by Cat Chandler
Nicki raised another finger. “He had a bookkeeper he’d known most of his life who doesn’t act interested in his murder, and two fellow stamp collectors that he let in on a lot of the secrets he’d never told either his girlfriend or his assistant manager. Even though that assistant manager has worked in the diner for more than a decade. And not one of these people had all the answers on how to find the stamps and the key to the wine cellar.”
Matt nodded as he listened and studied the board. “Which means the only relationship he had that might be worth murdering someone about, was with his girlfriend. And with everyone else, or maybe someone we haven’t heard about yet, it would be about those stamps and money. Or maybe one of them is named in the will?” He looked around the room at all the shrugs that followed his question.
“We think a nephew back East is the beneficiary. The chief is checking it out, but as far as I know, he hasn’t found the actual will yet,” Nicki said.
Matt blew out a breath. “I don’t think the diner is worth much. I say we follow the real money. And that means the stamps.”
“And how do you propose we do that, Watson?” Jenna asked. “The stamp is gone, and we can’t go snooping into people’s bank accounts.” Jenna grinned. “Well I could give it a try, but that would be totally illegal.”
“The chief can get bank records,” Maxie declared. “We just need to give him a reason to go looking at someone in particular.”
“Oh gosh, is that all?” Nicki muttered under her breath. She’d laid her cell phone on her desk, and when it rang, she looked over at the caller ID. “It’s Alex,” she announced to the room as she picked it up and tapped the answer icon. “Hey, Alex. I have you on speaker and everyone’s here. Did you make it home okay?”
“Yes, I did. But I dropped by Dr. Tom’s office before I came home. I thought I’d left my coat there.”
Nicki grinned. “Oh really? Did you find it?”
“No,” Alex’s voice breezed along. “But Dr. Tom did mention that he’d sent his preliminary autopsy results on the Eddie Parker murder to Chief Turnlow. I guess it was very air-sucking, on top of being a chilling report.”
“That’s interesting.” Nicki paused for a brief moment. “Did the coroner happen to have any other descriptive observations about his report?”
“No, there was nothing else. Just those,” Alex said. “Apparently the report was a knock-out blow. First it was breathless and then chilling to read. But it would be quick. You’d be done around nine, give or take an hour.”
“I’ll have to drop by the police department and see if he’ll share it with me,” Nicki said.
“You do that. I have to go, I’m due at the hospital in a couple of hours, but I’ll call you again later tonight. Will you be home?”
Wondering what else Alex had to tell her that she didn’t want to say in front of the whole group, Nicki assured her friend she’d be home and to call any time. Alex said she’d do that before she clicked off.
Matt chuckled. “Not much of a code, Connors. I take it that the blow to his head knocked Eddie out and then he…” His words trailed off when Nicki shot a very obvious sideways glance at Jenna.
The computer nerd had gone pale, and her arms were wrapped around her middle. She licked her lips as she stared at the floor. “And then he froze to death.” She raised her gaze to meet Matt’s. “That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it? That he froze to death?”
“It’s supposed to be a painless way to die.” Matt clamped his mouth shut when he realized he wasn’t helping matters much. A sheen of moisture had appeared in Jenna’s eyes.
“Then you don’t know much about freezing to death, Matt. It’s a horrible way to die.” Jenna’s voice trembled. “I grew up in Nebraska. I know what happens when you freeze to death.”
Matt ran a hand through his hair, leaving the usual strands sticking straight up. “It isn’t your fault, Jenna. You couldn’t have found him in time to save him.”
“You can’t know that.” Her gaze returned to the floor. “Neither can I.”
“But I do.” Nicki got up and walked over to sit beside Jenna. “You know how precise Alex is. She listed the causes of death in order, which was breath-sucking and chilling.”
Jenna’s brows beetled together. “So it was too cold to breathe, and Eddie froze to death.”
“No,” Nicki corrected laying a hand over the two Jenna had clasped in her lap. “Eddie’s freezer was old and didn’t keep as cold as it needed to be. So he used a lot more dry ice than most commercial freezers usually have.”
“Oh. That’s why Alex said breathless. Makes sense.” Matt nodded. When Jenna shook her head and lifted her shoulders, he added, “dry ice gives off a lot of carbon dioxide. If you’re around dry ice too long in a small sealed room, you could suffocate to death.”
“Which is what Alex was saying,” Nicki confirmed. “Eddie died before he froze. And long before you arrived the next morning. Alex said about nine that night, give or take an hour.”
“Oh.” Jenna looked up. She was silent a long moment before she slowly nodded. “Then I guess the best I can do for him is to help get him justice.”
Nicki smiled and gave Jenna’s arm a gentle pat while she exchanged a long look with Matt. He nodded his understanding.
Finding justice for Eddie would be a lot easier said than done.
Chapter Sixty-Three
An hour later, Nicki walked back into the townhouse and shut the door behind her. She’d just left Jenna, who was going to settle into her own mini home office and dive into a web design, when Alex had called. The conversation had been brief and to the point, leaving Nicki feeling daunted with the task in front of her.
On the short walk from Jenna’s, she’d decided a good glass of wine might be the perfect thing to help her think it through, so she headed straight back to the kitchen. And stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Matt sitting on a tall stool and leaning back against his elbows, which were planted on top of the island’s counter.
“I thought you’d left with Maxie.” Nicki smiled when Matt picked up a half-full wine glass and held it out to her.
“Nope. I wanted to stick around and hear what Alex didn’t want to talk about in front of everyone.”
Nicki sighed. She should have known Matt would pick up on that. Not much got by him. “She just wanted to let me know that Jenna is counting on this whole ‘justice for Eddie’ thing more than she’s letting on. Finding his body has really shaken her up.”
Matt nodded. “I’d have to agree with that. I’m sorry I upset her by tossing out there how he died.”
“It’s okay. You wouldn’t be able to tell how on edge this has made her. She puts on a good front.”
“This whole ‘justice for Eddie’ thing puts a lot on you.” Matt’s eyes were troubled. “What if the killer isn’t found? What happens then?”
“It doesn’t matter because it isn’t going to happen.” Nicki looked over at the far wall. A picture of her mother standing with Nicki on the day she’d graduated from culinary school hung in the center, and was flanked by Nicki’s diploma. “Jenna and Alex helped me through the worst period in my life. I’d never let either of them down.”
“But some things can’t be done, Nicki,” Matt said quietly. “And that shouldn’t be on you.”
She knew that. Whoever had killed her mom had never been caught. But that was New York City, and this was Soldoff. She’d figure it out, or help the chief so he could figure it out. Either way it would be justice for Eddie and peace for Jenna. That was her first priority.
“Fine.” Matt nodded as if she’d spoken out loud. “We’ll just have to find this guy. And toward that end, in all the excitement of searching the basement-turned-into-a-wine-cellar, I forgot to mention something Ben and Sam said.”
Nicki perched herself on the stool next to Matt’s and took a sip of her wine. “What was that?”
“Well, apparently the last time they were in that cellar and saw those
stamps, there was a fourth person there.”
Her eyes widened. “What? Who?”
“Sam mentioned that his friend from Maryland had been visiting and was lucky enough to get an invitation to join them in the wine cellar the night before he flew home. Eddie had the stamps out to show him, since this friend is a pretty prominent stamp collector.”
“When did this happen?”
Matt grinned. “I asked Sam that very same thing, and he said about two weeks before Eddie was murdered.”
And Sam has never said a word? She could not believe it. “Did he tell Chief Turnlow about this friend of his?”
“I asked him that too, and he said, ‘No. Should I?’ I assured him he should, so I imagine the chief heard about it when he talked with both of them at the station.”
“That leaves us two more people to talk to tomorrow, after we meet Mr. Gordon Twill at the diner.” Nicki made a mental note to call Maxie later and ask her how to find Sam and Ben during the day.
“The accountant?” Matt asked.
“Bookkeeper,” Nicki corrected. “Maxie says an accountant costs a lot more. According to Roberta, he was at the diner the day of the murder. Jenna said Eddie had an appointment that evening, and I’m hoping Mr. Twill will know who it was that Eddie was supposed to meet with.”
“Sounds good. Unless this bookkeeper is the killer. In which case, you definitely should not be alone with the guy.”
“I’ll make sure I tell him that a dozen people know I am meeting with him.”
Matt nodded. “That’s good. And I’ll make sure he knows that I’m sitting in the corner, drinking coffee and watching him.”
Nicki barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “It won’t do any good if he has a gun. He’ll just shoot both of us.”
“Oh, yeah. Let’s put that mental image out there. You alone in a diner with a man who has a gun. That makes me feel much better.” Matt looked over at the counter as Nicki’s phone went off, playing the tune of She’s So Far Away.
Nicki let it ring several times before picking it up. Giving Matt an apologetic look, she tapped the answer button. She was surprised when Matt didn’t get up and leave the room the way he always did whenever Rob called. Usually when the ringtone she’d assigned to her boyfriend sounded, Matt was out the door before the second bar of the song. But this time he stayed firmly planted on the stool and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Hi, Rob.”
“Nicki? I’m glad I caught you.” Rob’s smooth voice came through the speaker. “Listen babe. I’m sorry to disappoint you, and me too, but I won’t be able to make our dinner date at the end of the week. This business trip has…”
Since Rob barely made half their dinner dates due to his extensive travel as the assistant wine buyer for the Catalan House chain of restaurants, Nicki automatically tuned him out. She made an occasional sound of agreement as he went into a long explanation for why he had to break their date.
“How’s everything going with you? I haven’t heard from you in a couple of days. Is everything all right?”
It took a moment for Rob’s question to register. “Everything’s fine, Rob. I’ve just been busy planning out those cooking classes we’ve talked about, and trying to keep up with my other work.”
“Okay, babe. We’re good then? I’ll give you a call in a day or so, when I have a better handle on my schedule.”
Nicki smiled. “That’s fine, Rob. I’ll wait to hear from you. Bye.” She clicked off before he could say anything more, and raised an eyebrow at a grinning Matt.
“What’s so funny, Dillon?”
“Oh nothing. I just wondered if you thought dead bodies and murder were simply another part of your other work?”
Nicki reached over and grabbed a napkin from the holder on the counter. She wadded it up in one hand and threw it at Matt’s chest. “It’s rude to listen in on other people’s telephone conversations.”
“It’s rude to answer the phone when you’re talking to someone else,” Matt countered.
She wrinkled her nose and considered that for a moment. “Very true. I apologize.”
Matt shook his head. “I guess Rob broke another date?”
“Yes, he did.” Nicki made a small pathetic noise to go along with her dramatic sigh. “And to think I not only had to apologize to you, but I’m out a dinner as well.”
He smiled. “Maybe you could fix that last part by making dinner here?”
He sounded so hopeful that Nicki had to laugh. “Fine. But I can’t believe you’re hungry after all you’ve had to eat today.”
“Me neither, but I am.” Matt looked over toward the refrigerator. “And I’ll be happy to eat anything you want to make.”
She hopped off her stool. “Okay. But be careful with that kind of statement. You never know just what a chef might have in her fridge.” She gave him a sunny smile. “I think I have a package of white ant eggs in the freezer, if you’d please get it out and put it in a bowl of water.”
Matt made a strange gagging noise. “You’re kidding?”
Nicki grinned at him. “I am. But I could make something with them, if I actually had the ants.” She put her hands on her hips and gave him an exaggerated blink of her eyes. “And I just might serve the soup up first, and tell you what was in it later, if you keep eavesdropping on my phone calls.”
He ignored that threat and gave her a fascinated look. “I have a food magazine and I’ve never heard of ant egg soup. Is that a real thing?”
“It certainly is. Very popular in Thailand. We’ll have to go there and try it sometime.” Nicki flashed a smile before turning around and opening her refrigerator.
“That sounds like a good plan,” Matt said softly.
Chapter Sixty-Four
The next morning, Matt was back on her doorstep bright and early. Nicki greeted him with a cheerful smile and a heavenly smelling cup of coffee.
“My prayers have been answered.” Matt grabbed the to-go cup and waved it under his nose. He closed his eyes as he inhaled the rich scent. “I thought we’d have to stop at Starbucks.”
Nicki made a sour face. “Starbucks? Why? Do you want some kind of caramel substitute in your coffee?”
Matt shook his head. “No. But after bullying you into making dinner last night, I wasn’t about to demand coffee this morning.”
She smiled. It was just like Matt to think his request for dinner, accompanied by those adorable “puppy eyes” that had been magnified behind the lenses of his glasses, qualified as “bullying”. She doubted if the man had any idea how to go about something like that.
“It wasn’t a problem. I was going to make a meal for myself anyway. Despite what you think, Mr. Dillon, I do eat on a regular basis.” She frowned when he headed for his rental car. “We can take my car.”
He laughed. “Nicki, no one wants to ride in your car. Not if they want a better than fifty-fifty chance of getting to where they want to go.” He opened the passenger side door and waited for her. “And no matter what the weather, both the heater and the air conditioner in this car works.”
Thinking that really was a plus since it was promising to be a very typically warm California day, Nicki murmured “thanks” and climbed in, settling herself into the plush seat of the high-end SUV that Matt typically rented.
“Speaking of your car,” Matt started.
Nicki cut him off with a wave of her hand. “We aren’t speaking of my car. And no, you aren’t going to give me a huge advance so I can buy a new one.”
“I wasn’t talking about an advance.” Matt didn’t look at her but kept his eyes straight-ahead as he maneuvered the SUV around the cul-de-sac before heading out the long driveway toward the road. “Since you always refuse to take one.”
“That’s good. Because I already have a plan to look for a new car next spring.” At least she hoped so. As long as the sales for her spy novels held up, and her blog continued to grow, she should stay on track to be out looking at cars at about th
e same time new vines would be planted all over Sonoma Valley.
“Another used car?”
Matt didn’t sound happy, but since that’s what she could afford, he’d just have to learn to live with it.
“Maxie didn’t want to come with us to talk with Gordon?” Nicki changed the subject to something that wouldn’t lead to an argument. It was too nice a morning for one, with the sun already shining brightly overhead, painting the sky a brilliant blue.
“She had genealogy work she needed to get done and thought you’d do fine on the interviews without her.” He shrugged. “Provided I behaved.”
“Which is good advice,” Nicki said as the bright yellow diner came into view.
“Uh huh. What time is this Twill person supposed to be at the diner?” Matt turned into the parking lot where the only other vehicle was the battered pickup truck that Jake drove.
Nicki glanced at her watch. “In about ten minutes.” She unsnapped her seat belt and hopped out of the car before Matt could get to her side to open the door. Their old-fashioned manners were something he and Rob had in common, although she doubted if Matt would welcome any kind of comparison with the Catalan House wine buyer. And it’s probably the only way that they are alike, Nicki admitted to herself.
They walked into the diner together. Nicki scanned the room but didn’t see any sign of Jake. And if the assistant manager was in the kitchen, he was in a spot that wasn’t visible from the pass-through window. But she could definitely see that the door to the walk-in freezer was wide open. A tremor of nerves mixed with fear raced down her back and arms.
“Hello?” Matt called out. “Are you around somewhere, Jake?”
Relief flooded through Nicki when Jake’s head appeared around the edge of the freezer door.
“Hey! I was just getting out some hamburger buns.” He stepped out into the kitchen, a large plastic bag in one hand, and closed the freezer door. “We’ll have to use our emergency stash since we aren’t getting a bread delivery for another two days. I had to call most of our vendors to get us put back on their schedules.”
