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"What will you do with it?" I asked.
"I’ll have it all tested, of course, for DNA and anything else that can be found on it." He flashed a quick smile. "You should be glad your dog went for the bagel in the sack. He may have solved this crime for us."
He shook my hand with a firm grip and I locked the door behind him. Thor was happy to see me. I let him run a few minutes without the leash and he raced back, ready to go home.
"That would be something, Thor, if Jason discovers something important from that trash. You may have found clues to who poisoned your master."
I felt his panting breath on the back of my neck as I put the car in gear. When I glanced at him in the mirror, I thought I saw him beam with pride.
Chapter Twenty Three
"I just saw James Simms talking to Eddie down the street," said Janie. Her eyes were huge. "When they saw me, they walked away in opposite directions."
She had pulled me into the kitchen just after she arrived at Roasted Love and clocked in. The sun was just beginning to peek through the darkness. Somehow the thought of a teenager getting up before dawn didn’t seem like a reality. I knew Eddie had morning classes but not until nine. Lily told me he had enough credits so no classes in the afternoon.
"Are you sure it was Eddie?" I asked Janie. "Was anyone else there?"
"I’m sure. There was a lady in the Senator’s big car across the street. I couldn’t tell who she was."
This was getting more and more complicated. What did Eddie have to do with James Simms? Jacob had never locked his office door. He told me once that locking his file cabinet with important items was enough. The cabinet he talked about was the one in the corner. If Eddie had planted evidence I couldn’t figure out when he had done that. On rare occasions he and Lily closed together at the end of a day. I could probably count on one hand how often that had happened. I decided to ask Eddie some casual questions when he came in later that afternoon.
"I’m sure it isn’t important," I told Janie. "I don’t really care what that was all about."
"You aren’t a little curious about James Simms and Eddie Thornton having a conversation on the street before sunrise?" She stood in front of me. "Are you going to ask Eddie how he knows the Senator?"
The gleam in her eye was accusing. "I may ask him, but I don’t see how that has anything to do with me. I asked you because James has been hanging around here," I said. "Don’t forget I witnessed him talking to you right here in this coffee house. He wasn’t very happy, if you recall."
Janie picked up a tray of bagels and headed to the front. She did not talk to me for the next few hours except to give me her orders at the espresso machine. I could tell Lily wanted to find out what was going on between us but didn’t ask.
"Did you hire Claire?" asked Lily.
"I am going to call her today. Her references checked out. I hope she can start tomorrow."
I reminded Lily that Eddie’s hours would have to be cut back as before. She was just happy that she would get some relief in the front of the shop.
"Does Eddie know the Simms family?" I asked Lily after Janie left for the day.
"I think he met the Senator once at his school. It was General Assembly Day and he was invited to talk to the juniors and seniors. I believe it was about careers in politics or something like that. Eddie told me he met him when it was over and shook his hand."
"That must have made Eddie feel good."
Lily was caught up with pride in her son who got to meet a real politician. I was glad she didn’t ask me about my question. I returned to the kitchen when I heard Eddie come in.
"This will be your last day with longer hours, Eddie. I’m going to hire Claire."
He told me he understood and he grabbed an apron. Eddie was a good worker. Unlike a lot of teenagers, he got right to work when he came in.
"Did you know Michael Simms very well, Eddie?" I asked.
"Mostly, I knew him to be Jacob’s number one enemy. I never met him. He wasn’t exactly someone I was dying to know."
"Your mother told me you met the Senator face to face. What was that like?"
Eddie got busy soaking pans. "It was great. Just a few of us were invited to sit down with him for a few minutes. We were picked before he got to the assembly that day. We had to prepare our questions ahead of time. He was nothing like Michael. I mean he was pretty nice."
"Have you ever seen him again?"
"Just from a distance and on TV, of course."
