by Linda Wiken
“The word is that he’s a cop, and she met him while she was doing a feature for the news department. I don’t think it ever went to air, though.” Kathi paused for a few seconds. “That’s what she wanted, you know, to be an investigative journalist. She probably would have made the jump, too. I just needed to wait her out and her job was mine. So, no reason to kill her, right?” She looked very pleased with herself.
J.J. nodded, then tried to get her back on track. “How long ago was that? The story, I mean.”
Another shrug. “I don’t know for sure. Maybe a year or so ago. No, more than that. It was around the time of the annual City Marathon, I remember now. So that would be late May of last year. Now, I really have to get back to work or I will make a fool of myself on live TV today.”
“I can’t imagine that,” J.J. said, meaning it, and waving her thanks, but Kathi had already gone back to her reading.
Bingo. That should make it easy to track him down. She pulled out her phone as she wandered back to reception, and called Alison, asking if she was free for coffee.
“I’m on the road, on my own this morning, and due for a break, so yes. I take it this is important.”
“I have a lead on that married cop.”
“All right! Ten minutes at Beth’s?”
“Better make it twenty-five. I’m downtown at the TV station.”
“All right. No speeding. I will not fix your ticket.”
J.J. grinned as she hurried outside, careful to avoid Devine. She made it to Cups ’n’ Roses in twenty-five exactly. Alison sat at a table, sipping her coffee. J.J. greeted Beth, waited for the latte she ordered, and then slid across from Alison.
“Okay, talk fast. I have to make this a short break.”
J.J. filled her in on what she’d learned and watched while Alison processed it.
“That’s a start, I guess, but you’ll have to find out his name. Besides, if it were about something they were trying to hush up, good luck. He might not even have been working with her in an official capacity. In that case, his name probably won’t be listed in our files.”
J.J. felt her hopes plummet. “I’ll keep at my contacts at the station. Maybe someone can track down something more.” She’d noticed a woman dressed in a camel-colored jacket, her shoulder-length brown hair partially obscuring her face. She appeared to keep glancing over at the two of them.
“Well, good on you for getting this far. I’m sorry, I really have to get back on the road. We’re shorthanded today, and I should be working another sector. Keep me posted.” She stood, and with a wave to Beth, left, putting her cap back on as the door closed behind her.
J.J. sat back to enjoy the rest of her coffee and noticed the woman had suddenly gotten busy searching through her purse, her face now obscured. She watched until Beth sat down, sliding a plate with a cranberry scone and butter over to J.J.
“Yum, but totally unnecessary unless you’re wanting me to take up jogging again.”
Beth laughed. “You’re a long way from having to worry about extra calories, my dear. Now, what were you and Alison in such deep conversation about?”
J.J. filled her in, all the while trying to watch the mystery woman without being obvious about it. Beth caught on. “Who or what are you watching? Can I turn around and look?”
“No, but you can look once you’re back at the counter. It’s the woman in the camel jacket sitting alone at the table next to the milk and sugar stand. She looked like she was getting antsy with Alison in here. I’m just going to take a photo of you with her in the background. Then I’ll compare it later to the ones I’ve taken every day. See if she’s been here before.” J.J. slid her iPad out of her purse and flipped it open. When she was ready to take the photo, she angled the iPad like she was showing Beth something, then snapped a frame.
“You think she’s my thief?”
J.J. shrugged. “I don’t know at this point, but what if I come over and we’ll compare your list of dates when the items were stolen with the photos I have from those days. If any.”
Beth grinned. “Action. That’s what I like. I feel like I’ve had my hands tied all this time. Try for around eight, if that’s not too late. Now, I’ll surreptitiously have a better look.”
Beth quickly made her way back to the counter, but by then, the woman had left. Rather hurriedly, J.J. thought. Oh well, she had her photo.
• • •
J.J. had just finished washing her dinner dishes. She looked around her apartment wondering if she needed to give it a quick vacuum before heading to Beth’s. A knock on the door put that notion to rest. She spotted Devine through the peephole and pulled open the door.
“How did you get in here again? Nothing has changed. Nobody is supposed to let strangers into the building. Yet you still manage to do it.”
Devine grinned. “Nice to see you, too. I guess I don’t look like a stranger.”
“Must have been a female,” J.J. muttered, closing the door behind him. “I have only a short while before going over to Beth’s,” she told him, ushering him into the living room.
“I hadn’t planned on staying long. I just wanted to fill you in on my investigation.”
“Really?” She knew her mouth hanging open wasn’t very ladylike but she was so surprised.
“Yes, really. I’ve tracked down the guy who’s caused the station so much grief and determined Miranda’s murder had nothing to do with it. Two separate cases.”
“Who is it? Mikey Cooper?”
“No, not totally. He did feel inspired by the vandal and decided to redecorate the station van, but he swears he didn’t try to run down the weather guy nor any of the more serious incidents. And I believe him. In fact, the perp is someone who never made it onto the station employee list. He’d tried twice to get hired as a cameraman but didn’t make it, so he thought he’d teach them a lesson. I just handed over all the information to the police, and they’re about to make an arrest.”
“You’re not going to be in on it?”
He shrugged. “It’s not important to me. I’ve done my job. Now, tell me what you found out at the station earlier today.”
“How do you do that? I didn’t think you’d seen me.”
“So, you were trying to avoid me?”
“Always. And if Miranda’s death isn’t tied in, why do you want to know what I was doing there?”
“Don’t try to change the topic. I’m interested in finding the killer, just like you, so even though I don’t have the TV station as a client any longer, I’ve hired myself to do it.”
“Seriously?” J.J. started laughing. “Now, that’s a rationalization if ever I heard one.”
Devine grinned. “So, what did you find out?”
J.J. looked at him and sighed. Oh well, he’d been useful and would continue to be so, if she played it right. While she was filling him in about what she’d learned from Kathi, she had an idea.
“So, since you’re all buddy-buddy with Donald Cooper and gang, maybe you can get a look at that video and find out the name of the cop.”
“I should be able to do that.”
“But you have to share that information. Promise.”
“I guess I can manage that. So what’s happening at Beth’s? Are your Caper pals plotting some more sleuthing tactics?”
“No, I think I may have a suspect in the Cups ’n’ Roses thefts. I spotted a woman who was awfully curious about Alison, in uniform, and me having a coffee earlier today. When Alison left, the woman buried her head in her purse. So to speak. Like she was avoiding being spotted by Alison.”
“That sounds more like somebody with a warrant out on them, not a cutlery thief.”
J.J. sighed. “You could be right, but I did get her photo, and since I’ve taken photos lately every lunch hour I’ve been there, I want to check if she’s been there before and then cross-check with Beth’s list of days there were thefts.” She sat back, pleased with her plan but at the same time a bit wary about his reaction. It
did sound like a long shot.
“That makes sense. Mind if I tag along?”
She felt her excitement rise. He must think she was onto something. She gave herself a mental pat on the back and agreed.
• • •
Beth carried two cups of coffee over to the dining room table, where J.J. and Devine stood sorting through photos. J.J. had printed them out before they left her place. She hadn’t realized how many she’d taken. Once they’d been laid out in a timeline according to the date J.J. had written on the back, they all took a good look at the mystery woman and worked through the other photos, trying to spot her.
“There she is,” Beth almost shouted. “And there. That’s two times.”
“Make that three,” Devine said, pointing to another photo.
They kept looking, and by the time they’d gone through them all, they’d pulled out four photos.
“Boy, I’m really falling down on my skills,” Beth muttered. “You’d think I’d have noticed her after four visits. I pride myself on knowing my regulars.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Beth,” Devine said. “You’ll notice how she’s fairly innocuous in each photo. Nothing really stands out. I’m sure she wouldn’t have said anything to you when placing her order, because she wouldn’t have wanted to stand out, if she’s the thief.”
“It looks like all she ever got was coffee,” J.J. said, taking a closer look. “That means she wouldn’t have spent much time at the counter, and you might not have served her.”
“I guess you’re right. Here’s the list of dates and what was taken.”
Beth read out the dates while J.J. checked the dates on the back of the photos. When they’d finished, they sat looking at each other, saying nothing.
“The same,” Devine said, finally breaking the spell. “That’s the thief, I’d say. What do you want to do about it? Call the cops?”
Beth shook her head. “I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I don’t really want the police involved. They’re small items, really. Not big-time.”
“But you can’t let her get away with this,” J.J. said. “She’ll just continue unless we’ve scared her off today.”
Beth sat quietly thinking for a few minutes. J.J. and Devine looked at each other. It was Beth’s call.
Beth finally said, “If she does come back in, I’ll watch her more carefully and then decide what to do. I really want to thank you, J.J., for giving up all that time to do this, and for figuring it out. Thank you also, Ty, for your help.”
“It wasn’t so much,” J.J. said. “And I did get some wonderful lunches on the house. I’ll sort of miss those.”
“You should have a lifetime of free lunches,” Beth said grandly.
“No way. I’m back to being just a regular paying customer. I’m just glad it’s resolved, or almost, anyway.” She looked at her watch. “We’d better be going. You have an early start tomorrow.”
Beth showed them to the door and gave each a hug as they left.
“I feel good about that,” J.J. said as Devine held the car door open for her.
“You should. That was good work.”
She basked in the praise, and when he pulled up in front of her apartment, still felt pleased enough to invite him in for a nightcap. A real one. “It will give us a chance to talk some more about the video and just how reasonable a suspect the cop is.”
Devine grinned. “Yes. We really should talk more about that.”
He followed her inside and peered down her hallway. “No Mom?”
J.J. chuckled. “Not at the moment. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what the future brings.”
“Really? Is she thinking of moving in with you?”
“What? No. But maybe to the city. Would you like coffee or wine?”
“Wine, thanks.” He wandered around the living room, glancing at the array of magazines on the side table and the many titles on the bookshelves that ran the length of one wall, while she poured their drinks. “You read a lot, I see.”
“I try. And I love looking through magazines. It’s very relaxing.” She handed him his glass.
He sat on the wicker chair. “You really want the cop to be the bad guy in all this, don’t you?”
“I do.” J.J. chose to sit on the love seat.
“What’s his motive?”
“Motive? They were lovers and she broke it off so he got mad.”
“That’s awfully weak. There’d be a lot more killings happening if everyone did that when they were ditched.”
“Well, what if he wouldn’t accept it and kept bothering her, and she warned him to back off or she’d tell his wife? So he killed her. He’s certainly proven he’s not a trustworthy guy, and he’s a cop so he could outsmart the investigation if need be.”
“Only if he’s a smart cop, which I think he isn’t, not if he committed murder. He really has too much to lose.” Devine stood, wineglass in hand, walked over to the window, and looked out.
“Yeah, his wife, his job, his reputation, his freedom.”
“His life, quite possibly, if he goes to jail. That’s not a very healthy place for a cop to be.”
“So I’ve heard. Do you think that’s enough of an incentive to stay clean?”
“Maybe not clean, but committing murder? That’s something else. Besides, why would he kill Miranda to keep her from talking? What’s at stake if he’s an adulterer? His wife, most probably. Not his job—you’re wrong about that. And his reputation can survive the hit. Therefore, what’s his motive?” He sat down beside her.
J.J. sipped her wine and thought about it. He was probably right. “Okay, maybe he wasn’t worried that Miranda would tell all, but what if his ego couldn’t take it? What if he’s a control freak and even the thought of someone else ending it is enough to drive him over the edge?”
“That’s a lot of what-ifs. But I’ve tracked perps who had even less of a motive. If your friend Alison can get some info on him, I’ll also try to check him out, and then we’ll decide.” He lifted his glass toward her. “Fair enough?”
“Yes. Fair enough.”
“And that means that you don’t go confronting him or anything equally foolish. He does have a gun, and he knows how to use it. If he is the killer, another murder isn’t going to bother him much. Understand?”
She nodded. “I guess. I probably couldn’t come up with a good enough cover story anyway.” She grinned when she saw his face. Just the reaction she was aiming for.
He shook his head and then leaned over and kissed her. She’d been taken off guard but wasn’t displeased. She returned the kiss with enthusiasm until the knock on the door. He groaned and she stood, a little shakily, and went to answer it.
Ness Harper walked in without being invited. He looked at Devine, then back at J.J. “I was just wondering how the case was going. I heard you come in so I thought it wouldn’t be too late to stop by.” He practically glared at Devine, who had stood and was now heading to the door.
“I’ll leave you to it, J.J. Maybe Harper here has some ideas we haven’t come up with. Thanks for the wine.”
He leaned in, and she thought for a moment he might kiss her cheek or something, but he just said in a sultry voice, “Sweet dreams.”
She closed the door behind him and tried to clear her head. Ness obviously had something on his mind.
“Can I get you something? A coffee, some wine?” She heard herself echoing her earlier choices.
“Harrumph. I was worried about you when I heard who was with you. I don’t trust that guy, and I think he’s using this case for his own ends.”
J.J. walked over to the love seat and picked up her glass. Ness moved closer but remained standing. “You’re what we would have called an attractive package, J.J. You’re smart, feisty, and good-looking, and he’s a guy on the loose who, having been a cop, has seen and done a hell of a lot more than you can imagine. I just think you have to keep your guard up. Don’t invite him in late at night, like, and certainly don�
�t give him a drink.”
“You sound like my dad. Sort of.” She didn’t know whether to feel honored or upset. She chose to go with the former. “I appreciate your concern, but I have been out on my own for quite a few years now and even survived a broken engagement. I think I can take care of myself, Ness.”
“Oh boy, I think it’s too late.”
She looked perplexed.
He plopped down on the wicker chair across from her. “I know you’re quite a skilled and independent young woman, and I know you can probably take care of yourself. And I know I’m also overstepping my place, but I just want you to keep your eyes open and be aware of the whole package.”
She sighed. “I appreciate that, but what I need help with is the crime-solving part. And he is helping with that. Hindering, too.”
“Tell me what you’ve got.”
She went through all the recent details, realizing she hadn’t talked to him in at least a week, an unusual occurrence.
“A lot’s been happening,” he said when she’d finished her spiel.
“I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I guess I’ve been busy. But as for the affair, that wouldn’t be the motive I’d place at the top of the list. I’ve known lots of cops who play fast and loose with their wives and girlfriends but not one of them led to murder. But the case does have a personal feel to it. If it had been part of the strategy against the station, it would probably have been a more visible murder in front of a lot of people, probably at the station itself.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Devine has reached that conclusion also. He’s found the station culprit and says there’s no way he’s good for the murder.”
“Harrumph. I may not trust the guy, but I do think he has good instincts. Who stands to benefit the most from her death?”
“It has to be someone at the station.”
“There’s nothing in her personal life that might be a reason?”
“Not that I can find out.”
“What about your friend Connor Mac? Is he still missing? It seems like he has both reason and opportunity. I know”—he held up his hand as she was about to speak—“you’re convinced otherwise. But I advise you to take a closer look at their entire relationship. The answer just might be found there, and it might not be that he’s the killer.” He looked at his watch. “Gotta go. Late night news is starting.”
