Sandie James Mysteries Box Set

by Tessa Kelly

  Once downstairs, I headed for the door, but Liam beckoned me over from the bar. I hesitated, not wanting to be there if Alex happened to come down.

  Then again, if I was going to help solve Sonny’s murder and clear my dad’s name, I couldn’t let things like fear of awkward encounters get in the way.

  Liam cocked his head at me as I came over. “What’s the matter? You look like you swallowed a lemon.”

  I forced out a smile, but it probably wasn’t very convincing. “Like I said, tough day.”

  He nodded. “How about that drink then? It’s on the house.”

  My head jerked toward the stairs. After what just happened, it was doubtful Alex would want me drinking anything on the house in his establishment. Not for a long while, anyway.

  As if reading my thoughts, Liam added, “Ok, it’s on me. Sound good?”

  I shrugged my shoulder. “In that case, all right. But only if you drink one with me.”

  “Deal. What would you like?”

  “A white wine, please.”

  “Coming right up.” With a sideways glance at me, Liam uncorked a new bottle and poured out two glasses of sparkling white wine. Reaching behind him, he took a dark bottle from the collection of liquors on the glass shelf and added a splash of Crème de Cassis into my glass. With a flourish, he placed the festive-looking drink on the coaster in front of me.

  I couldn’t help but grin. Liam managed to find just the thing to pick up my spirits.

  “How did you know Kir Royale was my favorite?”

  “That’s what you always get. I noticed.” He gave me a wink.

  I leaned forward, doing my best to hold on to my poker face. “So you must be really good at noticing stuff.”

  His eyes found mine and held them for a protracted moment, then traveled down several inches, making my cheeks grow hot. Subtle, Liam.

  “I only notice the things that interest me,” he said.

  I widened my eyes, feigning innocence. “Things? Like what?”

  He deflected without missing a beat. “Like that pretty green pendant around your neck. Looks nice with the peach scarf you’re wearing. Chiffon?”

  “Well look who’s in the know about women’s fashion.”

  I watched him take a big gulp from his wine glass and sipped my Kir. The bubbly wine, laced with the sweet taste of black currants, was deliciously intoxicating. I took another long sip before setting the glass down and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Liam’s eyes followed my movements, like a cat with the dish of cream. Subtle he wasn’t, but Liam was sure easy to talk to. Which was useful to me at the moment.

  “Speaking of noticing things,” I said, “did you know that Dave and Alex wanted to boot Sonny from the partnership? I was surprised. I thought the three of them got along so well.”

  Liam shrugged. “They wanted him out, yeah. They talked about it, but they never would’ve gone through with it.”

  My pulse quickened. “Really? Why is that?”

  “Because Sonny threatened to end their lease if they did.”

  For a moment, I forgot to blink as I stared at him. Two more patrons walked into the bar, talking in low voices and looking subdued. It must’ve been on everyone’s minds that evening that their usual haunt had become a crime scene.

  Liam downed the rest of his wine. “Gotta work, babe. Let me know if you need a refill.” He started to leave, but then came back and leaned an elbow on the counter, bringing his face close to me, but not so close that it felt awkward. “How about dinner sometime?”

  I arched an eyebrow. “You’re asking me out?”

  “Sure. Why not? We could go to a nice place, talk about women’s fashion some more.”

  I looked down to hide my grin. It was impossible to stay serious around Liam. “That sounds like fun. But not until the investigation is over. I need to be there for my family right now.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll wait.” He straightened, a tiny smile quirking his lips.

  I watched him stride off to take orders, admiring the way the muscles in his back rippled under the white tee he wore loosely tucked into his jeans. Then I took a long, satisfying sip of the Kir, the bubbles tickling the roof of my mouth. My thoughts circled back to the murder.

  I was right after all. Alex didn’t tell me the whole truth upstairs. In their venture, Sonny was both partner and landlord. He held all the cards. The Sorrento brothers may have had their contract, but it didn't matter. They were stuck with him. It was so obvious, I couldn't believe it hadn't occurred to me from the beginning.

  All facts appeared obvious once they were revealed. Until then, you had to blunder in obscurity, and maybe that wouldn’t stymie an experienced detective, but my being new at this was no excuse. If I were to stay ahead in this case, I’d have to learn to arrive at the truth faster.

  The good news was, David and Alex were still in the running as prime suspects in the murder, and that meant Dad was one step closer to being cleared.

  My spirits lifted.

  I finished my drink and went outside into the warm summer evening. That was when I noticed I had a new text from Will.

  Chapter 9

  ‘Hey, sis. Where are you?’

  ‘Outside Luce della Vita. We need to talk.’

  ‘Great! Head over to the bakery.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We're all here with Dad.’

  Dad was out on bail! It was a relief, knowing he wouldn’t be spending another night in that awful place. My fingers flew over the tiny keys.

  ‘I’ll be right over!’

  I put my phone back into my pocket. As I looked up, Dora rounded the corner of Luce della Vita and headed in my direction.

  “That’s twice in one day," I said. "Are you going over to Kathy’s?”

  She gave me a tentative smile. “I felt bad not coming over for lunch this afternoon. Heard from Mrs. O’Hara the bakery was very quiet today, so I thought I’d stop by for a tea and a scone and show my support.”

  “Well, your timing couldn't be better. Will just texted me that Dad is out on bail.”

  “Nicolas is in there?” Her face showed apprehension. “Then maybe I should come by at another time.”

  “Don’t be silly!” I protested. “You should come by now. Please. Dad needs all of our support.”

  She hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Alright. You’ve convinced me.”

  We walked down the block to the bakery. The iron grate had been partially lowered over the front, but the lights inside were on.

  Dad sat on the couch behind the long table by the wall with Josh, Felisha, and Tyrone. Everyone had food and drinks in front of them. I didn't see Kathy or Will.

  Bending low, Dora and I climbed under the grate.

  Dad looked up from his half-empty beer bottle. “Hiya, kid! Was starting to think you weren’t going to show up. Out partying tonight?”

  I squeezed into the tight space between the table and the couch to give him an awkward hug. “Of course I’m not partying, Dad. Just bar-hopping,” I joked. Then I step back and looked him in the eyes. “How are you?”

  “Ah, you know. Not out of the woods yet. But at least I’ll sleep in my own bed tonight. That’s something, right?”

  He smiled, but the gloom in his eyes was plain to see. Beneath the calm façade, he was scared. Really scared.

  “You’ll be okay, Dad,” I said. “We’re all here for you.”

  “That’s right,” Will said, coming out of the back room with a stack of chocolate chip cookies on a plate. “We’ll make sure you never have to see the inside of that cell again. You know that.”

  Dora came up behind me, her eyes never leaving Dad. “I hope you don’t mind my being here, Nicolas. Sandie invited me just now.”

  “Mind it?” Dad scrambled up from his seat and pulled her in for a hug. “Can’t tell you how good it is to see my friends here after the ordeal yesterday. I know it’s not over yet, but I’m really glad you came.”

  Dora hugged h
im back but quickly withdrew. “Uh, thanks. It’s... good to see you out.”

  The reserve in her smile was hard to miss. Was Dora really doubting Dad’s innocence? Dad must’ve noticed it too because his face clouded over again.

  Wanting to change the subject, I took a cookie from Will’s plate and looked around the café. “Where are Kathy and Jeff? Aren't they here?”

  “I called Kathy as soon as I knew Dad was getting out,” Will said. “She said she'll rush through deliveries to get back here. Jeff is on his way back from the city, he should be here soon.”

  At the other end of the counter, Felisha poured herself an iced coffee. I went over to her and leaned close. “Guess you and Tyrone had to put off your evening together?”

  “Shh!” Her eyes darted to the table where Tyrone sat talking with Josh over sandwiches and apple tarts. She fidgeted with her bracelets. “I never got a chance to ask him over. I thought I might ask him tomorrow night. Will you mind clearing out?”

  “Not at all. You guys can have some privacy.”

  “Thanks. You’re the best.” She gave me a grateful smile and headed over to join them.

  The door opened, and Valeria entered, followed by Lauren. Everyone turned to stare at them.

  Lauren froze in the entrance as if the sight of Dad frightened her.

  Valeria waved a general greeting. “Yo, peeps! What’s this, a party? And no one invited me?” Then she saw Dad. “Oh, hey! They let you out already, huh?” She gave him a high-five.

  An amused smile lifted a corner of Dad’s mouth. “Guess they did. For now, anyway.”

  Valeria pointed a thumb at Lauren. “Just dragged this one out for a walk and I wanted an iced coffee.”

  In the entrance, Lauren hugged herself around the middle and didn’t quite meet anyone’s gaze. “We shouldn’t be here, Val.” Her voice was barely audible. “I told you we should’ve gone somewhere else.”

  In the fallen silence, Dad handed me his beer and walked over to her, looking straight into her eyes.

  “Hi, Lauren. I never got a chance to say it last night... I'm so sorry about Sonny.”

  She didn’t say anything, just stared at him with that deer in the headlights look she had on the night before.

  Dad cleared his throat. “Look, Lauren, I swear to you I didn’t do anything to him. I’d never do anything like that, no matter what. Sonny and I had words, that’s all. You gotta believe me, please!”

  My chest tightened at the desperation in his voice. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Dora retreating back to the table. Her face was pinched and drained of color.

  For the first time since last night, the stark reality of Dad’s situation became fully clear to me. Even if he wasn't convicted, his life would never be the same again. The mistrust and suspicion that had been planted by the accusation would follow him anywhere he went because there would always be someone around like Dora and Lauren. Someone who would doubt his innocence and make it clear they didn’t trust him.

  It wasn’t enough to simply reclaim Dad’s freedom. The only way to truly save him was to prove his innocence beyond the shadow of a doubt. And the only way to do that was by finding Sonny’s real murderer and bringing him to justice.

  I walked around the counter and came to stand beside Dad. “Come on, Lauren. At least give him the benefit of the doubt. He deserves that much, doesn’t he?”

  In the continuing silence, Lauren nodded slowly. “Of course, Sandie. You’re right. Your father deserves the benefit of the doubt.” She didn’t sound convinced, though.

  “Cool.” Valeria grinned as she poured herself a huge iced coffee, mixed in a generous splash of cream, and added four sugars. “So we can stay for a few minutes.”

  Lauren’s eyes flew up to her. “What?”

  “I want cookies!”

  Another awkward silence followed. I couldn’t believe Valeria’s cluelessness. Didn’t she understand how painful and awkward it was for Dad and Lauren to remain in the room together? Then Dad said quietly, “Valeria’s right, Lauren. You should stay and have some dessert with us.”

  Backed into a corner, Lauren gave a slight nod. “Alright, Nicolas. Just a few minutes.”

  I turned to Will who stood frowning at my side. “Remember I said we needed to talk? I’ve got some new info.”

  He nodded. “Me, too. Let’s go in the back room.”

  Out of earshot, Will leaned against the wooden table and crossed his arms over his chest. “First things first, we looked into Sonny’s medical records. You were right to think Sonny had a strong reason to make out a will.”

  “He was sick,” I guessed.

  “Very sick.”

  “What was it? Cancer?”

  “Yep. Advanced stage. His doctor told us there was some hope, but things didn’t look good.”

  “Who knew about it?” I asked.

  “Well, Greene and Carver hadn’t had time to question everyone about it yet, but it seems Sonny kept it a secret. Probably didn’t want his partners to know. Or maybe it was for his family’s sake, didn’t want to upset them.”

  “What about Kim?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “That’s a dead end. Detectives Greene and Carver went to question her this afternoon. Turns out, Sonny didn’t like Kim's boyfriend, and he wanted to send her off to a college on the West coast. He thought it would be a good excuse to get her away from the guy. It was a good school, too. Expensive. But Kim dug her heels in and told him she wanted to stay local. She and the boyfriend were planning on going to the same Community college. Then, out of nowhere, the guy dumped her for someone else. After that, Kim and Sonny squared things off.”

  “Is that all true?” I asked.

  “Carver spoke to the ex-boyfriend. He confirmed Kim’s story.”

  I frowned. “Could Sonny have had anything to do with the boyfriend’s change of heart?”

  “You mean, did Sonny have a forceful chat with him on the side?”

  “He could’ve threatened him, or paid him off. Then, if Kim found out...”

  Will rubbed his jaw. Then he shook his head. “That’s just conjecture, sis. We’ve got nothing pointing us in that direction. Plus, the boyfriend’s story checks out. He just got back from a vacation in Cancun. It was a trip for two.”

  So, that was that. I leaned back against the work table, turning the information in my mind. As desperate as I was to find Sonny’s real murderer, I felt relieved to know Kim was no longer a suspect. The fact that Sonny had genuinely cared for her had been obvious to everyone. As terrible as his final moments must’ve been, at least his last thought wasn’t the realization that his own daughter wanted him dead.

  “So what about you?” Will asked. “What did you find out?”

  “Well, it sounds a bit more complicated than that stuff with Kim.” I told him what I’d learned from Alex and Liam.

  Will nodded as he listened. “Okay, this is good stuff. I knew about the clause in the contract and the Sorrentos wanting Sonny out,” he said. “But the fact that Sonny was threatening to rescind the lease puts a whole new spin on things. I’m going to look into it tomorrow. Thanks, Sandie, this is valuable info.”

  “By the way,” he added, “I also looked into that book collector from Boston like you asked.”

  I straightened, my fingers tightening on the edges of the table. “What did you find out?”

  “Hate to disappoint you,” Will said, “but the guy checks out. His name is John Edwards. Looks like he’s commissioned Sonny to bid on several rare books for him over the years. He called him recently about getting the first book, The Long Goodbye. Then three weeks later, he emailed to commission The Big Sleep.”

  “I see. So, just another guy obsessed with Raymond Chandler?”

  “I got the impression he collects first editions in general,” Will said. “He’s not Chandler-specific, like Dad.”

  “No one is Chandler-specific like Dad.”

  I threw a glance toward the café where Dad and Josh
were talking together over beers. Josh's expression was earnest as he listened to Dad. He wasn't smirking, the way he did around me.

  I frowned. Now that I thought about it, Josh seemed to get along with everyone around here but me. Not that it mattered. Why should I care if Josh and I were friends?

  Will cleared his throat. “See something there you like, sis?”

  Now he was actually smirking at me too! I took a deep breath, resisting the urge to punch him.

  “Look,” I said, eager to change the subject. “Don't you think it's odd that this John Edwards and Dad went for the same books? Twice? Remember how Dad got when Sonny outbid him at that first auction?”

  “Hmm.” Will nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t take it lightly.”

  “That's an understatement of the year.”

  And then, just weeks later, the same thing happened again. Something about that didn’t sit right with me.

  “Did Sonny keep records of his transactions with John Edwards?” I asked.

  “I'd like to take a look at them.”

  Will thought about it. “I could send you a copy, but you can't tell anyone. I don't wanna get into trouble.”

  “Of course.” I stared at him. “So, what now?”

  “Now, we go and have some food. You know, relax and take it one day at a time.”

  I snorted. “When exactly did you get so laid back, little brother?”

  “Little?” He straightened to his full six foot two. “Maybe you missed it, but I’m not that little anymore.”

  “But still skinny as jerky.” I poked him in the chest.

  “The word is lanky, not skinny. And by the way, some chicks dig that.”

  “Ugh! Don’t tell me about your chicks. I don’t want to know.”

  “And you won’t. Because I don’t kiss and tell.” Will slung his arm around my shoulder and steered me toward the front room.

  Grabbing hot chocolates Valeria had whipped up for everyone, we joined the others just as Kathy and Jeff arrived.

  “Dad!” Kathy threw her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe anyone would think you’d kill Sonny over some book. What kind of idiots are they at the police?”

  Frowning, Will turned a chair around and sat down leaning his hands on its back. “Dad did have that other fight with Sonny over a book,” he pointed out.