“It’s a shame to break up a friendship like that over your ego,” Henry said. “Franklin knew that Simon planned to propose. I don’t blame Simon for breaking off the friendship.”
If Simon killed Franklin, then he did more than break off the friendship. After talking to Henry and Red and getting the details, there was no doubt in my mind that was exactly what happened.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I need to make a phone call.”
I rushed to the back and pulled out my cell phone. I pulled up Logan’s number and gave him a call.
“Hello, this is Owensby.”
“Logan, I think I just solved the case.”
“You what?”
“I think I just solved it. I don’t have evidence just yet, but I think I’ve eliminated all of the other suspects.”
“Well, who do you think it is?”
“I think it’s Simon Abernathy. They were close friends in Las Vegas before coming here. They had a big falling out recently about Franklin pursuing Simon’s soon-to-be fiancée.”
“That does seem like a reasonable enough motivation. Stay in the bakery. I’ll stop by soon. Don’t go getting yourself into trouble before I get there.”
“I won’t. I’ll see you soon.”
As soon as I hung up, I heard Scooter calling my name. I was about to go out to the front to see what he wanted, but he had already started barreling my way. Before I knew it, he had stumbled into the back where I was. He looked like he was going to trip over his own feet, and he sounded out of breath.
“Coco,” he began, trying to catch his breath. “I have something to tell you. I overheard something at lunch. At Shirley’s Diner.”
He could only make out a phrase at a time while he caught his breath. He must have run from the diner straight to the bakery. I guess being young doesn't automatically mean you're in shape. Ka-ching!
“Okay, can you make it fast though? I’m waiting for Logan to get here.”
“Logan? That’s perfect. I need to tell him this too.”
He pulled up a stool and sat on it. He started waving his hands wildly to make his point as he talked. Scooter had a flair for the dramatic.
“So, I went to Shirley’s, and I was seated in one of the booths, right? Well, in walks Polly, and I don’t think she sees me because she goes right up to the counter. Shirley came out right after and started talking to her.”
This information was piquing my interest. Maybe the case wasn’t as cut and dry as I had originally thought.
“Go on,” I said.
“So, they were talking and I overheard some things. Some things that might implicate them in a conspiracy.”
“Like what?”
“Well, the biggest thing is that they weren’t actually together the night of Franklin’s murder.”
“What?” I said. “That was their whole alibi,” I said.
“Right. But I heard them arguing about it. They were trying to get their story straight.”
“That doesn’t sound like something innocent people would have to do,” I said.
“Exactly,” he said. “Then they started to argue about what the finer details should be. Polly said she didn’t like the plan, but Shirley pointed out that they both looked very suspicious.”
“Well, she’s not wrong.”
“Right. So I thought to myself, how could this be what’s happening? But then I remembered the fist fight between Shirley’s husband and Franklin. That has to be the motive, right?”
Scooter looked incredibly proud of himself.
“I think I cracked the case, Coco,” he said.
I looked back at my phone. “I may have told Logan that I cracked the case just before you came in.”
“Oh, did you figure out it was Shirley too?” He asked.
“Well, not quite...” I admitted.
“I don’t understand.”
I sighed. I hoped that I didn’t call Logan over for no reason.
“It’s good that you overheard that, Scooter,” I said. “I just worry that this case has way too many suspects and the evidence isn’t nearly clear enough.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” Scooter said. “It’s easier when there’s more clues and fewer suspects.”
I worried that we were never going to solve this case. It didn’t seem like there was enough to go off of. Moreover, while many suspects were involved in at least one unethical activity, it didn’t necessarily make them murderers.
Shirley could have been the one to kill Franklin. She and Simon looked equally guilty.
I tried not to think about it as I sat down next to Scooter.
“Logan will be here soon,” I said. “He’ll know what to do.”
Chapter 19
As I sat with Scooter waiting for Logan, I heard the front door of the bakery open. I poked my head out from the back and saw Lorraine. I knew she was ready to pick up her order.
“Hi, Lorraine,” I said. “Just give me one second and I’ll get your order for you.”
“Take your time, Coco,” she said.”
I went to the back and picked up her cupcake. I had placed it in a bright pink box with a big red bow. A heart-shaped tag said it was from Lorraine’s secret admirer.
I handed her the box. “One cupcake made extra special,” I said. “It is, of course, from your secret admirer.”
Lorraine laughed. “Thank you, Coco,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll be the talk of the retirement village tonight.”
“Do you have a name for your generous beau?”
“Oh, it’s my secret admirer, so I don’t think I should have a name. He’s just a sweet man who sends me cupcakes out of his love for me.”
“Sounds like a pretty perfect relationship,” I said.
“A little less fight, a little more spark,” she quoted. “I don’t need a real relationship. Or even this fake one, I suppose. I’m perfectly happy with the way things are now. Though I do think starting a few rumors will be fun.”
“I know what you mean. Relationship or no relationship, the seniors will find a way to talk about you. It’s best to just be happy where you are.”
“That’s very true. They always have to have something to occupy themselves.”
“I hope this gets their attention off of Vivian. She’s been having a hard time with all of this. Truthfully, I have too. It’s still hard getting my head around his death. He was here so full of life, and then he was just gone.”
“Well, once it’s not so fresh, I think things will quiet down again. They already have for me.”
“Have they?” I asked. “That was quick.”
“Well, Franklin was a bit of a troublemaker, as I’m sure you already know. He was always getting in the way of my work and disrupting my arrangements. He would cause fights and start riots. I felt like a battlefield medic at times more than a nurse at a retirement village.”
“He was a pistol, wasn’t he?” I said. “He did the same thing to my bakery. There was cake flying everywhere. I was amazed we were able to clean up at all.”
Lorraine shook her head. “He really couldn’t help himself, could he?”
The bell to the front of the bakery rang and Logan stepped through the door. Lorraine looked at her watch.
“I have to get back to work, Coco, but thank you for the cupcake.”
“Of course. Please enjoy it.”
Lorraine left and Logan took her place at the counter.
“How about a cup of coffee?” I asked.
“And...” he began.
“A blueberry muffin. Yes, I know.”
I made his order and sat across from him at the counter. “I’m afraid that my call didn’t end up being as urgent as I thought.”
“So you don’t think Simon did it anymore?” Logan asked.
“Well, I still think it’s possible, but now I also think it might be Shirley. Scooter found out that she and Polly have been lying about their alibis. They weren’t together on the night of the murder.”
“That’s a pretty serious thing to lie about,” Logan said. “Any idea why they would have done that?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Polly was sent here by someone to make sure Franklin didn’t talk to Clive. I don’t know who sent her. Then Shirley might still be upset about that fight he had with her husband. I think Shirley is the more likely suspect though. Polly is probably covering for her. But there’s not a lot of evidence other than what Scooter and I overheard.”
“And Simon?”
“Well, he and Franklin used to be best friends. They had a falling out when Franklin tried to pursue his girlfriend. He could have killed him in revenge.”
“Yes, you mentioned that earlier,” he said. “I agree that they both seem like likely suspects.”
“I just wish I could find a smoking gun,” I said. “I can tell you what I’ve heard through the grapevine or straight from the source, but I feel like there isn’t enough to say who did it for sure. I’m sorry. I was so sure it was Simon before Scooter told me about the false alibis.”
“It’s okay. There’s not a lot of evidence that ties anyone directly to the crime,” Logan said. “But I guess half of the town had a motive and opportunity.”
“What about the means?” I said. “You said there were all sorts of drugs and alcohol in his system. Maybe looking into that will give us more information about who is behind all of this. I know a toxicology report can only tell us so much, but it might lead us in the right direction.”
“You know, there’s something I found out about that,” Logan said.
I leaned forward in my seat. “Well come on then. Spill the beans.” I reached out and jostled his arm.
Logan smiled briefly before getting serious again. “The alcohol in his system wasn’t just any alcohol. It was whiskey. And it was a particular type of whiskey. One made specifically for the senior center for a celebration they had a few years back.”
I could hardly keep myself from doing a happy dance. Finally, something solid. I felt us moving closer to the end of this investigation. “If we find out where they keep it, we might be able to find more clues,” I said.
“Exactly.”
“Knowing Franklin, this was a bottle that he stole. If we go to the senior center, I bet we can find the others.”
“I think so too, Coco.”
He downed the last of his coffee.
“Okay. Let’s go to the senior center.”
Chapter 20
Logan and I rushed from The Mad Batter over to the senior center. We were optimistic that we would be able to solve the case. We had hoped that at least we would find our next lead.
We should have anticipated that we would run into trouble along the way.
“We keep all the alcohol in the basement. We don’t leave that sort of thing just lying around.”
The staff members at the senior center were just trying to do their jobs, but they were creating quite the obstacle for us at the same time.
“Can we at least go see where it is?” Logan asked. “I’m a police officer, and this may be crucial to an on-going murder investigation.”
The staff began to whisper to one another. One of the women spoke up.
“Well, we haven’t been allowed to let anyone down there since Agnes was put in charge,” she said. “She said no more alcohol. We just don’t want to get into trouble.”
“Assisting with a police investigation wouldn’t get you into trouble,” he said.
“I’m sure Agnes would be really pleased if the murderer was caught,” I piped in.
The staff began to whisper to each other once again. Logan nodded to me. I knew we were close to being let in.
A voice cut across the room.
“Not so fast. You don’t know what Agnes would like.”
Agnes' personal assistant, Zinnia, marched across the room wagging her finger at us. Oh great, I thought. Another round with Agnes' favorite henchwoman.
She stood in between us and the door to the basement and crossed her arms.
“I don’t know what the staff has told you, but Agnes does not allow alcohol in the senior center.”
“We just want to take a look around. That’s all,” Logan said.
“Do you have a search warrant?”
She had pulled out the trump card. We knew there was nothing else we could do.
“Well no,” Logan began. “But I was hoping the senior center would want to cooperate with the investigation without resorting to search warrants.”
She wagged her index finger at us. “No warrant, no entrance. That’s what Agnes would really want.” She glared at the staff.
I sighed. “Let’s just go.”
Logan buttoned his jacket back up. “We’ll be back with that warrant.”
“Then we’ll be happy to cooperate. Until then, you can search through Franklin’s house for clues.”
Logan and I left the senior center filled with frustration. We got in his car and he drove me back to The Mad Batter.
“Agnes and her goons drive me nuts,” I said. “They take everything too far.”
“That may be true, but we can’t do anything without a warrant. They’re operating within the rules, as annoying as it may be.”
“Ultra annoying,” I said.
He walked me up to the door of the bakery. “I have to get back to the station and work on that warrant,” he said. “Please promise me you’ll wait for it. And also promise me that, when you break that promise, you won’t go to the center alone.”
I tried to play dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “I’ve been a perfect angel throughout the investigation.”
He gave me a quick hug. “I just want you to be careful, Coco. That’s all. Remember, don’t go by yourself.”
“Okay,” I said. “I promise.”
“Good. I’ll let you know as soon as I get that warrant.”
He hopped in his car and drove off towards the station.
Since he already knew I would break the first promise of waiting for the search warrant, I went inside and made a list of potential investigation partners.
I called them all one-by-one, and one-by-one they all disappointed me.
“I’m really sorry, Coco, but I can’t,” Scooter insisted while on the call. “I promised my mom I would help her wallpaper the bathroom.”
“But Scooter, you’re the last one on my list. I wouldn’t bother you if it wasn’t urgent. Stella and Vivian didn’t answer, Rose is deep cleaning her bathroom, and Masie is at a concert.”
“What about Logan? Can’t you wait for him?”
“Scooter, this is a murder investigation. They could remove the evidence before we get a chance to really investigate.”
“I’m sorry, but I just don’t think I can make it. My mom is depending on me.”
I sighed. “Okay, Scooter. Thanks anyway.”
“Good luck, Coco.”
I crossed Scooter’s name off of the list. There was no one else left to call.
I really tried to keep my promise to Logan, but we needed to move fast. I got into Daisy and drove back to the senior center. I made sure to park down the street before going in.
I went in fully expecting to be interrogated and asked for the search warrant, but the foyer was empty. From the across the courtyard, I saw lights of a movie playing in the village movie theater.
That was where everyone must have been. It must be a movie night.
I snuck through the center and crept down into the basement. Unlike before, there was no one to stop me.
When I reached the basement, I saw plenty of boxes stacked on shelves and on the floor. I sighed. This was going to take a while.
I decided to start with the boxes closest to the stairs and work my way back. Some of the boxes were labeled, but others weren’t. Unfortunately even the labeled boxes didn’t really tell you what was inside. In one of the first boxes I opened, I found Christmas decorations inside a box labeled “photo albums.”
On one of the shelves across the room, I noticed a box that was not quite right. When I went closer to investigate, I saw that the dust had been disturbed on the shelf and the box. This box had been moved recently.
I reached out to open the box. Suddenly, I felt something hit the back of my head and I felt myself falling.
Everything turned black and I fell unconscious before I even hit the ground.
Chapter 21
The pounding in my head was making the room spin and my head foggy, and as I tried to open my eyes I found myself dizzy and disoriented. I suppose that getting hit from behind when you weren’t expecting it would do that to a person, but it didn’t mean I had to like it.
A groan fell from my lips as I picked myself up enough to lean against the cellar wall, my head aching and my heart beating away in my chest so hard that I could hear it in my ears. I wasn’t sure what had really happened other than the fact that someone had jumped me, but I knew that if I didn’t get focused and situated soon, it might happen again.
I’m pulled from my thoughts by the scuffling of feet as someone ran away, and I shot up straight to standing and listened. I heard the familiar sound of a door locking and my heart sank, knowing that whoever had hit me and nearly knocked me out had just locked me in the basement too. To top it off all of the lights were off as well, and I couldn’t see a thing. I had already been shoved down and I didn’t want to add falling to that list, so I reached into my pocket to find my phone.
My hands were still a bit shaky and it took me a minute, but I finally got my phone out and shone enough light into the dark room to make my eyes go wide in shock and fear. Not only was I stuck down there in that basement alone and in the dark, but the floor was starting to fill with water. It just reached me.
And the water was rising.
“Oh, this isn’t good.”
Someone had not only tried to knock me out and lock me in the basement, but then they were also trying to drown me? I didn’t know what on Earth was going on or who would do such a thing, but I did know that if I didn’t think of something fast I was just going to end up as another dead body in this town.
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