by J A Whiting
The emotion on Ian’s face filled Claire’s heart. She wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure if she was misinterpreting Ian’s words to be more than concern for a friend.
“I can’t stop a citizen from talking to people, but you need to be careful, vigilant, on guard. Don’t take unnecessary chances. Don’t trust anyone. If you must talk to people about this case, do it in public places. Get away if anything seems off. Listen to your intuition.”
Claire gave Ian a little smile. “I think you’ve given me this speech before.”
“I don’t think you listen so I’m giving it again.” Ian leveled his eyes at Claire. “Promise me you’ll heed my advice.”
A lump formed in Claire’s throat from Ian’s concern. “I promise.”
“Detective Fuller.” A member of the investigative team called to Ian from in front of the townhouse.
“I need to go.” Ian started away. “Are we still on for the bike ride on Saturday?”
Claire gave a smile. “Bright and early. I’ll meet you in front of Tony’s market.”
“Make sure you’re there. Safe and sound.” Before crossing over to meet the investigator, Ian looked back at her with a serious expression. “Keep your eyes open.”
Ian’s words of warning sent a chill over Claire’s skin. She took in a deep breath and returned to Nicole and Michael Burton who sat side by side on the sidewalk. The Corgis sat to the man’s right watching him closely.
“How are you doing?” Claire asked.
“Okay, I guess.” Michael ran his hand over the back of his neck.
Glancing at Nicole, Claire squatted next to the shaken young man. “Maybe you should stay at a friend’s place tonight.”
“I will. I don’t want to be in the apartment right now.”
“Have the police finished talking to you?”
“I think so.”
“How about the three of us go get a coffee or something? There’s an all-night place a few blocks from here.”
Michael began to protest, but he ran out of gas after three words.
“Come on.” Claire stood, extended her hand to the man, and helped him up. Holding Michael’s hand, she picked up on sensations of fear, worry, anger, grief, and confusion. There was something else mixed in, but she couldn’t sort it out.
When they reached the coffee shop, they got drinks and carried them out to one of the tables set up on the sidewalk. The dogs sat and watched the people coming and going from the neighborhood.
“Did the police say anything?” Claire questioned. “Did they think it was a robbery in progress?”
Michael’s voice was flat and gave the impression of exhaustion. “They didn’t say much, only that the guy got away through the back exit.”
“They need more time to figure it out,” Nicole suggested.
“It’s been days since Ash got murdered.” Michael’s facial muscles drooped. “I don’t think they’ll ever figure it out.”
Claire watched the man’s face. Only a little while ago, he’d been a young executive with a bright future, plenty of money, living in a vibrant city, sharing his life with his girlfriend … then it all crashed down around him. Although she’d never lost someone to the horror of violence, Claire was familiar with the feelings of life crumbling to bits before your eyes.
Nicole and Claire asked Michael questions about where he’d grown up, gone to school, and how he’d chosen his career just to fill the air with comforting chatter. They didn’t think he knew that Ashley’s killer targeted the wrong person and neither young woman planned to be the one who told him.
“Did Ashley ever mention Rose Smith?” Nicole asked. “Could she have known her at all? Maybe shopped at the boutiques?”
“It’s possible, I suppose.” Michael took a swallow of his coffee.
Claire asked the next question and watched Michael’s face carefully. “Before Ashley died, had you or she ever felt in danger?”
Michael blinked and his mouth opened in an “O” shape. “Danger? No. Why would we have?”
“Had anyone ever threatened you or Ashley?”
“No.” He gave a vigorous shake of the head.
“Were you happy together?” Nicole asked.
A fleeting expression darted over Michael’s face. “Of course.”
“No second thoughts about moving in together?” Claire asked.
Michael’s lower lip trembled for an instant and he looked away. “I….”
Claire could feel the guilt pouring off the young man.
“Ashley was eager to get married.” Michael shook his head slowly back and forth. “I wasn’t. I wasn’t ready for such a commitment. For the past two months, things were off between us. I think we would have broken up.”
“Did Ashley know how you felt?” Nicole asked.
“Yeah. We’d had some heated discussions about it.” Michael ran his hand over his face.
“Was there someone else Ashley might have been interested in? Since she knew you two were probably going to break off your relationship, do you think she was interested in someone else?”
“No. I don’t know.”
“How about you?” Claire kept her eyes on Michael to gauge his reaction. “Did you have interest in anyone else?”
“Me? No.” Michael’s voice was loud. He swallowed hard and shifted in his seat without making eye contact with Claire. “I better get going to my friend’s place. It’s late. I don’t want to keep him waiting.” He stood. “Thanks for helping.” The man turned and took off down the sidewalk.
“Touched a nerve, did we?” Nicole surmised.
“I felt a jumble of feelings when I held Michael’s hand. Seems like guilt might be the overriding emotion.”
“You think because he was seeing someone?” Nicole asked.
“When I held his hand, I felt a strong sensation.” Claire looked at Nicole. “I think Michael might have had a thing for someone else.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow.
“I think Michael had a thing for Rose.”
There was something else floating on the air left behind by Michael’s sudden departure that Claire tried to decipher. Her instincts and intuition told her something she didn’t understand … it felt like Michael had made up the story of an intruder being in Rose’s apartment.
But why would he?
14
Claire had placed the platter of mini custard flans, each one decorated with a Florentine cookie, on the counter at the front of Tony’s market for the early morning customers to taste test and to make final comments and suggestions. Tony and Tessa stood with the people who were trying out the sweets, chatting and taking down remarks from them.
In her fifties, Tessa was a psychic who had been helping Claire learn about her abilities and no one in their circle of friends except Claire and Nicole knew that Tessa had certain paranormal skills. When Tony met Tessa for the first time, he was immediately smitten with the woman and the two had been spending lots of time together enjoying one another’s company.
Claire carried a few of the custard desserts to Augustus and she sat down across from him.
“Perfect.” The retired judge announced his favorable impression of the flan and the accompanying cookie. “You and Nicole will certainly win a prize at the festival.”
“That would be nice,” Claire said, “but a husband and wife team who own a Boston bakery win every year. Anyway, the real purpose of entering the contest is to bring attention to Nicole’s chocolate shop. I think we did a nice job with the flans. It’s just the right amount of chocolate swirl in the custard, it’s not overwhelming, and there’s not too little to make an impact, and they look pretty.”
“And this cookie is the crown of the dessert.” Augustus chewed and swallowed. “Delicate, but with a lovely flavor. You have a real winner here.”
Claire thanked the judge for his help in determining the food festival entry. “With everything going on, we’ve been distracted from making the final choice. We finally decide
d last night.”
Augustus looked up from his cup of tea. “You and Nicole were busy last night?”
Claire gave a little groan. “This case is a jumble of confusion. First, we were looking at Ashley Smith’s life trying to figure out who might have wanted her dead. Then we find out it was probably mistaken identity and the real target was Rose Smith.” Claire told the judge most of what happened the previous evening at the brownstone apartment.
“You get the impression that the young man, Michael Burton, may have been attracted to Rose?” Augustus asked.
“That’s what Nicole and I think. Of course, Michael didn’t come right out and say it. He seems full of guilt and sorrow over Ashley’s death. He also seems to feel awful that he was about to break up with her.”
“Could this young man be behind the murder?” the judge asked, one eyebrow lifting up.
“I don’t know what to think.” Claire spooned some custard into her mouth. “What motivation would there be? Why not just break off the relationship with Ashley if he wasn’t interested in continuing it? It’s not like there’s anything monetary to gain.”
“Be careful not to dismiss suspicion from the man too quickly,” Augustus said with a tone of seriousness.
“Really?” Claire questioned. “How would Michael benefit? Why have Ashley killed?”
“Let’s discuss a scenario.” The judge set down his cup. “Michael wants to break off with Ashley, but he hesitates to do so because she is furious about it. Perhaps he thinks she will attempt to derail his career. They work at the same place. Ashley could have made things difficult for him if she knew the right people at the firm. She could smear him on social media. She might have known something about the young man that he didn’t want to get out. He wants to rid himself of Ashley and the problems she causes him, he becomes desperate.”
Hanging on Augustus’s every word, Claire leans forward. “So he hires a hit man?”
“Perhaps … or he kills her himself.”
“Maybe Michael shot Ashley and took her ring to make it look like a hired killing.” Claire’s eyes darted around the market as her mind raced.
“But he was seen at work that day,” Augustus said.
Claire’s eyes narrowed as she thought of something. “So hiring a hit man and being seen at work, takes care of two things. Ashley is killed and Michael has an alibi and by making it look like a hit man killed her, suspicion is deflected away from Michael. Wow.” Claire’s voice was soft as she pondered the idea.
“Most likely, this scenario is incorrect.” Augustus lifted his cup to his lips and sipped. “However, it is not out of the realm of possibility.”
“I never would have thought of this.”
“I think you would have.” Augustus smiled at Claire. “You’re in the middle of it. It takes time to sort through the information.”
“You’re a big help to me,” Claire told the judge.
“What about me?” Tony came over to the table and pulled up a chair.
“You help me every day.” Claire put a hand on the big man’s shoulder. “We’re talking about how Ashley Smith came to be killed.” Looking to the front of the store, she asked, “Where’s Tessa?”
“She had to get to work. She asked me to tell you she’ll see you later.” Tony reached down to pat the Corgis’s ears. “What’s the news on the murder of that poor young girl? It really gets to me. It happened only a few blocks from the neighborhood.” He shook his head in disgust. “You need to be careful, Blondie.”
Claire brought Tony up to date on the details of the case and listed all the suspects she and Nicole had thought of.
“Sheesh.” Tony looked from Claire to Augustus. “Is there anyone this Rose woman knows who isn’t on the list of possible killers?”
“Everyone has to be considered,” Claire said. “I would have overlooked someone if Augustus hadn’t pointed out a few things to me.”
“The police better get this figured out.” Tony thumped his hand on the table for emphasis. “There’s a killer walking around here.” His face softened when he looked at Claire. “You be careful, Blondie. Take a cab home if you’re out after dark. Call me, anytime, and I’ll come meet you and walk you home.”
Lady let out a little woof.
“I’ll be careful.” Claire smiled at the store owner. “Thanks.”
A customer entered the shop and Tony got up to wait on him.
“I need to find a friend of Ashley’s,” Claire told the judge. “See if someone close to her has any ideas, find out if she confided anything that would be helpful.” Claire broke off two small pieces from one of the cookies and offered them to Bear and Lady. “I want to find Rose’s husband, too. He’s a restauranteur in Boston. I read about him online. He owns at least five restaurants. Very successful.”
“There’s Rose’s business partner to find as well,” Augustus said. “Talking with him could prove fruitful.”
Claire rested her chin in her hand. “There’s too much to do. Maybe the police will solve the case soon and then I can forget about everything except working with Nicole and exercising with Ian.”
“Someone will be brought to justice eventually.” Augustus pushed himself up from his seat. “I must run along.”
“Where are you off to?” Claire cocked her head in question. “It’s so early. You’re leaving before me? I don’t need to be at the chocolate shop for another forty minutes.”
“I’m heading to Brookline to meet a former colleague for breakfast.” Augustus headed for the door. “Keep me informed about your sleuthing.”
Claire nodded and smiled and after finishing her tea, she went to the front of the small market to find Tony to ask if there was anything she could help with before heading to the chocolate shop. Tony assigned her to unload a carton of pasta boxes to the shelf.
While Claire was sitting on a stool stocking the shelves in a corner of the shop, a young woman in her late twenties with short, caramel-colored hair came into the store and glanced around.
From behind the deli counter, Tony asked if he could help.
The woman approached the counter and asked in a soft voice, “Is Claire Rollins here this morning?”
Claire froze.
Tony pointed. “Claire’s doing some stocking for me.”
The woman came around the end of the shelf just as Claire stood up.
“I’m Claire.” She eyed the woman with some trepidation. “You’re looking for me?”
The petite, slender woman stepped forward. “I’m Meg Milliken. Do you have time to talk?”
“Go ahead, Blondie,” Tony called. “I’ll finish that up.”
“I only have a few minutes,” Claire apologized. “I’m supposed to be at work soon.”
“At the chocolate shop?” Meg asked. “I can walk with you. I’m heading to work that way myself.”
Claire’s eyebrow went up, surprised that the woman knew where she worked. “Okay, sure.” She said goodbye to Tony and the Corgis and left the market with the woman wondering who this person was and why she wanted to talk with her.
“Sorry to bother.” The woman walked beside Claire. “I’m a friend of Ashley Smith. Was a friend.”
Claire’s heart skipped a beat. She’d wanted to find a friend of Ashley, and out of the blue, one shows up. It unnerved her.
Claire suggested they sit for a while in the park and talk.
Meg stared across the green grass from their bench in the shade of a tall Beech tree on the Common. “There was a private service for Ashley a few days ago.” The woman took a deep breath and went on. “I spoke to the stepsister of Ashley’s boyfriend. She said she’d talked to you. She told me where you worked and that you were often at Tony’s Market in the early mornings. Her friend, Robby, told her that.”
Claire’s heart started to race. She shifted on the bench to better see Meg and gave her an encouraging look for her to say more. “Why did you want to meet?”
“I’m uneasy about what happened to
Ashley.” The muscle in Meg’s jaw trembled and she blinked fast several times, her eyes shiny with tears. “I’m afraid I might know someone involved with her murder.”
Claire stopped breathing for a few seconds.
15
Claire’s mouth dropped open and she almost toppled from the bench. “You … you know something about Ashley’s death?”
Meg wrung her hands in her lap. “I’m not sure, it’s probably nothing, but it’s been on my mind and well, I just need to talk to someone. At the service, Sally told me she’d spoken to you and that you were very nice and that you were the one who found Ashley and I … I don’t know.” Tears spilled down her cheeks.
Claire put her hand on the woman’s arm and mumbled some useless words in an effort to be comforting. “I know how upsetting it all is.”
Meg patted at her cheeks and took a few deep breaths. “Sorry.”
Claire said, “I’ve been asking around, talking to people, trying to figure out what happened to your friend. I feel the need to help find out who did this. I know someone on the police force and he always tells me to stay out of it.”
Meg gave a little smile. “But, you don’t?”
“I have a theory that sometimes people are more willing to talk to regular citizens than to the police. If I find out anything, I pass it along to law enforcement.” Claire waited to see if Meg would tell about her worries without being asked.
The morning air was turning steamy and Claire was glad they were sitting in the shade as she watched men and women hurrying by on the sidewalks dressed in suits and dresses. Thoughts jumped around in her head while she waited for Meg to speak.
At last, the young woman said, “I’m feeling foolish. I think I’ve let my ideas get the best of me.”
Claire feared that her talk of law enforcement and passing along information to them had thrown cold water on Meg’s need to talk. “Tell me what you’ve been thinking. Small things can often blow a case wide open.”
