Berries and Birthdays_A Cozy Murder Mystery

by Leena Clover

  “I want to find that out for myself,” Heather said. “I want to go on a bad date.”

  “Do you also want to be mistreated by some idiot out there?” Molly asked, incensed. “Do you want to be rejected by someone who doesn’t have a lick of sense?”

  “Easy, Molly,” Jenny said. “I kind of get what Heather’s saying.”

  She sat down next to Heather and put an arm around her shoulders.

  “What will you tell Chris?”

  “I don’t know,” Heather sighed. “I haven’t thought that far.”

  “Then it’s time you did,” Betty Sue snapped, her needles moving in and out as she glared at Heather. “Think ten times before you hurt that poor boy.”

  Jenny changed the subject.

  “What do you know about Asher Cohen?” Jenny asked Betty Sue. “You said something about him the other day.”

  “He came here after the big war with his wife and baby. Asked my Daddy for work. Wasn’t skilled at anything. Old man Stone gave him a job. That’s Jason’s great uncle.”

  “He told me about that,” Jenny nodded. “Were you friends with the Cohen kids growing up?”

  “I didn’t mingle much with those kids. Linda and I hung out for a while, although she was younger.”

  “She means she stuck to the Pioneer families,” Heather clarified. “What a lonely childhood you had, Grandma.”

  “We did what we were told,” Betty Sue grumbled. “We didn’t go questioning our parents.”

  Jenny sensed another argument brewing.

  “How are the crab cakes?” she asked her. “Have you tried one yet?”

  “I thought I liked that strawberry cheesecake you made,” Betty Sue said between bites, “but you have surpassed yourself, Jenny.”

  “Go ahead and write it up on the specials board,” Petunia beamed.

  “Maybe you should take some for Adam,” Molly suggested, cutting into her third crab cake.

  Jenny walked to the police station a couple of hours later.

  “I brought you lunch,” she told Adam, placing her straw basket on his table.

  “Something smells good,” he said approvingly.

  “I met Linda Cohen yesterday,” Jenny said, arranging three crab cakes on a bed of salad. She drizzled her special mango sauce over them and placed the plate before Adam with a flourish.

  “Should I be worried?” Adam asked, cutting a crab cake into two.

  “She looked so wretched, I couldn’t say no.”

  “I see.”

  “You don’t agree? I’m just humoring a poor widow. She can’t do much herself, being indisposed.”

  “Who said I don’t agree?”

  “So you’re cool with this?”

  “I’m cool with anything, as long as you don’t meddle in police work, Jenny.” Adam wolfed down another big bite of the crab cake. “And you promise to stay out of trouble.”

  “It’s not like I go asking for it.”

  Adam locked eyes with Jenny, giving her a scorching look. Jenny felt herself melt.

  “You barely escaped some attempts on your life, Jenny. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you.”

  “I’m fine,” Jenny said confidently. “All I’m going to do is ask some questions. Judging by the size of their family, I will still be asking questions in December.”

  Adam muttered something about the police doing better than that.

  “These crab cakes are amaze, Jenny. I learnt that word from the twins.”

  “How are they doing? I miss Nicky already.”

  “Nick’s rubbed off on them. Now they are looking for a job in the city too. I heard them talking about it last night.”

  “Any updates on Asher? Did you get the autopsy reports?”

  Adam Hopkins was in a good mood. He didn’t snap at Jenny.

  “I sure did. And you won’t be getting a look at them.”

  “Am I seeing you later tonight?”

  “You might,” Adam said, giving her a quick wink.

  Jenny liked walking on the beach after dinner. The beach her aunt’s cottage stood on offered one of the few flat stretches of shoreline in town. Adam went to the same beach with his dog Tank. Jenny and Adam had a standing date, unofficial of course, to meet on the beach every night.

  Jenny walked out of the police station and decided to go meet Jason. She needed to get some background on Asher Cohen. Jason seemed to be the best source of information.

  “Hi Jenny!” Jason greeted her. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  Jenny opted for iced tea and Jason pulled out a bottle from a small refrigerator.

  “It’s not fresh brewed like yours,” he apologized.

  “No problem,” Jenny said, guzzling the cold drink.

  “Are you busy right now?” she asked.

  “I’m always busy,” Jason sighed. “But it can wait. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “What can you tell me about Asher Cohen? I thought you would know, since your aunt married the guy.”

  “I guess I know more than the townspeople.”

  “So tell me,” Jenny said, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands.

  “Asher Cohen came to Pelican Cove some time after the war. Late 1940s would be my guess.”

  “It was Morse Isle then, wasn’t it?”

  “You’re right. The town of Pelican Cove hadn’t been formed then.”

  “Did he come here alone?”

  Jason shook his head.

  “You remember his first wife, Olga? He came here with Olga and little Walter. Walt was just a baby, barely two years old.”

  “You weren’t born then, were you?”

  “Of course not,” Jason rolled his eyes. “All of Olga’s kids were born before me. I was just a few months old when Linda married Asher.”

  “You’re rushing ahead,” Jenny said. “Let’s go back to 1948.”

  “Asher started looking for a job,” Jason continued. “He had been an engineer before the war and he was a quick learner.”

  “Betty Sue said he went to her father for a job.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Jason said. “All I know is Linda’s father, my dad’s uncle, took him under his wing.”

  “He must have flourished,” Jenny mused. “He had all those kids.”

  “Asher was smart. He gained some experience working with the Stone family. Then he set up shop for himself. Cohen Construction played a big part in the rebuilding effort after the big storm of 1962.”

  “Did your uncle resent him for it?”

  “I don’t know,” Jason quipped. “I wasn’t even born then.”

  “What I mean is, did Linda’s father face any losses because of this new business?”

  “There was enough work for everyone,” Jason said. “There was plenty of reconstruction up and down the coast. Cohen Construction handled it all.”

  “So the storm provided a windfall for Asher Cohen.”

  “Yes,” Jason told Jenny. “He bought his estate around that time. He built that big house of his. But happy times didn’t last.”

  “Is that when…?”

  “Olga died in childbirth soon after. The youngest kid was ten at the time.”

  “That must have been a big blow.”

  “Apparently not,” Jason shrugged. “Rumor has it Asher barely felt the loss. He married Linda a couple of years after that.”

  “How did that happen?”

  “Linda was a child when Asher worked for her father. People say he was a handsome devil. Tall, blonde and blue eyed, he cut a fine figure. Success made him more attractive. When Asher swooped in to rebuild the town after the storm, Linda saw him as some kind of knight in shining armor. She had a big crush on him.”

  “Obviously, he must have returned her feelings.”

  “There was a big scandal,” Jason laughed. “You know island politics. Linda was a Stone, a Pioneer. The families didn’t like her hobnobbing with this foreigner.”

  “What about th
e kids?” Jenny asked. “Did they want a new mother?”

  “I don’t think Asher asked them what they wanted.”

  “Did they elope?”

  Jason shook his head.

  “That’s one thing Asher seems to have been adamant about. He didn’t want to leave Pelican Cove. He could have expanded his business a lot more if he set up shop in a bigger town. But he never left town.”

  “Did your family disown Linda?”

  “They came around,” Jason said. “Asher was her father’s protégé after all. Linda’s father trusted him. They tied the knot right here in town.”

  “How old was he at the time?”

  “He was about fifty. Who knew he would live on to be a hundred?”

  “And Linda has kids too?”

  “Ryan, Scott and Dawn,” Jason confirmed. “They were born in the 70s. Dawn’s the youngest.”

  “Eight kids,” Jenny exhaled. “That’s some family.”

  “And none of them live in Pelican Cove.”

  “What about that chubby guy I have seen with Asher?”

  “That must be Hans. He’s Maria’s son. She lives in New Jersey with her husband. Hans is the only grand kid to come and live here.”

  “Any reason why?”

  Jason shrugged.

  “You’ll have to ask them.”

  “Would you say Asher was a family man?”

  “I think so,” Jason said. “He always complained about how none of the kids had time to come visit.”

  “Sounds like he led an ordinary life,” Jenny observed. “Lots of widowers remarry, so I don’t see anything special there.”

  “What are you looking for, exactly?”

  “A motive, Jason. Something that might indicate why someone would want to kill Asher Cohen.”

  “Still waters run deep, Jenny. Who knows what lies beneath the surface?”

  “You’re right,” Jenny said. “I need to talk to the Cohen clan, at least those that are present here.”

  Jason offered to go with her.

  “Let’s do that tomorrow. Do we need an appointment?”

  “I don’t think so, but I’ll ask Linda.”

  “I don’t want to raise her hopes, Jason.”

  “Any action is progress,” Jason told her. “Who knows what you might find?”

  “Do you really think one of the Cohen kids had a motive?”

  Chapter 6

  Jenny sat on the edge of her seat, trying to think of what to say. Walt Cohen lounged in an armchair before her.

  “I hope you don’t mind a few questions,” she said timidly.

  Walter looked relaxed in his khaki shorts and Hawaiian shirt. He rubbed his hand over his balding head and looked at Jenny.

  “I don’t. Can’t say the same about the others.”

  “Can you tell me something about your father?” Jenny began. “Were you close?”

  “I am the oldest of eight,” Walt said. “I think he expected me to take over the business. But I took up a government job as soon as I finished college.”

  “You don’t like the construction business?” Jenny asked.

  “I got tired of living in this town,” Walt said frankly. “You just got here, right? You have lived your life elsewhere. You can’t imagine growing up in a small community where everyone points fingers at you.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “My Dad had nothing when he got here. Then he grew richer than some of the oldest inhabitants of this island. That was reason enough, I guess.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I was always the foreigner’s kid. I never really made any friends here.”

  “You’re saying the locals are xenophobic?”

  “Aren’t they?” Walt quirked an eyebrow. “Anyhow, the government was recruiting when I graduated from college. I got a nice 9 to 5 job in the city and I took it.”

  “Are you retired?”

  “That’s another thing I didn’t agree with the old man about,” Walt said. “I stopped working as soon as I could. I had no intention of working until I took my last breath.”

  “You mean Asher hadn’t retired yet?”

  “Officially, he had. But he liked to keep a foot in the door.”

  “Where do you live? Do you visit Pelican Cove often?”

  “I live in Florida in a posh retirement community. My wife and I are happy there. Our kids live all over the country. They come visit us for holidays. We hardly get a chance to come here. The centennial was an exception. We were planning this for the last couple of years.”

  “Are you close to your siblings?”

  “My sister Emma lives near us. We meet often. The others, not so much.”

  “What about Linda’s kids?”

  “My kids are closer to them in age. They keep in touch online.”

  “Did your father have any enemies?”

  Walt let out a sigh.

  “My father spent his life in an isolated town. He immersed himself in his work. He had no friends to speak of, other than Linda and her family.”

  “Could he have rubbed anyone the wrong way?”

  “As far as I know, my father minded his own business. He wasn’t a big talker. He would go fishing in his spare time.”

  “How is the business doing? Surely you have a stake in it?”

  “I never cared for the business. I saved enough to retire comfortably. I don’t care what happens to the business.”

  “You do know someone harmed your father?”

  “It must have been a mistake,” Walt said, shaking his head. “The old man led such a boring life, I can’t imagine anyone having a beef with him.”

  “Did he ever visit you in Florida?”

  Walt grew thoughtful.

  “That was another of his quirks. He never left Pelican Cove. It was as if the transatlantic journey finished him. He hated travel.”

  “Did he visit his homeland again?”

  “He didn’t like to talk about it,” Walt told Jenny. “That was one subject which was always taboo.”

  “Your Mom didn’t want to go either?”

  “My Mom was with him on that one,” Walt said curtly. “They never wanted to go back.”

  “Bad memories?”

  “Something of that sort,” Walt shrugged.

  “I would like to talk to your siblings,” Jenny said. “Are they around?”

  “Most of us are,” Walt told her. “Emma and Heidi were in the sun room earlier. I don’t know about the rest. Ask the maid.”

  The maid came by just then and stood next to Jenny. Walt went out.

  The maid escorted Jenny to the third floor. Linda was in a wheelchair, staring out at the sea.

  “How are you, Jenny?” she smiled.

  “Have you learned anything more, Linda?”

  “The police haven’t said much. I think they are stumped.”

  Jenny marveled at Linda’s chiseled face. She had good bone structure. She didn’t look much older than sixty but Jenny figured she was much older.

  “I talked to Walt.”

  “Walt and I played together as kids,” Linda said. “Asher used to bring him over when he came to visit my Daddy.”

  “Did you always want to marry him?”

  “Not at first,” Linda reasoned. “I guess I had a crush on him at 15. But he was a married man.”

  “Did Walter resent you for taking his mother’s place?”

  “You’ll have to ask him that,” Linda shrugged. “The older three were almost my age. Maria and Paul took to me. They were young enough to be impressionable.”

  “Could any of the kids have held a grudge against Asher?”

  “For marrying me?” Linda burst out. “Surely they would have said something about it?”

  “Walt said none of the kids live here.”

  “Who can blame them?” Linda squared her shoulders. “There’s nothing much to do here. You know that! They didn’t see a future here so they found jobs and went away.”


  “Aren’t they interested in the family business?”

  Linda narrowed her eyes.

  “I think Maria is. That’s No. 4. She’s sent her son Hans to live with us.”

  “Is that the chubby man who was with you at the café?”

  “That’s him alright,” Linda said tersely.

  “You don’t like him?”

  “He’s not exactly the brightest bulb in the box. He’s lazy and he drinks a lot.”

  “I think I get the picture. Why did Asher hire him then?”

  “He’s family!” Linda said simply. “Asher really wanted some of his kids to join him in the business.”

  “What about your own kids?”

  Linda brightened at the mention of her children.

  “Ryan’s the oldest. He’s about Jason’s age. He’s a colonel in the army.”

  “Was he here for the party?”

  “Oh no! He’s stationed overseas. He couldn’t get away.”

  “Who else?”

  “Scott’s next. He’s a doctor in a big hospital. He lives in New York City.”

  “Do they have kids?”

  Linda shook her head.

  “Ryan’s wife left him. Couldn’t adjust to the lifestyle. Scott is a widower. He never remarried. Dawn’s little girl is my only grandchild.”

  “Dawn is your youngest?”

  Linda nodded.

  “She lives on a homestead in rural Maryland. I think the town she lives in is smaller than Pelican Cove.”

  “Is she here?” Jenny asked.

  “Dawn is here with her husband and her little girl,” Linda smiled. “They went for a picnic on the beach.”

  “Can I talk to Walt’s siblings?”

  “They should be around somewhere.”

  Linda was looking pale all of a sudden.

  “Do you have a nurse to look after you?”

  “Asher always took care of me himself,” Linda told her.

  Her eyes filled up and she looked away. Jenny said bye and beat a hasty retreat. She walked around on the first floor, trying to locate the sun room.

  She heard some women talking and followed the sound. Jenny walked into a hexagonal room with tall stained glass windows. Three women sat in wicker chairs, presiding over a pot of tea.

  “Hello dear,” one of them spoke up. “Are you looking for someone?”

  The woman who spoke was a female version of Walt. She was dressed in a similar fashion too. Jenny noted her white shorts and Hawaiian style shirt.