It could have been my imagination but Eddie seemed to be banging pans more than usual.
"Janie thought she saw you and the Senator early this morning a couple of blocks from here.
"Really? It must have been someone that looks like me. I don’t get up any earlier than I have to."
My cell phone rang. It was Daniel Jenkins. My heart skipped a beat and I hoped my voice was steady.
"Laila, will you have a break soon?"
"I can take a short one now. Are you in the neighborhood?"
"I’m a half block from Roasted Love. Meet me outside in the back."
I told Lily I was going to take a short break. Taking my apron off, I looped it on the hook by the back door. Daniel and I met just as he came around to the back. I let Thor off his leash and he happily walked along the alley with us.
"I want to tell you something I learned about Michael Simms," said Daniel. "Did you know he had terminal cancer?" The look on my face told him I did not. "He was in stage four with lung cancer."
"I wonder if whoever killed him knew that," I said.
Daniel shrugged his shoulders, "I doubt that, since the murderer would have just waited for Michael to die of the disease if he knew he was terminally ill." Daniel watched me in a way that confused me.
"Is there something else you know about all of this?" I asked him.
"I was told it was a matter of weeks before it would have gotten him."
"What? He didn't even appear the slightest bit ill," my head was spinning. "That seems like something his family would know. And that means that two of my suspects are probably eliminated. It doesn't make sense that James would have had a reason to hurry his death along," I reasoned. "I haven't even figured out a reason why he'd want him dead."
"Or what about Michael's wife, Leticia?" I continued. "I had her on my list, too. At least she had a motive. But, surely, if she wanted him dead, she could have waited a couple weeks for him to die naturally rather than poisoning him and risk getting caught."
Marianne Andrews flashed in my mind. She could easily have had motive. Michael paid her off for some unknown reason. And he left his business to her. Maybe she was greedy. She may have killed him if she thought he was responsible for her son’s death.
Or my other suspect, Jen Perry. She had motive and mea
ns.
"I can see that private eye mind whirling," said Daniel.
I told him what I was thinking.
"Where would Jen Perry get belladonna?" he asked.
"Where would any of our suspects have gotten it?" I countered. I could be as good a devil’s advocate as him.
A new sudden thought crept into my mind. "Do you think it's possible that Michael committed suicide, and as a last act of revenge, tried to frame Jacob?
"I don’t know. I’m a paramedic, not a detective." The laughter in his eyes wasn’t lost on me. "I talked with my cop friend. He is impressed with your work so far."
"Don’t tease me. I’m trying to get Jacob back home."
"I’m not teasing you. He really is impressed."
"I’ll take that for now. See you later?" I had to get back to work.
"I’ll give you a call."
Daniel’s praise was enough to get me through the rest of the day. Thor headed for his leash. What dog would be so willing? He deserved a dog biscuit. I returned to work with so much stuff in my head it was hard to concentrate on frappes and cappuccinos.
"Looks like you and that paramedic are becoming very good friends," said Lily.