A Sip of Murder (Japanese Tea Garden Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  My earlier thought about how Kelly might have held a grudge against the Jenkins sisters plagued me. If Kelly really was behind the murder, she could kill two birds with one stone. With Angela out of the way, and the blame falling on me, she would be the next logical choice to take over the business. It wouldn’t surprise me if Agatha was the next victim, or worse, it could be me. Would Agatha remain in the property next to the garden with her sister gone? Would living with the memories be too much for her and force the only remaining Jenkins sister to move?

  I needed to stop jumping to conclusions. What I needed was concrete answers. I grabbed my phone and called my grandmother’s attorney. If anyone knew about the validity of the will I had just found, it would be him. His number was saved in my phone. I pressed the call button and raised the device to my ear. Each unanswered ring made me more impatient.

  “You have reached the law office of James Bailey. Mr. Bailey will be out of office until Friday. Please leave a message, and he will return your call as soon as possible.”

  I clicked the end button before the beep to leave a message had finished its tone. Friday? I couldn’t wait that long. I needed an expert opinion now—preferably someone who was cool-headed and detached from the whole messy business. Unfortunately, only one person I knew fit that description: my ex-husband.

  I groaned and rolled my eyes. Why did it have to be him? Drake was good at his job. There was no doubting that. Unfortunately, he was also insufferably clever and hardly ever wrong. Over the years it had gone to his head. What I had once mistaken for confidence turned out to be boldfaced narcissism wrapped up in stubborn persistence. Those qualities made him a great lawyer but a poor husband. Reluctantly, I pulled up his contact information in my phone and called him.

  “What an unexpected surprise. How are you doing, Maddie?” Despite the pleasantries, Drake’s voice sounded distracted. I had probably caught him while he was working.

  “Drake, this is a business call. I need you to look over a legal document for me.”

  Now I had his attention. “What sort of document? Can you fax it over to me?”

  “I don’t have access to a fax machine.”

  “How about just scanning and emailing it to me then? You still have my office information, right?”

  “Yes, but the camera on my phone isn’t working, and I’m without a computer right now. I’ll go to the local library here and use one of their public computers tomorrow. I think they already closed for the day.” I rubbed my forehead. “I’ll figure something out.”

  He must have caught the worry in my voice, because he said, “Maddie…”

  “What?” I snapped at him and immediately bit my tongue. Whatever happened between us, he wasn’t the cause of the anxiety I was currently experiencing.

  “What else is bothering you? Your voice sounds strained. I lived with you long enough to know when something is off about you.”

  I hated it when he did that. Sometimes it was like he knew I was upset before I had even registered it on my own. In a moment of weakness, a dam broke inside of me, spilling out all of the words that had been bouncing around my head. “I’m just feeling overwhelmed. The house is in disrepair. I have it mostly decent—at least the main rooms anyway—but it feels like I’m an intruder here. The tea garden was in way worse shape than I was led to believe. I spent a week getting it in order, and then on opening day there was a murder.”

  “A murder?” he interrupted. I could picture him pushing aside whatever work lay on the desk in front of him and focusing a little harder on what I was saying. “Are you alright? You said this happened in the garden?”

  “Yes, it was in the garden, and I’m not hurt,” I said. “I didn’t really know the dead woman. But I had to go to the police station for questioning and didn’t get out until late last night. I was the only one they brought in for questioning. Part of me is convinced that someone is trying to frame me for this! Then, today I found another copy of my grandmother’s will leaving everything to one of her former employees. It’s just too much!”

  “Okay, let’s go through this one step at a time.”

  “Okay.” I hated his level-headed approach to everything. He always wanted to fix my problems when sometimes all I wanted was for someone to listen to me. My lip quivered, but I was determined not to let him hear me cry. I was stronger than that now.

  “As far as feeling like an outsider, you’ll get used to it in time. It’s just new surroundings. You did the same thing when we moved in together. You knew the gardens were going to be in disrepair, but it sounds like you’ve got it under control. As for there being a murder, there is probably nothing wrong with what the police are doing. I’m sure they are just handling things like usual. You’re too sensitive. No one is going to frame you. Just cooperate and don’t meddle in things. I mean it, Maddie. Just continue living your life normally. Don’t go doing any dangerous snooping. If something does happen, and you get into legal trouble, you already know a great lawyer. Plus, since he’s your ex-husband I bet he would give you a discounted rate on legal advice. Now, for the last part. The will. I’m guessing that is the document you want me to take a look at? Try not to worry about it until after I look it over. You’re probably working yourself up over nothing.”

  I sighed into the phone. “You’re probably right.”

  “I usually am.”

  “Sorry for bothering you. I’ll get you the paperwork tomorrow, Drake. Thanks.”

  “Anytime, Maddie. Remember, no meddling.”

  We hung up the phone. It was odd not saying ‘I love you’ at the end of our conversations now. His final condescending remark stung my ears. Who was he to tell me what to do now? No meddling. Forget that! I was done being the timid damsel in distress. No. Someone had committed a murder in my tea garden, and I wanted to find out who and why. Determination and defiance puffed up inside of me. He never had any confidence in me, even when we were married. I would show him that the new me could take care of herself!

  My hands started grabbing odds and ends, eager to quickly get the room cleaned out so that I could start my investigation. After a while of working in silence, I paused and stood up straight to stretch my back. I needed to take a small break. I padded my way down to the kitchen to make some food. The cabinets were barer than I would have liked. When it was just me though, it was hard to justify cooking a lot of things. The silence of the house was starting to get to me. Maybe when I was settled into an apartment I could look into getting a pet of some sort. That was another thing Drake had been against. Pets.

  Well, I was on my own now. I could get a pet if I wanted to. I could also eat whatever I wanted. Unfortunately, what I wanted was not the instant noodles that were in the cabinet. I settled for some leftovers in the fridge and perched on the couch to eat. I flipped on the old television and almost choked on my food.

  “We are outside the Japanese tea garden here in Little River. As you can see, police are still patrolling the area. Excuse me, sir, do you have a moment for a few questions?” The reporter on the local news held her microphone over in front of Detective Michael Sullivan.

  “We have no official comment at this time.” The detective brusquely pushed the microphone out of his face.

  It was on the news? I groaned and slumped down on the sofa. I had seen the news vans outside when the murder had first happened, but it was different to see some of the coverage with my own eyes.

  “Ugh. This can’t be good for business,” I mumbled to myself. It was bad enough that so many visitors had been present at the time of the incident. Now everyone in broadcasting distance would know about it. There was no chance of this blowing over anytime soon.

  Chapter 7

  The next day I needed to get out of the house before I started climbing the walls. Maybe I wasn’t suited to living alone. I decided to get a few errands done in town while the garden was still closed. Breathing in the fresh air, I splashed my way to the car. My tennis shoes squeaked on the rubber mats in
the floorboard. Last night’s rain still speckled the windshield. The world always seemed cleaner and refreshed after a rain. The invigorating newness was contagious. Hope for a better day fluttered in my chest. A small smile rested on my lips.

  The library was a busier place than I had expected for a weekday. The parking lot was dotted with cars. Pushing open the doors, I slipped inside and walked up to the desk. Rows of bookshelves retreated towards the back of the building. There was something about the smell of old books that filled me with a little bit of excitement. All of those other worlds sitting on shelves, just waiting to be opened and explored.

  “Can I help you?” A young woman with pixie hair peered at me from over the counter.

  “Hi. I’m wanting to see about borrowing one of your computers for a little bit.”

  “Do you have a library card?”

  I smiled apologetically. “I don’t.”

  “Okay. Just fill out this form, and we can get you set up.”

  “Do I have to have one to use the computers? That’s really all I need today.”

  The woman pointed to a sign listing the library rules. Number three clearly stated that yes, I did need a library card to use their computers. With a sigh, but determined to be polite, I grabbed a pen and scribbled in my information. A machine on her desk whirled and spit out a plastic card with a barcode on it. I signed the back of the card while she scanned my driver’s license into their system.

  “Alright, Maddie. You’re all set. You get an hour of internet time a day. If there’s no one waiting to get on the machine when your time is up, then you can have an extension. There should be an open computer on the second floor.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” I grabbed the card and my license before making my way upstairs.

  A cluster of four computers were huddled around a printer and a scanner. Two women and a man were already seated. I quietly slipped into the empty seat beside one of the women. Unsure if I was supposed to say hello or not, I just sat down awkwardly and tried to be as small as possible. I pulled an envelope out of my purse and unfolded the incomplete will I had found. The scanner was an off-yellow color. The words on the buttons had been worn off from use.

  Shoot.

  I moved the mouse. Nothing. I tapped it lightly on the desk to try and make it work.

  “Ugh,” I muttered.

  “First time?” The woman beside me flashed me a smile.

  “Yeah.”

  “Here. Let me help.” She flipped the mouse over and peeled a sticker off of the sensor on the bottom. “Teenagers.”

  “Ah. I see. Good to see one thing is the same no matter where I go.”

  “Oh? Did you just move here?”

  “Yeah. I did actually.” It was nice to be having a normal conversation with someone.

  “Well, let me be the first to welcome you to town then. And as a welcome present, let me help you with that.” She took the papers from me and aligned them. Her fingers pressed the buttons expertly. “I’ve been coming here for years.”

  “Oh! Thank you!” The screen on my computer filled up with images of the will. “That worked great.”

  “I’m Sharon.”

  “Maddie.” I reached out to shake her hand. My confidence was coming back slowly and putting me at ease.

  “You know, you look familiar.”

  “Huh? I don’t know how.” I pulled up my email and attached the images for Drake to review.

  “Yeah. I’m sure I’ve seen you before.”

  I pressed send on the email and gathered my papers. An uneasy feeling was stirring in my gut. “Uh, I’m sorry. I need to get going. Thank you for your help though.”

  “Wait! I’ve got it! You’re the woman from the tea garden place! I saw you on TV! You were in the background of the coverage. They said you were the new owner.” Her voice rose in volume, much to the aggravation of the others in the library. “They found that dead body there, right? Did you know her? What’s going on with that?”

  “I really need to be going.” I bolted quickly away from her and back downstairs.

  “Find everything you needed?” The woman behind the desk raised her eyebrow as I blew past her.

  “Yes. Thank you.” I lowered my head. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself.

  I was on the news? So, not only was the garden an object of interest, but I was too. I slammed the car door just to let out a little aggravation. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Fishing for my phone, I jerked it out of my purse. I pulled down the visor, and the business card from Detective Sullivan tumbled down into my lap. Angry finger jabs dialed his number.

  “Hello?” A male voice answered. He sounded distracted.

  “Detective Sullivan, this is Maddie Morgan.”

  “Aww, yes. Miss Morgan. How are you?” Was that a laugh in his voice?

  “Not great actually. I wanted to ask you when I could reopen the garden? I’m not trying to get in the way of your investigation. I just want to get my life back to normal.”

  “Well, that’s understandable. I think you might be able to reopen in two days. Do you think you can hold on that long?”

  “I guess I’ll have to.”

  “Alright, Miss Morgan. You have the all clear to reopen your Japanese tea garden in two days. However, I think you should know I might need to ask you more questions at a later date.” He kept stressing the ‘miss’ when he spoke, and it was getting on my nerves.

  “Consider me warned.” I winced. Warned? Did that make me sound guilty? Bad choice of words.

  “Speak to you soon, Miss Morgan.”

  “Okay. Goodbye, Detective.” I clicked the phone off and groaned. Well, at least I had permission to open the garden again.

  Hopefully putting my hands and mind back to work away from the house would help me get over the cabin fever I was developing. It would also get me closer to the scene where I could do a little investigation of my own. The police may be ready to give it the all clear in a few days, but that didn’t mean I was. I needed to find out who the murderer was. It felt like part of a morbid initiation to living on my own. Finding the murderer had become my rite of passage to prove to Drake and to everyone else that I could take care of myself. A chime from my phone made me look down. It was a text from Drake. The sight of his name on the screen made my heart jump. I hated myself for that kneejerk reaction. Rolling my eyes, I opened the text.

  “Maddie, just wanted to let you know I got your email. I’ll call you when I know something.”

  He would call me when he knew something? I fought down the sudden flare of anger I felt. He made it sound like I would just be waiting around by the phone for his call. I had to remind myself he was doing me a favor. Disgruntled by my day turning sour, I decided to just go back to my grandmother’s house. It wasn’t a day for connecting with people. Maybe I was better off on my own after all.

  Chapter 8

  With the day for opening the garden again finally underway, I left the house and climbed into my car to make the short drive to the front entrance down the street. I was in no mood for walking.

  In my stir-crazy absence from work, I had actually managed to make some headway on cleaning the house. Having some sort of control over something made me feel better. I still hadn’t heard back from Drake, and I was trying not to think about it. Kelly was the first person I had called once I had gotten permission from the police to reopen the garden again. She seemed excited. The private eye inside of me thought maybe she was a little too excited. Could she be happy to cover up any evidence missed by the police during our first day back? I planned to keep a close watch on her just in case she was up to something.

  “What is going on?” I couldn’t believe my eyes as I pulled into the parking lot at the tea garden. A steady stream of people were waiting in front of the gate with their cameras in hand. I managed to find a parking spot and shouldered my way to the gate.

  Kelly was bouncing up and down, guarding the entrance. “There you are! Isn’t it great?”<
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  “I don’t understand.” My eyes skimmed the crowd behind us.

  “When you told me you were opening the garden again, I told a few friends, and they told a few friends, and so on. Turns out that everyone wants to see where the murder happened.”

  “What?” If anything, I thought the incident would scare people off, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

  “People are curious about stuff like that. So, what do you say, boss? Should we open up?”

  “I guess we should.” I still couldn’t believe my eyes.

  I unlocked the gate and got a bit of a head start on the visitors. My feet carried me to the gift shop. A worm of guilt wriggled in my stomach. I may not have had anything to do with Angela’s murder, but it felt wrong to profit from people wanting to see the place of her death. On the bright side, I didn’t have to worry about the incident poorly affecting my business. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that so many people would come.

  The garden itself seemed untouched by the tragedy. If someone didn’t know what had happened, they would never suspect it. It was a shame that such a beautiful place had been witness to such horror.

  As I was looking over the garden, my eyes settled on Kelly in the distance.

  For the time being, I didn’t want to mention any of my suspicions to her. After all, I had no evidence that she had done anything aside from almost inheriting some property. Still, she couldn’t be ruled out as a suspect. Not yet. There was no better way to keep an eye on her than to have her to continue working for me. If Kelly was guilty, sooner or later she would slip up, and when she did, I would be ready.