Warm Food Cold Body

by S. Y. Robins

  Later that night, after closing up the cafe, Hannah left through the front door for the first time since opening. She wanted to see what her cafe looked like at night and as she was stopping by the store across the street on her way home it made more sense than going out the back. Noticing that the cafe could use some small lights in the window, just so it wasn’t quite as dark, she made a mental note to get those installed soon and crossed the street. She had eaten some leftover food for dinner, but her refrigerator at home was pathetically empty and she knew she had to get some things. If nothing else something to drink would be nice, as tap water got old very fast. She also wanted to try a new recipe she had been working on but she needed lemons, which she didn’t have in the cafe. The cafe gave her a great opportunity to have people try new recipes and see what people did or didn’t like. While she thought everything she put out was great, certain things did better than others and she couldn’t always serve everything. It also allowed her to continue to come up with new things and continually have new items to serve her customers.

  As she always did, Hannah woke up at four in the morning and immediately made herself a cup of coffee. She lived just a few minutes walking distance from the cafe, but she tried to be there by five at the latest. Since she opened at six it would give her a chance to get everything ready and get the coffee started. While she knew her customers appreciated nice, fresh coffee she often drank plenty of it herself as well. The long days were starting to wear on her but she wasn’t going to close for a day this soon after opening. She had known all along that her days would be long and there would be hard work required to get this cafe off the ground.

  Coming in through the front door, which she usually did in the mornings, she instantly turned on the lights and started taking chairs off the tables. As she walked through to the back, she heard noises out in the alley behind her cafe and since she knew she was the only business open at this hour she decided to go see what was going on. The second she opened the back door she had several sets of eyes on her, and she looked around in shock. The alley was taped off and police officers were all over the place. A man in a suit was coming towards her and as she wanted to know what was going on, she stepped fully out the door and waited for him. “What is going on?”

  “I apologize ma’am, we assumed the businesses around here wouldn’t open for a while longer.”

  “I open in thirty minutes. My name is Hannah, I own this cafe. What is going on?”

  “We found a body. It has been taken, we have been here for over an hour to gather evidence. We suspect homicide. Have you seen anything strange around here?”

  “No. I left around eight last night, through the front door. I had to stop at the store across the street and the front door was easier. I usually come in through the front, it’s easier that way. My waitress comes in around ten and she comes in through the back. We keep this door locked.”

  “Have you noticed any unusual activity around here lately?”

  “Not really, but I’m usually working constantly so I don’t notice much back here. Do you mind keeping this back here in the alley? I really don’t want to hurt business.”

  “As much as we can. We assume the other businesses would appreciate it as well. My name is Detective Tate. Here is my card, if you think of anything else, please let me know.”

  “I will. I hope you find who did it.”

  With those words Hannah went back into the cafe, rushing around to finish getting ready so she could still open on time. The potential murder had shaken her, but she knew she had to focus on the day ahead. She sent a quick text message to Andrea to come in through the front and unlocked the doors, flipping the sign. Almost immediately she had customers, all of whom were on their way to work, and she quickly forgot about what might or might not be happening in the alley behind the cafe. That all came back when Andrea came in and she asked what was going on when they had a quiet moment.

  “I don’t know. They think a homicide. I suppose we’ll find out eventually but until then, leave through the front. It’s not quite as hidden and I’m not sure how long the alley will remain a crime scene. I know you don’t have a key but you’re never here without me anyway. Also, please wear something longer and with less cleavage tomorrow. This is not appropriate and you can’t bend over to clean tables without showing your panties, which was probably your intention. Do you have anything else to put on?”

  “Leggings? I intended to go to the gym after work.”

  “Go to the back and put them on under the skirt please. While we have a quiet moment, there are some coffee cups back there that can be washed,” Hannah said before returning to wiping down the tables, counter and display case. She tried to keep everything clean looking and she was convinced her food looked better when behind a smudge free glass. She heard Andrea mumbling as she disappeared into the back and she knew Andrea likely wasn’t happy.

  As Andrea was in the back, Chris returned to get a croissant to go and she smiled at seeing him. She did that with all the customers, especially the ones she recognized, but Chris seemed to like it. “What happened out back?”

  “Not sure. The detective didn’t really tell me much. I’m sure he will be back, I think I interrupted him. Do you know more?”

  “I heard it was one of those guys that was here, the flirting ones. I overheard the others discussing it this morning as they were walking into the building, they seemed upset.”

  “I have no idea. I have to wait on the other customers but I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.”

  “Sure. I’ll see you later,” Chris said before leaving and letting Hannah help the other customers in line. She was going to have to get Andrea to come in earlier though, to start maybe an hour or so sooner to see if it was truly needed. While she could handle the regular crowd, if they got any busier she wouldn’t be able to and she wasn’t able to do some of the other things that needed to be done as well. If someone wanted a sandwich, it held up the entire line as she would have to make it while everyone waited. She’d mention it to Andrea later, certain that she would agree to more hours without much argument.

  3

  “Do you have a moment to talk?”

  Hannah looked up to see Detective Tate standing in front of her counter and she easily nodded. It was quiet for the moment, but she also knew that could change quickly. She hoped the detective had some more news for her, especially since a lot of people had been talking about it. As much as the police had wanted to keep it all a secret, word had gotten around and practically everyone had heard about it. Hannah was surprised she hadn’t heard it on the news yet, but she had a feeling the police had something to do with that.

  “I do, but if we get busy I might have to help Andrea.”

  “That’s fine. Why don’t we sit down over here, I do have some news to share with you and some questions to ask.”

  “Certainly. I must admit I’m quite curious as to what could have possibly happened.”

  They walked over to a table off to the side and sat down with Hannah immediately looking at the detective expectantly. It was clear she was waiting for him to start the conversation, while she was also making it clear that she didn’t have time to talk around it. Right before Hannah was about to tell him to get on with it, the detective started talking again.

  “The other day you had a group of lunch customers. A group of men, who were louder than usual, correct?”

  “Yes. Not exactly the kind of customers I would like but we handled it.”

  “Did one of those men touch you in a way that could be considered inappropriate?”

  “It wasn’t just considered inappropriate; it was inappropriate. Why?”

  “Did you retaliate in any way?”

  “No,” Hannah replied, starting to get annoyed. She did not want to have to remember those guys.

  “The man who touched you is our victim. Does that change your answer?”

  “No, it doesn’t. I’m sorry he’s dead, I don’t wish that on an
yone. I would never take revenge like that.”

  “Do you know of anyone who could?”

  “No clue. I’m sorry Detective but I didn’t know him. He was in here, he was annoying, I dealt with it and I moved on. There’s not much else to it.”

  “I see. Did you notice any odd behavior with the people he was with?”

  “No, they seemed friendly enough.”

  “That was all I wanted to ask for today. Thank you for your time miss.”

  “You’re welcome,” Hannah said with a smile. “Would you like a pastry or something to take with you?”

  “Yes please. Your chocolate croissants look great. Coffee as well if you have any.”

  Hannah simply nodded and walked to get what he had asked for, thinking about the questions he had asked. It was clear he suspected her but she had no idea why, especially since one grope really wasn’t much to go on. She was determined not to let it get her down though and she was just as determined to help figure out who the real killer was. After all, she was not about to let them accuse her without doing something about it.

  Once the detective had left Andrea came over and looked at her in question, and in an attempt to stop any rumors or questions Hannah told her who the victim had been and that the detective was simply following up on the story that he had been at the cafe. Soon the lunch rush started and they both had to get back to work, which was the distraction Hannah had been hoping for.

  Once she was alone and left to her baking she started thinking further about what the detective had insinuated. She knew he was suspecting her of either being responsible or knowing more, but at the same time he hadn’t questioned Andrea who had been far more involved with the group than Hannah had. Hannah suspected that Detective Tate had a tendency to look for the obvious things first, but even then it would not explain why he hadn’t questioned Andrea unless he had done so before she had gotten to work. She could understand why Andrea would not say anything but it was still something to keep in mind.

  The other thing that was bothering her was that she couldn’t understand how someone as happy and cheerful as Jared could have gotten killed. The whole group had appeared to get along great and as if they didn’t have a care in the world, and when they had left they had still been in a good mood. Someone had to know something and she was going to find out who before it started to hurt her business.

  The following afternoon she saw the same group of guys once again approaching her cafe and while she was hoping they would go somewhere else they walked in instead. Once again they were loud and all over Andrea while pushing tables together and she noticed several other customers act quite annoyed over it all. Knowing she had to say something she walked over before Andrea could take their order. “I don’t mind you being here again but could you try to keep it down and keep your hands to yourself? Keep in mind there are other customers.”

  “I don’t get why people still come here when our friend got murdered right outside your door. I’m sure you know more about it and we are here to see if you,” the one guy, Matt if she remembered correctly, said while giving her a challenging look.

  “I do not know anything,” Hannah protested, seeing that they now had the attention of everyone else. When she saw Chris there again she started to wonder if the man ever left. “I do not appreciate you accusing me of these things. Now if you will keep your hands and thoughts to yourself I will let Andrea serve you but otherwise I’d like to ask you to leave.”

  “We won’t say anything but I want you to know we have our eye on you,” Matt said before turning back to look at Andrea.

  Hannah returned to her place behind the counter, ready to help the next customer, when she noticed several other customers starting to leave. There was nothing she could do or say as she had already said she was innocent but that apparently didn’t make a difference.

  Chris smiled apologetically at her before getting up and leaving as well. She assumed he was just leaving to get back to work but as he was the only one left besides the large group she missed his presence nonetheless. The large group was just as loud as they had been the last time and while they kept their hands to themselves, she was still happy by the time they finally left. She didn’t understand why Andrea would put up with them but when she saw the large tip left behind she had a feeling that was the only reason.

  When business was slow the next day Hannah decided that she needed to find a way to show that she was innocent and the only way she knew how was to go down to the police station and talk to the detective. If he had ruled her out he would be able to quietly make that known, which would get her business she very much needed. If she was an established cafe with established customers it would be a different story but she was new in the area and customers didn’t really know her yet.

  As soon as the cafe closed and she was done cleaning she left to do exactly that. While there was baking to do she was hesitant to make much as she had a lot leftover that day, which she dropped off at the homeless shelter along the way. It made her feel better than simply throwing it in the trash and by the looks on their faces she knew she had done the right thing.

  The police station was busy and when she told the officer at the front desk why she was there he just looked at her, clearly not in any hurry to get the detective. After sitting down in the waiting area her phone rang. It was Andrea, calling off for the next day and while Hannah accepted her excuse she didn’t really believe her. She claimed to have a doctor’s appointment but those don’t take all day and Andrea had been fine just an hour ago. At the same time she didn’t think she’d be very busy so she wasn’t truly upset that she’d be by herself. After sitting there for over half an hour, and checking back with the officer once again, Detective Tate came out and stopped when he saw her. Based on his surprised reaction Hannah doubted the officer at the desk had truly announced that she was there or had not been able to find the detective. The former seemed more likely but at the same time the detective looked equally annoyed that she was there so the latter was possible as well.

  “Detective, I came to see if you had found out anything yet? It’s starting to hurt my business and I need people to stop thinking I have something to do with it.”

  “We have not ruled out anything or anyone and we don’t have an answer yet, I’m sorry. If I knew something I would have told you but as of right now I can’t do so.”

  “I see. Could you possibly make it somewhat known that you haven’t found me guilty yet?”

  “I appreciate you taking an interest in this case but I’d rather focus on finding the person responsible and not on trying to get you customers. I’m sure once this is over the customers will do what is right. Was there anything else?”

  Annoyed that she had waited so long only to get brushed off so easily, Hannah just shook her head. “No, that was it. Thank you.”

  Detective Tate just nodded before walking away and Hannah started towards the door. If the detective wasn’t going to help she was going to figure it out on her own. Clearly he didn’t really care about anyone except himself. Just as she was about to walk out of the building the door opened and Chris walked through, appearing taken aback by seeing her. “Hannah. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

  “Just getting an update on the case from the detective so I have something to tell my customers. I’m sorry, I have to get going.”

  Hannah thought it was weird that Chris was at the police station and when she glanced back she saw the officer at the desk smiling slightly at him. That alone indicated to her that it wasn’t his first visit, and that was confirmed when Detective Tate shook his hand and they walked through another door together. It didn’t make sense to her that Chris would be friendly with those at the police station, especially since he didn’t appear to know anything. It was suspicious and with her newfound interest in solving the case, she made a mental note not to forget it and to watch Chris more closely.

  4

  While baking that afternoon Hannah came to the concl
usion that the only logical explanation would be that it was one of the guys in the group Jared was with. They had seemed close and he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would go into an alley with someone he didn’t know. She also wasn’t entirely sure on Andrea, mostly because she didn’t truly know her, but she couldn’t focus on all of them at the same time. Now that her mind was made up she was determined to find a way to at least track their movements and see if she could detect anything suspicious. After all, those who had committed a serious crime often acted differently or suspicious.

  The following day Hannah was bored out of her mind. She had the sporadic customer but never more than two at a time and they were all orders to go. Nobody stayed to eat or have a drink. It was as if there was a curse on the whole place and everybody was afraid to stay inside and eat. Or if it was because of her. Maybe no one wanted to be close to her. They just wanted the basics for their mornings or their lunches and they were on their way.

  The whole thing made Hannah angry and it also hurt her quite a bit. She had worked her fingers to the bone trying to establish a nice business that was going to cater to the needs of the community and just when it seemed that all of her dreams were coming true, they were dashed to bits in the blink of an eye. She was sorry that guy had been killed but she had not done anything to put him in harm’s way. For people to think that she had something to do with it was absurd. How could people believe something as idiotic as that?

  Guess people just loved juicy gossip and drama because their own lives were so meaningless. Now that she really thought about it when she was cleaning off tables and serving customers she did pick up on bits and pieces of conversation. She had tried not to listen but it was almost impossible when you were that close. It seemed that everyone was constantly going on about some person who was having some crisis or were putting them in a crisis. It was just drama and more drama. Hannah found the entire thing silly and she tried not to laugh at the customers when she listened to their petty and moronic problems.