look and saw they were printouts of Craigslist ads. That was interesting. He wondered if was relevant and decided to take pictures with his cellphone just in case they were. As he did the alarm began to sound. That gave him between thirty seconds to two minutes, based on the reputation of the security company whose sign was on the door. William checked that the fallen man was stable again and stepped over him on his way out the door. So much for following that man for more clues. It might be a few days before he was released from the hospital.

  So who was the figure in black? This wasn’t the way Lois had been killed outside his condo, but it reminded him of the crime. Because it was so close in time? Because he shouldn’t be found near either? Or because they really were related? He withdrew down the block and watched for the police to arrive. He wanted to make sure an ambulance came and took the pawnshop owner; in fact, it might not hurt to know which hospital, in case he needed to talk to the man later. William hurried back to his car and waited for the sirens to lead him down the road. As he watched the ambulance pull into St. Francis, William had another thought. He had been to Lois’s house, he had checked with all the morgues and had an old friend check airline records, but he hadn’t checked hospitals. He was sloppy and out of practice. He would start back in Princeton, where they lived, and look in surrounding hospitals from there. In the morning. He wasn’t getting any younger. He needed some rest.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Pastor rested her head gently on her hands, thinking, not for the first time, what a perfect pose prayer was for the weary. William’s warning about Julie had somehow struck a note, and on top of a murdered woman, William’s leaving, a restless night, Andy’s unexpected arrival, gossip in yoga, and what sounded like a perfectly feasible, albeit random, story, Pastor had crumbled. It was one of those gentle reminders that she had reached retirement age and could slow down, if she chose to. Maybe that was why others chose to retire. Regardless, she was here now, in the waiting room of the local emergency office, where Jason had chosen to interview Julie. Andy was listening to the interview. If she lifted her head she knew she could just barely see him down the hall, behind the Dutch door she supposed they left half open for her sake. There was something missing to this whole thing. Julie wasn’t lying, she was fairly sure about that. And her stepmother hadn’t been a tennis player. So, whomever the dead woman outside William’s door had been, it wasn’t Lois Bell. Well, that should be a relief. They just needed to show Julie the body, and that would be confirmed. Wait a second, hadn’t Lois been a schoolteacher? These days her fingerprints would be on file. They didn’t need next of kin. Pastor called out to Andy.

  After she explained her thought process Andy nodded, “Yeah, I asked Jason to have them run this afternoon. There are so many professions now that are fingerprinted, it was worth checking. He never mentioned the results, so I’ll ask him again. Hopefully he checked with someone in New Jersey, not just in Florida. Hang on, Mom. I believe her, too. Maybe William got some bad information. Jason is on the phone with the airline now. I can’t believe Julie hasn’t asked for a lawyer. Again, I am fairly sure this wasn’t her. There is still the matter of the supposed meet-up and missing baseball cards, too.”

  Pastor watched as he walked back. Why was Andy telling Jason how to do his job, she wondered. And why would Jason listen to him so willingly? He was just another police detective. Was it the name; did Potts still mean something down here? Wondering about the young men saved her from dwelling on what was happening with Julie.

  After thirty minutes that seemed like a day, the door to the examination room opened and Jason, Julie, and Andy filed out. They all seemed tired, but lighter in mood. Andy stepped ahead of the others when they entered the waiting room, and bent down to pick up his mother’s hands, pulling her up. “We have cause for a couple of minor celebrations; our dead woman is not Lois Bell, and Julie couldn’t have committed the murders.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Pastor exclaimed. “But...”

  “Yes, Pastor Potts,” the police officer said, “we still need to figure out who framed William, and who did, in fact, kill the fake Mrs. Bell, a woman with one arrest about thirty years ago for a jewelry theft on a cruise ship. She served a minimal amount of time in South Florida and has had a clean record since then. But the name she used then, Cindy Smith, has no current record, and no one with that name is listed as missing in the state. We just asked in New Jersey, since this case seems to have ties there, and we may bring in Alabama police, since Ono Island falls under their jurisdiction, even though we can see it from the back deck.” Jason subconsciously gestured over his shoulder, pointing northward. “Now I think it is time you folks went home and got some rest. If I have any further questions for you Miss Bell, where should I contact you?”

  Pastor interjected, “At my place, Jason. If Andy can’t stay with her tomorrow, I will bring her to the bookstore in the morning.”

  The officer nodded as the young woman began to protest, “Miss Julie, she’s right. You will be safest staying with them; there is still a killer out there. Get some rest. I will find you in the morning and compare notes.” The last was said with a look at his childhood friend.

  Andy nodded and led the women outside. They had come in one vehicle from the bookstore and proceeded to the condo in the same way. “You can pick up your rental tomorrow, if that is all right. Mom has spare toiletries, probably half a wardrobe in your size, and you already said you have what you need in your bag? You don’t need your luggage tonight?”

  Julie nodded, the fatigue evident in her expression. “Tomorrow will be fine, thank you.”

  Pastor took Julie down the hall to show her the room and ensuite bath that would be hers for the evening. She could see the shock had settled into Julie’s bones, and grabbed her in a hug. “Forgive me, it is a habit from the church. Foolishly, one they are trying to take away from us, when often all the other person needs is to know someone else loves them in that moment. Human touch is underrated. But, in lieu of that, would you like to pray together?”

  Without words Julie sank to her knees at the side of the bed. “Dear Lord, thank you for sending me this kind family in my time of need. Thank you for your strength and continued guidance. Thank you that the woman killed was not my stepmother. Please watch over Lois, my stepm
other, the woman that taught Jamie and I how to pray, and please help her come home safely. Please watch over all of us as we try to make sense of this murder. If you wouldn’t mind helping us locate the cards and pictures too, that would be wonderful!”

  Pastor chuckled along with Julie for the last part. “Dear God, thank you for sending me a respectful and dedicated woman in her time of need. Please help her find her missing stepmother, the woman who raised her as though she were her own. Please help us locate the killer and allow them to find justice with you. Please help bring William home safely to the Key, free from the suspicion that has fallen over him. Thank you for everything you have given us. Thank you for the peace and safety of our home. Amen.”

  Pastor got up slowly and allowed Julie to give her a big bear hug before leaving and shutting the door gently behind her. They all needed their rest.

  CHAPTER TEN

  William couldn’t believe how wonderful a hot shower felt after a good night’s rest. When had he become so soft? He’d only stayed awake about forty hours by his count, but they had been rough ones. The seventeen hour drive alone was more than many people could handle, but just knowing that didn’t make him feel much better. He had decided to use whatever adrenalin he had left from the pawn shop incident to make the short trip up to Princeton. He was already at a little hotel outside of town, ready to begin visiting hospitals to look for Lois because he realized it would be better to go in person, than to just call and ask about potential Jane Does. When he could, he needed to reach Pastor at the bookstore, since he didn’t trust their cellphones anymore. He needed to let her know he no longer suspected Julie; something else was at play here. He assumed that he had seen whoever killed Lois Bell attack the owner of the shop, but that would mean that another individual had made the insane trip up here that he had. No, it would be easier for a third party to hire two different assassins. Unfortunately, the possibilities there were endless. He needed to know the connection. Maybe the Craigslist printouts would shed some light on this mystery. However, it was time to call in some favors. One of the few computer guys he still knew from when he was working had been training when he was on his way out. A good guy, Sean had a great sense of humor for a guy who spent all day scouring the media for crime. His detail was to find patterns, predators, money laundering, prostitution, and any other untoward and illegal activity through social media around the country. It seemed like it should be a cushy job, but it wasn’t. Sean worked harder than most agents William knew. Even at this early hour, William knew he would be at his desk. Sean was often the brunt of office jokes involving no need to have a second home; they all joked that he should live under his desk.

  “Sean Anderson here, how can I be of service today?”

  William laughed, “You have to be the only one in the building and at their desk at 6:02, Sean.”

  “William? Is that really you? The janitors are here now too. Probably smarter than the rest of us. I’m having a Good Will Hunting moment, where I no longer know anything. But I assume you didn’t call to find out how strong my inferiority complex is lately.”

  “That’s pretty rich, Sean, coming from you of all people. I need to know about some Craigslist ads, if you wouldn’t mind giving them a look.”

  “Are you kidding? Tell me; are they about batting averages in the divorce chat area of general Craigslist? X number of runs for your money or something? And, by the way, how are things in sunny Perdido these days?” Sean asked.

  “I’m sort of traveling at the moment. Are you trying to be clairvoyant to get ahead of the janitor, because that’s exactly what these are about.” William answered, wondering how Sean could already know about them.

  “Are you serious? I only know because one of our agents called this morning. He did say he was in your neck of the woods visiting his mother when he called. I was just joking, the eternal jokester. But here you are, calling about seven hours behind the first guy. You’re getting old, William. What did you do, go to sleep or something?”

  William answered, the humor gone from his voice. “That’s exactly what I did. I couldn’t even process these enough to think to call last night.”

  Sean answered, “Well, the bad news is, I had no idea this was happening until I got clued in by one of our field guys last night. The good news is, I now know what it is. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t embarrassed not knowing. Read me what you have and I should be able to tell you what it means.”

  William offered to do one better, since there were so many, and send the pictures via email. It was less for him to worry about, in the case that punctuation had anything to do with the details. Sean promised to email him a full transcription in the next fifteen minutes.

  William got up and looked at the clock. If he had breakfast and came back to the room before checkout, he could use the room phone to call Pastor. He thought about what Sean said about an agent visiting their mom. He briefly wondered about her son Andy, that she insisted was a police officer, but shook his head. That would be quite the coincidence.

  One thing he loved about central New Jersey - there was no shortage of bagel shops. Within twenty minutes William was back in his motel room, with a cup of coffee that reminded him of his working days, and a lightly toasted everything bagel with butter, lox and cream cheese. Wiping away the crumbs from his mouth, he heard the ding of his email. A few minutes later, he was calling Pastor on her cellphone; he needed to find Julie now, even if it was barely 5:30 in the morning, her time. She wasn’t answering her cellphone. What was it with those things?

  Frustrated with the lack of response back in Perdido, William looked up information for Princeton Hospital. He swore slightly under his breath, realizing if she was an amnesia victim, they could have taken her to the mental hospital in Trenton. He had to hope that wasn’t the case. Check out from his motel room wasn’t until 11:00, but he hated having to return if he didn’t need to. He could use a phone somewhere else. He returned his key and loaded his bag in the rental car he had gotten with an old ID.

  William struck gold at the first hospital. He thought it was because he arrived about forty-five minutes before their shifts switched, long enough for workers to still want to talk to whittle the time away, yet not so long that he got hung up gossiping all night. A woman matching the description of Lois Bell had been brought into the hospital five days ago, found behind a hair salon by the owner when she and her date returned to pick something up after eating dinner out. The owner hadn’t recognized her. She was still unconscious, and had no identification on her. The hospital had released her photo, but no one had anyone come forward saying they recognized her. The police were going to ask to put it on the news, but were waiting to see if she woke up. If she hadn’t been found until morning, they believed she would have succumbed to the elements and definitely passed away. William pretended to be her brother, knowing they would only let family in to see her. When he told them her husband had died in a car accident less than two weeks prior to her admittance, they were more than willing to send him back without scrutinizing his identification.

  By now it was 7:30 back on the island, and William knew Pastor had to be at work. He used the phone in the room to call the bookstore and was surprised to have the answering machine pick up again. Just as he was about to hang up, Pastor picked up the line, slightly out of breath. “Is that you, William?” she asked.

  Unable to contain himself, William replied, “Is that how you always answer the phone in the morning? Probably not a good idea if you don’t want to be aiding and abetting me.”

  She laughed, “Now you listen. You have stressed me out enough lately, don’t pester me about the way I answer the phone as well.”

  “Fine Pastor, do you happen to know how to reach Julie? I have some news for her, and I am more than a bit concerned for her safety.”

  “Well, she’s standing about five feet away. Would you like to speak with her?”

  William hesitated, “Now she knows I do, but yes, let me tell you b
riefly first, so you are prepared to handle her.”

  Though she was a bit surprised by his choice of words, the store owner nodded to have him speak, before she remembered he was on the phone, not right in front of her. Funny how she had gotten used to him being around. “Go ahead.”

  “I found her stepmother at Princeton Hospital. She has been in a coma for almost a week. She was left for dead, but obviously didn’t die. Her prognosis is unknown. I have also found out some information about baseball cards that someone on Ono believed were in her possession. Whoever does have those cards, or is believed to have those cards, could be in serious trouble. At this point, we don’t think the person that intended to buy them has been successful. And their intent to buy has been deadly, at least once.”

  “That’s a lot of information. What is your plan?” Pastor asked, more calmly than she felt.

  “That depends on whether Julie knows where the cards are, at least to some extent,” the former spy answered.

  “You can ask her,” Pastor said, as she handed the phone to Julie.

  “Hi, kiddo, long time no see.”

  “Uncle William!” Julie exclaimed. “You were right about your friend Iris, I mean Pastor. She has been a lifesaver! And the tea, oh my goodness, it’s so amazing!”

  He chuckled, “I have some bad news, Julie, but I am glad you like her tea! You have heard about the woman who died, by now? You know it was supposedly Lois?” he asked gently.