Vanilla Vices (9 page)

“Grace, can you come in here for a second?” I called out.

“I’m not finished with the closet yet,” she replied.

“Trust me, you’re going to want to see this.”

She came out of the bedroom, and instead of explaining to her what I’d found, I just held it out and showed it to her.

After reading the message, Grace asked, “Where did you find this?”

“It was stuck between two plates,” I said.

“Flip it over. Is there any indication what was originally in this envelope?”

“No, it’s pretty generic.”

“I wonder how old it is,” Grace said.

“Why do you ask?”

“The label has glue on it. I haven’t used one like that in ages. All of mine have a strip of adhesive on them. You peel off the waxed-paper strip, and it’s self-sealing.”

“I still use this kind myself,” I admitted. “They’re a little cheaper than your fancy ones.”

“The company provides them,” Grace said, and then she looked a little more closely at the glue. “There’s not much on this, is there?”

I looked and saw that the machine that had laid the glue down must have been running low, because there were several skipped sections of adhesive. “I don’t know what it means, though.” Flipping it back over, I said, “This can be interpreted as a threat from anybody we suspect at this point.”

“I don’t see how,” Grace said.

“Think about it. If Belinda wrote it, it could mean that she was breaking up with him. On the other hand, if it came from Jeffrey Frost, it might mean that he was tired of having his offers rejected.”

“And what if it was from William Jecks or Benny Flint?”

“William could have been trying to intimidate Dan somehow, and this promised an escalation from conversation to violence.”

“My, you surely have an active imagination, Suzanne. What story fits Benny?”

“Maybe he felt cheated by Dan, too. If we believe William’s story, then Benny and Dan had a blowout fight before the junk man was murdered.”

“And if we choose to believe Benny, William is the one with the motive.”

“Until we figure this out, neither one of them is getting off our list,” I said, tapping the envelope with my hand. “I know what I have to do now, but I don’t want to do it.”

“What’s that?” Grace asked me.

“I have to tell Inspector Black about this,” I said.

“Why? She had every chance of finding it herself. I don’t know why it’s our obligation to share anything with her. After all, she bumped your husband out of a job here.”

“If I asked Jake what to do, what do you think he would say?”

To Grace’s credit, she didn’t even have to hesitate before she answered. “He’d tell you to call her. That still doesn’t mean you have to do it.”

“I’m afraid that it does.”

“Okay, hold it up for me again first,” Grace said.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I want to get a few shots of it with my phone before we turn it over to the police,” she explained.

It wasn’t a bad idea. After taking pictures of the front and back of the envelope, Grace frowned at the result.

“What’s wrong?”

“The glue doesn’t show up at all,” she said. “Do you want to try it with your phone?”

“Mine is a lot less sophisticated than yours is,” I said. “Dan has a copier downstairs. I wonder if it works.”

“Do you think it might pick up the glue patterns?”

“It might. Besides, what do we have to lose? I’m going to do everything I can to get an image of it before I turn it over to the inspector.”

“You do that,” Grace said. “After you make your copies, call Inspector Black.”

“What are you going to be doing while I’m doing that?”

“I still have a closet to finish investigating,” she said. “It may not be much, but it’s all I’ve got at the moment.”

I left Grace upstairs and headed down to try out Dan’s copier. At least it started to warm up when I turned it on. After going through a prolonged preparation time, I made a copy of the block-lettered threat.

It came out beautifully.

However, when I tried to copy the back of the envelope where the skipped adhesive was, all I got was a faint shadow of the glue. I wasn’t even sure that it was significant, but I knew if I didn’t at least try to get an image, I’d never have the chance to do it again. Inspector Black didn’t strike me as the type of person who would be willing to share information with me. That was a change for me, since Jake, and Chief Martin before him, had at least been willing to cut me a little slack in my investigations, though it had taken my mother’s husband longer to warm up to me than it had Jake. Setting the dial all the way to the darkest setting, I made another copy. Sure enough, the glue showed up in freakish dark shadows, along with a great many other imperfections in the paper. I was about to look at them more closely when there was a knock on the front door of Aunt Teeks.

It was Jeffrey Frost, and he wasn’t smiling as I walked to the door to see what the developer wanted.

Chapter 10

I
t was hard to tell
what he wanted, but knowing the man even as little as I did, I realized that he wasn’t there to congratulate me on my inheritance. Maybe he wouldn’t be so argumentative if the state police inspector was there. Holding up one finger to him, I pulled out my cellphone and called my husband’s office. I didn’t have a direct number for Inspector Black, but maybe Jake had it.

To my surprise, a woman’s voice answered. It took me a moment to recognize who it was.

“Inspector, have you commandeered my husband’s office?”

“Ms. Hart, I have to work from somewhere, and he’s not using it at the moment. Call him on his cellphone if you want to talk to him.” Then she hung up on me.

I redialed the number, doing my best to keep my temper in check. When she answered, I said, “As a matter of fact, you’re the person I was looking for. I found a clue that might lead to Dan’s murderer.”

She was silent for a moment before she spoke. “Why are you even looking into this? You’re a donut maker, not a detective.”

“I also happen to be the executrix of Dan’s estate,” I said, trying to keep the fierceness I felt out of my voice. “I was just doing my job when I found a threatening note. You must have missed it when you were here earlier.” Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have tweaked her about it, but at that point, I was no longer in the mood to play nice.

“That place would be impossible to inspect in a month,” she said. “What did you find, and where was it hidden?”

After I told her, she said dryly, “You’ve already gotten your prints on it, I suppose.”

“To be fair, I didn’t know it was a clue when I picked it up,” I said. “After that, I was very careful about how I handled it. Would you like to see it yourself, or not? I don’t have all afternoon. There are things I need to do here before I leave for the day.”

“Don’t go anywhere, and try not to touch anything else,” she barked out at me, and before I could answer, she hung up.

It was probably just as well. I have a feeling she wouldn’t have been too happy about whatever I might have said in reply.

At that point, Frost banged on the door. “Sometime today, Suzanne.”

I shook my head in disbelief. Did I have a sign on my forehead that said I would tolerate rudeness today, or was it something in my voice or even my general disposition? I had to take a modicum of garbage from the state police inspector, but I didn’t owe the developer anything.

“Coming,” I said with my most saccharine smile. It was one I reserved for only my most obnoxious customers at Donut Hearts.

After pretending to fiddle with the lock for a few long seconds, I finally opened the door and stepped outside, blocking Frost from coming in. “What can I do for you?”

“I just heard you inherited this firetrap,” he said.

“Not exactly,” I answered.

“Are you saying that my information is bad?” The developer couldn’t believe it, and I had to wonder who his source was. News must have travelled pretty quickly for him to know about it already, and I had to ponder whether the young attorney had shared the information with him. I wouldn’t put it past her, but then again, I’d already established my dislike for the pretty young woman.

“I’m the executrix of Dan’s estate, but whether I inherit anything depends on whether any assets remain after I’ve paid the specific bequests first.”

Frost nodded, and a smile reappeared. “Then I’m the answer to your prayers. I’ll give you ten percent more than this entire place is worth on paper, right here and now, and you don’t have to mess with any of it.”

“Who’s to say what it’s worth, exactly?” I asked him.

“You’re kidding, right? This place is in bad need of a fire,” he said. “The building and everything in it isn’t worth more than a thousand dollars. It’s the land I want.”

“So I’ve heard,” I said. “However, I disagree with your valuation.”

“You know what? You’re more like your mother than you seem,” he said, and I could tell that he wasn’t paying me a compliment.

I chose to take it as one, though. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” I said with my fake smile repeated. How far could I push him on price? I knew that depended on how badly he wanted the place, and the only way to truly find out was to haggle with him, whether I chose to ultimately sell it all to him or not.

“Okay, maybe it’s worth a little more than a grand,” he conceded. “How about ten thousand?”

Had I just raised his bid for the building and its contents tenfold without even breaking a sweat? “Give me a figure for the land, too,” I said.

“Eighty thousand, lock, stock, and barrel,” he said.

I just shook my head.

“Ninety.”

“No thanks.”

After a moment, he frowned at me and said, “One hundred thousand dollars, and that’s the best I can do. It’s only half an acre of land, for goodness sake. For that price, I can buy land somewhere else and avoid the hassle of dealing with all of that junk inside.”

“I’ll consider it,” I said.

That just managed to anger him more. “Be honest with me. You don’t have any intention of selling this place to me, do you?”

“I don’t care who it goes to, but you’re not the only interested party,” I said. It wasn’t true, at least as far as I knew, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t nudge him a little more.

“Okay. I’ve got another offer for you. You keep whatever of value that you find inside. I’ll take the empty building and the land, all for the original hundred-grand offer. You might be able to make a few thousand if you can sell the junk inside, and that will be pure gravy for you. You wouldn’t even have to report it to the other heirs if you didn’t want to,” he added slyly. “Do we have a deal?”

I was saved from defending my honor by the state police inspector’s arrival.

“What are you doing here, Mr. Frost?” Inspector Black asked him the moment she approached us.

“Just doing a little business with the estate’s executrix,” he said.

“Not this afternoon, you’re not.”

“Hold on one second. She was about to accept my offer,” he stammered.

“Sorry. You heard the inspector,” I said with a smile. “We’ll have to continue this discussion at a later date.”

“I need an answer right now, Suzanne.” He was a bully at heart, but sadly for him, I knew how to deal with bullies.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked him sweetly. “Remember, no is just as definitive an answer as yes.”

He got it immediately. “Tomorrow is soon enough.”

“Until then,” I said.

After he’d driven off, Inspector Black asked me, “What was that all about?”

“Evidently Frost has been trying to buy this property for years, but Dan wouldn’t sell it to him. Now that the original owner is dead, though, he’s trying to make a deal with me.”

Black frowned, but she didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Evidently our minds were thinking alike. Frost could have murdered Dan for his property, figuring that the executrix might be an easier nut to crack than the original owner had been. The developer hadn’t counted on dealing with me, though. “Are you wondering if he just gave himself a motive for murder, too?” I asked her.

“You have got to butt out of my case,” she told me insistently.

“Hey, it’s a free country. If I choose to speculate about what happened to my friend, nobody, not even you, can stop me.”

“Do you give your husband this hard a time when he’s in charge?” she asked me, showing a human side for once.

I decided to answer it in kind. “You shouldn’t take it personally. The same went for my stepfather when he was chief of police, too,” I said. “The difference is that my husband knows when to use me as a resource instead of shutting me out.”

If she got the hint, she clearly chose to ignore it. “Where is this note?”

“It’s inside,” I said as I led her to the counter where I’d left it. Thank goodness I’d had the presence of mind to hide the copies I’d made and remove the original from the copier. I had a feeling she’d want to confiscate everything if she had the opportunity.

I reached to get it when she put a hand on mine. “Leave it right where it is.” After putting on some disposable gloves, she picked up the envelope, read its message, flipped it over and examined the back, and then slid it into a plastic evidence bag.

“What do you think? Was I right to call you?” I asked her.

Before she could answer, we both heard a noise upstairs. Inspector Black didn’t even hesitate as she pulled her revolver from its holster and started for the stairs. “Stay right here.”

“Hold on a second. My friend Grace is up there,” I said.

Inspector Black scowled for a second as she reholstered her weapon. “I suppose she’s an executrix, too.”

“No, she’s just here helping out a friend.”

“Ms. Gauge, you need to come down here right now!” the inspector called out.

Instead of complying, my best friend asked me from above, “Suzanne, are you okay?” I heard footsteps approaching from upstairs, and then Grace came down with one hand behind her back.

“I’m fine. You remember Inspector Black,” I said.

Grace nodded. “I do. Hello.”

“Just out of curiosity, what are you holding behind your back?” the inspector asked her.

“In my defense, I didn’t know it was you,” Grace replied as she brought out a heavy wooden cane.

“What were you going to do with that?” Inspector Black asked her.

“If you were someone who wanted to hurt my friend, I was going to club you into unconsciousness with it,” Grace said matter-of-factly. She didn’t crack the slightest smile as she said it, and I was proud of her for coming to my defense when she thought I might be in trouble.

“Good to know,” the inspector said, and then she turned to me. “You two need to leave the premises immediately.”

She’d said it so nonchalantly that it caught me off guard. After a moment to collect myself, I asked, “Why should we do that? I have a legal right to be here, and I can choose to bring anyone with me that I want.” I felt as though I was on sound legal ground, but I might have to call Teresa Logan to be sure. I might not be the woman’s biggest fan, but I didn’t doubt that she was an adequate attorney, and that appeared to be what I needed at the moment.

“It’s simple. You’re going to leave because I’m resealing the crime scene,” she said with a hint of a smile. “Your discovery leads me to believe that there may be more clues here than we first thought. I’ll be sure to let you know when we’re finished.”

She tried to usher us out the front door, but I wasn’t about to move. “I’m not going anywhere until I call my attorney.”

“Fine. Do it from outside, though.”

Grace looked at her and said, “You should know that you’re going to have to arrest us to get us to move, and I can assure you, we won’t go peacefully. Once we’re booked, do you think for one second that we’re going to cower in a corner? What does it possibly gain you to bully us into leaving before Suzanne can make one phone call? She’ll be entitled to it from jail anyway, so why not save us all the trouble?”

“Fine,” the inspector said after considering her options much longer than I cared for. In the end, arresting and jailing the two of us was going to be more trouble than her empty threat had been. We’d won this battle, but the war was far from being over.

I dug out the card Teresa had given me and hoped that she was back in her office. After four rings, she answered. “Logan and Associates. How may I direct your call?” she asked. I wondered who her supposed associates were, but it was no time to ask her about it.

“Teresa, it’s Suzanne Hart. We’re at Aunt Teeks with State Police Inspector Black. She has just informed us that she is resealing the crime scene and that we are to exit the premises immediately. My question for you, is can she do that?”

Teresa didn’t even hesitate. “Suzanne, listen to me carefully. You have certain rights as the estate’s executrix, but her rights trump all of yours. Do as she says.”

I’d suspected that would be the case, but I’d been a little surprised at how quickly she’d folded to the threat. “You didn’t mention Dan’s will to anyone else, did you?” I asked her.

“No, of course not. Did someone say that I did?”

“It’s just that Jeffrey Frost came by the junk shop, and somehow, he already knew that I was handling the estate.”

“That’s easy enough to explain. I had to file papers at the register of deed’s office. He probably got the information from one of the clerks. We can talk about that later. Right now, you need to leave Aunt Teeks.”

“Grace, too?” I asked.

“Of course Grace, too.”

“Thank you for the legal advice. I trust you’ll bill the estate.”

“This one’s on the house. Just go.”

I hung up and turned to Grace. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

“I have a hunch we all already knew that,” Inspector Black said.

“Be careful about gloating over your victory,” I said as Grace and I walked out together. “Grace and I did our civic duty by turning that information over to you, and you’ve chosen to reward that by barring us from the shop. In your mind, do you think that will make us want to cooperate with you in the future, Inspector?”