“I’m going to miss it,” Heather said.
I’m going to miss you.”
The two friends hugged and then made their way inside the teashop. Col and Mona were happy to see them. They pulled up a table and poured tea for them all. Heather didn’t always like tea, but she loved the flavors that Col brewed up.
“You must be so busy getting ready for the move,” Col said. “We’re glad you had time to stop in.”
“I always have time for my joint venture partner,” Heather said. “Even if I’m far away when my business succeeds, it will help yours. And vice versa.”
“I knew she was going to find time to visit us,” Mona said. “My co-Maids of Honor make time to see the bride.”
“Of course,” Heather said. “And I’ll be flying back for all the important events.”
“Nothing in Key West will keep you from coming to my bachelorette party and the wedding?” Mona asked for confirmation.
“Wild seahorses couldn’t keep me away,” Heather said.
“How close is it to the move?” Col said. “It’s coming up, isn’t it?”
“Our flight is tomorrow,” Heather said. “Most of our things have already been packed up onto one truck. The rest of the things will be picked up tomorrow right before we leave for the airport. But by dividing it up, I can still have a bed to sleep on tonight.”
They all chuckled.
“Are you excited?” Mona asked.
“Yes,” Heather said. “Though, of course, I’ll miss you all. But I think this is going to be a very exciting change.”
“Making donuts in a tropical location does sound nice,” Mona said. “Maybe we should open a second location too?”
Col laughed. “Maybe we can one-up them and open one up in Hawaii?”
Mona held his hand. “Then again, I do like it here in Hillside. It’s where I met you.”
“I like it here too.”
The engaged couple realized they were starting to become too lovey-dovey and quickly recovered. Col poured some more tea and Mona passed out some biscotti.
“I know donuts would be better in general,” said Mona. “But this tea was made specially to compliment this cranberry biscotti that my cousin created.”
“I don’t mind other desserts,” Heather assured her. “My donuts won’t feel like they’re being cheated on. And if a relative of yours made something special for you, I’d be delighted to try it.”
She took a bite and then complimented it. “This is very good,” she said.
“Thank you,” said Mona. “She made it as a pre-wedding gift. She remembered how we used to make cranberry sauce around the holidays and wanted to do something nice.”
“It’s inspiring me to want to use cranberries in a new donut recipe,” said Heather.
“It’s tasty,” said Amy. “But biscotti is also kinda hard. I’m used to soft and squishy donuts. I need to get used to a hard dessert.”
“Dip it in the tea to soften it,” said Mona. “They also complement each other in taste.”
“What did you just say?” asked Heather.
“The tea was made to go with the biscotti,” said Mona. “They complement each other.”
“No,” said Heather. “Not that. The other part.”
“That the tea softens it?” asked Mona.
“Exactly,” said Heather. “Liquid makes food soft.”
“We may not all be expert donut bakers,” said Amy. “But we did know that. What are you really thinking?”
“Joy said that Tormund Brown loved his crunchy croutons,” said Heather.
“So?” asked Amy.
“So it had to be added right before. And if that’s what was poisoned,” Heather was muttering to herself. “But where did it go? And how can we find it?”
“I think she’s solved the case,” Amy said, taking a sip of her tea. “It would be nice if she told us what it was.”
Chapter 15
“I’m so glad you were able to come in,” Heather said.
“Sure,” Phil said. “Anything I can do to help, I will.”
“We realized that because you’re the new guy you might have noticed something that the people who have been here a while might have overlooked, but I’ll get to that in a minute,” said Heather.
She led him into the break room where Amy was waiting.
“Let’s just have a seat while we wait for the detectives,” said Heather.
Phil sat down at the table. He looked nervous. “I’m glad you don’t have the dog this time,” he said. “He scared me.”
“Sweet little Dave?” asked Amy.
“You don’t have to worry about him,” Heather said. “It’s just us humans, and everyone is grateful for your help.”
They sat at the table for a few moments. Phil fidgeted at the table. Heather and Amy shared a look.
“I guess Detective Shepherd and Detective Hoskins are running late,” said Heather. “I suppose we could make ourselves comfortable while we wait.”
“I think I could use a snack,” said Amy. “Let’s see what they’ve still got here.”
She opened the fridge and looked inside.
“How can you eat at a time like this?” Phil asked. “We’re about to be talking about murder. Maybe we should wait to eat until after.”
“Nah. I’m hungry now,” said Amy.
“There’s nothing good to eat in the fridge,” said Phil.
“There’s a vegetable tray,” said Amy, putting it on the table
“It looks good,” said Heather. “Do you want some, Mr. Hunter?”
“No. I don’t think the vegetables look that good. I think they’ve gone bad.”
“They’re not bad,” said Amy. “But they probably do need something.”
She put a bottle of salad dressing on the table.
“I really don’t think we should be eating now,” said Phil. “Maybe we should wait ‘til later. We don’t want to be rude to the cops.”
Amy put a second bottle of salad dressing on the table. They were identical bottles.
“Where did that come from?” Phil asked.
“What do you mean?” asked Amy.
“Why do you have two bottles of dressing?” asked Phil.
Amy shrugged. “They were both in here. Why wouldn’t there be two bottles?”
“I just – I thought there was only one,” said Phil.
Amy squirted some dressing on a plate. She picked up a carrot and dipped it in the dressing.
“I really think those vegetables are bad,” said Phil. “You shouldn’t eat them.”
“Nonsense,” said Heather. She opened the second bottle of dressed and created her own dipping spot. She picked up a piece of celery and dipped it in.
“I think I hear the police,” he said. “Let’s just focus on finding out what happened to Mr. Brown.”
“He’s acting very cranky,” said Amy.
“Maybe a snack would do him good,” suggested Heather.
Amy nodded. She put more dressing on the carrot and pushed it towards Phil’s face. It nearly touched him but he slapped it out of her hand.
“That seemed excessive,” said Amy.
“I don’t want to eat anything,” he said, sounding upset. “Why can’t you understand that?”
“You have a little salad dressing by your mouth,” said Heather.
“What?” exclaimed Phil. He started running around the room like an animal. “Get it off. Get it off. Did I swallow any? Oh no. Oh no! Call an ambulance. Right now.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Amy. “It’s just salad dressing.”
“It’s not just dressing,” he shouted. “Don’t you get it? It’s poison. I’ve been poisoned. You’ve got to get me help now. Call someone. Don’t you understand?”
“We understand,” said Heather, as Ryan and Hoskins joined them in the room.
“You’ve got to help me,” Phil pleaded to Ryan.
“Why?” asked Ryan.
“Because the salad
dressing was poisoned. I did it. It was me. I did it for the money. But now you’ve got to help me,” Phil said.
“You don’t need any help,” said Ryan. “You didn’t swallow any poison.”
“How could you know that?” he asked.
“Because this dressing isn’t the one you brought in and replaced Tormund Brown’s with,” said Ryan.
“These were bottles I picked up on my way in,” said Heather.
“I thought you found the one I tried to hide,” Phil said.
“We knew it had to be somewhere in the building,” Heather said. “Your lunch box might not have been searched when you came in, but as soon as this was declared a murder, security was tighter. You couldn’t risk being seen carrying it out, so you got rid of it inside the building. That’s why the police only found a sandwich in your lunch box when they collected it as evidence.”
“In the bottom of a filing cabinet,” said Phil. “But you were supposed to think it was a heart attack. Then nothing would have seemed suspicious.”
“Why did you do it?” Heather asked. “You said it was for the money? Who paid you?”
“I don’t think I should tell you,” said Phil.
“We might be able to work out a deal in exchange for your testimony,” said Ryan. “As long as you’re honest.”
“No,” said Phil. “As long as he’s on the streets, I can’t say anything bad about him.”
“We can protect you,” Heather said.
“I killed Mr. Brown because I thought that if he were dead, I could steal some blueprints and sell them and make a lot of money,” said Phil. “That’s why I did it.”
Ryan read Phil Hunter his rights, and the detectives led him away. Heather was frustrated. Even though she had caught two killers, she hadn’t been able to catch Lyle Clarke. No one wanted to testify against him while he was still so powerful. She had been foiled again.
Then, to top it all off, she still had packing to do that night before she left. Between the preparation for the move and her angry thoughts about Clarke escaping punishment, she could tell that she wasn’t going to get much sleep that night.
Chapter 16
“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked. “You’re missing Hillside already? Did we forget something? You’re scared of flying?”
* * *
Heather realized that she had been frowning the whole way to the airport. The Shepherd clan had just arrived for their flight. Dave and Cupcake were each in their own pet carrier. Jamie had helped them select this airline because of their treatment of pets flying with them. They knew that Dave and Cupcake would have a safe and comfortable flight.
* * *
Lilly was looking through her book that she was bringing to read on the plane. Ryan had already begun dressing like he was on vacation. Instead of his detective uniform, he was wearing shorts, sandals and a T-shirt.
* * *
“It’s the case,” Heather said. “I hate leaving things unfinished, and that’s what it feels like I’m doing.”
* * *
“We did catch two murderers,” Ryan reminded her. “Roger Davens and Phil Hunter are going to jail because of your sleuthing.”
* * *
“I know,” said Heather. “But the man behind it is still Scot-free. There are no consequences for Lyle Clarke.”
* * *
“I know it feels that way because he’s not behind bars,” said Ryan. “But his network of thieves and murderers is shrinking because of our work.”
* * *
“I’d like to think that,” said Heather. “But I don’t really believe that that young man Phil Hunter would have turned to murder if it weren’t for Clarke’s prompting. And I’m afraid he’ll keep doing it. Without us there, what’s to stop him?”
“There is still a Hillside Police Force. Hoskins is finally turning into a good detective, and he’ll be getting a new partner soon. Maybe they’ll have new tricks up their sleeve. Or maybe they could bring the FBI in to work on the case.”
* * *
“I feel bad that I couldn’t do it,” said Heather. “I feel like I let the town down.”
* * *
“Far from it. Hillside is a safer place because of you,” Ryan assured her.
* * *
“It’s still hard to walk away from this,” said Heather. “Or fly away, rather.”
* * *
“I know,” said Ryan. “But it’s time to. You passed the baton on to Maricela at Donut Delights, and it’s time to do the same with Clarke. We need to trust the police to keep him in check and finally find evidence to convict him of his crimes. And we will have new challenges to face and new opportunities in store for us.”
* * *
“I will have to focus on opening the new donut shop, and getting Lilly settled, and turning the house into a home,” said Heather. “Oh my goodness. Did we ever tell Rudolph Rodney what we decided? Do the moving trucks know which of the three houses we decided on?”
* * *
“I’m sure it’s all fine,” said Ryan. “We’ve had a lot going on, but I don’t think we could have overlooked that.”
* * *
Heather nodded. “There is a lot to look forward to in Key West.”
* * *
“I’m going to enjoy my mini vacation there while I wait for the other detective to retire,” said Ryan. “And then I’m going to enjoy joining a new force. I think the change of scenery will do me good. I had been looking forward to being paired with a new partner too, though now Hoskins is becoming someone I’d like to solve crimes with.”
* * *
“You’ll be able to relax in the sun some,” said Heather. “But it’s not going to be a complete vacation. I’m going to need some help getting my new shop set up. I was hoping for some husband-y help.”
* * *
“I can do that,” Ryan said with a smile.
* * *
Heather took a deep. “All right,” she said. “It’s time to let go of the past and trust that others will continue to do what needs to be done. I need to focus on what lies before me.”
* * *
“First step,” said Ryan. “Is to get all our boarding passes.”
* * *
Heather smiled. “And I should turn off my cell phone. I wouldn’t want it to go off during the security check.”
* * *
She was just about to turn off her phone when she realized she had received a message. With dread, she began playing it.
* * *
“Hello,” said Lyle Clarke in the video he sent her. Heather’s blood ran cold as she saw his sleazy smile. Ryan joined her to watch the video.
* * *
“I just wanted to remind you how much Hillside is going to miss you,” said Clarke. “It just won’t be the same without you, but I’ll try to muddle through. I’m sure I’ll find something to do to occupy my time without our friendly chats. And I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun baking your donuts and wondering what I’m up to. But don’t worry. I’m an honest citizen. Bon voyage, Heather.”
* * *
“That was calculated to upset us,” said Ryan. “We can’t let it bother us, or he will win. That would be what he wants.”
* * *
Heather was staring at the background of Clarke’s office. There was something different than from the last time she was there. The chairs and the desk were the same. It wasn’t the bookcases that were altered.
* * *
Then, she realized what it was.
* * *
“I’m not bothered or upset,” Heather said, smiling.
* * *
“Okay, then you’re doing better than me,” said Ryan. “This made me mad. I was trying to act calm, but I don’t feel it. Why are you smiling?”
* * *
“What does that look like on the wall to you?” asked Heather.
* * *
“It looks like something framed,” said Ryan. “I don’t remember seeing it when we were in h
is office.”
* * *
“Exactly,” said Heather. “He didn’t want to hang it up while we were still there. But I recognize it. Even from this tiny screen. That’s the Allen Wolfsmore autograph that he had stolen a few weeks ago. Someone was murdered so he could obtain it. We caught the man who physically committed the crime.”
* * *
“But we couldn’t prove Clarke’s involvement. He claimed he never saw the autograph before,” Ryan finished.
* * *
“Can we change our flight?” Heather asked.
* * *
Ryan answered, “Under the circumstances, we better.”
Chapter 17
“What’s the meaning of this?” Clarke asked as Heather and Ryan stormed into his office, joined by Amy. “I thought you left.”
“We were just in time to receive your message before we boarded our plane,” said Heather.
“Oh,” Clarke said, sitting back down. “That’s what this is about. You can’t stand not having the final word.”
He laughed, but this time Heather didn’t mind.
“You shouldn’t have sent it. That final taunt is what’s going to cause everything to crumble around you,” said Heather.
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