Vanilla Vices by Jessica Beck Page A

Suzanne, I just need you to sign these documents stating that you are willing to accept the responsibilities as executrix, and we can go from there.”
    I signed my name everywhere she had a sticky note telling me to, and then I pushed the papers back to her. After confirming that I’d done everything that she’d asked, she nodded and slipped the papers back into the file. “Here is a copy of the will, as well as the keys to his business,” Teresa said. “I’ve been informed that the state police have just released the crime scene, so you’re free to go there whenever you’d like.”
    “That’s it? Isn’t there a letter or something for me explaining why Dan did this?” I asked. I’d been hoping for at least something from him. If he couldn’t name his killer, which would have been nice, as well as save Grace and me a great deal of time and trouble, at least he could have written to tell me why he’d done what he’d done.
    “Sorry. That’s all I’ve got. There will be paperwork to file and a few other things to handle as the process continues, but I’ll be happy to help you every step of the way.”
    “What’s it going to cost me?” I asked.
    “Suzanne,” Grace said.
    “Sorry.”
    “No, it’s a fair question. Dan has already paid for a certain amount of hours for my assistance. If there is a balance left when we’re finished, I’ll refund it to you. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’m due in court in ten minutes, so I’d better start walking over there. I’m sorry for your loss, Suzanne.”
    Teresa was clearly sympathetic, which warmed the chill in my heart toward her slightly.
    “Please give my best to Jake,” she added with a smile, and the warmth was suddenly gone.

    It was time to visit Aunt Teeks and see if there were any clues Dan managed to leave behind.
    Otherwise, Grace and I were going to have a tough time tracking down whoever had killed him.

Chapter 9
    I t had been quite a while since I’d been in the junk shop, but it hadn’t changed much. How on earth Dan had ever managed to find anything there was beyond me. In the largest room in the front of the building, stacks of old magazines were piled up on top of dressers that had been painted with pastels, while paintings of little apparent value leaned up against the walls haphazardly. The display room was a cacophony of items, and it almost hurt my eyes to look directly at it. Instead of the entire building being one open space inside, the first floor was a catacomb of smaller rooms that fed off the main room where we were currently standing. If I had to spend my days working there instead of Donut Hearts, I wouldn’t have lasted a week.
    “Suzanne, are you going to have to inventory every single thing here? Because if you do, you’re never going to make it back to your own business,” Grace said, echoing my thoughts.
    “Couldn’t I just hire someone to do it for me?” I asked as I looked around the crowded space in front.
    “You probably could, but by the time they finish, you’ll have to sell everything in sight just to pay whoever does it. I suppose there’s another possibility.”
    “What’s that? At this point, I’ll take any suggestions you have. We’ve been here ten minutes and I’m already overwhelmed.”
    “You could always try to sell everything to one buyer,” Grace suggested.
    I looked around at the mess that surrounded us. “Who would want to buy all of this junk?”
    “It might be worthless from our point of view, but maybe we’ll be surprised. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find someone else who’s also in this line of work to take it all off your hands. Should I start looking into it for you?”
    “As much as I appreciate the offer, let’s not do anything just yet,” I said.
    “I understand. It’s probably prudent to wait. I just don’t want you to be overwhelmed by all of this.”
    “It’s too late for that, I’m afraid,” I said with a rueful smile. Had Dan thought he was