Threads of Deceit (Vineyard Quilt Mysteries Book 1) (12 page)

Hannah cut a ball of pastry dough into small sections and began pressing them into tart pans. “Shirley’s the curious sort.”

Julie spotted a batch of huge chocolate chip cookies cooling on a wire rack and grabbed one. “I didn’t know you were interested in baking.”

Daniel shrugged as he set aside the peeled apple and picked up another. “I’m interested in everything. Besides, I’ve never been good at not working.”

“I did think of something we might do.” Julie bit into the warm cookie. The chips were still slightly soft and spread like silk over her tongue. She refrained from moaning. She didn’t want Daniel to get the wrong idea.

“What?”

“I think we need to find out more about the person who made the offer to buy the farm,” Julie said. “That was really the beginning of all the problems at the dig. I think if we find that person, we’ll find someone new for the police to look at for George’s death.”

As Daniel peeled long green strips from the apple, he nodded. “Sounds like a reasonable idea, but Joseph said the lawyer didn’t give the name of his client.”

“No, but that can possibly be overcome,” Julie said. Hannah looked up at her sharply and shook her head. Julie pointedly didn’t look directly at her. “First, we need the name of the lawyer.”

“Joseph didn’t tell me.”

“But he probably would,” Julie said, “if you asked him.”

Hannah gave her another sharp shake of her head and again Julie ignored her.

Daniel set down the apple and wiped his hands on the edge of his apron. He fished out his cellphone from his hip
pocket. The call was quick and efficient. “Joseph said the lawyer’s name was Randall Cantor.”

Julie looked up the attorney in the phone book stuffed into a row of cookbooks on the kitchen’s narrow bookshelf. She knew the address, though she’d never noticed a law office on that street. It was downtown. “Everything’s quiet here. I think I’ll drive over and meet Mr. Cantor. You care to come?”

Again Hannah shook her head, adding a fierce glare this time, but Julie kept most of her attention firmly on Daniel. He turned to Hannah. “I hate to bail in the middle of the tarts.”

“That’s fine.” Hannah’s response sounded slightly less gracious through clenched teeth. “I can finish.”

Julie held up a hand. “On second thought, stay here for a bit longer. I want to ask Shirley about Cantor. I’ve yet to hear of anyone in Straussberg that Shirley doesn’t know something about.”

“Fine with me.” Daniel walked over to wash his hands. “That woman scares me. I think it’s the hair.”

As Julie expected, Shirley had lots of opinions about the lawyer, and not one of them was good. “That one has a reputation sure enough—a reputation for doing anything for his client for enough money. He’s about as ethical as a shark.”

But is he as deadly?
Julie wondered.

She collected Daniel, and they drove into downtown Straussberg. The sun was warm, but the breeze was chilly, making scarlet and gold leaves skip and scuttle along the sidewalks. They parked in the complimentary visitor’s lot and made the hike to the office. Though small, the office was neat and the furniture looked new. Julie didn’t care for the style, all metal and sharp angles, but it did hint of more success than the cramped space implied.

When Julie asked to see Mr. Cantor, the woman turned
up her sharply pointed nose and asked, “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but you can tell him it’s in reference to the sale of the Winkler farm.”

The receptionist narrowed her eyes but passed along the message. In moments, a door opened and a thick man with the face of a dyspeptic bulldog walked out. “Mr. and Mrs. Winkler? Please, come in.”

Julie ignored the implied question. She reached out and squeezed Daniel’s hand, giving him a warning glance. “Thank you. You were interested in buying the farm?”

Cantor led them into his office, which matched the reception room in size and style. “I’m empowered to operate on behalf of an interested party.”

“We’d like to know his name.”

The lawyer’s smile tightened. “That I can’t tell you, Mrs. Winkler. The buyer insists upon staying anonymous.” He turned his attention from her to Daniel. “But I can assure you, Mr. Winkler, this is a legitimate offer. The buyer has the means to pay.”

“I’m surprised the offer is still on the table,” Julie said, “what with all the excavating that’s already been done.”

The lawyer glanced back at her, clearly annoyed that she kept talking. “It’s nothing that can’t be repaired.” Again he turned to Daniel. “My client has authorized me to offer another twenty thousand above the previous offer, Mr. Winkler, but the excavation must not start back up.”

Before Julie could comment, Daniel shook his head at her. “I’m not Mr. Winkler. I’m Mr. Franklin.”

The lawyer stiffened. “It’s not wise to come in here pretending to be the Winklers.”

“We didn’t pretend,” Julie said. “You assumed. We’re
not legally responsible for your assumptions.”

Cantor narrowed his eyes at her. “And you’re Mr. Franklin’s lawyer?”

She smiled sweetly. “I’m not legally obligated to identify myself either, but the police are likely to be interested in your client. After all, he wanted the excavation shut down very badly. Killing George Benning was an extreme but efficient way to accomplish the shutdown.”

The lawyer glared at her for a moment, then turned to Daniel. “I would think you wouldn’t be interested in provoking more trouble, Mr. Franklin.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Daniel demanded.

“You are now the prime suspect in a murder, are you not?” the lawyer asked.

Julie cut in before Daniel could answer. “He won’t be when the police hear about your client and the extreme lengths he’s gone to in order to purchase the farm. The fact that you’ve made the effort to be informed about the murder tells me you’re well aware of the peril your client is in.”

The lawyer smiled. “Or maybe I’m just nosy.” At that, a curl of classical music slipped from the lawyer’s pocket. He pulled out his cellphone, glanced at the screen, and said to Julie, “This meeting is over. I’m sure you can let yourselves out.” He herded them toward the door and then shut it as soon as they’d passed the threshold.

“That wasn’t exactly productive,” Daniel said, his expression dark.

Julie smiled. “The day is young. Come on.”

With a little coaxing, Julie soon had Daniel set up in the coffee shop across the street from the lawyer’s door. He’d watch the building and call Julie as soon as both the lawyer and his receptionist left for the day. “I’ll come back,
and we’ll find out what the lawyer knows,” she said.

“I’m not certain I want to be involved in breaking and entering,” Daniel whispered fiercely, his gaze darting around the coffee shop.

“It’s better than being suspected in a murder.”

“What if this shop closes before the lawyer’s office? Am I supposed to try loitering? I’m not the most inconspicuous guy.”

“This shop is open late. I checked. You’ll be fine.”

To be honest, Daniel didn’t look like he’d be fine. He looked a little like he’d be sick, but Julie believed in thinking positively. She went back to being an innkeeper as she waited for Daniel’s call.

Evening had settled a blanket of gray over the town before Daniel finally called, his voice only slightly panicky. Julie returned to the coffee shop as quickly as speed limits allowed. She found Daniel pacing while the young barista watched him curiously. “You weren’t kidding about the ‘not being inconspicuous’ thing.”

“Sorry,” he muttered. “This is a little outside my skill set. What I’d like to know is why it’s not outside yours.”

“I’ve lived an interesting life. Now, it’s time for a little romantic stroll.”

“Romantic?” His eyes took on a new gleam.

Julie coughed nervously. “Think of it as camouflage. Just put your arm around me, and let’s go.”

As they left the shop and strolled across the street, Julie turned frequently to murmur encouraging things to Daniel. At first his arm around her felt stiff, but he eventually began to settle into his role as they stood on the sidewalk. Julie gave the lock on the lawyer’s door sideward glances.

“Now, time to back me up against the door,” she said, and Daniel followed her directions—a little too well.

“Whoa!” she said as his face closed in on hers. “Wh-what are you doing?”

He stopped, his lips mere inches from her own. “I thought you wanted me to kiss you.”

She let out a nervous snort and immediately wished she could take it back.
Get a grip, Julie.
Clearing her throat, she ignored his captivating blue-gray eyes and said, “I want you to stay focused on the task at hand. How could I possibly see anything with your face smushed against mine?”

With a slight frown, he pulled his head back. “Better?”

No.
“Just lean your body in close. You’re a lot bigger than me, so you’ll help hide what I’m doing.” She squirmed around in the tight confines so she could reach the lock. She pulled her lock picks out of her blazer pocket and quickly opened the door.

They slipped inside. Daniel reached for the light switch, but Julie caught his hand. “No lights. We’re trying for low profile.”

“Right. If I trip over something and break a leg, will that be low enough?”

Julie fired up the flashlight app on her phone and quickly crossed the room, only to discover the door to the lawyer’s office was locked as well. She picked it quickly. The lawyer had chosen cheap over secure.

“Now that we’re illegally inside, what do we do?” Daniel asked.

“We search.”

“For what?”

“Clues. Didn’t you ever read the Hardy Boys when you were a kid?”

He shook his head. “I favored nonfiction.”

Julie picked the locks on several file cabinets, but none
of the files jumped out at her as the possible mystery client. She stood up and stretched, turning around to consider other places to search. Daniel stood in front of a large aquarium, peering in. “I don’t think you’ll find any clues in there.”

“I’m not likely to find any here at all,” he said. “I’m just along for the terror. The fish make me feel calmer.”

Julie glanced in the tank but then wrinkled her nose at the fishy scent of the water. She decided instead to search the lawyer’s desk, starting with his datebook. She flipped through, paying special attention to the day of the offer on the farm. She’d begun to lose hope when she noticed a pattern of conference calls with someone designated as “SEN.” She tugged on Daniel’s jacket. “Look at this.”

He turned to look. “‘SEN about GA,’” he read aloud. “Is that supposed to mean something? Maybe he’s considering a trip to Georgia.”

“If so, it requires a lot of conference calls. What if ‘GA’ is ‘
Grand Adventure
’?”

Daniel looked again at the datebook. “Then who’s ‘SEN’?”

“That’s the million-dollar question,” she said. “I’m going back through the files to see if I can find anyone with the initials S-E-N.”

“Or anyone whose name begins with ‘SEN,’” Daniel suggested.

“Good idea.” Julie turned back to the file cabinet and froze. A large window stretched over much of the wall above the file cabinets. Though it was covered with thick blinds, she could make out flashing lights around them. She peeked through the slats. Two police cars sat on the street in front of the office and another was pulling up. “Time to go.”

“Why?”

“Police.”

“Swell. Glad I asked.” Daniel headed for the door that led to the receptionist’s office, and Julie followed. She passed him and cracked open the door to the hall beyond. She could see the police massing outside, flashlights sweeping across the thin, frosted windows on either side of the outer door.

“We can’t get out that way,” she whispered. She turned to look in the opposite direction. Narrow stairs led up to a second floor, but Julie would rather not be trapped above the lawyer’s office if she could avoid it. So she dragged Daniel out of the office and towed him away from the street-side door. The hall was narrow because of the stairs and they had to move in single file.

Julie opened the next door in the hall. It led to an outdated bathroom. A quick glace showed no window big enough to get out. She closed the door and hurried to the end of the short hall. From the lawyer’s office it had looked like a dead end, but once they reached it, they saw the stairs had hidden another door. Julie quickly turned the lock and they rushed outside.

The door led to a tiny garden space. Three other buildings had back doors leading into the courtyard space, but there was no obvious way to get out of it. Julie pointed across to the building on the other side. A rickety metal fire escape was bolted into the brick. “This time we climb.”

They scrambled up the fire escape as quickly as they dared. The metal creaked and groaned, making stealth impossible. Finally they hit the last landing and found a metal ladder bolted to the wall that led to the roof of the building. “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”

“Not at all,” he said. “Ladies first.”

As soon as they’d both scrambled onto the roof of the building, the back door to the lawyer’s office burst open and
several policemen hurried outside. Julie and Daniel ducked down, barely peeking over the edge. “Watch them,” she whispered.

She quickly searched the roof of the building for signs of a door leading inside or even another fire escape that would take them to an empty street. She found neither. If the police climbed the ladder, they’d be caught.