Keeping Mum (A Garden Society Mystery) (24 page)

“Mike Sullivan was let in here two nights before the fund-raiser by that slimy little security guard who works for Dave Barrett.”

“But then he ended up dead. So . . .”

“Yeah, I don’t know either. But it makes it look to me like maybe Sully was killed because he knew too much,” Cam said.

“Which makes sense. But he was involved, too.”

“Yeah. I don’t know how it works. I’m thinking maybe we need more info on that security guard, and we need to follow up about Chrysanthemum Holdings. I think there’s something organized going on here.”

“I looked up Harlon. He’s a lawyer, too. He just passed the bar a year ago. But Cam, if this is organized—like mob stuff—we don’t have any business messing with it.”

“Don’t you see how close we are, though? And Jake can’t do what we could—sneaking around and listening in.”

“Well I’m happy to do some more troubleshooting on the internet. But we aren’t going chasing after criminals again. It’s just too dangerous.”

Cam sighed. She knew he was right, but the adrenaline could be addictive. “Okay, meet me at my place after work.”

“A little after that. Jake got Harlon. He’s in custody. I’m going to the station now to see what we can find out.”

“Not without me you’re not!”

She hung up and sprinted out of the office. It was walking distance, at least for someone who walked as much as Cam did, so she actually beat Rob to the station. Getting to someone who could help her find Jake was another matter. She got the runaround since Jake was busy processing Harlon.

“That’s it. That is exactly why I need to find him,” Cam complained.

“I’m sorry, miss.”

Thankfully, that was when Rob arrived, whose name was on a list Jake had left. The clerk looked annoyed to let Cam through with him but allowed it, as Rob put an arm over her shoulder and took her along without comment.

When they reached Jake, he was standing outside an interview room. Cam blurted out the things she’d found about Mike Sullivan and the suspicion that there was something organized behind all of this.

Jake looked ready to argue, but Rob backed her up.

“So you saw this guy let Mike Sullivan into your place of work?” Jake asked, pointing to the room where Harlon was being held.

“I did. Two days before the party. It had to be related to planning something. Now we know Sully was in on the kidnapping, but we think maybe he just saw
that
opportunity on the side and decided to do his sister a favor, when the real job had to do with Windermere. We know it was Mike who called Elle to come back from Finland or Italy or wherever she was, and the timing is about right, so maybe
that
happened when he saw the party plan.”

“But Sully’s dead now,” Jake said.

“Maybe it didn’t go the way he thought and he threatened to tell. Or maybe he was sloppy, so they were trying to squash the trail. I don’t know. I think the kidnapping and murder and all are connected, only maybe it’s because Sully made the piggyback plan. These guys don’t seem like the type to be very tolerant of somebody adding to their own agenda,” Cam said.

“I agree. Sully probably wasn’t supposed to do the side project. Maybe somebody got mad about it,” Rob said. “Because it made the rest too easy to trace.”

Jake looked back and forth between them. Cam was glad he seemed to be at least taking the theory seriously.

“So do we get to watch the questioning?” Cam said.

Jake made a face, but then he nodded. “Since it was your office he was helping people break into, I think that’s fair. Just remember you can’t do anything to make yourself known or you’ll be escorted out.”

Cam nodded, but she had underestimated how hard it would be to sit quietly while somebody was asking someone questions that weren’t the ones she would have asked. Rob shushed her three times because she kept saying what she wanted Jake to ask, and she almost had to leave to keep herself from pounding on the glass.

Harlon was not very forthcoming. In fact he wouldn’t talk at all. Rob whispered that that was why Jake wasn’t being more specific—that he didn’t want to tip their hand about how much they knew and that a lawyer would really understand his right to not incriminate himself anyway—but Cam thought if he knew what was known, maybe he’d volunteer more to help himself look better. He would understand the benefit of a plea.

“They have him on this. He can’t get out of it,” Rob said, “but he won’t want to give away any more.”

“Isn’t the whole idea of plea bargaining to give important information in exchange for a lesser charge on something they have you on?” Cam asked.

Rob made a face, but she knew she was right.

Finally Jake came out. “Sorry about that, guys. We’re keeping him at least overnight, but it doesn’t look like he’s talking.”

“No lawyer? I mean isn’t he one?” Rob asked.

“They may be throwing him under the bus,” Cam suggested. “I mean, he’s the peon. He might be being nicely compensated and they will make sure it’s nothing permanent while they stall.”

Jake narrowed his eyes but didn’t comment.

“Can people come visit him?”

“Like who?”

“I was thinking Annie, because her dad got kidnapped. But maybe even Elle, because it was her brother who was killed.”

“I think that’s a really bad idea,” Jake said.

“What about if somebody was in the cell next to him?” Rob asked.

“Oh, no. You’re not getting arrested just to get in there with him. And if you did get arrested, I have no control over how near your cell is to his. But if you’re right about this being part of something organized, then the walls have ears down there. You put yourself in much greater danger just by being there.”

“Good try, though, Tiny,” Cam said.

Rob grinned at her.

• • •

• • •

A
nnie joined them at Cam’s apartment after that, and Jake promised to stop by soon.

“Mob? Are you freaking kidding me?”

“I don’t know that I’d say ‘mob,’” Rob said.

“I would,” Cam added.

“And no rescues needed,” Rob said.

“Oh, admit it. It was hot to be rescued,” Annie teased.

“Hey, you’ve needed a rescue, too,” he said.

“And that was hot, too. Once it was over, I mean.”

“You have a weird view on hot,” Rob said.

Annie’s phone buzzed then, making them all jump. Cam hadn’t realized how tense they were. When she hung up, she turned to them. “No Jake tonight. Apparently they’re going to search Sully’s house and apartment.”

“Didn’t they do that already?”

“They did, but they didn’t know to look for whatever file or thing he took from your office.”

“Didn’t look like much in the footage,” Cam said. “File is probably right. Or maybe he just took pictures of something. That’s . . .” she halted.

“. . . what we do,” Annie finished. “Rob knows, but we hide this from Jake, so it isn’t how he thinks. Might even be a thumb drive they want.”

Cam looked at her boyfriend guiltily. She and Annie had just been sort of secretive about these things sometimes.

“Speaking of . . . erm . . .” Annie looked uncomfortable and Cam was surprised. It took a lot to do that to her friend. “Um . . . could . . . is there any way . . . Could Daddy and Elle come to Thanksgiving?”

“Well, of course they can.” That had been the last thing she’d expected.

“It’s just, I heard them talking and it sounded like they were going to be alone, and . . . after all that’s happened . . .”

“I’ll need to tell Nick and Dad, but it won’t be a problem, I’m sure. But . . . what does that have to do with sneaking around?”

“Annie logic,” she said. “It’s just . . . Jake is stuck working that day. Jake had to do with sneaking, but then also Thanksgiving, which led me to Dad and Elle . . .”

“That stinks that Jake has to work.” Cam knew they’d only expected him to stop by for dessert, but thought it had been a family obligation until now.

“I know. His mom is mad. She threatened to call the station.”

“I can’t wait to meet his mother,” Cam laughed.

“She’s a little intimidating,” Annie admitted.

“To you? Uh-oh.”

“Well, I think it’s about being her son’s girlfriend. He’s the only boy, so I think no girl could measure up. She likes that I bake, though, so that’s something . . . keep her Joaquin healthy!”

“It’s still strange to think of Jake as Joaquin.”

“I think it’s sexy,” Annie said.

Rob wandered off. He didn’t want to hear any more details. Jake was
his
friend, after all, and most men seemed squeamish hearing about the love lives of their friends.

“Well, if Jake isn’t coming with more information, is there anything else we can do tonight?”

“Besides look into Chrysanthemum Holdings?” Annie said.

“Oh, right. Rob!” Cam called him back over. “How do we dig here?”

They spent the next few hours tracking down the holdings, using Google Earth to physically look at them, then tracking the sales history. They were all surprised to realize it looked like Derrick Windermere had been the one duped, and not the crook behind the scam.

“Well, I’ll be . . .” Rob said.

“How do we find out who owns this Chrysanthemum Land Trust?”

“It looks offshore, so I guess we try to figure it out in the morning. I’m bushed,” Rob said.

Cam had to admit she was, too. She’d been too wired to sleep earlier, but now it was catching up with her.

• • •

• • •

C
am was glad she’d decided to work only a half day. She planned to spend the afternoon baking at Sweet Surprise. Annie had many customers picking up orders for the next day, so Cam knew she’d worked ahead. But she also had two big industrial ovens—big enough to bake many pans at a time. Annie had given her the okay to use one of them so they could keep each other company.

When Cam arrived, Annie looked worried.

“What’s up?”

“I haven’t heard from Jake yet, and their stuff last night wasn’t danger free.”

“Was he going to call?”

“He was going to come over if it wasn’t too late.”

“Well, if it
was
too late, he might still be sleeping—if it was three in the morning or something.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“He’ll call when he’s awake.” Cam realized they had no confirmation that was accurate, but there was no point worrying about it until they heard differently. Besides, she had built her career on spin. It could hardly help but seep into her real life from time to time.

The two of them baked amicably for the next hour until Rob burst in.

“Did you hear about the standoff?”

A muffin tin went crashing as Cam came out of the back room. Annie had dropped the half-full tray she was transferring to her display case. Cam eyed Rob.

“Sully’s house didn’t have anything. Vera cooperated, so they didn’t even need a warrant. She showed him where anything might be. Seemed eager.”

“I bet,” Cam said.

“Warrant finally came in this morning at six for the apartment—took until then to get a judge there.”

“Then why didn’t Jake call?” Annie said.

“They were there, just waiting until they could go in. But when the warrant came, that guy Leo, who was there when you both barged in with your phony story, was gone and it looked like he’d taken a whole bunch of stuff. They tracked him to some cabin in the mountains and he’s holed up shooting.”

Annie shrieked.

“No, it doesn’t look like he’s shooting
at
anyone. He just doesn’t want them to come in.”

“But eventually, they’ll have to go in and get him.”

“Probably, but they’re trained well, and they have their vests and stuff.”

Annie wandered to the back room, but a customer came in just then, so Cam had to stay and help, finding the cheesecake with the woman’s last name and sorting out that she’d paid when she ordered.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” Cam called as she left. Then she ran into the back room to see if the conversation had gotten any easier.

It hadn’t. Annie had too vivid an imagination.

“Wait here,” Rob said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Cam chased him into the front and turned him around. “Oh, no you don’t! You don’t come in here and stir up this mess and then disappear.”

“No! I know something that should help. I’ll be right back. Seriously.” And he was gone.

Annie came out of the back room to find Cam cursing in her schoolmarm way.

“You’d feel better if you added some real swear words,” Annie said.

“I can’t believe he’d scare us like that and then disappear.”

“He’s right, though—they are trained. And the sergeant is cautious. So unless the guy makes a run for it, they won’t go in until they’re ready. Maybe they’ll bring state troopers in or something.”