Murder with Earl Grey Tea, page 19
“I imagine so,” Les said with a nod. “Is her birth mother in her life now, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“She is. It was hard at first,” Daisy confessed. “And it still is at times. But I realized if I didn’t let Portia into Jazzi’s life, Jazzi could pull away from me. It really was the best thing to do.”
After a heartbeat of silence, Les said, “Jonas was right about you.”
“In what way?” Daisy joked.
“He told me that some people only see your blond hair and blue eyes and pretty smile. They think that’s all there is to you. But he learned there was so much more right away. I can believe that. I’m a cop. I’m told civilians should stay far away from our investigations, and I always believed that. I think I still do. But I can understand your skills in getting people to talk to you when they won’t talk to the police. That could be a help. I imagine it has been. From the bits and pieces I’ve picked up from Jonas, your latest case involves a friend who was murdered?” His gaze was sympathetic.
“Yes, my friend was murdered. I found her, and that affected me deeply. Still, I’m not making much headway narrowing down suspects. I don’t know if the detectives are. They’re not sharing much.”
“I understand that,” Les said with a nod. “Maybe this time they’ll get to the killer before you do.”
Daisy certainly hoped that was true.
* * *
On Monday morning, as Daisy stood on the property designated for the homeless shelter, the March wind buffeting her, she thought about the weekend and Jonas’s friends. Sunday morning, when they’d left after brunch, they’d wished her and Jonas happiness as they planned their wedding. Daisy knew cops could have a hard shell. But Doug’s and Les’s had cracked a bit.
Turning her attention to the groundbreaking ceremony, she’d supposed this event for New Beginnings was supposed to be festive. Daisy had hoped that more of the residents of Willow Creek would have turned out. But it was a colder day.
Most the shop owners were here. The president of the chamber of commerce had encouraged them to attend. Daisy had catered the last event on this property, and it hadn’t ended in the best of ways. Nevertheless, today everyone was peaceful. A huge green ribbon stretched between two stakes became the centerpiece of the event. The mayor, together with the chamber of commerce president, would be cutting that ribbon with a huge pair of scissors.
Gavin Cranshaw held a shovel that was a symbolic gesture to show that the homeless shelter was indeed in its beginning stages. A loudspeaker system had been set up for the mayor to make a few remarks. He stood at the podium in his suit and tie while more residents gathered. Daisy was glad to see them arrive.
The mayor’s suit coat flapped as he made his remarks. He spoke about what New Beginnings would mean to the community, the jobs it would give residents, as well as the publicity that could reach far and wide about Willow Creek being a caring community.
Jonas linked his arm into Daisy’s. “I hope this project goes off without a hitch. The fundraising efforts have paid off. I think they have most of the funds they need for construction. Gavin says the faster they can build New Beginnings, the more they’ll stay on budget. He doesn’t want supply prices to go up.”
“He told me he’ll have two crews on this, so the work should be done quickly. I’m hoping Gavin’s reputation and the work he does spreads around the area,” Daisy said.
“I know Nola is pleased with the house he built for her. She has some prestige around here, and I know he’s won a few jobs because of her.”
Daisy recognized the town council members, who were milling about a table that had been set up with refreshments. Pastries To Go would be providing hot chocolate and croissants after the speeches and ribbon cutting. The wind blew a stack of napkins off the table. Nan Conroy, who had painted the sign with Jonas, ran to catch them, picking up the scattered napkins and stacking them back on the table. While the Mayor droned on about the history of Willow Creek and its tourist trade, passersby stopped to listen. Daisy glimpsed a tourist bus down the street. Its passengers had exited and were coming their way. Daisy hoped Pastries To Go had enough croissants to go around.
As another gust of breeze whipped by them, Jonas asked Daisy, “Are you warm enough?”
She’d worn her fleece jacket and was glad she had. She leaned into Jonas’s shoulder. “I’m fine. Did you notice some of The Farm Barn staff are here?”
Jonas looked in the direction Daisy was scanning. “That’s Jake Starsky over there, isn’t it? With one of the servers? They look like they’re more than friends.”
Jake had his arm around a pretty redhead. Daisy thought her name was Stacy. Their heads were bent together, and he was whispering something in her ear. However, in the next moment, Daisy noticed Jake take out his phone. He looked as if he were either reading or sending a text. Her gaze canvassing the rest of the crowd, Daisy noticed April. She was also studying her phone. She looked upset.
Was Jake using his phone and April looking at hers connected? Maybe. Maybe not. Many people in the crowd were also checking their phones if they were bored or needing to be in touch with work. They sipped hot chocolate and handled their phones like pros. She imagined everyone tried to stay in touch with the world that way. Daisy preferred to people-watch and hold Jonas’s hand, feeling their connection, being glad for their community, hoping the sun would rise on New Beginnings.
An hour later, after the residents attending the groundbreaking event dispersed, Daisy found she had an unexpected gathering in her spillover tearoom. While wind beat against the building, sun glowed through the diamond-cut front windows.
Daisy loved the spillover tearoom and the afternoon tea service, which included multiple courses and a real love of tea. Her servers had quickly materialized to handle service for the mayor, the chamber president, and other shop owners, who had come along for a short meeting. Daisy and her crew served Earl Grey tea with lemon, honey, sugar, or milk. Cora Sue brought out lemon curd in cut crystal nappies to accompany the cinnamon scones.
Betty Furhman, chamber president, had whispered to her when they’d come in, “The town council will cover refreshments today. Is that okay with you?”
Daisy had smiled at her. “I’ll give them a discount.” The town council and the chamber of commerce often worked together, and that was nice to see.
Heidi Korn from the Rainbow Flamingo, Keith Rebert from Pirated Treasures, and Rachel from Quilts and Notions ordered the potato and leek soup. Daisy served corn cake with a compound butter to accompany it.
Gavin had let the group converse for a while before he stood and spoke to the members who had gathered. He said, “Not many plans have been made for outside landscaping at the homeless shelter, because we didn’t know how funds would stretch. But I’d like to propose something that might not need to come from our construction budget.”
Daniel Copeland, who was assistant manager of the bank, said acerbically, “That would be novel that it’s not going to raise the construction budget.”
Piper Wagner, who was the owner of Wheels, a bike shop, said, “Let’s hear it, Mr. Cranshaw.”
“There are residents of Willow Creek who wanted to get involved in this project but couldn’t afford to donate to the fundraising efforts with the shelter. I’m proposing a project that could involve the community even more. In fact, if we broaden it, it would be a foundation to fund the job counseling program. The town council will have to vote on the idea, of course.”
Heidi Korn said, “We’re on pins and needles. Tell us what it is.”
Gavin proceeded, eager to share his idea. “I’m proposing a brick courtyard with benches. Any resident of Willow Creek could purchase a brick in memory of a loved one. Before we set them, a mason could personalize the bricks. I’ve already checked with a few. The benches would require a higher donation. I’m certainly open to more ideas about it. My son Foster offered to write up the proposal for us and present it to the town council.”
Foster, who was serving today, smiled and waved at everybody. “I’ll be glad to do it. All you have to do is give me your ideas. You can either give them to my dad or text or email them to me at the tea garden. I’d be glad to put it all together.”
Daisy was proud of Foster and the way he’d taken on the responsibilities of fatherhood. She could see he’d also be involved in the community, and that was good for the whole family. It would create a sense of “giving back” for Sammy.
Nan Conroy had joined the group at the tea garden. Now she stood, crossed to Daisy, and pulled her aside. “I wanted you to know I have the clothespin dolls ready for the tea. You’ll have to come over and see them sometime, and make sure they’re exactly what you want.”
“How about this evening?” Daisy asked.
“That would be good. I also wanted to tell you that I think Neil found a buyer for The Farm Barn.”
“Really? Will the new owner keep it intact?”
“I’m not sure about that yet, but I have heard the new owner might not want any reminders of what happened to Lydia. The family-type atmosphere will be gone. He already has a restaurant in York, and I think he’ll model it after that one. He’ll serve cuisine a step up from the family-style meals.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“I think it means he’ll serve whatever’s the most economical for him—not free-range chicken, not grass-fed beef, not homemade desserts. He’ll count on the suppliers he already knows. He’ll utilize a salad bar that can also convert to a buffet at times.”
A totally different look, Daisy thought, totally different service, totally different food.
“Do you know if he’s going to keep on the servers who are there now?”
“That depends. I think he’s interviewing. He’ll keep who he likes and let go who he doesn’t.”
Daisy’s thoughts went to April. Would she be hired to stay? “I’m hoping Neil didn’t lose money on the deal.”
“There’s some concern over bookkeeping over the years, but I’m sure they’ll iron that out.”
Daisy had to wonder just what those concerns were.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Daisy worked in the kitchen at the tea garden alongside Tessa the next day, feeling the need to put her hands into dough, to make cookies, to bake anything that would give someone pleasure. The corn cake was easy, and she didn’t have to keep her mind on what she was doing. She could just do it by rote.
Daisy kept busy that morning going from one task to another, helping where she could, stopping in her office to work on bookwork. It was mid-morning when Cora Sue rapped on her door and poked her head into her office.
“Someone would like to see you in the tea-room.”
“Someone I know?” Daisy asked with a smile.
“Oh, yes. It’s Cade Bankert. He asked if you were busy.”
“Not too busy for him. Tell him I’ll be right out.”
“Do you want a cup of tea?”
“Sure. Give me the Earl Grey with a little bit of honey.”
Daisy had no sooner washed up and gone to sit with Cade when Cora Sue brought her cup of tea and set it in front of her at the table.
Cade had an amused expression on his face when he said, “You seem happy to see me.”
“I am. I’m glad you decided to stop in.” She motioned to the blueberry coffeecake on his plate and his cup of tea. “Are you enjoying it?”
“I am. I’ve missed this place, Daisy. I plan to stop in more often.”
“Good.”
“I do have a purpose today, though. Are you still gathering info about Lydia?”
Was she gathering info about Lydia and all the suspects? Was she wading into investigation territory again? Yes, she was. “I am. Anything that could help us solve the murder, anyway.”
Cade looked thoughtful as he squeezed his slice of lemon into his tea, set the slice on the side of the saucer, and wiped off his fingers. “I spoke with the agent who’s dealing with the Yoders.”
“I hope this isn’t proprietorial information,” Daisy said. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“No problem with this. The deal’s going through. There will be public records.”
“So the sale is going to happen quickly?”
“Oh, yes. I think Titus Yoder wants the money as soon as he can get it. They’re closing in about a week.”
“That is fast. I suppose if they need the funds to run the farm, that’s why they want to seal the deal.”
“Titus and Leah came into the office to sign a few papers. I overheard something that intrigued me.”
“Something you can share?”
“I don’t see why not. Again, it’s going to be public knowledge. Leah said they were going to raise more chickens. She made the comment that at least hers are going to be really free-range, unlike the man who sells to The Farm Barn.”
Daisy was taken by surprise with that remark. The Farm Barn advertised their fried chicken was cooked with free-range chickens.
“Do you think The Farm Barn has been lying about using free-range chickens?”
“I have no idea,” Cade said seriously, picking up his fork and slicing off a piece of the blueberry coffeecake. The blueberries were plump and fragrant. “I thought that might be an avenue you wanted to pursue.”
Did she? She supposed it wouldn’t do any harm to talk to Neil about it.
On her drive to The Farm Barn later that afternoon—another temporary server had been free to come in and cover for her—she considered the fact that Neil was a suspect. Did she think he could have murdered Lydia? She didn’t, but that didn’t mean her instincts were right. She’d been wrong before.
She couldn’t let this go. She had more than one question for Neil. She didn’t suppose the detectives had asked him about free-range chickens. If anything came of it, she’d certainly tell them what she’d learned. That’s what she’d promised Zeke. She thought about calling first to make sure Neil was at The Farm Barn. But then she decided she didn’t want to give him a heads-up. She wanted him to be surprised by her questions; then maybe he’d answer truthfully.
Was that supposing he hadn’t answered truthfully before?
When she parked at The Farm Barn, she saw Neil’s vehicle, and she gave a sigh of relief. He was here.
After she parked, she went to the back door. She found it open, and she peeked inside. It seemed that no one was around. She called, “Neil, are you here?”
He appeared from his office, looking tired and rumpled. He was wearing a dress shirt, but it was open at the collar and didn’t look as if it had been pressed. With it he wore khakis and a pair of loafers, no socks. She hoped he was doing a better job of looking after Frannie than he was looking after himself.
“Can we talk for a few minutes?” she asked, coming inside.
He motioned to her to enter. “Sure, come on in. We can talk in my office. Have you found anything that would clear me?”
“I wish I could say I have, but I haven’t. I do have more questions for you, though.”
He pointed to the chair across from his desk. “Sit and ask. I’d rather talk to you about it than the police.”
“I want you to tell me about your chickens.”
Neil looked perplexed. “I don’t raise chickens.”
“No, but you use a lot of them, and your fried chicken is supposed to be from free-range chickens, right?”
Neil looked frustrated as he pushed around a few papers on his desk and picked up a pen. “Yes, they’re supposed to be. We had been using the same supplier, Holloback Chickens, since we opened The Farm Barn.”
“Had been?”
“I stopped two weeks ago.”
“Can you tell me why?”
He laid both of his hands on the desk, and they curved into fists. “Lydia was noticing something different about them in the past six months, in the taste and in the size.”
Daisy had a feeling that Lydia wouldn’t let that go. “Did she do something about it?”
“She did. She found out Holloback is no longer raising free-range chickens, and most probably, he was feeding them hormones to increase their weight. They had a rousing argument.”
“Holloback was as angry as Lydia was?”
“She said he was. She said his face got all red, and his balding head got all red, and she thought he was going to burst a gasket. We buy a lot of chickens.”
“Was Holloback the man you had an altercation with at the restaurant?”
Neil’s face colored. He clicked his pen on and off. “Yes, it was. That’s when he found out I was using another supplier.”
Neil’s phone rang. It was on his desk, and when he looked down to see who the caller was, his face suddenly went devoid of color. “It’s the police,” he said in a husky voice to Daisy. “I better take this.”
“Should I leave?”
He shook his head, picked up his phone, and answered the call. After a short conversation, Neil ended the call and put down the phone again. “They want me to come down to the station another time, as if they haven’t asked enough questions.”
Daisy could see how upset he was. “If I can help clear you, I will. Not only for your sake, but for Frannie’s. You both deserve to know what happened to Lydia. So that leads me to my next question.”
He looked dejected when he asked, “What’s that?”
“Tell me about the woman that I saw kissing you.”
Neil had looked deflated and dejected before, but now he looked absolutely devastated. He ran his hand down over his face and then stared at her. “I had an affair, but it was over a long time ago. Lydia and I worked hard at repairing our marriage. Mitzi started showing up again after Lydia was killed. She wants to start all over. She thinks that now that I’m free, I’ll want to pick up where we left off. I don’t.”
“Are you sure?” Daisy asked. “Have you given her hope in any way?”
“I haven’t. When I split with her, I told her we were through. I can only think about Frannie and what she needs.”
“Yet this Mitzi still came by and kissed you.”
