Berries and Birthdays_A Cozy Murder Mystery

by Leena Clover

  “I need to talk to Linda again,” Jenny muttered.

  “You think the Cohens know about this?” Heather asked.

  “Hard to say,” Jenny shrugged.

  “What about Olga?” Molly asked. “His wife?”

  “There is no account of an Olga Cohen,” Jenny said flatly.

  “But how can you be sure he’s not our Asher?” Heather asked.

  “I saw photos,” Jenny said, leaning forward to pick up her drink. “He wasn’t the same man.”

  “The Asher you saw was a hundred years old,” Heather argued. “People look different as they age.”

  “You think I haven’t considered that?” Jenny scoffed. “A man might lose height as he ages but he doesn’t grow taller with age. And the man in the photo had a broken nose.”

  Heather opened her mouth.

  “Don’t tell me our Asher got plastic surgery! I’m sure it’s not the same man.”

  “Isn’t Asher Cohen a common name?” Molly asked.

  “It is,” Jenny agreed reluctantly.

  “I have heard people added information about fellow prisoners or refugees,” Molly said. “You think one of those people brought in those photos?”

  “I am going to find out,” Jenny told them. “Luckily, there’s an address and phone number. We might have to make one more trip to the city.”

  “We can do that,” Molly reassured her. “For now, just give it a rest, Jenny. Sleep on it.”

  “I’m getting the chicken fajitas,” Heather nodded. “That’s what you need. Some cheesy, spicy Mexican food that will stick to your ribs and put you in a food coma.”

  Jenny gave in.

  The girls were so stuffed they could barely walk out of the restaurant.

  “Told you that flan was too much,” Jenny griped.

  Molly and Heather coaxed her into watching a movie. Jenny admitted she had missed the whole movie theatre experience. Pelican Cove didn’t have a cinema hall. Six months ago, she couldn’t have imagined herself living in a place like that.

  “Did you get that chimichanga recipe?” Heather asked her.

  “I sure did,” Jenny gloated. “I mean, I know how to make chimichangas. But the secret ingredient makes all the difference.”

  Molly and Heather kept their word. They didn’t mention Asher Cohen at all. Jenny humored them and tried to have a good time.

  Jimmy Parsons was sitting on the porch with Star when they got back home. His eyes were red and Jenny smelt a whiff of alcohol in the air.

  “Jimmy had a drink today,” Star told her later. “He was beating himself up about it.”

  “Does that mean he’s out of the program?” Jenny asked.

  Star shook her head.

  “He’s still committed. But he’s only human. He has to take it one step at a time, one day at a time, for the rest of his life. It’s times such as these when he needs a friend.”

  “I’m glad you are there for him, Auntie,” Jenny said, giving Star a hug.

  Chapter 17

  Jenny went to meet Linda. Even though Linda could get up and walk a few steps, Jenny guessed she wasn’t capable of driving a car to come meet her.

  The constant questioning by the police had taken a toll on Linda. Jenny found her seated in her wheelchair again, in her favorite spot by the windows.

  “Are you feeling alright?” Jenny asked with concern.

  “I’m fine,” Linda dismissed. “Just tired. I need to build up my strength.”

  Jenny decided against mentioning the wheelchair.

  “My legs feel shaky,” Linda volunteered. “My therapist has advised me to use the wheelchair for a while.”

  A maid served them lemonade and cookies.

  “Do you have any fresh information?” Linda asked Jenny. “I could do with some good news.”

  “Did Asher have any other names?” she asked.

  “I called him Ash sometimes,” Linda said shyly. “But he preferred Asher.”

  “What about a middle name, maybe?”

  Linda shook her head.

  “What about Olga? Surely Cohen was her married name? What about before she met Asher?”

  “We rarely talked about Olga.”

  “Who named your kids?” Jenny asked.

  “Ryan’s named after my grandfather. Scott was popular at the time. Dawn was my mother’s name.”

  “What about the older kids?”

  “I guess Olga named them,” Linda said.

  “So one or more of them could have been named after Asher’s ancestors?”

  “What’s this sudden fascination with names?” Linda asked, leaning forward in her chair. “Are you hiding something from me?”

  Jenny clasped her hands together and pursed her lips.

  “I found something strange.”

  “Go on…”

  “Asher Cohen may have been an assumed name.”

  “What?” Linda burst out. “How is that possible? I have known Asher ever since he came to Pelican Cove.”

  “He may have taken the name before he came here,” Jenny said softly.

  “Why would he do that?”

  “I don’t know. I’m hoping to find something that may lead us to his real identity.”

  “I know you have built up a reputation,” Linda said solicitously. “But you are wrong this time.”

  “Do you mind if I talk to Walter about this?”

  “The older kids aren’t too crazy about you,” Linda confessed. “Who knows what they will say about this.”

  “Let me worry about that,” Jenny said.

  Walt was lounging in a cabana by the pool, wearing his usual uniform of khaki shorts and floral shirt. Emma and Heidi were in the pool.

  “Do you have a minute?” Jenny asked Walter.

  “I was about to take a nap,” Walt grumbled.

  “This won’t take long,” Jenny promised. “Do you remember anything about your life in Switzerland, or your journey here to the United States?”

  Walt rolled his eyes.

  “I was two, so the answer is no.”

  “There must have been stories about the voyage? Your mother must have talked about their life over in Switzerland?”

  “If she did, I don’t remember. But my mother wasn’t much of a talker.”

  “Weren’t you curious? Did you ask Asher about where you came from?”

  “No. My father never talked about his family. Neither did my mother.”

  “You never wondered why?”

  “I may have done as a child. But as I got older, I understood it was taboo.”

  “Taboo in what way?”

  “I think it was painful for them. My father made it clear he didn’t want to dwell in the past. He was too busy working anyway. My mother was busy raising kids, and giving birth to them. Five kids in ten years is a lot.”

  “So your father never mentioned any other names? Grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends?”

  “Nope,” Walter said. He closed his eyes and pulled a hat over his face. “Bye bye.”

  Jenny stood up reluctantly. Emma and Heidi waved at her from the pool. Walt’s wife came out with a platter of canapés. The women in the pool started climbing out when they saw the tray of food.

  Jenny went to the seafood market on her way home. Chris Williams was busy doing something on his phone.

  “Jenny!” he cried when he saw her. “Look what I’m doing.”

  Chris had registered on a few online dating sites. He had posted a flattering photo. Jenny was sure he would be getting dozens of Likes and girls would be lining up to meet him.

  “I thought you were going to take the high road,” she teased.

  “I thought about it,” he said. “But I need to beat Heather at her own game.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I can be popular too, you know,” he said sullenly. “These portals list the most popular profiles on the top. And these profiles are suggested to other people. Just imagine Heather’s face when my photo pops up on
her screen. Huh?”

  “You kids!” Jenny exclaimed, shaking her head. “You need to get away from everything and spend some time with each other, really think about what you want from your relationship.”

  “I’m all for it,” Chris argued. “You know it’s Heather who’s not sure.”

  “Why don’t you take her out on a romantic date?” Jenny asked. “Just the two of you?”

  “Heather did mention a moonlight canoe ride,” Chris reasoned. “But that was a few months ago.”

  “Did you forget?” Jenny asked.

  “I’ve been busy here at the store,” Chris mumbled. “Do you think she’s mad at me because of that?”

  Jenny shrugged and picked up a shopping basket.

  “There’s only one way to find out. Now tell me, do you have any fresh shrimp? Nicky’s coming home for the weekend and I am cooking his favorite dinner.”

  Adam Hopkins came in for breakfast the next morning.

  “Good Morning,” Jenny greeted him. “Muffin and coffee?”

  “Actually, Jenny, I’m starving. How about one of your crab omelets?”

  Jenny placed a steaming platter in front of him a few moments later. Adam bit into a piece of crispy bacon and thanked Jenny.

  “How was your trip into town?” he asked. “Any luck?”

  “Not really,” she said evasively.

  “Are you hiding something from me?” Adam asked with a hint of humor in his eyes.

  “I can ask you the same thing,” Jenny shot back.

  “You know I can’t talk about an ongoing investigation,” Adam said pompously. It was his usual line. “But you don’t have any such restrictions. You can discuss anything with me.”

  Adam speared a big piece of omelet and chewed it with gusto.

  “This is so delicious, Jenny. You should start charging more for your food.”

  “You’re trying to sidetrack me,” Jenny accused. “Do you still think Linda is guilty?”

  Adam put his fork down and sighed.

  “I don’t think so. But I have to question her based on the evidence. I may pursue a different direction though.”

  “Is it another family member?” Jenny asked.

  “You can say that,” Adam murmured.

  “Who is it?” Jenny pressed. “Is it Hans? Have you checked his alibi?”

  “Hans went to buy booze for the party like he said. But he took a bit longer than expected to do that.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means we haven’t completely cleared him, Jenny.”

  “But you’re not talking about Hans…”

  “You will find out soon enough,” Adam said cryptically.

  The Magnolias breezed in at their usual time. Heather’s mouth was twisted in a frown.

  “What are you sulking about?” Jenny asked her.

  “Chris is trying to be one up on me,” she complained. “His profile popped up on my screen this morning!”

  “He’s doing the same thing you are,” Jenny smiled.

  “I warned you about this,” Molly added.

  “He’s using an old photo,” Heather cried. “No wonder he’s getting so many Likes.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed,” Jenny whispered in her ear, “Chris is a handsome guy.”

  “He’s going to be flooded with dates, old photo or not!” Molly nodded.

  Jason came in for lunch, looking preoccupied.

  “Got a minute?” he asked Jenny.

  “Why don’t you take a break and eat something?” Petunia suggested. “I can watch the counter for some time.”

  Jason asked for the special, a crab salad sandwich with a cup of chilled gazpacho. Jenny got the same for herself. She took the food out to the deck. It was a hot day but the cool breeze rolling off the ocean provided some respite.

  “How I wish I could take a dip and cool off,” Jason wailed.

  “It’s Friday!” Jenny reminded him. “You can do that tomorrow.”

  Jason ate the cold gazpacho with a spoon and took a big bite of his sandwich.

  “I’m guessing the news hasn’t reached you yet.”

  “What news?”

  “The police brought Todd Buckler in for questioning today.”

  “Who’s Todd Buckler?”

  “Keep up, Jenny,” Jason said. “He’s Dawn’s husband.”

  “The farmer guy?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Are you representing him too?”

  Jason shook his head.

  “I can’t. Not while I’m Linda’s lawyer. There could be a conflict of interest.”

  “Adam was here this morning,” Jenny told Jason. “I think he hinted about this.”

  “Todd doesn’t have an alibi.”

  “Wasn’t he in the crowd with his little girl?”

  “He stepped away for some time. Supposedly, he was getting ice cream for her.”

  “And he wasn’t?”

  Jason shrugged.

  “That may not be the only thing against him.”

  Jenny sipped her soup and looked at Jason. Todd hadn’t made much of an impression on her. He seemed quite dull compared to the rest of the Cohen family.

  “What’s he done?”

  “His farm is in trouble,” Jason told Jenny. “He’s taken a second mortgage on it for some business expenses. He missed the last two payments.”

  “What happens if he loses the farm?”

  “I don’t think they will starve,” Jason mused. “Asher’s will takes care of Dawn. But none of his money can go to the farm.”

  “I’m guessing Todd didn’t know that?”

  “No. He’s attached to that farm. Something about a deathbed promise to his father.”

  “You think he asked Asher for help?”

  “I know he did,” Jason said. “Linda told me about it. It seems Dawn is not happy on the farm. Todd runs it like a homestead. Dawn has to work hard from dawn to dusk, churning butter, collecting eggs and doing all kinds of grunt work.”

  “Didn’t she know what she was signing up for when she married him?”

  “I guess not. Or she didn’t realize how hard it would actually be.”

  “What did Asher want?”

  “Asher wanted Todd to give up the farm. He offered him a job at the firm. They could live with him and Linda or get a house in town.”

  “Was Dawn his favorite?”

  “She’s a bit of a Daddy’s girl,” Jason agreed. “She’s the youngest of the lot. The older kids didn’t really care for Linda. So they moved out as soon as they could. Ryan and Scott have their careers.”

  “I suppose Todd didn’t want to come to Pelican Cove?”

  “He doesn’t want to leave his farm. It’s been in his family for generations.”

  “So he wanted money.”

  Jason bit into a cupcake. It was chocolate with chocolate frosting.

  “Asher had a solution. He would buy the farm and rent it out to Todd’s cousin. The cousin would work the farm and Todd and Dawn would move to Pelican Cove.”

  “The farm stayed in the family that way.”

  “Right,” Jason nodded. “At least Asher thought so.”

  “But Todd didn’t agree.”

  “He is proud of being a farmer. He wants to grow crops all his life. He has a dairy herd too. He wants to make artisan cheese. He has big plans for the farm.”

  “None of them will matter if he has to foreclose,” Jenny pointed out.

  Jason banged a fist on the table.

  “Exactly!”

  “That’s his motive,” Jenny said, wide eyed.

  “And he has no alibi,” Jason finished.

  “You really think he did this?” Jenny asked. “He seems kind of dumb.”

  “Appearances are deceptive,” Jason pointed out. “Things don’t look good for Todd.”

  “Or Dawn,” Jenny added.

  “I’ve known Dawn all my life,” Jason said. “I don’t think she’s mixed up in this. Can’t sa
y the same for Todd though.”

  Chapter 18

  Jenny and Heather drove to the city again.

  “We should learn something new today,” Heather said hopefully.

  They were going to see a family called Gold. They were the people who had turned in the box of material with the photos.

  Jenny was quiet. She didn’t want to jinx it.

  A young woman roughly Heather’s age greeted them with a baby on her hip.

  “Welcome to our home,” she said cordially. “Please make yourselves comfortable.”

  A lanky young man with an aquiline nose joined them five minutes later.

  “David Gold,” he said, shaking hands with Jenny. “You already met my wife.”

  Jenny decided the man was in his mid thirties. He was too young to have submitted the material in 1965.

  “One of our friends just passed,” Jenny told him. “We are trying to find out more about his life in Germany.”

  She gave a brief account of Asher Cohen and his family without mentioning his name.

  “A hundred years?” David Gold exclaimed. “He must have been my grandpa’s age.”

  “Did you know your grandfather?” Jenny asked.

  “He died when I was twelve,” David said soberly, “just a few weeks before my bar mitzvah.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jenny mumbled. “What about your parents?”

  “My parents live in Florida,” David told them.

  “Do you know who donated the box to the museum?”

  “That was my great aunt,” David laughed. “My grandpa’s sister. She used to live with us.”

  David answered before Jenny could ask the next question.

  “She’s gone too. She died a couple of years after Gramps.”

  “I guess you never saw the stuff your family donated?” Jenny said glumly.

  “No,” David shook his head. “But we have a lot more.”

  Jenny’s eyebrows shot up.

  “What do you mean?”

  “My Dad found two boxes full of stuff when he cleaned the attic before moving to Florida. And I came across another box in the garage last year.”

  “Do you have this stuff with you?” Jenny asked eagerly. “Can I look at it?”

  “Isn’t that why you’re here?” David’s eyes twinkled as he smiled at Jenny.