Caffeine & Killers (Roasted Love Cozy 3)

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When I opened the door to my home, I found Jacob sitting comfortably in my easy chair watching TV. Thor had his head resting on Jacob’s knee. "I hope you found something to eat, Jacob. You know you didn’t have to stay here with Thor the whole time."

"I brought in some burgers and fries for myself," said my boss. "I did get into that bottle of wine you've got, for one small glass. Not bad. How was your evening out?"

"Oh, I had a great time. Went out with my friend Anna Masters. I don't get to see her nearly enough."

"Well, good. You need a little down time."

"Sure." I debated whether or not to say anything about my ongoing private investigation of John's death. I'd promised Daniel I would not tell Jacob about the official notes that he'd shared with me. And Officer Leo Swenson wouldn’t appreciate that information going out to just anyone, either.

"Did any calls come in for me?" I asked, as Jacob got up from the easy chair and picked up his jacket.

"I heard your house phone ring a couple of times, but I'm not about to check your messages." He did have a sense of humor.

"Oh, that's all right. Thanks for taking care of Thor."

Jacob just waved his hand. "My pleasure. I like hanging out with him. See you tomorrow, Laila." He opened the door and left, closing it again rather loudly behind him.

I went straight into my bedroom and checked my messages, but neither was from Daniel – it was nothing but telemarketers. I was just sitting on the edge of the bed feeling disappointed when my cell rang.

My heart leapt when I saw Daniel’s name. "Hey! How are you?" I said, a little breathless.

"Hey, Laila. I’m sorry I haven’t called you sooner. I guess I just needed time to cool off."

It seemed to me that twenty-four hours was plenty long enough for that, but I didn't mention it. "It’s all right, Daniel. I know I upset you. And I'm sorry."

"Laila, I just don't want you walking into stuff that's far more dangerous than you realize. Okay?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Okay." It was nice to have somebody worry about me, I had to admit.

"So – you're going to leave the investigating up to the cops from now on. Right?"

I hesitated. And that wasn’t lost on Daniel. He sighed deeply. "Laila – just don’t go back down to West River’s Skid Row. That’s the most I can ask of you."

Suddenly I really wanted to talk to him about John’s death. "Daniel," I said, "I could sure use you as a sounding board. I respect your concerns. I really do. It’s just that – I miss John and I feel pretty bad about him dying alone on the street. That shouldn't happen to anyone."

He paused, and I was sure he was smiling. "I miss our talks, too, Laila. I’m on call for the rest of tonight, but can I take you out for dinner tomorrow? Or if you want, we could get take-out someplace and just stay in."

I jumped at the invitation. "You bet."

"Okay, then. I'll bring Chinese to your place tomorrow evening."

"Perfect. See you then."

I hung up the phone, feeling better than I had for quite some time.

Chapter Ten

While working at Roasted Love the next day, it was hard to keep my mind on my job. I kept thinking of Councilman Calvin Carpenter and my talk with him.

Somehow I had to find a way to get into his files at his campaign headquarters. He'd said how much he wanted the homeless to "just disappear." In my mind, there was a very real possibility that he was responsible for the murder of poor John.

But actually killing someone would have been a huge risk for the councilman, I reminded myself. By the time I'd left his headquarters the other day, he was already suspicious of me for just

wandering in and asking to work on his campaign. My little ruse hadn't been lost on him.

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