Meredith Potts Fourteen Book Cozy Mystery Set

by Meredith Potts

  “Want to talk about it?” she asked.

  “What I would like is some good news. Do you have any?”

  Shannon grimaced. “I’m afraid I’m coming up a little short in that department.”

  I gazed into her eyes. “Is trouble brewing with your love triangle?”

  “The mere fact that I am in the middle of a love triangle means that my life is not working out the way I expected it to.”

  “Any resolution in sight?”

  A frustrated look came over her face. “Not even close. I wish I could just choose both.”

  “I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t go for that,” I said. “If anything, that sounds like a good way to lose both of them.”

  She gritted her teeth. “Tell me about it.”

  I reached out to her. “This will all work itself out.”

  “That’s sweet of you to say, but do you have any idea how?”

  I shrugged. “That one is a mystery to me.”

  Shannon took a deep breath. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.”

  I could tell that she was eager to change the subject.

  She switched her focus. “How about you? Anything I can help you with?”

  I had come to her shop for the sandwich, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t leave with a leg up on the case. Shannon’s place did a lot of business. With robust foot traffic and the news of the murder being at the forefront of everyone’s minds, there was a solid chance that she could have heard a few pieces of juicy gossip in the last few days. There was one way to know for sure.

  “That depends,” I replied.

  “On what?” she asked.

  “Have any of your customers shared any juicy tidbits with you about the Andrew Stewart murder case?”

  She looked gravely concerned. “Wait a minute. Has David still not solved the case?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow. That’s crazy. I figured he’d have someone in custody by now.”

  “So did I. Now have you heard any interesting rumors from your customers?”

  Shannon’s forehead wrinkled. “Is he so desperate that he’s looking for idle gossip?”

  I wanted to make it clear that I wasn’t doing this on behalf of David. “I was asking because I was curious.”

  She looked long and hard into my eyes and saw something there that got her mind whirring.

  “Sabrina, what’s going on?” she asked.

  “Like I told you, I’m just curious about the case.”

  She gave me a highly critical look. “Who do you think you are talking to? You’re investigating this case, aren’t you?”

  She had caught me. Even more, she had been dead-on. Just like when I had been talking with my mother earlier, I realized there was no use in lying to Shannon.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Does David know you’re doing this?”

  I reluctantly shook my head.

  Shannon folded her arms. “Sabrina Daley, you’re even bolder than I thought.”

  I waited for the inevitable lecture about why I shouldn’t stick my nose where it didn’t belong. Thankfully, she didn’t try to discourage me. My mother had done plenty of that already without my friend deciding to pile on.

  Not that Shannon looked thrilled about me playing amateur sleuth. It was more that she had known me long enough to realize that when I set my mind to something, there was no talking me out of it.

  She stared out into the distance, looking like a deer in the headlights.

  Since she clearly wasn’t about to say the next word, I took charge of the conversation. “So have you heard any gossip about the case?”

  It took her a moment, but Shannon was able to calm herself down. When she was able to get a level head about her, she responded emphatically. “Are you kidding? It is all people have been talking about lately.”

  My curiosity was stoked. “What are they saying?”

  “What aren’t they saying? The rumors are flying.”

  “I’m all ears,” I said.

  “A number of my customers are sure that Andrew’s wife did it,” Shannon said.

  That didn’t really help me, given that Leah had an alibi. Still, I didn’t want to discourage Shannon. After all, if her customers had a way of poking a hole in Leah’s story, I wanted to hear about it.

  “How can they be so sure? Do they have any proof?” I asked.

  My friend scoffed. “Gossip doesn’t waste time gathering proof.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Right. Of course.”

  “Although Colleen Tomlinson lives next to the Stewarts, and she overheard Andrew and Leah arguing pretty frequently before his death.”

  “Did Colleen hear Leah threaten to kill Andrew?”

  “Like I said, my customers are long on gossip and short on proof,” Shannon replied.

  “What other gossip did you hear?”

  “One of my other customers is sure that Hank Stewart is the killer.”

  “Is this customer so sure because they have proof?”

  Shannon shook her head. “No, but according to her, she was inside the chocolate shop on the day that Hank was fired. Apparently, Hank made a big scene right there in front of a bunch of customers.”

  “Was a threat of murder included in this rant of Hank’s?” I asked.

  “Not according to what my customer told me.”

  Once again, what started out as a promising lead ended up hitting a roadblock.

  The disappointment was hard to keep from my face, but I didn’t let it overwhelm me. “Anything else?”

  “That’s not enough for you?” Shannon replied.

  “When you’re trying to solve a murder, you can’t ever have enough details.”

  Shannon threw her arms out. “I wish I had something more to tell you.”

  “There are a lot of things I have been wishing for.” I took a deep breath. “Now if only some of those wishes would actually come true.” I switched my focus back to my investigation. “Anyway, I should get back to the case.”

  “Good luck,” she said.

  “Thanks. I need it now more than ever.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  With my hunger no longer monopolizing all of my thoughts, I was able to focus on the investigation once again. There was only one suspect left that I had not questioned, so I had no doubt about where I was going to stop next.

  I paid Jake Williamson’s sleek glass office building a visit, with my sights set on talking with the highly successful commercial real estate developer. As far as office complexes went, the headquarters of Jake’s firm were pretty immaculate. Then again, that was not a difficult feat to accomplish, considering the backdrop. The building was right on the ocean—representing the most prime real estate in town.

  In my mind, there would be only major drawback about working at a place like that—getting work done would just be so difficult with such a stunning view right out the window. I knew that if I was employed there, my productivity would tank since I would probably spend the majority of the day staring at the ocean.

  As it was, I had only briefly entered the building, and my eyes were already fixed on the horizon. The sound of the crashing ocean waves outside was hypnotic.

  The redheaded receptionist at the front desk did not have that same problem. She addressed me the moment she looked up from her computer.

  “Can I help you?” the assistant asked.

  Her question pulled my head out of the clouds.

  Having been put on the spot, I scrambled to regain my focus. “Uh…Jake Williamson, please.”

  Even though it wasn’t the smoothest delivery on my part, the receptionist got my drift. Unfortunately, she gave me the last answer that I wanted to hear.

  “He’s not in at the moment.”

  In the corporate world, that was often code for “I’m running interference for my boss.” I had a number of friends who worked in offices who were charged with the task of screening incoming visitors
. According to my friends, the sentence “he’s not in at the moment” had a number of possible meanings.

  The first was that the boss truly had stepped out. There was also the possibility that Jake was actually back in his office but wasn’t accepting visitors of any kind. The final option was that her boss was in the building but was only willing to speak to those people who he deemed worthy of his time. With Jake’s actual whereabouts in doubt, I needed to cut through to the truth.

  Ironically, the best way to do that was by lying to her. Unlike the other suspects, who worked in very public places or could be reached at home, I knew that getting a chance to speak to Jake would be difficult. He was enough of a big shot in town that I had no delusions about just waltzing into his office without an appointment and chatting him up.

  So before I arrived at the building, I had concocted a cover story for myself. I had stopped into the local office supply store and had bought a large manila envelope to use as a prop. That proved to be a wise purchase.

  I pulled the envelope out in front of the receptionist. “That’s a shame,” I said. “I’m with Right Away Messenger Service. I have a very special delivery for him.”

  She stared at the envelope. “Well, you can leave it with me.”

  I deepened my lie. “These are some very confidential documents. I’m afraid they have to be signed for by Jake in person. Are you sure he’s not here?”

  “Mr. Williamson is at lunch. He should be back around two.”

  “These documents are really time sensitive. Do you know where he went to lunch?” I asked.

  Thankfully, she bought my story.

  “Mr. Williamson has a standing table at Antonio’s,” she replied.

  I gave the receptionist a big smile and thanked her then headed out.

  ***

  Antonio’s Ristorante was only a few blocks away from Jake’s office. I darted over there, desperate to catch him before he returned to work. Not only was it better to question a suspect out in the open, but if he made it back to his office, I probably wouldn’t be able to fool the receptionist a second time around.

  When I arrived at Antonio’s, thankfully, Jake was still there. Imagine my surprise, though, when I saw that he wasn’t alone. Even more, he wasn’t just dining with any old acquaintance. In a fortuitous twist, I didn’t just happen to know the person he was eating with—she also happened to be a suspect. So who was this familiar face? None other than Melissa Wilcox, Andrew Stewart’s mistress.

  How fascinating. Now it made sense why Melissa had been wearing a cocktail dress when I talked to her earlier. I must have caught her just as she was getting ready to step out to meet with Jake. Seeing them together added a whole new wrinkle to the case.

  Initially, I was prepared to head into the restaurant and start a conversation with him. Those plans had changed. Hanging back and observing Jake and Melissa seemed like a much better course of action at the moment.

  The reason for this was simple. If I headed into the restaurant, the chances of Melissa spotting me were high. Not only would that blow my cover, but my previous encounter with Andrew’s mistress had not ended congenially.

  Staying outside and watching them through the front window of the restaurant allowed me to stay hidden from Melissa’s view. The only downside was that from the sidewalk, I couldn’t hear what she and Jake were saying. Unfortunately, lip reading was not a skill of mine.

  Even with the disadvantage of being out of earshot of their conversation, there was a surprising amount of information I could glean just from watching their body language. By the looks of it, the two weren’t just friendly acquaintances sharing a meal. There was a distinct chemistry between them. When I combined that with the flirtatious gestures they were making and the smoldering looks in each of their eyes, it was hard to escape the feeling that romance was in the air.

  At the moment, that was just a hunch on my part. It only took a little patience for my theory to be proven true. A few seconds later, Jake leaned across the table and gave Melissa a kiss. It was times like that when I was glad that I had quick reflexes.

  Thankfully, I was able to capture the moment with my camera phone. This was huge—not just that I had the picture, but that Jake and Melissa were an item. I was also so glad that I had hung back. If I had stormed into the restaurant, perhaps I wouldn’t have discovered this detail.

  As I looked at the photo on my phone, I couldn’t help but think that this new revelation had the possibility of blowing this case wide open. It was one thing when I found out that Melissa had been having an affair with her boss. Now, just a few days after Andrew’s death, I had caught Melissa kissing the man who wanted to buy Andrew’s business.

  My head was filled with so many questions. Had Melissa been conducting both relationships at once, or was this romance with Jake a recent fling? Did Jake know about Melissa’s relationship with Andrew? Had Andrew known about Jake’s affinity for Melissa?

  Part of me was chomping at the bit to get answers. But just as it had been wise to hang back instead of barging into the restaurant, I knew it would be smart to let Melissa and Jake finish their meals before approaching either of them.

  I remained in stake-out mode a little longer as Melissa and Jake finished their meal. Luckily for me, the couple parted ways in the parking lot. They moved off to their respective cars, pulled out of the lot, and headed off in different directions.

  That left me with an important decision to make. I could only tail one of them at a time. Without hesitation, I chose to follow Jake. As expected, the real estate developer headed back to his office complex. If I was going to get any information out of him, I knew I had to make my move before he had a chance to reach the front door of the building.

  I parked my car as close to the building as possible and rushed toward his sports coupe.

  “Mr. Williamson, I have to talk to you,” I said.

  Jake looked confused to see me at his workplace. The forty-nine-year-old had slicked-back hair that made me wonder if he knew the meaning of moderation. It looked like he had used a whole bottle of product to hold his brown hair in place. He wore a dark-blue Italian suit that was perfectly tailored for his tall, lean body. As I stared at his square, clean-shaven face, I saw a sharkish look in his blue eyes.

  “Are you here to sell your coffee shop to me?” Jake asked.

  Jake was a shameless opportunist—not to mention utterly predictable. When it came to business, he had no interest in subtlety. For the last few years, when it came to the businesses on Main Street, he had made his intentions perfectly clear. He had his sights set on buying every single mom-and-pop shop on the block.

  Never mind the fact that most of those quirky little family-run shops were brimming with character and had been around for decades. Jake didn’t care about things like tradition—the only thing that mattered to him was profit. Once he had gobbled up each of the mom-and-pop shops, he would close the place down then lease out the storefront to high-end chain stores. Talk about gutting the heart and soul of Main Street.

  Not surprisingly, he had run into a fair amount of opposition. Not just from Andrew Stewart, but from my family as well. Neither my mother, nor my grandmother, nor I had any intention to sell to him. Daley Buzz had always been a family-run operation, and it was going to stay that way. Even though my mother had already told Jake as much a handful of times, that didn’t stop him from trying to convince me.

  I turned him down. “No.”

  Jake shook his head disapprovingly. “Your family is too stubborn for its own good.” He groaned. “I don’t have time to try and talk sense into you. I have business to get back to.”

  He was more condescending than anyone I had ever met—and that was saying a lot. If my skin weren’t so thick, his last comment would have really gotten to me. Luckily, I didn’t take his insult to heart.

  “Before you do, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” I said.

  “I have nothing to say to you.”

&
nbsp; “That’s funny, because I have plenty to say to you.”

  He kept walking toward the front door of his office building. “I’m a busy man.”

  “I’ll make it quick then…I know you and Melissa Wilcox are together.”

  I thought that would make him stop dead in his tracks. That proved to be a mistake on my part. Jake didn’t even slow down. All he did was laugh and make a dismissive statement as he approached the building. “You’re ridiculous.”

  I scoffed. He thought he could just blow me off, huh? Jake had another thing coming. If he wanted to play hardball with me, I was up to the task. Let’s see him walk away from what I threw at him next.

  “I have a photo of you and Melissa kissing that proves I am anything but ridiculous.”

  He stopped and slowly turned, hesitating like he was having trouble coming up with a retort. Whatever excuse he had come up with immediately became moot when he saw me flashing him the photo of him and Melissa kissing on my phone.

  Jake tried not to panic, but the fact that he straightened his tie nervously gave away his level of discomfort.

  I arched my eyebrows at him. “I guess I have your attention now.”

  He replied with trepidation in his voice. “What do you want from me?”

  “The truth.”

  Surprisingly, he didn’t try to make up some excuse. “Yes, Melissa and I together. Now, are we done?”

  I stared him down. “We’re just getting started.”

  He smirked. “That’s what you think.”

  Not seeing me as a threat, Jake turned back toward the building, hoping to leave me in his dust.

  “I’m sure the police would enjoy seeing this photo, considering you’re both murder suspects,” I said.

  Jake whirled around again, this time with fire in his eyes. “Who do you think you are? You’re just some barista.”

  Arrogance was exuding from his pores. He falsely believed that belittling me would get me to slink away. While his barb stung a little, I didn’t let it throw me off my game. If anything, the meaner he got with me, the more it became clear that I was getting under his skin.