Measured Mayhem

by Jessica Beck

  “Well, I do,” Davis said as he left his table and sat down across from me. “You’re not going to just stand there, are you?”

  “No, sir,” she said with a smile as she took her place again. “Thanks, Davis.”

  “There’s no need to thank me,” he said. “I know you didn’t kill Cecile Marbury.”

  “You might be the only one in town who thinks that, including my husband,” Autumn said as she tried to slump down in her seat a little.

  “Jeff’s had a great shock,” Davis said. “Give him some time. He’ll come around.”

  “Not unless we find who really killed Mrs. Marbury,” I said.

  He turned to me. “You’re the donutmaking sleuth, am I right?”

  “How could you possibly know that?” I asked him.

  “The police chief’s been coming here for breakfast since she was in high school,” he said softly. “We talk, and I’ve got to tell you, she’s worried about you.”

  “Outshining her?” Autumn asked.

  Davis looked a little reluctant to share the truth, but I had a hunch about what he was hinting at. “She doesn’t want me mucking up her case,” I said.

  Davis nodded. “True enough, but once she left, I did a little digging online myself. You’ve got quite the track record when it comes to murder, young lady.”

  “Thank you?” I asked, more of a question than a statement.

  “I think it’s marvelous what you’ve done in the past. What do you say? Can you help our girl here out?” he asked as he gestured toward Autumn.

  “I’m trying,” I said. “The truth is that it’s tough getting anyone to come clean with us.”

  Davis nodded. “I get that.” Lowering his voice, he asked, “Where do things stand so far? Don’t worry, you can trust me.”

  Could I though, could I really? I didn’t know this man well at all, and besides, he’d just shared information with us that he’d gotten from the chief of police. Why should I think that wouldn’t be a two-way street? I’d nearly made up my mind to gently refuse his request when Autumn surprised me by speaking up first. “We’re looking at Jeff, Adam, Annie, Mr. Charleston, and even Lee, though that’s ridiculous, if you ask me.”

  Davis seemed to take it all in before he spoke. “I’m not so sure. He’s got it bad for you, Autumn. I could see him fighting with Cecile about you, and he’s got a temper.”

  That seemed to surprise her. “Really? I haven’t seen any sign of it.”

  “That’s because he’s gotten good at keeping it out of plain sight,” Davis said. “When he was in high school, another kid made fun of his girlfriend. Lee punched him in the nose and broke it with one hit. I wish that I could say that was the only time something like that happened, but if I did, I’d be lying.”

  “Still, that was in high school,” Autumn said a little nervously.

  “Which was quite a bit more recent than it was for the rest of us,” Davis added.

  Herbert chose that time to come out of the kitchen, and when he spotted us, he frowned. Oh, no. Were we about to be on the other end of his wrath?

  “I want to talk to you about what happened,” he said as he stood over Autumn. Before either one of us could say a word, he quickly added, “There’s no way you could have done what some people are saying that you did. I don’t believe it, and neither does anyone else with the least amount of sense.”

  “Thanks for that,” Autumn said, clearly relieved by his declaration.

  “Are you two having the special?” he asked.

  “I don’t even need to know what it is, but I want it,” I said as I nodded. “If you made it, that’s good enough for me.”

  “Make it two,” Autumn said.

  “See?” Herbert asked as he broke out into a grin. “I told you these two ladies were our kind of people, Davis.”

  “I never denied it, did I?” the older man asked. “Now go fetch their food.”

  Herbert grinned upon receiving the order. “I let him tell me what to do. It makes him feel good to act like he’s the one in charge around here.”

  After the cook disappeared back into the kitchen, I asked Davis, “Does he always act like that?”

  “The truth is that I wouldn’t want to run this café without him, so I give him a lot of latitude. What does it hurt? It makes him happy, and when he’s happy, his cooking is at its best. You’re in for a real treat this evening. He made a meatloaf that’s so tender and juicy it will break your heart, the mashed potatoes are from the farmer’s market, and the green beans, too. He sautés the beans in olive oil and some spice blend that he won’t tell me about, and it’s all amazing. I hope you like sweet tea, because unless you ask for something else, that’s what you’re going to get.”

  Ten seconds later a lovely dark-haired girl around eighteen, with Maria embroidered on her short apron, came over to the table with two teas. “Do you need anything while I’m here, boss?” she asked Davis after she delivered our drinks.

  “I’m fine, darlin’. How did finals go?”

  “I aced them all, Grandpa,” she said with a smile as she kissed his cheek.

  “No surprise there,” he said. “You always were the smartest one in the family.”

  “Besides you, you mean,” she said with a broad grin.

  “I thought that went without saying,” he said, smiling just the same.

  After she was gone, Davis said, “That young lady is heading off to Harvard in the fall.”

  “Wow, that’s got to be expensive,” I said, the words blurting out before I could filter them.

  “It would be, but she’s getting a full ride. I think that’s what she called it. It means they’re paying for everything. Can you imagine that?”

  “She must really be bright,” Autumn said.

  Davis leaned forward. “I’d never admit it in front of her, but I suspect that she actually might even be smarter than me.” His grin was infectious, and our moods began to lighten. It had been a tough day, especially since Autumn had found her mother-in-law’s body, but Davis was doing his best to ease our mood.

  When the food came, it looked as amazing as I’d expected. Instead of getting a meal like ours, Maria brought her grandfather a slice of peach cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream on top. “Don’t tell Momma I gave you this,” she whispered as she offered the older man a wink and a smile.

  “The things I haven’t told your mother over the years would fill an ocean,” Davis said as he started to dig in with relish.

  I took my first bite of meatloaf and couldn’t help but smile as well. It was truly incredible, from the meat itself to the tomato-based topping that covered it. The potatoes were firm and yet still creamy, and the green beans were good enough to eat as a main course all on their own. I saw Herbert peek out from the kitchen to see what we thought, and I stood up and started applauding. Autumn soon joined me, and we gave him a two-person standing ovation. He actually blushed from the attention, dismissed us with a wave of his hand, and then went back to work. I could see his grin as he ducked back, and Davis shook his head. “He’s going to be impossible for the next few days.”

  “It really is amazing,” I said as I sat and took up my fork again.

  “I know. I keep worrying that he’s going to realize that his skills are being underutilized here, but so far, he seems to be happy enough running my little kitchen.”

  “Why would he ever leave?” Autumn asked as she touched the older man’s arm. “You’re a wonderful boss.”

  “I do my best,” Davis said. After he finished his treat, but well before we made it through our meals, he jotted down what looked like a bill and slid it across the table to me.

  “It’s my treat this evening,” Autumn said as she reached for it.

  He just smiled and walked up front and out of the restaurant after leaving behind the customary five for his granddaughter. Autumn looked at the total, and then she frowned.

  “Listen, if it’s too much, I can cover it for you,” I said. I had no id
ea what her money situation was at the moment, but it couldn’t have been easy living on her own without a job.

  “That’s not it,” she said as she shoved the check toward me. In precise handwriting, it said,

  “Dinner’s on the house. Meet me in the park when you’re finished. We need to talk.”

  “What do you suppose that was all about?” Autumn asked me as I folded the note up and put it in my pocket.

  “He must have something to say,” I told her as I looked around the café. Several folks had been watching the three of us for the entire meal, and there was no doubt in my mind that they’d been hanging on every word that we’d said. “Let’s do as he asked.”

  “Fine, but I’m still leaving a tip,” she said as she dug into her wallet and pulled out a ten-dollar bill.

  “That’s too much,” Maria said with a frown when she spotted it a minute later.

  “For that meal? I’m not at all sure that it’s enough.”

  “Tell you what. I’ll split it with you,” she said as she took the five her grandfather had left her and handed it to Autumn. “I shouldn’t even take that, but my scholarship doesn’t cover everything, and I hear Boston is expensive.”

  “Congratulations on Harvard, by the way,” I said.

  “Thanks. I almost turned it down, but Grandpa talked me into it.”

  “Why on earth would you pass up an opportunity like that?” Autumn asked her.

  The young woman looked around the café wistfully. “This is the only home I’ve ever known. It’s going to be tough leaving it, and him,” she said. “I don’t know how many years he’s got left, and I don’t want to miss any of them.”

  “If I know your grandfather, I’m guessing that there’s no way he’d ever let you stay here when you’ve got something like that available to you,” I said.

  “I’d say you know him pretty well. I’ve taught him how to text, and next we’re going to work on Facetime so we can see each other when we chat. He’s picking it all up pretty fast.” She waved the ten in the air as she added, “Thanks for this. Dinner’s on the house.”

  “So we heard. Thanks, Maria,” Autumn said.

  “Come back anytime,” she said, and then she lowered her head toward us as she added, “For what it’s worth, I’m on your side, too.”

  It was nice to know that Davis, Herbert, and Maria had our backs, even if most of the rest of the residents didn’t.

  After all, any port in the storm was a good port.

  I couldn’t wait to hear what Davis had to say. It had to be juicy, or he never would have insisted that we meet him in the park.

  If we got lucky, it might just help lead us exactly where we wanted to go. I was well aware that we were under a time crunch that I’d rarely faced before. The chief of police could decide to arrest Autumn at any moment, and it felt as though we had hours, not days, to figure out who had killed Cecile Marbury.

  I just hoped that we were up for the challenge.

  Chapter 19

  “SORRY ABOUT THE CLOAK-and-dagger stuff, but I needed to talk to you two where no one else could hear us.” Davis looked around the park, and naturally, so did we. No one was paying any attention to us, which was a nice change of pace after being under so much scrutiny in the café.

  “We understand,” Autumn said. “It’s kind of brave of you to be willing to be seen with me at all.”

  “It’s not brave at all,” Davis said, dismissing her words casually. “You didn’t do it, but I might have an idea about who might. Have you heard of a man named Henry Charleston?”

  “As a matter of fact, we’re meeting with him in half an hour,” I said as I glanced at my watch.

  Davis nodded in approval. “I’m impressed. Did you know that Henry is under suspicion for syphoning off some of his clients’ money?”

  “No, that we hadn’t heard,” I said. “Do you know anything specific?”

  “Nothing concrete you can use, if that’s what you’re asking,” Davis said. “I just happened to overhear two of my wealthier customers whispering about Henry one day last week. Word was that a certain older woman with a great deal of money caught him doing it. She gave him one week to repay every penny, or she was going to the police.”

  “Were they talking about Cecile?” Autumn asked.

  “That I can’t say,” Davis admitted, “but it figures that it very well might be.”

  “Who’s your source?” I asked him. “Maybe we can get one of the ladies to speak with us.”

  “Sorry, but I can’t do that,” Davis said. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” I said. “I respect that. Even if it wasn’t Cecile, we can still use it against Charleston.”

  “Shouldn’t we tell Chief Seaborne?” Autumn asked us.

  “What exactly would you tell her?” Davis asked. “This is thirdhand knowledge at best. No, I thought about mentioning it to Sam myself, but I thought you might be able to use it to your advantage first.”

  “I appreciate your faith in us,” I said.

  “Hey, I figure Autumn at least deserves twenty-four hours to dig into this before the world comes crashing down on her,” Davis said.

  “Do you have anything else we might be able to use?” I asked him.

  “Annie Greenway,” he said.

  “What about her?” I asked.

  “She and Cecile had a fight not twenty feet from here three days ago,” Davis said. “I was pretending to take a nap on that bench over there, so it was easy to eavesdrop.” Before we could comment on that, he grinned. “Hey, I’m a harmless old man. I get my kicks where I can.”

  “I doubt you’ve ever been harmless a day in your life,” I told him with a grin.

  “I knew I liked you for a reason,” he said.

  “What was the argument about?” Autumn asked him.

  “You,” he said.

  “Me? Why would they fight about me?”

  “Annie wanted Cecile to put pressure on Jeff to dump you, but she wouldn’t do it. Annie was furious and said something snippy to Cecile, which was the wrong thing to do.” He patted Autumn’s hand. “You should feel good that the old gal defended you,” he said. “I know things have been strained between you lately, but she honestly did care for you, Autumn.”

  My former roommate teared up suddenly, and I offered her a hankie. “Are you okay?”

  “As a matter of fact, it’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in a while,” she said. “How did Annie react to that?”

  “She was livid,” Davis said. “I believe a bit of the woman’s true self slipped out. She said that they weren’t finished discussing it. When Cecile said she most decidedly was, Annie stared at her for ten full seconds before she said, ‘That’s what you think.’ Cecile honestly looked a bit frightened when Annie stormed off. I felt chills myself, and her vitriol hadn’t even been directed at me. I was about to abandon my ruse and offer Cecile some comfort when she shook her head slightly and then hurried off. I’ll tell you, Annie Greenway is a powder keg waiting to blow. If I were the two of you, I’d be careful around that gal, and don’t turn your back on her.”

  “Good to know,” I said. “What do you know about Adam Marbury?”

  “I didn’t like him when he was a kid, and I haven’t seen any reason to change my opinion since he’s gotten back into town. He’s the kind of guy who will pat you on the back with one hand while he’s stealing your wallet with the other.”

  “He sounds like a real prize,” I said.

  “Jeff is the only one in the entire lot I’d give you two cents for,” Davis said. “He’s a good man, deep down, Autumn.”

  “Would a good man turn his back on me?” she asked him, tearing up again.

  “Pardon me for saying so, but aren’t you the one who moved out?” Davis asked, his voice gentle and calm.

  “If I stayed in that house one more day, I would have been the one lying on the floor, not Cecile!” she snapped. “I had to get away.”

  Davis clouded up. “Did he
raise a hand to you, child?”

  “Jeff? No, of course not,” she said, apparently caught off guard by the mere thought of it. “Something was going on there, though. I didn’t feel safe, so I couldn’t stay.”

  Davis nodded. “I wondered why you moved out so suddenly. I’ll tell you one thing, Lee Graham was happy enough to hear it. That boy’s got it bad for you, Autumn. You haven’t done anything to encourage that, have you?”

  “No, of course not!” Autumn practically shouted her words, and I wondered if she wasn’t protesting a bit too much.

  “Easy,” Davis said, holding up his gnarled old hands. “I meant nothing by it. I’m just saying, he’s clearly got the itch when it comes to you.”

  “Well, I never encouraged it, not for one second,” Autumn said.

  Somehow we’d gotten off topic. “Davis, is there anything else you can tell us that might help us?”

  He shook his head. “No, that’s all I’ve got. I’ll keep my ear to the ground, but I’m afraid you’re both on your own.”

  “You’ve helped more than we can say,” I told him. Almost as an afterthought, I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said with a smile. “I’ve got to tell you, I wasn’t expecting such a generous reward. Here I thought I was just doing a good deed, and I get a kiss for my troubles.”

  “Two, actually,” Autumn said as she kissed his other cheek. As she pulled back, she looked around and saw that three or four people had seen her gesture. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into this by kissing your cheek.”

  “Young lady, the day I refuse to help a damsel in distress, or turn down a kiss on the cheek from one, is one day past when I want to keep on living.”

  I had to laugh. “Your wife was a lucky woman, Davis,” I said.

  He grinned at me. “I was the lucky one. Would you like to see a picture of her?”

  We were going to be late if we didn’t leave for our meeting immediately, but I didn’t care. Not only did I not want to spurn the dear man’s invitation, but I was honestly curious about her. “I’d love to.”