by Jinty James
“I think we should consider the staff at the radio station,” Suzanne declared, taking a sip of bottled water.
“And I think we should concentrate on the judge first,” Maddie countered. “Let’s try to clear the coffee people now, and then if we think everyone is innocent, visit the radio station.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Suzanne conceded. She glanced at her watch. “Don’t forget I’ve got an appointment with Ramon this afternoon.”
“How could I?” Maddie teased. “Three o’clock, right?”
“Right.” A dreamy expression flickered across Suzanne’s face. “Only five hours to go.”
“So if we’re going to interview the judge, we better make a plan.”
“We could close now, go see him, and get back in time for lunch,” Suzanne suggested.
Maddie was about to agree, when she stilled. Walking across the green lawn toward the truck was the very person they’d just spoken of!
“He’s here!” She hissed to Suzanne.
“Who?” Suzanne looked puzzled for a second, then her face brightened. “Ramon?”
“No, the judge!”
“Oh!”
“Hello, Ms. Goodwell - Maddie. And Ms. Taylor.” Edward Grenville smiled at them.
“Hi, Mr. Grenville,” Suzanne greeted him. She slid Maddie a sidelong look. “What can we do for you?”
“I’ll have a large latte.” He pulled some cash out of his wallet.
Maddie set to work, bringing the hissing espresso machine to life.
Now that the judge was here, her mind had gone blank! What should she ask him? She hoped Suzanne had some questions in mind – her friend was in the best position to assess his reactions to their questions, as Maddie had to focus on making his latte.
“Are you going to be judging the Seattle competition next month?” Suzanne asked.
“Regretfully, no,” the judge replied as Maddie foamed milk. “These days, I enjoy the grassroots competitions, such as the one here last weekend.”
“Why is that?” Suzanne asked innocently.
“Oh, you know. Getting older, taking time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.”
Maddie finished making the coffee and slid it across the counter to him. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” He lifted the paper cup to his lips and sipped. “Ahh, ambrosia. Your cappuccino was the best by far last weekend and I was happy to award you first prize. And now, it seems, your latte is just as good.”
“Thank you.” Maddie smiled, pleased at his compliment. She only hoped he was innocent, and the praise was truly meant.
“It was terrible about Dave Dantzler being killed at the festival,” Suzanne said, watching his expression.
“Yes, of course,” the judge replied, but his tone didn’t reveal a hint of sorrow.
“Had you met him before?” Maddie asked, remembering what Walt the newspaper reporter had told them – that, on his show, Dave Dantzler had accused the judge of taking bribes.
“Yes.” The judge took another sip of his latte.
Maddie and Suzanne exchanged a look. It seemed that questioning this suspect would be more difficult than they thought.
“I don’t know if Maddie’s interview with him will be heard on the radio station now,” Suzanne tried again. “And we were excited about it, weren’t we, Maddie?”
“Yes,” Maddie replied.
Mr. Grenville tsked. “You’re probably better off not appearing on his show,” he told them. “Believe me.”
Before they could ask him anything more, a beep beep filled the air.
The judge looked at his watch. “Time for my pill.” He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little pill box. “I have to take these on time or else.” He grimaced as he patted his chest.
Maddie’s eyes widened as she spied a small heart embossed on the lid of the box. The judge swallowed a tiny pill, washing it down with large sips of his latte.
One idea after another raced through Maddie’s mind. A shrill old-fashioned telephone ring cut through the air before she could say anything.
“Now what?” The judge frowned as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He nodded goodbye to them and with his cell phone to his ear, headed toward the other side of the town square.
“Did you see what I saw?” Suzanne asked in an excited tone.
“The heart picture on his pill box?”
“Yes! What if he’s the killer?”
“Shh. We don’t want anyone to overhear.” Maddie craned her head but didn’t see anyone in the vicinity. Thank goodness.
“Detective Edgewater said Dave died of a digoxin overdose,” Suzanne continued, her voice lower. “What if the judge killed him because of that radio interview last year?”
“The one that Walt the newspaper reporter told us about – Dave tarnished the judge’s reputation by accusing him of taking bribes?”
“Yes!”
“Maybe that’s why he’s not judging big competitions anymore, just like Walt said,” Maddie said thoughtfully.
“It’s got to be him!” Suzanne insisted. “Who else takes heart medication and was at the festival?”
“Maybe several other people,” Maddie pointed out, trying not to get too carried away.
So far, all the clues pointed to Mr. Grenville, the judge, but they couldn’t question everyone who’d been at the festival to discover if any of them had a heart condition. For a start, they didn’t know all the people who’d attended.
“It’s got to be someone connected to Dave in some way. Why would a random stranger kill him?”
“You’ve got a point,” Maddie conceded.
“So let’s call Detective Edgewater and tell him what we’ve found out.” Suzanne whipped out her cell phone. “He mightn’t know that the judge from the coffee festival is on heart medication.”
***
Suzanne shoved the phone back in her pocket. “Detective Edgewater is out in the field,” she mimicked a high-pitched voice. “And no, I cannot forward your call to him.”
“She was only doing her job,” Maddie tried to calm down her friend.
“Or helping the murderer get away!” Suzanne’s expression was fierce.
“It’s not that bad,” Maddie said. “We’ll try calling him again later. And if the judge is guilty, it doesn’t look like he’s making a getaway. He bought a latte from us, after all.”
“Don’t you think it’s suspicious he knew our coffee was safe to drink?” Suzanne snapped her fingers. “That’s because he’s the killer!”
“Or because he heard that Dave Dantzler was killed by digoxin and not by my coffee,” Maddie pointed out.
“Maybe. But on the bright side, at least we know that Bob is innocent.”
“There is that,” Maddie replied.
“And I still think Jill and Bob would make a cute couple,” Suzanne insisted. “When this is all over, if they haven’t gotten together, I’m going to see what I can do.”
***
When it was almost three o’clock, Suzanne headed across the town square for her massage with Ramon.
That left Maddie on her own in the truck, but she didn’t mind. Business was pretty quiet, but it gave her time to tidy up the small interior, and even make a new batch of health balls.
The healthy morsels were Suzanne’s domain, but she’d shown Maddie how to make them in case they needed to make more in a hurry.
Just as she put the new batch of maple macadamia in the small fridge to set, Detective Edgewater appeared at the serving hatch.
“Miss Goodwell,” he boomed, his face creasing into a smile. “Can you make me a cappuccino?” At his choice of words, he grimaced. “Sorry.”
“No problem,” she replied, getting the coffee underway. She and Suzanne had recently converted the detective to her cappuccinos, but he’d refused to try anything else.
Now that she knew that Dave hadn’t died from her coffee, the thought of making a cappuccino didn’t make her shudder any more.
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“Shot of vanilla syrup?” she asked as she foamed the milk.
“Yep.” He nodded.
“We’re out of health balls right now,” she told him. “I’ve got some setting in the fridge though, if you really need one.”
“I’ll pass this time.” He patted his wallet. “I’m trying to cut down on expenses right now.”
“Sure.” Maddie smiled, wondering how much money he’d spent at their coffee truck since they’d first crossed paths with him a month ago.
“The station told me someone tried to call me earlier today,” he said as Maddie slid his drink over to him and took his payment.
“That was Suzanne,” she replied, pleased at the opening he’d given her. “We wanted to tell you that the judge, Mr. Grenville, stopped by our truck today and we noticed that he takes heart medication.”
“Does he now?” The detective raised his eyebrow. “How do you know?”
“His watch went off and he took a pill, and indicated it was for his heart,” Maddie replied.
“I’ll look into it,” the detective promised. “Do you know how many people take heart medication with digoxin in it?”
Maddie shook her head.
“A lot. Even if his heart medication does contain the substance that killed Mr. Dantzler, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s guilty.”
“But what about his motive?” Maddie protested. She wished Suzanne was here to lend her voice to the argument.
“What about it?” The detective frowned. “We’ve got a lot of leads to chase down. Everyone seemed to have a problem with Mr. Dantzler.”
Maddie didn’t doubt it, if he’d behaved to other people the way he’d behaved to her.
“We were told that Dave Dantzler falsely accused the judge of taking bribes on his show,” Maddie informed Detective Edgewater.
“Who told you that?”
Before Maddie could answer, his phone rang, a deep vibrating, Brrinng! Brrinng!
The detective looked at his phone. “I’ve got to take this. I’ll look into the judge,” he promised, before grabbing his cappuccino and striding away.
Maddie sighed. She didn’t think the detective had seemed very interested in her piece of information about the judge. She just hoped Suzanne was having a better time right now than she was.
CHAPTER 15
Suzanne came back to Brewed from the Bean positively glowing.
“Mads, you’ve got to have a massage with Ramon. It’s the best!”
“Maybe when this is all over.” Perhaps by then she’d be brave enough to allow Ramon’s sexy hands and voice work their magic.
“Can you imagine if I was married to him?” Suzanne’s tone became soft. “I could have an awesome massage every day.”
“I guess that’s one reason to marry someone,” Maddie teased.
“There are plenty more reasons to marry Ramon,” Suzanne joked in return, before slowly turning serious.
“So what should we do now?” Suzanne checked her watch. It was just after four o’clock, and they usually closed the truck at that time. “Try Detective Edgewater again?”
“I forgot to tell you. He stopped by the truck while you were with Ramon. I told him about the judge taking heart medication and what Walt the newspaper reporter told us, about Dave accusing the judge of taking bribes, but then Detective Edgewater got a phone call and had to leave. He said he’d look into it, though.”
“Phooey!” Suzanne shook her head. “I’m sure the judge is guilty. Maybe there’s another spell in the book you can do to check whether someone is innocent or guilty. Totally different from the Tell the Truth spell.”
“Maybe,” Maddie said slowly. She couldn’t remember such a spell off the top of her head, but they could go back to her place and look through Wytchcraft for the Chosen to doublecheck.
“What’s Trixie doing?” Suzanne asked as they started closing up the truck.
Maddie fished out her phone and tapped the screen.
“Napping next to the book.” She showed Suzanne the screen. The fluffy white Persian dozed peacefully on the sofa, curled up to the ancient tome.
“Ohhhh.” Suzanne’s tone was soft. “In my next life I want to be a cat just like Trixie.”
“Me too.” Maddie smiled at her friend, but wondered if she’d be happier being a cat who wasn’t a familiar.
They drove the truck back to Maddie’s house, then trooped inside her cottage. Trixie ran to greet them, although ten minutes ago she’d looked fast asleep on the sofa. How did she do that? Maddie wondered. Had she heard them pull up outside? Or did she use her cat’s sixth sense to know the second she and Suzanne arrived?
The three of them settled on the sofa, Maddie and Suzanne on separate sides of the book, and Trixie nestled in Maddie’s lap.
“We’re looking for a spell to find out if someone is innocent or guilty of a crime, Trix,” Maddie told the cat.
“And that’s different from the Tell the Truth spell,” Suzanne added.
“Mrrow.” Trixie looked thoughtful, then peered at the book. She yawned, then promptly re-settled herself in Maddie’s lap, looking as if she was going to have another snooze.
“Huh,” Suzanne said.
“Yeah,” Maddie kept her voice low, so as not to disturb Trixie. “I guess that means there isn’t such a spell in the book.”
At Suzanne’s frown, she continued, “But we can still check.”
“Nothing,” Suzanne said glumly a while later.
“Uh-huh,” Maddie agreed. Trixie still slumbered on her lap.
“I guess Trixie was right.”
Maddie nodded.
Suzanne stood. “I still think the judge did it. He had motive, means, and opportunity. Don’t forget Bob told us he saw him talking to Dave Dantzler before he announced you as the winner of the competition.”
“True,” Maddie agreed.
“And we’ve spoken to the other suspects on our list. I don’t think any of them did it. And Detective Edgewater has cleared that middle-aged couple we didn’t meet.”
“Yes,” Maddie said.
“So I think we should march down to the station and tell Detective Edgewater that he should bring in the judge for questioning.”
“Maybe we can suggest to the detective that he brings in the judge for questioning,” Maddie replied.
“Whatever.” Suzanne blew out a breath. “I just want to get this murder all wrapped up, you know? Then we can go back to normal – except you’ll need to start practicing for the Seattle competition.”
“I haven’t forgotten.” Just the thought of competing with all those accomplished baristas made her feel a little sick with nerves. But the competition was a big opportunity for her – and Suzanne and Trixie. She didn’t want to let anyone down.
“Okay, let’s go down to the station right now and tell Detective Edgewater what we think.”
Maddie gently placed Trixie from her lap onto the sofa, stroking the feline’s fur. The cat barely stirred.
“Maybe this week has tired her out more than we realized,” Maddie murmured as they grabbed their purses and headed toward the front door.
It was a short drive to the sheriff’s station – Maddie felt lazy at taking the car, but right now, it was the most convenient option.
She followed Suzanne into the station, hoping her friend wouldn’t just barge in there and demand to see Detective Edgewater.
They were about to ask the sheriff’s deputy at the desk if they could speak to the detective when the investigator came barreling out of one of the offices.
“Detective Edgewater!” Suzanne snagged his attention.
“Can’t stop now,” the detective called out, not lessening his stride. “I just got word the judge has been in a car accident!”
Maddie and Suzanne stared at each other, their eyes wide.
“It looks like we were on the right track, Mads.”
***
They followed Detective Edgewater out of the station. “He’s at the
hospital,” the detective informed them tersely. “I’m going there now to interview him.”
Maddie nodded, glancing sideways at Suzanne. She appeared as if she were about to say something to the investigator, but Maddie gently touched her arm, giving her a meaningful look.
They watched the detective drive away.
“If he’s going to interview the judge, then that means he’s alive,” Suzanne surmised. “And hopefully not too badly injured.”
“We can call the hospital and find out,” Maddie said, tapping the buttons on her phone. Once she found the number, she dialed, waiting for someone to respond.
After quickly ascertaining that Maddie and Suzanne were neither family nor friends, they were told that they were not entitled to any information on that patient.
“It looks like we’ll have to go over there ourselves,” Suzanne said when Maddie ended the call.
“But will they let us see him?” Maddie wondered aloud. “Since we’re not family – or friends.”
“But he’s one of our customers,” Suzanne argued. “He stopped by today and bought a latte. I bet if we go to the hospital, and ask to see him, they won’t even check if we’re actual friends.”
“Maybe,” Maddie replied. “But we should let Detective Edgewater talk to him first. We don’t want to get in his way.”
“I suppose,” Suzanne conceded. “But what do we do now?”
“How about we go home and talk things over?” Maddie held up her car key. “And see what Trixie’s up to?”
“Good idea.” Suzanne smiled. “Trixie can always cheer me up.”
“It sounds like Ramon can, too,” Maddie teased.
“You have no idea.” Suzanne giggled.
CHAPTER 16
When they arrived back at Maddie’s house, she made a quick dinner of pasta and prepared meatballs for herself and Suzanne. Trixie ate her meal of beef and liver with quiet satisfaction.
