[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.A table near the entrance was bare except for a stack of unmarked brown bags.I shut the door to the private room and re-entered the garage.My head reeled with questions and a coffee hangover.I knew Victor managed the coffee operation, but would that also entail distribution? Even with my limited knowledge of the business, it didn’t make sense for so many bags of Koffee Land beans to be stored off-site.I kept trying to think of a reason for the secret stash, but nothing came to mind.I entered the house, retracing my steps down the long hallway to the kitchen.Walea stood by the counter, waiting for some fresh coffee to brew.“We wondered what happened to you.” Her eyes narrowed and I wondered if I smelled as if I’d been bathing in coffee beans.“I needed to use the powder room.Sorry I didn’t get the coffee started.Is there anything else I can help you with?”She gave me a funny look and shook her head.I went back outside, my brain creating and abandoning a variety of scenarios regarding the coffee stash.I noticed my family and friends congregated under a huge banyan tree.Regan was just the expert I needed.I barreled across the green lawn and reached the group in seconds.“We were about to send a search party for you.” Tom’s tone sounded light, but his eyes indicated he’d been anxious about my absence.“Sorry.Something distracted me.” I turned to Regan.“Just out of curiosity, how is your coffee distribution handled?”Her expression suggested I’d drunk one too many cups of coffee, or alcohol, if I had a burning desire to learn the answer to that question right now.“You mean how do we sell our coffee?”“Yes, sort of.Do you also sell your beans to other coffee farms?”She shook her head.“No, some of the smaller farms sell what we refer to as parchment––that would be the dried green beans––to some of the larger more established processors.Then they handle the milling, roasting and distribution of the product.We process only our own beans at Koffee Land and sell directly from there, either to customers who come into the store or to people who order over the internet.Knowing Ritz and Pilar, eventually they’ll expand and start selling to grocery stores and other outlets.”“Why do you want to know?” Mother asked.“Oh, just idle curiosity.”Stan and Tom snorted simultaneously at my response.Honestly!I took Regan aside.“So you don’t store Koffee Land beans any place outside the farm?”She shook her head.“No.What’s going on?”I looked in the direction of Keiki’s parents.I couldn’t accuse them of theft during this reception honoring their deceased daughter.That would be too cruel.But did those bags in the storeroom have something to do with Keiki’s murder?“I’ve been talking to people and heard bits of conversation here and there,” I replied.“When we took that tour with you the other day, you discussed the value of green coffee beans.The bagged coffee you sell ranges from thirty-five to forty-five dollars.Aren’t the beans themselves worth significantly less?”“It depends whether it’s a good crop year or not.A bag of green beans is usually worth from $9 to $10 per pound.With the borer beetle destroying crops like they have at Koffee Land and other farms, the price has gone up in the last few years.”My analytical brain kicked into gear.A hundred-pound bag of green coffee beans could be worth close to a thousand dollars.And there had to be at least one hundred bags in that storeroom if not more.We weren’t talking pennies.We were talking a hundred thousand dollars.And that was just for the beans stored in the room at this moment.How many coffee beans had made their way in and out of Victor’s garage in the past few months? Or years?CHAPTER FIFTY-ONEI glanced at Victor who stood alone by the patio.It appeared that he, in turn, was watching me.I worried that Walea had mentioned my wandering around their house without supervision.My lips felt dry so I reached into my purse for my pink lip gloss, which was tucked into the side pocket, right next to the evidence baggie containing the earring we, or rather Ruckus, had discovered.This would be the perfect opportunity to hand it over to Detective Lee.But, first, I needed to show it to Regan.I pulled Regan away from the group once again and led her to a shaded corner where we could be alone.Her lips curved into a half-smile.“More urgent coffee questions?”“Maybe, later.I found a piece of jewelry and wondered if it belongs to you.” I grabbed the clear bag and held it in front of her face.She looked curious but not concerned.“Can you take it out of the baggie?” she asked.Probably, but I couldn’t chance adding any more of Regan’s DNA to the evidence file for this case.I also didn’t want to tell her where I’d found it.“I need to keep it secure for now,” I replied, evading the question.“It’s an abalone earring.Is it yours? Or have you seen it on anyone else?”She shook the bag, trying to get a clear view of the earring, but even I could see it was difficult in the shade.Regan moved away from the tree and into the sunlight.She brought the bag closer to her face.“I have a couple pairs of abalone earrings.I love the bluish green hues, but I don’t remember losing one.I can check when I get home tonight.”“Do you know anyone else who owns a pair?”“I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t own a pair
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
