“Or?” asked Ryan.
"Or he didn't know where he was at the time," Treasure Tom sighed. "This is probably more likely since he hasn't attempted another dive out there. I think he got lost and stumbled upon the treasure. He doesn't want to admit that. He'd rather pretend that he's secretive than that he was lost."
Ryan switched tactics and asked about the man’s alibi. “Where were you last night?”
“After I closed up shop, I went home,” said Treasure Tom.
“Alone?” asked Heather.
“Yes,” said Treasure Tom. “I had dinner and went to bed. I’m not a young man anymore. I need to get my rest.”
“So, you were home alone sleeping all night?” Peters asked.
“That’s right,” said Treasure Tom. “But you can’t think that I had anything to do with this robbery, can you? I wouldn’t have been able to do anything with the treasure if I took it. I can’t sell stolen property here.”
“But you could keep the treasure as part of a private collection?” asked Heather.
“I suppose so,” said Treasure Tom. “But that’s assuming I was so obsessed with having the treasure for myself that I would kill for it. And I just wouldn’t. Besides, I’m not a young man anymore. I can’t imagine pulling off a heist.”
Heather looked at him. He was still a suspect in her book.
Windows
“I’m glad we decided to get some Lemon Curd Donuts,” Amy said.
“Me too,” said Heather. “Though I was afraid that the taste would have gone sour.”
“We went through this with Janae. They taste great.”
“I meant that they’d taste sour because of the new circumstances surrounding them,” said Heather. “Not literally. But I created this flavor for an event that isn’t going to happen. We were supposed to be celebrating, but now the treasure that was the focus of the event is gone, and the expert is dead.”
“That is unfortunate,” Amy agreed. “But I don’t think anything could make your donuts taste bad to me.”
“Thanks.”
Heather and Amy were enjoying some donuts as they thought about the case and wandered near the museum crime scene. Ryan and a uniformed officer were canvassing the neighborhood and asking neighbors if they noticed anything unusual, while Detective Peters was carefully collecting glass from the crime scene to see if there were any fingerprints that could be lifted.
“What do you think our next move should be?” asked Amy.
“I think I’d like to talk to Donna Sanders about her museum’s security some more. How much time did the robber actually have once inside? And would people have known about the security system?”
“We could also find out why she didn’t want Treasure Tom to touch the statue,” said Amy. “Did she not trust him because he could be shady like Big CC?”
“That could be it,” said Heather. “She allowed other experts to examine it. Dr. P. Jefferson made the initial authentication, and Professor Wattleson was here to look at the treasure for the celebration.”
“Maybe it was the credentials then,” Amy said shrugging.
“This is a tricky case,” said Heather.
“I know,” said Amy. “We need to look for motives for robbery instead of murder, and I think we’ve gotten used to the other type of case.”
“The motive for a robbery is most likely greed,” said Heather. “Somebody wanted the treasure.”
"Either to sell for the money or to have their own private collection," Amy agreed. "I wonder how much the treasure is worth. It has to be a lot."
“Treasure Tom brought up a good point,” said Heather. “The average person wouldn’t be able to sell the stolen treasure in just any old shop. They would need to have some criminal connections in order to sell it on the black market.”
“Or the robber just wanted to have the gold cat statue all to himself,” said Amy. “Maybe it would look good on someone’s mantle.”
“Maybe the robber would keep the statue hidden for a few years and then try to sell it,” Heather sighed.
“Do you think Treasure Tom is a suspect?” asked Amy.
“He was certainly a fan of The Cat’s Claw treasure and knew a lot about the museum,” Heather said. “And he doesn’t have a good alibi.”
“He kept saying he was an old man, but I don’t think he is too old to stab somebody, especially if the sword is very sharp.”
Heather nodded. “Maybe he kept saying that to throw us off the right track. I think he’s definitely still a suspect.”
They kept walking, trying to think of other suspects. They ended up near the museum entrance.
“It looks like this place has been the victim of pirate plundering,” Amy noted.
Heather had to agree. When they had first come to the museum, it looked put together and adhered to a theme. Now, with its broken windows and trashed displays, it looked smaller and sadder.
They looked through the large windows and saw Detective Peters collecting his glass samples. Even though the sun was setting outside, they could clearly see him working because the lights were on inside.
“Should we feel guilty that he’s diligently picking up glass and we’re eating donuts?” asked Heather.
“We can offer him some when he takes a break,” said Heather. “And it’s not that we’re doing nothing. We’re analyzing what we already know for clues and figuring out our plan of attack.”
“I like the way that sounds,” said Amy. “Because I feel like I’m just enjoying Lemon Curd Donuts.”
“We’re thinking about the case,” Heather assured her.
Detective Peters looked up and saw them outside. He gave them a wave and the continued with his work. Heather watched as he picked up some shards close to the office door.
“Oh, my goodness,” Heather said, suddenly getting an idea.
“What?” asked Amy.
“I think I just figured something out about the case.”
“I’m glad we were thinking about it then,” said Amy.
“But we need to check something,” said Heather.
She hurried around to the other side of the building. The large window in the back showed into the office. Professor Wattleson’s briefcase was still sitting open on the desk. Through the window on the office door, Heather was still able to see into the rest of the museum. She saw Detective Peters staring at a piece of glass, trying to decide if it was big enough to test.
“We just need to wait until the sun completely sets to be sure,” said Heather.
“That should be any minute now,” said Amy.
The friends waited until the sunset, finishing their donuts.
“Just as I suspected,” Heather said.
"Mind cluing me in?" asked Amy.
“What do you see?” Heather asked, pointing at the museum.
“I see the museum office. The professor’s briefcase is open on the desk. Oh, and there’s Detective Peters still hard at work. He is making me feel lazy.”
"So, you can tell that someone is in the building?" asked Heather.
"Of course. The lights are on, and I can see Peters moving around," said Amy. "Wait. Does this mean that the robber had to know that Professor Wattleson was there that night?”
“Yes,” said Heather. “With all these windows and the lights on, there’s no way you could have missed him. Whether the robber looked from the front or the back of the museum, he would have known that someone was still there at that time of night.”
“And he just wanted the treasure so bad that he didn’t care that someone was there?”
“That’s possible,” said Heather. “But I think it’s more likely that Professor Wattleson was the target all along.”
Lights On
“I can’t believe we missed that,” Ryan said.
“It’s okay. I’m sure you were focused on other things at the time,” said Heather.
“Like the dead body,” Amy agreed.
"We needed it to be dark to figure it o
ut," said Heather. "But even if we went there that night, we might not have realized it at the time. There was a lot of evidence inside the building that was being looked at. We might not have looked outside then."
“Still. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” said Ryan.
“Would you like me to order us some donuts?” Detective Peters asked.
The four investigators had decided to start their morning at Donut Delights and make sure they had a tasty breakfast. It would also give them an opportunity to discuss the new angle on the case.
However, Detective Peters had been distracted since they arrived. It was clear that he had a crush on Janae, and was trying to figure out an excuse so he could go talk to her. He usually became so nervous when he spoke to her that he put on a show of strong policeman bravado.
“If you want I could go order some donuts at the counter,” he continued, seeing that Janae was standing there.
“Thanks,” Heather said. “But I think Digby is coming over to our table.”
It was true but also delayed. Digby was still wearing the crocheted eye patch and was having trouble with his depth perception. He bumped into several tables before he made it to them.
“I brought you some Lemon Curd Donuts, boss,” he said. “Do you want anything else?”
“I’m still deciding,” Peters said. “I might order at the counter.”
“Digby, you know you don’t have to wear that eye patch anymore,” said Heather.
“Yeah,” Amy seconded. “Professor Wattleson is dead. He’s not going to catch you in a lie about your eye condition anymore.”
"I know," Digby said. "But it's got me feeling a bit guilty about what happened. I lied to the guy to show him up, and now he's dead. I feel like I should wear it a little longer as penance. Until the museum anniversary would have happened."
“Well, you do what you feel you have to,” Heather said. “But make sure you don’t spill any coffee or sprinkles on the customers.”
“While you’re here, you might as well tell us where you were the night of the murder,” said Ryan.
“Am I a suspect?” Digby asked. “How exciting.”
“We don’t really think you did it, but we should have your alibi on record,” said Ryan. “Now that we know that Professor Wattleson was intentionally killed, we need to look at everyone who might have been upset with him after he arrived in town.”
“No problem,” Digby said. “I had rehearsal for my play that night. The cast can confirm I was with them. We rehearsed until a little after ten, and then a bunch of us went to get a late-night snack.”
“Thanks, Digby,” said Heather.
He wandered away from them, trying and failing not to bump into anything.
"I hope he never really loses an eye," said Amy. “He better beware of all fun and games.”
“You know,” Heather said. “Janae was also here when Professor Wattleson came in, and he was rude to the whole staff. Someone should probably get her alibi too.”
It took Detective Peters a second to catch her drift, but he bounded to his feet when he did. “I’ll go question her. For the good of the case.”
The others chuckled.
“I wish he would just ask her out and be done with it,” Ryan said.
"If she said yes, it might put him in a good enough mood to tell me Big CC’s original nickname,” said Amy.
“You have to let that go,” Heather advised.
“Since we don’t really think Janae had anything to do with this murder, we’ll have to figure who our real suspects are,” said Ryan.
"It still could be Treasure Tom," said Amy. "He could have been jealous that Donna Sanders brought in another expert instead of asking him to make the authentication for the celebration. He could have killed two birds with one sword. He killed a man he was jealous of, and it gave him the opportunity to take the treasure he wanted. "
“That’s true,” said Heather. “But it also could have been someone who just wanted Professor Wattleson dead. The robbery could have been a cover for the crime.”
“And unfortunately, one that almost worked,” said Ryan.
“But who in town would have known him?” asked Heather. “He had just arrived.”
“But I don’t think he made a great impression,” said Amy. “He was rude to everyone here, but Hope said he was just as bad everywhere they went. Didn’t she say he made somebody cry?”
Heather nodded. “I think we’ll have to talk to Hope again. We’ll find out everyone that he interacted with while she gave him the tour, and see if he made anyone angry enough to kill.”
“You should also find out where Hope was that night,” said Ryan. “It sounds like the professor was pretty mean to his tour guide too.”
“And Donna Sanders might know if anyone else in town knew him. She was the one who asked him to come.”
“I need to finish my interviews with the neighbors to make sure that no one saw anything suspicious around the time of the crime,” said Ryan. “And I think Peters isn’t quite finished with the glass. Do you want to begin these interviews this afternoon?”
“I’d like to begin them right after I finish this donut,” Heather said.
Peters rejoined them. "You'll be pleased to know that Janae is not the killer. She was out to dinner with a friend. You'll be extra pleased to know that the friend was not Fire Frank," he said, referring to his romantic rival for Janae's affection. "She was with a girl named Amanda who also gives bike tours. But, yes, after my thorough questioning I was able to determine that she is not a viable suspect in this crime."
“I’m so glad we can cross her off the suspect list,” Amy deadpanned.
"But it's about time we found some more," said Heather.
Downcast Donna
"I'm so sorry I didn't call," Donna said as she greeted Heather and Amy at her door. "With everything that's been going on, I just didn't even think of it. I'm sure you've been wanting to know what is happening with the anniversary celebration and whether you'll need to make the treasure chest of donuts. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel the event. I'll reimburse you for the samples that you made for me."
“Don’t worry about that,” Heather said. “We’re not here in the Donut Delights capacity. We’re actually here as private investigators. We’re helping the Key West police investigate what happened.”
“I didn’t know you were investigators,” Donna said. “It’s nice to be multitalented. Please, come inside.”
She showed them into her living room, and they all had a seat. After meeting her in pirate garb, it was strange seeing her not in costume. Somehow slacks and blouse just didn't seem to match her personality. Her hair looked wilder without a bandanna to contain it, and she wasn't wearing any of her big jewelry.
However, the room still seemed to match what they knew of her. The artwork on the wall was of pirate ships at sea, including one that was labeled as an artist’s rendering of The Cat’s Claw. The mantle held photos of her and her husband.
“I tried to tell the detectives everything I could think of about the robbery,” Donna said. “But it’s possible I might have forgotten something. This has been a very hard time for me. What would you like to know?”
“First, I’d like to know a little more about your security system,” said Heather.
"It's a local company that installed the system," Donna explained. "I turned it on before I left for the day."
“Wouldn’t the professor have set it off then?” asked Amy.
“It’s not a motion sensitive alarm,” said Donna. “It detects if there are any disturbances to the doors or windows. I gave the professor a temporary code that would give him five minutes to open the door and leave when he was ready to go.”
“So, the alarm must have sounded when the window was broken,” said Heather. “And when that happens, it alerts the police?”
"First, it calls my cell phone to check and see if I was the one to set off the alarm accidentally. Then it calls t
he police. However, I didn't hear my phone ring at the time that night. I was either in the shower or blow drying my hair. This mane can take an awfully long time to dry. Once I saw I missed the call, I called the security company, but they told me that the police had already confirmed that it was a robbery. I waited for the police to contact me and I told them what I could.”
"So, you were home that night? Were you by yourself?” asked Heather.
“Yes,” said Donna. “I wish that Davey were still alive to back me up on this, but I was here alone. But I couldn’t have had anything to do with this. Why would I rob myself?”
“We believe this was more than a robbery,” Heather said. “We now think that’s it’s possible that Professor Wattleson was the intended target all along and that the robbery was just committed to cover it up.”
“You really think so?” Donna asked.
“It’s something we’re looking into.”
“That’s terrible,” Donna said, becoming emotional. “Not only did the murderer kill poor Professor Wattleson, but they robbed me just to cover it up. My business is ruined because of this robbery. I was supposed to be celebrating it. I was supposed to be so happy.”
“I’m very sorry to upset you,” Heather said.
“I’m going to have to close my museum because of all this,” said Donna. “That museum became my life. It made me feel close to my late husband again.”
“Maybe it can still be saved?” Amy suggested. “What if the diver who found the treasure originally went back down and found some more?”
“I don’t know if he’d do that,” said Donna. “He hasn’t wanted to go back down, and he’s been very secretive about the location. I don’t think he wants anyone to replicate where he was.”
"Did you have insurance on the treasure and museum?” Heather asked.
“Of course, I did,” said Donna. “But it’s not the same. The museum won’t be able to continue. I’ll have to figure something else to do with my life.”
Lemon Curd & Murder Page 4
