Free Shake Down Dead by Diane Morlan Page A

Mark and Sally, who
were roasting and packaging coffee, filling orders.
    “How’s everything going?” I
asked.
    Mark answered, “Just fine, Jennifer. I
turned up the thermostat. It was pretty cold in here this
morning.”
    “Keep it as warm as you want,” I
replied. “Winter is close at hand.”
    I was thankful to have these young
people working for me. Since they both attend the community
college, they had decided that Saturdays and Sundays were the best
days to do the bulk of the roasting and packaging of coffee. They
each came in several times during the week at different hours and
completed whatever else needed to be done.
    “We’re getting low on some of the
beans,” Sally said. “I can put together an order for you and you
can call it in on Monday, if you want.”
    “Thanks, Sally, I appreciate your
help.”
    I counted on them more and more since I
started catering Charlie’s campaign. I’d be glad when the election
was over in a few weeks. Even though the catering was fun and paid
well, it was a big hassle. I already had a great income from my
coffee business and didn’t need the extra work.
    A coffee company in Seattle had been
after me for a couple years to sell my business to them. They
didn’t actually want my business, they just wanted my customers. I
sold my roasted coffee beans to restaurants all over southern
Minnesota. A few weeks ago, I picked up several classy restaurants
and supper clubs in the Minneapolis suburbs. If things kept picking
up I’d have to hire more employees. The money I was offered for my
business was impressive but I wasn’t sure it was the best move I
could make. Mark and Sally would be out of work and I wasn’t sure
what kind of coffee my customers would be buying. I made sure that
my customers received good quality coffee and I only purchased
Fair-Trade certified raw coffee beans. Fair Trade certification
provides farmers a fair price for their beans with a guaranteed
minimum rate.
    For a while, I thought it was strange
that my business was booming during a poor economic time in our
country. Then I figured it was because I could underbid my
competition and offer a higher quality product for a smaller price.
I kept my eye on what the larger firms were charging, and then
undercut them by a few cents. By hiring part-time students from the
community college, I kept my overhead at a minimum. This also gave
my employees an income while in school. The biggest expense I had
was an industrial coffee roaster I bought last year.
    When I finished at the warehouse, I
decided to stop off at the Hermann Public Library to dig a little
deeper into whatever I could find about Whitney and her friends. I
pulled up in front of the library, and then remembered that I was
supposed to meet Lt. Jacobs at five o’clock. Checking my watch, I
saw that I had just five minutes to make it to the appointment. I
put the Buick in reverse and headed for the Sheriff’s
Office.
    When I arrived, I walked up to the
glassed-in cubicle and told the youthful receptionist that I had an
appointment with Jacobs. The sign in the widow told me her name was
Bonnie Sue. Her forehead wrinkled and she cocked her head to the
side. “He’s not here. Didn’t he call and cancel?”
    “No. I was supposed to meet him here at
five o’clock.” By now, I was tapping my foot. I kept thinking about
all the things I needed to do.
    “Well, Ma’am, I’m sorry. It’s just not
like Lt. Jacobs to blow off an appointment.”
    “Oh, wait!” I practically shouted while
rooting in my purse for my phone. “I’m so sorry, Bonnie,” I said
after checking my voice mail. “He left a message. I had the ringer
turned off. Can you have him call me to reschedule?”
    “Sure thing, Ma’am. You’re Jennifer
Penny aren’t you? It must have been awful to find Whitney’s body
like that.”
    “It was. Did you know her?”
    “Well, sort of. We were in the same
class at school, but I never hung around with her
group.”
    “What was