by Rosie Sams
“Shoot,” Leslie said.
“Ambrose Mitchum was present when we delivered the cake, right?”
There was a long pause as both women contemplated. Finally, Leslie nodded. “I got to the venue first, and he was indeed there.”
“And he was present when we showed up later with the cake,” Kerry confirmed.
Melody rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She’d thought she spotted Ambrose when she arrived with Kerry and Alvin as well but, she wanted to make sure. “He wasn’t dressed for the wedding when we arrived, was he?”
Another moment of silence.
“No,” Kerry and Leslie murmured in unison.
Melody nodded. “That’s what I thought.” Ambrose’s tux hadn’t a spot of blood on it, she remembered that much clearly. Perhaps it was possible that the good doctor had committed the crime before he changed. If that was the case, where were the clothes he had on before he changed into his tux?
“Ladies, I have to run out for a bit. Can I count on you two to hold things down here?”
“Of course,” they chorused.
“Care to let us in on the epiphany you seem to have just had?” Kerry inquired, eyeing Melody with curiosity.
“Uh… no, not just yet.” She didn’t want to arouse further suspicion around Ambrose’s name on the chance that the man really wasn’t guilty. “Maybe later. There’s something I have to check out first.”
Melody hot-footed it back to her office to grab her phone and purse, eager to pay Ambrose a visit. She sent Alvin a text, letting him know her intention to question him. A response came in, but she didn’t bother to check because she knew full well that Alvin wouldn’t be in agreement with her confronting a suspect on her own. But, she just had to speak with Ambrose. The fire of curiosity had been lit inside of her, and the only way to put out the flames was with answers.
When Melody stepped into Ambrose’s office, she was shocked to find the doctor in the process of packing. Glancing back into the lobby, it just registered that the room was empty. Not even the receptionist was present. Dr. Mitchum’s office was in disarray with file cabinets flung open and files littering the massive oak desk in the center of the room and the floor. All of the drawers of the desk were wide open, and Ambrose was frantically scooping out its contents and dumping them into a briefcase.
The sinking feeling of Ambrose’s possible guilt struck Melody. Swallowing, she stepped further into the office aware of Smudge standing quietly at her feet. The dog’s eyes also followed the doctor’s agitated movements with interest.
“Dr. Mitchum?” Melody called tentatively.
Realizing he had company for the first time, Ambrose started. “Melody, what… what are you doing here?” He peered over her shoulder, expecting to see the sheriff.
“I came to talk, but you seem to have... other plans,” Melody answered. “Are you going somewhere?” Her eyes landed on his briefcase before flying back to him.
Ambrose pulled in a breath and immediately broke down. The older man’s shoulders sagged, and he perched on the edge of his desk to massage the bridge of his nose. Despite his suspicious behavior, a wave of sympathy passed through Melody at the sight of his defeated posture.
“I’m leaving town, Melody.”
“But, doing that will only make you look... guilty.”
“I’m well aware,” Ambrose shrugged. “But I might as well. No matter how this case turns out, my involvement guarantees that I’ll no longer be accepted as the town’s trusted physician. I’ll no longer be accepted in this town period, and neither will my daughter.”
Melody studied the man for a minute, wondering if he had intended to take Dorinda with him on the run. “That’s not true, Dr. Mitchum. I’m sure once you're found innocent, things will go back to normal.”
He shook his head slowly. “The suspicion alone has tainted my name for good, I’m afraid. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Ambrose rose to commence his packing.
Nibbling her lower lip, Melody thought long and hard about how to proceed. She couldn’t allow a murder suspect to leave town. And, though the evidence against Ambrose was damning, deep down in her gut, she felt he was innocent. As if sensing her rising agitation, Smudge whined and rubbed against her leg. Melody reached down to rub the pup between the ears.
“Are you leaving town simply because you fear your name has been tainted, or are you feeling guilty about something, Dr. Mitchum?”
Silence.
Melody slowly lifted her gaze to Ambrose, all the while stroking Smudge’s soft coat. The atmosphere crackled with rising tension as Ambrose stared at her with hard eyes that had suddenly gone cold. The warm, gentle man she knew seemed to have disappeared.
“You’re so attentive to that dog of yours,” he observed, taking Melody by surprise.
“Well…”
“One can say you love that bulldog as if she were your... baby.”
Melody straightened, confused by the turn of conversation. She blinked and nodded. “Um… well, sure. I guess you could say that. What does that have to do with…”
Her eyes widened to saucers when Ambrose suddenly reached into the top drawer of his desk and held up no other than the missing cake knife.
Chapter Ten
Taking an involuntary step back, Melody eyed the weapon in Ambrose’s hand warily. It took her a moment to recover from her shock and regain her ability to form words.
“Dr. Mitchum, what are you doing with that?” There was something about his face that chilled her to the bone. “Don’t do anything foolish,” she warned. There was no telling what the man intended to do with that knife.
Ambrose stepped out from behind his desk, knife still in hand and wild eyes darting from the weapon to her. Melody took another step back and gulped. The situation she found herself in was not at all what she’d expected when she decided to pay Ambrose a visit. For a second, she regretted showing up at the man’s office. Perhaps she should have brought Alvin along after all.
She sent Smudge a quick glance, noting that the dog stood at attention and bristled with menace. Good. It was a good thing her pup was always good at picking up on possible threats. The second she made a run for it, she knew Smudge would follow. And she was fully intending on skedaddling when Ambrose stopped his advance and heaved a sigh. Melody’s heart rate slowed a bit at the sight of the doctor’s less threatening stance.
“I met a man right before the wedding,” he began.
Melody’s ears perked up, much like Smudge’s, and she raised her chin and nodded, willing him on. “Oh?” she managed. There she was in danger, and she just couldn’t squash her curiosity. If she had a chance of uncovering what happened the day of Robin Werther’s murder, she was sticking around.
Curiosity killed the cat, Melody, she reminded herself. Instead of doing the sane thing and getting herself out of her current situation, she heard herself say, “Go on.”
“He told me his name is Brad Mortimer.”
Instantly, recognition hit. Mean Fred. Although, after hearing Brad Mortimer’s story, Melody had decided the poor man wasn’t so mean after all. He was just... broken-hearted. “What does he have to do with anything?”
Ambrose’s jaws clenched, and he stared at the floor for a while before getting back to his story. “There I was flitting about excitedly, trying to ensure that everything was perfect for my little girl’s big day. I was so happy that she was happy and in love. I had already accepted Robin as family because he made my girl so happy. Plus, his father and I go way back.” Ambrose laughed bitterly. “Then this Brad Mortimer tells me that Robin carried on with his girlfriend, one of Dorinda’s bridesmaids. Apparently, the girl was Brad’s girlfriend, and Robin swooped in and stole her away… while he was engaged to my little girl!
“He claimed the girl had fallen so badly for Robin, that she held on to the hope that they’d be together despite Robin’s upcoming nuptial.” Ambrose snorted and shook his head. “His fiancé’s bridesmaid. Can you imagine the audacity of that�
�� scoundrel? It wasn’t hard to believe, considering the rumors that constantly swirled about Robin. I mean, I was fully aware of what people said, but I was reluctant to believe them. Reluctant to think of the pain it would bring Dorinda.”
Ambrose stopped, and his eyes seemed to will her to understand. Melody nodded and smiled a little despite her fear.
“I’ve never been one to be too judgmental or accept rumors as facts without concrete proof,” Ambrose continued. “I’d gotten to know the man, and he seemed like a good person, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
“That’s understandable,” Melody interjected with a small voice.
“Either I’m a fool, or Robin was an Oscar-worthy actor.” He shrugged. “Perhaps both. Finding out about Robin’s unfaithfulness to my daughter was devastating, and I knew it would kill Dorinda. She had stars in her eyes when she looked at that man.”
Melody opened her mouth to offer her sympathies, but Ambrose continued.
“I wanted Robin to pay for manipulating me and making a fool out of my daughter. I hadn’t planned to kill him, but when I saw him… I was just so angry…” His eyes met Melody’s, and she couldn’t look away. She had been held captivated by his story, and she hung on his every word, waiting for what he’d say next. “I stabbed Robin with this knife.”
Melody was sure her jaw brushed the office’s nice navy blue carpet. Perhaps her gut feeling of Ambrose’s innocence was off. Way off. The man had just confessed to murder, and he held the alleged murder weapon in his hand.
Ambrose scrubbed his face tiredly. “After I killed Robin, I went in search of Dorinda. I had intended on grabbing her and leaving. We’d be far away before Robin’s body was discovered. When I couldn’t find her, I panicked and dressed for the wedding, hoping to divert suspicion. I continued searching for her after that, hoping to spare her the sight of Robin’s bloody body… but I was too late.”
Ambrose took yet another step toward Melody, the knife still in hand. This time Smudge released a growl and stepped forward. “What are you planning to do with that knife, Dr. Mitchum?” Melody asked, fully alert, and prepared to spring into action. Once again, her heart rate accelerated and adrenaline began to pour into her system. But once again, Ambrose did the unexpected.
He released a long breath and dropped his hand. “Relax, Melody, I have no intention of doing you any harm.” He eyed Smudge, who was still bristling with menace and watching his every movement, with mild amusement. “I need to get a loyal and fierce companion like the one you have here,” he muttered. “Well, I guess a furry companion is no longer an option since I’ll likely be in prison for the remainder of my life.”
Melody watched the man snatch a clear plastic bag from a box on the counter to drop the knife inside. He handed her the weapon. “Here, take it. I know you’re close to the sheriff. Take it to him, tell him to check for fingerprints. If my confession wasn’t enough, this should help to solve the case.”
With shaky fingers, Melody took the bag from Ambrose. She inspected the weapon with disbelief and swallowed. “Dr. Mitchum, not that your confession isn’t commendable. I mean, if you did indeed commit a crime, the right thing to do is to turn yourself in. But I have to ask. Why are you doing this?” It appeared he'd been ready to go on the run when she arrived. She wondered what had brought about the change of attitude.
Eyes brimming with remorse met hers. “This is all my fault. I brought that vile man into my daughter’s life. If I hadn’t accepted him and taken him into my practice, he likely wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to weasel his way into my daughter’s heart. If I deserve punishment for anything, it’s that.”
“Now, Dr. Mitchum, you can’t blame yourself for that. Dorinda is an adult. She chose who she fell in love with, not you.”
He shook his head. “I asked you earlier if you love your bulldog there like a baby, and you said yes. I’m sure you’d take measures to protect your baby, Melody. That’s what I’m doing, protecting my baby girl.”
Melody stared at the doctor long and hard as confusion swirled in her mind. If he’d already taken measures to protect Dorinda, that is, by killing Robin, what else did he think he was doing to protect her?
“You know, I had fully intended on fleeing until you showed up, but I can’t do it. I have to protect Dorinda. It’s the least I can do for being a bad father.”
Melody clutched the bagged weapon and chanced a step toward Ambrose. She was still confused but felt the need to comfort him. Patting his shoulder, she said, “You’re nowhere close to being a bad father. And you’re a good man, Ambrose. You’re doing the right thing. Not many men would be brave enough to come forward like this.”
She sighed and glanced down at the knife she held. “I suppose I should get this to the sheriff now.”
Chapter Eleven
Melody felt like a child about to receive a lecture as Alvin simply stared at her with a mixture of outrage and disbelief. She shifted uncomfortably under his stare. When she could take his silence no more, she sighed. “Well, say something.”
“I can’t believe you confronted a possible murderer. Alone.”
Melody shrugged. “Smudge was with me.”
On cue, Smudge lifted her head and barked.
With a shake of his head, Alvin gave both Melody and Smudge annoyed glances before inspecting the bagged weapon she’d handed him. “So, Mitchum claims this is the weapon he used, huh?”
Glad that Alvin had decided to forgo further reprimanding, she nodded. “He did.”
“I’ll get it checked out. We will get prints too, but as he passed it to you that is a foregone conclusion.” Alvin glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t go chasing any more suspected killers while I’m gone.”
Melody’s lips curled into a slow smile when she recognized the humor gleaming in his eyes. “I won’t move a muscle,” she swore.
Not much later, Alvin appeared. His unreadable expression left Melody a bit irritated. She was dying to know the results of the tests on the weapon. Did it confirm that Ambrose was the killer?
“Well?” Melody prompted. If she wasn’t so anxious, she would have laughed when Smudge jumped up from her corner by the door at the sight of Alvin, as if she too couldn’t wait to hear the results.
Alvin gestured for her to follow him outside as another person had walked into the precinct. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
Gathering her purse, Melody followed him outside. When she was sure they wouldn’t be overheard by anyone, she pressed, “Don’t keep me in suspense, Al.”
Alvin stopped and turned to her, arms folded and wearing a stern expression. “You do know that I shouldn’t be discussing this case with you, right?”
Melody’s heart dropped. She hoped Alvin wouldn’t get all tight-lipped on her now.
“But thanks to your sleuthing and your irresponsible action of putting yourself in danger, we’ve made a discovery.”
Melody smiled sheepishly as heat filled her cheeks. “And out of appreciation, you’re going to share what you’ve found with this helpful civilian?” She stared at him hopefully, eliciting a rumble of laughter. Melody blushed harder. She always did love the sound of Alvin’s laugh.
“Of course, Ambrose Mitchum’s prints were found all over the weapon.”
She sighed. “Does that mean?”
“It means that we still haven’t confirmed Ambrose’s guilt.”
“What?” Melody gaped at Alvin. A confession and fingerprints on a weapon and still nothing? “I don’t understand.”
Alvin let out a long breath. “Though Ambrose’s prints were present on that knife, there was no blood on it, and based on the medical examiner’s report, it wasn’t the murder weapon.”
For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Melody felt pure shock roll through her system. So much for solving the murder. “Well, that was... unexpected. So, what’s next?”
“Next, I go back to the scene and search for that missing knife.”
Melody�
��s brows shot up. That sounded like searching for a needle in a haystack after so many days had passed, but she kept the negativity to herself. “Good luck. I’m sorry I didn’t help much. I really thought I did.”
“Of course, you did,” Alvin quickly reassured. “I think we’ve taken another step forward, and we’ve most likely ruled Ambrose out as a suspect. Though, we have to wonder as to his motives for confessing.”
“What!”
“I think the good doctor found the body, saw the cake knife on the stand, and took it in case his daughter became a suspect. He just presumed it was the murder weapon, it wasn’t, that knife is still missing.”
Unconvinced, Melody nodded, “If you say so. I’m going to get back to the shop. If I learn anything further, you’ll be the first to know.”
Alvin held her door open as she slid into her car. Smudge hopped into her lap to jump to the passenger’s seat, and Alvin smiled. “Just promise you’ll be careful, Mel. You too, Smudge.”
The dog yelped in response, and Melody turned to Alvin with a grin. “Smudge said it, we’ll be careful.”
Melody strolled into her kitchen, where Kerry and Leslie were still hard at work. The women were so engrossed in their respective tasks, neither one of them heard her arrive. Leslie picked up a knife and expertly and playfully twirled it in her hand before sinking it into a freshly baked loaf of bread.
“Hey, guys.”
Leslie jumped and twirled around. “Gosh, Melody, don’t sneak up on us like that.”
“Sorry, I thought you would have heard my car pull up.”
“Sheesh, why so jumpy, Les?” Kerry asked, eyeing Leslie with raised brows.
“There is a knife-wielding murderer running around town. Pardon me for being a little spooked. You know, we really should start keeping that back door locked,” she murmured absently before resuming her task.
