“I don’t mind,” I assured her. “We get along.”
Wendy nodded. “Did you want to ask anything else about Tim?”
Beth and I exchanged a glance, and I said, “Do you know who else might want to hurt Tim?”
Wendy smiled. “That’s exactly what Neve asked. That, and the list of people who were interested in buying the café.”
“Did you give her the list?” I asked.
“I didn’t have a list. Tim didn’t exactly keep records of interested people. He said he’d decide a month later, once he’d gotten the bookkeeper to finish her work.”
“Right, well, Neve was one of the people interested.”
Wendy nodded. “She told me that. Good luck to Mike, selling that place and keeping the cash.”
She sounded slightly bitter about it, and I said, “Didn’t Tim leave you a large insurance policy?”
She nodded again. “Yes, he was thoughtful that way; it’s not that much insurance money, but I’ve got a job, so I can support myself. And when I went through his things, I found a diamond locket stashed away in his underwear drawer. He was probably waiting to give it to me after I found out about his latest girlfriend.” She laughed bitterly, and Beth and I smiled at her awkwardly.
“So, back to people who might’ve wanted to hurt Tim,” I said gently. “You mentioned Elaine, his ex-girlfriend. Do you have a number for her?”
She nodded. “Yes, I wrote down her number when she came by that night, just in case.” Wendy found her phone and reeled off the numbers to me. “I’m not sure if it’s still the same,” she said.
“Well, it’s worth a try. And anyone other than Elaine? What about his former business partner, Rex?”
Wendy frowned. “I’m not sure. I mean, sure, Tim bought his share of the café for cheap. But Rex’s business has been going really well recently. I don’t think he’s holding a grudge against Tim. And he always seemed like such a nice guy.”
“Mike said he and Tim argued recently.”
Wendy raised one eyebrow. “That’s news to me.”
“You don’t happen to have Rex’s number as well, do you?”
She shook her head. “No, we’re not really in touch.”
“No problemo,” Beth piped up. “We’ll grab it from Mike. I’m sure he’s got it.”
“And what about the café staff?” I asked. “Mike said he might’ve been having troubles with his chef?”
Wendy shrugged. “I couldn’t be sure. Tim never talked much about his work.”
“Right. And was there anyone else who…?”
Wendy shook her head. “Look, I know Tim was a grumpy ba—man. And he slept with far too many women for me to care. But sometimes, the simplest explanation is the one that makes the most sense. And right now, that seems to be Mike.”
Chapter Eleven
Beth and I drove home feeling rather uneasy.
“She wasn’t very helpful,” Beth said.
“No. And she was far too impressed by Neve.”
“How did Neve even get there so fast? Didn’t she watch the tapes?”
“Maybe she played them superfast, like increasing the speed till it was six times the normal speed. And maybe she doesn’t eat lunch or dinner.”
“That seems likely,” Beth said. “I’m sure she didn’t stop to bake a cake and eat it.”
“You promised me we’d have mud cake for breakfast tomorrow,” I reminded Beth. “And besides, no matter how little Neve eats, we’ll still find the killer before her.”
***
The next morning, the day was just as pleasant as the previous—yet another reason why Santa Verona was so popular with the tourists and the Hollywood types alike. Beth made good on her promise of letting me eat chocolate mud cake for breakfast. By the time we got to the café chef’s apartment, Beth and I we were both high on life, endorphins, and too much coffee and cake.
Kandy, Tim’s former chef, lived in a large old-fashioned apartment building that was only two blocks away from the beach. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I was pretty sure that I could hear the crash of the waves as we stepped out of Beth’s car. I could definitely smell the salt in the air, and I promised myself that I’d join Beth the next morning when she went for her beachside run.
Beth and I took the stairs up to Kandy’s floor, and when she opened her door, we stepped into a large living room that overlooked a leafy courtyard.
“This place is beautiful,” Beth said, looking around the expansive, well-lit room with its brightly patterned Persian-style area rug and stylishly mismatched furniture.
“Thanks,” said Kandy, tucking a strand of her hair behind one ear. Kandy had been born blonde, but she chose to die chunky streaks of that blond hair neon pink and blue. She had the open, unlined face of someone just out of her teens and was barefoot, in khaki shorts and a faded t-shirt. “Greg should be happy to hear that. He’s studying interior design.”
“Well, he’s talented,” I said honestly as we all sat down. “It’s nice of you to meet us like this.”
“It’s no problem,” Kandy said. “I already met that other girl last night.”
My eyes narrowed, and Beth said, “Neve? She was already here?”
Kandy shrugged. “Yeah. She just stayed for a few minutes, so it wasn’t a problem.”
Curiosity got the better of me. “What did she ask about?”
“What was Tim like, did we fight a lot, did he have any enemies?”
“And what did you say?”
Kandy ticked off the answers on her fingers. “Tim was irritable but ran an efficient café; we didn’t ‘fight,’ I just got used to ignoring his rants; and, no, he didn’t have many enemies that I knew about. Maybe just his wife, and that ex-girlfriend of his. Oh, but most importantly, his ex-business partner, Rex.”
“Rex?” I exchanged a confused glance with Beth. “I thought he’d sorted out his issues with Tim, and that his business was doing well again.”
“Nope,” said Kandy, crossing one leg over the other. “He stopped by a month ago and said he’d have his lawyers sue Tim over the café. That really pissed Tim off. He went on a crazy rant, talking about how Rex wouldn’t get one cent more from the café, not unless it was over his dead body.”
And now he was dead.
“Is Rex likely to extract anything from Mike?”
Kandy shrugged. “I don’t see how. Of course, I’m not a lawyer. Hey, maybe the two conspired to kill him.”
“And destroy his café,” Beth said. “Don’t forget that the guy was busy breaking up chairs when Tim walked in on him.”
“Yeah,” Kandy said, “Whatever. But if I was the cops, I’d be looking into Rex.”
“And you said all this to Neve?”
“Yep,” said Kandy.
We waited for her to say something else, and when she didn’t, I said, “Did you tell Neve anything else?”
“Nope.”
“And was there anything else you’d like to add to that for us?”
“Nope.”
Kandy swung one leg, watching us carefully, clearly waiting for us to leave. Beth and I exchanged a glance. We weren’t leaving so easily; this wasn’t a Neve-style drive-by visit.
“Did Tim seem upset in the last few days?” I asked. “Anything bothering him?”
Kandy shrugged, clearly bored of this conversation, and checked her wrist. She wasn’t wearing a watch. “Not really,” she said. And then she added, “Look, guys, I’m sorry I can’t be more help. I’ve already told you guys—both of you guys, and Neve as well, I mean—everything I know. Neve said she was in a hurry to talk to everyone. How come you guys aren’t in a hurry?”
Beth said, “We like to take things slow.”
I felt a nervousness tickle the base of my spine. What if, by rushing around, Neve found out every pertinent fact long before Beth and I did? I tried to push the anxiety out of my mind and searched around for some more questions we could ask before Kandy kicked us out.
�
�How are you holding up?” I asked, finally. “You and Tim worked together a while.”
“I’m all broken up,” Kandy said, trying to sound tough and sarcastic, but I caught a crack in the veneer. She meant those words.
“How are you paying the bills?” Beth asked. “You haven’t worked in at least a week, have you?”
Kandy shot her dagger eyes. “I’ve got some savings. And I’m looking for work. It’s really easy to get jobs, especially since my last boss got killed.”
A strand of neon pink hair fell over her face, and she tucked it back. Her earrings glittered in the morning sunlight.
“You’ve got great taste,” Beth said. “I really like your earrings.”
“Thanks?” said Kandy.
“Tell me,” she said, “how could you afford those massive diamonds?”
Kandy’s hands flew up to touch the studs, as if checking to see what she was wearing. She gulped and said, “My parents got them for my eighteenth birthday, okay?”
Beth shook her head. “I think Tim got them for you. Maybe to apologize after some fight you had.”
Kandy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at us. “I don’t have to talk to you two.”
“No?” said Beth. “Because we can talk to your roommates if you’d like. Or ask the cops to talk to you.”
There was a moment of anxious silence, and then Kandy sighed. “What are you guys trying to say?”
“Were you sleeping with Timothy Broker?”
Kandy shrugged. “Once or twice. It’s not a crime, is it?”
“No,” said Beth. “But it’s gross. Isn’t he, like, old enough to be your grandpa?”
Kandy rolled her eyes. “You guys are so immature.”
Beth said, “We’re the immature ones?”
Kandy looked at me. “Hey, aren’t you that local celebrity investigator? The one who lived in Hollywood?”
“You got me.”
“Well, twenty-one-year-olds sleep with old dudes over there all the time.”
I raised one eyebrow and gave Beth a she’s got a point shrug. “The twenty-one-year-olds are usually getting something in return. Something worth a bit more than just diamond studs.”
Kandy rolled her eyes. “Well, this isn’t exactly Hollywood here, is it? And I was having fun. Who cares, if no one got hurt?”
Beth said, “You ever think that maybe his wife got hurt?”
“Please,” said Kandy, talking to us as if we were four-year-olds. “They were going to get a divorce. Tim told me that all the time.”
Beth looked at me and rolled her eyes, and I made a faux-sympathetic gesture. Kandy was far too gullible to ever kill someone. I was about to say something polite, but there was a knock on the door and it was flung open.
“Neve!” I said.
Neve was wearing tan high-heeled boots that added a good six inches to her height and a low-cut, skintight pink top, and her hair was perfectly in place.
“Oh, don’t bother to hide your disappointment,” she said, sending me a withering glance. “Kandy, why don’t you bother to lock your door?”
Kandy shrugged. “I’m sitting right here.”
“What’re you doing here, Neve?” said Beth.
Neve smiled. “Oh, you mean because I’ve already finished talking to Kandy, way before you guys?”
“Slow and steady,” I said.
Neve gave me a pointed look. “Makes you fat and lazy. Haven’t you packed on a few pounds since you moved back here? It must be all of Beth’s cooking,” she added sweetly. “I heard about the fantastic online bakery. Maybe the two of you should just focus on that.”
“Um, why are you here, Neve?” Kandy said timidly.
“I forgot to ask you something yesterday. Do you have the phone number of the guy who wanted to buy the café?”
“I’m sorry,” said Kandy. “I don’t think Tim stored people’s details.”
“Hmmph.” Neve shot me and Beth a curious glance. “So long, slowpokes.”
She turned and exited, pulling the door shut behind her. I almost expected to see a smoke bomb go off, leaving a frog in Neve’s place.
“The race isn’t always to the swift,” Beth mumbled.
I frowned and looked at Kandy. “You didn’t tell her about—you know—you and Tim, did you?”
“Oh no,” said Kandy. “Should I have?”
“Well,” I said slowly. “Neve isn’t working with us. She’s working in a hurry, so she doesn’t really need any extra details slowing her down.”
“Right.” Kandy nodded, and I glanced at Beth, who shrugged.
Okay, so if you wanted to get all technical about it, I was hindering Neve’s investigation. But it’s not like the investigation would go any better if Neve found out about Kandy’s love life. And there seemed to be no way that Kandy could be a killer.
“Was there anything else you’d like to share with us?” Beth said. “You’ve already told us about your secret affair with Tim. You can tell us anything.”
Kandy looked at her warily. Finally, she said, “There was something else. Actually, I told Neve this, but she laughed and said I must’ve imagined things. So I thought I wouldn’t tell you guys.”
“We won’t laugh at you,” I promised seriously. “Neve has a problem with laughing too much.”
Beth nodded in agreement. “Whatever it is, we’ll take you seriously.”
“Well,” said Neve, looking from me to Beth. “The last couple of days—before Tim died—I felt like I was being followed.” She frowned as she tried to think back. “There was—it’s just a feeling I had. When I came into work in the morning, or when I left in the afternoon, I felt like maybe I was being watched.”
Beth’s eyes were wary, and I thought things through slowly. Kandy was sweet and naïve, and it was very likely that she was mistaken. Maybe she’d seen a horror movie recently, and her imagination had started to get the better of her. I could see why Neve hadn’t taken her seriously.
On the other hand, perhaps Kandy was right. Perhaps she was being followed.
“Who would’ve been following you?” I said.
Kandy shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I was worried, and I asked Tim about it. He didn’t believe me, either. Or maybe he knew about it and was trying to make me feel better. And I figured it was probably either his wife, or that ex-girlfriend, Elaine.”
“Why would they be watching you?”
“Maybe they knew I was with Tim? I wore these earrings in to work a couple of days. Tim’s wife would stop by in the afternoon sometimes, and she wore lots of jewelry. When Elaine stopped by to yell at Tim, she was wearing a diamond brooch and said Tim had given that to her, but he owed her much more.”
“So you think they saw your earrings and guessed that you were with Tim?”
“That’s what you guys did.”
“We’re investigators,” said Beth.
Kandy grew silent. I said, “Don’t take it the wrong way, I do believe you.”
“It doesn’t seem like you do.”
I looked at Beth and gave her a tiny shrug. Even if Kandy was right—that she was being followed—it might not have anything to do with Tim’s death.
“Since Tim died, have you gone out? Maybe for dinner, drinks?” Kandy nodded, and I went on, “And did you feel like someone was following you then?”
She shook her head no. “It was just at the café. Maybe whoever killed Tim wanted to make sure I wasn’t there.”
I looked at Beth again, and this time it was her turn to shrug.
“We’ll look into this,” Beth said. “We appreciate you telling us everything.”
“Sure,” said Kandy.
She didn’t seem to have anything else to say, so we thanked her and I gave her my business card. “Let us know if you think of anything else,” I told her. “Or if that annoying w—I mean, that nice lady, Neve, bothers you again.”
It was hard to believe that Wendy would bother following Kandy; she would be at work all day. I
made a mental note to check up at her accounting firm, just to make sure that she’d actually been going to work and not following Kandy around. Or maybe, like Kandy suggested, it had been Elaine who’d followed her.
Beth and I debated between going to see Elaine or Rex first. In the end, we decided that Rex should be the next recipient of our presence, and after a quick call to Mike, I had both Rex’s and Elaine’s addresses. I spent a minute setting up appointments with them, and then Beth and I were on our way.
Chapter Twelve
Rex’s office was in a building on the northeast side of town, about a half hour’s drive from Kandy’s apartment. He occupied part of the third floor and shared the space with a travel agency, a bookkeeping service, and a tax accountant. An industrial-gray carpet led us through frosted glass doors, over to a receptionist who looked comfortably ensconced in her revolving chair, and through to Rex’s small office.
Rex was a rotund man—round, chubby cheeks with a hint of red, mild blue eyes, and a contentedly wide body. He was on the phone when we walked in and indicated for us to sit down while he finished the call.
As he yammered away to whoever was on the line, Beth and I glanced around, trying to act discreetly. The room was small and windowless, with a filing cabinet stashed in one corner, a utilitarian desk and the chairs the three of us sat on. A framed diploma hung on one wall, and a large calendar hung on the other. This place was all business. Rex was clearly trying to keep the rent down by not occupying too much office space.
I tried to pick up on a hint of cloyingly sweet perfume, or maybe blond hairs that had been shed on the floor—any indication of Neve’s visit—but I noticed no such thing. Maybe she hadn’t preceded us after all.
When Rex hung up, Beth and I introduced ourselves, and he nodded. “Tim’s death. What a horrible thing.”
“You sound surprised,” said Beth.
“Well, nobody expected him to die like that. I mean, sure, I’d tell him every now and then that he ought to watch his words if he didn’t want to get whacked, but I was joking.”
Dead Man's Diamonds: A Piece of Cake Mystery (Piece of Cake Mysteries Book 1) Page 5
