A Cup of Murder

by Cam Larson

  I glanced back and it was Jen Perry. She gazed out the window and her eyes landed on Sunrise. Now I had three important tasks to complete: work as usual, talk with Jen Perry and get to the jail as soon as possible. I wiped my hands on a towel and told Lily and Janie I would take only a few minutes to talk with Jen and be right back.

  "I know you are busy, Laila," said the Sunrise Barista, "but I had to talk with you when I heard Jacob was arrested a little while ago."

  It was uncanny how she showed up on the Piazza since Sunrise had not reopened yet. I told her we were swamped as she could tell while I quickly glanced at my watch.

  "Leticia Simms was a jealous woman," said Jen.

  "Is that Michael's wife's name?" I asked, making a mental note to write that on my board at home. "Tell me what you are getting to," I said.

  "Yes. Leticia met Michael several times right at closing time. When she found out we were having an affair, she wanted to make sure we didn’t leave Sunrise together, I guess. At least that is what Michael told me. She had never come to the Sunrise until she found out about us that I know of."

  "Did you mention this to the police?" I asked.

  "No, I didn’t. They had me shaken up enough when one of them told me I was a suspect. I didn’t have any way to get poison and I sure didn’t want to be brought up on murder charges. I thought you should know this since Jacob was arrested today."

  There was something about Jen Perry that brought an irritation to my hectic day. I told her that any other information like that should be passed on to the police and not to me. When she stood up, I amended what I said.

  "I mean, I want to hear anything you think of, but make sure the police hear it too."

  She nodded and her lithe figure seemed to float out the door but not before she glanced at the customers and flipped her hair ever so seductively. It is the only word I could think of to describe her action. Old habits come easily.

  The crowd thinned since everyone had to get to work, run errands or whatever they had to take care of in their normal lives. The three of us sat down to take a short break. None of us spoke of Jacob and his arrest, each of us lost in our own thoughts. There were still three customers remaining. A few minutes later, two men in suits walked into Roasted Love and spotted us at the table. Janie approached them to get their orders.

  "We want to see whoever is in charge here," said one, flashing his badge.

  I went to meet them and saw they were detectives. Immediately, I knew their purpose.

  "We have a search warrant and want to see Jacob Weaver’s work area first."

  "We will be looking at the whole shop so you may want to close up for a few hours," said the other one.

  I told them as soon as I could get the last three customers out, I would do that. I did not like the idea of closing up but in the long run it was best no patrons watched the pilfering of Roasted Love.

  The younger detective showed the official paper to me and I led them back to Jacob’s office after relaying the message to Lily and Janie in regard to closing up. I had no idea if Jacob had disposed of his threatening notes to Michael Simms or not when he arrived this morning. More than anything, I hoped if they found any, they would also find the same from Michael. At least, it wouldn’t show the whole vendetta was one-sided.

  They spent a long time in Jacob’s office. The younger one came out and asked me if Jacob spent most of the time in the office. I told them he was very visible to his customers and worked throughout Roasted Love. I wanted to boast about how devoted he was to his business, but his manner was crisp and left no room for lauding my boss’s attributes. If it came to it, I would get my chance on the witness stand. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. The detective headed for the front of the coffee house. I noticed two potential customers try the door, peer in and then walk away.

  I left to check on Thor and mentally reminded myself about getting a leash for him. He was lying under the small Weeping Willow at the edge of the alley. I refilled his water bowl and ruffled his head before returning to the shop.

  The time the detectives spent in Roasted Love seemed endless. They packed up two computers and a couple of folders that bulged and thanked me. Janie reached for the sign ready to turn it to open when I stopped her. By now it was close to two and time for her to clock out.

  "Don’t turn it over yet," I said. "Go ahead and clock out. I’ll call you later this evening to let you know if we will open tomorrow or wait another day or so."

  At this point, I didn’t want to open Roasted Love at all until Jacob was back in charge, but I knew I couldn’t let the place close and cause lost business. Janie nodded and left. I told Lily we would not reopen until tomorrow. I needed time to think and more importantly, I needed to see Jacob. I had no idea if bail was set or what was going on and I had to know.

  "I’ll write you out at your usual time, Lily, so you will get paid your hours."

  "Don’t worry about anything, Laila," she said. "They will realize they have nothing on Jacob and release him before we know it."

  I threw a weak smile her direction and locked the back door after she left. I collected the receipts for the day. Realizing there was no computer to enter them into I stuffed them in an empty briefcase I found in Jacob’s office and left to collect Thor. My laptop at home was connected to Roasted Love and I would enter the business of the day at home.

  Once Thor was fed and had his run outside my house, I left him to visit Jacob in jail. Dreading the moment I would see him behind bars, I swallowed hard and drove downtown. As it turned out, he was brought to the visitors’ room and we sat across from each other.

  "I’m so sorry, Jacob, I hoped it wouldn’t come to them arresting you. Did they tell you why they think you murdered Michael?"

  "So far they have only said they found evidence at Sunrise that implicates me. I turned it all over to my lawyer. I’m hoping the Judge will set bail but I won’t find out until tomorrow."

  His haggard face told me he was anxious about a night behind bars. I told him I was going to speed my own investigation along faster and tried to reassure him the best I could. Knowing he couldn’t talk me out of my detective work, he told me to be careful. I left him with a heavy heart but not before I gave Jen’s information to the policeman at the desk about Leticia Simms often coming to Sunrise at closing time. His reaction told me that would not be a big deal. There was nothing unusual about a wife meeting her husband at his place of business at closing time.

  He was right. I was aware that passing that information on needed more substance than a wife meeting her husband at their coffee house. Obviously, I had a different take on the hidden meaning of a jealous wife who met her husband there after hours than the police did. I would save that for Jacob’s lawyer.

  Chapter Twelve

  Following Jacob’s policy, we did reopen the next day. Visibility and normalcy became an imperative move for me. By now everyone knew Jacob Weaver was in jail for the murder of his rival across the street. I noticed the yellow tape had been removed from Sunrise. I could see movement inside and recognized Jen Perry getting things in order. The flashing lights were still turned off which accounted somewhat for our full house. Apparently, the thought she didn’t have rights to the place failed to enter her mind. I thought she was taking a chance if she thought she could reopen Sunrise and carry on as if her boss and former lover had not been murdered.

  "Maybe she knows Michael left it to her," I mused aloud.

  "What did you say?" asked Janie.

  I chose not to respond and it didn’t matter anyway. Janie and I both rushed to meet the needs of customers who flocked in. It was hard to concentrate on my job when frustration reached every level in my inability to help Jacob. I rubbed my eyes with my fingers in disappointment and pounded my fist on the counter next to the espresso machine. A light tap on my shoulder caused more irritation thinking a customer wanted something. My mood was not one of hospitality at the moment but I forced a plastered smile on my face and tur
ned around.

  "You look a little stressed," said Daniel Jenkins. "Come on over here and sit down with me."

  He led me to an empty table away from customers. I hadn’t seen him since the day he gave me the ride home from Sam’s Sandwiches in pouring rain. A relief swept over me when I realized he was concerned. It was then that knowing he was someone I could trust was reinforced. I told him something he was already aware of but it was good to say it out loud.

  "Jacob was arrested yesterday for Michael Simms’ murder."

  He nodded in sympathy and told me he had heard that. I hadn’t seen a newspaper but I was sure it was headline news. Usually, over my coffee in the morning I read news online before coming to work. Since undertaking the care of a dog I didn’t always have time to do that, or maybe I just didn’t want to read about Jacob’s arrest.

  "I want to tell you something I learned about Michael Simms," said Daniel. "Did you know he had terminal cancer?" The look on my face told him I did not. "He was in stage four with lung cancer."

  "I wonder if whoever killed him knew that," I said.

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders. I doubted that, since the murderer would have just waited for Michael to die of the disease if he knew he was terminally ill. Daniel watched me in a way that confused me.

  "Is there something else you know about all of this?" I asked him.

  He shuffled in the chair and shook his head no. I asked him if he had any ideas on where belladonna came from that was found in Michael’s coffee cup. Again he indicated no idea. I decided to tell him about my visit to see James Simms. Daniel voiced surprised that I was getting so far into my quest to find the real suspect.

  "I know the two brothers parted ways," he said, "but I have no idea if they ever contacted each other again or not. When John Andrews, James' campaign manager, died I knew some rift developed but never found out why."

  "How did John Andrews die?" I asked.

  "I believe he had a severe asthma attack. I never knew the whole story."

  Could it be that whatever happened to John Andrews caused the separation of the two brothers? If the Senator was to be believed, they parted ways while John was still campaign manager. There was no more time to discuss everything I wanted to talk about with Daniel. Roasted Love was busier than ever as lunch time neared.

  The paramedic ordered a Frappe this time. I guess he figured it was better to start with something cold than to let a hot drink cool down before finishing it. Lily took it to him. I wondered what was going on across the street. When I looked up I saw a familiar BMW parked in front. Senator James Simms got out and walked around to open the door for someone. I presumed it was his wife Sarah until I saw a woman step from the passenger side I did not recognize. They both walked to the front door and I noted a frown on the Senator’s face when he peeked through before using a key to unlock the door. Seeing Jen Perry inside as if she owned the place must have been the cause of the deep furrow that crossed his forehead when he turned toward the stranger with him.

  The door swung open. One of our customers opened the door of Roasted Love at the same time when leaving and I heard a loud voice that belonged to the woman across the street. The door to Sunrise closed. A few minutes later I saw Jen Perry leaving. She still wore an apron that belonged to Michael’s coffee house. She left in a hurry and slung her purse strap over her shoulder, ignoring the apron. At her car door contents from her purse spilled out and she quickly bent to scoop them up before slamming her car door. I was sure I would get a phone call from her later. After all, according to Jen Perry I was her only friend.

  All eyes in Roasted Love were glued to the actions going on at Sunrise, including those of Daniel Jenkins. His look shifted to me. I edged closer to his table and sat down.

  "What was that all about?" he asked.

  "I don’t know any more than you do except maybe you can tell me who that woman with the Senator is," I said.

  "It’s Michael’s wife, Leticia Simms," he said. His voice was matter of fact. I stared at him.

  "Why are they over there?"

  Once again the paramedic gave his trademark shrug. "James was Michael’s brother and Leticia was his wife. They are probably in there to see about the shop."

  Finding Jen Perry there as if she owned the place must have been a surprise to both of them. I strongly suspected Jen Perry had just spent her last few hours at Sunrise.

  Daniel stood and gave me a cocky grin. "Now you have a little more information to clutter your journalistic mind. Maybe you should go across and give your reporter act and learn more."

  His laugh was far from a derisive one. I knew he would never let me live down my reporter ruse. He had a way of lightening a very bad situation.

  "At least I have enough imagination to get information when I want it," I said.

  For some reason he always left me in a way that was impossible to resist his remarks. A night on the town with Daniel Jenkins could prove to be refreshing to say the least. My mind was behaving in a far-fetched way. It was comforting to know I could talk openly with him about the case at hand and for now, that was enough. I watched as he walked out the door with an ease that demonstrated self-confidence. Concentrating on freeing Jacob brought me back to the most important thing right now in my life.

  Movement from across the street caught my eye again. James Simms’ back was to me when he locked the door of Sunrise. Leticia Simms walked toward the car. For the first time I had a good look at Michael’s Simms’ wife. She was pretty but not stunning. Her hair was shoulder length, auburn in color and she was approximately my height. I noted a certain determination in her countenance. When the Senator reached her door to close it he bent toward her. I looked twice when I thought he leaned in and bent to kiss her but I would never swear to that. That was something else to write on my corkboard but a question mark would have to come after that note.

  When it was time to close down for the day, I once again felt ill at ease thinking about walking home alone. I stopped at the small pet store in the next block and bought a sturdy leash for Thor. If I had to let him go after an assailant simply releasing him would be enough. Besides, I couldn’t take the chance of him wandering off and getting hit by a car. It interested me that the dog had not returned to Sunrise to wait for Michael. It was as if he knew his former master was gone forever. He took to the leash right away and together we walked along as if our companionship was meant to be that way.

  Reaching my door, I couldn’t shake a sudden apprehension. Once unlocked, I turned slightly to see if anyone was watching me. A figure moved from behind a tree at the corner of the yard next to my neighbor’s house. The retiree was nowhere in sight. I quickly went inside and slammed the door securely behind me and clicked the deadbolt. When I looked out the front window no one was in sight. The person I had glimpsed was tall with an athletic build. Other than that, shadows from the tree had hidden other significant details.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I arrived at Roasted Love early to get things going for the day. I planned to leave mid-morning and go to Michael’s visitation and if time, his burial. My purpose was to look around at everyone there. I made the mistake of telling Janie my plans to attend.

  "You’re up to something, Laila," said Janie. "What is it?"

  "Nothing. I just want to pay my respects," I said.

  I shrugged off Janie’s prying eyes. She didn’t have to know everything about me. Lately, she asked more questions than I wanted to answer. I even found myself doubting her faith in Jacob’s innocence.

  "I don’t think Jacob would go," she said.

  "He probably wouldn’t now that he is in jail. Besides, it’s my business what I do."

  I knew I should let up on Janie. Sarcasm wasn’t something I usually used in conversation. I wasn’t used to talking to her like that but my irritation surfaced enough to get her to back off. I left Roasted Love around 9:30 to take Thor back home and change clothes. The visitation was at 10:30 and my plan was to stay in the backg
round and observe.

  When I slipped into a spot in the back row, I felt lucky I got the last chair. My heart sank for a moment when I realized Daniel Jenkins sat next to me. I had hoped to remain incognito like real private eyes did. At least I figured that was how they acted. He focused his eyes on me and when I looked at him the laughter was there.

  "What are you doing here?" he whispered.

  "I could ask you the same question," I said.

  "I’m here to pay my respects," he said. "I told you I knew Michael."

  He didn’t get my answer. I was busy scanning the crowd.

  "I had no idea this many people would be here," I said.

  "Most are here for his family," said Daniel. "As I look around, all of these people are friends of the Senator and Michael’s father. So far I see only a handful of Michael’s friends."

  I had no idea who most of them were, but since Daniel knew them better than I did I knew he was probably right. It was sad to think that Michael Simms had ended a life friendless. Of course, that was no one’s fault except his own doing. Sympathy from me was hard to come by for the man who made lives miserable for everyone around him.

  On the other side of the aisle sat Jen Perry. She dabbed at her eyes and sat next to a man and woman I didn’t know who did the same. So Michael had three true mourners that I could see. While craning my neck to find the Senator up front, my clutch purse slid to the floor. Bending to pick it up from the soft carpet my head bumped the chair in front of me. I whispered an apology to the lady who sat there. She turned with a light scowl on her face as if to scold a child for bad behavior on a solemn occasion.

  Daniel hid a wide grin behind his hand. "Don’t tell me you are here playing detective still," he whispered in my ear.

  I nodded a yes. This was no place to discuss my actions. Even whispers could carry across the room that had grown silent as the Minister stood to speak. His prayers were lifted in a pleading voice. Everyone bowed their heads in prayer. Then the Minister asked if anyone wanted to speak a word about the deceased.