A Cup of Murder (4 page)

“He told me it was a way to snatch customers
from his rival across the street. He meant, of course, Roasted Love.
But I believe he signaled me out because he didn’t like that I was
correcting him on his behavior toward you. Besides, he was getting
cold toward me for the past few days. That dog is a monster as you
found out. Michael had no right to let him run where he wanted.”

“Was that dog always unleashed?” I asked as a
way to encourage her to say more.

“He leashed Thor during the day when Sunrise was
open but in the early morning and late afternoon he let him run. The
dog stayed close to the coffee house and didn’t go more than a
block away. He didn’t run up and down the street.”

Had she had one harsh argument with her boss or
was that one of many? Thoughts of rumors that Michael was married
didn’t push away the idea that he and his Barista were more deeply
entwined than in a mere business relationship. I wanted to get back
to the angry conversation between Michael and Jen the night before
but I had a more important question for her. She had veered onto the
subject of Michael’s dog.

“What do you want from me?”

“I don’t know many people around here. You
seem like someone decent. If the cops ask you for information, I just
need someone to stand up for me. Our voices got loud so I’m sure
customers overheard our argument from the back room. The worst of it
all is that I told him in no uncertain terms that someone would get
rid of him unless he changed his ways in the neighborhood. I meant
someone would eventually run him out of business, not kill him.”

She sniffed and dabbed her eyes. Not sure of her
explanation, I had to hand it to her that she stood up for me against
Michael. I suspected she had an ulterior motive. We didn’t know
each other well enough for me to vouch for her character and possible
motives for killing her boss. I told her as much but promised her I
would let them know only what I had observed of her from a distance.
That seemed to satisfy her but I felt she wanted much more from me.
There was something about her that rang false. She didn’t move to
leave.

“Were you and Michael Simms having an affair?”
I asked.

Her eyes filled with tears again. “Yes, we were,
but he told me he wanted to go back to his wife and try to make his
marriage work.”

Her eyes were downcast and she couldn’t bring
herself to look me in the eye. It wasn’t as if the news surprised
me. I mean about Jen and Michael having an affair; what other reason
was there for the obvious signs I observed from a distance,
especially the looks and touches they openly exchanged.

I promised nothing more than what she understood
already. When I returned to my job inside, Jacob had settled down
somewhat and was in the office working with the spreadsheet on his
computer. I waved to him and gave a weak smile in his direction.
Apparently, no one had questioned him yet, but I felt sure they would
before the day ended.

Janie met me at the door to the kitchen, “Is
Jacob doing alright?”

“I think so. Hard to tell for sure.” I told
her.

“O.K. It's past my time to clock out. Time got
away from me. Sorry about that.” she said as she headed toward the
time clock. It was now two p.m.

“I have to ask you, Laila, should we worry that
Jacob had anything to do with Michael Simm’s death?”

I pulled her aside to be out of earshot of Jacob.
“I just can't believe that Jacob had anything to do with it,” I
reassured her, not sure I believed it myself. It's true he disliked
the man intensely, but that doesn't mean he murdered him, right?

“Please don't talk about this with anyone. I
want to make sure we don't start any rumors and put Jacob or Roasted
Love in a worse situation,” I cautioned her with severity. Janie
had worked here a little over a year. She needed this job. She had a
two-year old daughter she had to support. Besides, she was good at
her job; efficient and friendly. I felt I could trust her but I noted
the doubt in her eyes about Jacob Weaver.

“I know he was in prison for assault,” she
said.

“I know, but that was also eleven years ago and
he has had a clean slate ever since then. That’s the part to
remember.”

I locked eyes with her and, satisfied she would be
discreet, I told her to go ahead and clock out. Lily was serving
delicate crust-less sandwiches and salads to a few customers. I had
suggested that to Jacob and it proved to be an added touch for
afternoons to draw more people in. We recently added light food to an
evening menu. It was a successful move on our part and afternoons
rarely lagged without someone in the coffee shop. This was before
Michael Simms opened his business across from Roasted Love. Lately,
the scarcity of numbers was evident but enough still came for that
afternoon break.

In response, Sunrise had added a small book corner
to one side with tables for two scattered around so avid readers
could enjoy exotic coffee flavors while perusing books at the same
time. The competition was fierce between the two shops.
Unfortunately, most people noticed the personal rivalry between the
two owners, rather than innovations. Sometimes I thought that rivalry
alone drew them and caused sides to be taken.

A customer entered the shop. I recognized him as a
politician whose face was plastered around town just before the last
election. At the moment I couldn’t think of his name. I knew he
belonged to a party I didn’t follow and that he had won with a
landslide. I should be ashamed that I'm not more politically active.
Lily waited on him and he ordered an espresso. I carefully prepared
it and added the steamed milk. I put it on the counter for Lily and
she picked it up and brought it to the man. He thanked her with an
absent nod and sipped slowly while he kept his eyes on the yellow
tape across the street. After about fifteen minutes, he paid Lily at
the counter and left. She was busy with other customers who had
drifted in and I didn’t get a chance to ask her if she knew who he
was.

Jacob emerged from the back. He seemed to remain
at loose ends but color had returned to his face. “Laila, I’m
sorry about the way I lashed out at you last evening before you left.
I won’t let that happen again.”

I assured him it was fine and accepted his apology
though his actions still stung somewhat. To get his mind off of the
situation at Sunrise I told him I thought it would be a good idea for
us to go over our policies and services again. I knew now it was less
important, but someone would probably come in and take Sunrise over
in time. It was good to be prepared for the future. It was also
necessary to keep things normal at Roasted Love.

“Why not come by my house around seven tonight
and we can make a plan so our business will get back on track,” I
said. “I’d rather meet with you away from here. We could use a
break from Roasted Love.”

He agreed and the idea of moving forward seemed to
spur him on. He personally greeted the few customers he knew and said
hello to some new ones. It reassured me they still looked at him as
someone harmless. There was one person who did not look familiar at
all. That made two new customers today.

Now if the cops would leave Jacob alone for
another twenty-four hours that would give him time to look at things
in a different manner. I was sure Jacob had not committed the murder
but proving it would be something else entirely.

I vowed to do all I could to prove his innocence.

Chapter Five

Jacob Weaver stood at my door and rang the bell at
five after seven that evening. He clutched a bouquet of lilies and
handed them to me.

“This is my peace offering,” he said.

The grin on his face spread wide and once more I
saw the old Jacob again. I took them with thanks and he followed me
to the kitchen to fill a vase with water and back to my living room.
I set the beautiful lilies on the end table next to my favorite
paisley chair. He was on my heels until I gestured toward the
matching love seat and told him to make himself comfortable.

“I’ve been thinking about my bad behavior,
Laila. I can’t believe I’ve let my temper rise up like that.
There was something about Michael Simms that never sat well with me.
It scares me when I think about how much he affected me.” He looked
at me with a look similar to a schoolboy caught cheating and realized
it was too late to study first. “That’s no excuse for my
behavior. I know I shouldn’t let people get to me like that.”

Instead of getting into ways to improve Roasted
Love, we spent the time discussing the recent murder. We both tried
to come up with plausible reasons for anyone to have taken resentment
to the extent of murder. Until I told him, Jacob was unaware that
there was suspicion that Michael had been poisoned. The whole time we
talked we both knew that the cops most likely would have their own
take on the murder, and that involved Jacob Weaver. I decided to
change the subject.

“Who was the man you introduced yourself to in
Roasted Love?” I asked.

“He said his name was Pierre. He is an artist
and commented on the works on the wall. I invited him to bring his
works in and let me see them.”

“Did he have any with him? I noticed he didn’t
order anything.”

“He told me he worked in a small studio in a
loft where he lived. I believe he told me it was about a mile from
the Piazza. We didn’t set a time for him to come in, but I told him
I was there every day and to come in when he was ready.”

Without voicing it, I hoped Jacob would be there
every day until the day he decided to close his business permanently.
Until today, that day had been a long distance away. I shook my head
to clear it of all negative thoughts.

“I’m sure the police will be in Roasted Love
tomorrow,” said Jacob. “They haven’t questioned me yet but I
certainly know I’m on their list of suspects.” He gave a crooked
smile. “Don’t worry, Laila, I’ve heard the rumors, too. I
expect them to come.”

He stood up to go and gave me a hug. I tried to
keep the tears at bay that threatened to spill from my eyes and
managed until he closed the door behind him. I opened the door again
when he got to the end of the sidewalk.

“Wait, Jacob, before you go I want to tell you
that you aren’t the only suspect they are looking at,” I said.

I had forgot to mention that in our conversation.
I told him about Jen’s visit with me in the alley earlier that day.
The look of relief on Jacob’s face was startling. He turned from me
and waved, a changed man. I heard him say ‘thanks’ in a low voice
that told me my news caused an emotional response.

That night I slept soundly and didn’t awake
until my alarm pierced my sleep. I felt confident that after telling
Jacob about Jen Perry, he would get through police interrogations
easier. Lily and Janie sided with him and, of course, I remained
loyal to the man. Several shop owners had stopped by Roasted Love the
day before offering their support. Jacob was well established on the
Piazza and many knew him for his ability to send his customers to
their shops over the years, and that resulted in a tight-knit group
of business people.

I noted with satisfaction that Roasted Love had
more customers that morning than the week before. Happy to see the
increase, I sincerely regretted that Michael’s death was
responsible for some of it. The yellow tape hung limply around
Sunrise and the flashing lights on the shop were muted. Two police
cars parked in front of the coffee house told me they were still
combing the premises. There were no signs of Jen Perry. That was no
surprise since, until it opened again, there was no reason for her to
be there.

I pulled into my space on the side of Roasted Love
and cringed in fear when I saw Michael’s monster staring at me. The
Doberman stood watching me with an intensity I didn’t know dogs
could muster. I made it into the shop and looked out the side window
of the kitchen. He was still standing there. Grabbing a couple of
biscuits and a bowl of water, I went out the back door hoping to make
friends somehow with the dog. I was on my own. No Michael appeared to
save me this time. He slowly came toward me. Hunger supersedes hatred
I supposed. He eagerly lapped the water and dove into the biscuits
and in less than four bites had devoured them. Thor looked at me as
if a small lost puppy and my heart was won. I fed him a few more
biscuits with butter this time. I had no idea who would take the
dog’s ownership over. I was sure Jen had no interest and wondered
if Michael’s wife cared. I had never seen her around Sunrise in the
past. I decided if no one claimed him by the end of the day, I would
try to take care of him.

When I went back inside of Roasted Love, I came to
the front area just in time to see two cops enter. In times past,
they were there to take a coffee break. Today, they asked me if Jacob
Weaver was around. Reluctantly, I led them back to Jacob’s office.

“Jacob, these officers want to talk to you.”

Silently, he stood up and shook hands with both
policemen and they all settled down as if they were there for a
social visit. My glance toward Jacob questioned him whether or not I
should stay. He told me to go ahead and take care of customers. I
left him on his own. I was glad to see he was relaxed since that
should speak volumes to the interrogators. I closed the door behind
me as one policeman began asking questions.

After an hour or so I found myself constantly
looking at the clock on the wall. How many questions did they have
for Jacob? Janie came in the kitchen and picked up more raspberry
muffins and sesame bagels. I believe her look was one of reproach
since I wasn’t doing my part. The coffee shop was filling up and I
knew it was time for me to pitch in. I told Janie I would be right
out. I had to get my mind off Jacob and the policemen in the office.
Besides, with our clientele returning I didn’t want to give
negative vibes. I was sure most were there to observe activities
inside and outside Roasted Love but it never hurt to give them good
service.