A Cup of Murder by Cam Larson Page A

from the ferocious monster by my side.
    "Remember how you attacked me on this spot,
Thor? You’re lucky I took you in."
    Thor tugged at the leash. Trash was spread out
around the bin as if someone threw some in and missed the large
container. I made a mental note to remind everyone to be sure trash
got in under the lid. Thor was relentless while he yanked me toward
the garbage. He went for some leftover food in a plastic bag.
    "Get away from that, Thor," I commanded,
to no avail.
    He tore open the sack and quickly gobbled a
half-eaten bagel with cream cheese on it. My eyes riveted on the
other contents that included several envelopes. Michael Simms’ name
was printed on the outside of all three of them.
    I wondered how trash from Sunrise landed on this
side of the street. I bent to pick it all up as I pushed Thor aside
with a bite of bagel hanging from his mouth. Picking up the
envelopes, I saw there was more. A picture of Michael and his brother
James lay beneath the scattered stack. It was exactly like the one I
saw in the Senator’s foyer except this one showed a third person in
the same photo. On the back side of the photo was written: Mike,
James, John. Under the names was the word ‘redemption.’
    Questions flooded me again. Why did James Simms
cut out John from his framed picture? I was sure John was John
Andrews. Sifting through the rest of the contents were a few notes
that had numbers on them and a blurred photo of a woman who resembled
Michael and James. I presumed this was their mother. Glancing around
me I gathered the papers and took them inside Roasted Love with me.
    Janie was there alone and busy getting scones to
the front of the shop. Since Jacob was no longer coming in she opened
every morning and was there before me.
    "Janie, I’ll start coming in at Jacob’s
usual time to help you out."
    She nodded agreement and headed to the front. I
locked the finds in my locker and clocked in. Until Jacob was
released from jail, my days would prove to be long ones.
    Janie had little to say throughout the morning,
even when she had the chance.
    "What’s up, Janie?" I asked her when
she handed me the order for a couple of Frappes.
    "What do you mean? I’m just busy," she
said.
    For the first time since I had known her, her
manner toward me appeared cool.
    "You just seem a little cold toward me. Is it
something I’ve done to upset you?" I could be as persistant as
my server.
    She gave a half smile attempt to be genuine, but
failed. "I’m all right. Just a lot of stress with my kids.
They need so much and it’s all just ordinary stuff. I may need to
get a second job. Can you give me extra hours here by any chance?"
    "I’ll see what I can do but I’ll have to
talk to Jacob first to make sure it is o.k. with him."
    She nodded and hurried to the couple who wanted
the Frappes. The nagging impression her behavior had more to do with
something other than her kids stayed with me.

Chapter Fifteen

    Around eleven I took an espresso into Jacob’s
office for a break. Lily and Janie sat at the back table in the front
of the coffee house in case customers came in. The office appeared
empty without the computers. I gathered receipts from the day before
and took them to my locker. Not only would my days at Roasted Love be
long ones, but they wouldn’t end when I got home. I decided it made
more sense to bring my laptop to work and make the entries there.
    Thor didn’t seem to mind the retractable leash I
set up for him behind Roasted Love. I made sure it was long enough to
give him a little exercise until I could let him off it later in the
day. He eagerly accepted a dog treat when I went out to check on him.
I pet him and left him happy.
    "Looks like some action across the street,"
Janie said when I came back to the front.
    A man and woman stood outside Sunrise. The man
gestured to the windows and overall appearance of the place. The SUV
in front read West River Realty in bold print on the side of it.
    "They must be