Cooking Spirits: An Angie Amalfi Mystery (Angie Amalfi Mysteries) by Joanne Pence
Authors: Joanne Pence
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it was a beautiful
place, the rent Angie paid was miniscule…but it wasn’t his and wasn’t hers. She
had been right about that. If she found a good house at the right price,
personally, he wouldn’t care if the Manson family had lived there. But he could
see that Angie might.
In Homicide, he went through Taylor Bedford’s appointment
book and credit card expenditures. It showed that he had been at the Masco Tool
and Supply in Sacramento on the Friday before his death.
Strangely, Bedford’s credit card didn’t show any hotel
charges for Friday or Saturday nights. Although Bedford had been killed on
Saturday, he wasn’t expected home until Sunday, so he should have been staying
somewhere those two nights…unless Larina Bedford
lied, and Bedford had, in fact, come home after his last meeting in Sacramento.
Paavo looked over several months of credit card charges and
a clear pattern emerged. For one week, Monday through Thursday, there would be
a string of hotel bills throughout northern California, then a three night stay
at the Mountain Shadows Resort in Healdsburg, followed by another string of
Monday through Thursday hotel bills all over the area. For the next two weeks,
there would be no hotel charges. This agreed with what Larina Bedford said about Taylor being home two weeks, and then two weeks on the road.
But she also said he spent weekends with clients. No charges
were put on his business credit card for those expenses, however—except for the
weekends in Healdsburg. Paavo would need to check Bedford’s personal credit
cards to see if he covered all those expenses himself.
Now, while Yosh went back to Zygog
Software to continue discussions with Bedford’s boss, secretary, and
co-workers, Paavo decided to head north.
Sacramento was about two hours from San Francisco. It should
have taken longer to drive there, but anyone who stuck to the 65 mile per hour
speed limit along the multilane Highway 80 would get run over by every other
car on the road. Slow drivers, not speeders, were the cause of road rage on
California highways.
Talking to the owner of Masco, Paavo learned that Bedford
had spent only two hours with him on Friday morning going over updates and
add-ons to the software packages, plus arranging for a trainer to come in and
give some advanced lessons to the accounting staff. Paavo asked other key
people if they had any dealings with Bedford on Friday. None had, and the owner
had never been taken out to dinner or anywhere else by Bedford in all the time
they had worked together. And, he didn’t even play golf.
So, if Bedford didn’t spent time with his client on Friday
evening or Saturday, where had he gone?
Paavo had photocopied a number of other pages from Bedford’s
appointment book and decided to check on some other clients near Sacramento.
None of them had seen Bedford for over a month. None ever went to dinner, golf
games, or anything else with the salesman.
Going through Bedford’s business charges, he spent Monday
night in Redding, Tuesday in Shasta, Wednesday in Marysville, and Thursday in
Sacramento.
Before that, he had spent the weekend in Healdsburg…Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday nights, just as he had every fourth week for the five
months’ worth of statements Paavo had copied. Why there? The small town in
northern Sonoma County was hardly a hotbed of anything, let alone the tool and
die trade.
Bedford had only one client in Healdsburg, Steelhead Tool
and Die.
Paavo drove to Healdsburg where he met with the owner of
Steelhead, a small family-run business. He learned Bedford showed up on that
Friday afternoon for no more than twenty or so minutes to check on how things
were going. He did that like clockwork, about once a month. While the owner
appreciated the attention, he hadn’t asked for it and frankly rarely needed it.
As with the Sacramento client, the owner had never gone to dinner or attended
any kind of social outing with Bedford.
Paavo saw a pattern. He saved
place, the rent Angie paid was miniscule…but it wasn’t his and wasn’t hers. She
had been right about that. If she found a good house at the right price,
personally, he wouldn’t care if the Manson family had lived there. But he could
see that Angie might.
In Homicide, he went through Taylor Bedford’s appointment
book and credit card expenditures. It showed that he had been at the Masco Tool
and Supply in Sacramento on the Friday before his death.
Strangely, Bedford’s credit card didn’t show any hotel
charges for Friday or Saturday nights. Although Bedford had been killed on
Saturday, he wasn’t expected home until Sunday, so he should have been staying
somewhere those two nights…unless Larina Bedford
lied, and Bedford had, in fact, come home after his last meeting in Sacramento.
Paavo looked over several months of credit card charges and
a clear pattern emerged. For one week, Monday through Thursday, there would be
a string of hotel bills throughout northern California, then a three night stay
at the Mountain Shadows Resort in Healdsburg, followed by another string of
Monday through Thursday hotel bills all over the area. For the next two weeks,
there would be no hotel charges. This agreed with what Larina Bedford said about Taylor being home two weeks, and then two weeks on the road.
But she also said he spent weekends with clients. No charges
were put on his business credit card for those expenses, however—except for the
weekends in Healdsburg. Paavo would need to check Bedford’s personal credit
cards to see if he covered all those expenses himself.
Now, while Yosh went back to Zygog
Software to continue discussions with Bedford’s boss, secretary, and
co-workers, Paavo decided to head north.
Sacramento was about two hours from San Francisco. It should
have taken longer to drive there, but anyone who stuck to the 65 mile per hour
speed limit along the multilane Highway 80 would get run over by every other
car on the road. Slow drivers, not speeders, were the cause of road rage on
California highways.
Talking to the owner of Masco, Paavo learned that Bedford
had spent only two hours with him on Friday morning going over updates and
add-ons to the software packages, plus arranging for a trainer to come in and
give some advanced lessons to the accounting staff. Paavo asked other key
people if they had any dealings with Bedford on Friday. None had, and the owner
had never been taken out to dinner or anywhere else by Bedford in all the time
they had worked together. And, he didn’t even play golf.
So, if Bedford didn’t spent time with his client on Friday
evening or Saturday, where had he gone?
Paavo had photocopied a number of other pages from Bedford’s
appointment book and decided to check on some other clients near Sacramento.
None of them had seen Bedford for over a month. None ever went to dinner, golf
games, or anything else with the salesman.
Going through Bedford’s business charges, he spent Monday
night in Redding, Tuesday in Shasta, Wednesday in Marysville, and Thursday in
Sacramento.
Before that, he had spent the weekend in Healdsburg…Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday nights, just as he had every fourth week for the five
months’ worth of statements Paavo had copied. Why there? The small town in
northern Sonoma County was hardly a hotbed of anything, let alone the tool and
die trade.
Bedford had only one client in Healdsburg, Steelhead Tool
and Die.
Paavo drove to Healdsburg where he met with the owner of
Steelhead, a small family-run business. He learned Bedford showed up on that
Friday afternoon for no more than twenty or so minutes to check on how things
were going. He did that like clockwork, about once a month. While the owner
appreciated the attention, he hadn’t asked for it and frankly rarely needed it.
As with the Sacramento client, the owner had never gone to dinner or attended
any kind of social outing with Bedford.
Paavo saw a pattern. He saved
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