A Cup of Murder (Roasted Love Cozy 1)

Without voicing it, I hoped Jacob would be there every day until the day he decided to close his business permanently. Until today, that day had been a long distance away. I shook my head to clear it of all negative thoughts.

“I’m sure the police will be in Roasted Love tomorrow,” said Jacob. “They haven’t questioned me yet but I certainly know I’m on their list of suspects.” He gave a crooked smile. “Don’t worry, Laila, I’ve heard the rumors, too. I expect them to come.”

He stood up to go and gave me a hug. I tried to keep the tears at bay that threatened to spill from my eyes and managed until he closed the door behind him. I opened the door again when he got to the end of the sidewalk.

“Wait, Jacob, before you go I want to tell you that you aren’t the only suspect they are looking at,” I said.

I had forgot to mention that in our conversation. I told him about Jen’s visit with me in the alley earlier that day. The look of relief on Jacob’s face was startling. He turned from me and waved, a changed man. I heard him say ‘thanks’ in a low voice that told me my news caused an emotional response.

That night I slept soundly and didn’t awake until my alarm pierced my sleep. I felt confident that after telling Jacob about Jen Perry, he would get through police interrogations easier. Lily and Janie sided with him and, of course, I remained loyal to the man. Several shop owners had stopped by Roasted Love the day before offering their support. Jacob was well established on the Piazza and many knew him for his ability to send his customers to their shops over the years, and that resulted in a tight-knit group of business people.

I noted with satisfaction that Roasted Love had more customers that morning than the week before. Happy to see the increase, I sincerely regretted that Michael’s death was responsible for some of it. The yellow tape hung limply around Sunrise and the flashing lights on the shop were muted. Two police cars parked in front of the coffee house told me they were still combing the premises. There were no signs of Jen Perry. That was no surprise since, until it opened again, there was no reason for her to be there.

I pulled into my space on the side of Roasted Love and cringed in fear when I saw Michael’s monster staring at me. The Doberman stood watching me with an intensity I didn’t know dogs could muster. I made it into the shop and looked out the side window of the kitchen. He was still standing there. Grabbing a couple of biscuits and a bowl of water, I went out the back door hoping to make friends somehow with the dog. I was on my own. No Michael appeared to save me this time. He slowly came toward me. Hunger supersedes hatred I supposed. He eagerly lapped the water and dove into the biscuits and in less than four bites had devoured them. Thor looked at me as if a small lost puppy and my heart was won. I fed him a few more biscuits with butter this time. I had no idea who would take the dog’s ownership over. I was sure Jen had no interest and wondered if Michael’s wife cared. I had never seen her around Sunrise in the past. I decided if no one claimed him by the end of the day, I would try to take care of him.

When I went back inside of Roasted Love, I came to the front area just in time to see two cops enter. In times past, they were there to take a coffee break. Today, they asked me if Jacob Weaver was around. Reluctantly, I led them back to Jacob’s office.

“Jacob, these officers want to talk to you.”

Silently, he stood up and shook hands with both policemen and they all settled down as if they were there for a social visit. My glance toward Jacob questioned him whether or not I should stay. He told me to go ahead and take care of customers. I left him on his own. I was glad to see he was relaxed since that should speak volumes to the interrogators. I closed the door behind me as one policeman began asking questions.

After an hour or so I found myself constantly looking at the clock on the wall. How many questions did they have for Jacob? Janie came in the kitchen and picked up more raspberry muffins and sesame bagels. I believe her look was one of reproach since I wasn’t doing my part. The coffee shop was filling up and I knew it was time for me to pitch in. I told Janie I would be right out. I had to get my mind off Jacob and the policemen in the office. Besides, with our clientele returning I didn’t want to give negative vibes. I was sure most were there to observe activities inside and outside Roasted Love but it never hurt to give them good service.

Forty-five more minutes elapsed and the crowd in the coffee house thinned out. I started cleaning up the kitchen when I heard Jacob’s voice. Obviously, he was agitated. I quickly closed the door into the outer service area a little more securely. Voices and noise rarely escaped through to the area reserved for customers.

“I did not murder Michael Simms,” said Jacob. “I disliked the man and resented him taking customers away from Roasted Love, but that doesn’t mean I killed him.”

His tone was measured but loud enough for me to hear from the closed door. I heard a chair shuffle on the tiled floor and concentrated on placing dishes in the dishwasher rack. No one came through the office door. Low tones from one of the cops floated out. It was as if he talked with a child. Squeezing the dishcloth, I clinched my teeth. How dare they talk down to Jacob that way? An irate tone escaped my boss when he spoke next.

“I worked on books late that night. I left at ten or so. I went straight home. I fell asleep in my chair watching television. I woke up enough to get to bed around one in the morning. I overslept. I came straight to work.”

Apparently Jacob was repeating in a nutshell all the answers he had already given them.

“Surely you can understand our concerns, Mr. Weaver,” said one. “You did spend time in prison for assault so that tells us you could very well have hurt someone again.”

“I didn’t talk with, nor did I go near him at all since a week ago. I did spend three years in prison for assault but that was eleven years ago. My record is clean ever since then. I learned my lesson and have no intention of putting myself in a position that means jail time ever again.”

I hoped Jacob wouldn’t lose his temper. Chairs scraped against the floor again. A minimal amount of shuffling ensued and both officers left out the back door knowing they had nothing on Jacob to arrest him. The door to the office was ajar. Jacob sat at his desk with his face in his hands. I knocked gently on the oak frame. He looked up and commented about the ordeal in brief terms. He fumed and I realized that his anger was the last emotion the cops observed in him.

“Why don’t you go on home and recoup?” I said. “We can handle it from here.”

“I want to remain visible. I think it will h

elp keep down some of the gossip.” His head returned to hands and his body slumped.

Janie appeared. “A man who said he was here yesterday has a couple of paintings he wants you to look at, Jacob.”

Her face relaxed when she saw Jacob as he emerged from his office. His anger a minute ago was in check. He knew how to put on a good front. I followed Jacob to where the artist stood shifting from one foot to the other. The paintings were interesting to say the least but I personally didn’t see much quality in either of them. I thought they should be something more eclectic than stiff still life scenes. I knew Jacob would give Pierre a chance anyway and find a spot for them once price and information were provided.

Chapter Six

My eyes diverted to a car across the street. The politician, who was in Roasted Love the day before, got out of a blue BMW and approached one of the officers looking around the front door. He was slim and fit with blond hair that was cropped close. There was something familiar about him that I couldn’t put my finger on. They spoke for several minutes and one cop accompanied the man into Sunrise. Lily wiped a table down near me and I asked her if she knew who that man was.

“I wasn’t paying attention. Maybe he was an insurance representative or someone like that.”

I told her I was sure he was a politician who had run for office in the last election. She shrugged her shoulders which told me she most likely had not voted or she held no interest in politics. I was curious about him and why he was allowed to go into Sunrise unless he was someone with close ties to the police, as well as people in politics. Though he seemed very familiar to me, I decided the stress we were all under kept me from placing him. He had not returned to Roasted Love, to my knowledge.

I thought about asking Jacob ,but from what I could hear, he was dropping things right and left in the kitchen. Pierre had left, minus two paintings that leaned against the back of the counter, again ordering nothing. When I went back to see what was going on, Jacob threw his hands in the air and stalked to his office. I took him a cup of his favorite coffee drink, a simple black espresso with no flavors, or as he put it ‘no fanfare.’ He mumbled thanks and told me he needed to be alone and then he looked up at me.