A Field of Poppies (3 page)

When Callie was seven, he got an infection. Before they could stop it, he lost the function of one kidney and rendered him sterile. Should Callie get to the point of needing a kidney transplant, he would not be able to donate, and should she not survive, the Caulfield dynasty ended with him.

His fingers curled into fists as he pounded the windowsill. A vein rose in his neck, pulsing vividly from the sudden rage that engulfed him.

“
Damn you, God. You want to hurt someone? Hurt me. Don’t take it out on an innocent child.”

In the middle of his rage, there was a knock at the door. He turned away from the window, pulling himself together with the mastery born of years of practice as his secretary entered.

“
I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Caulfield, but there is a detective from the police department who would like to speak with you.”

“
Show him in.”

Justin was all cordiality and smiles as he seated the man across from his desk then settled back into his own chair. “Detective Harmon, right? I remember you from the policemen’s ball.”

Harmon, a three-year veteran of the force was pleased that Caulfield knew him.

“
Yes sir.”

“
How can I help you?” Justin asked.

“
I’m sure you know by now that we pulled a body out of the river this morning.”

“
Yes, I heard that as I came into work. Very tragic. This rain is a deluge, so I assumed it was a drowning.”

“
No sir. It was not. We’ve got a murder on our hands.”

Justin eyes registered surprise. “Murder! Really?”

“
Yes sir, three bullets in the body.”

“
I am sorry to hear this. So what is it you need from me? Is the family in crisis? Are they going to need someone to pay for the burial?”

“
That’s real generous of you, Mr. Caulfield, but it’s not why I came. The deceased has been identified as one of your former employees. A man named Jessup Sadler.”

Justin frowned. “I’m sorry, Detective, but the name isn’t familiar to me. I employ thousands of people across the state. Surely you understand.”

“
Yes, sir, I do. But we were told the man had been working for you at Caulfield #14 for more almost thirty years. He was up for retirement in a couple of months, but was fired last week. He lost his pension and his health insurance, which would have been a terrible blow to the family since his wife is in the hospital dying of cancer. We thought, considering the drama of the circumstances, you might have remembered why he was fired, or who he might have had a grudge against.”

“
Ah, I see where you’re going. Okay, just a moment.”

Justin picked up his cell phone and scrolled through the contacts until he came to the name Tom Bonaventure, who was the foreman of Caulfield #14, then gave Harmon the info.

“
I’m sorry I’m not familiar with the personnel problems, but I really don’t involve myself in the day-to-day issues of the mines. I will let Bonaventure know you’re coming and that he’s to cooperate fully with your investigation.”

“
Thank you, Mr. Caulfield. We appreciate your assistance,” Harmon said, and stood up.

“
Happy to help,” Justin said, as he walked him to the door. “As for the victim’s wife, that’s an unfortunate situation. I don’t know the details of his dismissal but I’m not comfortable about the timing of when he was let go. I’ll make sure his wife’s medical bills are paid and his family is cared for. Under the circumstances, it seems only fair that they still get his pension, as well.”

“
That’s real generous of you,” Harmon said.

“
Not a problem. I’ll have my legal department take care of it,” he said. “Have a good day, Detective,” and then closed the door and returned to the desk to put in a call to Bonaventure. It rang twice before the call was picked up.

“
Caulfield #14, Bonaventure speaking.”

“
Tom, this is Justin Caulfield. Thought I’d give you a heads up. The local police will be paying you a visit shortly.”

Bonaventure was nursing a hangover and trying to hide the fact. Hearing the cops were on the way didn’t help his misery.

“
What’s going on?”

“
We had a man on payroll named Jessup Sadler?”

Bonaventure frowned. “Yes. Why?”

“
They pulled his body out of the Little Man this morning. He’d been murdered.”

“
Oh, man. That’s awful. I liked Jessup. He’s the one I fired last week for coming to work drunk.”

Justin frowned at the news. He turned toward the windows and looked down just as the detective bolted from the building and made a run through the downpour for his car.

“
While it’s company policy to fire a man who’s drunk on the job and I know it’s well within your authority to make that judgment, you should have taken his time on the job into consideration and simply asked him to turn in his retirement papers a couple of months early. He gave thirty years of his life to the company. Firing him like that will give the company a bad name, like we’re cheating him out of what he’d rightfully earned.”

Bonaventure felt his testicles drawing so far up his ass he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be the same, and was immediately thankful Caulfield couldn’t smell
his
breath.

“
Yes sir. I understand. If there’s another incident, I’ll check with you first.”

“
Thank you. Carry on,” he said, and disconnected.

The problem that had arisen had just been neatly solved. Delegation of duties was one of Justin’s best traits.

Chapter Two

The chatter on the police radio was disconcerting. It made Poppy wonder what the code was for finding dead bodies then wondered how these men lived and worked at a job where everything was a matter of life and death.

Because of Jessup Sadler’s chosen lifestyle, she’d grown up with the possibility of cave-ins at the mine. She’d always known that death could be imminent. But it had never seemed real until this morning, and never had she imagined her daddy would become a murder victim. She hoped God was happy about the lesson she was supposed to learn because right now she was pissed.

The farther she rode, the more her shock dissipated, leaving nothing behind but pure rage. They’d had months to mentally prepare for her mother’s passing, but this had taken her completely by surprise. She didn’t know who she was madder at – the person who’d murdered her daddy, or God for letting it happen. As they stopped for a red light, she realized they were almost at the restaurant.

“
If you take the next right into that alley it will take me to the back door of the restaurant. Vic doesn’t like the help coming in the front door and parading through the dining area. He’s already going to be mad at me for being late, so there’s no need adding to the issue.”

Mike frowned. “Vic Payton who used to wait tables here is your boss?”

“
Yes, since just before Easter.”

“
How do you go from waiter to boss in five short months?”

“
You get engaged to the owner’s daughter,” Poppy said. “Turn here.”

Mike glanced at her profile. Except for a complete lack of color in her face, it would have been impossible to tell her world had been decimated.

He took the turn into the alley then stopped at the back door to the restaurant. The downpour was incessant. He was hesitant to let her leave, and yet had no real reason to stop her. The weather sucked, but it wasn’t weather that was breaking her heart.

“
Here’s my card, Miss Sadler. If you need anything, anything at all, feel free to call.”

Poppy dropped it in her purse. “Thank you for the ride.”

She jumped out, slamming the door behind her, and within two steps was inside.

Duroy got out and into the seat she’d just vacated. He couldn’t remember being this cold and wet.

“
So, what do you think?” he asked.

Mike was watching the windshield wipers uselessly swiping at the downpour. “I think life just kicked her in the teeth.”

“
Yeah, she got a rough deal for sure,” Duroy said. “Where to next?”

“
Saint Anne’s. We need to see if Sadler’s car is there and if there’s security footage showing him coming and going. Maybe we’ll get lucky and see him leaving with someone.”

“
Luck is good,” Duroy said.

“
It’s a place to start,” Mike said, gave the back door to the restaurant one last glance.

He kept telling himself Poppy Sadler was a big girl from a tough side of town and not some delicate little socialite, but he still felt guilty as he drove away.

****

Vic Payton liked his fiancé, Michelle, well enough, definitely coveted her family’s social standing, and loved the power that came with his new position. He’d always had a thing for Poppy Sadler, but she’d never given him the time of day – or anyone else at the restaurant, for that matter. She was friendly and polite and did her job, but she came across as cold as ice. She didn’t party. She didn’t hang out with the other women on the job. She just worked her shifts and went back across that bridge to Coal Town like it was heaven on earth and he didn’t get it.

Vic had been born in Coal Town and spent most of his twenty-seven years trying to get out. When the opportunity presented itself, he took it
and
the boss’s daughter with open arms. Now he had to make good to keep Michelle happy and prove he was worth the promotion he’d been given, which meant reading Poppy the riot act if she ever showed up.

Everyone on the morning shift knew Poppy had called in this morning. They all assumed it was because of the weather and that she just wanted to sleep in. It had set a sour tone for the rest of the crew. They were going to be watching him to see how he handled it if she ever came in. And he was ready. He’d do what he had to. Just because she was pretty didn’t mean she got a free pass. Not on his watch.

When she finally appeared on the floor he excused himself from a customer and strode toward her.

****

Poppy caught up with Jewel, the other waitress on her shift, at the coffee urns. The fifty-something woman was the no-nonsense type and prided herself on never missing a day of work. She gave Poppy a cool glance and then kept pouring fresh water into the coffee urn.

“
I see you decided to show up,” she said.

Without elaborating, Poppy picked up an order pad and slipped it in her pocket.

“
Finally caught a ride in. Sonny said you’d been covering my tables. I owe you one.”

“
Whatever,” Jewel said. “I’ll finish out the tables being served to get my tips and then they’re all yours.”

Poppy was oblivious to the chill in the woman’s voice. It was all she could do just to focus.

Then Vic tapped the counter behind her.

“
Poppy! In the kitchen.”

Too numb to be concerned, she followed him through the swinging doors.

He’d barely cleared the dining area before he turned and unloaded, right in front of Sonny the chef and his assistants.

“
I don’t tolerate tardiness and you know it. I assume you have a good excuse for showing up two and a half hours late for work?”

Poppy had one – two actually – but she didn’t feel like sharing. If she said it aloud, it would make it final and she had yet to get to that state of mind.

“
I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Vic glared. “That’s all you’ve got? I’m sorry?”

She lifted her chin, and as she did their gazes locked. She saw anger and pride in Vic’s face and understood why he was behaving like a tyrant, but she wasn’t in the mood to kiss ass.

He took her silence for defiance, but the longer he stared the more certain he became that something was wrong. She was unusually pale and her fingers were shaking. Because the behavior was so unlike her, it disarmed him.

“
Just get back to work and see that it doesn’t happen again,” he muttered.

She went back into the dining room before he could change his mind, and slipped into the routine without a single word of explanation, leaving the rest of the crew to think what they liked.

It wasn’t until a couple of her regulars came in for their mid-morning coffee that the fragile hold on her sanity began to unravel. They sat at their usual table and then waved her over.

“
Poppy! Did you save us any jelly doughnuts?”

“
Hey Bug. Hey Charlie. Where’s your ark? I thought you two would know better than to get out in a flood.”

The old men laughed. “Twenty-two years of coal dust went and fogged up our brains. All we do now is follow our bellies. What about them doughnuts and coffee?”

She tried a smile. It felt strange on her face but hoped they wouldn’t notice.

“
I saved you some. Be right back.”

She returned quickly with the doughnuts and coffee then moved on to her other tables to top off their cups. It wasn’t until she walked past her last table that she realized word was beginning to spread about her father’s murder.