Vera really wanted to talk to Lenore about her find in the woods, but as she was quite hungry, and wanted to question Joe Jr. and Esme about the odd accounting issues, she elected to return to the café for lunch, and try to learn more before she shared the results of her investigation with Lenore.
Joe’s Mug was quite a bit more crowded than it was when Vera stopped in for coffee and pie earlier. She noted that Esme was waiting tables, and she chose an empty one in the corner. As she looked over the menu, she saw the special of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. This seemed perfect, as she felt a little chilled from her sojourn into the woods.
“How you doing, Vera?” Esme asked, standing next to the fox with her order pad ready.
“Nice to see you, Esme,” Vera replied. “I’ll have the special and a cup of mint tea. When things slow down for you, I have a few more questions.”
Esme glanced around as if estimating how much time it would take to serve all of the creatures crowding the café.
“It might take a while,” she said, “but as soon as I’m free, I’ll stop by your table.”
Vera thanked her and settled back in her chair to peruse the crowd and think about her find in the woods.
After the hardworking reporter finished her delicately herbed tomato soup and grilled cheddar on sourdough, she sipped her second cup of tea as she waited for the young beaver waitress to sit down with her at the table. The lunch rush was winding down. Folks had to get back to work.
Esme headed toward Vera’s table, and sat down with an audible sigh of relief.
“Waiting tables is hard work,” Vera noted.
“Sure, but it certainly beats lying around the mansion with Mama and Stasia.” Esme looked around the café. “Turns out, I like to keep busy.”
Vera happened to know that Esme was also proud of herself for contributing to the family’s finances. This trait made her the complete opposite of her sister, Stasia, who liked nothing better than depleting the family’s finances, usually by shopping or going out to expensive places.
“How’s the bookkeeping coming along?” Vera asked, as Esme sipped a cup of coffee.
“Not too bad,” the beaver replied. “I’m learning a lot from looking at the old account books, and I’m thinking about taking an accounting course at the community college. That will really send Mama over the edge.”
This remark made Vera smile as she thought about Edith Von Beaverpelt. Not only was her daughter working at a menial job, but attending a community college? Vera admired Esme for her ambition, but she knew that Edith wanted to marry off both of her daughters as soon as possible.
“I think that’s terrific,” she said. “I’m sure that Joe appreciates the help.”
Esme looked around the café and then leaned forward toward Vera. “His wife used to do the books, you know,” she confided. “And Joe has just sort of done the best he can since she left. But he’s not as tidy when it comes to the accounts.”
“Esme,” Vera prodded, “did you notice any irregularities in the restaurant’s accounts? Anything out of the ordinary?”
Esme glanced around once more, and answered Vera in a low tone, “I looked at the accounts from the year that Julia, you know, disappeared. Just out of curiosity.”
Vera nodded encouragingly, her stomach starting to clench with anticipation.
“There was an enormous sum of money missing the month that Julia disappeared.” Esme confirmed Vera’s suspicions. “The entry was marked WITHDRAWAL–PERSONAL. No other details. As far as I can tell, the money was never returned to the business.”
“Did you ask Joe about it?” Vera asked.
“I was going to,” Esme answered, “but then the body turned up, and Orville took Joe in for questioning. I was afraid to mention it, because the police might get the wrong idea. Orville might think Joe had hired a killer to get rid of his wife, and the sum was a payout.”
“You’ve been reading too many Bradley Marvel books,” Vera chided the young beaver. “You know that Joe would never do such a thing.”
“I know that,” said Esme, “but it could have looked really bad if someone was being lazy and just wanted an easy theory. You know those police bears don’t know what they’re doing.” As soon as this came out of her mouth, Esme must have remembered who she was talking to, and she looked embarrassed. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Vera answered serenely. “I’ve often thought the same thing myself. Why do you suppose I’m conducting my own investigation?”
“So it is an investigation, after all,” asked a new voice. The elder Joe had come up to the booth, surprisingly silent for all his bulk.
“Joe!” she and Esme said at the same time. “You’re back!”
“Mr. Fallow secured my release,” Joe explained. “I’m not out of the woods yet, but he argued, very convincingly, that I was not a flight risk and that the business could suffer irreparable harm should I be kept away unnecessarily. And that if I were found innocent—”
“And you will be!” Vera interjected.
“—it would open the police up to a civil case. Don’t know if I believe that, but the important thing is that Chief Meade did. So I’m allowed to be out and about. I have to check in at the station twice a day.”
“That’s a relief,” Esme said. “I called Rosie already and told her to come in for some extra shifts, since I didn’t know when you’d be back.”
“Keep her on the schedule,” Joe said. “No telling when I might be back in a cell. Vera, what’s this you’re asking about money?”
“Hey, Joe,” Vera said. “It’s an investigation, but you’re not a suspect. Not to me. You know I’m not trying to bring up old hurts for nothing, but I’ve got to find out what happened to Julia. You heard what we were talking about just now, didn’t you? What’s the story?”
Joe sighed. “The missing money? Not much of a story, I’m afraid. Julia took it right before she left, and I didn’t realize it till the next month, when I had to pay the regular bills.”
“You didn’t report it to the police?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“No.” Joe shook his head. “I couldn’t. I kept hoping Julia would come back, see? And how could she pick up life here again if there was a report of missing money? So I kept quiet.”
“Joe, you should have reported it! Then there would have been some proof of your side of the story.”
“I never thought…” The moose looked ashamed.
“Never mind, Joe. How could you have known?” Vera sighed too.
Esme, who had been sitting there in silence, finally spoke up. “It’s too bad you never got the money back, Joe. That was a lot.”
“I managed,” Joe said. He lowered his voice. “I had to dip into the savings we started for Joe Jr. He was young! Too young to need it yet. And I paid it all back. Took a few years, but I added extra to his account every time I could.”
“And that’s why the café’s books never changed. You were using a different account,” Vera concluded. “Don’t worry, this detail won’t make it into any story I write.” She was a reporter, not a hack.
“Thanks, Vera.” Joe shuffled off to the kitchen again.
Vera thanked Esme for her help, and then went over to the counter to pay her check.
“That was amazing as always, Joe,” Vera complimented the young moose. “You certainly have inherited your father’s culinary skills.”
Joe Jr. looked embarrassed but pleased as he took her money and gave her change.
Vera continued the conversation as there was no one waiting in line behind her. “Say, Joe,” she went on, “what is the name of the cookware business your dad used to set up? The one up north?”
“Northland Cookery Company,” replied Joe Jr. “Clever, huh? I have no idea how they came up with it.” He chuckled.
After that, Vera decided that she had asked enough questions for the day, and after she thanked Joe Jr. again, she took her leave.
Vera had barely left the café when she remembered the emerald that she had found in the cave.
She hurried back in to Joe’s Mug and spotted Esme wiping down tables.
“I forgot one thing,” she called out. “What do you make of this?” she asked Esme, fishing the stone out of her bag.
The beaver took one look at the gleaming jewel, and pronounced, “Fake.” Then she went back to wiping tables.
Vera couldn’t believe it. She was sure she had discovered a real emerald! “How do you know?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Trust me, I can spot the difference. Mama has plenty of costume jewelry,” Esme answered. “Some of it’s real, naturally. She has a few good pieces that Papa bought her. She’s always kept those items in a vault in the cellar. But most of it—the sparkly things you see her wear to board meetings and charity luncheons and whatnot—those are almost all fake. She knows that most creatures can’t tell the difference. Um, no offense, Vera.”
Vera had to admit that she certainly had been fooled. What did she know about jewels anyway? “I guess you learn something every day. I thought I’d hit the jackpot, and got a clue at the same time.”
“It’s a clue? Where’d you find it?”
“In a cave outside of town. I suspected the robber that invaded your home all those years ago hid out there. This was going to be my proof,” Vera added sadly.
“Well, it still is,” Esme said. “That robber stole a lot of things, but he never got into the vault. Didn’t Mama mention that? The only reason he got the emerald necklace was that Mama wore it to a party that night and had left it on her dressing table instead of locking it up right away. Besides that, the robber only got the silver and some pretty little knickknacks, and the stuff from Mama’s jewel case…”
“The fake stuff!” Vera said, enlightened. “He must have been furious later. He probably thought he’d committed his last crime, that he was set for life. And instead…”
“He ended up with just a bunch of cut glass,” Esme said, with a firm nod. “Serves him right, I say. Still miss that tea set, though,” she added, more wistfully. “It was real silver, and we loved it. It was so pretty, with all those roses and butterflies etched on. When Mama pulled it out, we knew it was a special occasion. Oh, well.”
“He would have sold it,” Vera said. “He had to make money somehow, since those fake jewels weren’t going to help. Thanks, Esme. You’ve been so helpful.”
The beaver nodded. “Any time.”
After Vera left the café for good, she sauntered through town on her way back to the newspaper office. She took her time, enjoying the sunshine and the colors of the changing leaves. Autumn really was her favorite time of year. She was mulling over what she had just learned from Esme and Joe when she caught sight of a creature exiting the local pub. The grey fur, the black stripes, and the masked eyes were unmistakable.
“Hey there, Lefty!” she called out, thinking that she had a number of questions to ask of the raccoon.
Lefty whirled around at the sound of his name, and instead of responding, took off running down in street in the opposite direction. For a moment, Vera just stood there, staring after the fleeing raccoon. Then she spurred into action.