Murder Ink

by Lorraine Bartlett

  “Oh yeah. I’d forgotten about that.”

  He brushed a strand of hair off her face. “I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

  “You’re not disappointing me. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to make it—in fact, there might be a lot of absentee members since I called the meeting on such short notice. If the association decides to buy the building, are you interested in buying in?”

  “I’ll consider it, provided the terms are good and that the Merchants Association doesn’t dictate too harshly who can or cannot lease the building.”

  “That’s why you need to be part of the decision-making,” Katie said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. “You won’t let that happen.”

  “You’re very persuasive.”

  “I try. You know, I was shocked that Paul Fenton abandoned his plans so easily.” She paused. “In fact, I drove to Rochester earlier to speak to him about it.”

  Andy stiffened. “You what?”

  “I went to talk to him.”

  “And how’d that go over?”

  “Truthfully, not well. He would only say that he and his partners decided they could do more business in a better location, but I don’t think that’s why they backed out of the deal.”

  “So, what’s your theory, Nancy Drew?” Andy asked.

  “I think Ken’s death scared Paul.”

  “Paul doesn’t strike me as the type of person who’d be frightened into abandoning his plans. There must be some other reason.”

  “Maybe, but if that’s the case, I’d sure like to know what that reason is.”

  Andy pulled her into a tighter embrace. “It’s not important, Sunshine. You have more pressing concerns.”

  Katie smiled up at him. “Not since I hired Brad. With his credentials and experience, he could be working anywhere and for a lot more money than I’m paying him. But I’m not about to question my good fortune. I mean, I don’t expect him to stay long-term, but when he does leave, I’m sure he’ll do so in a professional manner.”

  “What—Janine giving you only three days’ notice wasn’t professional?” he teased.

  “Oh, Andy, it was priceless. After seeing Brad, Janine suddenly decided she could stay on as a server until school started back in the fall. I told her that wasn’t necessary.” She scoffed. “As if I’d keep her on merely to let her make goo-goo eyes at Brad all summer.”

  “So, he’s handsome, then.”

  “He is,” Katie admitted. “As a matter of fact, Nick mentioned Brad had an ex-girlfriend. I thought maybe Brad and Erikka might hit it off . . . I mean, if Erikka isn’t seeing anyone at the moment.”

  “Um . . . I don’t know whether she is or not, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to play matchmaker.”

  “Well, we won’t set them up on a blind date or anything. Maybe we could simply invite them both to lunch . . . on Sunday when Tealicious is closed . . . you know, as a friendly outing. We could see if Nick and Don would like to join us. What do you say?”

  Andy scowled. “We’ll see.”

  She giggled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  * * *

  —

  Before she left the pizzeria, Andy made Katie a pepperoni calzone and she took it back to Artisans Alley to eat at her desk. Once she’d finished her lunch/dinner, she called Nick and told him about her plan for lunch with Brad and Erikka on Sunday.

  “Ah, I see what you’re doing here. You think if you can get Erikka interested in Brad, she’ll take her hooks out of Andy.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Katie said evenly. “I’m only trying to welcome Brad to Victoria Square and introduce him to a few people.” There was no way she’d admit to Nick that there was some truth to his accusation. “I thought that since you’re already friends with him, you and Don might want to join us.”

  “That’s really a lovely idea,” Nick said. “Why don’t Don and I host the luncheon here at Sassy Sally’s?”

  “No, I couldn’t possibly impose on you like that.”

  “It’s not an imposition. You know how I enjoy entertaining, and I’d love to show off the B and B to Brad. We could invite Seth and his beau, and there’s an older couple staying here who might like to join us. They’re regulars. Fiona is usually up for anything, but Phil can be a curmudgeon.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Sure that everyone will come on such short notice? No. Sure that Brad will be interested in Erikka so soon after breaking up with his girlfriend? Also, no. But I am sure that I want to host a luncheon welcoming Brad to the neighborhood. So, let me hang up and get in touch with everyone—after talking with Don, of course—and I’ll call you with the deets when I have them.”

  “Thanks, Nick. You’re the best.”

  “Don’t I know it?”

  Katie was still grinning from her conversation with Nick when Vance arrived at her office door. “Got a minute?”

  “For you? Always.”

  He sat on the chair beside her desk and rubbed his forehead. Was the stress of being a manager taking a toll on him?

  “What is it, Vance?”

  “One of the new vendors—Hugh, the leather-goods maker—is upset because he thought Artisans Alley was responsible for the security of his tools and the items he crafts for sale.”

  “That’s ridiculous. The vendor contract clearly states that any items left in the booths are there at the vendor’s risk and that Artisans Alley is not responsible for any loss.”

  “I tried to explain that to him, but he says he must’ve missed that section of the contract.”

  Katie went to the file cabinet and retrieved the agreement Hugh had signed. She took it back to her desk, sat down, and flipped through the pages. “There’s the clause, and there’s his signature. You can take that and show it to him if you think it’ll help.”

  “I did that already. It didn’t help.”

  She blew out a breath. “Maybe you could offer to have some of the other vendors reassure him. You’d need to tread carefully so it doesn’t appear to Hugh that his concerns aren’t being properly addressed, but if he learns that others have been here for years and have never had any problems—”

  “I did that, too,” Vance interrupted. “And I assured him that, other than a few rare instances of shoplifting, we’ve never suffered any major losses due to theft. I’m at the end of my rope, Katie. He still isn’t happy.”

  “Then the only thing you can do is offer to terminate his contract. With it being tourist season, we won’t have any trouble renting out his booth.” She took a peppermint from the jar on her desk and offered one to Vance. “I believe Hugh is simply angling for some sort of special treatment. Call his bluff, and he’ll either go or he’ll stay. I’m guessing he’ll stay because it appears he’s doing a good amount of business.”

  “A lot of people seem to gather around his booth,” Vance admitted. He stood. “Thanks, Katie.”

  “Wait. Before you go, there’s something else you should know.” She told him about Detective Schuler’s suggestion that he or Ray could have rigged the saw to electrocute Ken Fenton. “I don’t think you need to be too concerned about his allegations since Detective Schuler made it abundantly clear that he suspects Ray, but I wanted you to be aware.”

  “I appreciate that. I’m not worried about Detective Schuler, though. Sure, I have the knowledge necessary to have rigged that saw, and I figure Ray does, too. Heck, there are probably several more Artisans Alley vendors who could do that sort of thing if they wanted to.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t mention that to Detective Schuler,” Katie said emphatically.

  Vance chuckled. “I won’t . . . although he probably already knows it. I can’t help but wonder, though, who did kill Ken Fenton.”

  “You and me both. I’d never noticed him around the Square before. Did you know the man?” />
  “No . . . but I’ll ask around to see if any of the other vendors knew him.”

  “Thanks, and keep me posted,” Katie said as Vance left her office.

  He gave a wave. She watched as he walked through the vendors’ lounge and disappeared into the showroom. She had Googled Ken Fenton’s brother—but not the dead man. Typing the name into the browser’s search box brought up nothing. So, Ken Fenton had not left his mark on the Internet. She could only wonder what any of her vendors knew about the man.

  * * *

  —

  It was only five twenty and Katie was pleased to see that she was the first to arrive at Del’s Diner but apprehensive that she might be the only member of the Merchants Association to do so. Not long after, a number of the merchants wandered in.

  At five thirty-five, Katie figured everyone who was going to arrive had already done so and called the meeting to order.

  “We’ve got to make this meeting short and sweet. Del has the room booked for another event in half an hour. I’d like to start by announcing that Rose Nash has asked the Merchants Association to sponsor her in a charity five-K walkathon.” She handed a stack of flyers to Sue Sweeney and asked her to pass them around to the other merchants. “As you can see from the flyer that will be coming your way, it’s for Alzheimer’s research, and Rose is excited to be a part of this event. She’s training hard. Do I have a motion?”

  “I’ll make the motion that we sponsor Rose with fifty dollars from petty cash.” Sue looked around the room to see if the others were in agreement.

  “I’ll second the motion,” Gilda said.

  The vote to sponsor Rose was unanimous.

  “And now for the reason you’re all here—I spoke with Harper Jones. I’m passing around the piece of paper on which he wrote his offer.” Katie waited while each merchant looked at the note before passing it along to a neighbor.

  Ray frowned at the paper. “This is too high, Katie. I realize I don’t have a dog in this fight, but Jones is asking more for this building than I paid for Wood U . . . even though Wood U is bigger than this place.” He handed the note to Conrad.

  “Well, I certainly agree with Ray,” he said.

  “Then let’s come up with a counteroffer I can present to Mr. Jones,” Katie said.

  After dickering for a few minutes, the merchants reached an offer Katie felt confident everyone could live with.

  “I’ve picked up enough legalese from attorney Seth Landers over the years to present this offer to Mr. Jones contingent upon the Merchants Association being able to obtain a loan to buy the property.” She smiled at the group and was ready to close the meeting when Sue spoke up.

  “I’d like to inject a caveat to the conversation, which was brought to my attention by Charlotte Booth.”

  “Of course, Sue. Go ahead.”

  Sue stood. “As some of you know, Charlotte couldn’t be here because she’s babysitting her grandson tonight, but she brought up an excellent point to me. She said that since not all of the merchants would be participating in buying the building, those participating should form a separate partnership for this endeavor.”

  “I agree,” Katie said. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If Mr. Jones accepts our offer, then we can form a partnership. If he doesn’t, then it won’t matter. Of course, we will need a partnership agreement in place before we approach the bank, so if Mr. Jones does accept, I’ll send out an email to everyone in the Merchants Association. Those interested in buying the building can let me know, and I’ll set up a meeting with Seth Landers.”

  Everyone seemed happy with that arrangement, and Katie adjourned the meeting just as the people celebrating a major birthday began to arrive. She slunk out of the function room feeling nothing but relief.

  * * *

  —

  After the Merchants Association’s meeting, and before Katie went up to her apartment, she glanced in the direction of Angelo’s Pizzeria. She had planned to wave to Andy, but he stood at the counter, shoulder to shoulder with Erikka. They were laughing at some shared joke. Katie frowned, her stomach doing a little flip-flop. She really hoped Erikka and Brad would hit it off.

  She climbed the steps to her apartment, fed the cats, and settled onto the sofa. She wasn’t in the mood to watch television or to read, so she thought she’d call Margo and update her on the latest happenings at Tealicious. Her former mother-in-law should be thrilled that Katie had landed a world-class chef to manage the tea shop.

  Margo answered on the first ring. “Hello, Katie. I don’t have but a minute—I’m getting ready to go out with friends. What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that I’ve hired a new manager for Tealicious.”

  “How nice. The teeny-bopper didn’t work out, then?” Her voice had an I told you so quality that made Katie even gladder she’d called to tell Margo about Brad.

  “No, but it’s all worked out for the best. The new guy—Chef Brad Andrews—starts on Monday.”

  “There was a fabulous chef named Brad Andrews who used to work at that fantastic French place in Manhattan, but that couldn’t be the same person.”

  “Actually, it is.” Katie doubted she’d kept the smugness from her voice. “Brad graduated from the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park and also earned a Diplôme de Pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu in London. He has extensive credits in Manhattan . . . including that fantastic French place.”

  “How delightful for you! I must get down there soon, so I can sample this Chef Andrews’s wares.”

  “Right.” That was a development Katie hadn’t foreseen. Hopefully, Margo wouldn’t come for a visit too soon.

  “I have to be off now, dear. Love to Andy.”

  “Have fun, Margo.”

  “I always do.” And with a trilling laugh, she hung up.

  Katie set her phone down feeling disconcerted. Margo was going out with friends, Andy was fraternizing with Erikka, and Katie sat in her overly warm apartment—alone.

  Mason jumped up on the couch, sashayed over, and stood on Katie’s lap.

  Okay, she wasn’t entirely alone.

  “Thanks, little butt. You’re not my little prince, but you are my darling boy.”

  “Purrbt,” Mason said and nuzzled Katie’s chin.

  She wrapped her arms around the cat, whose purring went into overdrive.

  At that moment, it was exactly what she needed.

  Seven

  Upon awakening on Saturday morning, Katie realized she’d been neglecting her exercise of late because she’d been so busy and stressed out. But then, she’d recognized that not getting her walking in was merely exacerbating her stress. So the first thing she did that morning—after feeding the insistent cats, of course—was to dress, lace up her sneakers, and head out into the bright morning sunshine. There was still enough nip in the air to be bracing, but Katie knew that after a couple of laps around the Square, she’d be sweating and in need of a shower.

  Walking was the perfect time for reflection. Now that she’d hired Brad, Katie felt like things were looking up. Upon completion of her walk, Katie would need to make tea cakes and salads for sandwiches. Then she needed to call Harper Jones and present the Merchants Association’s counteroffer . . . That could wait until she was ensconced in her office at Artisans Alley.

  As she approached Wood U, Katie saw Sadie Davenport getting ready to go inside her father’s shop. Katie raised a hand in greeting. Sadie looked directly at Katie, her expression sullen, and continued inside the building. Katie felt a pang of disappointment over the girl’s conduct, but that disappointment quickly turned to indignation. She’d never been anything but nice to the Davenport daughters. If they’d chosen to spurn her friendship, so be it. She passed Wood U keeping her chin up and her face forward. She wasn’t about to give Sadie the satisfaction of seeing her venturing a glance at the shop windo
w.

  She’d walked only a few feet from Wood U when she heard Ray call her name. She turned around but didn’t move back toward the shop. Ray trundled down the stairs and jogged to where Katie stood.

  “Have you spoken with Harper Jones yet?” he asked.

  “No. That’s on my to-do list for later today.” She didn’t say so, but she wondered why Ray would even ask about the call since he’d already said he wasn’t interested in going in on the property. Had he seen Sadie snub her and called out to her as an excuse to talk?

  “I know you’re dying to know why Fenton went back on his deal to buy the building from Jones,” Ray said. “I’m thinking Jones can give you a better idea of what happened than Fenton was willing to divulge.”

  “You could be right. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

  “Maybe you could present the question to Jones as if some of the members are concerned there might be something wrong with the building since Paul pulled out so abruptly. Ask about the wiring, since his brother was electrocuted.”

  Katie nodded. “You’re pretty good at this, Davenport. You should be an interrogator.”

  “Ha, ha,” Ray deadpanned. “Even if Jones doesn’t know the real reason Paul Fenton decided not to buy, raising these concerns might make Jones more amenable to your counteroffer.”

  “Entirely plausible,” she admitted. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider going in on the building with us? The more merchants who are willing to participate, the less each person’s payment will be.”

  “I realize that, but if Schuler has his way about it, I’ll need to be saving every cent I’ve got for legal fees. Don’t even get me started on what a trial would do to Sadie’s and Sasha’s college funds.”

  “There’s not going to be a trial, and you’re not going to have to pay legal fees.” Katie hoped.

  Ray merely shook his head. He obviously didn’t feel as if he’d get through Schuler’s investigation unscathed, and Katie was afraid he might not, either.