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in the way she
flaunted herself in front of customers, especially the men, I didn't
get the feeling she was capable of the crime.
    “One cop picked up on the fact that Michael
broke off the affair and then made me keep Sunrise open an extra two
hours. They took that as suspicious when I told them I was sure he
had gone home. At least, he wasn’t at Sunrise. I told them if
Michael came back to the shop that night it would have been after I
left around ten. They knew we had an argument that night but they let
me go. I’m sure they think I had something to do with poisoning
him.”
    “Have they determined it was poison that killed
him?” I said.
    “They didn’t tell me that but I overheard two
cops talking before I gave my statement and they were talking about
Michael. One said he thought it was interesting that the victim was
poisoned while drinking his own coffee. So I guess that was the
cause; I have no idea what kind of poison or where it came from.”
    “All I can tell you is to stick to the truth in
what you know. Unless they have some evidence, they won’t arrest
you.”
    By this time I was more than a little weary of
Jen, Jacob and the whole incident. The information regarding James
Simms piqued my resolve though and I glanced at my watch. We had a
few hours before closing. We had a busy evening ahead since most of
the shops on the Piazza opened until eight or later for people
leaving their day jobs for a night on the town. The variety of shops
to full-scale restaurants drew them. Shoppers came in one after
another to Roasted Love.
    Jacob left before closing time. Lily and I could
have used his help that night but neither of us commented when he
walked out the back door. Her teenage son cleaned the kitchen. Lily
brought him in at my request. Bits and pieces of conversation about
the murder were heard throughout the coffee house. When closing time
finally arrived we locked up and readied Roasted Love for the next
day. Lily and I said goodnight and I thanked her for her hard work
performed under stressful circumstances.
    Before I got into my car, I went around the shop
to look for Thor. He waited as if he knew I was going to take him
home with me which I did. He stayed in the car while I dashed into a
small neighborhood grocery store for dog food. I didn’t take time
to read the ingredient label but bought a sack that said for large
dogs. That fit the orphan I took upon myself to adopt.
    Thor readily followed me into my kitchen as if he
was used to finding his way around my house. I pulled a plastic bowl
from the cabinet and poured food for him and filled another with
water. My mind was on a plan to find the real murderer of the owner
of Sunrise when I heard Thor whine. He stood by the back door and I
let him out for his needed break. I sat on the patio and thought.
    I had to come up with some kind of ruse to get to
New York City where I remembered James Simms and his wife, Sarah
occupied a plush condo. I wanted to talk to him about Michael but
wasn’t sure how to accomplish that. The Senator was accustomed to
talking with people of the state, especially voters or potential
ones. I didn’t doubt I could set up an interview with him if I
pretended to be a reporter for the West River Daily News. I decided
not to call ahead for an appointment so he would have no time to
check my fake references if he wanted to. The day he was in Roasted
Love he spent his time looking across the street at Sunrise. He never
really saw me, so I can't imagine he would recognize me.
    I knew I was jumping ahead of myself. There was
much more to do before I interviewed James Simms. I needed more
information on Michael Simms for one thing. The other goal was to
find someone to take care of my new dog when I decided it was time to
go to New York City. The idea of having a dog around may be a good
thing for Jacob. I planned how to approach him and whether or not to
tell him if and why I was going into the city. In regard to Thor,
maybe one