“That’s not true. You can put the gun down.”
“And what? Go to jail for the rest of my life. Things weren’t supposed to be this way. If Jake had been willing to sell his half of the gym to Rick Fletcher, none of this would have happened.”
“Really? You’re blaming Jake for this? You’re the one who killed him. Over a little bit of money.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. It wasn’t a little bit of money. It was the kind of money that could change a person’s life.”
“The kind of money worth killing over?”
“Yes. But like I said, things shouldn’t have turned out this way. If he had just listened to reason and sold his share, he’d still be alive.”
“It sounds like you’re the one who needs to listen to reason now. I’m going to give you until the count of three to put the gun down.”
“I already told you, I’m not going to jail.”
“And I told you, the only way you’re leaving here is in handcuffs or a body bag.” David then began counting. “One.”
Max didn’t lower the gun. He continued pointing his pistol at Deputy Tolliver.
“Two,” David said.
Once again, Max didn’t heed David’s orders.
David then opened his mouth to finish his countdown.
Just before David spoke, Max finally came to his senses and dropped his gun.
At that point, David and Tolliver both approached the killer.
David then handcuffed Max.
Chapter Ten
A few hours later
At the end of a case, I always breathed a sigh of relief. And why wouldn’t I? Investigating a murder was the most stressful thing I’d ever done. And even though I’d worked on dozens of cases in my life, they never got any easier to investigate. Part of that was because each case was unique in its own way. The other reason they were so stressful was because the stakes were so high. Justice was on the line. If we failed, a killer would get away with murder. In addition, depending on how poorly the case went, our lives could be in jeopardy. The stakes didn’t get any higher than that.
When I framed the situation that way, it was actually surprising that I didn’t freak out more often than I did. As Max was carted off to jail, I could feel a huge weight lifting off of my shoulders.
At the same time, there was always a bit of a recovery period when a case concluded. Sometimes it took me a number of hours to start feeling like myself again. Other times, it was weeks before things returned to normal. On rare occasions, it took even longer than that.
Imagine my surprise then when I found myself staring down a completely different emotion at the conclusion of this investigation. Rather than being mentally worn down from the case, right then, I was consumed by hunger. How peculiar.
That wasn’t all. My stomach wasn’t just rumbling for any food. It wanted something very specific.
Meanwhile, my husband had some thoughts of his own. He didn’t seem too interested in sharing them, however. Instead, he looked out into the distance. It took me asking him a question to pull his head out of the clouds.
“Are you thinking about cake? Or is it just me?” I asked.
David’s nose scrunched as he looked at me. “Really? You’re already thinking about dessert? So soon after wrapping up the investigation?”
I threw out my arms. “What can I tell you? I just got a big craving.”
“I’ll say. Usually, you like to take some time to decompress and think things over.”
“I know. But this case was anything but ordinary.”
“To be fair, is there such a thing as an ordinary murder investigation?”
“I suppose not.”
“I get your point, though. This case was more frustrating than we’re accustomed to.”
I nodded. “And that’s saying a lot. We’ve dealt with a lot of tough ones over the years.”
“Honestly, we’ve worked on a large amount of disturbing cases this year.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Sorry. I guess it just dawned on me what a crazy year we’ve had.”
“It sure has been. And there’s still a few months left.”
He grimaced. “That’s scary to think about.”
I threw out my arms. “I know, right? I mean, I typically enjoy looking forward to the future. Not today.”
“I know what you mean. There’s no telling what’s waiting for us just over the horizon.”
“That’s so true. That’s why you should forget about the horizon. Focus on what’s directly in front of us.”
“A mountain of paperwork?”
“No,” I replied. “Cake. Delicious strawberry shortcake.”
“You’ve already picked out the cake, huh?”
“Actually, my stomach did the picking. I’m just the one going along for the ride.”
“You really have your heart set on getting dessert, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. And why wouldn’t I? You can’t go wrong with cake.”
“I have to admit, of all of the topics of conversation that we could be discussing right now, this one is a real surprise to me.”
“Why? This is a delicious topic to discuss.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“Good. Arguing is overrated anyway.”
He smiled. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“Now, do you want to get some cake?”
He nodded. “That sounds good to me.”
“Fantastic. Let’s do it.”
“I have to say, I like this side of you. It would be nice if this was your reaction at the end of all of our cases.”
“Do you know what would be even better?”
“Cake?” he joked.
I shook my head. “No. If this was the last case that we ever investigated.”
His eyes lit up. “What a treat that would be.”
“I could definitely get behind that.”
“Sounds like we both have something to pray about tonight.”
“We sure do. In the meantime, let’s get a treat,” I said. “We’ve earned it.”
The End.
Growing Up in Treasure Cove
Chapter One
There were worse places to grow up than Treasure Cove. Of course, there were also some much safer places to live as well. Now that I knew the truth, I had to face the facts. My hometown was an abnormal place. That was a tough thing to come to grips with. Especially for an eleven-year-old girl like me.
For most of my childhood, I had wrongly believed that all small towns were filled with weird occurrences. It wasn’t until I went away to summer camp a few months ago that I discovered how unusual life really was in Treasure Cove.
Throughout the summer, I heard a lot of stories in my cabin. As I talked to the other girls in my bunk, they told me about their lives. A lot of them shared some funny tales. The kinds of stories that were normal for young girls to tell.
Then it came time for me to tell some anecdotes. I explained to the girls in my bunk how my mom and dad solved murder cases for a living. How they chased after bad guys. And how there seemed to be a new investigation in my hometown every month.
Imagine my surprise when every girl in my cabin looked at me with wide eyes. They had never heard stories like that before. At least, not real-life tales of that nature. When it came to solving mysteries, their only experience was what they saw on TV shows and in movies. Meanwhile, sleuthing was in my blood.
You see, my dad was a police detective. And my mom was an amateur sleuth. With two investigators in the family, it should have come as no surprise that I had an unconventional upbringing. Those facts weren’t the only details that set my life apart, however. We also happened to live in a very peculiar town.
On the surface, Treasure Cove was an incredibly beautiful place. But it was hiding all sorts of different secrets. The older I got, the more I realized that craziness was just a part of life around here.
So, when a number of weeks went by without anything wild
happening, it stood out. Not just to me, but to my parents. The difference was that my mom and dad tried to downplay things. When I asked them certain questions, they would give me vague answers. Or they would change the subject. It got pretty frustrating after a while. After all, I wasn’t a baby. I could deal with the truth. Good luck trying to convince my parents of that, though.
Even though I didn’t know every detail about the bizarre things that occurred in this town, I wasn’t completely in the dark. I was observant enough to realize when a case was being investigated. On the flip side, I could also tell when things quieted down in Treasure Cove.
As a matter of fact, one Tuesday night in October, my parents and I were sitting down at the dinner table eating chicken and potatoes when I began to think about how great it was to have a normal meal. To just be sitting at the table eating without the stress of a case weighing on my parents’ shoulders. We were all just sitting there, enjoying our food. As an added bonus, we weren’t chowing down on take-out food. Or a microwave meal. My mother had made dinner from scratch that evening. And it was delicious.
While I nibbled on some chicken, my mom made small talk.
“How was your day?” my mother asked.
“Fine,” I said.
“Just fine?” she replied.
“Nothing crazy happened, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Well, that’s good to know. Although, you’d think that would be a given.”
My father spoke up. “Not in this town, it isn’t.”
My mother nodded. “Isn’t that the truth?” My mom then looked at me again. “Darling, didn’t anything interesting happen today? Maybe something funny?”
I shook my head. “Nope. It was just an ordinary day.”
My mother leaned back in her chair. “Wow. That doesn’t happen very often. A normal day without any bizarre activity to speak of.”
My dad smiled. “Those are the best days.”
My mom nodded. “They are definitely the most peaceful. Either way, I could get used to this.”
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you,” my father said.
“Honey, don’t be so negative.”
“I’m just being honest.”
“Anyway, why don’t we talk about something else? Something more pleasant?”
“All right. Do you have anything in mind?”
I spoke up. “The pie festival is coming up soon.”
My mother’s eyes lit up. “I had forgotten about that.”
“How could you forget about something like that? It’s one of the best times of the year,” I said.
“It is pretty magical,” my mom said.
My father laughed. “You too just love your desserts, don’t you?”
“We’re not the only ones. Don’t pretend like your mouth wouldn’t be watering if I put a slice of pie in front of you right now,” my mom said.
“You’ve got me there.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“In my defense, who would turn down pie?”
“As far as I know, only a crazy person.”
“I’m definitely not nuts.”
“Neither am I. Although, I do go a little crazy for pie. Especially if it is served with a scoop of ice cream. With some whipped cream on top. And a cherry.”
“That’s quite a list.”
“Hey, if you’re going to indulge, you might as well really live it up.”
My father chuckled. “You’re a bad influence, you know that?”
My mom replied with a playful tone in her voice. “Don’t you mean a delicious influence?”
“That depends. Do you happen to have any slices of pie around?”
“Not at the moment.”
“That’s why you’re a bad influence. You got me all excited for nothing.”
“I wouldn’t say that. The pie festival will be here in a few weeks.”
“That isn’t going to do me any good tonight. You just made me hungry for pie right now.”
I raised my hand. “I have an idea.”
“What is it?” my mother asked.
“Why don’t we go out and get some pie?” I said.
“I should have known you were going to say that,” my mom replied.
I put my hands together. “Pretty please.”
“Jessica, it’s a school night,” my father said.
My mother was far more receptive to my idea. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if we got some pie tonight.”
My father’s eyebrows rose. “Is that so?”
“Look. I’m not saying we should do this every night, but we’re in the middle of a peaceful stretch. We actually have some quality time to spend together instead of having to run around like crazy trying to solve a case. We should take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts.”
He scratched his chin. “That’s a fair point.”
“After all, there’s no telling how long things will stay this way,” my mother replied. “So, what do you say? Are you up for getting some pie?”
Chapter Two
My mother and I both looked at my dad with wide eyes. Thankfully, he gave in and agreed to take us out.
What a treat. Getting pie on a weeknight was practically unheard of. I had to say, it was amazingly delicious. I loved apple pie. That night, I went to bed incredibly happy.
Unfortunately, I had to go to school in the morning. What a bummer. Just like with most school days, I couldn’t wait for recess to arrive. That particular Wednesday afternoon, when I headed out to the playground with my friends, there was a great deal to discuss.
“How can Mrs. Blanton always tell when I don’t know the answer to a question?” Astrid Hogan asked.
Recess was rarely boring. While the boys in my class ran around chasing a ball back and forth, the girls stood in the corner chatting. At least, the girls that I was friends with.
Every afternoon, I gathered outside the school with my two best friends, Astrid Hogan and Vanessa McGovern. Most of the time, we spent our recess talking about anything interesting that had taken place in class that day.
During that recess, Astrid was hung up on being put on the spot by our math teacher.
“Also, if Mrs. Blanton knows that I have no clue what the answer is, why did she call on me?” Astrid asked. “Did she just want to embarrass me?”
“Astrid, calm down. I’m sure that’s not it,” I said.
“Then what’s your explanation?” Astrid replied.
“Maybe she thought you did know the answer,” I said.
Vanessa jumped in. “Yeah. It’s not like she’s psychic.”
Astrid took a deep breath. “I guess not. I just hate being put on the spot.”
“That was pretty lousy. But look at things this way. It could have been a lot worse,” Vanessa said.
Astrid shrugged. “How?”
“She could have caught you sleeping,” Vanessa replied.
“Yeah. Remember when she woke Bill Tolliver up from a cold sleep a few weeks ago?” I said.
“Poor guy,” Astrid said.
“See. It can always get worse,” I said.
“I know. I just don’t like getting embarrassed in front of Mark,” Astrid said.
“Don’t worry. One wrong answer isn’t going to change how Mark Wellington feels about you.” I said.
“How do you know that?” Astrid asked. “Has he told you that?”
I shook my head.
“Then you can’t know for sure,” Astrid said.
“Look. I know that you have a crush on Mark, but I really feel like you are overreacting,” I said.
“Oh yeah? What if Mrs. Blanton put you on the spot in front of Tim Mitchell?” Astrid asked.
“I’d be really upset,” I said.
“Of course you would,” Astrid replied.
Why wouldn’t I be? Tim was so dreamy. I had a huge crush on him. Unfortunately, he didn’t even know that I existed. At least, not romantically speaking. In his mind,
I was just some girl that was in his math class. Nothing more. What a shame too. I thought we would make a great couple.
“You know what we need right now?” Vanessa said.
“A time machine?” Astrid replied.
“No,” Vanessa said. “We should have a sleepover this weekend.”
Astrid threw out her arms. “How does that help my situation with Mark?”
“To start, it will help you take your mind off of Mark. We can convince my mother to order some pizza. And maybe even get a carton of ice cream. Then we can watch a bunch of fun movies all night. It will be a blast,” Vanessa said.
“That’s a good idea,” I said.
“Of course, it is. You can’t go wrong with pizza. And ice cream. And movies,” Vanessa said.
“That does sound like fun,” Astrid said.
“It is settled then. I will ask my mom and dad if we can have a sleepover this weekend. Fingers crossed that they say yes,” Vanessa replied.
“I hope they do,” I said.
Astrid bit the corner of her lip. “That still doesn’t solve the mystery of how I can get Mark to notice me…in a romantic way.”
“Don’t look at me,” Vanessa said. “Jessica is the one who loves mysteries.”
“Hey, I’m busy with my own mysteries. I can’t think of a way to get my crush to notice me. Once I figure that one out, I can brainstorm an idea for you,” I said.
“Maybe we can put our heads together and come up with some good ideas this weekend at the sleepover,” Vanessa said.
Just as I was getting excited for this possible sleepover, my recess came to an abrupt end as the principal of the school approached me.
When I entered elementary school, I thought I would be able to make it from grade one to grade six without ever speaking to Mr. Graves directly. In my experience, the principal’s job was mostly to deal with trouble makers.
I actively avoided trouble. I was a good student. And I observed all of the rules.
Yet, that afternoon, the principal wanted to talk to me anyway.
“Jessica, you need to come with me,” Mr. Graves said.
“Really?” I replied.
Mr. Graves nodded. “Yes. I need to speak to you in my office right now.”
Murder in Treasure Cove Page 4
