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With the huge payoffs Jared received from his insider clients, I doubted it was much of a hardship. I could tell by the expression on the Chief's face, that he also thought it highly improbable, too.
"How did Frank get back into the kitchen?" asked the Chief.
"He left the door open a little. He put something to hold it open or something. He had to go out and play Santa for someone I guess. I thought he would be working late. That's why we agreed on eleven o'clock. I didn't expect to see him at Tommy's, especially in his Santa suit. I went there to hang out until the meeting time," said Jared.
"We have several pieces of evidence against you regarding the murder," said the Chief. "We know you wrote the note to meet him at eleven. We know your DNA was found under his nails."
Chief Hayes let that sink in. Jared's lawyer spoke up. "Can you give me a few minutes with my client?" The Chief and Officer Stanton left the room. Sound outside the room was turned off for the lawyer and client to speak privately. We stood in silence and watched. Jared bowed his head in defeat. The lawyer paced a couple of times across the room and then sat down again.
I walked to the other end of the room and made a quick call to my boss at Roasted Love. I still had to go home and pick up Thor. That was especially important since I wanted Jacob to let me work later if I came in at noon instead of eleven. He agreed. He could hardly do much about it since I often worked beyond my regular hours when he was in a pinch.
I returned to the small group waiting for the suspect and lawyer to finish their conversation. They all turned in my direction. "It looks like they are coming up with some kind of a deal," said the Chief to me. "It's bargaining time now."
Chapter Twenty Eight
By the time the lawyer presented his request for a deal, my watch read eleven-thirty. I didn't stay to hear all of it. I raced home and picked up Thor and made it back to Roasted Love at five minutes after twelve. Lily, Jacob and Eddie barely acknowledged me. Customers swarmed in with bags of Christmas gifts and pushed them under tables while they ordered. Everyone was in a festive mood. Most wanted sandwiches along with lattes and cappuccinos. I felt guilty and pitched in to relieve them. Eddie wiped his brow and returned to his position in the kitchen when I took over.
"I'm glad you're back, Laila. I would rather be behind the scenes," said Eddie. "Everyone wants their orders out first."
Selfishness mixed with guilt, I vowed to never leave the work to others again during the busiest time of the year. For the rest of the shift, I had no time to wonder what deal Jared Freedman and his lawyer wanted to make.
When we finally closed the doors for the night, Jacob called us all to the kitchen. He pulled out a spread of Christmas goodies, delicately constructed finger sandwiches and told us to choose our drinks. He had decorated the small back dining room in his own fashion and we all sat down. I had almost forgotten it was the night we exchanged gifts.
"I have to get the gifts from my car," I said.
"So do I," said Lily.
On our way out the back door, I remembered Thor was there. "I'll be back, Thor, and you can join the party. I'd better give him a run first," I said to Lily.
"Good idea," she said. "Hand me your car keys and I'll get your gifts out for you." I told her they were in the trunk of the car.
I let Thor out and watched him expend his energies in the snow. I met Lily half-way. Her arms were overloaded and I took my packages from her before she dropped them. I called Thor who bounded over to us. We took the gifts to the small private room. Thor walked along as if an important guest. I trailed with a dish of dog food that I set in the corner of the room for him.
Watching everyone enjoying the party I was reminded how much of a family they were to me. Jacob was more than pleased with his gift certificate. Lily wanted to delve into the art supplies. The snowshoes I had gotten Eddie caused a grin to spread across his face.
"You remembered, Laila," he said.
I knew he liked to snowshoe in nearby mountain areas on his days off. "You won't have any excuses for not getting to work because of heavy snow," I said.
Lily presented a book on "How to be a Private Eye" and a gift certificate to a favorite clothing store. From Jacob, I received a pair of insulated gloves with a matching scarf. He gave Thor treats.
Eddie pushed his gift in my direction. I thought there was a faint tint of red on his face. "I had no idea what to get you. If you don't want it, I won't feel bad," he said.
I opened the envelope and four movie tickets fell out. "Why would I not want this? You should know how much I love movies." He relaxed. He spent hard-earned money for these tickets and that made it more meaningful. Conversations picked up around the table until it was time to clear things away.
It was close to midnight when I got home. I recognized Steven Landers' vehicle parked at the house down the street. Disgust came in waves. I wanted to call Cassie and ask her if she knew her boyfriend was two-timing her. A second thought told me to keep out of it all. She would find out soon enough. Maybe the trouble between her and Steven rested in that house.
I flopped on my bed and stretched out.
I slept soundly until time to get up the next morning. I was anxious to find out what deal Jared and his lawyer hoped for. I wanted to know details of the murder itself more than anything. What caused Jared to turn physically against the dishwasher? What was the argument that pushed him too far?
Without a doubt, Jared, in his own way, admitted to the murder when he asked for a deal.
My thoughts were interrupted when my cell phone rang. "Daniel, I can't tell you how good it is to hear your voice," I said. He called earlier than usual. I didn't care when he c
alled. It was always good to talk to him.
"I wanted to call you last night but we had so much company in and out, it was hard to find a good time. What's up?"
