“Do you know what kind of a car it was?” Kelly asked.
The spiritual leader shook his head indicating that he didn’t. Jonah spoke up. “It was a new Mercedes Benz. I’m familiar with that model, because my father has one like it.”
Kim turned to Kelly and said, “Jonah and I have pretty much grown up together. We lived across the street from each other in Beverly Hills, and we’ve always been very close. His parents and my mother were good friends. His father is an investment adviser who deals mainly with movie stars, so we knew a lot of the same people. When I began to take yoga from Guru Dev, I told Jonah how wonderful Guru Dev was, and I urged Jonah to start studying with him as well. He did, and then we both moved up here to live with him at the retreat center.”
When she’d finished speaking, Guru Dev said, “Mrs. Reynolds, thank you for coming. I hope you found out something that will help your husband. Please excuse me, but it is getting close to the time for me to do my meditation practice. Kim, would you stay here for a moment? I would like to talk to you about a few things we need to do here at the center. Jonah, please escort Mrs. Reynolds to her car.”
The traditional Namaste greeting again took place, and Kelly and Jonah walked out the door and over to her minivan where Rebel was watching every movement she made. “Jonah, I’d like to ask you something, and if you choose not to answer me, I’ll understand, but I’m curious. Are you in love with Kim? Is that why you decided to come here?”
“Is it that obvious?” he asked with an abashed look on his face.
“I’m an experienced observer of human nature, and the way you were looking at Kim indicated to me that although she may think of you as a friend, you’d prefer that the relationship was a little different.”
“You’re very astute, Mrs. Reynolds. I thought I hid it better than that. Yes, I followed her here for two reasons. One, I’m in love with her and secondly, I’ve been concerned about her obsession with Guru Dev, although based on what he told me this morning, there was no reason for me to be concerned.”
“What did he tell you that caused you to change your mind?”
“Kim has told me several times that he has powers other people don’t have. She always said he could read her mind. Well, he read mine this morning. He told me he was aware Kim was infatuated with him, but that I needn’t worry. Guru Dev said he had taken a vow of celibacy, and he had no romantic interest in any of his devotees or anyone else. Then he looked at me and said, ‘Jonah, you and Kim are meant for each other, and you will soon be together in the way you want to be. The time is coming near.’ I don’t know exactly what that means, Mrs. Reynolds, but I was happy to hear it.”
“Thank you for telling me, Jonah, and I wish you and Kim the best of luck.”
CHAPTER 22
When Kelly and Rebel got home, she saw Mike’s car in the driveway. She remembered he’d told her he was giving a speech to the Chamber of Commerce that evening, and she mentally went through a list of what was available in the refrigerator that she could use to make a quick dinner for him before he had to leave. She was anxious to tell him about her day and curious if he’d found out anything.
She opened the door and was greeted by Lady and Skyy, tails wagging in anticipation of dinner. “Kelly, I’m in the bedroom changing clothes. I’ll be with you in a minute,” she heard Mike say in a loud voice.
“Take your time. I need to pull a couple of things out of the refrigerator, so I can make dinner and get you to your meeting on time,” she answered.
She fed the dogs and surveyed the refrigerator, deciding that Mike’s meeting called for a soup and sandwich dinner. She’d made a cream of mushroom soup a couple of days earlier and decided it would go well with some turkey burgers she had in the freezer that were to be cooked while they were still frozen. That problem taken care of, she filled two glasses with iced tea, picked several sprigs of mint from some herbs she kept in pots on the kitchen windowsill, and added them to the iced tea. She’d just finished when Mike walked into the kitchen, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and took the glass of iced tea she handed him.
“Well, my love, how was everything at the coffee shop today? One of my deputies tried to eat lunch there and had to leave, since he couldn’t find anywhere to sit. He said it was standing room only, and he didn’t have time to stand and wait for a seat. He was in a time crunch, because I sent out a memo this morning telling everyone I was holding a mandatory meeting in the conference room to discuss the status of the Jacquie Morton case at 1:00 this afternoon.
“He said to tell you that you have absolutely no competition from the fast food restaurant that recently opened down the street from Kelly’s. He made a point of telling everyone in the room that your cook, Charlie, made the best chili burger in the county and maybe even the state. Thought you’d like to hear what he had to say. Money can’t buy word of mouth advertising like that.”
“The coffee shop was crazy today, Mike, and what’s interesting is that many of the customers were from out of town. I’m sure they were here in Cedar Bay because of Jacquie’s death. The screenwriter who was working on her script came in today for lunch, and I had a conversation with him.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “I’m certainly hoping it was strictly a customer speaking to a coffee shop owner type of conversation, not one involving Jacquie’s death or anything about her, but knowing you, you probably better tell me about it.”
Kelly stirred the soup and then sat down at the kitchen table across from him. “Well, the conversation did veer a little in the direction of Jacquie’s death, but given that he was working with her, that’s not surprising,” she said innocently with a wide-eyed look on her face. “Here’s what he had to say about her.”
“I would prefer it if you had stuck to telling him about Charlie’s chili burgers, but from what you’ve told me time and time again, these conversations just seem to happen when you’re around, and they’re usually with someone who has information about a case I’m working on. Would I be right?”
“That you would be, Sheriff, and while I’m at it, you’d probably like to hear about my conversations with Jacquie’s daughter and her administrative assistant.
“For the record, before you even start, I’m going to register a complaint. It’s one thing to have the screenwriter come in for lunch, but from what I’ve heard about the retreat center, the people who live there don’t come into town except for supplies, and I rather doubt that the coffee shop is on their list of places to visit if they do come into town. I also don’t think Jacquie’s assistant would be inclined to stop by the coffee shop when she goes into town, which means none of them came to you. You went out to Jacquie’s house and The Loving Care Retreat Center, right, although you did mention that you were going to, and I believe I asked for your opinion.”
“Well, hmmm, yes. I don’t think I actually planned on talking to them about Jacquie, but you see, I got so concerned about your re-election and all that you’re trying to do, I thought maybe I could help you by seeing what I could find out.”
“Somehow, I’m missing the logic in that segue, but then again, my love, I can’t say that logic has ever been your strong suit. So, tell me what you found out,” he said, taking a drink from his glass of iced tea.
She told him about her visit with Maizie and then about driving out to The Loving Care Retreat Center. She also told him about her conversation with Roger Babowal. When she finished, she said, “Mike, Maizie certainly confirmed what Doc and Liz told us about Jacquie’s failing eyesight.
“I thought it was interesting that Mr. Babowal saw a man wearing a turban in a car that happened to be outside Jacquie’s house on the night she died. I didn’t get a sense that Guru Dev had anything to do with Jacquie’s death, and Jonah pretty much confirmed that they drove back to the center and never stopped at her home. As far as the black Mercedes car that Roger, Guru Dev, and Jonah saw, I have no idea who it belonged to.”
“Your instincts were probably right on concern
ing Guru Dev,” Mike said. “I had a long talk this afternoon with my friend who’s the Beverly Hills police chief, and he told me that from the research his staff did on him, he seems to be the real deal. They didn’t find anything that would indicate he was a scam artist.”
“I’m glad, but I wonder about Kim. You haven’t told me yet whether the coroner has made a determination as to whether Jacquie’s death was accidental or the result of foul play, but let’s say she was murdered. You always say to look at who has the most to gain when it comes to a reason why someone would commit murder. Mike, I see your raised hand, and I know you’re going to tell me that there’s no evidence she was murdered, but if she was, her daughter seems to have the most to gain. Maybe she killed her mother to get her inheritance so she could give it to Guru Dev, hoping to show what a good disciple she is and curry favor with him. She did tell me she planned on giving her inheritance to him.”
“Kelly, I did talk to the coroner, who as you well know, is certainly not one of my favorite people. He told me he’s been too busy to get around to doing the necessary tests on Jacquie. Be my bet he’s too busy stuffing his mouth with donuts or some other food. I wouldn’t even put it past him to delay the autopsy on Jacquie hoping I’ll get some bad publicity from it and lose the election,” he said dejectedly. “Who knows, maybe he’s working with my opponent.”
“Could be, but the good news is that if he doesn’t like you at least he doesn’t come to Kelly’s Koffee Shop. That’s a blessing, because I’d have a hard time being civil to him or serving him.”
“Thanks for your support, my love. The chief also cleared Jacquie’s ex-husband, Deke Cannon. One of the chief’s staff talked to the manager of the restaurant where he works, and he was working there on the night of Jacquie’s death. There’s no way he could have been in Cedar Bay and Beverly Hills at the same time.”
“So, let’s think about this, and I know this is still very much conjecture, and she could have simply misjudged the distance to the edge of the cliff, but so far it sounds to me like you’ve eliminated Guru Dev and Jacquie’s ex-husband. That still leaves Mickey, the screenwriter, Lisette, who will now have the lead role, the gardener, and even her daughter. Can you think of anyone else?”
“No, Kelly, I, and I emphasize the word I, cannot think of anyone else, and I don’t want you to think about it at all. For one thing, what if Jacquie was murdered? The way you’re talking to people, if you should discover something, knowingly or unknowingly, you could become the murderer’s next victim. Seriously, Kelly, I’m not asking you, I’m begging you. Please don’t try to help me anymore. I appreciate what you’ve done, but that’s enough. The thing is I love you more than anything, and if keeping you away from potential murderers causes me to lose the election, oh well. I’ve got a nice pension, and I might just make a great waiter at your coffee shop. We’ll be fine. No more helping me, promise?”
“I promise, Mike,” she said, glad that she’d decided long ago to skip the weekly confession with Father Brown at the Catholic Church in Cedar Bay. She was certain Mike wouldn’t approve of the plan she’d come up with, but she justified it by reasoning that although Mike hadn’t often been happy about the choices she’d made to help him solve his cases in the past, they’d always helped.
“Kelly, think I better eat and get ready for my speech at the Chamber of Commerce meeting tonight. Any chance you can come with me?”
“I’d really like to, Mike,” she said deliberately avoiding his gaze by keeping busy searing the turkey burgers and stirring the soup, “but as busy as it was today at the coffee shop, I never had a chance to do the prep work that I usually do on and off during the day for the following day or, in this case, Monday. I thought I’d go into Kelly’s for a couple of hours this evening and try to get caught up. I have no reason to think Monday won’t be just as busy as today was.”
“I understand,” he said picking up his spoon as she set the soup and sandwich on the table in front of him. “I would ask one thing of you, though. I’m well aware that the cause of Jacquie’s death is still up in the air, but humor me by taking Rebel with you when you go back to the coffee shop this evening, okay?”
“Sure, happy to. He’s always good company.”
“One last thing, Kelly, keep the doors on your minivan locked and lock the coffee shop door after you and Rebel are inside.”
“For you, my love, anything. Consider it done, and good luck tonight, although I know you won’t need it.”
CHAPTER 23
Kelly didn’t want to lie to Mike any more than she felt was absolutely necessary to help him solve the mystery surrounding Jacquie’s death, so she and Rebel went to Kelly’s Koffee Shop, just like she’d told him she was planning on doing. She spent an hour getting ready for the crowd she expected on Monday. As always, she mentally thanked the restaurant gods for sending Charlie, Roxie, and Molly to her. She knew without them, she never would have survived the week.
“Okay, Rebel, time to go. I want to pay a visit to Mickey Sloan. I think there’s more for me to learn there.” She locked the door of the coffee shop, and after she and Rebel got in her minivan, she locked those doors as well.
She didn’t want to draw attention to herself or the minivan when she paid a visit to Mickey Sloan, so she parked in a nearby cutout overlooking the ocean. It was a short walk to the house where Mickey was living. When they walked past Roger Babowal’s home she saw the tip of a lit cigarette in the darkness next to his house. A moment later she heard his voice ask, “Kelly, what are you doing here at this time of night? If I were your husband I wouldn’t want you to be by yourself at night in an area where a woman recently died under possibly suspicious circumstances.”
She and Rebel walked over to where Rusty and Roger were standing. “I take it your wife is watching television or something.”
“That she is, and it provided a perfect opportunity for me to take Rusty outside, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t say it also provides an opportunity for me to have a cigarette. I’ve tried and tried to give them up, but once in a while I feel I can justify one. Anyway, why are you here?”
“I just have a feeling that I’m overlooking something. I don’t know, maybe it’s my woman’s intuition. Anyway, I had a strong sense I needed to come back here and see if I’ve missed something. Roger, as far as my husband being worried, Mike always worries about me. If there’s even a hint that I might be in danger, he insists I take Rebel with me everywhere I go.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me. Mind if I accompany you?”
“No, I could probably use another pair of eyes.”
“Give me one minute. I want to put Rusty in the house. He’s not used to things like this. I’ll be right back.”
When he returned, she said, “Roger, I have no idea what I’m even looking for. I want to talk to Mickey, the screenwriter. He came in the coffee shop today, and for some reason, I feel he has additional information he didn’t share with me. Let’s not talk anymore until we see what’s happening. I don’t want our voices to be heard.” She saw him nod as they walked silently to Mickey’s nearby house.
Kelly noticed there was a large black car in Mickey’s driveway. She didn’t know much about cars, but she thought it was a Mercedes Benz. She remembered what Roger had said about a man he’d thought was a director getting out of a car that was similar to this one on the night of Jacquie Morton’s death. Jonah had also said the car that almost hit his when it rapidly backed out of Mickey’s driveway was a Mercedes. Kelly thought that was a lot of coincidences and when it came to people dying, she shared Mike’s dislike of coincidences. Mike was a strong believer that there were no coincidences when death was involved.
The homeowners of the upscale residential area had asked the city not to install streetlights, so they could maintain the illusion that they were living in a rural area. It was very dark as they approached Mickey’s house. With Rebel by her side, Kelly took Roger’s hand, and they quietly walked towards a window whi
ch was illuminated by a light from within.
As they looked in the window which was slightly ajar, Kelly recognized Lisette, the woman who was now going to be starring as the lead in The Triangle. She was talking to a man whose back was to the window. Kelly didn’t recognize him, but she heard Roger gasp. “That’s Teddy James, that director I saw on the Oscar show,” he whispered.
The man halfway turned, and Kelly saw that he was holding a diamond necklace and a pair of large diamond earrings in his hand. The man began to speak and they both heard him say, “Lisette, these are for you. Now that Jacquie’s gone, you’re going to be the most famous actress in the world. I got these for you to show you how much faith I have in you and how much I love you. Turn around and let me put the necklace on you, then you can put the earrings on. I don’t think I’d be any good at putting them on you.”
Lisette turned her back to him, so he could hook the necklace around her neck. She picked up a mirror to look at the necklace once the man had secured it on her neck. From where Kelly was standing she could see Lisette’s reflection in the mirror. Lisette’s eyes widened, and her expression changed. “Teddy, where did you get these? I know I’ve seen them before.”
“It doesn’t matter where I got them, sweetheart. They’re yours now. You were made for jewels, and when I saw them they made me think of you. By giving these to you, I pledge to make you a star. What’s important is you, and these are just the first of many gifts I intend to shower you with.”
Lisette stepped back from him, whirled around, and said, “You killed Jacquie, didn’t you? This jewelry is hers, isn’t it? You were here the night she died. I remember you said you had to make an important phone call and then you went outside. You told me you didn’t want to bore me by having me listen to your end of the conversation. When you came back in you told me you had to leave immediately. I’m right about you murdering her, aren’t I.”
Murder & The Movie Star: A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery - Book 12 Page 10
