Murder with Orange Pekoe Tea

by Karen Rose Smith

  Zeke crossed his arms on the desk and leaned forward. “Talk,” he ordered.

  “Talk? Should I take that as a voice command, Detective?”

  “Are you going to fight me on everything I say?” He looked at Jonas. “Does she do this with you?”

  Jonas smiled. “Nope. Not with me.”

  Zeke sighed. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  If the subject they were talking about weren’t so serious, Daisy would have smiled. But it was serious. Her attack had been serious. She’d been scared to death. “Is it all right if I tell you what happened to me the other day first?”

  “You mean the attack with the stun gun? I have notes on that.”

  “No. Yesterday. Jonas took me out for a canoe ride.”

  It was obvious from Zeke’s expression that he didn’t think this had anything to do with his case, but with a wave of his hand, he motioned her to go on.

  “We were canoeing because Jonas thought it would help me relax. But we heard what I thought was a shot. Jonas thought it was fireworks. I fell apart. I felt like someone’s eyes were on me the whole time we were out on the canoe.”

  Again Zeke glanced at Jonas, but Jonas gave a shrug. “She does have a sixth sense sometimes.”

  “That’s not what’s important,” Daisy pointed out. “What’s important is that that stun gun attack really had me spooked. Jonas stayed overnight last night. He left Felix with me. I’m better today. I feel like myself again. But I don’t want to be scared like that ever again.”

  “And now you’re going to tell me something I don’t want to hear, right?” Zeke asked.

  “I don’t care if you want to hear it or not. I visited the man at the paint store, the witness who had seen the suspect running away from Hiram’s office the night of the murder.”

  Now the lines across Zeke’s forehead deepened as well as the lines around his mouth. In fact, he had more than a scowl on his face. She could almost hear the growl that was coming.

  She held up her hand. “I know you questioned him. I know you have notes on him. I know you probably even have a recording. But I want you to listen.” She had never let Zeke bully her, or Detective Rappaport, and she wasn’t going to start now, not even with the deepest scowl she’d ever seen on his face.

  Zeke turned to his computer and tapped a few keys. He said, “Keith Farber was the man who saw someone running from Hiram’s office. I ran a background check on him. He just has a couple of unpaid parking tickets. Other than that, he seems to be hard working. He has a family.”

  “I didn’t care about all that,” Daisy said.

  Zeke pointed to his computer screen. “He couldn’t tell me anything about the person who ran away—no description except tall, slim, all in black. Tell me you got more than that.”

  “Not exactly,” Daisy admitted. “I got that but maybe I got something more.”

  Zeke turned back to her, his eyes narrowed. “What did you find out?”

  “I didn’t see who used the stun gun on me, but as Jonas said, sometimes you simply sense something. Although the voice was deep, I think that could have been a fake voice.”

  “What do you mean a fake voice?”

  “Like an actor uses. Or a ventriloquist uses. A voice to throw you off the scent. Anyway, I had the sense that it was a woman who did it.”

  “A woman. Someone in particular? And how could you tell? And what does this have to do with the paint store clerk?”

  “Maybe you don’t discover as much as I do because you don’t give the witnesses you interrogate a chance to get a word in edgewise,” she returned.

  “Okay,” he said with a long sigh. “Tell me.”

  “I asked the man in the paint store if he saw the person run, and he said he did. And I asked if he watched the hips.”

  “The hips,” Zeke said deadpan.

  “There’s a different way a woman runs than a man runs. I asked him if the hips rocked.”

  Zeke looked nonplussed. “And?”

  “Rocking hips could mean he saw a woman—oversized hoodie, loose trousers, sneakers. The way a person runs is unique. I think we’re looking for a woman.”

  Zeke was already shaking his head. “Daisy.”

  “This is a clue. When you look over the suspects, look at the women . . . their alibis or lack thereof.”

  Jonas was no longer leaning against the wall. He straightened and came to stand beside Daisy. “She’s not telling you she has the answers, Zeke. But she is telling you that a woman’s intuition might mean something.”

  Daisy and Zeke had had their share of go-arounds, so had Jonas and Zeke for that matter. But this was different. This was a case that needed to be solved.

  Zeke studied them both. “You’ve been right before. I don’t see that it works in this case, especially with the motive, opportunity, and substance that I’ve learned along with the autopsy report. But I’ll take what you said into consideration. I will, Daisy. I promise.”

  The reason Zeke had betrayed Jonas in the past had been for love. He and Jonas had both fallen in love with the same woman. Zeke had put his own needs over his friendship with Jonas. But Daisy knew deep down that Zeke was an honest man. She knew he meant what he said. That was the reason she’d come. That was all that she needed to know.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The next day, Daisy was clearing the register at five fifteen when Jonas texted her. “Can you stop at Woods before you go home? Just stop in the back.”

  She quickly texted him that of course she could. Fifteen minutes later, the tearoom locked up, she walked along the macadam parking lot. The work van and Tessa’s car were parked back there. She passed the hitching post and walked straight across the asphalt behind the other businesses. She easily walked on gravel, through grass, and even crossing stepping-stones.

  At the rear entrance of Woods, she knocked on the door.

  Jonas answered immediately. “Come on in,” he said. “I have a surprise.”

  Her heart started beating faster, and she felt like a little kid on Christmas morning.

  In Jonas’s workshop near a highboy stood two bicycles. One was a man’s bike and appeared to be about twenty-six inches. It was silver. The handlebars had wires that looked complicated and she imagined the bike had fifteen or twenty speeds. The one next to it looked a little smaller, less complicated, and was rose gold.

  “What are these?”

  “They’re used bikes, though you can hardly tell it from their condition. I hope you don’t mind that they’re used. Until we find out if we like biking, I thought they’d be a modest investment. What do you think?”

  First Daisy went to Jonas, wrapped her arms round his neck and gave him a long kiss. Then she backed up. “I think they’re a marvelous idea. I want to pay for mine.”

  “Daisy . . .”

  “I’m an independent woman, Jonas, you know that.”

  “You won’t accept it as a Fourth of July gift?” he teased.

  The Fourth was in two days. She gave him a you-should-know-better look and went over to the bicycle. She sat on it as well as she could while it was standing in the workshop.

  “I’m hoping biking will be a great pastime for us,” Jonas said.

  “What about Jazzi?” Daisy asked.

  “I actually found these at a yard sale when I was delivering furniture. The man I bought them from said they’d belonged to their son and daughter. They’re in college and don’t use them anymore. I took them to my mechanic who can do anything mechanical. He checked them over, and I touched them up and polished them. For Jazzi—I thought maybe we could buy her a new bike, maybe from Piper’s shop.”

  Daisy thought about his idea. “I’d like to do that for Jazzi. She so often got hand-me-downs from Vi and never complained. She could take it to college with her if she goes somewhere within driving distance.”

  “She could,” Jonas agreed. “Why don’t we wait until she gets home from babysitting and go into Piper’s shop and then out to eat?”r />
  “That sounds like a good plan.”

  Not long afterward, Jazzi seemed to like the idea of getting a bicycle and the three of them going riding. They had plenty of roads they could ride them on that didn’t have too much traffic, where there were more horses and buggies than cars.

  She said to Daisy, “Are you sure you don’t want me to look through ads to find a used bike?”

  “No. I think you deserve a new one. Your grades were exceptional this year. You’re working hard to save money for a car.”

  “Are you doing this because you bought things for Vi and the baby? Because you don’t have to buy me things too.”

  “This has nothing to do with Vi and the baby. This is just something I want to do for you because you’re a good kid. And we’d like you to take bike rides with us.”

  Jazzi smiled. “All right. Let’s go buy a bike.”

  Jonas had carried the bikes on the multi-bike rack he’d had attached to the back of his SUV. They parked almost in front of Wheels and went inside. Jazzi looked all around and then headed toward one particular display of Schwinn bikes.

  Piper saw them and came over immediately. No one else was in the store.

  “You caught me right before closing,” she said. “It looks as if Jazzi might have her eye on a bike.”

  Jazzi was pointing to a blue and purple one that looked to be about the right size for her.

  “Jazzi wants to pick out a bike, something practical for riding around here on rural roads.”

  “The one she’s looking at would be great for that. Let me pull it out for her.”

  Piper went over to the row of bikes on the rack. She easily lifted the one Jazzi wanted to look at up and over two others. Daisy found it suddenly hard to breathe. Piper had done that so easily. Just how strong was she?

  As Piper explained the many features of the bike to Jazzi, Daisy stepped away for a minute toward the window. To her dismay she felt as if she were back outside of A Penny Saved, locking the door, ready to leave. Then someone had stepped behind her . . . someone who seemed tall. Someone who had seemed strong. If... she thought. If her assailant had been a woman—

  Jonas came over to Daisy and settled his arm around her waist. “What’s up?” he asked quietly.

  “Piper’s taller than I am.”

  “Yes, she is,” Jonas said.

  “She lifted that bike as if it had no weight at all.”

  “Yes, she did. What are you getting at?”

  “I’ve got to be wrong. I’m probably totally wrong. But when I think about that night when someone used a stun gun on me, I wonder if it could have been Piper.”

  Jonas’s expression hardened and his jaw became tense. His detective voice asked, “Any particular reason you think that?”

  Daisy took a deep breath. “No particular reason. But I think it’s a possibility. After all, she has as much motive as anybody else . . . at least as much motive as Emory.”

  Jazzi called to them. “What do you think, Mom? Is this one okay?”

  Piper was looking that way with a questioning expression. Was that a calculating look she gave Daisy? Or was Daisy just being paranoid?

  Keeping her tone light, Daisy answered breezily, “Just imagining how you’d look on it while we’re riding along the trees and through the covered bridge.” She said to Piper, “Jonas and I were just discussing whether it’s the right size for her. What do you think?”

  Piper looked relieved that that’s what they’d been talking about. “I think it’s perfect for her height. Shall I ring it up?”

  After Daisy paid for the bike, Jonas wheeled it outside toward his SUV. While Jazzi climbed into the back seat, he loaded it onto the bike rack. Three bikes hung in a row.

  He said to Daisy, “You know, I feel as if I’m part of a family. It’s a good feeling.”

  Daisy, who through the process of buying the bike had convinced herself she had to be wrong about Piper, now focused entirely on Jonas. She stood close to him and interlaced her fingers with his. “You are part of a family.”

  After bike shopping, Jonas drove to Sarah Jane’s Diner for supper. Seated in a booth, they decided what to order from the large menu. The special of the day was pot roast, one of Jonas’s favorite meals and he could have it served with mashed potatoes topped with sauerkraut. It wasn’t Daisy’s favorite, but then he was a meat and potatoes kind of guy. After all, her suppers now saved him from fast food burgers and fries.

  Other specials for tonight were Sarah Jane’s fried chicken, roasted turkey and stuffing, country-fried steaks smothered in gravy, liver and onions, and smoked ham. The sides were almost as good as the main dishes including Amish potato cakes, Amish noodles, mac and cheese, fried okra, chow-chow, homemade applesauce, or baked hot apples. Daisy and Jazzi decided to split a strawberry field salad that included fresh spring lettuce, strawberries, almonds, dried cranberries, and chunks of cheddar cheese. It was served with raspberry vinaigrette and homemade apple bread. In addition, Jazzi ordered a bowl of chili con carne while Daisy ordered a chicken orzo soup.

  Sarah Jane’s Diner was usually packed at supper time. Everyone had a favorite special and they came the night she served it. Her prices were reasonable and the food was delicious. Along with her personality, Sarah Jane managed a tight ship, stuck to her budget, took advantage of sales, and always produced dinners a family could enjoy. Not only were all of those conditions met for running a successful business, but Sarah Jane knew how to pick the waitstaff and her kitchen staff. They were loyal to her and only wanted to do their best.

  An older woman in her fifties came to take their order. Eunice Jones had been with Sarah Jane almost since Sarah Jane had opened the restaurant. Before waitressing here, Eunice had worked at a chain restaurant in one of the Lancaster malls. She’d told Daisy more than once that working for Sarah Jane here was like being in heaven. She knew her exact hours from week to week, mostly what her tips would be, and on top of all that, she liked everyone she worked with.

  As Eunice stood at their table, Jonas ordered coffee as did Daisy. Jazzi opted for unsweetened iced tea. Eunice took their orders efficiently and then winked at Daisy. “Sarah Jane told me she has something she wants to speak with you about, but she’s too busy right now. She just wants to make sure you don’t leave without talking with her.”

  “No problem,” Daisy assured her. “If she has a break, let me know and I’ll come back there to her office to talk with her.”

  “She wouldn’t want you to interrupt your dinner. You know she thinks that would give you indigestion,” Eunice explained with a wink as she left the table with their menus.

  “What do you think that’s about?” Jonas asked.

  Jazzi unwrapped her silverware and laid the napkin on her lap. “I bet any money she has something to tell you about the investigation.”

  “Jazzi, not everything revolves around that,” Daisy reminded her.

  “Sarah Jane doesn’t interfere with her supper service for just anyone,” Jazzi concluded.

  The laugh lines around Jonas’s eyes crinkled. The scar along his cheek wasn’t evident tonight which meant he was relaxed. When he smiled, she didn’t notice the scar at all. “Your daughter knows you and Sarah Jane pretty well, I’d say.”

  Daisy scrunched up her nose in disagreement. “I’m more interested in discussing where we’re going to ride those bicycles. You and Jazzi might want to take yours out before I can get to mine. Aunt Iris, Tessa, and I will be preparing for the garden event this weekend.”

  “Ned told me that he’s going to be playing his guitar,” Jazzi said as if she was looking forward to that. “I’ve never heard him play while I’m waiting tables. It will make the time go faster.”

  “I’m hoping we’ll be so busy time will fly by,” Daisy said. “We’ve sold enough tickets for a full house.”

  “Since Brielle will be serving with me,” Jazzi said, “she told me her mom’s going to bring Glorie. It will give her a nice day out. I didn’t see a
flyer for your garden party in Piper’s store, but the flyers are in most of the other windows.”

  Most of the shops had a pact that if they had a special event going on, each business in the chamber of commerce would help promote it. Daisy had several flyers in her windows because many businesses were having events on Fourth of July weekend.

  Eunice brought their drinks and they all took a few minutes to relax and sip.

  Jonas asked Daisy, “Do you still need me to help set up the tables tomorrow evening?”

  “I’d love to have your help. Foster will be there and I think Ben’s coming too. I told Foster I’d tip Ben if he helped.”

  “It shouldn’t take us too long,” Jonas said. “And then you have a day off on Monday, right? Maybe we could take the bikes out on Monday, all three of us. I also thought we might visit Adele Gunnarsen, Felix’s mom.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Daisy said.

  They were just finishing up their dinners when Eunice beckoned to Daisy.

  Daisy said, “Don’t leave without me. This shouldn’t take too long.” She slipped out of the booth and headed toward the back and Sarah Jane’s office.

  Most of Sarah Jane’s staff knew Daisy, and they smiled or waved or said hello as she made her way to the back with Eunice showing her the way.

  Sarah Jane emerged from the kitchen and met Daisy at the office door. “Come on in,” she said. “I’ve something to tell you and I think it’s important.”

  Sarah Jane’s office was about as big as Jonas’s in the back of his workshop . . . very small. Piles of papers were stacked on the desk while magazines and cookbooks lined the short bookshelves. Two wooden straight-back chairs weren’t comfortable but rather utilitarian.

  As Sarah Jane sat behind the desk, Daisy took the other chair in front of the desk.

  “What’s this about?” Daisy asked.

  “I overhear lots of conversations in a day and evening,” Sarah Jane said. “Many of them I’m not supposed to hear, but while I’m circulating, people don’t notice me and they just keep talking.”