Murderous Muffins (10 page)

Cat put on a half grin. “You’re a glutton for punishment.”

“I thought I was only a connoisseur of choosing bad men, like my ex-fiancé.” I reached over and squeezed her hand. “Let’s move forward with this case.”

Cat said, “Where do we start?”

I heard the front door shut. “Excuse me a second. I have an idea.” I motioned for Cat to follow me into the kitchen. “Stay here a second.”

I made my way to the front of the house.

Looking out the picture window, I saw Xavier walking away. Good. I could enter his room. A minute later, I was back at Cat’s side. “Xavier is gone.”

Cat looked at me. “Let’s search his room for clues.”

“That’s what I was thinking as well.”

“Then grab your keys, and let’s go before he gets back.”

Opening the pantry door, I rummaged through my purse, finding the master set of keys.

“What in the world are you doing in here?” Cat had followed me into the pantry.

I jangled the keys. “Getting these.”

“No. I mean, what’s with the bedding?” Cat folded her arms on her chest and slit her eyes at me. “Are you sleeping in here?”

“Um. Well. You see…,” was all I could manage.

“That’s it. You, my friend, are moving your skinny behind upstairs into the bedroom with me. If you don’t, then I’m coming down here and sleeping with you. This is ridiculous.” She grabbed a pillow and shook it at me. “You have this huge house, and you’re living in here like a mouse.”

“It’s rather cozy,” I said.

“You go back into the bedroom. End of conversation.” Cat set the pillow on top of the stack of blankets. “Now let’s head upstairs. We’re wasting time.”

***

With shaky hands and sweaty palms, I unlocked Xavier’s door. This felt criminal. “Cat, aren’t I breaching some sort of tenant-landlord agreement?”

Cat said, “Not that I want to state the obvious, but don’t you think that went out the window when you began taking them in without a permit?”

“Um, now that you put it that way, this whole thing is chicanery.”

“Chic what?”

“Like smoke and mirrors.”

“Ah, yes.”

We entered the room. The bed was neatly made. On the nightstand, an eyeglass case sat next to an empty shot glass and a half-filled bottle of Bourbon.

“Hey, it smells woody and spicy in here.” Cat picked up a bottle on the dresser. “What is Ambre Topkapi?” She took the lid off and sniffed.

“Very expensive cologne. Apparently only worn by scalawags.”

“Huh?”

“My lousy ex-fiancé wore the same cologne, and now it seems that miscreant Xavier favors it as well.”

“Whoa, that is the most almost-cursing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.”

“Well, I’m not the same sweet little southern belle who can be walked over. I’m an illegal landlord, I fenced my necklace, and now I’m violating someone’s privacy. I’m walking on the feral side now.”

Cat high-fived me. “Good for you! Time to shake up your life a little and get out of your comfort zone. But by the way, you actually did not fence your necklace. You would’ve had to steal it first, then sell it.”

“In a way, though, I do feel as though I pilfered it from my family. They had given it to me with the intent of me having it indefinitely.” I looked at the ground. The sinking grief weighed me down.

Cat placed a hand on my shoulder. “We all do what we have to do. And you shouldn’t feel ashamed. Trust me, I’ve done things that I’m not proud of.”

“But you seem to have your life so together,” I said.

“Hah! Let me tell you, one day I sent Timothy and Teddy to school with a can of beer instead of soda in their lunch boxes.”

“In their lunches?” My mouth hung open.

“Yes, I would never win a mother of the year award, any year.”

I giggled. “Beer?”

“Let me explain. Once a week, when the boys were in grade school, I’d give them soda with their lunch. Anyway, that particular morning was right after Nina and Nancy were born. I’d been up for, like, a week straight. I’d reached into the fridge, and let’s just say that both Budweiser and Pepsi cans have the same red, white, and blue coloring.”

“Did they drink it?”

Cat stuck her tongue out at me. “Oh, of course they didn’t. I got a call from the school. I apologized and explained what had happened, pleading sleep deprivation and anything I could think of.”

“Oh my. Were you in trouble?”

Cat cocked her head to the side and lifted her shoulders. “Let’s just say from then on, the teachers knew to check my kids’ lunches for contraband.”

“Thank you. Your story lightened my heavy heart,” I said.

“My pleasure, my dear friend. I have more awful mom stories if you ever need them.” Cat moved toward the closet door. “Now let’s get to work. You go through his drawers, and I’ll look in here.”

“What are we looking for?” I asked.

“Anything that seems out of the ordinary. What about a pawnshop ticket?”

“Yes, for the ring.” I tugged open the top dresser drawer. Neatly folded socks, boxer shorts, and white T-shirts filled the space. A few handkerchiefs were in the corner. I closed the drawer and pulled open the one below.

A few polo shirts; the labels were Kent Wang. A gold money clip engraved with the letters LRS. I remembered seeing it the day he arrived. I called over to Cat. “I don’t know if this deviates from the norm, but there are the letters L, R, and S on this.”

Cat knelt with a hand stuck in a large duffel bag on the closet floor. “No letter X?”

“That’s strange.” I shook my head. “Why would anyone have someone else’s initials on their things?”

“You wouldn’t. Unless you stole it.”

I studied the money clip in my hand. “Hattie used to have all of my pinafores monogrammed. And our good silver had our family initials or surname engraved on them.”

When Cat arrived at my side, I handed her the money clip.

Cat said, “When the girls were little, I used to monogram their lace bloomers and smocked dresses. I went a little crazy and wrote our last name with permanent marker on all of my kids’ shoes, lunchboxes, and stuff. They were always losing things. Doing that gave me half a chance to identify their items and get them back.”

“Good idea. Now that would give you points for mother of the year.” I smiled.

Cat held the money clip up. “Let’s say this is his. That means his name is not Xavier.”

“What could it be?” I asked.

“I’m thinking the LRS stands for Loser Robber Slime.”

I tittered. “I doubt that. But it’s something.”

“You bet it is.”

“I think you may be right about him. He’s been lying to us.” I bit my bottom lip.

“Keep looking just in case there’s more to find on this scumbag.” Cat pulled her phone from her jean pocket. “I’m calling José and telling him to get over here. I just know there is something criminal going on.”

“You can sense that?” I asked.

“Now that I’m an unofficial official professional amateur sleuth, I just feel when there’s trouble.”

“Do you know how many contradictions you just said?”

Cat rolled her eyes. “Being me is full of ambiguity.”

I grinned.

While Cat made the call to José, I continued rummaging through a dresser drawer. In a corner, my fingers discovered the cold metal of a gun. Bending over to get a good look, I pulled it out. “I found a gun. He had it on him the day he arrived.”

Cat put away her phone. “You know there are quite a few Georgians who have guns. So that’s not unusual. By the way, José will get here as soon as he can.”

“Great.”

“Did you find anything else?”

“Nothing yet. Maybe we’re looking for an angel in hell.”

Cat said, “Hey, there’s no time for negativity. Just finish looking through the drawers and then we’ll leave.”

“Fine, although I doubt we’ll find anything.” I opened the bottom drawer. Under a stack of jeans was a manila, legal-size envelope. Opening the envelope, I pulled out eight-by-ten-inch color pictures. In each picture, faces were encircled in thick red marker. “Oh my heavens. Cat, you have to see this.”

Cat rushed to my side. “These look like some sort of surveillance photos because no one is looking at the camera. Why are Joseph and Mr. Phong’s faces circled?”

My heart caught in my throat as I shuffled through the pictures. “What does this mean?”

Cat’s eyes locked with mine. “We just may have found our killer. That’s what it means.”

Footsteps pounded down the hall and stopped outside the bedroom door.

“Hide in the closet with me.” Cat seized my hand.

“Both of us won’t fit.” I had to face this myself. “No. You go. I have an idea.”

“Are you sure?” she whispered.

I nodded. “Trust me. Go.”

Cat scrambled into the closet, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Xavier entered the room. His eyes widened as he stuttered, “Miss Bezu, What are you doing in here?”

I still wasn’t sure I could pull this off. Annie Mae had often shared tidbits of acting techniques with us. I sashayed toward Xavier, doing my best sexy silver screen siren imitation, like Mae West or Jean Harlow. “Why, I’m so glad that you finally made it back here.”

He glanced around. “What are you doing in my room?”

Thankfully I had everything back in order. He shouldn’t notice anything out of place. I flipped my hair and lowered my eyes. “You sweet, silly man, I’m trying to seduce you.” I was going to fry in hell for all my deceptions.

Xavier narrowed his eyes. “Oh?”

Batting my eyes, I said, “Why, yes. That’s what I’m doing.” Hoping that it sounded like a confident statement rather than a query.

Xavier guffawed as he jutted his jaw. “This is certainly shocking, considering you’ve only given me, at best, a cold shoulder.”

My legs wobbled as I moved closer to him. “That was only to conceal my real feelings.”

“Is that so?” Xavier’s face softened.

“Yes. I’m so captivated with you. I had to hide it for fear of letting myself be found out. After all, we have a professional relationship, landlady and tenant. But your charisma was just too much. It got the best of me.” My voice trembled. I had to say something clever. Remembering a line from the movie All About Eve, channeling Bette Davis, I said in a low voice, with my eyelids half slit, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

“What?”

I glided my finger along his arm.

“Don’t get me wrong; I’m flattered, really I am. But I’m still not sure if I believe you.” Xavier rubbed his chin. “It sounds like you’re reading a script.”

Shoot. I was a feeble excuse for an actress. What could I do now? I needed to distract him. And quick. I grabbed his shoulders, pulled him close, and planted a big kiss on his full, soft lips.

Xavier initially hesitated, then hugged me tightly. “Now that was real.”

I pressed myself away from him. “Yes, of course it was.” I surprised myself that I’d enjoyed what turned out to be a passionate kiss.

A thud came from the closet.

“What was that?” Xavier asked.

I swore that if my skin could crawl right off of me, it would’ve right then. I felt as though I were having ministrokes as my head throbbed. “Cat?”

“You have a pet?” he asked.

I lifted my eyebrows and hands.

Xavier frowned as he took a few long strides to the closet and yanked the door open.

Cat sat in a ball with her head tucked under her folded arms.

“Cat?” Xavier said.

“Meow?” Cat rose.

“And what are you doing in here? Are you a thief?” Xavier asked Cat.

“No.” Cat smoothed down her shirt. “I lost something in there.”

“In my closet?” Xavier folded his arms over his chest and tapped his foot.

“Did I take a wrong turn? I thought I was in my room.” Cat fidgeted with her hair.

She sounded so convincing. Now there was a good actress.

“So what did you lose?” Xavier asked.

Cat seemed to study her Birkenstocks. “My, um, it was my…”

Oops, she was blowing it. I blurted, “Her pet gerbil. It ran out of her room and then under your door.”

We all turned to the door. The bottom was flush with the floor. Not even an ant could fit under it.

“Let’s try this again. Why are you trespassing in my room?” Xavier asked Cat.

Cat’s face contorted as she looked at me, then back at Xavier. “Why, I’m, uh, I’m…here to seduce you, too.”

A corner of Xavier’s mouth curled up. He stomped over to the bed and plopped down. He patted on either side of where he sat. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“What?” I gulped.

“The three of us—let’s do this.” Xavier narrowed his eyes at Cat and me. A slight smirk on his face. “Right here. Right now. In this bed.”

“Oh my…do you…mean…with all of us?” I stammered.

“He is foreign!” Cat grabbed my arm, pulling me close to her. “He wants a ménage à trois.”

“Oh no, I don’t do that.” Shocked, I held my palms up. “No!”

Xavier threw up his hands. “Fala sério.”

“What?” Cat asked.

“You’re joking me. And I called your bluff—that’s what.” Xavier huffed as he stood. “Obviously, you’re both lying.”

I glared at Xavier as I wagged my finger at him. “Us, lying? I beg your pardon. Who is Xavier? Because it’s not you.”

“Yes, who are you?” Cat asked.

In a protective move, I positioned myself in front of Cat. “And now that we’re here, I bet you’re going to kill us just like you killed Mr. Phong. Kill me, but please let Cat go. She has four children and a husband to live for. I have nothing.”

Xavier held his hands in a time-out letter T shape. “You think I’m a killer? Is that why you’re snooping around my room?”

Cat and I both nodded.

Heat rose from my chest to my neck.

“Is this that American fooling holiday? Pra caramba!” Xavier said.

“Hey, who are you with that accent and all?” Cat sneered.

Xavier let out a deep breath and then sat on the bed. He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not a killer. But I have been dishonest. It’s time for all of us to come clean.”

“You mean you. As for us, we’re squeaky clean,” I said.

“That’s why you broke into my room, right?” Xavier said.

He had a point: the situation did not look innocent. I said, “At least my name is real.”

“So is mine, a nickname actually, but still authentic,” Cat added.

I made my way to the door and took hold of the doorknob. “We’ll let the police sort out the rest. Good-bye…whoever you are.”

Cat followed me as I opened the door.

“I’m Luiz Raimundo Souza,” Xavier said.

“Luiz?” I let go of the door handle and turned around.

“Wait, did you just say Souza?” Cat asked.

He nodded.

“Bezu, that sounds like the company that’s been investing in town. The one owned by some mega-rich Brazilian family,” Cat said to me.

Luiz raised his hand. “That’s us. If you’d please allow me to explain. This will all make sense.”

“Why in the world are you staying here—no offense, Bezu—when you could buy the entire city?” Cat sat in a chair next to the bed.

I took a seat in an empty chair. “I’m completely muddled.”

“And what about the pictures in your drawer? And you rummaging though Mr. Phong’s stuff the night he died? And what were you doing at the pawnshop?” Cat asked.

“You sound like my mother when I was a teen and went out all night with the boys.” Luiz smirked.

“Can’t help myself.” Cat shrugged. “And I guess you’re off the hook as a murder suspect, since we couldn’t find your motive anyway.”

“We?” Luiz asked.

“Bezu and me,” Cat said.

“I’m glad that’s settled,” Luiz said.

“Xavier, I mean Luiz, please go on with your story,” I said.

Luiz stood, then stretched his arms over his head. He began to pace in front of Cat and me. “As you know, my family purchased the company on Bay Street. However, the second highest bidder, The Emro Company, was not happy they lost the deal. They were so antagonistic that they leaked false rumors that could ruin us. Each time, we disputed them. It seems that they won’t give up until we are disgraced and fail, so they can take over.”

“A hostile takeover,” Cat said.

“So what happened next?” I asked.

“Since we took over, there have been indications that someone on the inside is stealing our company secrets and selling them to The Emro Company.” Luiz glanced off.

“So charge them or arrest them or something.” Cat pulled her hair back.

“If it were that easy, I would not be here.” Luiz stopped in front of the nightstand. He filled the shot glass to the top, offering it to us. “Care for some?”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Cat took a sip, then passed it over to me.

I whispered to her, “Do we really believe that he’s innocent? Because you may’ve just taken a sip of poison.”

Cat’s eyes went wide. “What do I do now?”

“I love you. If you go down, so do I.” I took a gulp.

Before Luiz took the glass, he touched my lip. “You had a drop.”

“Oh?” I blushed.

Our eyes locked.

“It’s very smooth.” I just hoped it wasn’t lethal, too. My stomach somersaulted.

“Ah, yes, twenty-four-year-old Evan Williams Bourbon.” Luiz held the glass. “Do either of you ladies want more?”

Cat and I both shook our heads. My lips tingled. Was it a symptom of poisoning?

Luiz tipped the glass back in his open mouth and then pursed his lips.

I let out a breath. Lucky for us, it must not be toxic, since he drank it as well.

He set the empty glass down. “To continue, we don’t know who the spy is. My security team had narrowed it down to Mr. Phong and Mr. Jayawickrama.”

“Who’s Juka...Jaka-rumba?” Cat said.

“Joseph,” I said to Cat.

“Oh, Mr. Phong’s mad cousin,” Cat said.

I said to Luiz, “Why not bring Joseph in for questioning?”

“Right now, its just a hunch.” Luiz’s dimples deepened as he smiled. “However, we have neither proof nor evidence.”

“Good point,” Cat said.

“I needed to be in Savannah to finalize a project. Since no one in Savannah knew me yet, I decided to be an undercover boss. My family and I thought if new eyes were on the matter of the missing items, perhaps I’d be able to sort it out.”

“So you changed your name and accent and have a gun,” Cat said.

“Yes. I chose an image, the tough-talking male, because that seems popular in your American movies. I’m afraid I’m not a great actor,” Luiz said to me.

“I think you could’ve dialed down the macho several notches.” I smiled.

Luiz gazed at me. “The kiss was magnificent. You’re a good actress, Bezu.”

I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to tell him that, although I had been performing, the kiss, even if done out of desperation, was, in the end, genuine and impassioned. Surprising even myself. I closed my mouth without emitting a sound.

Luiz held up a hand. “You don’t have to say anything. I know now that you did all that just to distract me because I caught you in my room.”

A shiver ran down my spine as I thought of the kiss. I felt a pang of remorse that we hadn’t met under normal circumstances. I liked the new Xavier-Luiz.

“So, did you find anything that would incriminate either Mr. Phong or his cousin Joseph?” As I swallowed, the lingering taste of the liquor in my mouth made me wince.

“Oh, I bet that’s why you were looking through Mr. Phong’s things that night, right?” Cat asked.

“Perhaps I was a little too obvious.” Luiz continued. “Recently, some files went missing. Mr. Phong and his cousin both had access to the area during the time frame the material disappeared. We went through security camera footage, and both of them left with a satchel. All the other employees who were there during that time left empty-handed. It’s unfortunate we didn’t see the footage as it happened, then we could’ve stopped it. Currently, we don’t have the manpower to monitor all of the cameras throughout the day. We are looking to hire more staff.”

“You are?” I asked.

“Good pay and benefits. If you know of anyone, please let me know,” he said.

“I will,” I said.

“In the meantime, I have to find the missing files,” Luiz said.

Cat said, “And once you get the files, you can arrest the person. Case closed.”

“Our business is very vulnerable because someone leaked a few of our company secrets. We need to stop whoever is sabotaging us, and soon,” Luiz said. “Whoever is stealing the files must be getting paid a lot of money to be taking the risks that they are. I’m certain that The Emro Group is using a spy.”

My hand went to my neck. I sighed, knowing the pearls were forever gone. “People get desperate and will do anything for money, even sell their souls.”

Cat squeezed my hand, whispering in my ear, “You’re very brave, and you did what you felt you needed to do. Stop punishing yourself.”

Luiz tilted his head. I couldn’t tell if he’d overheard what Cat said to me or not.

I motioned for Luiz to continue.

“After a little research, I knew that Mr. Phong lived here and that you had a room to rent. It seemed like a great way to keep on eye on him.” Luiz paused. “That is, until he died.”