by Rosie Sams
Smudge rolled onto her back, her mouth open, tongue hanging out of her mouth in a show of pure bliss as Melody rubbed her tummy.
Melody glanced down the hallway, but couldn’t quite bring herself to turn in for the evening. “Tell you what,” she told her dog as she stood to her feet and kicked off her fancy high heels. “We’ll go for a walk. I think I need one as badly as you do.”
It only took Melody a minute to change into yoga pants and hoodie. When she returned to the front of the house, Smudge was waiting at the door. She snatched up the leash, and the twosome were on their way.
Melody and Smudge walked their usual route. Melody was so lost in thoughts of the day that she didn’t even notice Alvin’s approach until Smudge released a few welcoming, high-pitched yaps in response to his nearness.
“Hi, Mel,” Alvin greeted.
Melody released a breathless laugh. She couldn’t tell if she was breathless because she hadn’t realized Alvin was following them or simply because of his nearness in general. “Hey. Sorry, I must have been lost in thought.”
Alvin shrugged. “Not surprised about that after today. I was headed to your place to check in on you. How are you holding up?”
Melody stopped walking when she noticed that Alvin looked nearly as stressed as she felt. His earlier well-combed hair was a little rustled now, his eyes lined with worry. Still, Melody thought he was handsome, even in a casual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. The attire suited his easy-going charm. However, the fact that he was worn out was unmistakable.
“It’s been a long day,” Melody remarked. Smudged jumped up and down at the sheriff’s feet, eager for attention. They laughed, and Alvin leaned down to scratch behind Smudge’s ears. “Let me take her for a while,” he offered, taking the leash from Melody before they continued down the path.
“Are you getting closer to figuring out what really happened at the church?” Melody asked.
Alvin sighed, raking one large hand through his hair. “I don’t think so, Mel. But, it’s early yet so we’ll keep trying. We’ll need to test for fingerprints and uncover the murder weapon if the investigation is to go anywhere. I just hope that the murderer hasn’t destroyed the evidence yet, whoever he may be.”
“Or she,” Melody added, wryly.
“Huh?”
Melody shook her head. “All I mean is that the murderer could be anyone at this point. There were so many people at the church and so many who didn’t seem to like Robin Werther very much.”
“You’re right about that,” Alvin agreed.
“So, what if the criminal did destroy the evidence?”
Alvin’s mouth formed a distressed line. “It would be pretty difficult to pin down the murderer if that’s the case, but not impossible. It would just take a little more work. With each day that passes, the chance of discovering the evidence lessens because the murderer has more time to cover his tracks. That’s why my crew is going to be working non-stop on this case until justice has been served.”
Melody watched Smudge prance contentedly in front of them, thinking. “What about Ambrose? Are you going to discount his claims simply because he admitted outright to the murder, which doesn’t seem very… crook-like?”
“If Ambrose really did do it,” Alvin explained, “he’d be able to produce the weapon he used. He hasn’t done much in the way of hiding thus far, so it would be believable that he would still have the murder weapon in his possession. However, he hasn’t come forward with it yet.”
“But, should he decide to come forward with it, he would be convicted immediately?”
Alvin nodded. “If the weapon corresponded with the wound in Robin’s chest and the rest of the evidence, yes.”
Melody wondered if she should keep her interview with the bridesmaids a secret, fearing that Alvin might not approve of her meddling. Thinking, though, that perhaps the conversations she’d had were important, she decided against secrecy and took her chances.
“I talked with Dorinda’s bridesmaids.”
“About the murder?”
Melody nodded.
Alvin’s expression was interested. “What did they say?”
Melody relayed the common distaste the girls held for Robin and also Cathy’s peculiar reaction.
“Leslie and Kerry noticed early on that the girls didn’t seem particularly thrilled about the wedding. They all seem to agree that he wasn’t a great guy by any stretch and aren’t exactly mourning his loss. Laurel, being Dorinda’s closest friend, was the most vocal about her hatred for Robin.”
“Who’s Laurel?”
“Dorinda’s maid of honor.”
“Hmm. But Cathy seemed genuinely sad?”
“It seemed that way to me,” Melody agreed. “She claims she had no direct connection to Robin, but grew very defensive when I pressed the point. I thought that maybe she’d once been an object of interest to Robin, but she wouldn’t confirm anything.”
Alvin’s expression turned to one of amusement.
“What?” Melody demanded, stopping once again.
“I don’t know why you’re a pastry chef. I think you would do well as a detective,” he joked.
Melody shook her head. “No, I just want to help.”
Alvin chuckled. “Sure.”
Melody shot him a look that was meant to silence him but only succeeded in making them both laugh. They continued on with their walk when Smudge started tugging impatiently on the leash.
“Just thinking out loud,” Melody couldn’t resist adding after only a few seconds. She saw Alvin attempting to hold his laughter out of the corner of her eye, but she foraged on.
“What if Dorinda was the murderer? I mean, Ambrose was so set on convincing everyone that he was the murderer, perhaps he was trying to protect his daughter. Perhaps Dorinda had begun to see Robin for the cad he was and decided to do him in before he could ruin her life.”
“Anything is possible, Mel,” Alvin agreed.
True though it might be, Melody desperately hoped that Dorinda wasn’t the murderer. The situation was gruesome enough already, and she would hate to discover that sweet Dorinda had it in her heart to do something so terrible, no matter who the victim might be.
Melody was about to voice her concerns once more to Alvin when Smudge broke into a run, yanking Alvin behind him. Alvin and Melody laughed as they followed the dog right to the front of a local bar.
“She’s on a mission,” Alvin joked as they came to a stop. “Hey, what do you need from the bar, girl?”
Smudge led them in the direction of one of the outdoor tables where a man sat nursing a beer. It took Melody a while to realize that it was the mean version of Fred from earlier.
“Hey, Smudge, come over here,” Alvin ordered. “We don’t want to interrupt the man’s—” he trailed off when Smudge released a low growl. Alvin looked to Melody in confusion.
“So smart,” Melody murmured, amazed that Smudge recognized the surly stranger they’d met earlier.
“Who me?” Alvin asked.
Melody blushed, waving her hand at him. “No, not you, Smudge. I mean, you are smart, but….” It took her a moment to recover from the awkward direction the conversation had tumbled, but when she had regained her composure, she explained about her earlier encounter with the man. Before Alvin had a chance to stop her, Melody made a beeline for the man’s table.
“Excuse me, sir?” she said.
The man looked up, his expression as far from welcoming as before.
“Hi, I believe we met earlier?”
No response.
It wasn’t as if Melody was going to annoy the man any more than she was now, so she pressed her luck and continued. “Did you make it to the Mitchum-Werther wedding? I was there, but I don’t remember seeing you.”
“What are you talking about?” The man growled, his frown deepening.
“The wedding,” Melody repeated. “You asked for directions to its location earlier today?”
“I don’t know anything
about that wedding,” the man snapped, rudely, before taking a swig of his beer.
“But, you asked for directions….”
“I said I don’t know anything about it!” he snapped again.
Apparently, he could get more annoyed, but Melody wasn’t giving up. “So, you didn’t make it?”
The man ignored her, taking another swig from his glass.
“Did you hear what happened? About the murder?”
Though the man was doing his best to ignore Melody’s pestering, the blood in his face immediately drained at this question. His eyes widened at Melody’s news.
Gotcha.
In the space of a heartbeat, the man leaped up from the table, obviously intent on abandoning Alvin and Melody as quickly as possible. His escape plan was thwarted when Smudge nipped at his ankles, causing him to trip. Alvin caught his arm, twisting it behind his back. The man grunted in a fury.
“Good job, Smudge!” Melody praised.
“What the heck do you think you’re doing?” the man demanded.
“I’m sorry to disturb your afternoon like this, but the present circumstances demand that I question everyone connected to the disastrous wedding this morning. I’ll need to take you in for questioning, and it would be a lot easier if you would cooperate. If not, I can always read you your rights and arrest you.”
“I don’t know anything about it! I didn’t kill anyone!” he exclaimed.
Alvin held out his hand to help the man to get up. “I’m not saying you killed him. But I do need to take you in for questioning. If you’ll just agree to work with me, you’ll be on your way in no time. Do we have an understanding?”
The man stopped fighting back, though he scowled at the sheriff over his shoulder as he escorted him toward the road.
“Where do you want to take him?”
“If you don’t mind, we’ll head to the bakery since it’s close.”
Melody readily agreed.
Keeping a firm hold on the man, Alvin pulled out his radio. “I’m taking the liberty of questioning a man in the south end of town. It has to do with the murder case.”
Chapter Seven
Melody unlocked the door of her shop, and Smudge bolted inside ahead of them. Alvin suggested they use her office, and she led the way.
“Sit down, mister,” Alvin said in a commanding tone. The stranger sat down, but Alvin remained on his feet, ready to combat any escape attempt on the man’s part. His strong arms were crossed in front of his chest, and he casually leaned against Melody’s work desk.
“I’m not gonna say anything until I’m in the presence of my lawyer,” the stranger said immediately.
Alvin sighed and looked at Melody. It certainly wouldn’t be easy to get information from the man. Melody tried to think of a way to bring his guard down. Perhaps if he thought an innocent woman was going to be put in jail…..
“Sir, if you can answer our questions, you could very well keep an innocent woman from going to jail,” Melody said. She could feel Alvin’s eyes drilling into her, demanding to know what on earth she was up to, but she kept her gaze from him and on the stranger only.
The stranger turned in Melody’s direction. “Woman? What do you mean? Are you talking about Cathy? Has Cathy been accused?”
Melody met Alvin’s eyes then, her brows rising in a silent “See?”
“If you are referring to Cathy Peck, one of Dorinda’s bridesmaids, then yes.”
The stranger was growing agitated now. “She isn’t a suspect, is she?” he asked. Before Melody could ask the next question, Alvin did it for her.
“What is your name, sir?” Alvin asked.
“If I answer your question, will it keep Cathy safe?”
Alvin glanced over at Melody once again before nodding. “It will provide us with more information to find the person who is truly responsible for this crime and therefore remove suspicion from Miss Peck, yes.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll cooperate with you,” he said.
“Let’s start with your name,” Alvin said.
“I’m Brad Mortimer.”
“Mr. Mortimer, how are you related to Miss Peck?”
“Cathy—Cathy was my girlfriend,” he said.
“Was your girlfriend,” Alvin repeated. “You mean you are not together anymore?”
“Yeah.” Brad averted his eyes. “We were together until that snake, Robin Werther, seduced her during his own engagement party.”
Melody’s eyes grew wide, but Alvin remained ever-calm.
“Go on,” Alvin urged.
Brad exhaled before continuing. “My Cathy was fooled by Robin. She chose that slimy doctor over me even though she knew he would be getting married soon,” Brad said with a tinge of pain in his voice.
A motive to kill? Melody certainly thought so.
“You asked me earlier where the wedding was, right?” Melody said. Though she’d been rather annoyed earlier at his curtness and lack of manners, she found it in her heart now to excuse his behavior. It couldn’t be easy to lose his girl to a player like Robin.
“Yeah, I did,” Brad acquiesced.
“If you hate Robin so much, why did you want to know where the wedding was? What were your intentions? If you are not with Cathy anymore, I assume you didn’t have any business at the wedding ...” Melody reasoned. “Did Dorinda invite you? Are you part of the wedding party? Tell the truth, Brad.”
Alvin motioned for Melody to back off. She crossed her arms, ignoring the sheriff, waiting for Brad to answer. Her interrogation technique was getting information out of the guy, so she figured if Alvin knew what was good for both of them and everyone involved in the case, he’d let her continue.
Brad thought for a full minute before responding. “I do admit that my initial goal was to confront Robin. I wanted to know why he just had to go after my girl when he was engaged to his own. I love Cathy more than anything, and he doesn’t care one whit for her, but he stole her from me anyway just to show that he could.”
It was obvious that Brad was fighting hard against his pent-up emotions, and another wave of sympathy toward him came over Melody.
“What time did you confront Robin Werther?” Alvin asked.
“I didn’t.” Brad’s head drooped as he ran a hand restlessly through his hair. “I lost my nerve when I got to the church. I didn’t even talk to him. But I did want to see Cathy. I hoped that maybe after Robin was married, she would change her mind and come back to me.”
“So, she didn’t change her mind?” Alvin inserted. “And you were angry about it and went to find Robin. What happened then?”
Brad rose from his seat. “I didn’t kill Werther! I was angry with him, but I never thought of killing him! Cathy hates violence, so even though that toad came between her and me, I would never stoop so low.”
“Are you telling the truth?” Melody asked.
“Yes, I’m telling the truth! How many times do I have to repeat it?”
Melody looked over at Alvin, wondering what he thought of Brad’s testimony. From his face, she couldn’t tell whether or not he believed what the man said.
“Did you know that Robin Werther was murdered?” Melody asked.
Brad did not meet Melody’s eyes. “I just heard.”
“How did you hear about his death?” Alvin pressed on.
“From everyone. Everyone in Port Warren was talking about it. It would have been impossible not to hear the news. It was all over social media.”
The tension in the room had continued to build and, at this stage, felt nearly suffocating. Alvin strode over to the mini-fridge in the corner of the office and pulled out three bottles of water. He motioned toward Brad. “Water?”
Brad hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Alvin clapped him on the shoulder after handing over the bottle. “I know this isn’t easy, but you’re doing well. I still do have a few more questions, but I want to thank you for your cooperation so far. Do you think you can hold out a little longer?”
Brad looked very much like he’d been put through the wringer, but he nodded.
Alvin handed Melody a bottle of water. She took it gratefully, just having realized how thirsty she’d become. Interrogation was certainly harder work than she’d imagined.
“Where were you an hour before the ceremony should have started?” Alvin went on.
Brad sighed. “I was outside the church. I wanted to approach Cathy, but she wasn’t there. I just left and thought I’d try to find her after the wedding instead.”
“Have you talked to her?” Melody asked.
“Yeah. After I heard what happened, I found her, but she didn’t want to talk. She was too upset about what had happened to that cheater.”
Melody looked at Alvin, who seemed satisfied with Brad’s answers.
“Mr. Mortimer, I want to thank you for your cooperation. You can go now, but that does not mean you are not one of the suspects, so the law does require that you remain in town. However, if you are not guilty, I assume that won’t be an issue,” Alvin said.
“Why am I still on the suspect list? I already told you I didn’t do it.”
“Everyone is a suspect. Please understand, Mr. Mortimer, you are in the same position now as everyone else who was anywhere near that wedding today. I ask that you simply bear with us while we work to get this all straightened out.”
“I swear, I didn’t do it. And I promise Cathy didn’t do it either. I know her well, and I’m telling you she wasn’t involved,” Brad said.
Alvin nodded. “Okay, Mr. Mortimer, thank you. You’re free to go.”
Alvin escorted Brad out the door before returning inside to rejoin Melody.
“The list keeps getting longer,” Melody said.
“That’s how it happens sometimes,” Alvin agreed, taking a drink from his water bottle. “It’s especially difficult when any number of people could have had a good reason to kill the guy.”
Melody nodded in agreement, and the room grew quiet as they were each lost in their own thoughts. A few moments passed before Melody looked up and found Alvin looking back at her. It wasn’t until then that she realized what a terrible hostess she’d been. She had not offered him anything.
