Hot Coffee Iced Santa (Roasted Love Cozy 2)

"Frank wasn't the only dishwasher that worked in the kitchen," I reminded him. "There were also Chef's helpers in and out. There is the Chef himself. What is his name?"

"Steven introduced me once when he first hired him. I think his name is Peter. Seems like he has an Irish last name but I don't recall that right now."

"Maybe the Chef lured him into the freezer to help him. Or is Peter Whoever strong enough to pull him in there?"

"He is tall and looks able enough. But you have to remember that Steven said when he left for the night, Frank Duvall was there alone. Frank could have left the door ajar with the intention of coming back later for some reason."

I didn't want to say it at this point, but it was Steven's word against no one alive to verify that. After an hour, we hadn't made much headway but I had a lot to think about. I stood up and told Daniel I had to get home. When he walked me out to my car the snow was coming down heavier.

"I shouldn't have kept you this long. It looks like the streets are getting bad. Do you want me to drive you home? You can get your car tomorrow when the streets are cleared."

"I hear the snowplows in the distance. Thanks, but I'll be all right. I have snow tires on and four wheel drive. I learned the hard way my first winter here." I laughed, remembering. "When I first moved north, I skidded all over the roads on my regular southern tires. I didn't know that you had to have snow tires on your car in New York. Something else I found out the hard way." I told him how I was stopped when I skidded onto a sidewalk and couldn't get out of a snowdrift.

Daniel smiled and leaned toward me. He kissed me goodnight and hurried back to his warmth. "Drive safely and call me when you get home," he said over his shoulder. I saw him standing in the window looking out until I pulled away and successfully navigated onto the street.

The next morning the ground was covered with snow but streets were cleared for everyone who had someplace to go. I arrived at Roasted Love on time. A few customers were there drinking their early morning expressos before going to work. When I clocked in, I noticed the newspaper on the edge of the counter in the kitchen.

"Laila, will you take the paper out to the front when you go?" asked Jacob. "I haven't had time to get it out for the customers yet."

"Sure," I said.

My eyes caught the headlines about the dead Santa found in the freezer at Steven's Steakhouse. I sat down at the small table near the back of the kitchen and began reading the article.

"That was too bad what happened at that restaurant," said Jacob. He pointed to the article I couldn't take my eyes from. "Go ahead and read it if you haven't seen it, Laila."

I nodded my head and started reading. Frank Duvall's name was mentioned and his age of fifty-five. It stated he was an evening dishwasher at the restaurant. The reporter who wrote the article mentioned there were no suspects but the police were following every lead. In the meantime, Steven's Steakhouse would be closed for two days.

There was nothing in the article that said anything about the broken lock on the freezer door. No signs of forceful entry to the restaurant were mentioned either. The cops were giving out selective information.

I thought about Steven Landers. Two days would hurt his revenue. Without a doubt, he had a huge dilemma on his hands. I wondered if he had any idea who could have murdered his dishwasher, aka Santa.

I took the daily paper out to the front of the coffee house and laid it on the counter. We had most of the holiday decorations up but there was more to do. When customers thinned out the next afternoon, I knew how I would spend my break. I noticed two new paintings were hanging on the wall to the left of the entrance. Jacob was successful in helping fledgling artists in getting known. Without a doubt, people would purchase nearly all that were on the walls. Christmas neared and anyone with an eye for art would have a hard time passing them by.

That evening I left work at the same time as Jacob and Lily. Jacob glanced at my tires. "It looks like you have a low front tire, Laila," he said. "You may want to get that checked. I can follow you to the convenience store and air it up for you."

I agreed with him. I didn't want to have a flat tire in this weather. Once the tire was aired, Jacob and I parted company. I needed to get home. Thor waited for me and I knew he would be hungry, as usual. A block from home, I felt the car pull to the right. Streets were cleared and I had a sinking feeling it was the tire. When I pulled to the side of the road and got out, I discovered the tire was completely flat. A nail or something must have caused it to lose air. Digging for my cell, an SUV pulled up behind me.

"Laila, looks like you have some car trouble," said Steven Landers.

I was too shocked to ask what he was doing in the neighborhood. Had he followed me? Maybe he was at the convenience store when Jacob aired the tire. Or, I thought, he could have followed me all the way from Roasted Love. The eerie feeling that swept over me couldn't be helped. I managed to stumble words out of my mouth.

"I'm calling Daniel. He is supposed to be at my house tonight anyway," I lied.

"Well, let me help you before you freeze to death," he said.

I thought those words were a poor choice considering his recent problem at his restaurant. I opened the trunk of my car and he quickly pulled the spare out. Then he knelt in the snow and in a few minutes had the good tire on. When he stood up, he reached for my car keys.

"I'll put the bad tire in your trunk."

Without another word, he had the keys and the tire was in the trunk. When he handed my car keys back to me, I thought he spent a few seconds too long when he folded his fingers around my hand. Once in his SUV, he turned around in a driveway and drove back in the opposite direction.

I could feel sweat on the palms of my hands under wool gloves.

Chapter Four

When I started my shift at Roasted Love the next day, I was still a little shaken. Something wasn't right about how Steven had shown up a block from my house. I wasn't sure I would tell Daniel just yet about my encounter with his best friend.

"I like that winter scene, don't you, Laila?"