She’d certainly been paying better attention to his comings and goings than I ever had.
But my young coworker was also already so distraught over his passing, it seemed wrong to push her for information when that could possibly make things worse for her.
And yet if someone didn’t find out who actually killed Harold—and soon—I could end up taking the blame. Thinking of it in this way made my path obvious.
I cleared my throat and cast my eyes toward the table.“Did things end on bad terms with your mother and father?” I asked, seeing no other option but to nudge her gently and hope for the best.
Kelley sighed and reached for one of the pieces of banana nut bread, then realizing it was still ice cold, placed it back on the plate and wrapped both hands around her to-go cup.“Mom said if she never saw him again it would still be too soon,” she murmured.
“That bad, huh?”
Kelley leaned back against the booth and let her head rest against the worn vinyl cushioning.“Yup.”
“Did I ever tell you about the first time I met Harold?”
Kelley shook her head and her eyes widened.“No, but please do.”
“Well, I was coming in for my interview. Late. And when I showed up, I found him sitting in the office going over his papers while belting out that one song from Phantom of the Opera.”
Kelley sat up straight and actually let out a small chuckle.“No way!”
“Yes, way. And that’s not all…”
I shared the few pleasant memories I had of my former boss, and Kelley proved to be a rapt audience. By the time we’d drained our lattes, I’d run out of stories to pass on. Also the banana bread had at long last thawed.
I lifted a piece and nodded to Kelley before taking a huge, delicious bite. Hey, even though it wasn’t made fresh, it was still freaking delicious.
“So what do you think you’ll do now?” I asked as Kelley picked all the walnuts from her bread and popped them into her mouth one by one.
“My mom’s on her way to pick me up and drive me back home,” she revealed with a grimace.
“Where’s she driving from?” I asked conversationally, although it didn’t escape my notice that Kelley seemed unhappy about her mother’s impending visit.
“Ohio.”
“No way.” I reached across the table and lightly slapped her hand. “I’m from Michigan.”
“Natural enemies,” Kelley teased, referring to our home states’ bitter rivalry. In reality, though, us both being from the Midwest meant we had more in common than not.
I wanted to know more about her mother, just in case she was a person of interest in this investigation. But I had to be careful about how hard I pressed. Hopefully the light playful moment would help me get further with my next line of questioning. Again, the next to last thing I wanted to do was kick Kelley when she was down. The very last thing I wanted to do was go to jail for a crime I had no hand in committing.
“Your mom must be happy that you’re coming back home. Huh?” I ventured, licking my thumb and then pressing it into the crumbs that lay scattered on my plate.
“Yeah.” Kelley said, finally taking a proper bite of her dessert. “Like I said, she never wanted me to come in the first place. She said the only good thing my dad had ever done in his whole life was to give her me.” She smiled shyly.
“Why’d they break up? Did she ever say?”
“She didn’t want to spoil my impression of him. Kind of ironic, huh? She said just to take her at her word and be careful.”
That reminded me of rule number two of being Merlin’s familiar: Do whatever he says without asking any questions.
“I know things didn’t end well, but I think it’s really good you got the chance to meet him,” I offered with a small smile.
Kelley sniffed and shook her head.“I don’t know.”
“You’ll get there,” I said as if speaking from experience.
“You’re probably right.” She shrugged and leaned back in the booth, eyes closed. “It’s just still all fresh and new, and I’m not sure I can handle my mom trash-talking him before he’s even laid to rest.”
“Yeah, that’s hard.” Suddenly I got an idea that could help both of us. “Tell you what, if she gives you any trouble, come see me. Tell her we already had plans before this all happened. I can serve as a buffer.”
Kelley opened her eyes and stared at me in silent shock before saying,“Wow. Thank you, Gracie. You are being so nice.”
“You deserve a friend right now, and I’m willing to bet you need one, too.” I pushed my phone across the table toward her. “Here, enter your phone number, and I’ll text you my address.”
Gracie grabbed at it eagerly and began to type. As she did, a knock sounded on the door to the coffee shop.
I glanced over and immediately recognized the silhouette of the last person I wanted to see just then.
Officer Dash had come to pay us a visit.
12
As soon as we heard the knocking, Kelley immediately jumped up to let the policewoman inside.
Officer Dash smirked when she saw me.“Figures you’d be here, exactly where you aren’t supposed to be.”
“We were scheduled to work today,” Kelley explained, jumping straight to my rescue. Now that I was getting to know her better, I really did like her.
“Well, sorry to say, this place of business is closed until further notice.” Dash didn’t look sorry, though. Not one bit.
“Do you have any idea when that might be?” I asked, gathering the two empty plates and taking them back to the small sink we used to keep things tidy.
Dash’s eyes followed me, tracing every movement. “Not until we conclude our investigation and Harris’s attorney settles his estate.”
“Do you happen to know who’s handling his will?” Kelley asked, tucking her hair behind each ear and glancing down. Well, at least I wasn’t the only person intimidated by the brusque policewoman. Still, this was the last thing that poor Kelley needed right now.
“That’s private family business,” Officer Dash snapped, only glancing toward Kelly for a moment before staring me down again.
“I know,” Kelley mumbled as she studied her shoes. “I’m his daughter.”
“If you’re meant to be included, his attorney will contact you,” the officer explained with a hard gaze. “How come you didn’t disclose your relationship with the deceased the first time we talked?”
Kelley shook her head.“I’m still coming to terms with all of this.”
“They were estranged,” I piped up. “Until very recently.”
“Interesting.” Officer Dash pulled out that little steno notebook of hers and jotted a few things down. “Do you mind accompanying me to the station for a few questions?”
Kelley’s eyes widened in horror.
“Is that really necessary?” I argued, moving in front of Kelley protectively. “Can’t you see how upset she already is?”
“Oh, did I hurt your little friend’s feelings?” she asked with a cruel smile. “Silly me, I was just trying to bring a murderer to justice here!”
Officer Dash stomped her foot, and Kelley’s trembling fingers reached for my arm.
I turned to face my frightened young colleague.“You didn’t do anything wrong, which means you’ve got nothing to hide. Even this one is going to see that,” I said, hooking a thumb back toward a very cranky Officer Dash.
“Stay?” Kelley begged.
“I really need to question each suspect separately,” the policewoman informed us.
Kelley gasped.“Suspect?”
“Look, she’s a little rough around the edges—okay, a lot. But she can’t do a thing to you. You have my number now, call me anytime you need me. Any reason.”
Kelley nodded, and I stepped aside.
“Ever ridden in the back of a cop car before?” Officer Dash asked with a bemused expression, sending Kelley shrinking back.
“Enough,” I growled. As soon as this investigation was over, I would be filing a big fat complaint about Officer Dash’s lack of professionalism. Anonymously, of course.