Drop Dead Chocolate (7 page)

“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll stick around.”

Ray winked at his daughter, and I saw her return it. I had a feeling that tomorrow’s story would be full of quotes from an anonymous witness, but at least that way maybe Ray would get things right. I knew that for Emma, getting her father’s approval about anything meant a great deal, so I couldn’t really blame her.

“What happens now?” Momma asked.

“I need to speak with each of you alone,” he said.

“What did Jake say?” I asked.

“He couldn’t talk, but he said he’d call me right back,” Chief Martin said. He then turned to my mother and suggested, “Dorothy, why don’t we go first?”

“Are you sure someone else shouldn’t conduct the interviews?” George asked.

“I can handle it fine on my own. Why, are you volunteering?” The last bit was said with a bite, and I saw George flinch a little.

He didn’t back down, though. “Chief, you really should let Grant do it.”

The chief looked at George as though he wanted to swat him, but again, Momma intervened. “You know, that might be for the best.”

“Grant!” the chief barked out, and the young officer appeared quickly. Stephen Grant had become a friend of mine over the past few years, coming in for donuts when he was off duty, but no outsider would have been able to tell that at the moment.

“Sir,” he said.

“Take this group to the squad room and interview them individually about what happened this morning. I expect you to be thorough and show no favoritism. Is that understood?”

The officer nodded, looked surprised for a split second, and then said to us, “If you’ll all follow me, please.”

As we walked away, I glanced back at the chief of police for one quick second. There was a look of helplessness on his face that I hadn’t seen before, a vulnerability that made me like him more than I ever had. He was clearly torn between his love for my mother and his duty, and I didn’t envy him that one bit. He was decent at what he did, but he wasn’t on a level with Jake, and somehow that conflict made him a little more human to me.

*   *   *

I was waiting to speak with Officer Grant next when my phone rang. “What’s going on, Suzanne?” Jake asked.

“Did you talk to the chief yet?” I asked.

“Yes,” he admitted. “He asked me to take the mayor’s murder case, but I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

I couldn’t believe that Jake would back down from a case like that. “Why not? You know all of the people involved.”

“That’s the problem,” he said. “It could really complicate things.”

“Have you at least considered it?” I asked him.

He paused, and I could almost see him running his hand through his hair. “Suzanne, think about it. Do you really want to put me in a position where I might have to arrest your mother for murder?”

The thought chilled me, but I knew in my heart that at least if Jake were involved, he’d do everything in his power to be sure he had the facts before he acted. “I’m not worried about it at all, because I know in my heart that she didn’t do it.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Whoops, sorry, I’ve got to go. Call you later.”

With that, he hung up on me. Did Jake really have to go, or was he just unwilling to finish that conversation? I was still thinking about calling him back when Momma walked out of the conference room and motioned to me. “He’s ready for you now.”

I stopped when I got to her and gave Momma a hard and long hug. “How are you holding up?” I asked.

“I’m managing fine,” she said. “Thanks for asking.”

“I just asked Jake to come,” I said as I pulled away.

“What did he say?” she asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. My mother was a big fan of Jake’s, and I knew how much faith she had in him.

“We’re still discussing it,” I said.

She deflated a little just then, and I wanted to say more, but Officer Grant stepped out of the room and looked pointedly at me. “Suzanne, I need to see you right now.”

There was an edge of steel in his voice as he said it, and I knew better than to do anything but comply.

“Stay strong,” I said as I squeezed Momma’s hand.

*   *   *

Inside, there was a video camera set up, as well as a microphone attached to a tape recorder. It was all rather intimidating, but I took a deep breath and sat down in the chair that he indicated. After I’d gone over my story three times and answered every question Officer Grant had, he reached over and shut off all of the equipment.

“Thanks,” he said, easing his stern demeanor at last. “Suzanne, don’t take offense by the way I acted.”

I patted his hand. “Don’t worry about me. I know that you’re just doing your job.”

“I appreciate that,” he answered with a smile.

As I stood, I asked, “Who would you like next?”

“Send in George,” he said. “I probably won’t even have to prompt him.”

I did as I was asked, and after George was inside, I sat down beside Emma on the bench in front of the interrogation room.

It was clear that the excitement had worn off and the ramifications of what we had seen were beginning to sink in. “I had to call Dad when I saw the mayor’s body, Suzanne. Don’t be mad at me.”

I patted her hand. “I understand. Just don’t let him stiff you on the fifty bucks.” Ray Blake offered a crime dog reward to anyone who reported a major crime to him.

“Don’t worry, he’ll pay,” she said.

“Listen,” I said gently, “I know your father is going to interview you as soon as you get home, and I understand it’s something you’re going to have to do, but take it easy on Momma, okay?”

Emma looked taken aback by my request. “Suzanne, I don’t think your mother’s involved in this. I would never say anything like that, especially not to my dad.”

I stepped carefully here. “Your father might have a way of bringing it out of you.”

“If he tries to, Mom and I will make sure he never stops regretting it. I’ve got your back on this, trust me.”

I nodded, but I knew Ray Blake, too. By tomorrow morning, all of April Springs might just be under the impression that my mother was a murderer.

I had no choice but to make sure they didn’t believe it very long. Whether Jake worked the case or not, I was going to get Grace and George together, and we were going to find out what really happened to Cam Hamilton.

It was really the only thing that I could do.

CHAPTER 5

Outside of the police station, I looked around for Momma, hoping that she’d stayed close by, but she must have gone off on her own as soon as Officer Grant finished questioning her. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself, but my growling stomach answered the question. It was nearly two and I hadn’t had lunch yet. First things first.

I walked over to the Boxcar and found Trish standing up front at the register. Things had been buzzing inside until I showed up, but they’d suddenly gotten awfully quiet when folks realized that I’d walked in.

“Suzanne, are you all right?” Trish asked. She was a dear friend of mine, second only to Grace, and we’d been pals forever. She still wore the same ponytail she’d had all through school, and had somehow managed to stay fit and trim enough to fit into her prom dress, something that I would never be able to do again.

“I’m fine,” I said, loud enough to give the customers eating at the restaurant a chance to hear. “Everything’s good.”

“It’s just terrible about the mayor, isn’t it?”

I had to agree. I hadn’t been a big fan of the man, but he hadn’t deserved to come to an end that way. “Murder is never an easy thing to take, no matter who the victim is.”

“Do they have any idea who might have done it?” Trish asked.

“Not a clue yet,” I said. I looked around the dining room, and most folks had the decency to at least look like they weren’t watching and listening to us.

“If there’s anything I can do—and I mean anything—all you have to do is ask. I’m on your side.” She said it loud enough so that folks all the way over in Union Square could hear it. It meant a lot to me, having Trish’s very public support.

I smiled at her as I said, “Thanks, but I’m good. Any chance I could get a table?”

“I’ve got one right here,” she said, and seated me close to the register. “Is Grace coming, or is she working today?”

As a corporate sales rep for a cosmetics firm, my best friend’s hours were pretty much her own, so it was a legitimate question. “She’s off today, but she and her boyfriend are antiquing.”

Trish hadn’t had much luck finding someone to date over the past few years, so she said with a wistful air, “Peter’s a real looker, isn’t he? I can’t believe he goes shopping with her, too.”

I decided to let that go with a nod.

Trish got it immediately, dropped it on the spot, and then asked, “What can I get for you?”

I was in the mood for something different. “Let’s shake things up today. How about a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with a side of coleslaw and a glass of sweet tea?”

“You’ve got it,” she said.

I was sitting there, trying not to notice that folks were still staring at me, when my phone rang. I was happy for the distraction, and doubly pleased that it was Jake.

“I wasn’t sure you were going to call me back,” I said with a slight laugh. “I had a feeling you were finished with that particular conversation by the way you ended it.”

“Sorry, my boss was on the line. When he calls, I answer.”

“I didn’t know he intimidated you,” I said with a smile.

“He doesn’t, but if I cross him, he has the power to make me write parking tickets instead of investigating murder.”

I got it. Jake loved the excitement of what he did, and if he had to do something far below his detecting abilities, it would drive him crazy. “Was he asking you for an update on the blackmail case? How is it going, by the way?”

“Actually, he called to congratulate me. I solved it this morning,” Jake said matter-of-factly.

“Really? That’s great. Whodunnit?”

“It wasn’t that hard to figure out that it was his mistress,” Jake said. “When the man refused to leave his wife, she decided to give him a little incentive. It wasn’t the crime of the century; the local cops here would have solved it soon enough.”

“Are you getting any time off?” I asked, perhaps a little too eagerly. Having Jake as close as he was and not being able to see him at least for one date would be torture. “I probably don’t even have to say it, but if you have a spare hour or two, I’d love to see you.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Suzanne,” he said, his voice solemn.

“What does that mean?”

I heard Jake take a deep breath on the other end of the line, and then he said, “You got what you were hoping for. I’ve been officially assigned to Cam Hamilton’s murder investigation.”

“That’s just great,” I said, a little louder than I’d intended. “I can’t believe it.”

Jake sounded less than enthusiastic as he explained, “Suzanne, I tried to talk my boss out of the assignment, but he wouldn’t budge. The mayor’s murder is bound to get headlines, and he wants it solved quickly. ‘Hard and fast’ were his exact words. I’m afraid this is going to get intense.”

“I’m not worried. I know that you’ll do a good job,” I said.

“I always give it my all, but we need to talk. It’s important that we get one thing straight up front. I can’t play favorites for you, your mother, or any of your friends. This is going to be strictly by the book. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” I replied.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Are you being sarcastic?”

I knew better. As much as I liked to joke around, this was not the time for it. “Not a chance. I know you have a job to do, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you’re going to find the killer.”

Jake paused long enough so that I wondered if he was still on the line. When he did speak, he said, “Suzanne, you’re not digging into this yourself.”

When I didn’t respond, he asked, “Aren’t you going to answer me?”

“Funny, I didn’t hear a question,” I replied.

“I mean it. This is serious. I won’t have you meddling in something I’ve been ordered to investigate.”

Again, I didn’t answer.

He finally sighed and said, “You’re going to do what you think is best no matter what I say, aren’t you?”

“Finally, a real question. Yes, I am. Jake, there are folks who will talk to me who wouldn’t dream of saying a word to you. I’ll do my best not to get in your way, but I won’t stay out of this. It’s too important to me.”

I could hear a weary edge to his voice as he said, “You could have just lied to me, you know.”

I laughed. “I won’t do that, so be careful about what questions you ask.”

“Got it. Just be careful, okay? You’re too important to me to lose you.”

How sweet was that? There was a reason I loved this man. “When will you be here? Would you like to have dinner with us?”

“I wish I could, but until this case is over, I’m not going to be able to socialize with you or your mother. Trust me, I don’t want it to be that way, but there can’t be the slightest hint that I’m being unduly influenced. I love you, and I want to spend every minute I can with you, but I’m afraid it’s not going to happen this time.”

“You’re forgiven,” I said, “only because I understand what you’re saying, and you added that you loved me. I love you, too, by the way.”

“It’s not going to be easy, is it?” he asked, and I could almost hear the grin as he said it.

“No, but what fun would that be?” Getting serious again for a moment, I said, “Jake, do whatever you have to do, and when this is all over, we’ll be a couple again.”

“No matter what?”

“No matter what,” I said, trying my best not to think about just how much ground that statement covered.

*   *   *

By the time I got home, I was feeling kind of blue. Having Jake in April Springs and not being able to see him was going to be tough, and I knew it. Every point he made was a good one, though, and I knew in my heart that he was right. We’d find a way to get through this.

I knew my mother couldn’t be feeling all that great, so I did my best to put on a smile when I walked into the cottage.