Sweets Galore: The Sixth Samantha Sweet Mystery (The Samantha Sweet Mysteries) (14 page)

* *
*

 
This time she didn’t say a word. They advised
her of her rights, photographed and fingerprinted her. She kept her lips
pressed together through the whole ordeal and was shown to a cell where a
tired-looking woman in a see-through blouse and tight skirt that barely covered
her buns sat on the thin mattress on a stainless steel bunk. An
unflushed
toilet sat in the corner. Sam felt her lungs
tighten against drawing in the odor. The woman raised her head, took in Sam’s
freshly washed hair and clothing with hard eyes.

“What’d
you
do?” she asked.

“Nothing!”

“Yeah. Me too.” She resumed
staring at the floor.

An hour later a female officer
showed up and ushered Sam down the corridor to a room where a man in a
windbreaker waited at a table.

“Sam, hi. I’m Mark Nelson. Beau
Cardwell called me.”

She recognized his lean face from
an ad on the cover of the phone book, one of those “If you’re in trouble with
the law . . .” ads she’d always found pretty sleazy. Now she was glad to see
him. In jeans and a polo shirt, with the casual jacket, he looked like he’d
been pulled away from a Sunday ball game with his kid.

“Beau says you’re in some kind of
trouble. Said he called me because he’s watched me in court before.”

That wasn’t exactly a glowing
recommendation, since Beau often complained about attorneys who twisted the
facts to get guilty clients off. At least his voice was kind.

“Beau gave me the basics: you had
a prior relationship with the dead guy and argued with him that day, he died
from a pastry that came from your shop, your fingerprints were on the bag the
pastry came in, and you don’t have an alibi for the time of death. That doesn’t
sound good.”

Her already-rotten mood plummeted.

“
But
, I don’t think they have nearly enough evidence to take this to
trial. Beau seems to think the Chief has targeted you to get back at him for
some reason.”

Sam started to open her mouth but
Nelson held up a hand.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters
is that we can make a pretty good case for the judge to allow bail. You’re a
solid member of the community and shouldn’t have to spend months in jail while
they build their case.”

Months?
Sam felt her face go pale. How could her life have gone so
completely haywire in less than a day’s time?

* *
*

“Bond is set at fifty-thousand
dollars,” the judge said on Monday morning, banging his gavel and calling for
the next case.

An hour later Sam walked out into
sunlight, with Beau’s arm around her and his assurances that meeting the bond
agency’s requirements had not posed a problem.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t do better
for you last night,
darlin
’,” he said, helping her
into his Explorer.

“Has any of this been in the
news?” she asked, a twist of fear in her gut.

“No. The local reporters got
wrapped up covering a suicide off the gorge bridge, and the Albuquerque
stations have a lot bigger things happening in the city.”

“What about my folks?”

He pulled out of the parking lot.
“I’ve covered, saying that you were helping the police with some questions and
that it was our mutual decision to put off the wedding for a few days. I kind
of didn’t tell them you were away from home all night. Your sister and her gang
had to leave yesterday. Her boys have school today. The aunts and uncles are
getting a little restless since they’ve seen all the touristy stuff already. I
think some of them are getting ready to leave.”

“Mother must be fit to be tied.”

“Probably. Zoë says she’s
determined to stay until there’s a wedding. Sounds like a shotgun situation to
me.” He winked and sent her a grin that lightened her heart.

“I better talk to Mother and
Daddy,” she said. “But first I have to get a shower and disinfect these
clothes. I’m surprised you can stand to be in the car with me.”

“I’d be anywhere with you.” He
reached across the console and took her hand.

He drove north, parked beside the
house and walked inside with her. “Now, you take your time with a shower and do
whatever you want. I’ll go get your family and bring them out here. You can
talk to them alone, or I’ll be on hand for support if that’s what you want.”

She nodded. Watching him drive
away she steeled herself against the shaky feeling that threatened to overtake
her. She talked herself through the steps. Shower. Face the parents. Discuss
wedding. Find Jake’s killer. Of all those, she knew the last item was most
important.

Forty-five minutes later, one step
done. Sam felt better with clean hair and clothes although the knot in her
stomach refused to go away. To keep busy she put together a light lunch for the
others—salad and sandwiches—and was ready to set it out when she heard Beau’s
car coming up the drive. She drew in a big breath, watched Nina Rae and Howard
get out, tried to read their expressions. Behind the Explorer was Chub’s rental
car. He, Bessie and Lily followed.

Her father appeared glum, his
mouth downcast, his eyes very still. Mother was the opposite, eyes taking in
everything, quick turns of her head, as if there might be photographers behind
every bush waiting to capture their humiliation.

Stop it, Sam. Don’t read too much into it
.

Beau ushered them up the steps and
opened the front door. Sam left the kitchen and met them in the living room.

“Mother, I—”

Nina Rae came forward and took Sam
by the shoulders, giving her daughter the same perusal she’d done outdoors,
trying to see if anything looked different. Howard stepped over and put his
arms around both of them. The strange group hug broke off, leaving Chub and
Bessie no alternative but to offer perfunctory hugs of heir own. Sam had to
wonder how much they knew about her situation. Finally, Lily. This embrace felt
genuine, as her favorite aunt held her and whispered in her ear, “This too
shall pass, honey.”

Sam closed her eyes for a moment,
working at composure.

Not to be outdone, Nina Rae moved
in for a second awkward hug. It was a warmer welcome than Sam had expected, but
then she remembered Beau hadn’t exactly told them she’d spent the night in
jail. Maybe they could continue to gloss over that little fact.

“I need to tell you some things,”
Sam said when they’d backed off a little. “Let’s go sit down.”

They complied—Sam imagined a
little stiffly—taking seats on the sofa while Sam and Beau flanked them in the
armchairs beside the fireplace.

“I don’t know how much you’ve
heard so I’ll just start at the beginning. When I left Texas and went to Alaska
that summer after graduation, I met this guy named Jake Calendar . . .” The
rest of it came out easily enough, up to and including how he’d come to Taos
recently and met his daughter for the first time. How some of his behavior
disappointed Kelly and as far as Sam knew he’d planned to leave town and not
pursue a relationship.

“Whatever might have been, it
won’t happen now. Jake died on Friday, I’m afraid under suspicious
circumstances.”

She glanced toward Beau and he
gave her an encouraging smile.

“Then we come to this past
Saturday,” she said, taking a breath. “The police do have some evidence against
me, but it’s pretty circumstantial and my attorney believes they will end up
dropping all the charges. Until they do, though, Beau and I feel that we should
wait to get married.”
Because what if
they actually do manage to send me to prison?
She didn’t say it.

“Charges? My lord . . .” Her
mother’s face had gone pale. “Samantha Jane, no one in our family has
ever
been arrested before. Well, there
was that one time with Joe Bob in high school and them kids who got to drinking
and carousing, but that was before he married into— See, what I
mean
to say is—”

Howard spoke up: “Let’s just be
supportive, Mama. Sammy needs us to love her and not judge.”

Sheesh—
had
they been judging?

Chub looked to his brother. When
he spoke it was to echo Howard’s words. Bessie nodded too. Lily, who had been
standing behind the sofa, slipped over to Sam’s side and laid a gentle hand on
her shoulder.

“Oh, Samantha, your daddy is
right. I’m sorry,” said Nina Rae. “We’re behind you no matter what, honey.
Daddy and I will stay right here in town as long as you need us.”

Lily knelt beside Sam. “I’ll send
Buster on home. I can stay too.”

“There’s no need,” Sam said,
touched by the gesture. “There’s really nothing anyone can do, except for Beau.
He’s got feelers out in law enforcement circles and we’ll get the answers.”

Lily held Sam’s hand tightly. “Are
you certain? Please, call us if there’s
anything
. . .”

Bessie echoed the offer, then the
three of them said their goodbyes. Sam watched, a lump in her throat, as the
car pulled down the long drive.

“I meant what I said, no matter
what anyone else does,” said Nina Rae. “Your daddy and I are staying to get you
through this.”

To see that I really do get married.

“That’s your call, Nina Rae,” Beau
said. “Sam and I will be pretty busy, though. It’s obvious that the police
aren’t looking seriously at any other suspects, so it’s going to be up to us to
find out who really did this. I know your daughter.” He sent a smile Sam’s
direction. “She’s not going to give up and she’s not going to sit by and hope
for the best. She’ll be working on this thing right alongside me.”

No one brought up the fact that
Chief Pete Sanchez could make that problematic for both of them.

Chapter
12

Sam didn’t sit still while Beau
drove her parents back to the bed and breakfast. She phoned Mark Nelson and
requested a meeting, called the bakery to be sure things were running well and
to reassure the employees that she was fine.

“Do not discuss Jake Calendar with
anyone who comes in,” she told Jen. “If the police ask questions, you’ll have
to answer. But do it privately and tell no one else. The business can’t afford
to get caught up in some kind of vicious gossip mill.”

“Absolutely, Sam,” Jen assured
her. “I’ll pass that along to the others.”

Sam felt a little of her tension
ease away.

“We can see the lawyer at three,”
she told Beau when he came back. “What can we do in the meantime?”

They sat down with notepads and
began to make a plan.

“First, who else in town knew Jake
Calendar?” Beau asked.

Their list wasn’t particularly
reassuring: Sam, Kelly, and the girlfriend Evie.

“I’ll track her down. Was she
local or did she arrive with him from California?”

“California, I think.”

“With any luck, maybe she has
stayed in town. If the police didn’t ask her to hang around, I will. I can make
her believe I have the authority to do that.” He stared at his page. “We still
don’t have much of a list.”

“Wait, there’s also that guy who
tried to audition for him,” Sam said. “Kelly said Jake publicly embarrassed
him. That could be a motive. I can find him. He left a phone number when he
ordered the cake.”

“I wonder who’s claiming the
body,” Beau mused. “Do you remember if he had family? Otherwise, it might be up
to Kelly.”

A responsibility her daughter
didn’t want or need. She tapped her pen against the yellow notepad.

“Way back, years ago, Jake talked
about his parents some. But I got the impression they’ve been gone for awhile.
I honestly don’t remember anything about siblings. Jake mentioned being married
more than once. I suppose we could try to find out who the ex-wives are.” Would
an ex really want this task?

Beau jotted a note on his list. “I
can make an inquiry. My contact in the PD will surely let me know that much.
Hopefully, the victim’s wallet or cell phone provided a contact.”

“I wish I’d gotten specific
information about this Tustin Deor he was working with.
If
that story was even true. Jake was always such a schemer. He
might have been bullshitting that whole line.”

They each had a page of notes and
a couple of assignments. “We better get busy,” Beau said. “Especially if I hope
to get to Evie Madsen before she leaves town.”

“I’ll be at Mark Nelson’s office
at three o’clock. Join us if you can. I’m sure you can think of questions I
should ask him.”

“Mainly, what we want from him is
to know what evidence the police have against you. If he hasn’t started
gathering it yet, be sure he shares whatever he gets, as he gets it.”

She gave him a little salute and
picked up her pack. The early afternoon traffic was light and she made it to
the center of town within fifteen minutes. Parking her pickup truck behind
Sweet’s Sweets she spotted Kelly carrying a trash bag from Puppy Chic out to
the dumpster. Kelly dropped the bag and ran over to hug Sam.

“Oh god, Mom, how awful for you
last night.”

“I’m okay. We’re working on
finding out what really happened. Meanwhile, we’re not talking about this to
anyone outside the family. Okay?”

“Absolutely. If you need any help.
Anything at all . . .”

“I will let you know. Beau and I
are hoping to find some answers today. Grandma and Grandpa are staying town until
there’s a wedding, and that can’t happen too soon for me either.”

Kelly nodded knowingly. “Just say
the word.”

Sam walked into her shop, happy to
see that Becky and Julio were busy with their normal duties. Becky gave her a
sympathetic smile.

“Zoë’s husband brought your cake
back. It’s in the fridge.”

“I’m sorry you guys wasted your
Saturday afternoon,” Sam said.

They gave the same reassurances
she’d been hearing all day. Jen heard Sam’s voice from the sales room and
peeked through the curtain, adding her own good wishes.