Black & White Glazed Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 59

by Susan Gillard

  “And we wouldn’t hurt Aunt Vera,” said Virginia. “We loved her.”

  Veronica nodded. “Now are you almost done solving this case or not? We’d like to be able to make plans. We need to organize her funeral, and we’d like to hear about our inheritance.”

  “As soon as the case is solved, we’ll be sure to let you know,” Heather said. Suspicion was rising in her, but she still didn’t have any evidence.

  Chapter 15

  “I wish I could help,” Finn said.

  Heather, Amy, and Hoskins had been checking on the Rogers’s sisters alibi. The other friends had confirmed that they were both home the whole time. Finn was the last person to talk to, and Heather couldn’t help thinking that they were missing something important.

  “They were both home,” said Finn.

  “The entire afternoon?” Heather asked. “No one ran to the store for snacks? Or decided to go for a walk?”

  “Nope. They were both home.”

  “Maybe he’s covering for them?” Hoskins suggested.

  “Virginia and I are dating, but I wouldn’t lie about a murder case. And there’s no need to. Virginia was playing video games with me and our friends all afternoon. We finally beat a level that’s been giving us trouble. It had been a really good day until we heard about her aunt. She’s taking it pretty hard,” he said.

  “What about her sister?” Heather asked.

  “She doesn’t seem to care as much,” Finn said. He looked like he was holding something back.

  “What is it?” Heather asked. “What aren’t you telling us?”

  “Just that I’m not the biggest fan of Veronica,” he admitted. “Never have been.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s not the nicest person. She’s selfish, especially about money. She calculates and wants her change down to the nickel. She’s never the person to chip in an extra dollar for pizza when it’s needed.”

  “I think we saw a little bit of that side of her when she talked about her inheritance,” Amy noted.

  “Doesn’t surprise me,” said Finn. “She’s very materialistic.”

  “Do you think she could have committed murder?” Hoskins asked.

  “Maybe,” said Finn. “I wouldn’t put it past her. But I know she didn’t do this. I know she was home the whole time. And I have no reason to lie about it. I have no sentimentality about Veronica Rogers.”

  Heather was fishing now, but she felt like she was about to catch something. “Why don’t you take us through what you did that day?”

  “Sure,” said Finn. “I came over after the girls were done with choir practice. Virginia and I hung out together for a while. Then the rest of the gang came over.”

  “Where was Veronica?” Hoskins asked.

  “She was in and out of the room,” Finn said. “She liked to remind me that she was there and that it was her house. She would make comments about our gaming too. She didn’t like it. She said we were stupid for liking it.”

  “That sounds frustrating,” said Heather.

  “Exactly. So you can see why I wouldn’t lie to protect her,” said Finn.

  “What happened next?”

  “We ordered Chinese food. Veronica was penny-pinching. She put us all in a bad mood. But we ate all together. This seems to be the time that you were asking about,” he said.

  “And you were together the whole time?” Hoskins asked again.

  “We ate all together. Then Virginia and our friends started playing video games. Veronica went to her room to practice her music. We could hear her singing,” said Finn.

  “But you didn’t see her?” Heather asked.

  “No. But it was definitely her singing. I’ve heard her singing enough to know. She’d do that a lot while I was over. And she’d yell things at us every so often. Like if she thought we were being too loud in the game. She’d yell things like: “Quiet down out there with that stupid game. Why don’t you get excited about worthwhile things?” Of course, we weren’t the ones belting out old songs. But she definitely let us know she was there,” Finn finished.

  “Thank you for your time,” Heather said.

  “I wish I could have been more helpful,” Finn said.

  “You told us the truth,” Hoskins said. “That’s always helpful.”

  Heather smiled at Hoskins. He was acting like a real detective. The trio left Finn’s house discouraged.

  “Are we right back where we were?” Amy asked.

  “Yes and no,” Heather said. “There must be something here that we’re not seeing.”

  “But how do we figure out what it is?” asked Hoskins.

  “I think maybe we should return to the scene of the crime,” said Heather. “Maybe there’s something we missed there before.”

  Chapter 16

  They returned to the crime scene. Hoskins frowned as he looked around.

  “This has been my worst case,” he said. “From fearing for Millie’s safety and finding the poor dead lady to hitting all these dead ends now, this has been hard.”

  “It’s going to be all right,” Heather assured him. “We’ll figure this out. Now, what did the forensic team say? Did they have any updates on the other fingerprints?”

  “Millie, Virginia and Veronica’s prints were all found in the kitchen,” he said. “But they all admitted to being there before. It doesn’t prove that any of them killed her.”

  Heather looked around the kitchen. It was mostly tidy, except for the remaining evidence of the crime. There were pretty teacups on display on the counter, and no remnants of food.

  “It’s very clean,” Heather said. “I wonder if her spring cleaning really did have something to do with her death.”

  “How could it?” asked Amy.

  “I’m not sure. Everyone keeps mentioning the old sheet music she found. Maybe there’s something to it,” said Heather.

  “Like a secret code?” asked Amy.

  “Or it’s an antique and worth a fortune?” asked Hoskins.

  “Or it leads to buried treasure?” asked Amy.

  Heather smiled at their enthusiasm. “Maybe,” she said. “I just know there’s some reason why Vera Rogers was killed at his particular time. The only thing that seems different is that she started cleaning out her house, and the one new thing we know about is the sheet music.”

  Hoskins picked up a piece of old sheet music that he found and promptly sneezed. It was still dusty.

  “Those must have been in her attic for a real long time,” Amy commented.

  “I have an idea,” Hoskins said suddenly. “It’s something I want to investigate. I’ll be right back.”

  He ran off. Heather and Amy exchanged a look.

  “For maybe the first time, I’m not worried about his interference on a case,” said Amy.

  “I think he’s really trying to solve this one,” Heather agreed.

  “Do you think it’s possible that Hoskins could find the clue we need to break this case?” Amy asked. “Hoskins?”

  “It’s possible,” Heather said with a smile.

  They heard a sneeze from above them and realized that Hoskins had gone up to the attic.

  “Very possible,” said Heather.

  Hoskins returned to them a little bit later with a dusty box containing other small boxes.

  “I think I found something,” he said. “I think this was where the sheet music was found. It made me sneeze in exactly the same way. Exactly.”

  Heather wasn’t sure how scientific this leap based on sneezing was, but she nodded. She wanted to hear more about what Hoskins had found.

  “And there’s a little bit of crumbly paper on the bottom. It looks like the same sheet music paper to me. I bet the lab could test it if needed,” he continued.

  “That’s great,” Amy said. “But how does this box relate to the murder?”

  “Well, inside the box were these little ones. And look at the name on them. They say Cera-Mink Mode. That’s a fancy brand for dishware.” />
  Heather nodded again. Amy looked surprised that he knew that.

  “So, that means that these Cera-Mink Mode items came out at the same time as the sheet music. They’re also new. They could also be the reason that Vera Rogers was murdered,” Hoskins said triumphantly.

  “So, it could have been a robbery?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t think they left the house,” Heather said. “I noticed some fancy teacups in the kitchen. I think they’re what came out of those boxes.”

  They returned to the kitchen to look at the teacups on display.

  “They’re cute,” Amy said. “But are they really a motive for murder?”

  “I think we should look up exactly how much they are worth,” said Heather.

  They all did a little searching on their electronic devices and found an answer.

  “These are very expensive teacups,” Amy said. “I’m afraid to be near them. I don’t want to break a fortune into ceramic chips.”

  “Do we think Vera Rogers knew what they were worth?” Hoskins asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Heather said. “Maybe she knew they were valuable and that’s why she put them on display after she found them in the attic. Or maybe she didn’t care about their cost, and just like showing off pretty teacups.”

  “I’m confused by this though,” Amy said. “If the teacups are the reason for the murder, why didn’t the killer take them when he left?”

  Hoskins smiled as he realized the answer.

  “Because she knew she’d get them eventually,” Heather said. “As part of her inheritance.”

  “That’s perfect,” Hoskins said. “It’s a robbery without a robbery. You’ll inherit what you want to steal.”

  “It’s perfect except for one thing,” Amy pointed out. “The Rogers sisters have an alibi. Multiple people have said they never left the house at the time of the murder.”

  “You’re right,” Heather admitted. “So how did she do it?”

  Chapter 17

  Heather was restless. She wandered from room to room in her home, not accomplishing any packing and not feeling like she was getting any further with the case. Her devoted dog followed her around, but he was starting to get bored. They weren’t going anywhere, and they weren’t getting any donuts. Dave sat down and scratched his ear.

  “How did she do it?” Heather repeated to herself.

  Dave didn’t have the answer, but he moved closer to show his support. Heather scratched his belly. Her mind was still on the case.

  Then, she thought she heard Lilly calling, and she and Dave went to find her. They entered Lilly’s room, but instead of finding her daughter, she saw Nicolas.

  “Hi, Nicolas,” she said. “Did Lilly just call?”

  “Oh, she was telling me to look at her cartwheel,” he said.

  Heather glanced around the room and didn’t see any sign of her daughter doing gymnastics. Then she realized that Nicolas was referring to her image on the tablet. Heather could tell that she was doing cartwheels in their backyard.

  “You two are getting good at talking on your tablets,” Heather said.

  “I know. It’s been fun,” Nicolas said. “I’m going to miss everybody a lot. But this way I’ll be able to keep in touch. And it’s obvious that you all still care about me.”

  “Of course we do,” Heather said. “And we’ll be very excited for when you come to Key West to visit us. Ryan is already working on the arrangements to allow you to travel to see us.”

  “I’m excited about that too. Seeing Lilly and going to a beach. It will be the best trip ever!”

  Lilly finished her cartwheels and moved closer to her screen.

  “Did you see that?” she asked. “I think that’s my new record.”

  “It was great,” Nicolas said.

  “Hi mom,” Lilly said, waving.

  “Hi, honey. I’m head over heels for your new tricks,” she said. Then, the gears in her head started moving.

  “Do you want to see another?” Lilly asked.

  “I’ll have to see it a little later,” Heather said. “You and Nicolas can keep playing. But I have some work I have to do. I think I just cracked the case.”

  Heather’s kitchen was soon full as the rest of the investigative team joined her. Ryan, Hoskins, and Amy looked at her expectantly.

  “I think I know how Veronica Rogers was in two places at once so she could kill her aunt,” Heather said.

  “How?” asked Hoskins.

  “She wasn’t really at home,” Heather said.

  “I know we want to believe that,” Hoskins said. “But Finn said she was there, and he doesn’t like her so he wouldn’t lie.”

  “He said he heard her singing, but he didn’t see her,” said Heather.

  “But she yelled at them too,” Amy added. “And based on the things she said, she was convinced she was there.”

  “Are you guys talking about the case again?” Lilly’s voice asked.

  “Lilly, you shouldn’t be listening in when we’re discussing cases,” Ryan said, gently. “We might be discussing an aspect that’s for adult ears only.”

  “Are there going to be donuts soon?” Lilly’s voice continued, “of course. There’s always donuts. And my mom makes the best donuts ever.”

  “What’s going on?” Hoskins asked.

  “I think I should sing now,” said Lilly’s voice. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are.”

  Ryan followed the sound of Lilly’s voice and instead of finding his daughter found her tablet.

  “This is how you think Veronica Rogers killed her aunt?” Ryan asked.

  “Before she started singing and being silly, didn’t you all think she was just outside the room?” Heather asked. “Her comments related to our situation, but were generic.”

  “She asked us about cases and donuts,” Amy said. “But Veronica could have told them that they were being too loud and that their game was stupid. She did it enough in real life to know that they wouldn’t come bursting into her bedroom.”

  “You think she sent a message to her room like on a phone call?” Hoskins asked.

  “That is possible,” Heather said. “But she was supposedly singing the whole time. I don’t think she could sing at Vera’s house without her aunt noticing she was there. And I don’t think she could be certain that the murder would be quiet enough for it not to be overheard on a phone call. I believe she made a recording of her singing session and added some angry comments directed at the others in the house so they would acknowledge that she was home.”

  “That is a pretty good plan,” Hoskins said.

  “And we determined that the houses were close enough together to walk to. It would be even faster if she rode a bike,” said Amy.

  “Exactly,” said Heather. “She wasn’t actually gone from the house for too long, but she made sure her voice stayed behind in order to give herself an alibi. She didn’t go out of her way to cover up the crime because she didn’t care if we knew that her aunt was murdered. She only cared that we wouldn’t be able to break her alibi.”

  “But she didn’t know we would be on the case,” Hoskins said.

  “That’s right,” Heather said. “You discovered her motive about how she wanted to inherit the expensive teacups.”

  “It’s all been a team effort,” Hoskins acknowledged.

  “It’s great that we know how she did it,” Amy said. “But can we prove it?”

  “That’s what I need help with. I’m sure she has the recording on a computer or another device in her room,” said Heather. “Even if she erased the file, there will still be some trace of it on the device. If we can get an expert in there, we can find it. Do you think we can get a warrant?”

  “That’s going to be tough,” said Ryan. “Right now everything against Veronica Rogers is circumstantial. The direct evidence is still pointing to Millie. A judge might think we’re grasping at straws.”

  They were all downcast for a moment until Ryan
said, “Of course, we don’t need a warrant if the owner of the house gives us permission to look around. Do you think you could convince Virginia Rogers to let us in?”

  “I think she’ll do everything possible to catch her aunt’s killer,” Heather said, with a smile.

  Chapter 18

  “You’re welcome to look around,” Virginia said after they had explained that they needed to search for some new evidence in the house. “But I don’t know what you’re going to find.”

  “Is everything okay?” Finn asked. He joined them and held Virginia’s hand.

  “I get the feeling that we had something to do with Aunt Vera’s death,” Virginia said, sadly.

  “Maybe not us,” Finn said.

  “Do we have permission to search all the electronic devices in the house?” Ryan asked.

  “I guess so,” Virginia said. “Yes. If this will help the investigation, you can. I want to find out who took my aunt away from me.”

  “Thank you,” Ryan said.

  He showed the young tech specialist policeman over to Veronica’s room where he began searching.

  “What’s going on?” Veronica asked, as she returned home and saw the crowd. “What are they doing? They can’t be here.”

  “I let them,” Virginia said. “They’re looking for evidence about Aunt Vera’s death.”

  “They can’t be in my room. And you can’t be on my laptop. That’s an invasion of privacy. I won’t allow it,” Veronica yelled.

  A look of realization flashed across Virginia’s face. Coldly she said, “I believe you got on my back about how much shampoo I used through the years and how I wasted your money, so you made me pay for that laptop. Go ahead and search it, officer.”

  The young specialist found a file and started playing it.

  “That’s the song that Veronica was singing the day of the murder,” Finn said, as they listened.

  “So?” Veronica said. “I sing the same song a lot. That’s part of practicing.”

  Then they heard Veronica’s singing voice become part of the recording.