One Cuppa Brew: Book 1 in The Thyme for Tea Series (6 page)

William struck gold at the first hospital. He thought it was because he arrived about forty-five minutes before their shifts switched, long enough for workers to still want to talk to whittle the time away, yet not so long that he got hung up gossiping all night. A woman matching the description of Lois Bell had been brought into the hospital five days ago, found behind a hair salon by the owner when she and her date returned to pick something up after eating dinner out. The owner hadn’t recognized her. She was still unconscious, and had no identification on her. The hospital had released her photo, but no one had anyone come forward saying they recognized her. The police were going to ask to put it on the news, but were waiting to see if she woke up. If she hadn’t been found until morning, they believed she would have succumbed to the elements and definitely passed away. William pretended to be her brother, knowing they would only let family in to see her. When he told them her husband had died in a car accident less than two weeks prior to her admittance, they were more than willing to send him back without scrutinizing his identification.

By now it was 7:30 back on the island, and William knew Pastor had to be at work. He used the phone in the room to call the bookstore and was surprised to have the answering machine pick up again. Just as he was about to hang up, Pastor picked up the line, slightly out of breath. “Is that you, William?” she asked.

Unable to contain himself, William replied, “Is that how you always answer the phone in the morning? Probably not a good idea if you don’t want to be aiding and abetting me.”

She laughed, “Now you listen. You have stressed me out enough lately, don’t pester me about the way I answer the phone as well.”

“Fine Pastor, do you happen to know how to reach Julie? I have some news for her, and I am more than a bit concerned for her safety.”

“Well, she’s standing about five feet away. Would you like to speak with her?”

William hesitated, “Now she knows I do, but yes, let me tell you briefly first, so you are prepared to handle her.”

Though she was a bit surprised by his choice of words, the store owner nodded to have him speak, before she remembered he was on the phone, not right in front of her. Funny how she had gotten used to him being around. “Go ahead.”

“I found her stepmother at Princeton Hospital. She has been in a coma for almost a week. She was left for dead, but obviously didn’t die. Her prognosis is unknown. I have also found out some information about baseball cards that someone on Ono believed were in her possession. Whoever does have those cards, or is believed to have those cards, could be in serious trouble. At this point, we don’t think the person that intended to buy them has been successful. And their intent to buy has been deadly, at least once.”

“That’s a lot of information. What is your plan?” Pastor asked, more calmly than she felt.

“That depends on whether Julie knows where the cards are, at least to some extent,” the former spy answered.

“You can ask her,” Pastor said, as she handed the phone to Julie.

“Hi, kiddo, long time no see.”

“Uncle William!” Julie exclaimed. “You were right about your friend Iris, I mean Pastor. She has been a lifesaver! And the tea, oh my goodness, it’s so amazing!”

He chuckled, “I have some bad news, Julie, but I am glad you like her tea! You have heard about the woman who died, by now? You know it was supposedly Lois?” he asked gently.

“Yes, I heard. But it’s not her!” Julie said, in a quiet voice.

“No, hon, it isn’t her. I found your stepmother in a coma up here. She was left for dead. My guess is it was connected to the woman that was acting as her down there, who is now dead. Seems that being Lois Bell is a dangerous pastime right now. You wouldn’t be able to tell me anything about baseball cards, would you?” he asked kindly.

Julie gasped, “This IS all my fault! When the guy at the pawn shop asked for my name, I choked. I said Lois, just like I used to do in high school when I called in sick and pretended to be my mom. I know I should have thought of something else, but I did want him to be able to reach me, just not really track me. He seemed a bit shady, you know.”

“Yes, I know the type, dear. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Julie sighed and relayed the tale to William, much as she had to Pastor and Andy the night before. Was it just the night before? Pastor shook her head in bewilderment. What a night it had been. It was hard to believe it was still less than twenty four hours since Andy had reappeared. She knew she was tired when she looked for a special tea for the day. Black tea with lychee, that was her go-to for hard mornings, which today looked to be. She thought the tea had magical properties, plus an extra jolt of caffeine included. She brewed enough to fill a carafe; sure Julie would want some, and anyone else local that might still feel slightly traumatized by one of their own having a sudden death. Murder, she should say, it’s not like this was a heart attack or a car accident. Those were much easier to accept. Until they knew what was going on with the fake Mrs. Bell, and the baseball cards, she was sure no one would feel particularly safe.

Andy came in with his police officer friend in stride, while Julie was still on the phone with William. “Have you heard much about plans for a casino over by Pirate’s Cove, Mom?” he asked.

“I could imagine something like that over there, but wouldn’t it be illegal?” she replied. She was never a fan of the institutions, though she knew many people her age enjoyed them.

Jason answered, “There have been rumors of someone on Ono that wants to start a fleet gambling line, small yachts that take customers far out into the Gulf, far enough away to be in international waters. He’s purchased a chunk of land on that side to make a small marina and port facility with shopping, restaurants, and the like.”

Pastor looked excited, “Well, that could be our connection. William had mentioned something about gambling when this all started. That was part of why he was going to New Jersey, I thought. Or maybe it was just to find Lois?” She trailed off, muttering.

Andy had heard her and processed the information quickly, “He found Mrs. Bell?”

“Oh yes, I didn’t tell you, did I?” Pastor replied. “He’s talking to Julie about it now.”

Her son went over to Julie and made impatient gestures towards the phone. It was like two kids fighting over something, Pastor thought with a slight smile. Finally Julie covered the mouthpiece, asked him what he wanted, and then told William that Pastor’s son needed to speak with him. Jason looked frustrated that he wasn’t on the line as well, but Pastor knew Andy would share his information.

Pastor poured out a cup of the dark tea and took it to Julie with a small container of milk. “I find it perfectly sweet on its own, but perhaps you would like to add some honey?” she asked Julie gently.

The young woman shook her head, “If anything, I know I can trust your judgment on tea! And probably everything else as well.”

The store owner smiled in acknowledgement. “Absolutes can be dangerous, dear.” She turned to Jason, “So, who is this mystery man that wants to bring in gambling to our beautiful community, or close enough to our community that it will have an impact?”

“You may remember the man; he worked for your father-in-law very briefly. Sam Waters?”

“Oh yes, I remember him. He came from Atlantic City; I remember he had been involved in building casinos up there. I couldn’t stand him. It took me a few months to convince Andrew that he was a snake, but he never looked back after he fired him. I thought he had cleared out from this area long ago.”

“He may have left, but he bought a house that he used as an investment property on Ono before he left. A few plots of land here and there too, nothing to make anyone suspicious. But after Mr. Potts passed away, he moved back and began buying more land. It just so happens he is an avid baseball fan as well,” Jason answered.

“Well, that is interesting,” Pastor replied. “But there won’t be any commercial endeavors on Ono?”

“No, the land he was considering using is in Perdido Beach.”

Julie, who had been sipping her tea with deep sighs of satisfaction, moved closer. “Is he the one that owns the sporting casinos? The totally gaudy, outrageous gaming ones? Like halls of fame gone wrong?”

The detective laughed, “I have never heard them described quite that way, but that sounds about right.”

Andy turned as he hung up the phone, a serious look on his face. “This might get worse before it gets better; William and I are going to try to trap the murderer. So, Mom, I might need to use the store.”

“What, NO! This is a sacred space, not some law enforcement trap. People should feel safe here. Besides, isn’t entrapment illegal?” Pastor was visibly upset. “I am sure you can come up with a better place. What about that sports bar down the road, near the bridge?”

Jason interrupted, “I am pretty sure he owns that too.”

Andy looked at his mom, “Really Mom, has this become your church? Should I be concerned? Where are you going to church these days? I thought you would love a chance to help catch a murderer and keep Julie and her sister safe, clear William’s name, assure the residents of Oyster Creek that this has nothing to do with them…”

The former minister sighed, “Okay, but just for Julie and her sister. The rest, well…”

Her son smiled, “You would leave William hanging out there like that?”

She wagged her finger at her son, “William is a grown man, he could find his own way out of this mess, and don’t you use guilt on your mother!” Then she spun on her heel to face Jason, “And you never had any intention of arresting him, did you? It was probably you that took him in the boat to avoid the blockade.”

The detective gasped as his friend laughed, “I told you it wasn’t worth trying to lie to her Jason. Just be glad you aren’t William when he returns to town. I bet she’ll give him a piece of her mind.” He looked at the others. “So here’s what we’re going to do.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Pastor wasn’t sure if she was more concerned for William, going after the head of the snake, or Andy, trying to see what else would bite down here. It was obvious the players were active in both places. William was setting off for Atlantic City, to request a meeting with Sam Waters, the casino owner. Andy was talking to someone about a Craigslist ad. It turned out Andy and William did know at least one person in common, something that made her wonder again about the Silver Spring police department. But Andy assured her that this guy was famous everywhere for his Craigslist code-breaking skills. She thought any eighth grade teacher worth their salt could break some of the codes they mentioned, but who was she to complain if he was helping them?

Meanwhile, Julie turned over the baseball cards she had been carrying around in that huge bag of hers. They were surprisingly bulky. She said she had left the pictures at home, but so far no one had connected her to Lois. The beautiful thing about the baseball cards was how well they fit into tea boxes. Pastor was happy to provide some empty tins to store them, right in plain sight. Their plan was to lure the killer to the store to see the cards, or to find out if someone else had the stolen cards. They believed Sean had changed the meeting place from Ono Island to the bookstore, but they had no way to know if the buyer or the killer would get the message. Needing to have something card sized to be seen holding, they went to one of the beach shops and filled up on various popular cards; some princess, some comic hero, and something called Shopkins. Pastor shook her head; even with grandchildren she was out of touch. Funny that they couldn’t even find regular sports cards.

Jason had returned to work, knowing Andy would let him know when he was needed again. Pastor had gone back to serving customers; telling Julie and Andy to go find lunch and maybe bring her some. She needed them out for awhile so she could concentrate on the citizens of Osprey Creek, her loyal customers. They were still upset, for good reason, about a murderer among them. She was so busy concentrating on brewing tea and serving scones that she didn’t realize the post-tennis clique had returned. It wasn’t until she heard Joe raise his voice that she began to pay attention.

“I’m telling you, he is my best friend, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly, unless there was something wrong with the fly!”

“Really, Joe?” Alice replied. “What’s going to be wrong with a fly?”

“It’s an expression. Maybe not the right use of one, but maybe the fly was involved in illegal activities. Maybe the fly was stealing. Maybe the fly was really a spider.” Joe replied. Pastor couldn’t believe how close he was to the truth. Well, not close, but he did know William. Obviously Joe had his feelings about William’s past the way she did.

“She was dead outside his door. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he must have killed her.” Alice said.

Pam finally interjected, “Well, I hope it wasn’t him, because it is more fun playing tennis when he is here, too.” Pam usually sided with Alice on everything, so this was a big step for her, the shopkeeper thought with a bit of chagrin.

“You want to play tennis with a murderer?” Alice asked, in shock.

“That’s not what I said, Alice,” Pam replied, not brave enough to contradict her further.

Pastor turned to the group and saw Alice watching her intently. Iris Marsha Potts was not a woman to break eye contact, but at that moment, something in Alice’s eyes was off. Pastor looked away, knowing where she had seen those kind of eyes before, and not liking what she was thinking. When she was just starting in the ministry she had worked as a prison chaplain for a few years. By the time she left, she wondered why scientists didn’t invent something to read the eyes instead of using modern lie detectors. She knew victims of abuse could sometimes have eyes that held guilt, but generally the eyes of murderers held something else. She could never name it, but the emptiness was there, and it was what she had just faced looking at Alice. She shook her head slightly. She must have imagined it. Alice was her age, a retiree enjoying tennis during the day, who had recently begun dating some stranger that she hadn’t introduced to the others. She was in the early stages of love—it was cute and fun to watch. Pastor must have imagined the look.