Assault and Batter (15 page)

“Not necessarily. Seeing Jude again could have brought everything back for him, all of the pain that he’s suffered over the years. It’s been my experience that people sometimes snap years later, but the devastation is just the same. He lost his daughter, and he blamed Jude for it. There’s no stronger motive as far as I’m concerned.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll keep him in mind.”

“Do that. One more thing, Suzanne.”

“Yes?” He looked a little embarrassed by what he had to say next.

After ten seconds, I said, “George, we’ve been friends too long for you to pull any punches. What’s going on?”

“I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but Jake called me last night.”

That was odd. “What did he have to say?”

“He told me that he had to take this Alaska assignment, and then he asked me to keep an eye out for you.”

“So, this morning wasn’t just about my donuts?” I asked. It was sweet of Jake to worry about me, but I was a big girl, used to taking care of myself. I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about him lining up reinforcements for me, but I knew that he was motivated by his love for me, so I decided to accept the gesture for what it was.

“Suzanne, it’s always your donuts,” George said with a smile, obviously relieved that I hadn’t exploded. “The advice was just extra.”

I kissed him on the cheek again. That was getting to be a habit lately, but I hoped that George didn’t mind.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“For telling me the truth,” I said.

“You won’t mention this conversation to Jake, will you?” he asked.

“No. We’ll consider it our little secret.”

“I appreciate that. I’ve got a real fondness for that boyfriend of yours.”

“I do, too,” I said with a smile.

“I should hope so,” George said. He added in a more serious voice, “It will all work out, Suzanne. You just have to have faith.”

“Thank you,” I said.

After George was gone, I thought about all that he’d said to me, but nothing rang truer than his last bit of advice. I was determined to keep Jake in my life as long as he wanted to be there, no matter how far away he might be.

Ten minutes before we were due to close, Chief Martin walked into the donut shop. He’d finally taken a break with his diet, and he’d even had a single donut twice in the past month, but I knew better than to think that he was off the diet wagon completely. Personally, I was glad that he’d stopped losing weight. I was actually starting to get worried about him.

“Care for some coffee, or is this an official visit?” I asked him with a slight smile. There were a few customers in the shop, and I noticed a few of them perk up to hear the answer to my question.

“Nothing official. I just had a craving for a lemon-filled donut. Do you happen to have any left?”

I checked the racks, and I found one last donut that fit the bill. “You’re in luck. Would you like some coffee, too?” I asked.

“Why not?” he asked.

I noticed that we’d quickly lost the attention of my customers as they went back to their own conversations. I knew from experience that the rumor mill in April Springs was alive and well, but for once, I was glad not to be a subject of gossip around town.

As I got him his donut and coffee, he sat down in the seat George had occupied nearly five hours before. I was suddenly getting a lot of attention, and I couldn’t help but wonder if their visits were related. “Did Jake call you last night by any chance?”

“Why would he?” the chief asked as he took a small bite of his donut.

“Has the mayor called you, then?” I asked.

The chief put his donut back down. “Suzanne, what have you been up to?”

“Me? Nothing. At least nothing that you don’t already know about. Why do you ask?”

“First you want to know if Jake called me, and then you ask me about the mayor. It sounds to me as though you’re up to something.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” I said with a smile. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “How are you holding up?” he asked in a softer voice.

“I’m a little bit tired, but that’s to be expected. I’m about to end a long shift on my feet.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said. “Don’t worry. It will be fine.”

“I’m going to kill my mother,” I said as I put it together and reached for my cellphone.

“Hang on a second,” Chief Martin said, clearly alarmed by my threat. “Why would you do that?”

“She obviously told you that Jake was gone,” I said. “I can’t believe that she’d do such a thing.”

“She didn’t,” the chief said plainly.

As I put my cellphone back in my jeans, I asked, “Then who did?”

“I really can’t say,” he answered.

“It was Jake,” I said.

“I never said that.”

“No, but you didn’t deny it. Why did you just lie to me?” I asked him, unhappy with this conversation in general.

“I never lied,” he said.

“I asked you if Jake called you,” I said loudly. We were getting some attention again, but I didn’t care at that point.

“And I asked you why would he? Suzanne, I never lied to you.”

“You avoided the question completely, though, didn’t you?”

“Gosh, it’s a good thing you’ve never done that with me,” the police chief said with a smile.

I wanted to feel a little righteous indignation, but I couldn’t muster any up, especially since he was dead right about me. I smiled back at him. “Point well taken. Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s just assume that Jake called you and asked you to keep an eye on me while he was gone.”

He nodded as he said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t confirm or deny that.”

“Got it. I’m fine, by the way. Thanks for checking up on me. How’s your investigation going?”

“We’re muddling through. And you?” he asked as he took a sip of coffee. Two small bites of donut were gone, but the majority of it was still there on his plate.

“It’s slow going, but then I don’t have to tell you that.” I gestured to his plate. “Is something wrong with that donut?”

“No, it’s delicious. I’d just better not eat the whole thing.”

“Go on, live a little,” I said with a grin.

“That is exactly how I ended up bursting out of my uniform in the first place,” he said as he pushed the plate away.

I got rid of it so it wouldn’t tempt him anymore. “I wish I had your willpower,” I said.

“I have the best incentive in the world,” he said.

“What’s that? Would you care to share?”

“Can’t you guess?” he asked.

“Momma,” I answered.

“Bingo.” After taking another sip of coffee, he asked softly, “Is your list as long as mine is?”

“I don’t know. Are we sharing again?” I asked him.

“I wouldn’t mind hearing about who are suspects in your mind,” he said.

Okay, the chief was ready to play again, and who was I to say no? I took a napkin from the nearest holder and pulled out my pen. In a hasty scrawl, I wrote the names REGGIE NANCE, FRANK GRAMBLING, LISA GRAMBLING, MAX, PETER, GABBY, and finally, a little reluctantly, I added, EMILY.

After I slid it across the counter to him, he took it and studied it for a few seconds. “Wow, that’s longer than my list, and I thought I had everybody down.”

“Have you eliminated any of mine yet?” I asked him.

“No, but I’m close to wiping three or four names off your list,” he said. The chief looked at me a second, and then he added, “I can’t say which ones at the moment. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I understand. You’re running an official police investigation here. Could you at least tell me the names I can cross off when you find that they aren’t viable suspects anymore? That alone would be a big help.”

“I can do that,” he said. “Mind if I keep this?” he asked as he held the napkin up.

“Be my guest,” I said, and he folded it up and then tucked it into his shirt pocket.

As he slid a five across the counter toward me, I thought about comping him just as I had George, but I knew that the police chief a hard and fast rule about freebies, so I just thanked him and gave him his change.

“Thanks for stopping by,” I said.

“Happy to do it,” the police chief answered, and then he left.

It appeared that Jake had done his best to make sure that I had support while he was away.

It really hadn’t been all that shocking. After all, I knew that he loved me, and I loved him right back.

The question was, why was I still in April Springs while he was in Alaska? Wasn’t that where I needed to be instead of trying to solve a murder so far away?

Maybe, just maybe, I’d made the wrong decision turning down Jake’s offer to go with him. I needed to give some serious thought about my future and the possibility that it might be away from April Springs. It would mean selling the donut shop and leaving my family and friends far behind, but if I wasn’t willing to do it all for love, could it really be called love? I cherished my work, my mother, and my friends. Could I give it all up to be with Jake?

Should I?

At the moment, I had no idea.

“Are we going to close up soon?” Emma asked me a little later, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“What?” I asked. “What time is it?” I answered my own question when I looked at the clock and saw that it was seven minutes after eleven. “Sorry, I must have zoned out.” I turned to the two remaining customers and added, “We’re closed, folks. Thanks for coming in.”

After everyone was gone, I locked the door and flipped the sign. “How are the dishes coming?” I asked Emma.

“They’re done, and the last few donuts are all boxed up. Suzanne, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said, “but thanks for asking. If the kitchen’s clean, you can take off.”

“I don’t mind staying and helping you with the front,” she said as she grabbed a rag.

“Okay, if you’re sure. Thanks.”

As Emma wiped the tables down and swept the front, I worked on closing out the register. We balanced out, always a nice result, and I let Emma out.

“Aren’t you coming?” she asked.

“No, I’m waiting for Grace,” I said.

“I can wait with you, if you’d like me to.”

I took Emma’s hands in mine. “I’m fine. I promise. Now scoot. Don’t you have a class this afternoon?”

“Don’t remind me,” she said with a grimace. “I’m not a big fan of higher mathematics.”

“Sorry I can’t help you, but I can barely balance the day’s receipts,” I said.

“I’m off then, if you’re sure.”

“Absolutely,” I said.

After she was gone, I locked the door behind her and sat down on one of our most comfortable sofas. If I didn’t hear from Grace by eleven thirty, I was going to call her. I wasn’t normally so concerned about her whereabouts, but when we were investigating a murder, it was a different matter entirely. I watched the minute hand as it crept downward, and I was about to take out my cellphone when she rushed up to the donut shop.

I unlocked the door, stepped outside with my deposit and my donuts, and then I locked it back behind me.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, nearly out of breath. “I didn’t think my last meeting would ever end.”

“You’re fine,” I said. “After we swing by the bank, why don’t we grab a bite to eat before we start investigating? I’m starved.”

“That sounds good to me. I overslept and missed breakfast.”

“Want a donut?” I asked her as I extended the box to her.

“Don’t tempt me,” she said, and after a moment’s pause, she lifted the lid. “Maybe I’ll have a nibble until we get to the Boxcar.”

I laughed as I pointed across the street. “You can’t wait that long? You must be starving.”

“Sure I could wait, but why would I?” she asked with a grin as she chose two blueberry donut holes. “There, I’m good now.”

“Are you telling me that you’re too full to have lunch now?”

“You’re kidding, right? That was just to take the edge off,” Grace said as she wiped her hands on a tissue she dug out of her purse.

When we got to the Boxcar, Trish eyed the box in my hand. “Suzanne, did you bring me a present for my birthday?”

“Is it your birthday?” I asked. “Happy birthday, Trish.”

There were a few more well wishes from nearby customers when Trish said, “Before you all burst out in song, it is not, I repeat, not my birthday.”

“Then why did you say it was?” a nearby customer asked.

“Am I going to have trouble with you, Cliff?”

“No, ma’am,” Cliff said quickly. “No trouble at all.”

“Good,” Trish said before she turned back to us. “I have to keep my eye on him constantly,” she said with a smile. “Now, are those for me?”

“They are,” I said as I held the box forward.

“Even though it’s not my birthday?”

“Even then,” I said.

“Excellent,” she said as she took the box and lifted the lid. “Wow, these look fantastic. You shouldn’t have, but I’m really glad that you did.” She slid the box under the cash register station and then waved a hand toward the diner. “Sit wherever you’d like.”

Grace and I found an empty table in back and jumped on it before anyone else could. Trish’s diner was a popular destination for folks in April Springs, and it was always nice to be able to find a table, though never guaranteed.

“Now before I get my hopes up, we’re actually going to get to eat this meal, right?” Grace asked.

“I’m not making any promises,” I said with a grin, “but I think we’re good.”

“Excellent,” Grace said as Trish approached the table with two sweet teas.

“I thought I’d go ahead and get you started, just in case you two are short on time.”

“Did you already put our order in, too, Trish?” I asked as I laughed.

“Two burgers and fries. Was that wrong of me?” she asked.

I looked at Grace, who smiled back at me as she nodded. “Sold.”

“Good. I knew that I could count on you both.”

“I’m not sure how much of a good thing it is that we’re so predictable,” Grace said. “We might lose our reputations for being mysterious and inscrutable.”

“Your secrets are safe with me,” Trish said. She glanced over and saw Rick Westwood standing at the register and looking impatient.

“I’ll be right there, Rick,” she said to him.

“I don’t have all day, Trish,” Rick said in exasperation.