That night, Dan stopped by Amelia’s house to check on her. He brought a bouquet of flowers, a can of chicken noodle soup, and a trashy tabloid to read.
“I wasn’t sure how sick you were,” he said.
“You won’t believe the day I had.” Amelia proceeded to tell Dan about John showing up at the Pink Cupcake and the gory details of their exchange. “Can you believe it?”
“I’m sorry, Amelia. But that guy needs a punch in the face.”
“I know it. But it isn’t going to be me who does it.”
“Of course not. Me neither,” said Dan.
“But I know what I know, and now I don’t know what to do with it.”
“I’d say let it go for a couple of days. Sometimes big breakthroughs come when we are focused on something else.” Dan patted her hand as she sat down at the kitchen table, and he proceeded to cook her soup on the stove.
“I couldn’t agree more. Tell me. What did Jasmine Peterson have to say?”
Dan let out a bitter laugh that Amelia wasn’t expecting.
“This sounds juicy if it’s making you laugh,” she said.
“I’m glad you’re sitting down.”
Amelia propped her chin in her hands and leaned on the table to listen.
“According to Jasmine, she claims that although she and Spencer have a lot of over-the-top photos of themselves together on her Facebook page, she never had any sort of intimate relationship with him.”
“Really? Do you believe her?”
“That isn’t all.” Dan held up a wooden spoon as if he was about to conduct an orchestra with it. “Jasmine admitted to having feelings for Spencer. He liked to party. He was hot. And he always had money.”
“I can see the first two qualities, but the money part? Really?”
“Jasmine said he always had almost a thousand dollars on him at all times. It was the allowances from his cougar fund, to use Jasmine’s words.” Dan stirred the soup after taking it out of the microwave.
“What about the picture of her with him and defying her folks? Does she really think they didn’t look like a couple? I’m not buying it. She’s trying to protect herself from the wrath of a father who still believes his daughter is a good girl and a man who, by all legal standards, is a pedophile. It’s a line of bull.” Amelia smiled as Dan put the bowl of soup in front of her and handed her a spoon.
He sat down across from her, as he usually did when they ate together.
“Normally, I’d agree with you, but Jasmine said one thing that made me believe she was telling the truth.”
“What?” Amelia slurped her soup.
“She said Spencer was on the verge of being an Internet sensation. He would have been able to do whatever he wanted. But not now. Now she would have to find another guy to get her coke from.” Dan got up, went to the cupboard on the other side of the fridge, grabbed a stack of crackers, and set it on the table for Amelia.
“So, she did drugs and he sold drugs? That makes her believable? Plus, none of his girlfriends even mentioned drugs.”
“If you were a socialite having a fling with Portland’s most desirable bachelor, would you mention anything about drugs? Especially in that crowd of people you had to mingle with?” Dan popped a cracker into his mouth. “But that isn’t the part that stands out. I’m talking about the Internet angle.”
“I’m not following.”
“That was exactly what I said to Jasmine. She told me that Spencer was tipping the scales on his Instagram and YouTube channels. He wanted to be a celebrity and was on his way to becoming just that. He took the money from his ‘cougar fund’ and bought some dope with it to sell at a markup. Then he used that money to fund his profiles and get him more exposure.”
“This seems like a lot of work for a YouTube channel.”
“Well, when you don’t have any real talent or brains and your only gift is working the ladies, this is probably what it takes,” Dan replied. “That and some fancy jewelry and shoes, I guess, is all it takes to impress the masses online.”
“That’s not really a good way to speak of the deceased.” Amelia chuckled.
“It’s not a good way to talk about anyone living, either. But he was about to break into the Internet big league when he got ambushed on the jogging trail.” Dan took another cracker. “How’s the soup?”
“Best soup I ever tasted. You must give me the recipe,” she teased before slurping another spoonful. “Wait. Did you say fancy jewelry?”
“Yeah. According to Jasmine, he was always wearing something sparkly. She claims he had a Rolex that he never took off, but there was no Rolex on the body when we found him.” Dan looked at the table. “He was wearing a gold chain. He didn’t have a wallet, either, but his driver’s license was found tucked in his sock.”
“In his sock? Why?”
“Spoken like someone who doesn’t run unless chased,” Dan teased. “A wallet is big and bulky. Easy to lose when you are running. But tucking your ID in your sock is easy, light, and as long as the elastic holds up, your ID will be there when you cross the finish line.”
“Interesting,” Amelia said. But she wasn’t thinking about the ID. She was thinking about the Rolex.
Florence said she had given Spencer a Rolex. But there wasn’t one on the body. Plus, Florence had an athletic figure. She was someone not only used to working out but obviously had the strength to do some real damage with a pipe.
Trying to control her excitement, Amelia remembered the gaping wound in Florence’s house and the random pipes scattered around.
“Sorry, honey, but I’ve got to get going.” Dan looked at his watch and sighed. “There’s a stack of paperwork on my desk that isn’t going to do itself.”
“Isn’t it crazy that guys like you don’t get a secretary to help out, but guys like John have several at their disposal.” She frowned. “Yikes. I sounded really bitter right there, didn’t I?”
“You did. I liked it because it’s the truth.” Dan kissed her on top of the head. “Remember what I said. Let that situation with John rest for a little while. You’ll know what to do when the time comes.”
She squeezed his hand and walked him to the door. Once his car was out of the driveway, Amelia dashed upstairs. She was going to go visit her friend Florence Carmichael. She had a couple of questions to ask her.