Sandie James Mysteries Box Set

by Tessa Kelly

  Before I could say anything, there were running footsteps behind us. We turned just in time to see Will catch up to us. He was breathing heavily, but his eyes were alight with excitement.

  “I just went by the café and saw you'd already gone.”

  “Was there a new development in the case?” I asked.

  “You bet. New information came to light. I think it’s definitely going to clear Dad.”

  I grabbed his arm, my pulse quickening. “Go on.”

  A white Yorkie materialized out of nowhere with loud yapping as he wound his leash around Will’s legs. Will made clumsy attempts to disentangle himself, his efforts only encouraging the little menace at his feet to jump around more. The dog’s owner pulling on her end of the leash only made things worse.

  I bent down and grabbed hold of the Yorkie, forcing him to stay still while Will got himself free.

  “Don’t touch my dog!” The owner scooped up her charge, freezing me with a glare over her aviator sunglasses before she marched off.

  The guys and I exchanged eye rolls. I pointed to the ice cream parlor down the block.

  “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

  WE WENT INSIDE AND got three chocolate milkshakes. Sitting down at a counter away from curious eyes and ears, Will leaned in closer to us. “Get this. Angela Sorrento has a friend - had a friend, more like. Doubt they'll still be on speaking terms after this. Her name's Crystal Moreno. She and Angela have worked at the same hair salon for years. They were chummy enough that Crystal was invited to the wedding. She was at the reception, too.”

  “Crystal Moreno...” I thought hard, going over the faces of the hairdressers I’d seen at the salon. “Is she about Angela’s height? Dark hair, loud, talks with her hands a lot?”

  “That pretty much describes her. How do you know?”

  “Got a haircut from her once, when Angela was out sick. Also, she came into the bakery a few times. She loves Kathy’s cheesecake brownies.”

  "Who doesn't?"

  “Hey, I know who you’re talking about!” Josh said with a smirk. “The loud one, right? Mrs. Robinson.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “She likes to hit on me, makes suggestive comments and stuff. One time she even stroked my hand when I gave her her change back.” He shrugged, but it was hard to tell whether Crystal’s come-ons made him feel uncomfortable or smug.

  I squished down the growing irritation inside me. Crystal was free to flirt with whomever she wanted, and Josh had a right to like her attention. It certainly had nothing to do with me. Except, the thought of Crystal being mixed up in the murder suddenly got a bit more attractive.

  “Did she have the motive to kill Sonny?” I asked hopefully.

  “Not her,” Will said. “Crystal was questioned after the murder, along with everyone else. She said she didn’t see anything suspicious that night. Claimed she knew nothing that would be helpful.”

  “And now she’s saying different?” I guessed.

  “Yep. Came forward today out of the blue. She told detective Greene that Angela is having deep financial troubles. Started about a month ago. She was playing around with investments and made a pretty risky deal. I don’t know much about this stuff, so I can’t explain it too well. Seems the way it works is you invest money in a venture, and if you get lucky you triple your investment in one fell swoop. But if you don’t get lucky, you lose the triple of what you’d invested.”

  Josh gave a low whistle. “And Angela was unlucky?”

  “Oh, yeah. Not only is she in debt, she’s also been hiding it from David all this time. She’s terrified to tell him.”

  “Sure. Since she basically tricked him into marrying her debt,” Josh said. “That’s a whopper of a motive!”

  Will nodded, grinning. “Right on, bro. Angela needed her share of the inheritance. She must’ve known Sonny was going to change his will, so she had a double motive to act quickly.”

  They hi-fived each other as if their favorite team had just scored a touchdown.

  I sipped my milkshake and stared at the ice cream menu above the counter without really seeing it. A nudge on the shoulder from Will brought me back.

  “Hey, sis. Didn’t you hear what I said? I thought you’d be more excited about this.”

  “I am.” I cleared my throat. “It's just that... if Angela wanted to keep her financial troubles a secret, why would she tell Crystal about it?”

  “She didn't mean to,” Will said. “She and Crystal had gone out to a bar and Angela had about a dozen White Russians and ended up spilling everything. Both literally and figuratively, cause she also spilled a drink all over herself. It was the same night she slept over at Sonny's. Crystal thinks she doesn't even remember telling her.”

  “What does Angela say?” I asked.

  “Claims she’d told Sonny about her finances, and he agreed to bail her out. But there’s no written proof. Nothing. Just her word. Detective Greene went and asked Lauren if Sonny mentioned anything before his death, and she said she knows nothing about it.”

  “But isn’t it odd,” I persisted, “that Crystal's been keeping quiet this whole time and now suddenly decided to come out? What made her change her mind?”

  Will frowned. “If you’re thinking she'd been paid to do it, the police checked her finances. There’s been nothing suspicious there.”

  “What if she was paid in cash?”

  “That would be pretty hard to prove. Besides, her statement checks out. We’ve run Angela’s finances, and the woman’s in deep trouble. She had every motive to kill Sonny. Greene’s charging Angela as we speak. He’s certain he’s got a case against her. It’s a done deal.”

  Except, it was all wrong. I sat back in my seat, struck by the thoughts Will’s sudden revelation brought to light. The guys watched me with raised eyebrows as I shook my head. “No, Will. Greene’s got the wrong person. I’m sure of it.”

  He puffed out his cheeks in frustration. “It’s like you’re not happy Dad’s going to be cleared.”

  “That’s not true, and you know it,” I said, keeping my voice even. “I just don’t want the wrong person to suffer the consequences of us not being thorough enough.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged. “Enlighten me, then. Who did it? Do you know something we don’t?”

  I chewed my lip. “Yes, I think the evidence points very clearly to one person. It just seems impossible for that person to have done it.”

  I rose to my feet. “I have to go. I’ll call you if I think of anything.” I was out the door before either of them could stop me.

  Will’s new information had parted the shroud of mystery around the killer’s identity, but if my hunch was correct, the last thing I wanted was to spook the killer by bringing in the police before I had everything figured out. There was still much to be done if the case was to be brought to successful completion. Until then, I would have to keep my guesses and conjectures to myself.

  Chapter 13

  The chair was as hard as a subway seat. It must have been put there on purpose, to keep the potential employees from feeling at ease. They shouldn’t have bothered. The black suit with the pencil skirt I was wearing accomplished the job just fine. Business attire always made me feel like an impostor.

  I squirmed forward to the edge of the seat and crossed my legs, keeping my back straight under the interviewer’s critical stare. From her tight bun to the icy-blue eyes behind a pair of slim designer glasses, the woman looked like she was born wearing expensive business clothes. Could she tell my outfit came from a thrift store?

  As she took her eyes off me and studied my resume, I allowed my gaze to flicker to the large office window behind her. It gave an eagle eye view of Wall Street below, where hundreds of men and women carrying briefcases hurried on their way to and from meetings.

  What was I doing here? I belonged in this setting as much as a smoking gun belonged at a wedding party. I should be back home, in my cozy neighborhood, helping Will s
olve the murder that was causing my family so much anguish.

  The woman cleared her throat, bringing my attention back to her. She gave me a formal smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

  “I see you're currently employed at a bakery.” There was an edge of disapproval in her tone. It wasn't unexpected. Decorating cookies and cakes had little to do with editing financial articles.

  “I also completed an internship as a personal assistant to a Pulitzer- winning novelist while studying for my Masters,” I pointed out, hoping she'd ask me more about that instead. “It involved a lot of administrative as well as editing skills,” I added when she didn't.

  The woman pursed her lips. “Ms. James, we do like our new employees to have more experience going in. As it is, we’re looking to fill the position of an assistant copy editor quickly. We are prepared to offer you the job, though because of your limited experience the starting salary would be slightly lower than the going rate. Be assured that it’s still a demanding job, one that requires putting in long hours, sometimes coming in before 9 a.m. and staying past 6 p.m.”

  The number one thing they teach you about acing a job interview is you’re never supposed to raise objections. I nodded and smiled. “Of course. I understand.”

  The woman’s expression remained impassive. “Oh, and one more thing. The person who previously occupied the position quit unexpectedly last week, so we’re looking to fill the position immediately. Will you be able to start on Monday?”

  I swallowed. Monday! This was all happening so fast. I wasn’t ready for it. And what about Kathy? I’d be giving her less than a week's notice. With all the work going on at the bakery, she’d be in a tough spot until she found a replacement for me. This would also give Jeff another reason to grumble.

  Seeing me hesitate, the woman raised her perfect eyebrows. “Do you need to think about this? We’ll be interviewing candidates until Friday. You can call and let me know by then.”

  I thanked her, wondering if my momentary hesitation had cost me the spot. Well, that couldn’t be helped. With a sigh, I headed toward the elevator.

  Out on the street, the heat was already rising off the sidewalks. It was going to be another scorcher. As I walked to the subway, keeping within the cooler shadows of the buildings whenever possible, a bright shock of purple and red on the other side of the street drew my eye. The woman was hard to miss in this neighborhood. She wore a red tube top, paisley hot pants, and platform shoes, turning a few heads as she walked. I recognized a familiar face. Crystal Moreno, Angela’s friend from the hair salon. The coincidence was too good to let it slip by.

  As Crystal reached a store and went inside, I dashed across the street after her, closely avoiding being hit by a speeding car.

  The store was a boutique, one of the ritzy places that sold no more than twenty items, so that each one could have its own personal spotlight on the shelf. Like movie stars, made up to dazzle and intimidate all but the worthy ones, their worthiness determined by the size of their wallets. Without looking at the price tags, I knew I didn't belong in that category.

  At this early hour, Crystal was the boutique’s only customer. She was twirling in front of a full-length mirror, a dark-red designer handbag hanging from the crook of her elbow. Unbidden, an image of Crystal running her long crimson fingernail down Josh’s arm flashed into my mind. Ugh, not now! What was the point of being jealous? With a deep breath, I threw all the weight of reason against the unpleasant feelings, reminding myself Josh hadn’t even seemed concerned his “girlfriend” turned out to be up to her waist in a murder case.

  Behind the counter, the saleswoman arranging scarves on a rack threw a dubious glance between Crystal and me, though Crystal seemed too enthralled by the bag to notice her or me. I put on a bright smile as I approached her.

  “Hey, Crystal! It’s Sandie, from Kathy’s bakery.”

  She turned with a look of surprise that was immediately succeeded by a wide-eyed grin of someone who just saw a long-lost friend.

  “Sandie!” She pulled me in for a suffocating hug. “What you doing here, girl?”

  I waved in the direction I’d come from. “Just coming back from a job interview.”

  “On Wall Street?” Crystal gave a whistle that caused the saleswoman to stop what she was doing and arch her eyebrows at her. “No wonder you don’t come to the hair salon no more. Gonna be one of those big shots now, huh?”

  I shook my head. “Not really. More like, one of those gofers who have to bring coffee and bagels to the big shots.”

  She chortled. “Well, you gotta start somewhere, right? Or you’ll be stuck making cookies and donuts for the rest of your life.”

  I put together a smile to humor her. Talking about my floundering career wasn’t why I’d followed her into the store. What I hoped to find was something more about the unexpected turn of events the murder case took yesterday, and the reason Crystal had suddenly become such an integral part of it.

  I nodded at the bag on Crystal's arm. “That’s beautiful. Are you buying it?”

  Crystal turned in front of the mirror again, stroking the bag as if it was a beloved family pet. “I’ve always wanted a designer handbag. You gotta have one. You just got to! And I’m not into labels, but these days everybody judges a book by its cover. So you gotta have a designer handbag to show ‘em who’s boss, right? I mean, sure, it’s pricey and all. But it’s totally worth it!”

  I touched the bag, pretending to be checking out the stitching. What I really wanted was a peek at the price tag. As my eyes zeroed in on the numbers, I had to keep myself from whistling, too. Pricey was an understatement. I gave Crystal a bright smile. “I think this is worth every penny.”

  “I know, right?” She beamed at me and looked into the mirror again. “Been trying to save for one, but you know how it is, with one thing or another, money just goes down the drain. Now I can finally afford it.”

  I looked at my phone and made an alarmed face. “Jeez, is that the time already? Kathy’s going to kill me if I don’t get to the bakery soon.”

  “Uh-oh!” Hand on her hip, she made a scolding sign with her finger. “So what you doing chatting with me? You better hurry, girl. And don’t be a stranger! Call me up, we’ll do lunch!” She blew me a kiss and hurried off to the counter with her handbag.

  Out on the busy street again, I gave the boutique one more glance. There were two possibilities as far as I could see. Either hairdressers these days were paid a lot more than they used to, or Crystal had recently come into unexpected money that suddenly made her able to afford handbags that cost three times my monthly rent. The timing of it all made me lean towards the latter.

  Taking the train back to Cobble Hill, I sat in the corner of the car, half-empty at this hour. My thoughts turned to the job interview. I was finally getting what I’d been striving for all these past months, my first real job out of Grad school. Apart from the salary increase I so desperately needed, this was my chance to strike out on my own and not be reliant on my family anymore. It was what I had wanted for so long, but now that it was almost within my grasp, why did it suddenly feel like I was standing at the edge of a precipice? And why was my stomach flipping at the thought of leaving the bakery?

  It was nearly lunchtime when I got to the bakery, and work was in full swing. Josh and Valeria were both working the counter, and the hiss of the espresso machine drowned out the buzz of chatter.

  I hurried through the café into the back room, hot with two ovens going and filled with the smells of freshly baked brownies and chocolate chip cookies. A quick glance at the few trays cooling on the racks by the wall told me there was still a lot left to do. My being late had set us at least three hours back, and I would have to work extra hard to catch up.

  I went straight into Kathy’s tiny office where I’d left a change of clothing and spare flats the night before. Quickly, I changed into my capri pants and a light-green t-shirt, then tied my hair up in a ponytail and washed my hands. Glancing at myse
lf in the mirror, I couldn’t help but smile. This felt right. This was the me I was comfortable with.

  As I came out of the office, Felisha looked up from decorating a cake creation on the work station in front of her. She grinned. “Sorry I skipped out on you last night. Josh told me you were kinda upset.”

  I took out the next cake. The instructions on the paper said the customer wanted a ballerina drawn on it in pink frosting. She had provided a picture of a girl in a pink tutu on pointe.

  "Josh was stretching the truth," I said as I poured white frosting into a bowl and mixed it with the pink food coloring. "I wasn't upset. Besides, Josh offered to walk back with me. I don't know what's gotten into him, but he's been acting almost friendly lately."

  "Maybe it's because he noticed you finally warmed up to him?" Felisha said.

  I blinked at her. "What are you talking about? I tried to be nice to him. He was the one who was either mean or just ignored me."

  "Really?" Felisha looked confused. “You're so serious around him, you never even say 'hi'. I thought you didn't like him."

  “That’s silly. Why shouldn’t I like him?”

  I lowered my eyes, pretending to concentrate on my drawing. But my mind churned.

  Had I misread Josh? It was true I'd acted stiff around him. Because he made me nervous, and because I believed he was too good-looking not to be trouble. Was his standoffish behavior simply a reaction to my apparent dislike? I'd been so sure of his prejudice. Perhaps, it was I who was prejudiced.

  We worked in silence for a few minutes, then Felisha asked. “How did your interview go?”

  “They sort of offered me the job,” I said, glad about the subject change.

  Felisha scrunched up her forehead. “What do you mean, sort of?”

  “Well, it’s mine if I agree to start next Monday.”

  “Oh, wow! Sandie!” She dropped the pastry bag she was holding and dashed around the table to give me a big hug. “That’s great! Are you excited?”