by Tonya Kappes
“I went to the bank, and I talked to Mr. Rich, Emily’s dad. She runs the Bee’s Knees Bakery. He told me that they had to call in some of their loans.”
What was the tie to Hillary Canter’s murder? That was my question. The whole thing was a big puzzle, and I was missing the most crucial piece.
“Really? That’s why you asked me who owned my building.” She lowered her eyes. We stared at each other for a second. “Are you thinking this has something to do with Hillary’s murder?”
“I think there’s a tie somewhere. Why on earth would anyone want to meet in the middle of the night?” I asked.
“You also said she had on the coat Babette and she were fighting over. How did she get the coat if Babette didn’t give it to her?” Then she asked a question I was afraid I was never going to be able to answer. “Someone had to have given her the coat.”
“Do you know who owns All in The Details’s building?” I asked.
“I know that JJ Builders owned it at one time, but with the revitalization, we had the option of buying our shops or leasing them. I think she bought hers. Cane Contractors might have bought some, too.” She drummed her fingers on the counter. “When is that quiche going to be done? I’d like to take a piece to go.”
With Morgan and her to-go quiche out of the coffeehouse, I gave Aunt Maxi a quick call. Her voicemail answered, and I was glad to have some space on it to leave a message.
“Aunt Maxi, I really think that there is a tie between Hillary’s murder and the building business. A lot of loans are being called in by the bank. They wouldn’t do that unless they were in over their heads. I heard they were having a trustee meeting or something. I’m hoping you know someone on the board. Check it out and call me.” I hung up the phone.
After Bunny got to work, Pepper and I took the quiche and coffee down to Camey at the Cocoon Inn. On our way back, I wanted to talk to Babette about her building. There were three things in the South that people didn’t want to discuss: politics, religion, and money. I hoped Babette would give me a little insight into the finances around her building because I clearly remembered her saying that she had to have Pam’s wedding.
There was a note taped to the door that said she’d be back in a couple of hours. I couldn’t help but wonder how her date night went with Bib and if it was extended all night and until today, especially if the big event she was working on was Pam’s wedding.
My phone chirped from my back pocket.
“Good morning,” I greeted Patrick, excited that he’d called.
“Good morning.” His deep Southern voice was music to my ears. “I’m sorry about last night. I was just too tired from watching Timmy, and when you called so late, I was grumpy.”
“I should’ve texted to let you know that I was with Pam most of the night because she was upset that about being suspect in Hillary’s murder and that she called the wedding off.” I opened the door to the Bean Hive, and Pepper rushed right in ahead of me.
Bunny was chit-chatting with the customers, and they all seemed to be pretty happy.
“That’s a bummer. I feel bad for them. I guess the rumor about Truman is not a rumor?” He asked.
“She said it was Hillary who made the pass, not Truman, as Hillary made it sound.” I recalled the sadness on Pam’s face and remembered that awful feeling.
I checked on the tea and coffee bars to make sure they were well stocked. Then I looked at the array of treats in the glass counter to see if they needed a refill. It appeared Bunny was on top of things.
“The jam cake is a hit.” She wiggled her eyebrows when she saw what I was doing.
I gave her the thumbs-up and walked back into the kitchen to get the soup ready for lunch. I wanted to make sure that I could focus on Bank Lending Mortgages when I drove to Lexington, instead of getting a million phone calls from Bunny. There were pots on the stove, filled with the soup. Bunny had already gotten that started too. She was a lifesaver for me.
I grabbed my keys off the hook and did one final check of the coffeehouse before I waved bye to Bunny. She’d also agreed to take care of Pepper.
“Also, I’m sorry I didn’t tell Penny about the lien I put on her client. I’ve got our lawyers looking into it this morning, and I probably should’ve checked with Penny about it.” Patrick was good at recognizing when he was crabby. It was cute how he tried to apologize.
Last night’s rain had made way for a sunny and warm day. It felt refreshing to have the sun beat down on me on my way to the car. Pepper and I had driven in this morning because I knew I wanted to head to Lexington.
“I think there’s more to it than you.” There was a knot in my stomach. “I went to see Evan Rich at the bank to apologize for talking him into letting Emily start the bakery. I’d thought she was closing the bakery because she wasn’t mature financially, but in reality, the bank has called in her loan, and she can’t pay it in full. Then there’s Mama’s client, who has a second mortgage on her house that she didn’t take out.”
“Are you telling me that the bank is doing some sort of laundering?” There was valid concern in Patrick’s voice. “Because all my money is tied up there, and there’s a huge problem if that’s the case.”
“I’m not sure, but Mama hired me to look into it as a lawyer.” I wasn’t sure if I should tell him I was going to Lexington to find see if I could get some answers from the mortgage company, but I knew that if I was going to be honest and open in our relationship and move past the engagement to an actual date, I had to tell him. “That’s why I’m getting in my car right now to drive to Lexington.”
“You have an appointment there?” he asked.
“I’m going to Bank Lending Mortgages to see what I can find out. When I was at Honey Springs National Bank, I gave the teller Mama’s client’s information, and she said that she’d heard the mortgage company fired the girl who did some closings because they were investigating her depositing the closing checks into a personal account.”
“Whose personal account?” he asked with an eager voice.
“I don’t know that yet, but I’m planning on finding out. Maybe it wasn’t a personal account so much as JJ Builders.” There was a little more traffic than usual, so I took a few of the back roads to drive around the town and miss most of the tourist traffic. “I also want to find out who the girl they fired is. I want to talk to her.”
“I put in a call to Shepard because, like you, I feel like something might be going on, and if I’m the only person they’ve done it to, then I can stop them.” He was right. The only incident I knew of was this one with him and Mama’s client.
“I’ll see what answers I get, and I’ll call you back on my way home. I’m sure you’re right.” I wanted to make us both feel better, but I’d seen before that when there was one money-laundering crime, there were usually more. “I bet this is just an isolated case, and maybe the girl who worked for the mortgage company accidentally deposited it.”
Lexington was the biggest city near Honey Springs. It was the city that had all the good clothing shops and more than just mom-and-pop restaurants like we had in Honey Springs. It was a special treat for Patrick and me to make a real date night when we planned to visit the city.
The Bank Lending Mortgages office was in the tall blue-glass building on Main Street. There was a parking garage attached to it, and I wasn’t about to drive around the block several times just to look for an empty spot. I paid the ten-dollar parking-lot fee and found a spot pretty close to the elevators.
I looked down at my phone and saw that the time was already noon. I wondered why I’d not heard from Spencer yet and realized the bars on my phone showed there was no service. I would have thought with all the new technology, someone would have come up with something to provide service in parking garages by now.
I grabbed the file Mama had given me and threw my phone in my messenger bag.
“Ouch.” I pulled my hand out when something sharp poked me. I looked into my bag and realized th
e pin on Timmy’s sheriff badge had poked my finger. I rubbed the tip of my finger and strapped the messenger bag across my chest.
There was a chest-high desk with a man sitting behind it in the entryway of the building.
“Can I help you?” he asked when I got off the elevator.
“I’ve got an appointment with Bank Lending Mortgages.” I looked past him at the marquee that listed all the businesses in the building.
“Fourth floor.” He smiled and gestured to another set of elevators just beyond his desk. “I’ve not seen many of the workers, but I’m sure someone’s up there.”
“Thanks for your help,” I said. I walked down the hall to where he’d pointed.
He was right. It was a ghost town up there. There were three rows of grey cubicle walls, and each desk was empty. The sunlight was pouring in from the glass walls and made the inside of the offices toasty.
“Can I help you?” a woman called out to me. She was in the far-left corner of the room.
“I’m looking for Bank Lending Mortgages. I don’t think I’m in the right office.” I turned to walk out.
“You’re in the right spot. They’re gone.” She got my attention. “I’m just here to clean up the space so it can be leased again.”
“Do you know what happened? Did they move?” I asked, walking toward her.
“I just work for the cleaning service.” She shrugged. “I’m cleaning out the offices. It looks like they just up and left.”
I couldn’t help but notice a doorplate on that said President, and there were boxes with stuff sticking out of them. I opened my messenger bag.
“I’m with the Honey Springs sheriff’s department.” I jerked Timmy’s fake badge of my bag and flashed it quickly before putting it back. “I’m here to go through some of the documents.”
“Have at it. I’m just going to throw it all in the dumpster.” She moseyed past me with a pushcart and didn’t question anything. The wheels on the cart made an eerie squeaking sound each time they rolled one full revolution.
I waited until she’d made it halfway across the offices before I started to look through the first box. There were some pens and pencils with a few awards but nothing that appeared to be paperwork.
My phone chirped with a text, and I pulled it out. It was from Spencer. He said that he had not been able to call me back but felt like it was a good idea if I didn’t continue to look for information on Hillary’s case because I wasn’t a trained professional.
I just rolled my eyes and put the phone back in my bag. While the cleaning lady threw items into her pushcart, I continued to look through the next few boxes. Just when I didn’t think I had anything, something caught my eye.
“Well, well, well.” I took out a framed photo and stared at the young ladies in between the two men. “That’s Hillary Canter, her uncle, and”—I didn’t recognize the other man, but I did recognize the other girl—“a much younger Jana.” I immediately recognized the sales clerk from Queen for a Day.
My heart started to beat rapidly because it was proof that Jana did know Hillary. What did Jana have to do with this man and Hillary’s family? Plus, Jana had a connection to the white coat Hillary had on when she was strangled. But what was the connection?
There was only one way to find out.
“It’s time I pick up my dress from you.” I ran my finger over Jana’s face before I slipped the frame into my messenger bag.
SEVENTEEN
The car ride back to Honey Springs was torture. I had to get to Queen for a Day to talk to Jana. I’d called Spencer and left him a message about what I’d found and suggested that maybe he needed to question her. I also called Patrick, who didn’t answer, and left him a message about how Bank Lending Mortgages had up and closed shop. Neither of them had called me back by the time I made it to the parking lot of the boardwalk.
Instead of my leisurely walk along the boardwalk to look out at all the boaters, I shoved my way through the tourists until I got to Queen for a Day.
Jana was behind the counter when I made it into the shop.
“I was wondering if you still wanted that dress, since I got the email saying that Pam had called off the wedding.” Jana smiled so sweetly that I couldn’t help but think that maybe the devil was under there.
“She sent out an email?” I asked.
“She sent one to me, Babette, and Emily—I guess since we were each doing something for the wedding. She also said that they aren’t broken up, but in light of things, she said they were postponing the wedding and getting some much-needed counseling to make sure they’re meant for each other.”
I was glad to see that Pam had taken some of my advice. I wanted to check in with her later.
“I guess you don’t want the dress? Is that why you’re here?” she asked. Then she let out a belch. “Gosh, excuse me.” She blushed and took a drink from the water bottle. “Sometimes—” She hiccupped and giggled. “I get the hiccups.”
Hiccups? The memory of hearing a hiccup on Aunt Maxi’s voicemail ruffled through my mind like wind on water. When I realized that Morgan had mentioned it, too, my head jerked up, and I looked at Jana as she hiccupped again.
Jana was Hillary’s killer. My intuition nipped at my gut.
“Actually”—I opened my messenger bag and pulled out the picture frame—“I didn’t realize the night I was here that you and Hillary were friends.” I held the picture toward her. “Though she did ask you what you were going to do about it, as if she expected that you would work in her favor. Why was that? Did you owe her something? Was she holding something over your head, so you decided to kill her?”
Her face grew still, and she clenched her teeth. “You have a very active imagination.” She let out a nervous laugh. “That’s what I told the sheriff, and he didn’t seem to think I had anything to do with Hillary’s death. I didn’t know her well. We met at a work function and had a photo taken together. I don’t think she even remembered it.”
“Who is this guy in the photo with you?” I asked, pointing to the man I didn’t know. “I know Mr. Canter, Hillary’s uncle from the bank, but who is this?”
“That’s my dad,” she said matter-of-factly. “He’s a good man. An honest man. He built up this town when it was in financial ruins.” Apparently, Jana had decided to dispense with the pleasantries and meet fire with fire. “In fact, this very spot you’re standing in and all the shops on this boardwalk wouldn’t be here if my father and his company hadn’t stepped in and saved it a year ago.”
“Hillary’s father has gone out of business. I was just there. Someone has been putting the checks into your father’s bank account. The money that was supposed to go into the Bank Lending Mortgages account to pay off people’s building loans to your father is gone, and now he’s in trouble. Hillary knew it, didn’t she? That’s why you strangled her?”
The last puzzle piece I’d been looking for had just fallen from my mouth, and it was all clear in my head, only I wasn’t sure if she actually strangled Hillary or if her father had done it.
“Did you say you were a lawyer?” she asked, walking backward toward the door.
“I am. And I think you’re going to need one.” I continued to bait her, but apparently it wasn’t a good move. When she flipped the shop sign on the door to Closed and locked not only the door lock but the dead bolt, I figured I might be in a smidgen of trouble. “Let me get my phone and give you some good referrals.”
“Your phone?” She walked over and smacked it out of my hands. As if that wasn’t enough, she stomped her heel onto it. “You think I’m falling for that? You were going to call Spencer.”
“I’m right?” I took a step backward because she walked closer to me. “You either killed Hillary or know something or someone who did. Maybe your father?”
I had to stop backing up when my heel hit the water compartment of the steamer. I looked down and saw a pink phone floating in the water chamber.
“Is that Hillary’s phone?” I as
ked, trying to steady my quivering voice.
“My father did nothing. She was nosy, and she needed to be stopped.” Jana’s actions told me that there was now a clear declaration of war between us, and I had to win.
“Why did you do it? Why did you kill her?” I had to buy some time so I could figure out how to get past her and out that door.
“When she’d come in here and I didn’t have what she wanted, she would say that she knew what I did and she was going to go to the police if I didn’t get her what she wanted.” Jana reached for the cord of the steamer and let it dangle from her fingertips.
I gulped, wondering if she wanted to put it around my neck.
“The night she was in here with Babette and wanted the coat, she knew that my family had the extra set of keys to All About the Details. When she saw the coat hanging in the window, she demanded that I get the keys and get her the coat, or she was going to go straight to the police about how I was the one who deposited the checks into my father’s account.” Her eyes watered. She swallowed and drew her shoulders back. “She made the plan for it to be in the middle of the night so no one would see us.”
“What do you mean, you deposited the checks?” I asked
She pulled the cord taut with her hands, making a snapping sound.
I jumped.
“I was the loan closer for JJ Builders, my father’s company.” All her words made me begin to put the clues about my mama’s client together. “At first, I was naive when he told me to just drop off the closing check to Mr. Canter at Honey Springs Bank. It made sense because Mr. Canter’s brother, Hillary’s father, was the owner of Bank Lending Mortgages. I figured they had it all worked out. Then I started to get interest-payment statements from Bank Lending Mortgages on these properties I closed. When I asked my father about it, he told me that I just needed to pay the interest because the checks hadn’t cleared from the closing.”
“Bank Lending Mortgages had no idea the houses had sold because you were sending the interest-only payments on the loan.” I had to admit that it was a brilliant cover-up scheme for money laundering.
