by Amber Crewes
“What’s up, Meghan? I thought you were delivering a cake to Kayley Kane’s kiddie party?”
Meghan stepped outside the house and into the side-yard, hoping that no one would overhear her conversation. “Jack,” she whispered. “Sheila Doncaster, Tom’s wife? She’s leaving town, Jack. She’s leaving town indefinitely, and she just announced it to a group of women at the party.”
Jack said nothing, and Meghan gripped the phone harder, her stomach tossing and turning as she grappled with Kayley’s words. “Jack?”
Meghan heard Jack shifting in his chair. “Meghan,” he said slowly. “Is anyone around you right now?”
Meghan looked left and looked right, seeing no one. “No,” she responded. “Everyone is in the backyard for the party. I stepped outside into the side-yard.”
“Good,” he said with relief in his voice. “Good. Meghan, I need you to listen to me. We had some breaks in the case today, and I need you to do a huge favor for me.”
Meghan’s heart beat faster and faster. “What is it, Jack?”
“Meghan,” he whispered. “Do not let Sheila Doncaster leave that house.”
“What?” she asked.
“Do not let Sheila Doncaster leave that house,” he repeated. “I need you to do everything you can to keep her there. It is imperative that I talk to her immediately, and I need you to make sure she doesn't run!”
Jack hardly ever asked for any favors from Meghan but as she stepped back into Kayley’s house, she was determined to do all she could to ensure Sheila was still present when Jack arrived. As she made her way to where Sheila was holding court, she spotted Kayley’s son and his friends playing with Siesta and Fiesta. She bent down to give the dogs some treats which she had saved in her purse. The excited children all clamored to have the opportunity to feed the dogs. Meghan giggled as her dogs rewarded every child who gave them a treat with animated yelps. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sheila withdrawing from the group and making a phone call. It seemed if she didn’t make a move then, Sheila might make a quick getaway and wouldn’t be there when Jack arrived. That was definitely not going to happen under her watch.
11
“Sheila Doncaster, you are under arrest!” Jack shouted as he marched into Kayley Kane’s house.
“What is this?” Kayley shrieked as Jack snapped a pair of handcuffs around Sheila’s thin wrists. “This is a children’s birthday party, Detective Irvin! What do you think you are doing?”
Jack shook his head and adjusted the handcuffs around Sheila’s hands. “Ms. Kane, please step back,” Jack advised as Kayley began pawing at him. “I have reason to believe that Sheila is connected to the murder of Tom Doncaster, and I need to take her in immediately!”
The crowd gasped. “This is an outrage,” Sheila said weakly as Jack ushered her into the house from the backyard. “I’m not connected to my husband’s murder! This is a setup! All of you people are just jealous of me and want me locked away. I’m looking at you, Kayley Kane. And Meghan, I saw you staring at me in the gym. You are all just jealous, and it would make you all feel better about yourselves if I were gone.”
No one responded to Sheila’s accusations, and Jack loaded her into the police car. “This is shameful,” Kayley wailed as Jack’s car sped away. “My son’s party is ruined. Ruined!”
Later that evening, Jack called Meghan to update her on the situation at the police station. “I think we’re making some strides with this, Meghan,” he said as Meghan twirled a dark hair around her finger. “I got some interesting information today during my conversation with Sheila. You’re never going to believe this….”
Meghan stared at the night sky through her bay windows. The stars were sparkling, and she sighed as Fiesta and Siesta growled at each other from beneath her bed. “What is it, Jack?”
Jack took a long breath. “I talked with Sheila and Trevor, that fitness instructor.”
Meghan gasped. “Both of them? What did you find out?”
Jack paused. “It’s strange, Meghan. They both have alibis, which we are verifying, but for now, we are keeping both of them in jail.”
Meghan cocked her head to the side. “What were their alibis?”
Jack sighed. “I can’t disclose that information yet, but I’m leery of both of those people; Sheila just seems sneaky, and Trevor has been nothing but nasty.”
“I’m not surprised to hear that,” Meghan admitted. “Trevor was so rude to me in that fitness class; he was nice at first, but when I made him angry...it became quite frosty in that gym studio.”
“Yeah, I saw that awkward side today, but I didn’t let that unnerve me,” Jack explained. “Instead, I learned that they are both involved in a ring of illegal supplements being sold at the gym. Sheila has such fine taste, and Trevor couldn’t give her the things she wanted, so they started selling supplements to gym members. It’s totally illegal, and my guys are all over it.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. “An illegal supplement ring? That is crazy! What’s going to happen now?”
“Like I said, we’ll keep them in jail until we can verify their alibis. I’m pretty certain one of them shot old Tom, so once we figure out who did it, we can work on getting to the bottom of the illegal supplement ring and shut it down.”
Meghan thought for a moment. With Tom’s murder and her busy schedule at the bakery, she had not gotten to spend a lot of time with Jack lately, and she knew they were long overdue for some fun. She remembered how excited she had been when he had proposed date night a few weeks earlier, and Meghan smiled as she announced an idea.
“Jack,” she began. “Let’s go to the movies. I know things have been wild lately, but what would be better than a night out to take our minds off of things? That new manager, Tim Dollar, seems to like me a lot, and maybe he’ll even give us our tickets for free!”
Jack took a long, slow breath. “I don’t know if that is a good idea,” he argued. “Meghan, the last time we went to the movies, Mrs. Sheridan threw a fit, and someone was killed. It just seems like bad luck to go back to the place where tragedy struck on our last date. Can’t we just go bowling instead? Or play mini-golf? Come on, what do you think? Mini-golf sounds like fun to me.”
Meghan pursed her lips. She thought of herself and Jack curled up together in the dark movie theater, his strong arms around her shoulders as they watched a romantic comedy together. Meghan’s stomach fluttered as she imagined Jack leaning over during the movie to share a little kiss, and she knew that she had to hold her ground.
“I don’t want to mini-golf, Jack,” she said firmly. “I want my handsome, sweet boyfriend to pick me up and take me to the movies.”
Jack laughed. “Okay, beautiful,” he relented. “I’ll pick you up for the evening horror movie. How does that sound?”
Meghan shook her head. “Jack,” she said. “No, no, no. The last time we went to the evening horror movie, someone was murdered. Tonight, we’re seeing the romantic comedy!”
Jack chuckled. “That sounds like fun, Meghan,” he agreed. “I could really use a story with a happy ending after all we’ve had going on over the last few weeks.”
“For sure,” Meghan affirmed. “And who knows, Jack; maybe it isn’t too late for a happy ending after all…..”
12
Sinking into the soft, leather seat in the movie theater, Meghan folded her arms across her chest. Her visions of a sweet, romantic night out at the movies had been crushed only moments into the film; Jack was snoring heavily beside her, and she realized that the film featured an actress she detested.
“This is a joke,” she muttered angrily to herself as she glared at Jack sleeping beside her. She had woken him up the first time he had fallen asleep, but after he told her that sleeping in the movie theater was “the best sleep he had ever had”, she decided to leave him alone.
“So much for my romantic date night,” Meghan grumbled as Mrs. Sheridan shrieked and moaned. Despite avoiding the concession stand this time, Meghan and Jack
had run right into Mrs. Sheridan as they purchased their tickets. They were dismayed to find that she was seeing the same film as them, and Meghan grew more and more frustrated with every loud wail Mrs. Sheridan made.
“No! Don’t kiss her! She’s bad! She’s an awful lady!” Mrs. Sheridan screeched as the male lead leaned in to kiss the female lead in the film.
Meghan balled her hands into fists and shook her head. She was annoyed, but she tried to maintain her composure. “I’m going to the restroom,” she whispered to Jack as she rose to venture to the ladies’ room. Jack did not stir, and Meghan wandered down the dark hallway into the bright lights of the theater’s corridor.
Meghan walked past three theaters, shaking her head. She was startled to run into an elderly woman in a wheelchair.
“Excuse me,” the elderly woman whispered. “My chair is stuck, and I can’t remove the brake. Can you help me?”
She bent down to help fix the brake. “Goodness, it’s pretty stuck there.” Meghan worked the lever of the brake back and forth. “I can’t get it. Let me see if I can go find someone who can help.”
The elderly woman nodded gratefully, and Meghan walked to an office. “Hello?” Meghan called as she gently opened the door. “Mr. Dollar? Are you in here? Is there a manager around?”
Meghan stepped inside the office and gasped. Tim Dollar was sitting in a chair, tears streaming down his face and his mouth agape. “Mr. Dollar?” Meghan shrieked. “What is going on?”
Meghan looked to the right and saw Ryan Branson in the corner. He was glaring at Tim Dollar and pointing a gun at Tim’s shaking body.
“Ryan?” Meghan cried. “Ryan? What are you doing?”
Ryan bared his teeth as Meghan began to quake. “Meghan, I’m sorry you got wrapped up in this, but I’m going to need you to quietly close the door and have a seat.”
Meghan obeyed. She silently pulled the door shut and sat in the empty chair next to Tim. “What is going on here, Ryan?”
Ryan closed his eyes and sighed. “I didn’t want it to come to this, Meghan,” he murmured. “This isn’t what I wanted. But it’s what has to happen.”
“Please,” Tim Dollar pleaded as Ryan lifted the gun to Tim’s head. “Please don’t do this!”
Meghan waved her hands in front of Ryan’s face. “Ryan, tell me what is happening? Why are you doing this?”
Ryan growled. “He cancelled my contract,” he explained gruffly to Meghan. “This new fancy manager from New York cancelled the contract between my confectionary and the movie theater. I’m losing a huge chunk of business, Meghan. I can’t let that stand.”
Meghan turned to look at Tim. “Mr. Dollar, can’t you just restore the contract and let this go? Please?”
Tim shook his head. “It was not entirely my decision,” he told Meghan in a shaking voice. “Headquarters did not like the contract and advised me to do away with it. I didn’t want the deal, and headquarters gave me permission to let it go.”
Ryan grimaced. “This is going to kill my business, so instead, I am going to kill him.”
Meghan bit her lip. “That’s crazy, Ryan. That is unlike you. You are a treasured member of this community, and you have been for years. You are not a killer, Ryan. You are a business owner and a staple of Sandy Bay. You aren’t a cold-blooded killer.”
Ryan turned to stare into Meghan’s eyes. “But I am, Meghan,” he whispered.
Meghan raised her eyebrows. “What did you say?”
Ryan sighed. He looked down at the floor, and then looked back at Meghan, hanging his head. “I am a cold-blooded killer, Meghan. I did away with that old manager, and I’ll do away with the new one.”
Meghan gasped. “You killed Tom Doncaster? Ryan, you didn’t. I’ve known you and respected you since I arrived in town all of those months ago. Please tell me you are lying.”
Ryan shook his head. “I wish it were different, Meghan. I’m embarrassed that it’s come to this. Things just got so crazy with my finances, and Tom was threatening to end my contact a few weeks ago, and I had to end him. I hoped that the new manager would keep the contract, but now, this fellow is telling me that headquarters wants him to end it.”
Tears poured from Tim’s eyes. “I’ll talk to corporate,” he pleaded. “I’ll beg them! I’ll tell them that your contract will stand. I’ll do anything. Anything. Please?”
Ryan gripped the gun tighter. Meghan could see his hands were shaking, and she gently rose from the chair and edged toward him. “Ryan,” she said quietly. “Put the gun down. Put it down, and we will all walk out of here like nothing happened. Right, Tim?
Tim nodded. “That’s right. I’ll call headquarters in New York, and I’ll personally make the arrangements to have your contract with this movie theater reinstated. I’ll even request contracts with other local theaters to boost your business. We can all win here.”
Ryan gritted his teeth and ran a hand through his curly hair. “Lies! You’re lying! It’s just too late for all of that,” he said. Meghan could see the tears in his eyes, and she continued walking toward him.
“Stop, Meghan,” Ryan ordered. “Back up. I’m sorry I have to do this, but it’s too late. I’ll make it quick, I promise…”
Meghan sat down in the chair and began to scream. “Stop that,” Ryan ordered. “Stop screaming!”
Meghan continued to howl, and suddenly, there was a loud crash and a burning smell. Meghan looked at the wall above her and saw a small, gaping hole.
“Look what you made me do,” Ryan cried. “Now, I have to shoot the both of you. Sit down and shut up. It will all be over soon.”
Ryan shuffled over to Meghan and held the gun against her skin. She shivered as the cool, hard metal touched her forehead, and she gagged as Ryan began to pull the trigger.
“I’m sorry, Meghan,” he whispered.
“Please don’t do this,” Meghan shuddered as Ryan’s finger moved. She closed her eyes as his finger continued to shift the trigger. Meghan gasped as she heard a small click. Ryan had pulled the trigger, and there was no going back.
13
“Stop right there!”
The trio turned to see Jack burst through the doors of the office. His own gun was drawn, and he pointed it at Ryan’s head. Meghan opened her eyes. Ryan had dropped the gun on the floor, and Meghan dove for it, picking it up and examining it as Jack apprehended Ryan.
“It misfired,” Meghan said in amazement as she looked at the gun that had failed to kill her. “I’m alive.”
“You are under arrest, Ryan Branson,” Jack stated as Tim fainted. “Mrs. Sheridan’s wailing woke me up from the movie, and I realized Meghan was gone. When I came to find her, I stumbled upon the elderly woman in the wheelchair. She had heard everything, Ryan, and she told me where to find Meghan. Thank goodness I arrived in the nick of time.”
Ryan collapsed onto the floor as Jack fastened the handcuffs around his wrists. “This isn’t like me, Detective Irvin,” Ryan moaned as Jack surveyed his handiwork. “This is not like me. My finances were messed up, and I acted too fast when I killed Tom. I didn’t want to do it. I just broke down.”
Jack glared at Ryan. “Save your sob story for the station,” he spat at Ryan. “You tried to kill my girlfriend. I don’t want to hear any more of your sob story before I have to.”
Ryan began to weep as Jack led him outside. Meghan’s hands shook as she carried the gun outside. “That was a close call,” she said to herself. “If that gun hadn’t misfired…”
“It was the gingerbread curse!” Mrs. Sheridan declared, scaring Meghan.
“I didn’t see you there, Mrs. Sheridan,” she said, her heart pounding.
“I heard the commotion and came out of the theater,” Mrs. Sheridan explained. “It sounds like the gingerbread curse has happened again.”
Meghan shook her head. “No,” she said firmly. “The gun misfired and I wasn’t killed. If that isn’t good luck, I don’t know what is. The curse is broken, Mrs. Sheridan, and I want you to kno
w that, once and for all.”
One week later, life had returned to normal in Sandy Bay. After the bullet retrieved from Tom Doncaster’s body had been matched to the gun that had nearly killed Meghan, Ryan had been charged with murder. Sheila and Trevor had been released from jail with a hefty fine and were instructed to cease their illegal activities. Meghan even made a special batch of gingerbread cookies to celebrate the capture of the murderer, and admittedly, to spite Mrs. Sheridan a bit.
“Trudy?” Meghan called out to her assistant as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Trudy, we are closing the bakery for the day.”
Trudy bustled out of the kitchen, still tanned from her week of vacation. “Oh?”
