Murderous Muffins (8 page)

“Please accept my apology.” Officer Ray flipped through some pages. “Do you know of anyone who would want to kill Mr. Phong?”

“No, sir.”

Ray raised an eyebrow. “You lived with him for almost a year.”

“Yes.”

“And in all that time, you neither saw nor heard anything that would indicate he had enemies? Or issues with anyone?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“You may not believe this, but I want to help you. But you need to help me here. You already have some legal issues going on with running a boardinghouse without proper permits and licenses. And let’s not forget about the unpaid taxes.”

I swallowed hard. “Yes, sir, I’m all too aware of my problems.”

“Then do me a favor so we can both go home. Rack your memory, and let me know of anything at all that you may have noticed concerning Mr. Phong. No one has a problem-free life.”

“Well, his cousin Joseph was very angry that Mr. Phong owed him money.” I handed him Joseph’s business card. “And he also said that Mr. Phong stole something of his, although I don’t know what that was.”

“Anyone else who may have had a grievance with the victim?” Ray asked.

After a pause, I said, “Another tenant, Xavier, seemed very interested in Mr. Phong. He asked a lot of questions specifically about him.”

“Maybe he was just trying to get to know the other tenants in the house.”

Did all men think alike? “That’s what he said, but I don’t know. Xavier was acting squirrelly. He seemed really focused on what Mr. Phong brought home from work. You may have already figured this out, but Mr. Phong, Joseph, and Xavier all work at the same place.”

“Yes, we have. So what made you think Xavier was acting—how did you say it—squirrelly?”

“After Mr. Phong passed, we were all in the room, and Xavier started to rummage around looking for something.”

“Hmm.” Officer Ray picked up a pen. “Did he take anything?”

“No, not that I saw.”

Ray jotted something on the paper. “Anyone else you can think of who acted out of the ordinary?”

“There’s only Lily and Frank, and there was nothing unusual. I mean, they would’ve liked him to be quiet, but that’s all. I don’t think anyone in the house had anything to do with Mr. Phong’s death. I just think it was, I don’t know, a freak accident?”

“Got it.” Ray stood, the metal legs of his chair clattering as he shoved it away from him.

“Are we done?” I rose, my body exhausted beyond belief.

“For now.”

I stretched my arms, trying to work out the tautness. Thank goodness that silliness was over. I moved toward the door and grabbed the handle.

Ray stood behind me, his breath on my back. “Don’t leave town. You are still on our radar.”

After a few hours of fitful sleep and a quick shower, I entered the kitchen to see Cat setting some biscuits on a plate. “Since the police took away your flour, sugar, baking soda, and a lot of other stuff, I had to buy a packaged mix. They’re not your famous muffins, but they’re edible.”

A sweet smell wafted in the air. Glancing around, I saw some white powder on the cupboard handles and some on the countertop. “What’s that?”

“They dusted for fingerprints. I cleaned up as much as I could.”

I walked over to her. “Thanks, Cat. I’m so sorry about all that’s going on here.”

Cat squeezed my shoulder. “I’m here for you. No matter what.”

“I know you are. I’m just overwhelmed.” I caught her up on what had happened at the police station.

“So they think you might be a suspect?” Cat asked.

“Yes, can you believe that?” I huffed.

“It is funny and so out of character, too. I mean, you had nothing to do with his death?” Cat grinned.

“Cat, that sounded like a question rather than a statement.”

“I’m just kidding.” Cat tapped me on the arm. “Although, you never answered my question.”

I stammered. “Cat. My heavens. I would remember if I killed someone.”

“Of course you would.” Cat smiled and shook her head. “I mean, I’m just saying now that I know how financially destitute you are, that must be very stressful. Then taking in a bunch of strangers. It could make a person snap.”

“Yes, it’s very taxing.” I pushed a stray hair behind my ear.

“I know, and I love you. But I’m concerned about how the situation looks.”

“What situation?”

Cat gently held my hand. “The poison you had and…”

“For ants, not people.”

“That’s what I told the police. They asked me so many questions. I just answered truthfully. And they asked if I’d seen you with a bottle of poison. I remembered when you got up off the floor of my room that it slipped out of your pocket. I’m so sorry, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but they seemed so focused on it.”

“It’s okay.” I sighed. “I’m glad that you were forthcoming with them, because I have nothing to hide.”

“I hope I didn’t say something I shouldn’t. I really feel bad.” Cat hung her head.

“Please let it go; it really doesn’t matter. They’ll find out I had nothing to do with his death.”

“I know.” Cat stuck the pan in the sink and squeezed soap in it. “By the way, José said he’s working on getting some of the issues around the house taken care of. Like the permits and such. He said he’s going to do as much as he can. Or at the very least, try to stall you being shut down.”

“He’s sweet.” I fiddled with the pearls around my neck. “But I’ve been thinking. I have something that I need to sell. The money might help me pay off some debts as well as get my affairs straightened out.”

Cat turned on the water. “Oh? How did you come to this revelation?”

“My Hattie used to say, ‘When you get pushed in a corner, climb out a window.’”

“I have no idea what that means.” Cat shut off the faucet.

“Whenever I was stuck on a problem and couldn’t find a solution, she would say, ‘There’s a way out of it if you just look.’”

“Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m tapped out on the house’s equity. I have just one thing left, my window to climb out of, so to speak.” I touched the smooth pearls on my neck. “Will you go with me to the pawnshop?”

“Sure. But what are you going to take there?”

I rubbed the pearls in between my fingertips. “When Xavier made a comment about my vintage pearl necklace possibly being expensive, it started me thinking.”

Cat’s eyes widened. “Not your pearls!”

I nodded, feeling tears well up in my eyes. There was not a materialistic bone in my body that attached me to the lovely white string; instead, my bond was steeped in sentiment.

“But they mean so much to you.” Cat waved her hand.

“Yes.” My gut sank at the thought of letting go of my beloved pearl necklace. With fondness, I pictured my great-grandmother wearing it, then my grandmother and then my mother. How they connected each of our lives as much as the strand that held the pearls together. Yet I had to let them go to save the house. I had no choice. Even though I knew that was what I should do, I still felt like I was abandoning a relative.

Cat asked, “Are you sure?”

I bit my lip. “Yes. After breakfast, let’s go to the pawnshop.”

“I wish I had some extra money to help you out so you wouldn’t have to sell your necklace.”

I held Cat’s hand. “You’re a good friend.”

***

We made our way down Broughton Street. A man walking ahead of us looked like my new tenant, Xavier. He was in front of Jack’s Pawn Shop when I called out his name, but he didn’t turn around. A minute later, we caught up to him waiting at a red light to cross the street.

Xavier saw us. “Good afternoon, ladies.”

“Hi, Xavier. Bezu called for you and you didn’t answer,” Cat said.

“Oh?” Xavier cleared his throat. “Pardon me, I must have a lot on my mind. By the way, I’m really sorry about all that happened, Bezu. Is everything okay?”

“Wonderful. Thank you for asking.” I fidgeted with my pearl necklace.

“You’re not great. A guy died in your house, the police may think it’s you who killed him, and to top that off, you’re going to give up something valuable.” Cat pointed behind her toward the pawnshop.

I glared at Cat. “Everything is fine.”

Xavier ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. Good.”

“By the way, in light of all that has happened, Xavier, you don’t have to move out. But if you’d like to, I certainly understand, and I will refund your rent,” I said.

A walk signal lit up on the streetlight.

“Okay. I’ll be back to the house later on. We can talk about it then,” Xavier said.

“Why, of course,” I said.

Before crossing the street, Xavier added, “Just know that if you need to keep my rent money, you can hold off refunding me for a while. Until you get things in order.”

“Thank you for the kind gesture, but I’ll give you what is owed to you.” Something about him seemed more refined and sophisticated than I remembered. Yet he still seemed cagey, like a trapped bird.

“Good day, ladies. I’ll see you later.” Xavier jogged across the street.

Cat pointed toward him. “He’s really cute.”

“That he is,” I said.

“But he acts kind of odd, almost like he’s two different people. At times he’s gruff and rather bold like a tough guy; other times he’s very kind and refined like an aristocrat,” Cat said.

“You just summed up exactly what I think about him.”

A moment later, we entered the pawnshop.

***

“Where did you get this?” An elderly man with a wisp of white hair and kind blue eyes looked through a piece of equipment that resembled a mini telescope.

I had just introduced myself, then handed him the pearls. His name badge said Jack.

“I inherited it.” I took in a deep breath looking at my pearls, which lay on a large square of black velvet. The shop smelled like ammonia and mothballs.

“Do you know how old they are?” Jack asked.

“I think maybe the early 1900s or so.”

“You said your name is Barbara Elizabeth Susan Gordon, right?”

“Yes, you’re welcome to call me Bezu. And you’re Jack?”

He nodded. “I’ve been around a long time. And I have to say, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

My eyebrows rose. Was that good or bad?

“You’ve been wearing these?” Jack looked back into the telescope on the glass display case.

Habitually, I touched my collarbone, my fingers searching for the familiar and comforting feel of the string of pearls. Nothing sat along my neck. “Yes. All the time.”

He squinted. “You have any idea of its worth?”

Uh oh. Maybe it was worthless. Now I was slightly embarrassed. Perhaps it was just a sentimental piece of inexpensive costume jewelry, and I was wasting his time. “No. Just that it’s very old.”

He cradled the pearls in his hand as though they were breakable glass beads. “I think I know what these are. But, to make sure, let me do a little research. Do you have a few minutes?”

I nodded.

“May I take your pearls to the back room?” Jack asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Yes.”

He went behind a door.

Cat looked into a glass display case. “Hey, come look here, Bezu.”

I bent over the case.

Cat pointed. “Does that look familiar?”

As soon as I saw it, I sucked in a breath—a man’s gold ring set with a ruby and diamonds. “My gracious. That looks just like Mr. Phong’s ring.”

“Yes. I thought so, too.”

My thoughts spun. “What’s it doing here?”

“I have no idea.” Cat twisted her mouth.

“Cat, I see your wheels spinning. What are you thinking?” I asked.

“Mr. Phong is dead. And his ring is here. And we know that Joseph was trying to get his money back from him and also to get something else back, too. This may be the something else. And we just saw Xavier outside of here.”

“Are you saying that there’s a connection in all of that?”

Cat narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure. But there might be at least one.”

“Fine. If that’s the case, then let’s let the police handle this.”

Cat said, “If that’s what you really want to do, then you can tell them. And keep yourself on their radar.”

I giggled. “On the other hand, I’d rather not talk to them if I don’t have to. Not until I get other things in order.”

“I’d feel better if we did a little poking around ourselves.”

“What do you have in mind?” I asked.

“Maybe we find out if the ring has any tie-in to Mr. Phong’s death. Ask questions, follow leads, that kind of stuff.”

I gulped. “You mean, investigate, like detectives?”

“Sort of. Only unofficially, of course.”

“Oh no. I cannot get involved in anything like that.” My heart sprinted. Why was my life getting so snarled up?

“Umm. You forgot something.” Cat held up a hand. “You had a tenant die in your house.”

“So?”

“Whether you like it or not, you are involved. From what you told me, the police may still consider you as a person of interest. Yes, I know that you have a lot of things going on in your life. But first and foremost, you need to clear your name and find out who killed your tenant.”

She did have a point. “But I don’t think we need to be the ones to do it. Surely there’s someone else who could solve this.”

Cat folded her arms on her chest. “Like who?”

“The police, of course.”

“Let’s see what the police have to say.” Cat took out her phone and dialed a number and held up the phone. “I’m calling José; it’s on speaker.”

“Hey, Cat. What do you need?” José asked.

“You’re on speaker. I’m here with Bezu. Do you have a minute?” Cat said into the phone.

“Hey, Bezu. How are you doing?” José asked me.

“Right as rain, considering,” I said.

José continued, “Listen, I’m talking to a friend in the zoning department trying to find out if there’s a loophole that we can work around to let you keep tenants in your house. At least temporarily. But no promises.”

“I really appreciate it,” I said into the phone.

“José, I have a question for you—if we find out something related to Mr. Phong’s death, should we just tell the police?” Cat asked.

“Absolutely.” José cleared his throat and then paused. “Although we’re so overloaded here, no one may get to it for a while.”

Cat gave me the eye, as if saying, “See, I told you.”

“Yes, but I’m sure they’re making Mr. Phong’s case a priority?” I asked.

“Bezu, we have a lot of open cases and not enough manpower to get to all of them, at least in any sort of timely matter. However, I do know that they’ve sent the muffin crumbs to forensics, and they are also doing an autopsy on Mr. Phong. Anything else, ladies?”

“I’m good,” Cat said into the phone. “Thanks.”

“Thank you. Take care,” I added.

José said good-bye to us and clicked off.

“See? He was practically telling us to investigate ourselves,” Cat said to me.

“Did you listen to the same conversation I did? Because he clearly did not say that at all.”

Cat smirked. “Oh no, he did. You had to listen between the lines.”

Jack stepped back into the room. His forehead crinkled as he spoke, as if he was straining. “Miss Bezu. My hunch was supported. Do you want to know what you have here?”