Murderous Muffins (7 page)

Lily said, “I’ve called 911; they’re on the way.”

Frank slung an arm around Lily and kissed the top of her head.

Cat said, “I’ll be right back. I’m calling José.”

Xavier ran a hand through his tousled hair. “I’m sorry.”

I hung my head. “He can’t be. No. No.”

Lily asked Xavier, “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Xavier stood. His hair fell into his eyes. His T-shirt was crumpled, and his jeans hung loosely over his slim hips.

Lily held her hand on her chest. “Oh my. Miss Bezu, this is so very sad.”

“I know.” I gulped as though a grapefruit was lodged in my throat.

“The poor man. Did he have a heart attack or something like that?” Lily asked.

“Hardly.” Xavier cleared his throat. “It looks like he choked. Or he could’ve had an anaphylactic reaction.”

“A what?” Lily asked Xavier.

“Honey, I just studied this. It’s an allergic reaction. Many foods can trigger anaphylaxis,” Frank said to Lily. He pointed to the empty muffin plate. “Maybe Miss Bezu’s muffins killed him.”

“Oh no. Frank, you’re wrong.” I looked down at Mr. Phong. “My food does not kill people.”

“Wouldn’t that be funny?” Frank chortled. “Miss Bezu’s murderous muffins.”

Lily smacked Frank on his chest. “Frank, be nice. Miss Bezu is a great cook. Plus, a man just lost his life. You are not being compassionate at all.”

“Sorry, Miss Bezu. That was totally out of line. I’m so tired it’s making me insane.” Frank kissed Lily’s cheek. “I’m just saying. He was crazy about the muffins.”

“I’m sure Mr. Phong died of something besides what he ate.” Lily shook a finger at Frank.

“Let’s let the police handle this,” I said to the group. “I’m certain there’s a logical explanation.” That surely didn’t involve me.

Xavier pulled out his cell phone. “For the record, time of death, one in the morning.” Xavier looked around the room, then moved some items and looked under the bed.

That seemed strange. I asked, “What are you looking for?”

Xavier blushed and cleared his throat. “Nothing.”

A siren pierced the night. Soon the house buzzed with activity. Three paramedics took care of Mr. Phong. A few police officers showed up and took charge of the situation and interviewed each of us.

An hour later, José joined Cat and me in the downstairs sitting room. José resembled, and often was mistaken for, the wrestler/actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He was a bomb squad detective who never had fewer than a dozen female admirers pining for his attention. They didn’t stand a chance. José preferred males.

“How is it that whenever I get a call from you, Cat, there’s some sort of trouble?” José’s eyes narrowed as he looked over at Cat.

Standing next to Cat, I said, “Happenstance?”

Cat shook her head. “Hey, it’s not that I look for problems. They sort of find me.”

“You’re a trouble magnet,” José said. “Bezu, are you okay?”

“Not really. Someone just died in my arms.” The thought of Mr. Phong lying on the floor pale and breathless caused bile to rise in my mouth.

“It wasn’t just anyone, either; it was a relative of hers,” Cat added.

“That’s right.” José waved his arms. “You have a whole houseful of people related to you.”

That was it. The lies had to stop. Now.

I bit my lip. I knew that my secret would soon be discovered now that everyone would be questioned and interviewed. I’d have to come clean to José and Cat. I was sure the police would figure out that Mr. Phong, Lily, Frank, and Xavier were all complete strangers. And renters. I wondered what the penalty would be for running an illegal boardinghouse.

I asked, “Um, José? I’m curious. What would happen if, let’s say, someone had paying tenants, but the city didn’t know about it?”

“The owner would be charged for running an illegal boardinghouse. And fines and other injunctions would be imposed. They would be shut down and taken to court.” José raised an eyebrow. “This situation wouldn’t apply to you, would it?”

“Oh no, they’re her relatives. You know, guests. Nonpaying. Nothing to hide here.” Cat frowned at José. “Why do you think that?”

“Let’s see. I had two friends who impersonated police officers as well as the same two who broke into an office. Gee, I have no idea why I’d think that any of my friends would break the law.” José smirked.

“Hey, Annie Mae and Cat may have done those things, but they solved Lucy’s murder. So in the end, it all washed out,” I said.

Cat nodded. “Indeed. We got the job done.”

“Back to my original question. Bezu, why are you asking me about an illegal boardinghouse?” José asked.

“Well, I, um, may be getting money from the people staying with me.” I motioned toward the ceiling where all the bedrooms were.

“Good for you. I think they should contribute to your expenses since they all stay such a long time. I’m sure your electric bill goes up.” Cat held her palms up.

José folded his arms on his chest.

“Actually”—I swallowed—“they are, well, were, all complete strangers, and they pay me rent.”

José tsked, throwing his hands in the air.

Cat’s face lit up. “That’s terrific!”

José knit his eyebrows as he looked at Cat. “What are you talking about? Bezu just admitted she’s breaking the law.”

“But she also just admitted that all the people here, who we thought were her relatives, are really complete strangers.” Cat had the biggest grin on her face.

“Yeah, so?” José grunted.

“That’s huge.” Cat clapped her hands.

What was Cat getting at?

José shrugged his shoulders. “I am way beyond confused now.”

“See? That means the cutie Latin guy, Xavier, and Bezu can date.” Cat smiled. “It won’t be incest.”

Rolling his eyes, José let out a deep breath.

“Um, Cat, I have much bigger things to think about than that.” I added, “Remember the departed gentleman upstairs?”

“Right. I’m sorry. I’m just so tired and a little woozy from the drinks earlier.” Cat slit her eyes and looked at me. “What are you going to do?”

“José and Cat, I’m so sorry,” I said. “But I think this is going to become a big mess. I really don’t want to get y’all tangled up sideways in it.”

“Don’t worry about me. This may not be my case, but you’re my friend, so I’ll help you out as much as I can.” José gave me a hug. I took in the comforting smell of his signature musk cologne.

“It’s not a problem for me.” Cat reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

“What do I do now, José, about my tenants? I don’t want to throw them out on the street,” I asked.

“Nothing. Right now, the way I see it, the police will be focused on the death, and it will take awhile for them to pass along information to the zoning department. If they do it at all. Sometimes things fall through the cracks.” José glanced around. “So just sit tight.”

“But it’s only going to be a matter of time before I get shut down.” I sat on the couch as the room started to close in on me, and I felt faint, weak, and dizzy. My breath was shallow and short. I felt sweaty and had heart palpitations. Feeling a panic attack coming on, I did the breathing exercise Hattie had taught me when this had happened before. Sitting still, I took in a strong, slow inhale followed by a loud, deliberate exhale. “I’m going to be on edge every time the doorbell rings.”

“Listen to José and just let it go for now.” Cat seated herself next to me.

Unhurriedly I sucked in another breath and let it out gradually. “Fine.”

“You look a little pale. Are you okay?” Cat asked.

I held my breath for a moment, then went through another measured round of breaths. “I’m just feeling out of control and a bit panicky.”

“Can I help?” José asked. “I can get you some ice water, or if you want, I can have the paramedics take a look at you.”

“No, I’ll be fine,” I said.

An officer stomped into the room. He stood face-to-face with José and poked him in the chest. He stood an inch shorter than José but had a stout, thick build and a blond crew cut. “How is it that you and your buddies seem to always be around a death?”

“We’re lucky?” Cat said. “You’re Officer Ray, right?”

“And you’re Mrs. Thomson,” Ray said to Cat.

“Yes, sir,” Cat answered him.

“And you’re not supposed to be here.” Ray pointed to José.

“I have every right to be here. This might not be my case, but these are my friends.” José squinted. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Ray glared at José. “I have an issue with you.”

“Sounds like a personal matter.” José leaned in to Ray.

Cat let out a small cough. “Why don’t we get back to the matter at hand, um, the deceased man?”

“Yes, please. Poor, sweet Mr. Phong seemed to have had an allergic reaction or something.” My stomach churned as though full of crashing waves.

Ray cleared his throat and moved away from José. “Ms. Gordon, you were the last one with him?”

“Yes, I was.” I nodded.

“And what was he doing?” Officer Ray asked.

“Clutching his neck and stumbling around. His face turned beet red. It looked like he couldn’t breathe. Like there was something stuck in his throat,” I answered.

Officer Ray slanted his head. “What did you do?”

“Since it looked like he was choking, I did the Heimlich on him,” I said.

“Choking on what?” Officer Ray asked.

“I’m not entirely sure, but my muffin plate was empty and outside of his door. So I assumed he ate one and it caught in his throat.” I wrung my hands.

Officer Ray asked, “Did you make the muffins?”

“Why, yes. I make them every single day,” I said.

“And Mr. Phong had had them before?” Ray asked.

I nodded. “Daily for months now.”

Ray narrowed his eyes. “No one else touched them, or makes them, is that correct? You are the only one responsible for them?”

“Why, of course.” My heart raced. Where was he going with this?

Ray narrowed his eyes. “Ms. Gordon, I have to take you into the station to question you about the death of Mr. Hu Phong.”

Cat volunteered to take care of the house and all my tenants while I was gone. José told me he would do anything that he could to help me out, as much as he could without forfeiting his job.

At the station, Officer Ray put me in a room with a two-way mirror and a rectangular metal table with a few chairs on each side. The whole time, I felt numb, as though in a dreamlike state. Or in this case, a nightmare. The events of the night, as well as lack of sleep and the alcohol I’d had previously, were all taking a toll on me. I felt drained. And very sorrowful. I still couldn’t believe that Mr. Phong was gone.

How could they even think that I would kill someone? On the other hand, I tried to reassure myself that they only had me in for questioning. After all, I was the landlady.

The door creaked open. Officer Ray and another uniformed officer entered.

“Ms. Gordon, this here is Officer Keith Tracy.” Officer Ray thumbed back to the younger dark-haired man behind him.

Officer Tracy looked not much older than Cat’s two eighteen-year-old boys. Perhaps he was fresh out of the police academy.

“We need to get to the bottom of what transpired in your house.” Ray plopped a stack of papers in the middle of the table next to what looked like a digital recording device. He then pulled a chair out. The squeak of the metal on the cement floor echoed off the walls.

Tracy pulled a chair out and sat down adjacent to me. He reached for the machine and hit a button. “If you don’t mind, we’re going to record this. And we may use your answers as evidence, and to ensure that we can use your statement in court, we would like to read you your rights.”

Officer Ray said, “Normally we only read them if you are under arrest, but it’s good practice for our new recruit, too. Okay?”

“Fine.” Did I have a choice? I thought not.

After they read me my rights, I asked, “Do I need an attorney?”

Officer Ray shut off the recorder. “I don’t know. Do you need one?”

“No. I have nothing to hide,” I said.

“Okay, then let’s get going on questions.” Officer Ray pushed a button on the recorder. “So what you are saying is that you are waiving your rights?”

I nodded my head.

“Excuse me, Miss Gordon, you need to verbalize your answer. The recording machine does not pick up body language,” Officer Ray said. “Once again, do you waive your rights to an attorney?”

“Uh, yes, sir. I guess so,” I said.

“I know this must be really stressful for you,” Officer Tracy added.

They had no idea. I slumped a little. “Yes.”

“So, we’ve talked to everyone in your house. And let me tell you, this is not looking good for you.” Ray flipped through a pile of papers. “First off, you are running a boardinghouse. Which is fine if approved with permits and such.”

Officer Tracy nodded.

Ray smirked. “And just for grins, I looked through records and found that you have no license or permit for taking in paying boarders.”

“Now that is an issue.” Tracy glanced at me.

“Correct. And illegal.” Ray squinted. “Oh, but it doesn’t stop there. I dug a little more and found out that you have a load of unpaid taxes.”

Hattie had always told me that the truth was a lot cheaper than a lie. Too bad the truth couldn’t pay my bills. “Yes, sir.”

“So where do we begin here?” Ray pulled a sheet of paper and looked down at it. “Let’s start with Miss Lily Danny. She said that you said, and I quote, ‘I promise I will do whatever it takes to make Mr. Phong be quiet.’ Did you say that?”

“Yes. I mean, I did say something like that, but I—” The words seemed to catch in my throat.

“Tracy, you do have the recorder on?” Ray asked. “Ms. Gordon just verified what Miss Lily Danny said.”

Tracy pulled the machine toward him. “Yes, sir.”

I raised my arm in the air as though I were in school. “Please let me explain. I never meant that I would kill him to make him quiet, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“We weren’t,” Ray said.

Tracy put a hand up. “Not me.”

Ray smirked. “But if someone was dead, they sure would be quiet.”

“That’s for certain.” Tracy nodded.

I gasped. “I beg your pardon, but really? Y’all are twisting my words around with your fancy mumbo jumbo questioning. It’s making me sound guilty before being proven innocent. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

“Innocent until proven guilty—it’s called the presumption of innocence,” Tracy said.

Officer Ray sucked in a breath. “Thanks for the lesson, Tracy. I know you just graduated top of your academy class, but we’re not in school here. Anyway, Miss Gordon, let’s move on. Your other tenant, Mrs. Catherine Alice Thomson, said—”

I leaned in. “Pardon me. Cat is not a tenant of mine. She is a dear friend who is just staying for a few days.”

Tracy asked, “She’s not paying rent?”

“No, sir.” She did bring in a couple of bags of groceries, but I feared to even mention that in case it was somehow used against me.

“Well, isn’t that a first?” Ray chortled. “She’s the only one staying there legally. Like a real guest rather than a lodger.”

I let out a nervous giggle. Cat had offered to get an attorney for me. I’d refused her, since I had nothing to hide. Plus, I didn’t have a dime to spare, and most important, I was not guilty.

“To continue, Mrs. Thomson, or Cat, as you call her, said that you said to her when referring to Mr. Hu Phong, ‘I’ll take a switch to him,’” Officer Ray said.

“Yes, but that was about him taking the muffins, and it was a joke,” I said.

“Humph.” Ray cracked his knuckles before flipping a page in his notepad. “So you didn’t like him taking the muffins?”

“No. I mean, yes. Everyone in my house was welcome to have them. That’s why I made them. Southern hospitality.”

“I bet they’re great,” Tracy said.

“Yes, one of my specialties. I learned how to cook from my nanny, who also passed on all sorts of her recipes to me. I can do most of them with my eyes closed.” I sighed, remembering my sweet Hattie. Gosh, I wished she were here.

“And Mr. Frank Kincaid said that you said, ‘Give me a little time, I’m sure that I can silence Mr. Phong.’”

“Well, something like that,” I stammered. “But you’re taking it out of context.”

Tracy scooted his chair closer to me. “Are we?”

“Frank and Lily wanted to move out because Mr. Phong was making so much noise.” I folded and unfolded my hands in my lap.

“And what would’ve happened if they moved?” Ray asked.

This was by far the most embarrassing time of my life. Tears welled in my eyes. Time to come clean. “Here’s for the record. I’m not proud of the mess that I’m in. But I’m beyond broke. All that I have left of my family’s inheritance is the house. An ancient house that is in desperate need of attention. I took out as many home equity loans as I was able to in order to do as many repairs as I could afford. Money ran out before all the work was done. And the bills kept rolling in. So I had to take in renters to help keep the house from foreclosure.” I sucked in a deep breath. “There. I’ve humbled myself in front of you. I’m not proud of it.”

“Finally the truth. See? That doesn’t hurt, does it?” Ray smirked.

My heart stabbed and ached with a million needles of despair. “No, sir.”

Ray asked, “Let me get this right. You needed the renters to help pay bills?”

“Yes,” I said. “And not only do I have the equity loans, I have unpaid taxes. It just kind of got out of hand.”

Tracy dipped his head as if in sympathy for me.

“And what would happen if you didn’t have renters?” Ray asked.

I inhaled, then let out my breath. That was the exact question I’d asked myself many times. And each time, the answer sank me into hopelessness. “I’d lose everything.”

“When you say
everything
, you mean the house?” Ray asked.

“Yes. However, the house is not just what you see. It’s like a relative to me, with all the laughter. The people who lived there and made it alive are all now a part of the structure. It is my family.”

“Let me make sure I get this right. Your dwelling is like, what, um, a person?” Tracy asked.

“It is all that and more. It’s me. It’s my past; it’s my future.” I straightened my back.

Ray cleared his throat. “Because your residence is like family, you needed to keep it. Is that correct?”

I nodded.

Ray continued. “To prevent you from losing the house, it was important for you to keep renters. To make repairs, pay bills.”

Again I nodded; this time my head stayed low.

Ray added, “And once you had renters in place and had money coming in, you had to keep them happy so they wouldn’t leave?”

I lifted my head. “Why, yes. It’s also just plain good manners, too.”

Ray asked, “Let’s say a renter complained about bugs. You’d take care of it to keep them happy, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course,” I said.

“And if your tenants complained about no hot water, you’d take care of that too, right?” Ray asked.

“Yes,” I said. Ray was stating the obvious. Where was he going with these questions? He was leading me somewhere, but where? I had repaired, fixed, and replaced countless items in the house.

Ray persisted. “Okay, then. If a tenant complained about another tenant, you would try to take care of that, too. To make everyone happy.”

“I would. However, we all get along pretty well.” Even if I was both fascinated with and disgusted by Xavier, I wasn’t entirely sure how well I got along with him. But Lily was sweet, and Frank and Mr. Phong were fine.

“What would you do about a noise issue?” Ray asked me.

“What kind of noise?” Tracy asked.

“Are you talking about Frank’s issue with Mr. Phong?” I asked.

“What issue?” Tracy spoke.

My palms were sweaty as I clasped them in my lap. “He was trying so hard to learn English.”

“I’m taking an online course. It is a great way to acquire a language. I learned Spanish that way.” Tracy smiled.

Ray interrupted, “Tracy, thanks for the update, but this is not about you.”

“Yes, sir, sorry.” Tracy blushed.

I said, “Mr. Phong listened to a lot of music. That’s how he was trying to learn English.”

“Using a Rosetta Stone course would work, too,” Tracy said.

“Anyway, did he sing out loud?” Ray asked.

“Yes. All the time,” I said.

Ray whispered something to Tracy.

Tracy stood and then walked past me to the door. I smelled a spicy aftershave. “I’m getting some coffee. I’ll be right back. Miss Gordon, do you need anything?”

“No, thank you.” I stifled a yawn.

Ray waved his hand and Tracy left the room. “Nice kid, and he means well. But I think he’s interfering more than helping out right now. So, it’ll be just you and me for a while. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Now let’s get back to where we left off. Mr. Phong sang all the time. He seemed to annoy some of your tenants. You said if you didn’t have tenants, you would lose everything. The house is like a family member to you; it is all you have left. And you would do whatever it took to keep your tenants happy so that you could pay bills and keep the house.”

“Why, yes. All of that is true.” I rolled my neck, which felt sore from sheer exhaustion. It must’ve been three in the morning, at least. “Except the way they’re lined up like that, it looks bad. I mean, all of those facts are true but taken out of context.”

Ray chuckled. “You’re right about that.”

I stretched my legs under the table. I’d decided not to say anything until I was asked to.

“Your tenant, Frank, added that you also were screwing the top on a bottle of poison while you told him that you would do anything to silence Mr. Phong. Is that the context that we missed?” Ray closed the notebook on the table. He rubbed a hand on his head.

“That was for ants. Good heavens. Are you suggesting that I used that on Mr. Phong?”

“I won’t know for sure, but it looks like Mr. Phong either had an allergic reaction or he was poisoned. We’re doing a lab report on what remains on the muffin plate, as well as an autopsy. You see, Miss Gordon, I’m just making sure that I have all the information while it’s fresh.”

I bit my bottom lip. “At three in the morning, I doubt I’m fresh anymore.”

Ray let out a chuckle. “We’ll wrap it up soon.”

“And Officer Ray, yes, I needed money, so why would I kill off a paying tenant?”

“Perhaps you are a psychopath?” Officer Ray chuckled.

“No, sir. That I am not. I wouldn’t kill anyone. A tenant or otherwise.”

“Even a paying tenant who had a very valuable ring? A ring that is now missing?”

“Are you implying that I took his ring?”

“Did you?”

I stiffened my back and looked him in the eye. “I certainly did not. And, Officer Ray, you seem like a fine Southern gentleman, and I know that you would not insult a lady by calling her names like psychopath and thief. You’re just doing your job. However, I have to tell you that I take offense to your accusations.”