Caffeine & Killers (A Roasted Love Cozy Mystery Book 3) (22 page)

"Sounds good to me. I guess I am a little
sore this morning." Actually, I was a
lot
sore, but I
didn't want to let on how much.

Chief Hayes came around and took my arm again, and
then walked with me to my car.

"Laila, Larch has been a friend of John
Collins for a long time. It seems he had his own suspicions, but
didn't know Collins was being watched. Larch was ready to tell
everything he knew, but until Linda confided in you, he was worried
his own life would be endanger. I don't think he thought we'd believe
him. So, in a way, you were part of the catalyst for bringing
everything together and solving this case." He paused.

I just wish I'd thought about the possibility that
Collins would attack you like he did last night. I didn’t put it
together that he was your stalker until it was too late."

"Hey, I'm fine. It's dangerous work. I know
that."

He looked down at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yes,
but that's why you should leave it to the professionals, young lady.
Understand?"

"Yes. I understand. I'm just glad it's over
for everyone."

"So am I." With that, I got in my car
and drove away.

I had one more stop to make before going home. I
planned to take things slow today, but I wanted to have everything
ready for Daniel when he came back later in the evening.

# # #

When my doorbell rang, I opened the door to Daniel
and Benji Junior. The little dog raced past me towards Thor while I
reached for Daniel and pulled him inside.

I gave him a kiss and a big smile. I turned and
reached for a wrapped gift that I'd had made especially for him.

Daniel pulled the ribbon from the package and held
up a framed picture of the two of us. "It’s perfect," he
said. "Thank you, Laila. I sure remember this day well. You
practically forced that kid to take our picture in front of that
fountain."

"Aw, he didn’t object that much when I gave
him five bucks to do it. I’m just glad you like it. I know I’ve
neglected quality time with you and for that I apologize."

"Thanks. Apology accepted." He set the
picture down on my coffee table. "I saw on the news just before
I left that Agent John Collins was arrested for the murder of John
Wilkins. There are other charges to come, according to the report."

"Good. I'll look forward to his trial."
Daniel looked sideways at me, but I just laughed and walked with him
to the kitchen.

I pulled out fresh tortillas along with chicken
strips and everything else I knew Daniel liked in his enchiladas. I
had a lot to tell him and so I jumped right in as we worked together
to fix our dinner.

"According to Chief Hayes," I said,
"John Collins was spending way too much time on Skid Row. At
first everyone thought he was seriously trying to rid West River of
drugs. Instead, he was stealing small amounts of the confiscated
drugs and hiding the stuff in a small storage locker. The rest he
turned in for appearances, of course, but he was dealing the stolen
stuff out to some small syndicates for extra money.

"Anyway, I guess he made the mistake of
listing more confiscated drugs than was actually in the inventory."

"Yeah. I heard tonight from Leo Swenson that
Collins was trafficking in narcotics," said Daniel. "He
threatened everyone down there so they'd keep their mouths shut."

"It seems that a couple years ago, there was
wind of a possible investigation and Collins had to get rid of his
dope stash," I said. "So, he moved it into Steven Wilkins
apartment and framed him."

"I think Steve's brother, Homeless John,
must have figured it out and threatened him. And after Agent John
killed Homeless John, he threatened Ricky that he would die like
Homeless John if he didn’t keep quiet. I think Ricky must have
threatened to say something to Agent Stanton, who recently started
working along side John Wilkins, because Ricky was killed right about
that time."

"So – Collins killed Ricky Thomas, too?"

"Yes. The reports said that Collins put some
sleeping pills into a beer he offered to Ricky. He tried to come
across to Ricky as a co-conspirator, and for once Ricky let his guard
down. They walked around to the back of the grocery and that was when
John shot the heroin overdose into him. By that time, he was too
drugged from the sleeping pills to resist."

"Didn’t you tell me that Steven said his
brother felt like someone was tailing him? Was that John Collins?"

"It seems so. Apparently, he lured John
Wilkins to a nearby bar by faking an interest in helping to get
Steven out of prison. Instead, he got sleeping pills into Homeless
John's drink. They left the bar together and the next thing we knew,
John Wilkins was dead of an overdose."

"I heard a cop say there was stuff that
belonged to John Wilkins found in the alley near Roasted Love’s
dumpster?" asked Daniel. "Is that true?"

I nodded. "Well, from what Chief Hayes said,
Collins dumped some of John's things in and around the trash bin in
the alley, hoping it would look like John was throwing away his
prized possessions before killing himself.

"And it almost worked." I sat quietly
for a few seconds. "I’m so glad for Steven Wilkins. I don’t
doubt he'll be released from prison very soon."

"I hope he appreciates how you believed in
him, Laila. And I know that drugs that get confiscated can be a real
temptation to some in the police departments," said Daniel. "But
John Collins took it to the next level for sure."

I nodded. "I think people can lose track of
the important things in life, and without warning find themselves in
a downward spiral." Then I looked up at him, and smiled gently.
"As for me, I’m just glad you're around to keep me on the
right track."

"When have I steered you away from a downward
spiral?" Daniel’s dark eyes danced.

"That’s just it. You don’t allow me to
even be tempted." I got up and walked to a small cabinet in the
corner of the room. "How about playing a game of Clue tonight?"
I said.

Daniel threw his hands up. "Not tonight,
please. Don’t you think we’ve had enough of solving crime for a
while? Let’s get those doggies out for a good walk instead."

I put the board game back and reached for his
hand. As if on cue, both dogs waited patiently for us at the door. We
stepped outside and walked into the beautiful night together.

THE END

The adventure continues...

Cam
Larson's Other Books:
Roasted
Love Cozy Mystery Series
!
A
Cup of Murder
Hot
Coffee, Iced Santa

Coconut Chronicles –
Almost Tropical Mystery

Coconut
Chronicles: Burglar
Coconut
Chronicles: Ransom

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