Vanilla Vices

by Jessica Beck

  “Inspector Karina Black, allow me to present my wife, Suzanne Hart.”

  “If she’s your wife, then why isn’t she a Bishop?”

  “That’s easy. I wasn’t ordained,” I said.

  “What?”

  She clearly didn’t get my joke. “I’ve been a Hart all my life, and my donut shop is even named after me, but that doesn’t make me any less his wife, Inspector.” I did my best to add a sneer of my own to her title, but it hadn’t been able to match her dig at Jake. Not that it stopped Grace from giggling slightly at the jab anyway.

  “What’s going on, Suzanne? Hey,” he added in Grace’s direction. “Benny, how did you end up getting mixed up with these two?”

  He grinned at my husband before he answered. “They lured me with free donuts.”

  “That’s their siren call, all right,” Jake said.

  “What does this have to do with the Billingham murder?” the inspector asked pointedly.

  “Who?” I asked.

  “That was Dan’s last name,” Benny said. “He hated it, though. Just plain old Dan was good enough for him, but he liked being called Crazy Dan the junk man the most of all.”

  “Suzanne, tell us why you’re here,” Jake said in a tone of voice that suggested the fun and games were over.

  “We thought you should know that Benny witnessed a confrontation between Dan and William Jecks yesterday afternoon.”

  “What exactly did you see?” Inspector Black asked him directly.

  “Jecks and Dan were fighting over a trade,” Benny explained.

  “What trade are you referring to?” she asked.

  “I didn’t get the details. All I know is that William Jecks was mad enough to kill Dan when he stormed out of the place yesterday afternoon.”

  The inspector studied Benny carefully before she answered. She then turned to Jake and asked, “Exactly how reliable is this witness?”

  “I don’t know him all that well myself,” Jake said. “But I hope you’re not judging him based solely on his appearance and not his story.”

  Benny glanced down at his outfit. “What’s wrong with my clothes? They may not be brand new, but at least they’re clean.”

  “I think they’re charming,” Grace said.

  “Thanks,” he replied, and then he directed his next comment to the inspector. “Lady, I don’t know if you’ve heard the old expression or not, but they say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its title.”

  “Its cover,” I corrected him.

  “What cover?” Benny asked.

  “The expression,” I said. “It’s that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

  “Well, it’s still true, isn’t it? A title can be just as misleading as a cover, can’t it?”

  I was about to answer him when the inspector broke in. “Seriously? I’m not here to argue about expressions,” she said. “Regardless of the chief’s opinion of my abilities, I’m very good at what I do. In fact, I spoke with William Jecks fifteen minutes ago.”

  “Why would you do that?” Jake asked her. “Did you hear about the argument from someone else? Was there another witness to it?”

  “Not to my knowledge. Mr. Jecks’s name was on the victim’s list of sales and trades for the day, as was yours, Mr. Flint.”

  “I did business with Dan nearly every single day, so that’s no big surprise,” Benny said. “And nobody calls me Mr. Flint.”

  “Very well then, Benny. I’ve been looking for you, as well.”

  “You need to talk to William while he’s still nearby,” I said.

  “Why should I do that?” The woman clearly didn’t care for me, but I wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it, since the feeling was mutual.

  “So you can ask him about the confrontation he had with Dan yesterday,” I answered.

  She frowned, then she looked at Jake. “Funny, but he didn’t mention anything of the sort to me earlier, so I’m not exactly sure why I should believe you now.”

  “Because we’re telling you the truth,” I said.

  “Chief, can’t you control your own wife?”

  “I’d say it’s highly doubtful, since I haven’t had any luck so far,” he answered with a grin, and then he turned quickly to me, “not that I’d ever want to. It’s too much fun the way things are right now.”

  “I think so, too,” I said with a smile of my own.

  “She does have a point though, Inspector,” Jake said gently.

  “Let me get this straight. You all want me to take this man’s word over that of a respected antique dealer in Maple Hollow. Is that right? As I said, when I spoke to William earlier, he made no mention of a confrontation with the victim of any kind.”

  “What do you expect him to do, come right out and admit it?” Benny asked. “If that man told me it was dark outside at midnight, I’d have to go out to check for myself first before I believed him.”

  “What could it hurt to ask him about it and see how he reacts?” Grace offered.

  “And who exactly are you?”

  “Me? I’m the faithful sidekick, so I suppose you could call me Robin.”

  “And what is your last name, Robin?” Inspector Black asked her.

  “It’s Gauge, but Robin’s not my first name. It’s Grace.”

  “Then why did you just say that it was Robin?”

  “I didn’t. I said you could call me that. You know, of Batman and Robin fame? Do you really want to stand here discussing this, or would you rather call Jecks back and ask him one simple question?”

  “If it will end this lunacy, then I’m willing to go against my better judgment and do it,” she said.

  Clearly, we’d worn her down.

  From what I could hear of her side of the conversation, William Jecks wasn’t all that pleased about being recalled to the station, but ultimately he agreed to it nonetheless.

  After Inspector Black hung up, Benny said, “Nobody said anything about bringing Jecks here. I’m not sticking around so he can figure out who ratted him out.”

  “If what you say is correct, wouldn’t he know that anyway? I still need to interview you in depth about the victim and your relationship with him.”

  “I can tell you that right now. We were like brothers,” Benny said. “Everybody in town knew that we argued all the time. That was just the way we got along. I would have taken a bullet for the man, or even an old-fashioned iron to the head, if I’d only been there.”

  “So you say,” the inspector said.

  “If you think I’m going to stand around here as bait for your trap, you’re crazier than Dan ever was accused of being. I’ll talk to you later, but I’m getting out of here right now, and unless you lock me up, you can’t stop me.”

  Inspector Black frowned. “Would you at least be willing to wait in the chief’s office? The blinds are closed, so Mr. Jecks will have no idea that you’re even here.”

  “I don’t know,” Benny said hesitantly, and then he looked directly at me. “Suzanne, what do you think I should do?”

  I didn’t even have to look at Jake to get his opinion. “Benny, the sooner you get this over with, the sooner you go back to your own life.”

  “What business is that, exactly?” Inspector Black asked him.

  Before Benny had time to answer, I did it for him. “He’s a freelance procurer of goods,” I said.

  “Of what kind, specifically?”

  “Whatever is of value to someone else,” I answered.

  “Gee, you make junking sound downright respectable, Suzanne,” the junker said with a grin.

  “It is, at least the way you do it, Benny.”

  “Thanks. Not everybody gets it.” That seemed to make up his mind for him. “Sure, I’ll wait. Where’s this office I’m supposed to hide in?”

  “I’ll s
how you,” I said as I led him to Jake’s space. Once we were inside, I double-checked all the blinds to make sure he had total anonymity. “Now don’t touch anything while you’re in here, or Jake will know.”

  “Why, are there hidden cameras mounted in the ceiling or something?” Benny asked as he looked wildly around the room.

  “Maybe yes, maybe no, but it doesn’t matter. Jake will know. Trust me on this.”

  “Can I at least sit down?” Benny asked, pointing to one of Jake’s visitor’s chairs.

  “I’m sure that would be fine. I’ll come get you after William is gone.”

  “Don’t forget about me, okay?” he asked.

  “I promise,” I said.

  I rejoined the others and was about to ask what I’d missed when William Jecks came storming into the precinct, clearly unhappy about being summoned there for the second time that morning. Boy, if he was that unhappy about that, wait until he heard what the inspector was about to ask him.

  “What are they doing here?” William Jecks asked as he surveyed the crowd gathered in the precinct lobby. “Is this why you called me in again?” He was elegantly dressed in a three-piece suit, and a gold pocket watch chain hung down from his vest pocket. His hair was thinning, so he chose to wear it short, and while he was clearly older than the rest of us, he looked to be in excellent shape.

  “They were just leaving,” Inspector Black said as she pointed to Grace, Jake, and me.

  “I don’t know about you, but there’s no place else on earth I’d rather be,” I told Grace.

  “I’m good with staying here, too. How about you, Jake?”

  The inspector didn’t even wait for him to answer. “Mr. Jecks, if you’ll follow me back to the interview room, we can do this in private.”

  “I don’t have anything to hide. I told you earlier, and I’ll say it again. When I left Dan Billingham, he was fine. What happened after that, I have no idea.”

  “Were you two arguing about anything yesterday?” Black asked him.

  “Arguing? No. Of course not. I’m a businessman and a gentleman. I don’t argue.”

  “Come on. Seriously?” I asked him.

  “That’s correct. I know you. You’re the donut lady, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve been called worse things than that,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you. You were fighting with Dan, weren’t you?”

  “You don’t have to answer that,” the state police inspector said harshly.

  “Why wouldn’t I? I have nothing to hide.”

  “That’s not the way we heard it,” I said.

  Jecks frowned at me, and then a smile slowly appeared on his face. “Ah, you’ve been talking to that hobo Benny, haven’t you? So, that’s why I’m here.” He looked around. “Is he here as well, skulking somewhere in the shadows?” In a louder voice, he called out, “Come out here this instant, Benny, and face me like a man.”

  I was hoping that Benny hadn’t heard the challenge. A brawl was the last thing we needed right now. “What makes you think he told us anything?”

  “It makes sense, doesn’t it, since he was the one fighting with Dan when I left them? Why wouldn’t he deflect his guilt onto me if he thought he could get away with it? Dan and I had a slight disagreement over an item. The entire reason I left the shop was because I didn’t want to be witness to the two men coming to blows.”

  “What were they fighting about?” the inspector asked.

  “We just have his testimony that Benny and Dan were arguing at all,” I protested.

  “And yet all you have against me is Benny’s account,” William countered. “How is it that you believe him and not me?”

  “I’m not forming any opinions until I get more information,” Inspector Black said. “What were you discussing with the victim before you left?”

  “We were haggling over a trade,” William said. “There was no emotion over it.”

  “What were you offering in trade, and what did you get in return?” I asked him.

  Instead of answering me, he turned to the state police inspector. “Do I have to dignify her question with a response?”

  I expected Karina Black to shut me down, but to my surprise, she said, “I wouldn’t mind knowing the answer to that question myself.”

  The antique dealer looked surprised, but he couldn’t have been any more startled than I was. Maybe this woman wasn’t completely worthless after all.

  Jecks frowned for a moment, and then he said, “I was in the process of trading him a set of plated silver spoons for a frame he’d just gotten in.”

  “What kind of frame?” Jake asked.

  “It’s hard to say, since it was covered with some kind of gilding that completely obscured the original material,” he said. “I thought it might be useful, and Dan had expressed some interest earlier in the spoons. As I said, it was all quite civilized.”

  “Was there a painting in the frame, by any chance?” I asked.

  “Why is that relevant?” he asked me.

  “I’m not sure that it is. I’m just curious.”

  “Some local had done a landscape that he deemed worthy of framing. The quality of the frame far exceeded the artwork, I can assure you of that. I planned to strip it, discard the painting, and carefully restore the frame to its original state as soon as it was in my possession.”

  “Did the trade occur?” the inspector asked.

  “We were about to conclude it when Benny stormed in demanding payment for a set of jugs he’d dug out of some abandoned outhouse. He kept claiming that Dan had cheated him on the deal, that they’d been worth a great deal more than he’d been paid. I insisted that Dan conclude his deal with me first, but he refused. I admit that I raised my voice in protest, but he wouldn’t waver. I left, promising to come back the next day to settle up. When I got to the shop, I found the inspector there and learned of Dan’s fate. If I were you, I’d speak with Benny about those jugs, but as far as I’m concerned, I had nothing to do with what happened after I left. Now, you can either arrest me or let me go. I have work to do, and I can’t waste all morning in April Springs.”

  “You may go,” the inspector said.

  “Do you honestly believe him?” I asked her before William Jecks could leave.

  “Why shouldn’t she?” Jecks asked. “It’s the truth.”

  “According to you,” I said.

  He didn’t dignify my statement with a response. I’d wanted to see just how far I could push him before his temper flared, but he’d kept it in check nicely. If he’d killed Dan, I doubted that he’d done it in rage. Then again, his story about Benny’s fight with Dan was completely believable. Even Benny had admitted that the two of them had shared a tumultuous relationship, but had things escalated once the antique dealer had left?

  “Satisfied?” Inspector Black asked me once Jecks was gone.

  “Not even a little bit,” I said. “Who’s to say which one of them is lying and which one is telling the truth?”

  “Certainly not a donut maker,” she said.

  “My wife is a great deal more than that,” Jake protested.

  “I’m sure she is,” the inspector replied. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a witness to interview.”

  “I’m going with you,” I said as I started to follow her into Jake’s office where Benny had been stashed.

  “I don’t think so,” Inspector Black said as she turned and faced me.

  “I promised Benny that I’d be the one to come get him.”

  “I’m afraid that’s a promise you won’t be able to keep.” Inspector Black looked from me to Jake. “Don’t you have a missing woman to look for?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” Jake said, and then he turned to us. “Come on, ladies. I’ll walk you out.”

  Once we were outside, I asked, “Are you going
to let her treat us like that?”

  “Suzanne, I don’t have any choice. She’s right, you know. I’ve got a job to do, and it’s not finding Dan Billingham’s killer.”

  “Maybe you don’t, but Grace and I are going to pursue this.”

  Jake nodded, and then he added a slight smile. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. Keep me in the loop, okay?”

  “Does that mean that you approve of what we’re doing?” I asked him.

  “I’m not going to say one way or the other,” he answered, but his smile was still there, so I was going to take it as a good sign. “Just try to stay out of her way if you can help it, okay?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not in any hurry to butt heads with her again,” I said, “but I won’t tiptoe around her, either.”

  Jake looked from me to Grace. “I suppose I’d be wasting my breath asking you to keep her out of trouble, wouldn’t I?”

  Grace just nodded and grinned.

  “I’ll see you later,” Jake answered.

  “I’m counting on it,” I said.

  After he was gone, I turned to Grace. “You know what? He didn’t even kiss me goodbye.”

  “Suzanne, I wouldn’t take it personally. You know how he is when he’s preoccupied with something. It must be killing him staying away from Dan’s murder investigation.”

  “You’re right. I’ll cut him some slack. In the meantime, what should we do?” My question was interrupted as my cellphone rang. I looked at the caller ID before I answered it. “It’s Gabby Williams. I hope she’s got a name for us now.”

  “Answer it and find out,” Grace said. “I’m dying to find out who Crazy Dan was dating.”

  “That’s if she’s even willing to share it with us,” I replied.

  “There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

  She was right, so I answered the call to see what Gabby had to say.

  Chapter 5

  “It wasn’t easy to convince her, but she’ll talk to you, Suzanne,” Gabby informed me after telling me that Dan’s mystery lady was willing to come forward.

  “Great. Thanks so much for acting as an intermediary,” I said, happy to have someone else we could talk to about Dan’s murder. “We can use all of the input we can get.”