Strawberry Donuts and Scandal

by Cindy Bell

  Joyce closed her front door and leaned back against it with a yawn. Her meal with Detective Crackle left her a little uncertain of what to think about his intentions. But the information he’d given her left her with a mission. If Vanessa was the main suspect, then the best thing she could do was prove that right or wrong. After she picked up Molly from her hutch, she headed straight for her bedroom. She wouldn’t be any help to anyone without a nap. As she stretched out in bed, Molly snuggled up next to her. She stroked the rabbit’s long, white ears.

  Joyce closed her eyes and her thoughts filled with possibilities. Mark obviously had a bone to pick with Alexa, and so did Vanessa. But Alexa had likely angered several other people as well, from local farmers to big grocery chains. The only thing that made her murder seem personal and specific, was the fact that her body was delivered to the town square. That made it local, that made it a message. But what was the message, and who was it for?

  As Joyce started to fall asleep, her mind continued to spin. By the time she woke up it was dark. It took her several seconds to figure out what day it was, and why she had fallen asleep fully dressed. As she sat up in bed, she heard Molly darting around the room. Still sleepy, she picked up her phone and saw that she had a message from Brenda. She played the video she had sent. Right away she saw what Brenda noticed. Who was that woman that Alexa grabbed? Why had she attacked Mark? She played the video again, this time she watched the movement of Mark’s lips. Alexa mostly had her back to the camera. Mark pointed across the crowd. After watching it a few times and filling in the blanks she managed to work out what he was saying.

  “There he is, he’s going to throw the first punch.”

  Joyce’s heart sank. So, they did know the protest was going to turn violent. It sounded as if Mark knew who was going to start the fight, and might have even hired the person to do so. Her muscles tensed at the thought. As far as she knew, in her protesting days, the intent had been pure. These days it seemed as if in many cases the goal was to cause a scandal, so the instigator would be an internet sensation rather than get anything changed for the good of the people. Alexa didn’t seem to be trying to stop him. From her body language, she appeared to be in agreement with Mark. Then the redheaded woman came up and shoved Mark hard. It wasn’t a playful moment, it was a moment of overflowing fury. So, why was she so angry at him? Who was she? After watching the video a few more times, she decided to switch over to Alexa’s website. Perhaps she could put a name to the redheaded woman. As she skimmed through some of the videos, she noticed that no more had been deleted. She sent a quick text to Detective Crackle.

  Did you find out who deleted the videos from Alexa’s website?

  For a moment she stared at her phone. Then she realized it was silly of her to expect him to text back right away. He might be in the middle of something very important. She turned her attention back to the website. The redheaded woman Brenda had served at the donut truck was in a few of the videos, but it wasn’t until she got to an older one stored in the archives section that she heard her name. In the video Alexa stood at the front of a group of protestors that held signs declaring the dangers of the particular pesticide they protested against. She began to give a speech, then the redheaded woman stepped out of the crowd behind her and leaned in close to Alexa to whisper something in her ear.

  “Are you sure, Poppy?”

  The redheaded woman nodded. Then Alexa turned her attention back to the camera.

  “I’ve just received an update that Garring Farm has agreed to discontinue the use of these harmful pesticides!”

  A cheer erupted in the crowd. Alexa grabbed Poppy’s hand and thrust it into the air as the pair joined in the cheers as well.

  “Poppy.” Joyce narrowed her eyes. She jotted down the name, then placed a call to Brenda. When her friend answered, the tone of her voice warned her that something was amiss.

  “Brenda, is everything okay?”

  “Yes, sorry. I’m just trying to get dinner together. I’m feeling a little frustrated.”

  “What’s going on?” Joyce frowned.

  “I got wrapped up in doing some research about this case, got behind on dinner, Sophie’s a little cranky, Charlie got a last-minute article, so now he’s on a deadline, things are just a little tense.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I can call back later.”

  “No, please don’t.” Brenda sighed. “I need someone to talk to who understands all of this. Charlie is so patient, but I don’t think he understands why I’m so focused on this. I need this to be settled so I can move on. You understand don’t you, Joyce?”

  “Yes, I do. I think that Mark instigated the violence at the protest, and we have someone new that we should look into. A girl named Poppy.”

  “Poppy? Wait a minute, Charlie mentioned that name to me I think. Charlie? Charlie!”

  Joyce pulled the phone away from her ear as Brenda yelled for her husband. When she put it back to her ear, she heard a brief conversation between Brenda and Charlie, followed by Brenda turning her attention back to her. “Yes, Alexa mentioned to Charlie that she had a good friend who kept her grounded. A girl named Poppy.”

  “Aha, okay so we know they were close. At least at one point. Why Poppy shoved Mark, I have no idea. Clearly, she is here in town, or she was at the time of the video. I’m going to see if I can track down where she might be staying.” Joyce smiled as she heard Sophie in the background demanding her mother’s attention. “I’ll take care of this, Brenda, you have a lot on your plate right now. We can touch base in the morning at the truck.”

  “Thanks, Joyce. See you tomorrow.”

  As soon as Joyce hung up the phone, it began to ring. Detective Crackle’s name bounced across the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Joyce, I just saw your text.”

  “Oh right, about the videos?”

  “Yes. I do have some news for you on that. Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Yes, of course.” She scooped Molly up and settled her in her lap. “What did you find out?”

  “The techies were able to identify a man named Mark Coville as the one who logged into the site at the time the videos were deleted.”

  “Mark? He’s one of the protestors.”

  “Yes, I know. A ring leader.” He paused. “Wait, how did you know that?”

  “Brenda and I overheard him talking at the coffee shop, and we spoke to him after.” Joyce frowned. “He’s obsessive about all of this.”

  “We’ve been on the hunt for him, but unfortunately we haven’t been able to locate him. If you see him again, please let me know.”

  “Absolutely, I will. He was quite upset with Alexa, said she wasn’t honest about her support, and basically he was glad she was out of the picture.” Joyce shuddered at the thought of Mark attacking Alexa. “I also have another name you might want to look into, she’s a friend of Alexa’s. Her name is Poppy. She was also at the protest. I don’t know her last name yet, but according to Brenda’s husband, Charlie, she was a good friend of Alexa’s.”

  “Charlie? How is he involved in all of this?” Detective Crackle’s tone grew a little tense. “Did he know Alexa?”

  “He’d met her briefly in the past. Alexa worked at the newspaper for a couple of weeks a long time ago. But she mentioned Poppy to him then.”

  “So, he did know her?”

  “Detective Crackle, don’t let anything get into your head. There’s no way Charlie had anything to do with any of this.” She frowned as she recognized the determination in his voice.

  “Anyone who had contact with Alexa is a potential suspect, Joyce. Of course I don’t think he harmed her, but I will need to speak to him about it. I’ll look into Poppy as well.”

  “Now is not the best time, he’s on a deadline.”

  “Joyce, it’s my job to ask questions whether it’s a good time or a bad time. Thanks for the information.”

  “Wait, Detective—” Joyce winced as the call cut off. Guilt
hammered through her mind as she realized that Brenda and Charlie might be getting a visit from the detective in the middle of a chaotic evening, and it was all because of her. Frustrated, she decided she had to find Poppy. She might just be the key to unraveling the case, and the sooner that happened, the better.

  Chapter 10

  The knock on the door came just after Brenda pulled Sophie, unhappily out of the bathtub.

  “I want to play more!” Sophie sniffled.

  “We have to get you dried off and into your pajamas, it’s getting late, Sophie, and you have school tomorrow.” Brenda frowned as the knock came again. “Charlie! Charlie, can you please get that? I’m helping Sophie.”

  “I don’t want to go to school.” Sophie wailed and collapsed onto the floor.

  “Sophie.” Brenda sighed and tried to be patient. The weekend had been chaotic, and she was out of her routine. “Let’s go, I’ll read you an extra book tonight.” She helped her daughter to her feet and looked into her big, sad eyes.

  “But I don’t want to go to bed!” Sophie wailed again.

  Someone pounded on the door.

  “Charlie!” Brenda felt herself tip over the edge of frustration. She wrapped her daughter in a towel, carried her into her room, then set her on her bed. “Please get your pajamas on, okay?”

  “Fine.” Sophie stomped over to her dresser.

  As another round of knocks were delivered against the door, Brenda thought she might just lose her mind. She saw Charlie’s office door was still shut. She knew he could hear her. Fed up, she marched to the door and threw it open.

  “Yes?” Her sharp tone faded as she recognized Detective Crackle. “Detective, what is it?”

  “Hi Brenda.” His gaze passed over her shirt and jeans which were splashed with water from Sophie’s bath. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

  “It is.” Brenda frowned as she stared at him. “Did something happen? Did you find Alexa’s killer?”

  “No, I’m sorry to say. Actually, I’m here to speak with Charlie. Is he available?” He stepped into the house, despite the fact that he hadn’t been invited inside.

  “Charlie?” Brenda shook her head. “He’s in the middle of an article and—”

  “It’s important.” He crossed his arms as he studied her. “I wouldn’t be here at this hour if it wasn’t.”

  “It’s important that you need to talk to Charlie?” Brenda stared back at him as she attempted to comprehend why he would need to speak to her husband. “What is this about?”

  “Mommy!” Sophie screeched as she padded out into the hallway.

  Brenda spun around to see her daughter with her pajama top tangled around her head and shoulders.

  “Help! I’m stuck! Help!”

  “Oh dear.” Detective Crackle tried to cover a chuckle with a cough.

  “Oh Sophie.” Brenda had to hide her own smile as she hurried over to help her daughter. When she passed Charlie’s office she banged on the door. “Charlie, I need you out here.”

  “What is it?” Charlie threw open the door, his cheeks flushed and his eyes sharp. “I am on a deadline, I told you that!” He froze as he caught sight of Detective Crackle in the living room. “What’s going on here?”

  Brenda sighed as she looked at her husband. Charlie was usually patient, and kind, and supportive. But when he had a deadline, he could lose his temper from the pressure he was under.

  “I’m sorry, I know. Detective Crackle needs to speak with you, he said it’s important.” Brenda ushered Sophie back into her room, but lingered near the door so that she could hear the conversation outside.

  “Detective Crackle, I’m really under the gun here, I hate to rush you but can whatever it is wait?”

  “No, it can’t, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that you had a connection to Alexa. I need you to tell me your history with her.”

  “History? There isn’t one. She worked at the newspaper a couple of years ago, that was it.”

  “There was never anything of a personal nature between the two of you?”

  “What? No, of course not.”

  “It’s important that you tell me the truth, Charlie. I need to know if you and Alexa ever discussed any issues she had, with a boyfriend, with family, with friends?”

  “No. Nothing like that. I asked her how she dealt with the fame she got from her vlogs, and she said she had a friend back home that kept her down to earth. That was all.”

  “And who was this friend?”

  Brenda closed her eyes as she realized that Joyce must have passed the information she had given her to Detective Crackle. She could understand why, but she knew that Charlie would be frustrated about it. Detective Crackle couldn’t really consider Charlie a suspect, could he?

  “Her name is Poppy. I remember because I thought it was kind of an odd name. Anyway, she said this friend was always there for her, and reminded her where she came from, so that her ego didn’t get too inflated. But if you ask me, it was still pretty big. She had a lot of demands, and not a lot of patience.”

  “That’s an easy way to make some enemies. So, did you see her while she was in town?”

  “No, I didn’t. I haven’t spoken to her in years.”

  “You’re not lying to me are you, Charlie?”

  Brenda’s eyes widened at the question and the tone in which it was delivered. Annoyed, she opened Sophie’s door and stepped back out into the living room.

  “Did you get what you needed, Detective?” Brenda paused beside Charlie and stared at the detective.

  “Charlie and I were just finishing up.” He kept his gaze fixed on Charlie, despite answering her.

  “No, we are finished. If you think you need to question me further about this, then you’d better invite me down to the station.” Charlie shook his head. “I have nothing to hide.”

  “Charlie.” Brenda placed her hand lightly on his shoulder. “He’s just doing his job.”

  “Sure, and I’m just trying to do mine.” Charlie glanced once more in Detective Crackle’s direction, then headed back to his office. “Please, no more interruptions.”

  “I’ll do my best, Charlie.” Brenda sighed as she walked the detective to the door. “I’m sorry, when he’s on a deadline he gets really worked up.”

  “Are you sure that’s all it’s about?” Detective Crackle raised an eyebrow. “Maybe he’s tense about Alexa’s murder?”

  “Detective, I don’t know what you’re digging for, but you’re certainly not going to find anything here.”

  “Like you said, Brenda, I’m just doing my job. With Alexa being so involved in the media, there are many suspects for me to wade through. I need to be sure that I’m being thorough, and certainly not showing any favoritism.” Detective Crackle lowered his eyes, then looked back at her. “You understand that, don’t you?”

  “I guess, but you’re wasting your time on this. Charlie didn’t know Alexa really. Your focus needs to be on the real suspects. I spoke to Kevin earlier, and he seemed pretty upset that Alexa and one of the other protesters had instigated the chaos during the protest. Maybe you should track down that other protestor, from the video I saw my guess is it was Mark.” She held the door open for him. “Charlie has nothing to do with any of this.”

  “You can trust that I am investigating all avenues of the case. I have to explore all avenues, sometimes people know things without realizing they know them. In my experience the most important clue can be found in the most unexpected places.” He tipped his hat to her. “Thanks for your time, Brenda, and I do apologize for invading your evening.”

  “Good night, Detective.” Brenda’s heart softened some as she watched him walk away. Yes, it annoyed her that he had demanded to speak to Charlie, but he did seem very dedicated to solving the murder.

  Joyce settled at the kitchen table with her computer and began to dig into Alexa’s social media. So far all she had was a first name for Poppy, but if they had been friends for as long as it seemed, she guessed t
hat there would be plenty of pictures online of them together. After some searching, she did find some pictures, but none with Poppy’s name listed. She noticed that Poppy tended to turn her face away from the camera, and though she was often by Alexa’s side, she rarely looked in the same direction.

  Mark was also featured in many photographs, with his name listed. However, he didn’t seem to show any animosity towards either woman in the pictures. In fact, he often had his arm hooked through Alexa’s, or gazed at her with admiration as the photo was snapped. That was a far different attitude than he had presented when he spoke about Alexa at the coffee shop. Joyce rubbed a hand across her eyes as she tried to concentrate. The more she looked into Alexa, the more apprehensive she became about Vanessa. What if they were wrong? What if Vanessa really did have something to do with it?

  Joyce took a deep breath, then switched her search to Vanessa. Even though she didn’t know the woman very well, she felt a bit guilty for stalking her. But she still couldn’t believe that she would make a deal with Country Grocery Place, like Detective Crackle had said, and hoped to find some proof that it wasn’t true. However, it didn’t take long for her to find something that made her heart drop. There was a photograph of Vanessa at a grand opening of Country Grocery Place. She was standing next to the man cutting the ribbon outside the doors. He was listed as the owner of the grocery chain. The picture was from about a month before. It was next to an article that mentioned the new product lines that the grocery store was planning on introducing, including more vegan options.