Kari Jacobs Box Set

by Harper Harris

  We moved away from the pups and I tried to start another conversation. “So, how are things going for you Theodore?”

  He sipped on his coffee as he thought. I saw Ted almost every day, but our conversations were often quick. A couple of times each week, the two of us had a chance to have longer conversations with one another.

  “Pretty good, doing my usual, minding the café? You, Kari?”

  “My usual, lawyering and sleuthing.”

  “And not that anyone asked,” Ash added, “but I am also doing my usual. Teaching the next generation. Preparing them to be functioning adults and stuff.”

  Ashley really was a great teacher. The kids loved her, and she always came back to me with the most adorable stories.

  “In fact,” she said, while checking her watch, “I have about another fifteen or so minutes before I have to go and do just that.”

  “What’s on the lesson plan for today?” Ted asked.

  “Well, I’m teaching the kids the alphabet, but I’ve been finding new and fun ways to go about it. Today, I assigned them each a couple letters and had them bring in an object that starts with those letters. I really hope that some of them bring in edible things. I did my best to plant those seeds in their heads without outright telling them to what to bring in.”

  Ash always got excited on snack day since most parents in the area were keen on the homemade stuff.

  We talked for a little while longer, but then it was time for Ash to leave.

  “I don’t want to be late for the students.” She knelt down so she could say goodbye to Bisco. “I’ll see you later, my sweet girl. You get to have a fun day with Kari and your brother and then I’ll see you tonight.”

  Ash said goodbye to Ted and me as well and then left.

  “So, what are your plans for the day?”

  “Well, I was going to –” before I could finish, or even begin, the morning rush came in and Ted had to leave.

  “Sorry, Kari. Maybe we can talk later?”

  I nodded and let him get back to work. I still had a coffee to finish and some time before I had to be into work. I continued to nurse my drink and watch the puppies as various Appletonians filed in. Soon, one I liked came in.

  “Hi, Kari. How have you been?”

  It was Budrow!

  “Hi! It’s been a while.” I stood up to give him a quick hug. He was a lifesaver back when my car broke down. A lifesaver and good conversation. “I’m doing really well. My car hasn’t broken down, so I’ve got that on my side.”

  “Speaking of broken down cars, I actually got a job off Highway 9. Awfully close to where I towed your car. If they’re even half as lovely as you, then I’m sure it’ll be a good day.”

  I was so happy when Budrow finally showed up. I thought I was going to have to stay at Red Rivers a lot longer, but then my knight in a tow truck showed up and I was just a chatty Cathy the whole ride.

  “Oh, you’re just saying that. You’re honestly way too nice. I’m just grateful that you were able to get to me sooner than expected and you were also great company. You really know how to make someone smile.”

  Budrow loved to crack a whole lot of jokes and they were actually good ones. Even though it was a bit inconvenient that there was only one tow truck for like three towns, it was awfully great that it had ended up being Budrow.

  “You don’t know how much I appreciate you saying that.” I smiled a huge smile. “I have to get going but we should catch up. I want to hear all about how things are going for you as a big fancy lawyer.”

  I said goodbye to Budrow, promising to call him so we could talk even more, and I went back to my coffee. I only got about two sips in before I heard someone else say my name.

  “Well, well, well, Kari Jacobs.”

  This time it was Duggie. Like me, he was in the Appleton Café almost every day for a to-go cup.

  “I see you’re having your usual cup of coffee.”

  “I am, Duggie. I’m guessing you’re here for your usual as well.”

  When I first met Duggie, I wasn’t very sure about him. He was a city councilman, and politics was never a totally clean game, as far as I observed. But Duggie grew on me. I felt like he was a pretty good guy – and, yeah, maybe sometimes he did a thing or two that wasn’t always the most above board, but I liked him.

  “Yes, I am. I also heard that you made a bit of a risky career move?”

  I furrowed my brow because I didn’t know what he was talking about. I didn’t think I had done anything that I had thought as career ending recently.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Duggie’s eyes went wide.

  “The talk around town! You’re defending Cooter Prescott. I know you had quite the win with your last big case, but ol’ Coot is quite the doozy.”

  I knew Cooter was the town weirdo, but it was just something everyone accepted, and I also knew Duggie wasn’t being mean-spirited. It was all just light-hearted ribbing.

  “Well, let’s hope I made the right choice.” I knew I had and I was going to see this whole thing through.

  “I’m sure you did, because I know when Kari Jacobs makes a decision, no one can talk her out of or into anything and you’ve got a great record so far which must mean you’re doing right.”

  I had enough confidence in myself to know that I was a good lawyer and I always fought for my clients.

  I smiled at Duggie. “Thanks for saying that. It was awfully nice.

  “I meant every word,” he said before winking at me.

  I could see why a lot of the woman in town found him so… magnetic. He was quite the charmer.

  Other people I knew came in and out of the café. Seeing all the familiar faces and saying hi to all of them made me suddenly realize something. I was a local now – an Appletonian. A small smile escaped as I thought about it. I had gotten myself acclimated to a place that was basically the complete opposite of the Bay Area. And honestly, there were things that I missed about the Bay Area. The Bay Area was where I grew up and spent almost my entire life, but there were also things I didn’t miss.

  In fact, there was a whole list of things: traffic, rude people, tech billionaires, the wet and freezing cold – I could go on and on. But it wasn’t all bad. I had my friends and family and my old haunts. A place that you once called home just always kind of stays with you.

  But, what I missed the most was my Aunt Tavey. I would love to know what her connection was to this weird town. I also wanted to let her know that I was alright, and that after graduating I’d landed on my feet, got a job, found a new place to call home, and made a ton of great new friends… I actually wasn’t even sure if she already knew. I hadn’t been able to get ahold of her in a while. I couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t communicating with me. We had been so close. It was like that since I was young.

  Aunt Tavey had taken a special interest in me. She had never married or had any kids, so she was like a third parent to me. I actually remembered a few times when my Dad had to remind his sister that she wasn’t actually a parent of mine. Aunt Tavey never took it the wrong way though. She just loved me and liked showing it. We were really that close, but then, all of sudden, she wasn’t returning my calls, my emails or my Dad’s calls or emails. I wasn’t sure if anyone had been able to get a hold of her recently. She was unreachable. It was hard for me to accept that she just wasn’t there anymore. My Dad had gotten over it a lot faster than me. I just felt like he, and my Aunt Tavey, didn’t realize how deeply it hurt that she was out of my life. Honestly, I could barely believe it.

  I could feel myself tearing up and knew I shouldn’t think about it anymore. I needed to divert my line of thinking. I’d gone over this in my head over a million times and I’d never came up with any kind of explanation. If I tried to crack this case once more, I’d end up being late for work. I sniffled a little and downed the rest of my coffee. I needed to leave the Appleton Café and get myself to the firm.

  I got Bisco and Shorty rea
dy to leave and the three of us left for our first day as a working trio. Well, I was the one who was going to be working. Biscotti and Shortbread would hopefully be good little puppies and keep themselves occupied, but quiet in the little area I had set aside for them in my office.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Wednesday

  The three of us got to the firm and working with two puppies in the room proved to be quite the challenge. They were still young and, with double the energy, the two of them kind of egged one another on. They’d be settled and sitting after I had tended to them and then, all of sudden, they’d start getting all excited, jumping all over one another. They really were siblings and friends. But that also made them a little harder to deal with.

  I had walked past Tammy with the two little guys and she had oohed and awed at them. She watched me disappear into my office and then, after I had gotten a small bit settled, but still trying to deal with my little guys, I heard a knock at my door. I looked up to see Tammy at my door.

  “I thought you might be having a little trouble with those two bundles of excitement and I wanted to offer my services. For the good of the firm, I will play with these puppies as long as you need me to.”

  Tammy was super excited when I told her that Shortbread’s sister would be joining him on Wednesday. She had been counting down the days until they would both be there.

  “I would really appreciate that actually. The two of them get extra rowdy when they are together.” Tammy walked into my office and right over to the playing dogs. Shortbread immediately went over to her, letting her pet him and licking her face. Biscotti was a little hesitant, but when she saw how happily her brother was playing with Tammy, so she joined in on the fun.

  The day passed by like that with Tammy coming in and out of my office to occupy the dogs time whenever she had a spare minute. This way I was able to get more work done than I had anticipated. I realized that I could probably leave Shortbread at home with Biscotti during the day. I mainly brought him because I was worried he might get bored and, since the partners were okay with me bringing him, I did it. But having them both here was showing me it was a task. But I’d become so accustomed to his calming presence. He just made me happy.

  It looked like I wasn’t ready to let go just yet. And Tammy would be crushed. She loved Shortbread so much. She really did spoil him. But I did know that, as he got bigger, it wasn’t going to be much of a choice. There would come a time when I’d just have to leave him at home. But he’d have a friend at least when that day did come around.

  The workday was basically like any other – there was just double doggy clean-up. Lunch came around, and I thought it would be a good idea to take the puppies out for a walk. I had a Clif Bar, so I grabbed that and leashed up Bisco and Shorty and took them down the tree-lined town square. It was right out front of city hall, the bit we were going to be walking down. I wanted them to have a tree nearby if they really needed it. The town square was really quite nice. It was the busiest part of Appleton, but it wasn’t full of hustle and bustle like the city centers I’d gone to go to in the Bay Area. It was calming.

  While on our walk, I noticed Gladys sitting on a park bench. Once we got closer to her, I saw that she was actually crying.

  “Gladys?”

  She looked up at me and wiped some of the tears from her eyes.

  “Oh, Kari. What a surprise. How are you?”

  “More importantly Gladys, how are you? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  I sat down next to her and got as close as I could without encroaching into her space too much.

  “It’s nothing, really. I’m just like – I don’t know.”

  It was clear something was up if she was sitting out here in public crying her eyes out. I didn’t like pushing people too hard to reveal problems they were having if they didn’t feel comfortable, but Gladys was my friend and I wanted to make sure she was alright.

  “I know something is up, Gladys. I don’t want you holding it all inside and feeling worse and worse. I’m here for you, I hope you know that?”

  She nodded and wiped a few more tears away.

  “I know you are, Kari. You’re a good friend.”

  “So, tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help? And if I can’t, maybe talking about it will make you feel better.”

  “Okay,” she took a deep breath. “It’s John.” She was fussing with her hands as she explained. “I came here today to file for divorce, but I couldn’t even get myself up the steps. I just – I don’t really want to leave him, but things just haven’t been good between us, they haven’t been for a while.”

  “Really? The two of you always look so happy together.”

  I was so surprised that that was the cause of Gladys’ woes. I’d gotten to know the two of them better over the past month or so and they were always just so… happy. I didn’t know how else to describe it.

  “I guess we’re just really good at hiding it. He’s just been doing a lot of travelling for work and he doesn’t want to retire – and I didn’t want to make him do something he didn’t want to – but he’s always away and we’d been growing apart. Unfortunately, the distance between us led to suspicion and he thinks I’m having an affair with Gustavo.”

  I had to do my best not to physically react to that because I already had an uncertain view of that guy. And, admittedly, I could see where John got that in his mind, but he also has to know that Gladys would never actually do that to him. Even if they were on the rocks, I saw how she looked at him and I just knew.

  “But I’m not. I couldn’t. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it, but I didn’t act on it or anything like that. I mean, Gustavo and I did have coffee at the Appleton Café last Saturday…”

  Oh, Gladys. I knew she didn’t actually have an affair, but that still didn’t sound good.

  “We just wanted to talk and we both came to the conclusion that we didn’t want to have an affair. It felt like it would be tawdry and dirty, and I just couldn’t do that to John. He is a good man, even if he makes a mistake here and there. And right now, he’s acting really jealous and it’s just so hard to live with him. I feel like I’m going crazy because I know I did something wrong, but not what he thinks because… oh, I don’t know…”

  I felt so bad for Gladys. She probably signed up for those dance classes, so she and her husband could get closer, but it looked like all it ended up doing was messing up their relationship even more. I was actually a little mad at Gus. I had a sneaking suspicion that the real reason he decided not to get romantically involved with someone like Gladys – and by that what I meant was she was a little spacy – was that he was probably afraid that it might end up blowing his cover. He probably would have gone along with it if it wasn’t for that little con he was pulling, the little hustler.

  “I’m sure if you talk to John, maybe the two of you could work things out.”

  And like he knew we were talking about, the man appeared. John came running from across the street and, when Gladys saw him, she sharply stood up.

  “John!” she exclaimed.

  I looked up at the two of them, hoping that this would be a happy thing. Then, unexpectedly, John got down on his knees.

  “Gladys, I got your message and I wanted to say that I am so, so sorry. I know I’ve been MIA in this marriage and I should have never done that to you. I love you and I want to work things out because if it’s possible I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you and painting with you and just being happy with you.”

  Gladys placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Oh, John. I thought you didn’t want me anymore. You’re just gone all the time and we barely talk anymore and I know I could have tried a little harder, too.”

  John stood up and cupped his wife’s cheek.

  “Baby, you do so much for me and I should appreciate you more.”

  I felt like a bit of a voyeur just sitting there and watching them bare their souls to one another, so
I got up and scooted away quietly. As I was leaving I heard a little bit more of their conversation.

  “Why don’t we try again then? This time together?”

  “I’d love that.”

  Hearing them reconcile with one another, I felt like there was hope for love in this world. You couldn’t deny it after seeing the two of them be so open and vulnerable with one another.

  That small moment also led me to another conclusion – it was Gladys who Gus was rushing off to meet the night Lonny was killed. And the two of them met in a very public place – that meant his alibi was air-tight and, no matter how much I didn’t trust him, I couldn’t just pin it on him. All he was guilty of was being a fraud. Not my business until someone wants to sue him over it.

  I arrived back at work and got through the rest of my workday with relative ease. The second half of the day was a lot easier – the walk seemed to have tired Shorty and Bisco out. Tammy still came in and out to play with them even though it wasn’t needed as much. She just really loved those dogs. It didn’t bother me. I welcomed all the love for the puppies that anyone had to give.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Thursday

  I was at the police station to talk with Sheriff Cranston. He had called to tell me that he had the results for the blood they tested. He could have told me over the phone, but I wanted to also visit Cooter, so I thought he might as well just tell me when I got there. That way I could see him when he delivered the results to me. I wasn’t sure how that would help, but I could never know exactly what would help.

  “Hi, Kari. I have the results right over here.”

  He took me over to his desk and took a folder that was sitting on the top of it.

  “I was looking over it, yesterday, but I don’t really know what to do with it just yet. Like you probably guessed, the blood at both the church and on the postcard was Lonny’s.”

  That was good news, I thought, but I wasn’t sure. I was operating under the assumption that the blood was Lonny’s, but – like Beau – I didn’t have a real use for the information. In fact, it raised more questions than answers.