Powdered Peril (6 page)

He wasn’t about to accept that, though. He did look a little hurt as he explained, “Suzanne, don’t dismiss me so quickly. I’ve got some real power now.”

“That’s just it,” I said softly as I patted his hand. “I don’t want to spoil your time in office by asking for favors. It wouldn’t look right.”

George appeared to consider that, and then he nodded solemnly. “I confess that I didn’t think about it that way,” he admitted. “Surely there’s something I can do, though.”

“Grace is involved up to her neck, so I’m going to help her clear her name. If we can think of something you can do that won’t interfere with your job, I’ll call you. Do we have a deal?”

“We do,” George said, as Wayne Johnson came into the donut shop.

“Can I help you, Wayne?” I asked.

“No, but he can,” he answered as he pointed to George. “What about that
NO PARKING
sign for my loading dock? When are you going to get around to it?”

“Wayne, I told you before. Those things have to go through the town council, and I only get one vote out of seven.”

“Cam could have done it on his own,” Wayne grumbled. “He wasn’t afraid to throw his weight around. Why are you?”

“Because I play by the rules, for you, and for everyone else.”

Wayne was clearly unhappy with that response. “So, you’re telling me that if Suzanne here had a problem you could fix, you wouldn’t jump all over it, as close as the two of you are?” He hesitated, then turned to me and added, “No offense intended, Suzanne.”

“None taken,” I said, “mainly because I would never let the mayor do something he shouldn’t just to make my life easier. Can you say the same thing, Wayne?”

He wasn’t sure how to take that, and I could see him mulling it over in his mind. After a few seconds, a grin broke out on his face, and he said, “Well, it would be hard to do that with a straight face after what I just said.” He slapped George on the back, and I could see my friend wince a little at the hard impact. “Forget what I said, Mayor. I’ll be at the next council meeting and present my case just like everyone else. I’ve at least got your vote, right?”

George nodded. “If it’s the same proposal you showed me last week, you do.”

“That’s good enough for me, then,” Wayne said, and he left without buying so much as a single donut hole.

I looked at George and asked, “Is it always like this?”

“I swear, some days I don’t even want to leave the office.”

I grabbed a paper cup and filled it to the brim with more coffee. “Here you go. Refills are on the house, for you and everyone else.”

He nodded. “Thanks for that.” Before he stood, George leaned toward me and whispered, “Suzanne, I meant what I said.”

“I know you did,” I answered. “And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

George stood, steadying himself as he did, and then walked out with his coffee. I felt a little responsible, at least by proxy, for his new position, since my mother had steamrollered him into it, but I had to admit, it was good for him, and there was no doubt in my mind that George was going to be exactly what we needed in April Springs.

*   *   *

It was finally eleven, but I hadn’t heard from Grace yet. I was getting worried as I locked the front door, but when my cell phone rang, I grabbed it quickly, hoping to hear what was going on with her. I didn’t even look at my caller ID when I answered it.

“Grace? Are you okay?”

“It’s me. What’s wrong with Grace?” Jake asked.

“Jake, it’s great to hear your voice. How are you? How’s the case going?”

“Not great,” he admitted. “It feels like everyone in town wanted this guy dead, and I’m having a tough time narrowing my suspect list down to one page. How does one man make so many enemies in one lifetime?”

I knew a little bit about the case he was working on. “He owned half the town, right?”

“More like most of the county,” Jake admitted.

“There you go,” I answered. “Money can cause more problems than it solves.”

“Suzanne, answer my question. What happened to Grace?”

I took a deep breath, and then I asked, “I don’t suppose there’s any way we can postpone this conversation to another day, is there?”

I heard him laugh, but there wasn’t a lot of joy in it. “Do I really even need to answer that question?”

“No, I know you. You’ll find out in a few minutes if you don’t hear it from me, so I might as well tell you myself. Someone killed Peter Morgan by the Boxcar Grill, and Chief Martin’s been questioning Grace about it all morning.”

There was enough silence on the other end of the line that I began to worry that we’d lost our connection. “Jake? Are you still there?”

“I’m here,” he answered.

“You got awfully quiet,” I said.

“I was just considering the possibilities,” he replied, and I could hear the state police investigator in his voice. “Do you need me there? I might be able to pull a few strings and get out of this case if you want me there with you.”

“It’s sweet of you to offer, but for now, maybe you should just stay right where you are.”

After another long pause, he replied cautiously, “The more I think about it, the more I believe you just might be right.”

I was sensing a trend here that I didn’t like. “Jake, you don’t think Grace actually killed him, do you?”

“Suzanne, I don’t have any of the facts about the case. How could I have an opinion?”

“Because you know Grace,” I answered. “What’s your gut tell you?”

“That I don’t have enough information. I know that you love Grace like a sister, and I’m just about as fond of her myself, but you know my theory. Given a hard enough push, anyone can commit murder. Anyone.”

I knew on a rational level that Jake felt that way, but I didn’t want him to be a cop right now; I wanted him to be my boyfriend. “Okay, stop being an investigator and start being the man who loves me. Now, what do you think?”

“She didn’t do it, and I’ll do everything in my power to help you prove just that,” he answered without even hesitating.

“That’s better,” I said.

“You know what I said before was true as well, though, right?”

I grinned, and I was certain that he had to be able to hear it in my voice. “Let’s not spoil the moment, okay?”

He laughed genuinely, a sound I’d grown to love. “Got it. Call me if you uncover anything, and Suzanne, do me a favor, okay?”

“What’s that?”

“Somebody killed Peter, and they aren’t going to be pleased when the two of you start poking around into what happened.”

“What makes you think we’re going to investigate?” I asked as innocently as I could manage.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe based on your past behavior?” he asked, and I could almost hear the smile in his voice.

“I never go looking for trouble,” I said, trying to defend myself.

“But it still manages to find you, doesn’t it? I meant what I said. Don’t take any chances with this. It could get bad in a hurry.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be careful,” I said.

“Good. It took me too long to get you into my life. I’d hate to start over now.”

“That makes two of us,” I said.

I was about to add something else when I saw Grace walking up to the donut shop. “Grace is here. I’ve got to go.”

“’Bye,” I heard him say as I shut my phone.

I was finally going to hear what Grace had been through, and maybe we could come up with a plan together to clear her name.

CHAPTER 5

“Grace, are you okay?” I asked as I threw the door open and let her in. She looked like she was about to cry, and from the look of her reddened eyes, I imagined that she’d shed more than a few tears already today.

“I’m managing, and that’s the most I can hope for, right?” she asked as she stepped into the shop.

I locked the door behind her just as Nan came out front.

“I thought we closed at eleven,” Nan said as she spied Grace, and it wouldn’t be too hard to see that something was wrong. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You’re fine,” I said. I needed some time alone with Grace, so I added, “Why don’t you go ahead and take off? I’ll finish the dishes, balance the register, and then I’m getting out of here myself.”

“The kitchen’s already clean,” she reported. “All I have out here yet to be washed are the trays and a few mugs.”

“I can easily take care of the rest myself. You did great work, Nan,” I said. “You deserve a bonus for what you did today.”

She looked pleased by the praise. “Please, it was nothing. I’ll see you in the morning.” Nan pulled off her apron, then nodded to Grace as she left, but I wasn’t certain my best friend had even seen her.

Once the door was locked, Grace looked at the large front window open to all of Springs Drive.

“What are you going to do about that?”

I honestly hadn’t given it much thought, though I knew that I should. “I’m working on it.”

Grace nodded absently. “Could we talk in back, Suzanne?” she asked. “It’s so public out here, I feel as though I’m on display.”

“Absolutely.”

As we walked toward the kitchen, I saw her looking at the leftover donuts. “Grace, have you had anything to eat today?”

“There wasn’t a chance,” she admitted.

“Then let’s grab you some donuts and coffee. Would you like anything in particular?”

“I’m so hungry, I’m not all that picky,” she said, and then must have realized how it sounded. “You know what I meant.”

“No apologies needed,” I said as I grabbed her three donuts and a large mug of coffee. Grace was usually a very careful eater, limiting herself to a single donut on rare occasions, but I knew that she could use a boost right now, and I happened to sell them in my shop. I carried her donuts in back, and we took up the stools I kept there for the rare occasions I had company in the kitchen of the donut shop.

I waited until she’d eaten two donuts, and then asked, “How bad was it?”

She sat there in silence for ten seconds, and then admitted, “Honestly, it’s all a blur right now. I can’t believe Peter’s gone, but it’s even worse having folks think that I had something to do with it.”

“No one thinks that, Grace,” I said, doing my best to reassure her.

“What did I say last night? Don’t lie to me, Suzanne. Just about everyone who isn’t in this room right now thinks so.”

I ticked off on my fingers as I said, “I know George believes you, I’m certain Momma does, and Jake even offered to drop the case he’s working on and come here to help us find the real killer.”

“Wow, that’s sweet of him. Okay, I have three allies in the town I grew up in. That’s better than I hoped.”

“You have more than that,” I said. “Just wait. You’ll be amazed by how many people are going to be willing to support you.”

“And even more surprised by how many want to stick a knife in my back the second I turn around,” she added.

“Hey, don’t dwell on the negative. I need you at your best if we’re going to find whoever killed Peter.”

“That’s the real reason that I’m here. Are you sure you don’t mind helping me?” she asked.

“Grace, I would do anything for you; you should know that.” I loved that we were finally going to do something about this. Peter had been dead less than twenty-four hours, but I felt as though we’d been fighting the stigma of his murder for weeks. “We need to make a plan first, and then we can get started. First off, do you have any ideas about who might want to see Peter dead?”

She looked saddened by the question. “That’s just it. I don’t get it. I can’t think of anyone who would want to kill him.”

I looked into Grace’s eyes, and it seemed as though she honestly believed it. I knew that Peter could be charming when it suited his purposes, but I also realized that there had to be a great many people who weren’t all that fond of him. “This is important. I know how you felt about him, but you need to look at this as objectively as you can.”

“Where do I even start?” she asked. The tears started for a second, but she quickly stopped, wiping her eyes as she looked at me.

“Well, you said you found out he was seeing Leah Gentry. I’d say she’s as good as anyone to consider as a possible suspect.”

Grace didn’t even pause to think before she spoke. “Leah might be a snake, but I can’t see her killing him. I can’t imagine
anyone
hating him enough to do it.”

We weren’t getting anywhere. “Grace, maybe I should do this on my own. I’ve got the feeling that your heart’s not in it. I understand completely, but if you want me to investigate, I can’t keep worrying about how you’re going to react to every suggestion I make. We have to both treat this as dispassionately as we can.”

“I can do that, Suzanne,” she insisted.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not so sure that you can.” They were tough words to say, but we had to hash this out right now before I was going to get myself involved in another murder investigation. It was just too risky to do it halfway, so unless I had free rein, with a little help from my friends, I wasn’t sure I could do it.

“Leah could have killed him,” Grace said with a nod. “Especially if she thought he was dumping her for me. I know most folks think she’s harmless, but she’s pretty tough, too. If he broke her heart, she might want to see him dead.”

“Okay,” I said. “That’s good. Now, who else do we have?”

Grace took time to ponder my question now, and after a full minute, she said, “Suzanne, I’m not a big fan of gossip and rumors, but I’ve heard talk behind my back about Peter when we were with some of his so-called friends. It turned out that he wasn’t the angel I might have made him out to be in my mind.”

“I’m listening,” I said, and I grabbed a pen and an old order pad.

The first thing I did was jot Leah’s name down, and beside it I wrote “Scorned Love.”

When I stopped writing, Grace said, “Well, Peter’s brother, Bryan, has to go on our list. The two of them never got along, that was no secret, but there was more animosity between them than I realized at first. Bryan confronted Peter once when we were out on a date in Hickory, and I thought the two of them were going to come to blows in the street, it got so bad.”

That was interesting. “Were they fighting about anything in particular?”