To Brew or Not to Brew (23 page)

Holy crap. Adam.

Thoughts clicked together in my brain like a Rubik's Cube.

His interest in my security system. Telling Daisy and some of his employees I was going to sell the pub. Not wanting Daisy to tell anyone they were seeing each other. He was using Daisy to get information about me. His argument with the building inspector. He'd probably tried to bribe him to make the brew house fail inspection.

The big question was why. He'd murdered two people to get to me. What could he possibly have against me? I wouldn't have cared if Adam used the tunnels if he'd have asked me. Unless there was a reason he didn't want me or anyone else to know. If he was doing something illegal.

Using my flashlight, I peered closely at the handbag I'd picked up. There were a few loose threads, but other than that, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I put it back and examined the carton. There were no markings on it at all—not even packing tape. I found that odd. Surely a name brand, high-end company would have their name plastered all over the box. They also couldn't have shipped it without taping it up and addressing it properly.

I moved to another box filled with quilted handbags and totes. These were identical to the ones Adam had been stocking when I'd talked to him in his store. They seemed authentic, but again, the box wasn't labeled or taped. It dawned on me that the goods could be good-quality fakes.
If Adam was selling counterfeit goods and using the tunnel to transport them, he wouldn't have wanted me to know that. If he wanted to buy me out to keep all this a secret, he must be making a fortune on them.

My grip tightened on the flashlight. How dare he! He killed two people just so he could keep making money from selling this stuff?

Well, he wouldn't be doing it much longer.

I marched through the door, closing it behind me. When I reached my own basement, I called my dad's cell phone. His voice mail picked up.

“Hi, Dad, it's me. Call me back as soon as you get this message. I know who killed Kurt and Dominic and why.” I hit the end button and called Jake. He picked up on the first ring.

“I found it,” I said. “I found the tunnel.”

“That's great!”

“It was behind that old safe.” I started to tell him about the counterfeit goods when a voice behind me said, “I wouldn't say any more if I were you.”

I spun around. It was
Adam.

A
cold tendril of fear took root in my neck and curled down my spine. I'd been so focused on calling Dad and Jake, I only now noticed that the basement lights I had left on had been turned off. The only illumination was from the flashlight I still carried.

Adam stepped out of the darkness. “End the call. Now.”

“I'll have to call you back,” I said into the phone.

“Wait! Is that Adam?” Jake said into my ear.

“Yes.”

Jake mumbled an obscenity. “I'll be there in ten.”

“Now!” Adam demanded.

Instead of disconnecting, I pressed the button to turn the volume down. Jake would be able to hear us, but not the other way around. I pocketed the phone. “Done,” I said.

He flicked the switch on the wall and turned on the
overhead light. I blinked at the sudden brightness of the room. Adam held a gun in one hand and a metal baseball bat in the other. Daisy's bat. Adam had taken it. Oh God. And used it on Kurt and Dominic. My stomach knotted.

“You seem to like those tunnels, so we're going to take a little walk,” Adam said.

“That's not going to happen. I'm not going anywhere with you.” I wasn't going to show him how frightened I was. For a split second I thought about running for the stairs, but I'd never make it. Not with a gun pointed at me. He'd already killed two people. He'd have no qualms about shooting me in the back.

Adam moved behind me and jammed the gun into my back. “This should change your mind. I really don't want to shoot you, Maxine, but I will if I have to. It won't be all that difficult to make your death look like a robbery gone bad.”

“I wouldn't count on that. Three murders in one place will look awfully suspicious. Besides, I called my Dad. He knows I found out who killed Kurt and Dominic.”

“You really shouldn't lie like that,” Adam said. “I heard you leave the message. You didn't tell him it was me. You didn't even give him a clue.”

My heart sank. He was right. But Jake knew. He was coming.

Adam prodded me toward the opening in the wall behind the safe. Every warning my father had given me over the years ping-ponged in my brain.
Never get into a car with a stranger
was number one. If he'd thought of it, I'm sure
Never go into a dark secret tunnel with a killer
would top it. I didn't have a choice, however. If I balked, he'd kill me
now. I would delay it as long as I could and hope for the best. If he took me back to his store, I'd have a fighting chance. The store was open, and if I screamed, someone would surely come running.

We reached the large open area. Instead of heading down the tunnel to his store, he pushed me toward the passageway I hadn't explored yet. The one I assumed led to the river. “Where are we going?” I asked.

“Shut up and keep walking.” He jammed the gun against my back and I winced. Once we were a few feet inside the tunnel, he threw a switch and a string of lights along the ceiling flashed on. I'd wondered about that. It would be hard to move merchandise in the dark. He suddenly lifted the bat and I squealed as he smashed the flashlight out of my hand.

“You won't be needing that,” he said.

I wouldn't be using the flashlight as a weapon. “This is the tunnel that goes to the river, right?”

He didn't answer.

“I figure it does, since the one that goes straight goes to your stores, and the one on the right is a dead end.” I hoped Jake was picking all this up. The cell phone signal in my basement had been good, but I wasn't sure how long that would last in here.

“If you must know, yes. It goes to the river. Not that it's going to matter to you once we get there.”

The tunnel seemed to go on forever, but it could only have been a few blocks. A quarter of a mile at most. As we walked, I searched for some kind of escape path but there was nothing. The only way out was back the way we'd come. We soon reached a set of concrete steps at the end of
the tunnel and Adam ordered me to go up. There was a hatch at the top, and he reached overhead, slid the lock over, and pushed it open. “Out,” he said.

I expected there to be buildings or something in this area, but it was eerily empty. I could barely make out Butler Street in the far distance. Between the street and where we now stood were gravel lots whose only occupants were weeds. If any cars had parked here, it had been ages ago. Railroad tracks ran directly beside us, and on the other side was a slight slope that led down to the river. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it. I had to think of something. And fast.

Jake would be here soon. I was sure Adam wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. I couldn't let that happen.

Adam nudged me with the gun again. “We're going down to the river.”

“No, we're not.” It wasn't the smartest thing to say, but I wasn't a good swimmer. As a matter of fact, I didn't even like the water much. Especially water where I couldn't see the bottom. The river was very deep—over twenty feet in spots, and the current was strong. I wasn't going in without a fight. I had to delay what seemed like the inevitable. I turned so my back was to the river and planted my feet. Not only was I not taking another step, but my turning this way prevented Adam from seeing Jake when he came. If he came. “I'm not going anywhere near that river,” I said. “Not until I get some answers. You owe me that much.”

“I don't owe you anything.”

“Maybe you don't, but I'm asking you anyway. Why, Adam? I don't understand. I don't understand why you did any of this. Not the vandalism, and especially not the murders.”

“Why? You want to know why?” he said. “That building should have been mine. Not yours, and certainly not that looney tunes history lady's. I had it all worked out. I was going to expand and have five more stores. I even had blueprints drawn up. Then I went out of the country, and when I came back I found you bought the building. All my plans to sell my exclusive merchandise . . . gone.”

“Don't you mean your counterfeit merchandise? That's why you hid the tunnel entrance, isn't it?”

“Gee. You're as smart as you look. What else was I supposed to do?”

I caught a glimpse of Jake's head coming up through the hatch. I forced my gaze to stay on Adam so I didn't give Jake away. “I didn't even know about the tunnel until this week. I wouldn't have cared if you wanted to use it. I never would have known your stuff wasn't legit.”

“It would have been a matter of time. But that wasn't the point, anyway. That building was supposed to be mine. But you had to have your little brewery.”

Jake was close. He crouched down waiting to make his move.

“So you killed two people trying to drive me out.”

“Soon to be three,” he said. “Kurt figured out it was me. I dropped my watch that night and he found it. He knew it was mine because he admired it once. I hid and listened while he called you. I had this with me.” He held up the bat. “I'd planned on using it on your tanks. Instead, I made a noise near one of the tanks, and when he came to check, I took care of him once and for all.”

I was going to be sick. I took a deep breath and swallowed. Poor Kurt. Tears filled my eyes. I blinked them away. I was
not going to let Adam see me cry. “What about Dominic Costello?” My mouth was so dry, I could barely get the words out.

Adam shrugged. “A convenient patsy. He was the perfect fall guy, since he was so vocal about opposing you. But once again, my plans were ruined. I was in the brewery trying to decide what to smash that would be blamed on him. I planned to be long gone before he showed up, but he was early. When he didn't see things my way I had to take care of him, too.” He motioned with the gun. “I've had enough of this. Time for you to take a little swim.”

This was the moment Jake had been waiting for. He sprang up and tackled Adam from behind. They crashed to the ground. The gun flew from Adam's hand and skittered down the slope. It made a splash as it fell into the water. I watched in terror as they rolled on the ground. Jake was much bigger, but Adam was strong. The bat lay on the ground near them but I couldn't get close enough to get it.

Jake was on top of Adam with one hand on his throat holding him down. He drew his other hand back for a punch. Adam grabbed Jake's wrist and used it for leverage to pull Jake off him. Adam jumped to his feet. He grabbed the bat and swung it down toward Jake's head. I screamed. Jake rolled away at the last second and the bat struck the ground with a clang. Jake kicked the bat out of Adam's hands. It rolled to my feet and I snatched it up.

Before Adam could go after Jake again, I drew the bat back with both hands and swung with all my might. The bat hit Adam's elbow and I heard the bone crack. He fell to the ground screaming in pain. Then he passed out.

The bat dropped from my hand and Jake caught me before I did the same. He held me and we stood like that until we heard sirens. “You called the police?” I said.

“As soon as your call dropped I called your dad. He got your message and was trying to call you back. I told him what little I knew about Adam.”

“Thanks for coming to my rescue.” His arm was still around my shoulders, and I leaned into him.

He kissed me on my head. “I should be thanking you. That was one hell of a swing.”

I looked up at him. He was grinning. “What?” I said.

“Want to know what my first thought was when he hit the ground?”

“Sure.”

“She shoots and scores!”

We were still laughing when my dad and the cavalry
arrived.

M
ike stood on a chair and tapped his spoon against the top of his glass. No one heard it over the din. I was behind the bar, and so far, opening night had been everything I'd dreamed it would be. We had a packed house. Every table was full, and it was standing room only at the bar. My entire family was there, including all my brothers. Mom was in seventh heaven with all her kids in one room. Mike tried again to get everyone's attention, to no avail, so my brother Joey stood, put two fingers in his mouth, and let loose an ear-splitting whistle. The crowd fell silent in an instant.

Mike shook his head. “Man, I really need to learn how to do that.” He was greeted with laughter. “Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate my baby sister over there. . . .” He pointed in my direction. “Max has worked like a demon. . . .”

“Bad choice of words,” Sean hollered. He got a bigger laugh than Mike had. I guess no one expected a priest to be funny. They obviously didn't know much about my eldest brother.

“Sorry,” Mike said. “Max has worked really hard for this. For those of you who don't know her, she trained for years to be a brewer, and if you've tasted the beer tonight, you know it's paid off.”

Someone yelled, “Hear! Hear!”

“She's had a rough few weeks, but she didn't quit. She didn't give up her dream. Thank you all for turning out and supporting her.”

My face grew hot at the round of applause that followed. Mike jumped off the chair and headed my way. When he reached the bar, I wrapped my arms around him. “You are the best brother in the world,” I said. “But don't you dare tell anyone I said that.”

“Your secret's safe with me. Why don't you take a break? I'll tend the taps for a while.”

I protested, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. I rinsed and dried my hands, then went to mingle with the customers. I went from table to table and tried to talk to as many people as possible. Everyone, with few exceptions, not only raved about the beer but loved the food as well. Jake's buffalo chicken pierogies were the hit of the night. That made me so happy for Jake, who had been stuck in the kitchen most of the night. I was pleased at the comments about the waitstaff, too. At one point I overheard Nicole talking about our brews with a table full of guys who thought they were beer experts. She didn't falter once, and she may
even have won them over. I caught her eye and gave her a thumbs-up.

We closed the kitchen at eleven, and by midnight, there were only a few stragglers—most of them my family and friends. Two young guys sat at the bar trying their best to impress Nicole, who had taken over the taps. My sisters-in-law and my nieces and nephews all left at the same time. Sean had left an hour ago because he had early Mass in the morning, but my other brothers stuck around. Elmer had even put in an appearance earlier. Ken Butterfield had stopped in for dinner and so had Ralph Meehan.

I sank onto the chair beside my mother at the table where she was sitting with Candy, Kristie, and Fran Donovan. Dad was at the next table with my brothers, and it sounded like he and Patrick were exchanging cop stories.

Mom squeezed my hand. “I am so proud of you, sweetie. Tonight was wonderful.”

“It was, wasn't it?” I said. “I can't believe it finally all came together.”

“Kurt would have been pleased.”

He certainly would have been, even though we didn't serve his
kirschtorte
tonight.

Jake came up behind me, and a thrill went through me when he rested his hands on my shoulders. “It was a great night.”

“I can't help thinking it almost didn't happen,” Candy said. “That creep was right under our noses and we didn't see it. It makes my blood boil.”

“And poor Daisy,” Kristie said. “Has anyone heard from her?”

“I talked to her yesterday. She brought the rest of the plants over, but she's not ready to face the public. She's keeping the shop closed for another week.” Daisy and I'd had a good cry together yesterday. She truly loved Adam and was devastated that he had used her the way he did. We talked for a long time. “I think she'll be okay,” I said. “She's just hurting right now.”

Mom got up and excused herself to corral the guys and call it a night. Jake took the seat she'd just vacated. He pulled the chair closer to mine and put his arm around me. We hadn't talked about it, but his actions since the close call with Adam made me think he really did like me. And not as his friend's kid sister.

Fran Donovan was quiet, and I asked her if something was wrong.

“I still feel terrible,” she said. “If I had told you earlier about those tunnels . . .”

“Adam would have found another way in,” I said. “What he really wanted was this building. Besides, you didn't build the tunnels.” I hadn't told her my idea yet, and I figured now was the perfect time. “You know how you talked about a museum here?”

“I'm sorry about that,” she said. “That was wrong of me.”

“No, it wasn't.” I smiled. “Actually, I think it's a great idea.”

Everyone at the table looked confused except for Jake, who knew all about it.

Fran said, “I don't understand.”

“Despite what happened, those tunnels are part of this place and part of this city's history. They need to be
preserved. I propose we turn that big chamber down there into your brewing museum. Fix it up the way you see fit.” I grinned at the surprise on her face. “It's all yours.”

Fran worked her mouth but no words came out. A tear made a track down her face. Finally, she simply said, “Thank you.”

*   *   *

I
t was three in the morning and everyone was gone except Jake and me. We both stood behind the bar putting glasses away. I turned to Jake. “Do you believe I didn't have a single glass of beer tonight?”

“I didn't, either.” He picked up two glasses. “We need to remedy that.” He filled the glasses with hefeweizen and handed me one.

“This calls for some kind of toast,” I said, “but I think I'm too tired for words.”

“You're speechless. I should write that down. It doesn't happen too often.”

I laughed. “Very funny. Would you like to wear that beer?”

“I'd much rather drink it. I have a toast.” He held up his glass. “To Max. The prettiest brewer I know.”

“I believe I'm the only brewer you know. How about . . . to Jake. The best hockey player–chef I know.”

“You forgot to say I was brawny.”

I laughed. “Okay. To the best brawny hockey player–chef I know.”

He shook his head. “That won't work, either. Okay. I have one.” He held up his glass with one hand and placed his
other hand on the small of my back and pulled me closer. “To the future and whatever it brings.”

That I liked. I especially liked something I saw in his eyes. “Prost,” I said in German. I clinked my glass against his.

“Cheers,” Jake said. “To the future.”