Murder and Food Porn: A Northwest Cozy Mystery (Northwest Cozy Mystery Series Book 8)

by Dianne Harman

  The second letter was shorter and more disturbing.

  Dear Toni

  I am disappointed you have not shown me the courtesy to reply to my earlier correspondence or return my calls. Your display of bad manners would have been a terrible disappointment to your mother.

  It does not surprise me, however, and I want you to know that I forgive you. Since you refuse to talk to me, I can only deduce you are still conflicted by your feelings for me and your loyalty to your family. I’ve decided to make it easy for you.

  The next time you see me could be sooner than you think. You owe me the decency of sparing me a few moments of your time, Toni, for the years I selflessly gave your mother. We can talk, but if we get carried away and one things leads to another, don’t be surprised. Trust me, when I show you the true meaning of love, your life will never be the same again.

  Yours in anticipation,

  Ethan

  Al scratched his head and looked up at Hillary. “Wow. Apart from the guy being delusional, did he ever show any signs of violence, or an angry temper? Like towards your mother?”

  Hillary thought for a second. “Ethan’s a creep, that’s a given. He never raised a hand to my mother as far as I’m aware, but he could be mean and moody. Kind of like a spoiled child. He was used to getting what he wanted.”

  Al turned to Luke. “Get back to Rob and see if he’s been able to track down Ethan Doyle yet. We know Ethan was in Seattle when the letter was mailed a week ago. Maybe what Toni said about seein’ him outside her house was true. Chances are, he’s still around. Meantime, I jes’ spoke to Chief Hewson. He said his men are finished at Toni’s place, and we can have access to anything we want. That includes her cell phone, which they left at the house.”

  Luke nodded. “I’ll call Rob now. How did your conversation go with Barrie Jones?”

  “It was interestin’, but I think we can rule her out of our inquiries. Turns out Barrie had a guilty conscience, but not because she murdered Toni.”

  “What did she say?” Hillary asked.

  Al began walking back towards the parking lot. Luke, Hillary and Red fell into step beside him.

  “Like I thought, Barrie Jones grew up on the wrong side of the tracks,” Al explained. “She turned her life around when she moved to Seattle and met a guy, Jim Nolan, who taught her photography. Accordin’ to Barrie, Jim is also the love of her life.”

  “Sounds about right,” Hillary said. “I’ve never met him, but Toni had told me that Barrie had a long-term relationship with some man.”

  “She tol’ me how Jim lined her up for a job with Toni, and how Toni had been very good to her over the years. She gave Barrie a lotta’ responsibility and helped her make contacts in the industry.” Al looked over at the office building. Barrie was standing watching them from her smoking spot out front. He raised a hand to her in a wave, and she nodded back.

  “Barrie started off as a good worker,” Al said, “but as time went on she became more and more embittered by Toni’s success and popularity. When I pressed her, she admitted to wishin’ harm on Toni so that she and Jim could take over the business. In fact, Jim had already made Toni an offer to buy Food Porn Photography, but Toni turned it down.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Hillary said. “And to think I just offered her first refusal if the business is being sold. I’m inclined to give her a piece of my mind.” She swung around, but Al held her back.

  “Let it go,” he said gently. “Barrie’s problem is insecurity. She considered foul play as a solution for Jim to be able to buy the business, because she wanted a reason to make it difficult for Jim to leave her. As it turns out, it’s too late for that. Jim told her a coupla’ days ago he was breakin’ up with her.” He paused, pressing his key fob to unlock his car. There was a loud click and the lights flashed as the central locking system on his Aston Martin disengaged.

  “She’d decided to throw herself into bein’ a good employee instead and was gonna ask Toni when she got back from vacation if there was a possibility of becomin’ a partner in the future. But now, after what’s just happened, Barrie doesn’t think she could raise the money to buy the business anyway. She’s pretty upset.”

  “I see.” Hillary glanced over her shoulder. “I guess me yelling at her won’t achieve anything. Shall I follow you to Toni’s place?”

  “Yeah,” Al said, opening the driver’s door and getting into his car. He smiled at Red, who was still standing beside Hillary. “Looks like Red wants to go with you, if you don’t mind.”

  “My pleasure.” Hillary opened the door of Toni’s car and Red jumped up onto the back seat while Luke got in the front passenger seat.

  *****

  At Toni’s home, Hillary handed Al the key for the heavy front door, and Al entered first. “We can leave at any time,” he said to Hillary with a reassuring smile. “Jes’ say the word.”

  She nodded and stepped inside after him.

  “I’m going to call Rob,” Luke said, still standing on the steps. “I’ll be there in a sec. And if you’re looking for Red, he’s wandered off into the garden.”

  Al made his way down the hallway, and when he reached the kitchen he held out his arm behind him to indicate to Hillary not to come any closer. “Jes’ a moment,” he said, taking another couple of steps towards the great room. The door was ajar, and a quick peek inside told Al all he needed to know. He clicked the door firmly shut. “You ain’t goin’ in there,” he said to Hillary. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll ask Rob to arrange for the room to be stripped and cleaned.”

  Hillary raised a hand to cover her mouth and turned away with a nod. Al followed her gaze to the family photos adorning the walls. Her eyes rested on one of her and Toni wearing evening dresses.

  “You both look pretty,” Al said, stepping beside her. “Was it a party?”

  “My mother’s second wedding,” Hillary said, her voice a monotone. “It broke up the family. It’s hard to believe only a year earlier, my father was alive and well and everything was perfect. The cancer got him quickly, and he only survived a few months after his initial diagnosis. As soon as Mom married Ethan, Toni moved away, and I barely saw Mom even though I lived nearby. I don’t blame her, though. It was Ethan’s fault, not hers.”

  “That’s sad,” Al said. He didn’t want to upset Hillary further by pointing out her mom was a grown woman who had a mind of her own, because he knew things were not always that straightforward. Controlling men had a way of isolating women, making them vulnerable and unable to stand up for themselves.

  Just then Luke came through the front door and walked down the hallway. Al turned to Hillary and said, “Me and Luke are gonna’ take a look around down here and see what we can find. Do ya’ wanna’ go upstairs and check out Toni’s bedroom?” Seeing her face crumple, he reached into his pocket and handed her a handkerchief.

  “I’ll call you if I find anything,” Hillary said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “And thanks,” she said, blowing her nose into the handkerchief before making her way up the staircase, quietly sobbing.

  Al reached for Toni’s phone which was sitting on the hallway table. “Ima gonna’ start with this and make a list of Toni’s recent calls and texts. Luke, the kitchen’s down there. I’m sure ya’ can find the coffee before ya’ do anything else.”

  Luke grinned. “You got it.”

  Al was still in the middle of logging Toni’s telephone calls when he heard Hillary yell for him from upstairs. He bounded up the narrow staircase and found her sitting on the edge of a bed in a room with a triangular-shaped sloped ceiling. Stepping over the neatly-packed open suitcase on the floor and a pair of shoes lying on the rug, Al walked over to where Hillary was holding out a piece of paper, her eyes shining.

  “This was on the nightstand,” she said, handing him a handwritten to-do list. “I found it beside the photo of Toni and Jace.”

  Al looked at the framed photograph beside the bed, in which a beaming Toni and a grinning man with hi
s arm around her were standing beside a stream, dressed in waterproof jackets and wearing rain boots.

  Glancing at the note Hillary had handed him, he read it aloud as Luke appeared in the doorway. “Here we go. ‘One,’” he said. “‘Need to talk to Barrie and tell her that if she keeps up with the attitude, maybe she should look for another job.’ I guess that ties in with what Barrie was sayin’ to me earlier. She knew she’d been slackin’ and Toni was on to her.”

  He gazed back down at the page. “‘Two. Tell Tyler I know about him trying to destroy my creditability with the Northwest Food company. My lawyer says it’s slander.’” He looked up. “Sounds like Rob was right about him, too. As well as the legal dispute Hillary mentioned, Tyler musta’ been bad mouthin’ Toni to other clients.”

  A sad smile crossed his face as he read the last item and looked over at Hillary.

  “Wow. ‘Three. Tell Jace yes, yes, yes!!!’ Think that means she was gettin’ serious with this Jace dude?”

  Hillary’s voice was barely a whisper. “Uh-huh.”

  Al rubbed his chin. “We need to talk to Jace. If he and Toni were that close, maybe he knows somethin’. Unless Rob has any reason to think otherwise, Jace ain’t a suspect. Whaddya’ think?”

  “Let’s go,” Luke said.

  Hillary started to stand up, but her knees buckled, and she slipped back onto the bed.

  “Luke, help Hillary downstairs and drive her back to my place,” Al instructed. “Ima gonna’ meet ya’ there. I jes’ need to finish up here and call Jace to ask him to see us.”

  He waved a finger at Hillary, who had opened her mouth to protest. “No arguments. Al’s da’ boss.”

  CHAPTER 14

  “I don’t think Hillary’s happy about not coming with us to see Jace.” Luke said as he gripped the inner door handle while Al floored the accelerator of his Aston Martin and sped down the driveway.

  In his rearview mirror, Al could see Cassie standing at the doorway of their house with her arm around Hillary, watching them drive off. “Yeah, but Hillary’s in no state of mind to go anywhere. She’s been runnin’ on adrenaline all day. She was up walkin’ Red before dawn, so I was right to insist she stay home with Cassie and rest a while.”

  “I’m not saying you’re not right,” Luke said. “But Hillary was asking me when we were in Toni’s office earlier how I coped after Megan was murdered. I told her keeping busy was the only way I stayed sane. Does leaving her back there, knowing how helpless she must feel, make me a hypocrite?”

  Al grunted. “Ya’ worry too much. Jes’ think how happy she’ll be when we find Toni’s murderer.”

  Luke glanced at Al. “Let’s hope Jace can help with that. By the way, Rob still hasn’t found out anything on Ethan’s current whereabouts. He sold the marital home when his wife died and cleaned out the bank accounts. What Rob can’t figure out is why he’s come to a dead end when trying to establish what his new address is.”

  “Maybe he’s couch surfin’ with friends or he’s been on the road and paid cash fer wherever he’s stayin’,” Al said. “But I’m sure Rob’ll work it out. Now do me a favor, will ya’?” He swerved the car to a stop outside a truck stop diner. Reaching into his pocket, he handed Luke a handful of dollar bills.

  “Mine’s a chocolate shake and a waffle. Yers’ is on me, but don’t go crazy, ya’ hear me?” He tapped the side of his nose and chuckled. “This is our little secret, Luke, got it? Cassie’s on a healthy eatin’ drive. She says Ima gettin’ chunky. But you an’ me both know catchin’ killers is hungry work.”

  Luke grinned and grabbed the cash out of Al’s hand. “It sure is, Boss. I’ll be right back.”

  *****

  “I guess this is what you kids would call a hipster kinda’ place,” Al said when they reached the address for the television studio facilities where Jace Carson worked. Conveniently located in the city, it was on the historical ship canal of North Lake Union in the heart of Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.

  There were several studios nearby. They were surrounded by several of the world’s largest software development companies, gourmet coffee houses, restaurants, boutique shops, and legendary music venues. He gawked at several people who were walking past them in the street. “Do ya’ need a beard and tattoos to work around here, I wonder?”

  “Just the guys,” Luke said. He pointed at Al’s chin. “You could lose the waffle syrup, though.”

  Al rubbed his chin with his finger and quickly stuck it in his mouth to remove the offending syrup. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “I coulda’ worked in the movies, ya’ know, but my real life was more excitin’. Maybe someday they’ll make a movie outta’ the story of my life. Come to think of it, I should write a book about it and sell the screen rights. I was sorta’ meanin’ to do that when I retired, ‘cept my retirement got delayed.”

  They walked into the lobby. “Who would you want to play you in the movie?” Luke asked casually.

  Al looked serious. “It’s a tough question. Ima thinkin’ Al Pacino. He’s not as good lookin’ as me, although we do share a name. Or Ray Liotta, maybe? I liked him in Goodfellas.”

  Luke nodded back at him with a straight face. “Good choice. And do you have anyone lined up to play Cassie?”

  “She might have somethin’ to say about that. I’d have to let her decide.”

  The receptionist gave them directions to Jace’s office, where they were met by a young man with a beard and wearing leather pants. “Mr. Carson won’t be long,” he said. “He’s just finishing up an important call.”

  Al gave Luke a knowing glance, and they sat down to wait.

  A man Al recognized from the photo on Toni’s nightstand came out of his office several minutes later. Tall, with sandy hair, Al was pleased to note the stubble on his chin did not constitute a beard. It was more like a couple of day’s growth.

  “Jace Carson,” the man said, offering a firm handshake to both Al and Luke, who introduced themselves in turn. “Please, come into my office, where we can speak in private. Can my assistant get you any refreshments? I don’t know about you, but it’s been a long day, and I haven’t eaten. I could do with a beer and some snacks.”

  Al thought about the waffle and chocolate milkshake that were barely digested in his stomach, and the fajitas Cassie had said she was making for dinner. He shook his head. “Ima gonna’ pass, Jace, thanks. But you two go ahead.”

  He watched as Young-Beardy-Guy-In-The-Tight-Pants entered with beers for Jace and Luke within seconds of Jace buzzing through to him on the speakerphone, along with a tray of chips and dips and mini bowls of popcorn.

  “Thanks fer agreein’ to see us on such short notice,” Al said, trying to ignore the urge to help himself to some of the chips. “We really appreciate ya’ makin’

  time for us in yer’ schedule. Especially under the circumstances. You have our heartfelt condolences, Mr. Carson.”

  “Please, call me Jace. I was expecting to hear from you, as Hillary told me when we spoke earlier that she’d hired you to take on the case.” He looked directly at Al. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t get out of being on set today, due to a diva presenter whose name I won’t mention. It’s essential that I’m around to deal with all of her quirky demands, otherwise we’d never wrap the show.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe this is happening. Last time I saw Toni, I, we—” His voice cracked. “Sorry, I just need a few moments.”

  Observing someone’s grief was always interesting for Al. There was a sense of voyeurism, of intruding on their privacy, but the insight it allowed into the person’s character and whether their emotions were genuine was an invaluable part of judging whether they had anything to hide. In this case, he sensed Jace was trying to be strong and to hold himself together.

  They sat in silence while Jace composed himself, the snacks on the table left untouched.

  “I was about to say, the last time I saw Toni we shared a very special moment,” Jace said, his eyes shining. “I propose
d to her over dinner two nights ago. She was the love of my life. I didn’t want to waste one second apart from her.”

  “What was her answer?” Al said, remembering the note beside Toni’s bed. His eyes never left Jace’s.

  Jace gave him a sad smile. “I don’t know. I guess I never will. Toni was…hesitant about marriage. She’d had one bad experience of her own, and she felt her mother had been let down by her own husband in the last few years of her life. I told her to think it over and let me know when she got back from her vacation with Hillary. I think she probably wanted to run it past her sister. They were very close.”

  “Yeah,” Al said. I like this guy, he thought to himself. No airs or graces, no pretence. He says it like it is.

  “Jace, can ya’ think of anyone Toni mighta’ been havin’ problems with?”

  Jace took a swig of his beer. “I don’t think it’s a secret that Tyler Alexander had a grudge against her.”

  “Is that the blog guy?” Al said. “Munchies, or somethin’?”

  “Nibbles,” Luke corrected him.

  “That’s right,” Jace went on. “They were involved in a legal dispute, and Toni wouldn’t back down. As a result, Toni felt he was trying to ruin her business. She was aware Tyler had told several food magazines and other clients her work was substandard, and they should use her competitor, Food for the Soul Photography, instead. Thing is, Toni and the owner of that business got along great and actually recommended each other if one of them couldn’t take a job. Her business was growing constantly, and Tyler didn’t have much sway.”

  “What’s your personal opinion of Tyler?” Luke asked. “Do you know him?”

  Jace gave a wry smile. “Everyone knows him. He’s an attention seeker. He lives large and documents pretty much everything on social media, although his online profiles have gotten rather quiet lately. He has a reputation for irrational behavior and is known to accuse others anytime something goes wrong. You’d need to speak with Toni’s lawyer to get all the details, but Tyler pinned the blame on Toni for his blog earnings taking a nosedive recently. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s overextended himself financially.”