“I’ve heard rumors every now and again.”
“I went last night,” Janie admitted.
Jake looked surprised. “You did? Who did you go with? I heard you have to know someone to be allowed in.”
“I do know someone. One of Gramps’ friends goes every now and then. He took us.”
Jake chuckled at that. “That is funny that your grandfather condoned it.”
“I teased him about that, too. He said it doesn’t matter now that he’s retired. He had a blast.”
“Do you gamble?” Jake asked.
“I like to play a little blackjack every now and then. But it had been several years since I last played.”
“How did you do?”
“I won a little money,” Jane admitted. “But the most interesting thing was that I met the person that Ellen said had been harassing Samantha. Lanny Drummond. I didn’t realize who it was, though, until after I’d already left. He introduced himself as Landon.”
“You met the infamous Lanny? What was he like?”
Jane thought about that for a moment. “Not what you would expect. He was charming, actually, and seemed very smart. If I’d met him in another setting, I would have guessed he was a software entrepreneur, like his father possibly. Certainly not a blue collar thug.”
“Right. Well, there’s nothing blue collar about Lanny. Seems like he is following in his stepfather’s footsteps as a sharp business person and entrepreneur, though on the opposite side of the law.”
“I can’t picture him harassing anyone, though. He seems too polished for that,” Jane said.
“Maybe he delegates that part of the business?” Jake suggested.
That hadn’t occurred to Jane. She would have to talk to Ellen again and find out more.
“You may be right about that.”
A customer walked in then and Jane took his order at the register. Jake looked like he wanted to stay and talk a bit longer, but as soon as Jane finished making change, several more customers walked in.
“Jane, I’ll catch up with you later.” Jake left as Melissa returned from her lunch break and for the next few hours, they had a steady stream of customers. But by a quarter to four, the store emptied out and they ran around cleaning up before it was time to close.
As Jane was taking out the trash, her cell phone rang and it was Gramps.
“We still on for tonight?” He sounded excited and Jane smiled.
“Yes, see you at six again?”
“It’s a date!”
* * *
Jane decided to take a different approach with her outfit this time. She blew her hair out and then used a curling iron to add loose curls that gave it a pretty, tousled look. She wore one of her favorite tops, a rose pink knit that was cut a hint lower than she normally wore. Jane didn’t have any cleavage to speak of, but a push up bra worked wonders in boosting what curves she did have. A pair of snug, faded jeans and sexy, leather sandals with a flattering, high heel and her look was complete. She knew she’d pulled it off by Gramps and Carl’s reactions.
“Wow, Janie, you look pretty!” Carl said.
“You clean up good, kid,” Gramps said.
Carl drove again and the location this time was a private function hall on Mulberry Street. The set-up was similar, too, and this time, the bouncer recognized all of them.
“Nice to see you all again. Head on in,” he said with a smile.
“They’re friendly here,” Jane commented as they stepped inside.
“It’s because we have a pretty girl with us,” Carl said as he led the way.
There weren’t as many people as there had been the night before. Jane wondered out loud if it started later on Saturdays.
“Usually, it is a slower start,” Carl confirmed. “It will get hopping later.”
“We have our pick of the tables this time,” Gramps said with enthusiasm as they surveyed the room.
“You decide,” Jane said.
Gramps led them to the one blackjack table that was completely empty. The dealer stood there, waiting for his first customers to arrive. They settled in and placed their first bets. There was no sign of Lanny—or Landon as Jane thought of him.
They played for over an hour before the room started to pick up and other people joined their table. To entertain herself, Jane focused intently on counting the cards and won five hands in a row. Then she noticed the dealer suddenly paying close attention to her and she stopped counting and deliberately lost several hands in a row. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lanny stroll in and head for the bar. He chatted with the bartender for a moment, and then stood watching the room as he sipped what looked like a glass of water. Suddenly, Jane was thirsty.
“Looks like my luck is turning,” she said with a laugh as both Gramps and Carl won their hands.
“You can’t win them all, Janie-girl,” Gramps said.
“I’m going to take a break and go get another glass of wine.” Jane made her way to the bar, and settled into a chair and waited for the bartender to come over to her. Lanny caught her eye as soon as she sat down and she smiled back at him. He accepted the invitation and walked over. He didn’t sit, though, but rather leaned against the chair next to her, still keeping his eyes on the floor.
“I guess we must have treated you right last night? Nice to see you back again.”
Jane smiled. “We had such a good time, and I told my grandfather I’d love to come again sometime. They suggested tonight, and I said, why not?”
“Why not, indeed? So, when you’re not gambling with old men, what do you do?” He was flirting with her now and Jane had to admit, she was enjoying the attention. She’d hoped that taking extra care with her appearance might get his attention, and then she could see what she could learn, if anything. She knew it was really a longshot.
“I run a coffee shop, mostly takeout breakfast and lunch.”
“You like to cook? I’m impressed.”
“I do, actually. Baking, too.”
“Maybe I’ll have to stop in sometime and see for myself.”
“What do you do when you’re not organizing these parties?” Jane kept her tone light.
“Oh, I keep busy. I’m an investor in a few different businesses. Keeps me out of trouble,” he said with a chuckle. She should have known he wouldn’t say much. But still, she tried again.
“How long have you been having these parties? It’s such a clever idea,” she said and smiled at him, hoping to convey how impressed she was. He hesitated for a minute, but then the flattery worked and he answered the question.
“Almost five years now. We started small, just a party here and there, maybe once a month, if that. But it took off quickly and has really grown.”
“That’s wonderful! It feels just like a real casino, too.”
“It is. We do everything a regular casino would do—we even give margin to our regular customers, so they can place bigger bets now and then if they are feeling lucky.”
“Really? That’s great. Though maybe not so great if they lose their bet?” She laughed lightly and Lanny chuckled, too. “Most of our regulars are experienced gamblers. They know the risks.”
“I’d be much too nervous to ever do that,” Jane admitted, hoping it made her sound like an inexperienced gambler.
Lanny smiled and looked amused. “How are the cards treating you tonight?” he asked.
“I got off to a good start, thought I knew what I was doing, and then everything fell apart. I thought it seemed like a good time to take a break.”
“You’re smart, then. When that happens, most people keep going, determined to get it back. But, it usually doesn’t happen. That’s what we count on.”
Jane smiled. “The house always wins.”
“Often enough, and it’s a good thing or I wouldn’t have a business.” Someone waved at Lanny from across the room and he excused himself. “Duty calls. It was nice seeing you again. Good luck.”
Lanny left and Jane made her w
ay back to Gramps and Carl. They were both smiling and their stack of chips had grown.
“I’m killing it tonight,” Carl said happily.
“I’m not doing too bad, either,” Gramps said.
Jane settled in and started to play again. She lost two hands in a row, as did Gramps and Carl.
“That’s it for me. I don’t want to give any more of it back,” Gramps said. He collected his chips and slid out of his seat.
“I’m done, too. You ready to go, Janie?” Carl asked.
“I’m ready.”
After they cashed in their chips and headed for the door, Lanny caught up with them.
“Thanks for coming in. I hope to see you all again soon?” He addressed all of them, but was looking directly at Jane.”
“I’m sure we’ll be back soon,” she said.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, Gramps spoke. “So, Lanny seems to have taken a shine to you. Did you learn anything?”
“No, he admitted that they sometimes will grant margin, loans for regular customers, but we pretty much already knew that.”
“We’ll keep digging. Something will turn up. It always does.” Gramps was so optimistic. Jane had always liked that about him—though winning a few hundred dollars would put anyone in a good mood.
“We’ll come back next Friday,” Carl said. “Lanny seems to like you. Maybe you can keep talking to him.”
Jane was curious to talk to Lanny some more. He was so charming and she had to admit she found him attractive, which was a little disturbing. From all accounts, Lanny was bad news. But it was hard for her to imagine him doing the kinds of things that were generally associated with the mob.
Gambling, sure, but harassing Samantha about a loan or potentially murdering someone? That didn’t seem to fit the person she’d met. But, as she well knew, people were unpredictable, and capable of all kinds of things. She wasn’t sure, though, that Lanny was their best lead. Her gut was telling her that there was something they were missing and that they needed to focus in a different direction.
22
The following Wednesday morning, Jane was trying out a new muffin recipe, toasted coconut and pineapple, and it looked like it was going to be a winner. She was taking them out of the oven when the front door chimed. She set the muffins on the counter to cool and went out front. It was still very early. Jane had only been open for about fifteen minutes and the morning rush didn’t usually happen for another forty-five minutes or so.
“What smells so good?” Jake asked. He was standing at the counter, looking hungry.
“New muffin flavor, pineapple and toasted coconut. Want one? They’re hot from the oven.”
“How can I say no to that?”
“Coffee, too?”
“I’m good on coffee, thanks. I actually stopped in to see if you might be up for trivia tonight?”
That caught Jane by surprise. Before she could respond, he spoke again. “I thought we could sit at the bar this time. I hear that Chester and Maxine apparently like trivia. They were the first place winners last week.”
“Really? Jane had been so surprised to see them together that it hadn’t even occurred to her that they might have been there playing trivia.
“I was thinking—if you want to go that is—that we could sit at the bar this time, maybe near the two of them, if possible, and see if we can chat them up a bit.”
“Do you really think either of them could be involved?” Jane knew they both had a motive, but she didn’t think they had anything to do with it.
“I don’t know if they did or didn’t, but we have nothing else to go on, so we might as well keep talking to people.”
“Okay, I’ll play.”
“Great, I’ll be by at six.” Jane watched him leave and was smiling to herself as Melissa walked in.
“Thanks for letting me come in a little late today. John always takes forever with my hair, but I love that he’ll see me so early.” She stopped and stared at Jane for a minute. “What are you looking so happy about?” Before Jane could even reply, she said, “That was Jake wasn’t it? Do you have plans to go out again?”
“Sort of. We’re going to trivia tonight at the pub.”
Melissa raised her eyebrows. “A date?”
Jane sighed. “No, I don’t think so. Not that I’d mind. It’s just trivia. We have to defend our second place win from last week. And Jake is hoping that we see Chester and Maxine there and get a chance to talk to them.”
“Okay. Well, it almost sounds like a date. Should be fun, anyway. Can’t wait to hear about it tomorrow.”
* * *
Later that afternoon when Jane was closing for the day, her cell phone rang and it was Nick.
“How’s it going? Have you found the real murderer yet?” she teased him. He’d had the case all of a week now.
“Very funny. I have a favor to ask of you. Are you busy tomorrow night?”
“For what? I told you I’m not getting involved in this case.”
“I know. I’m not asking you to. Not officially, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Drummond’s stepson, Ben, is hosting a big company bash tomorrow night. It’s a huge party the company throws every year for clients and friends. Drummond put us all on the guest list. I thought it might be fun for you. If you don’t have other plans.”
Damn him. Her schedule was clear and she was tempted.
“Why would Drummond put me on the guest list? I told him I won’t work on this case already.”
“Wishful thinking maybe? He values your opinion. We both do. The thinking is that we go to this party and just mingle. Maybe you get a chance to chat up Ben, see if you can learn anything.” And this was part of the reason why Nick was good—he never gave up.
“Why don’t you bring Liza? She’s your investigator.” The party did sound intriguing.
“I am bringing Liza. I thought we could all go, then go our separate ways and compare notes afterward.”
Jane was silent for a moment, considering the idea. When she still didn’t say anything, Nick pulled out his trump card. “The food is going to be really good. Lavender & Thyme is catering.” They were one of the best caterers in the city. Nick knew her weakness.
“I wonder if they will make the lamb meatballs?” Jane said with a sigh. They were ridiculously delicious.
“So you’ll go?”
“Yes, I’ll go.”
23
Jane got home around four thirty, fed Misty, and then jumped in the shower. An hour later, she was dressed and ready to go. Since they were going to the pub, she dressed casually—jeans and her favorite royal blue top. She still had a half-hour before Jake was due to arrive, so she made herself a cup of hot tea and sat down in her favorite chair in her living room. It was by a large window that had a distant view of the ocean.
As she took her first sip, Misty jumped up onto her lap and swished her tail in Jane’s face, almost spilling her tea. She walked in a circle and then settled down and purred loudly while Jane petted her and thought about Maxine and Chester.
She hoped that they would be at trivia tonight and that she’d have a chance to chat with them. It still surprised her a bit that they seemed to be a couple. That implied that they’d been having an affair while Samantha and Chester were married.
But did Samantha know about it? Who else might have wanted Samantha dead? And why? Jane had no solid theories yet on any possible suspects. It didn’t sound like Jake had uncovered any real evidence on anyone yet, either. But maybe he hadn’t told her everything. Not yet, anyway.
* * *
At six o’clock sharp, there was a knock on the front door. Jane stood and Misty howled at the loss of her lap. “Sorry, sweetie,” she said as the little cat strolled off, swishing her tail to indicate her displeasure.
Jane opened the door and Jake stood there, looking great and smelling even better. Jane didn’t recall him wearing any cologne the last time they went out.
&
nbsp; “Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes, let me just get my jacket.” Jane grabbed her lightweight jacket from the kitchen closet and they left. On the short drive to the pub, Jane asked if he’d learned anything new.
“Not a thing. I was hoping to have something more substantial by now, but I had to send my report off this morning, as is. The state police will be taking over now. I’ll still be assisting them, of course.”
“And you still want to solve it?” Jane knew she would have a hard time with that, just handing the case over and essentially giving up.
Jake grinned. “Of course I do. One of the reasons I came here was to get away from the constant grind of murders and crime in Boston, but handing a case over is something I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.”
The pub looked busy, as usual, when Jake pulled into the parking lot. They went inside and while the restaurant was packed, there were quite a few open seats at the bar. Better still, Chester and Maxine were already there sitting at a corner, and there were empty seats next to them. Jake led the way and Jane sat next to Maxine with Jake on her right. Maxine smiled when she recognized her.
“How’s your grandfather doing? Has he given any more thought to Riverhaven?”
Jane could see why Maxine did so well with real estate—she was on top of things. “I don’t think he’s ready to do anything yet. I’m not sure he ever will, to be honest. I think he was just humoring me by agreeing to get some information,” she confessed.
Maxine smiled. “That’s too bad. I understand, though. If anything changes, please let me know.”
“Of course. Are you playing trivia tonight? Jake and I were here last week and it was fun.”
“Yes, it’s become a regular thing with us.” Maxine took a sip of her beer and then said, “We actually won last week. First time for that. Chester knew the answer to the last question and that did it for us.” For the final question, players were able to wager any amount up to their total score, so it was possible, even if you were in last place, to still win, depending on how that last question went for everyone.
Motive Page 8
