“Terrible news about Johnny,” Wayne slurred. “Came as soon as I could.”
“Thank you,” Cassie said, her manners impeccable, as always. “Wayne, this is my friend DeeDee. You spoke on the phone with her the other night. DeeDee, this is Johnny’s brother, Wayne.”
“Pleased to meet you, Wayne.” DeeDee said as she shook Wayne’s hand, resisting the urge to rub her palm on the side of her sweater afterwards.
“Where is it?” Wayne said, looking around. “I told you to have it ready.”
Cassie sighed. “If you mean the trust fund paperwork, Wayne, I already told you about it. I’m sorry, but I don’t know where it is. I’m sure I can find it for you in the next couple of days, but right now I need to take care of more pressing matters.”
Wayne’s smarmy smile turned into a sneer. He started shaking his finger at Cassie. “I’ve just about had enough of your scheming and conniving. You know full well where it is. Bet you think you can control me by not giving it to me, just like Johnny did, don’t you?” Still shaking, he balled his hands into fists.
Cassie straightened her back and glared at him. “Not at all. I still have a few people to call about the funeral tomorrow. It’s a small gathering by invitation only. Some of the people don’t even know Johnny’s dead. I’ll deal with your trust fund information as soon as the funeral is over. You have my word.”
Wayne shook his fist in front of Cassie’s face. “You must think I’m stupid. If I don’t get my money now, I’ll…”
Cassie reached up and pushed his hand away. “You’ll what, Wayne, hit me?” Her eyes were blazing, daring him to try. “I’m not afraid of you. You’re pathetic. Have you looked in a mirror lately? Or had a shower? Your personal hygiene leaves a lot to be desired. If you plan to come to the funeral tomorrow, and you are welcome to, please show some respect for Johnny and clean yourself up.”
“Don’t talk to me about respect,” Wayne yelled. “Johnny never showed me the respect I deserve, and you think you can push me around just like he did. You’ll regret this, mark my words, just like Johnny did.”
Balto growled at Wayne and started towards him. DeeDee, surprised by the growl, put her hand on the dog to quiet him. It was obvious Cassie had the situation under control and didn’t need Balto’s help.
Cassie stood up and pushed the stool back. She raised herself up to her full height, which was well below Wayne’s shoulders, and pushed him in the chest. “Get out of my house, Wayne, and don’t ever come back. You can call my lawyer or do whatever you need to do, but we are done here, am I making myself clear?”
Wayne, silenced by Cassie’s outburst, retreated from the kitchen, throwing a few choice insults over his shoulder when he was at a safe enough distance. Cassie and DeeDee heard the heavy front door slam as he left the house.
DeeDee looked at Cassie in amazement, not believing what she’d just witnessed. Cassie was shaking with anger and grief.
“I’ve got you,” DeeDee said, helping Cassie sit back on the stool. “Why don’t you let me make those calls you mentioned to tell people about the funeral, and I can also make a pot of coffee for us.”
Cassie nodded. “I’d really appreciate it. Thanks, DeeDee. I’ve got a list of names somewhere around here. It’ll take me a minute to find it, but would you mind if I go lie down instead of having coffee? I didn’t sleep much last night.” She first looked on the kitchen counter and then reached into the back pocket of her jeans, pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper which she handed to DeeDee.
DeeDee smiled. She knew if Cassie was up to making a list, that was a good sign. “You go right ahead. I’ll take care of this.”
*****
“I don’t like the sound of this at all,” Jake said when he called DeeDee later in the afternoon. DeeDee had told him about Wayne’s visit, and the anger and threats that Johnny’s brother had made. “No, I don’t like it one bit. Tell me again what exactly he said.”
DeeDee tried to remember. “He said something about how Cassie would regret not giving him access to the money. Then he said, and I don’t remember his exact words, so I’ll paraphrase it, ‘Just like Johnny regretted it.’”
With that, Jake sprang into action. “Okay, I think you should stay there tonight with Cassie. I’m going to catch the next ferry to Seattle and come over to Mercer Island as well. Do you think that will be okay with her?”
“Yes, it should be,” DeeDee said. “I already told her I brought dinner, and that I’d be happy to stay overnight. Briana and Liam were here earlier, and they’ll be back in the morning. Cassie’s upstairs resting right now, but I’ll speak to her before you get here.”
“Okay,” Jake said. “DeeDee, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.” He lowered his voice. “And don’t say anything to Cassie about this, all right?”
DeeDee gulped, wondering what was coming. “Uh-huh.”
“Don’t be alarmed, but Rob was able to get one of our contacts into Wayne’s apartment today, when he was at Cassie’s. One of the neighbors let him in.”
Don’t be alarmed? thought DeeDee. That was Jake’s investigator speak for ‘Be afraid, be very afraid.’
DeeDee clutched her cell phone while Jake told her how they’d discovered that Wayne, or someone connected with Wayne, had used his laptop computer to search for information about ricin, a deadly type of poison.
“Is that the type of poison that killed Johnny?” DeeDee whispered.
“Possibly,” Jake said, “but it’s not certain. Like I told you earlier, Inspector Stewart is here in Seattle, as he’s been staking out Greg. He’s going to speak to the Seattle police about getting a warrant for Wayne’s arrest. I’ll be at Cassie’s house with my dog, Yukon, as soon as I can. In the meantime, I want you to stay calm, and sit tight. Got it?”
DeeDee heard Cassie coming down the stairs.
“Got it,” she said, and ended the call.
CHAPTER 20
DeeDee mentioned to Cassie that Jake was planning on joining them with his dog, Yukon. She didn’t want to alarm Cassie, so she kept it vague, saying something about he was worried there might be a problem with the ferry the following day, and he wanted to make sure he’d be able to attend the funeral.
“I’ll make dinner, and then you can get to bed nice and early,” she suggested. “There’s no getting around it, tomorrow’s going to be a tough day for you. Are you sure you don’t mind if Jake and Yukon come over and spend the night?”
“Of course, I don’t mind,” Cassie assured her. “It will be nice to have company to keep my mind off everything, and I certainly didn’t have a chance to meet Jake properly in Whistler. I’d like to talk to him and get to know him. I can’t thank both of you enough, you know, for everything you’ve done.” Once again, her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
“Don’t even mention it,” DeeDee said. “There is something else I want to talk to you about. I don’t think I should go to the funeral tomorrow. You said it was only your closest circle of friends and family, and I didn’t bring anything appropriate to wear. I’ll stay here and look after the house. I’ve heard that criminals sometimes check the obituaries and then break into the decedent’s home while the family is attending the funeral. Have you ever heard that?”
Cassie nodded. “Yes, but one of the neighbors has already offered to stay at the house, and you must come tomorrow, DeeDee. You’re one of my dearest friends. If you need something to wear, there’s a closet full of clothes upstairs that belongs to my sister who lives in England. She keeps them for when she comes here on extended visits. She’s about your size, so help yourself to whatever you need.”
“If you’re sure, I …”
Cassie gave her a warning look
DeeDee nodded. “I will, thank you.”
“Good, I’m glad that’s settled,” Cassie said with a smile. She turned at the sound of the phone ringing in the hallway. “It hasn’t stopped all day. I had no idea Johnny knew so many people.”
While
Cassie excused herself to take the phone call, DeeDee looked in the kitchen cabinets. She’d remembered how Cassie loved Mexican food, and she found rice, beans, and some tortillas, which she’d been pretty sure Cassie would have on hand.
“Okay, that takes care of dinner, Balto. Let’s go upstairs and find something to wear.”
By the time Jake arrived with Yukon a couple of hours later, DeeDee had prepped dinner and selected a suitable outfit of a gray lightweight silk sweater and matching slacks to wear the following day. She was pleased to discover that Cassie’s sister, Beth, also wore the same size shoe as she did, so she’d be able to substitute her stained and well-worn flats for a pair of heels.
DeeDee greeted Jake in the hallway with a kiss.
“Hey, I missed you,” he said, pulling her close.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she told him quietly. “Cassie doesn’t suspect anything might be wrong, but I’ve been nervous ever since you called. Balto even senses it, he’s on high alert, which is very unlike him.”
Balto had followed DeeDee into the hallway. His ears pricked up at the mention of his name.
“What are you two lovebirds whispering about?” Cassie asked as she stood in the kitchen doorway.
“Nothing,” DeeDee said sheepishly. She turned to the dogs and slapped the side of her thigh. “Balto, Yukon, let’s go outside.” The dogs, who had been part of the same litter that Jake had brought from Alaska, followed DeeDee out to Cassie’s backyard. When she returned, Cassie and Jake were sitting at the kitchen island.
DeeDee sat down beside Jake, who was bringing Cassie up to date on what he’d found out about Wayne. “I told Inspector Stewart about your visit from Wayne today,” Jake said, “but it’s unlikely the Seattle police will say that’s grounds enough for an arrest.” He sighed, rubbing his unshaven chin. “I’m sure Wayne’s our man, but without anything concrete to go on, there’s nothing we can do. I’m sure something will come up in the next couple of days.”
DeeDee looked at Jake. He was uncharacteristically somber, and she’d never seen him look so worried. She felt bad about what she’d done earlier. She was pretty certain that going to see Mimi and Derek without telling him had added to his concern.
Cassie suddenly spoke up. “I just remembered something.”
DeeDee and Jake watched while she started rooting through her leather purse which was sitting on the countertop. She took out a black phone with a cracked screen and held it up with a sad smile.
“It’s Johnny’s phone. It must have gotten cracked when he fell.” She set it on the countertop. “When the children and I were at the Seattle mortuary today making some last-minute decisions, the funeral director gave it to me. He said the police in Whistler had copied whatever they needed from it and thought I might want it.”
“Have you looked at it yet?” Jake asked. “There might be something on it.”
Cassie shook her head. “I’ve been too busy, and quite honestly, I totally forgot about it. Here,” she said, pushing it across the counter to Jake. “I have no idea how to use Johnny’s phone. He loved gadgets, but I can never figure them out. Do you know how to work it?”
Jake was already tapping and scrolling through the device. DeeDee got up to do the last-minute dinner preparations, and Cassie set the table. After a few minutes studying the phone, Jake slapped the counter. “I knew it,” he said, looking up at Cassie.
Both women stopped what they were doing.
“Cassie, I thought you told DeeDee that Johnny was meeting Greg Baker for coffee the morning he died, is that right?”
Cassie nodded. “Yes. He told me about it when we spoke the night before. We even argued about it. It’s the last conversation I had with Johnny, so it’s burned in my memory. Why?”
“There’s nothing here to indicate that Johnny met Greg that morning,” Jake said, setting the phone down. “But in his calendar, it shows he was meeting Wayne for coffee.”
DeeDee and Cassie shared a look of surprise.
Jake continued talking. “Next to that, there’s a notation where Johnny wrote Interesting. Surprised he could afford to get here.’” He looked up at the two women. “If Wayne had coffee with Johnny, he could have laced his drink with the ricin poison he’d been researching on his computer. I’m going to call Inspector Stewart right now,” Jake said, standing up. “And I’ll send the photo we took from Wayne’s Facebook page to the Wildflower Restaurant in the hotel to see if anyone working in the restaurant can ID him as being with Johnny that morning.”
DeeDee took charge of dinner while Jake went out to make the call to Inspector Stewart. “You sit down, Cassie, and I’ll bring everything over to the table,” she said. She thought Cassie was looking shaky again, and was relieved to see that Jake was smiling when he returned.
“Good news.” Jake said. “Inspector Stewart thinks that might be enough evidence to arrest Wayne, and he hopes Wayne will have the sense to confess. They’re going to set up a stakeout at Wayne’s apartment. I told Rob to call the Inspector directly with anything he finds out from the hotel, rather than call me first. So, what’s for dinner, DeeDee? Something smells delicious.”
“It’s tortillas with a south of the border style beef,” DeeDee said, bringing the warmed-up plates over to the table and sitting down. The serving dishes were laid out in the middle of it. “I made it once before for a dinner party when I was living on Mercer Island. I had a little time last week, so I cooked one and froze it. When I got Cassie’s call and decided to spend the night, I brought it with me. She had all the things that go with it.”
The talk turned to food, a subject DeeDee was much more comfortable with than murder. “I hope Deelish gets some calls for next year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Do you think something like this would work for it?”
“Mmm,” Jake said, reaching for another tortilla. “Not sure, I’d better test another one just to check.”
Cassie laughed, and DeeDee continued. “I could get a piñata filled with Mexican chocolates and have the adults feel like kids when they strike it. Could be a lot of fun.”
“That, I like,” Jake said, leaning back. “I’ll volunteer to fill the piñatas.”
DeeDee flushed, stealing a glance at Jake, who winked across the table at her. May was quite a few months away, and Jake was obviously planning on still being around then.
DeeDee was surprised by the amount of food Cassie managed to consume. “That was wonderful,” Cassie said. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to eat again, but it really tasted good, plus I need my strength for tomorrow.”
“Yes,” DeeDee agreed. She was full of sympathy for Cassie. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for her, and she knew her friend was dreading the following day. “Jake and I will clean up the dishes, Cassie. You sit there and don’t move, okay?”
“I don’t think I could anyway,” Cassie said, allowing herself a small smile.
Jake’s phone rang just when they had finished cleaning up the kitchen. “Hello, Inspector Stewart,” he said, striding out into the hallway.
“Uh-huh,” DeeDee could hear him say. “That sounds good, thank you. We will, sir. Good night.”
Jake came back and relayed what Inspector Stewart had just told him. “They’re watching Wayne’s place and want to see what he does next before they arrest him. The more evidence they can get on him, the better chance the arrest has of sticking and of extraditing him to British Columbia for trial.”
He turned to Cassie and said, “Rob called him and told him they’ve got a positive ID on Wayne sitting at a restaurant table with Johnny at the Fairmont the morning Johnny died. There’s so much circumstantial evidence, I’d say a tipping point is imminent. Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”
Cassie stood up and walked over to Jake. “I hope you’re right,” she said softly, touching his arm. “But I need to forget all about for now. I’m going to call it a night. There are plenty of bedrooms upstairs for you two, so feel free to take your pick.”
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She kissed DeeDee on the cheek. “Good night, and thanks again to both of you.”
“I’m going to stay downstairs with Yukon on the couch tonight,” Jake said after Cassie had left. “I’d feel better if you and Cassie are safe upstairs.”
DeeDee hesitated. “What do you think will happen? Did Inspector Stewart say something else?” She wasn’t sure if Jake was telling her the whole story.
“Nothing,” Jake tried to assure her. “Break-ins are more likely when word gets out about a death in the family, since crooks think the house might be empty, or the family will be too grief-stricken to do anything. I also think Balto and Yukon should stay in the house tomorrow during the funeral for that reason.”
“Well…” DeeDee said. She was unable to read Jake’s face. “I suppose you’re right. I said something like that to Cassie earlier. I’ll see you in the morning. Try to get some sleep, okay? Good night.”
“I will,” Jake promised her, kissing her goodnight.
DeeDee turned to leave, but Balto stayed.
“Balto, go upstairs with DeeDee,” Jake commanded.
Balto didn’t move.
“I think he wants to stand guard with Yukon. Go upstairs, Balto,” Jake said, pointing to the stairs. “Don’t think I don’t know how you sleep on DeeDee’s bed.”
Balto looked at DeeDee, and DeeDee looked at Jake, who was trying to keep a straight face.
“I think we’d better get out of here and go upstairs, Balto,” DeeDee said.
She knew that every dog trainer would tell her it was stupid to allow it, but Balto had slept at the end of her bed ever since the first night she’d brought him home. Upstairs, she took the bedspread off the bed, folded it, and put it on the chair, so it would be free from dog hair. As soon as she’d brushed her teeth, changed and settled under the covers, Balto jumped up on the bed to take up his usual spot at her feet.
Sometime later DeeDee woke up when she heard a low, deep growl coming from Balto.
Northwest Cozy Mysteries #1 Page 26
