AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Fingers twisted in her lap and her eyes averted either of us. We waited. I knew she had a lot more to say. We hadn't gotten an answer to Daniel's question yet. She looked up at us.
"Frank and I broke up a few months ago. I met someone else who was closer to my age. We had more in common than Frank and I had." Another silence hung in the air. "Frank wasn't too happy about that. He had really fallen for me in a way I wasn't aware of. I mean, he liked me more than I liked him, I guess. Anyway, I told him it was over. That was when he yelled at me and threatened to do something that would embarrass me beyond words."
A slight pink flooded her face. "He told me he was going to put some bad pictures of me online for the world to see."
"Did he release them?" I asked.
"No, but it was only because he bargained with me. I should say it was a demand on his part. He made me pay him a fourth of my tips to keep the photos out of social media. I told him I would if he would delete them all. He said he would, but I had no way of knowing he did," she said. "I guess that was when Steven overheard me telling Frank if he did it, meaning release the pictures, I would kill him."
"For someone who played Santa, that wasn't very Santa-like of him," I said.
She nodded in agreement. "The more I got to know him, the more I saw in him what everyone else saw. He was a manipulator and a con. I was so naive. I can't believe I let him lead me on like he did. He later argued with me and wanted a bigger cut of my tips." She paused to catch her breath, and then continued. "I couldn't afford to pay him what he was getting."
She swept her hands around her small living room. "As you can see, I don't live upper class. Everything I own in this apartment came from Goodwill Stores, or they are hand-me-downs from friends."
"Why didn't you go to the police with it all?" asked Daniel. "It seems to me you had a good case against him."
"When I got so angry with him and threatened him, he just laughed and threw up his hands. He told me I wasn't worth it all and he didn't need my money any longer. I have no idea what he meant. I was just relieved he left me alone after that."
"Did Frank have money?" I asked.
"I always had the impression he was living from paycheck to paycheck like the rest of us," said Cassie. "When he treated me well, I meant he did small things for me, not things that cost a lot of money. He told me once he had come from poverty. He ran away from home when he was fifteen and never looked back. I don't think he had a good childhood."
"Maybe he was having some money problems when he demanded a cut of your tips," said Daniel. "But, for some reason he landed on money. Do you think that could have happened?"
"All I know is that the West River Bank called him a few times when we were still dating. The calls came to his house," she said. "He was constantly looking over his bank statements. I tried not to ask to eat out or go to movies. I couldn't tell if he was having money problems or not. I thought more of him at the time, so stayed out of it. I didn't expect him to spend a lot of money on me."
"Did he ever tell you who he talked to from the bank?" I asked Cassie.
"Now that you mention it, he would get angry and mention a Jared someone. I don't think I ever heard his last name. That was the only time I saw him that angry while we dated. Then the very next call would change his mood to a good one. It was like he was on a seesaw when Jared called him. I started to dread it when the phone rang."
Daniel and I stood to leave. "If you remember anything else that would help the case, call Laila," said Daniel. "I'm leaving to go out of town tomorrow." I gave her my cell number.
"I'd like to talk to this Jared at the bank," said Daniel when Cassie closed the door behind us. "I just have too much to do right now." He glanced at his watch.
We were in his car and I was glad when he revved up the heater. “There is someone we haven’t considered yet,” I said to Daniel.
“Who is that?”
“I’ve been thinking the Chef could have done it. I have to find
out what his last name is.”
Before Daniel could answer, I got back out of the car and rang Cassie’s doorbell again. When I asked her Peter’s last name, she told me it was Darcy. The hopeful look in her eye stood out. “He is someone big enough to overtake Frank,” she said.
“I was just curious, of course,” I said. “I’m sure the police are looking at everyone.” I left her and hurried back to the warmth of Daniel’s car. “His last name is D’Arcy,” I told Daniel. “I’m going to find out a little more about him.”
Daniel’s response was one of satisfaction. “We did say we should look at everyone like the police are doing.”
"If you will take me home, I have some errands to run before we see each other tonight. Let's just take the rest of the day to finish up personal stuff," I said.
"What's so important we can't spend the rest of the day together?" he asked. I knew he was in a teasing mood again and hoped to find out what I had in mind for him. "Okay, I'll let up," he said. "You run your errands and I'll pick you up around 6:30 tonight. Jared can wait for now."
Once he dropped me off at home I gave Thor attention and then went out to my parking space. I headed for the animal shelter. I had the perfect Christmas gift in mind for Daniel. The dog that resembled the description of Benji looked at me as if he expected me. The attendant told me he would be mine after I finished paperwork. I had asked the manager if I could wait and pick him up after Christmas. I wanted them to hold him that much longer.
“Sure,” she said. “It’s not always a good idea to take a dog in on Christmas. Sometimes it can be too much for a new pet in a household during the holidays.
I was so excited. The new Benji would be a perfect gift for Daniel. I hurried home to be there before he arrived.
