Murder of a Bookstore Babe

“I didn’t want to worry my daughter. It’s rarely a good omen when the police want to talk to you.” Xavier ran his fingers along the scarred tabletop. “She thinks I got called to transport a body.”

“That’s probably best.” Skye’s tone was sympathetic. Frannie was Xavier’s whole world, and he’d do anything to protect her. “I’m sorry we have to ask you some personal questions.”

Xavier bobbed his head, as if understanding her discomfort. “Go ahead.”

“Simon told me that you had invested in Tales and Treats, but that’s not the truth, is it?”

“Not exactly.” Xavier’s hands were clenched. “When I asked him for a loan, I wasn’t completely honest with him.”

“Why?” So that was how Simon found out about Xavier’s situation. Simon hadn’t mentioned he’d loaned Xavier money. “He would have given you the cash even if you told him you had lost yours in Risé’s firm’s scandal. Which is what happened, right?”

“Yes. That’s what happened.” Xavier’s expression was grim. “But I couldn’t take the chance that Simon might not help me. I had to replace the funds from my veterans’ group treasury. I promised them their capital would be safe. In the war, men trusted me with their lives; I couldn’t let these guys down any more than I could have left behind someone who was wounded on the battlefield.”

“What about Simon?” Skye was torn between understanding Xavier’s circumstances and feeling disgusted that he’d used his friend. “Simon trusted you, too.”

“I know.” Xavier’s rigid posture sagged. “One lie led to another.”

“They always do.” Skye spoke from experience. “But how do you plan to reimburse Simon?”

“If the store is successful, I’ll be able to repay the loan with interest.”

“I thought you said that you didn’t invest in Tales and Treats,” Wally interjected.

“Not directly.” Xavier met Wally’s stare. “But Risé and Orlando are giving me a third of the store’s profits until I get back all the money I invested with her.”

“The problem with that is that bookstores often don’t last very long.” Wally raised an eyebrow. “And the ones that do rarely earn enough to pay dividends.”

“Risé wouldn’t start a business she didn’t see a way of making money from.” Xavier took a deep breath and explained, “According to her plan, they’ll make most of their profit from the café and retail items. There’s a huge markup on the packaged gourmet foods and coffee they’re selling.”

“Really? Enough for them to live on and give you a cut?” Wally’s tone was doubtful.

“Yes.” Xavier nodded. “Because they went into the store with no debt, own the building, and live above the store, they’re in a good position. The reason so many small businesses fail is that the owners have to borrow so much capital to get started.”

“I see,” Wally acknowledged, then asked, “Is Risé reimbursing Troy Yates for his losses?”

“No.”

When Xavier didn’t elaborate, Skye said, “How did Troy know you had lost money?” While Yates hadn’t come right out and named Xavier, his comment about those who couldn’t afford to lose their investment had to have been about him.

“Risé didn’t like to do business with friends, so when she didn’t want me to invest in her firm, I asked Mr. Yates to intervene for me with her boss.”

Skye glanced at Wally. If that were true, then Xavier had no reason to want Risé dead. In fact, since she was giving him part of her profits, he had everything riding on her making a success of the shop.

Wally asked, “Is there anyone who can vouch for your whereabouts from eight fifteen until eleven last Saturday night?”

When Xavier didn’t respond, Skye said gently, “We’ll try to keep this as quiet as we can.”

Xavier groaned, losing his usual Zen-like calm. “This cannot get out. We knew it was wrong, and we ended it that night.” He implored Skye, “You have to make sure no one finds out. It would ruin her marriage and one of my oldest friendships.”

“Oh, my.” Skye turned to Wally. “Frannie told Simon that her father had been gone a lot lately, and either he wouldn’t say, or he lied about where he’d been.” She looked across at Xavier. “You were with Risé, weren’t you? You’ve been having an affair with her.”

CHAPTER 23

The Scarlet Letter

Once Xavier confirmed Skye’s guess, Wally asked him to remain at the PD while they contacted Risé. Before leaving him alone, Skye assured Xavier that they would talk to his ex-lover without her husband being present. As she and Wally walked out of the interrogation room, Skye looked back. Xavier was sitting ramrod straight, as if waiting for the firing squad.

Once they were out of his hearing, Skye said to Wally, “Do you think it’s possible that Orlando already knows about the affair? Maybe he found out recently. Maybe he intended to kill his wife and struck Kayla by mistake.”

Wally thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Surely he could distinguish his own wife’s backside from that of a nineteen-year-old.”

“True.” Skye nibbled her lip. “But we’re still going to check Orlando’s alibi, right?” At this point she didn’t trust anyone.