Northwest Cozy Mysteries #1 Read online

  Jake opened the car door for DeeDee before going around to the driver’s side. “How was your day?” he asked, as he got into the car and started the engine.

  “I have lots to tell you,” DeeDee said as she looked at Jake and thought how handsome he was. He was clean shaven, and she could tell his hair had just been combed. He wore a blue button-down shirt and jeans that added to his masculine appearance.

  “How did your meeting with Shane go?”

  DeeDee smiled. “I think it went well. I’ll tell you all about it at the restaurant. The best part is when I got home after meeting Shane, there were two messages on the answer machine about booking catering events. Maybe I’ll be able to make a go of Deelish after all.”

  Jake looked over at DeeDee and grinned. “That’s fantastic. What are the events?”

  “One’s for the annual Bainbridge Island Garden Tour which takes place in July. The organizers of the event want the last garden on the tour to serve several different kinds of cookies for the tour participants, kind of a thank you to them for purchasing tickets for the tour.”

  “Cookies are always a good thing,” Jake said, nodding. “You could get lots of business from something like that.”

  “Yes, that’s what I thought. The second call was from a woman whose husband is hosting a summer party for his office staff. She said it would be for approximately thirty people, on a Sunday afternoon. Her husband’s going to take them for boat rides, and then the guests can swim in the pool at their home. She wants it to be an upscale casual buffet with appetizers, a meal with several courses, and dessert. We made an appointment for next week to finalize the details.”

  “I’m really happy for you, DeeDee,” Jake said. “I think things are going to work out just fine.”

  After they arrived at the restaurant and were seated on the outdoor patio, Jake asked her again about Shane.

  “You were right about him being a nice guy. It was obvious he was upset about Lisa,” DeeDee said.

  “That’s understandable.”

  DeeDee took a sip of wine. After her busy day, the chilled sauvignon blanc was both refreshing and relaxing. “I told him about the situation with Deelish, and how I was concerned that bad publicity could ruin it. Shane was very gracious about it and said he’d be happy to help. He mentioned his ex-girlfriend. I think I should try to find out what I can about her.”

  “Who was that?” Jake asked.

  DeeDee pulled the piece of paper out of her purse with the notes she’d made earlier after she’d spoken to both Cassie and Shane. “Joan Adams. Shane had been living with her before he became involved with Lisa. It sounded like a messy breakup, and who knows? She might have been jealous, maybe even jealous enough to kill Lisa.”

  “I’ll call my assistant, Rob, and ask him to find out what he can about her. If anyone can track her down, he can.”

  When dinner was served, DeeDee took a bite of the gooey cheesy pasta dish, laced with generous pieces of crabmeat and said, “You’re right, Jake, this mac and cheese is absolutely fabulous.” DeeDee wiped her chin with her napkin and hoped she hadn’t missed any sauce on her face.

  “I have some news too,” Jake said. “You remember Dan Hewson, the Chief of Police?”

  DeeDee nodded, savoring another mouthful of the delicious meal.

  “Dan’s a friend of mine, so I called him earlier today to see if the coroner had given out any more information regarding the results of the autopsy. The in-depth examination clearly backed up his earlier statement as to the cause of Lisa’s death. It was exactly what Dan and I both thought when we were at the scene of the murder. Lisa was smothered to death.”

  “How did you know or suspect that?” DeeDee asked.

  “Cutting off a person’s oxygen supply explodes the capillaries in the victim’s body which results in what’s called petechial hemorrhaging. It shows in the whites of the eyes. It’s what Dan and I both saw in Lisa’s eyes at the crime scene, and that’s what the coroner found when he did the autopsy.”

  “What a horrible way to die,” DeeDee said, pushing her bowl away. She’d lost her appetite and was glad he hadn’t told her the grisly details of Lisa’s death before she’d eaten most of her dinner.

  “I agree. The coroner said she was probably smothered since there were no bruises or scrapes on her neck indicating she’d been strangled. Dan also told me they’d run tests on your food and hadn’t found any problems with it.”

  DeeDee shuddered. “Well, at least that’s good news, but who do you think murdered her? Do you have any hunches about that?”

  Jake shook his head. “When several names begin to surface as possible suspects, I like to spend some time going over each one. I’d like to do that now, you know the old saying, two heads are better than one.”

  “Yes, I think that’s a good idea. Do you want me to take some notes while we talk?” DeeDee asked.

  “Sure.”

  DeeDee took a pen from her purse and used the piece of paper that had the notes on it that she’d made earlier.

  “Okay,” Jake said, “Here’s what we know so far. First, there’s Bernard Metz, the gallery owner. From what we’ve heard, we know he hated Lisa, so he had a motive, but he was inside the house with the other dinner guests when Lisa was murdered. How could he kill her when the murder took place in Marlene’s back yard? I suppose he could have excused himself to go to the bathroom, snuck outside, killed Lisa, and then quickly returned to the dinner party.”

  “The second possible suspect, and maybe he should be first,” DeeDee said, “is Matt Benson, the artist. He hated Lisa because she wouldn’t display his work at her gallery. Why don’t you see what Rob can find out about him?”

  Jake gave DeeDee an admiring glance. “You’re getting good at this, DeeDee. Maybe my career’s in jeopardy, and I’d better watch out,” he said laughing. “Next, there’s Shane’s ex-girlfriend, Joan Adams. She lived on the island with him, so she probably knows it pretty well, and she may even have people here she could stay with or maybe she even still lives here. Is there anyone else?”

  “Maybe. I spoke to my friend Cassie today,” DeeDee said, “and I think I need to try to talk to the woman who was Marlene’s assistant, Katie, to see if I can pick anything up from her. She was fired from her job, and Cassie saw her this morning at the museum. Cassie thought she acted kind of strange.”

  “I agree. She definitely should be looked at as a suspect.”

  When they finished dinner, Jake excused himself to step outside and call Rob. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, bending down and kissing the top of DeeDee’s head. While he was gone, DeeDee doodled on the piece of paper with the suspects names on it, wondering which, if any, of the four suspects had murdered Lisa.

  “I asked Rob to find out whatever he can about those people,” Jake said when he returned to the table. “Addresses, phone numbers, ties to the island, you name it. Rob said he’ll have the information for me first thing in the morning. DeeDee, I have something I want to say.” He reached across the table and held her hand. His face was serious as he continued.

  “You need to be very careful, DeeDee. If one of these people is the murderer, you’re going to soon be on their radar, if you’re not already. Of course, it could simply be a case of Lisa being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I think that’s highly unlikely.”

  DeeDee’s other hand shook as she took a gulp of her wine. “Are you saying they could try and kill me?”

  Jake didn’t flinch. “I don’t want you to worry, DeeDee. While I had Balto, I trained him along with the other dogs. Although huskies are generally not thought of as guard dogs, Balto exhibited an extremely overprotective attitude that was not in keeping with the traits the breeders want to see in a good sled dog. In other words, he’s an excellent guard dog for you to have. That’s another reason they couldn’t use him. Now, on a similar note, do you have a gun?”

  DeeDee giggled. All she could think about was trying to tell Roz she was now p
acking a gun. She could just imagine what Roz would say to that.

  “Nope, no gun.”

  Jake frowned. “In that case, since I can see that Balto’s bonded with you, I think it would be a good idea for you to take him with you wherever you go, like when you try to see those two women, Joan and Katie, tomorrow.”

  DeeDee was sure Jake was just being overprotective, and it probably came from things that had happened when he’d been investigating other cases, but since he was being so serious about it, she felt she didn’t have any other choice.

  “Jake, I have no idea what I’d say to either one of them if it turns out I do have a chance to talk with them. For one thing, we don’t know if Joan is on the island or where she is. Bernard and Matt were easy for me to talk to, because there was a reason I was going there.”

  “Wait until I hear from Rob in the morning. He may find out something you can use. If you don’t mind, we should probably leave now. I have an early meeting in the city, and you probably have a big day ahead of you.” Jake threw a roll of bills on the table, and took DeeDee’s hand as they walked out to his car.

  “Thanks for dinner,” DeeDee said. “The crab mac and cheese was every bit as good as you said it would be.”

  “We’ll have to go there again. It’s one of my favorite places to eat on the island,” Jake said, squeezing her hand.

  When they arrived back at DeeDee’s, Jake walked her to the deck where Balto was waiting by the door. He yipped happily when he saw them.

  “Tell you what. I’ll take Balto for a walk before I go.”

  “Thanks, Jake. I appreciate it. It seems all that dog wants is to be taken on walks.”

  A few minutes later they returned. “Night, DeeDee. I’ll call you in the morning as soon as I hear from Rob.” He kissed her lightly and walked back to his car.

  CHAPTER 18

  The next morning DeeDee watched Balto wrestling on the deck with his toy rabbit while she made a pot of coffee and thought about what Jake had said last night concerning her possibly being on the murderer’s radar. The idea that someone would try to kill her seemed ridiculous, but it probably never had occurred to Lisa either. DeeDee decided not to mention it to Roz, because she knew Roz was already worried about DeeDee’s safety.

  Balto walked over to her holding the toy rabbit in his mouth and dropped it at DeeDee’s feet, indicating he wanted to play his new favorite game.

  “Okay, Balto,” DeeDee said, picking up the rabbit. “Are you ready?” She lifted her hand which held the rabbit, and that was Balto’s signal to start racing into the garden. By the time she’d thrown the rabbit through the air and across the grass, Balto was waiting at the other end to catch it.

  “Good fetch, Balto,” DeeDee shouted as he came running back to do it all over again. Just then DeeDee’s phone rang, and Jake’s name appeared on the screen. She looked down at Balto and said, “Rabbit frisbee is going to have to wait for a little while.”

  “Rob just called me, and here’s what he found out,” Jake said. “Shane’s ex-girlfriend, Joan, is working at a Starbucks here on the island.”

  DeeDee interrupted him. “I know where it is. I’ve even been there with Tammy.”

  “That’s good because you can probably talk to her there. Marlene’s assistant, Katie, the one who got fired from her position at the museum, lives in an apartment by herself on Queen Ann Hill. She has a boyfriend, but evidently he doesn’t live there. Katie has a master’s degree in fine art from the University of Washington, and she doesn’t have a police record. According to what Rob was able to find out, none of the four possible suspects have a rap sheet. Katie worked at the museum for ten years, and before that bounced around at a number of local galleries. If you have a pen, I’ll give you her information.”

  DeeDee carefully wrote down the address and phone details about Katie as he gave them to her.

  “He couldn’t find any information about Metz, the gallery owner, other than what you already know,” Jake continued.

  DeeDee wondered if that meant they should rule Bernard out as a possible suspect, but Jake was still talking. “What I find interesting is that the parents of Matt Benson live on the island. He grew up here, and went to the University of Washington as well. As you know, he lives in Seattle, but his parents don’t live too far from you, so he definitely has ties to the island. Here’s their address.”

  DeeDee jotted it down. “I know where that is, and you’re right, it’s not far from me.”

  “I’m going to be busy most of the day, but I’m still planning on coming over for dinner tonight. And DeeDee,” Jake said and paused. “Do me a favor and make sure your phone’s charged. If anything happens, no matter how minor you think it is, call 911.”

  DeeDee had a fleeting thought that maybe she should add 911 to her favorite contacts, so she could voice activate the call by saying it aloud if she had to. She hoped nothing that dramatic would ever be necessary, but it would be quicker than dialing the 911 number.

  “Thanks, Jake.”

  Balto was waiting patiently at DeeDee’s feet for her to finish the call, but she didn’t feel like playing any more. “We have to go out, Balto,” she said, rising from her chair. “Which one of the women do you think we should visit first?”

  “Woof,” Balto responded, chewing on his toy rabbit.

  DeeDee thought for a moment, and looked at the notes she’d made when she’d talked to Jake. “I think we’ll go to Seattle first, Balto. Let’s visit Marlene’s assistant, Katie Harris, and see what we can find out. We’ll come back to the island and see if Joan’s working at Starbucks this afternoon. How does that sound? You were probably on the ferry when Jake brought you down here with some of your littermates, but this time it will just be you and me. I bet you’ll love it.”

  On the ferry, DeeDee came up with a plan for what she’d say to Katie Harris. She decided to tell her she needed someone to do research on an art history project she was involved in, and Marlene had recommended her. DeeDee knew enough about art to be confident she could make it sound believable, and if she offered a generous fee for the research project, Katie might be tempted to take it, since she was out of work.

  “Easy, Balto, we’re almost there,” DeeDee said as the ferry eased up to the dock in Seattle. Balto had been nervous on the ferry ride, and she’d kept him on a tight leash. DeeDee was glad she hadn’t brought his toy rabbit, because she was pretty sure it would have ended up in the Sound.

  When they got off the ferry, DeeDee drove to the Queen Ann Hill area of Seattle and immediately found a parking space, which was pretty unusual for that part of town. “Okay, Balto, let’s go meet Katie.” Balto jumped out of the car and walked next to her while DeeDee looked for the address Jake had given her. After a few minutes, she found it and walked into the large apartment building. Once they were inside, she looked at the names and apartment numbers and easily found Katie’s.

  When they got to Katie’s apartment, DeeDee’s hand was shaking as she knocked on the door. Balto sat down next to her, calm and alert.

  She heard a woman’s voice answering the knock from behind the door. “Who’s there?” the voice asked.

  “Katie? It’s DeeDee Wilson. I wanted to talk to you about doing some work for me.” DeeDee waited, hoping Katie would open the door. She looked down at Balto who was also waiting to see what would happen. There was silence on the other side of the door, and then she saw Balto’s ears twitch as he picked up the sound of the doorknob being turned. The door opened about an inch, and the shadow behind it spoke.

  “What kind of work do you want to talk to me about?”

  “It’s paid research. I got your name from Marlene Palmer, at the museum. She recommended you. I need some help with an art history project I’m involved in regarding some early artists who worked on Bainbridge Island.”

  The door opened a little further, and Balto started sniffing.

  “What’s with the dog?” the voice asked.

  “He’s a medica
l dog. He senses when I’m going to have an epileptic attack, and he goes everywhere with me.”

  “You better not have an attack here,” the voice said. A thick-set woman with messy hair appeared from behind the door, dressed in a robe that was clearly in need of being washed. “You might as well come in.”

  DeeDee and Balto followed Katie into the living room of the apartment. An empty wine bottle and a dirty glass were on the coffee table next to a plate with the remains of last night’s dinner. Balto started to head for the plate, but DeeDee pulled him back. The room smelled musty, and DeeDee wished she could open a window and let in some fresh air. She tried to breathe through her mouth the whole time she was talking with Katie about the imaginary art history project.

  “You said Marlene recommended me?” Katie asked, raising her eyebrows.

  “Yes, she spoke very highly of you. She told me the two of you had worked together for a number of years, and she couldn’t think of anyone better for the project.”

  Katie’s eyes widened, then she looked down at the table, chewing her lip. “I might be interested,” Katie said after a while, looking up again at DeeDee. “I need the money, but I don’t know much about Bainbridge Island. I’ve only been there once.”

  “How long ago was that?” DeeDee asked.

  “It was a few years ago. Marlene had a party for the staff to thank us after a particularly busy exhibition season.”

  DeeDee smiled. “Marlene sounds like she was a nice boss.”

  Katie looked away and shrugged. “I guess she was, but she’s not my boss anymore.”

  DeeDee watched Katie fidgeting with the fabric of her robe. “I’m sure someone with your experience could easily research the island’s artists. Will you think it over and call me with an idea of what your fee would be?”

  Katie nodded. “Sure. I’ll let you know after I’ve had a chance to think about it.” DeeDee wrote her phone number down on a piece of paper and gave it to Katie. She walked DeeDee and Balto back to the door without making eye contact.