Secret Sisters - an LDS cozy mystery

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-three 

Police Captain Wright hadn't said a word in twenty minutes as Ida Mae, Tansy, and Arlette filled him in on all the details of their investigation. Eden and Ren chimed in from time to time, and they laid out everything they knew. Ida Mae had the foresight to bring her notebook, and she handed it to the captain, proud of her work and her meticulous handwriting. 

"I honestly don't know what to say," the captain said at long last, glancing over at Ricky, who had made himself very small in the corner. "You became suspicious because of a Wendy's wrapper?" 

"Yes. That was really our first big tipoff," Ida Mae told him. 

He shook his head and ran his hand across his face. "I've got some calls to make and some more questions to ask," he said. "I'm going to have you all wait in one of these other rooms." 

"I hate to be a bother," Ida Mae said, "but we all missed dinner. Could we possibly step out for something to eat?" 

"I'd rather keep you on the premises," the captain said. "I'll have someone go grab you a bite." 

"Thank you." 

Just then a tap sounded on the door. 

"Come in," the captain called out, and a disheveled man stepped into the room. 

"Ida Mae, I'm confused," Bishop Sylvester said.  

The ladies, Ren, and the bishop were shown into a conference room with padded chairs and a long table. Soon afterward, an officer bearing huge bags of fast food came in the room. "I hope you like what I got," he said. "The captain said you guys mentioned Wendy's."  

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Ida Mae told him. "Thank you." 

Tansy made herself the official unwrapper and arranged everything on the table according to food groups. Once they had all gathered up at least one of everything, Ida Mae turned to Eden. 

"Now, just what exactly happened tonight?" 

Eden held up one finger while she finished chewing her mouthful of fries. Chasing them with a swig of pop, she said, "It was pretty scary, I have to admit that." 

"Well, don't leave us in suspense!" Arlette pushed her own sandwich away. She had always been too thin-Ida Mae would have liked to see another twenty pounds on her, at least. "Tell us what happened!" 

"I decided I had to know the truth about James's death," Eden began. "For so long, he was just the man in the Jaguar, but after having dinner with him and getting to know him a little bit as a person, I felt responsible for solving his murder." 

Tansy nodded. "That's perfectly natural." 

The bishop leaned forward. "Murder?" 

"We'll explain everything," Ida Mae consoled him. "Right now, we're not sure what's going on ourselves." 

He leaned back, clutching his sandwich to his chest. Poor thing looked like his blood pressure was skyrocketing at that very moment. Ida Mae wondered how much sodium was in that sandwich. "Go on," she said. 

"Well, I was going to see if I could sneak into his office and maybe go through his desk or something. I waited until everyone left, and then I went upstairs. I thought I was alone in the building, but then I heard voices. Before I could turn around, suddenly Mr. Phillips, the owner of the company, was in my face." 

Eden took another sip of her drink. "He invited me to come in his office. I didn't know how much he knew, and I had to act natural, so I went. He had two other men in there, all big and burly-well, you saw them. He invited me to sit and then he started asking me some questions, like where I went to school and what I liked to do. Then he pulled out a picture of me having dinner with James on Friday night, taken at the restaurant, and asked me how well I knew James." 

Ida Mae pulled in a sharp breath and pressed her hands together. Ren reached for another sandwich. They were both dealing with the stress in the best way they knew how. 

"I explained that I had only really met James, and we'd just been on the one date. Then I pretended the clasp on my pin was broken and fiddled with it long enough to activate the commlink." 

"What did he say then?" Tansy leaned forward, a dot of mustard on her chin. 

"He pulled out a gun." 

The bishop jumped, his sandwich taking another squishing.  

"He told me they couldn't take any chances, and I'd have to come with them. He then told me I was more than welcome to share any information I had before we left." 

"But there weren't any other cars in the parking lot," Tansy pointed out. "How were they planning to carry you off?" 

"Mr. Phillips keeps his car in a private garage on the side of the building," Eden said. "That threw me, too, when I thought I was the only one inside. I forgot to check for his car." 

"And what about Nick?" Ida Mae asked. "Where was his car?" 

"He sometimes takes the bus," Eden answered sheepishly. "I didn't think of that, either." 

"It's okay, dear," Ida Mae said, giving her a squeeze on the knee. "You were under a lot of stress. We understand." 

"So what happened then?" Arlette prodded. 

"Well, that's when you burst in," Eden said. "He was being all gruff and toughguy like, and I was claiming my innocence, and the next thing I knew, Ren and Nick burst in, and then you guys, and it was all over." 

Arlette reached out and patted her granddaughter's hand. "I'm so glad you're all right." 

"Me too, Grandma." 

They finished their meal in silence. The bishop recovered enough to peel his sandwich off his tie and make some effort at eating it. Ren didn't say much of anything but went through three sandwiches and two diet sodas. Ida Mae was glad to see Arlette finish hers as well. They all felt better after the rest and some nourishment, but she wouldn't feel completely at ease until they'd spoken with the police captain and figured out all the loose ends.