Wild Raspberry Murder

by Susan Gillard

  Cadence returned to them with fresh eyeliner and mascara. It was perfectly reapplied and ready to be cried off again as she told them how much she would miss her darling Vinny. Heather and Amy watched the performance.

  Chapter 12

  “If all the interviews go like that, I’m not sure how much I can take,” Amy said.

  She and Heather were approaching their second actress’s house.

  “Do you think she’s going to cry too?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Heather said. “Do you think she’s going to say that she and Vinny were in love too?”

  “I don’t know. But I know I can’t take any more tears,” Amy said, as they rang the bell. They braced themselves but were greeted with a calm smile.

  “Good afternoon,” Rhonda Bernway said. “How can I help you?”

  Heather introduced herself and Amy as private investigators and asked if they could go inside and ask some questions.

  “You’re here about Vinny’s murder,” Rhonda said.

  “Yes, we are,” Heather said. “We have some questions about the night he died.”

  “Come on in,” Rhonda said, showing them into her living room. “I’d love to talk about what happened to him.”

  If Cadence was a tragedy, then Rhonda was a comedy. She wore a bright yellow dress that matched her hair. She offered them some cookies because she had been baking that day and told them a funny story about her cat as they all sat down.

  “I must say, you seem in an awfully good mood today,” Heather said.

  “Why shouldn’t I be?” Rhonda asked.

  “Maybe because your friend just died?” Amy offered.

  “He wasn’t my friend anymore,” Rhonda said. “And it is too beautiful a day to be sad. The sun is shining.”

  “The sun is always shining in Texas,” Amy said.

  Rhonda continued on. “Birds are singing sweet songs. Children are playing outside. And my cat willingly let me give her a bath. It’s too wonderful a day to be sad.”

  “So, you would say that you are unaffected by Vinny Unger’s death?” Heather asked.

  “Not unaffected, no. It’s part of why I feel so wonderful today.”

  “Where’s Ryan and the handcuffs?” Amy muttered.

  Heather waited for more of an explanation. “So, you’re glad he’s dead?”

  “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that when someone dies, you start thinking about death. And you can be either melancholy and mournful. Or you can realize that you are still alive and celebrate.”

  “So, you’re celebrating?”

  “I made cookies. Are you sure you don’t want some?” Rhonda asked.

  “We’re sure.”

  “If I had the choice between Vinny being alive or Vinny being dead, I would, of course, choose him being alive. But there’s nothing that can be done now. So why wallow in despair?”

  “Somebody did decide whether Vinny would live or die. Somebody murdered him. And we’re investigating to determine who that was,” Heather said.

  Rhonda gulped. “Well, it wasn’t me.”

  “It was somebody in the show, and you don’t seem broken up about his murder,” Heather said.

  “I was in love with him for a long time,” Rhonda said. “And he wasn’t good to me. He wasn’t good to any of the girls he dated. He’d string us along and then leave us. And I felt like it was my fault. But now I realize that he was manipulating us all. He liked to play with our emotions. Now that he’s gone, I feel free.”

  “Did you take action to feel that freedom?” Heather asked.

  “Did I kill him? No way. I couldn’t kill anybody.”

  “Did you leave the theater at all last night?”

  “No. I was there all night. When I wasn’t onstage, I was with Martin, the man who played the father. He had stage fright, and I was helping him through it.”

  “We’ll look into that,” Heather said. She would have to check with Ryan after he interviewed all the men to see if her alibi held up.

  “Go right ahead. It’s the truth. Martin will say the same.”

  “Now, you played the oldest sister in the play?”

  “Right.”

  “And did anything go wrong with your part of the play?”

  “No. Things seemed to go pretty well for me. I thought I gave a good performance.”

  Heather switched her questioning to the murder weapon. “Did you notice when the knife went missing?”

  “No. It wasn’t my prop, so I didn’t pay attention to it,” said Rhonda.

  “I just have one more question,” Heather said. “Did you notice if any of your costars left the theater during the show?”

  “I didn’t notice it,” Rhonda said. “But it is possible. Deb had that late entrance from behind the audience. I don’t know why that happened. And Cadence was gone for a bit. She said she was getting a new knife from the kitchen for her scene because hers was missing.”

  “Thank you for your time,” Heather said.

  She and Amy were about to depart when they were joined by another guest. Tracy Trigger had arrived with her magnifying glass.

  “Rhonda, I have some questions for you,” Tracy said. “I’m trying to get to the bottom of this murder case.”

  “What? Are you a private investigator too?” Rhonda asked.

  Tracy noticed the other two women investigators, but only paused in her stride for a moment. “I will be after I solve Vinny’s murder. I think I was meant to solve this case.”

  “Why?” Rhonda asked.

  “Because I’ve been embodying Maisy Mulligan. I know how she thinks now. And what are the odds of this murder happening right outside a theater? It’s a sign. The actress detective is on the case.”

  “I’m tired of answering questions,” Rhonda said. “Especially if I have to go through it all again with someone who has no chance of solving the crime.”

  “Why don’t you think I have a chance?” Tracy Trigger said. “I’ve been working hard. I’ve been combing over the area of the crime scene all day.”

  Heather groaned. “Did you cross the crime scene tape as part of your investigation?”

  “Of course,” Tracy said. “That’s just to keep civilians out. Not people who are trying to solve the crime.”

  “You really need to stay away from the crime scene,” Heather said. “You could be contaminating evidence.”

  “Nonsense,” Tracy said. “The police already found everything that they were going to find. All that’s left is the clue that I will find to save the day.”

  “Or,” Amy said. “You’ll step on something that could have led us to the killer.”

  “Fine,” Tracy said. “If it will make you happy, I’ll stay away from the crime scene.”

  “Thank you,” Heather said with a sigh.

  “I’ll just focus on the suspects,” said Tracy.

  Chapter 13

  “I don’t know what we’re going to do about her,” Heather said. “Her attempts to help could ruin evidence.”

  “As long as we stay ahead of her, I think we’ll be okay,” Amy said.

  “So, all we have to do is catch a killer and avoid an actress,” Heather said.

  “Uh oh,” Amy said.

  “Which one are we uh-oh-ing?” Heather asked.

  They had just arrived at the last actress they had to interview, the one who had played the murdered sister Emily Middlewick. However, as they approached the house, they saw that they were not alone. Through the large living room window, they saw the actress talking with Tracy Trigger.

  “How did she beat us here?” Heather asked aghast.

  “You should have let me drive,” Amy said. “I could have raced here.”

  “Maybe she knew a short cut.”

  “Next you’re going to say that maybe she could be helpful.”

  “I’m not there yet,” Heather said.

  Together they knocked on the door. The young actress answered it timidly. Tracy Trigger wasn’t trying
to hide, but she wasn’t joining them at the door either. She sensed that her presence there would be unwelcome.

  “Deb Trigoranstep?”

  “Yes. Who are you?”

  “I’m Heather Shepherd. This is Amy Givens. We’re private investigators working with the Hillside Police Department. We’re looking into the death of Vinny Unger. Can we ask you some questions?”

  “You want to talk to me too? I thought Tracy was working on the case with the police.”

  “Now,” Tracy said, backing up. “I didn’t say officially working with the police. But I am working on the case, and that will help with the police.”

  “Debatable,” Amy said.

  “She was a really great Maisy Mulligan,” Deb said. “I thought that’s why they had recruited her.”

  “After I solve this case, they will,” Tracy said. Then, with a nod of her head, she bid them adieu.

  Heather and Amy were conflicted. Should they follow the would-be detective and stop her from causing more mischief? Or should they stay and question one of their main suspects?

  “You said you had some questions?” Deb asked.

  Heather nodded, deciding that they would stay. They needed to know what Deb knew about the show and the case.

  “Please, come inside,” Deb said, showing them to the living room. “I’m sorry it’s a little messy. I don’t clean much when I’m in tech week for a show. And then today I felt a little of out sorts.”

  “It’s perfectly all right,” Heather said.

  “Do you mind if I take notes?” Amy asked as she set up her tablet.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Proper note taking is an integral part of an investigation,” Amy said. “It’s the way to keep track of all the evidence you gather and keep a record that could hold up in court.”

  “I see,” Deb said. “Tracy didn’t take notes.”

  Amy smiled smugly at that. Heather felt that she was taking Tracy’s interference a bit too personally. Tracy Trigger was annoying, but she wouldn’t stop them from cracking the case.

  “So you played Emily in the show we saw?” Amy started. “The Stolen Life and Jewels and Dead Sister…”

  “The Case of the Stolen Heart, Rubies, and Life of Emily Middlewick,” Heather and Deb said at the same time.

  “Well, try saying that three times fast,” Amy said, before setting up the app to take notes.

  Heather decided to ask some questions instead of taking up Amy’s challenge.

  “Why did you enter from a different spot than was planned for your death scene in the play?” Heather asked.

  “I was having trouble with my costume,” Deb said. “The blood on it was looking funny. I went to the bathroom to fix it. But then I was running late. I heard my cue and entered from the closest available place. I thought it would work for the show.”

  “For the plot of the show, yes,” said Heather. “But I’m not sure it works for you alibi. Did anyone see you at the bathroom?”

  “I think Tracy saw me on my way there,” Deb said. “Yes. She said something before that made me realize she did. She would be able to tell you that I wasn’t gone for a long enough time to murder anybody.”

  “What about after your death scene? What were you doing for the rest of the play?” Heather asked.

  “I know I wasn’t onstage, but I was still working on the show,” Deb said. “I helped with costume changes during the second half of the show.”

  “And the cast can confirm this?” asked Heather.

  “Of course.”

  “How well did you know Vinny Unger?”

  Deb paused. “I knew him pretty well. Or at least I thought I did.”

  “You dated?”

  “I was the first person he dated in the cast. I thought we were in love. He said he was. And I was hearing wedding bells. But he broke it off and started going with Rhonda. And then Cadence.”

  “Did that make you mad?” Heather asked.

  “Tracy asked that too,” Deb said.

  Amy looked annoyed that Tracy had stumbled across a good question. Heather just wanted an answer.

  “I wasn’t mad,” Deb said. “But it hurt. I was glad when the director told him he couldn’t be in this show.”

  “But Vinny couldn’t stay away. He started working at valet parking. And you were forced to see him again.” Heather said, “That must have hurt too.”

  “Yes. But I didn’t kill him,” Deb said. “Do you have any more questions.”

  “Just one,” Heather said, starting to ask about the murder weapon. “Did you notice that the knife was missing?”

  “I did open the drawer during one early scene. I didn’t make the connection at the time. But there wasn’t anything underneath the embroidery prop I brought out. The knife should have been under there.”

  Heather looked at Amy. The knife was missing since the show began. This was definitely premeditated.

  Chapter 14

  Heather served a plate of Wild Raspberry Donuts along with some classic chocolate donuts to an appreciative customer. She had been serving donuts across the counter all morning. It was nice to focus on her other business because she was feeling stuck with her sleuthing. There were too many suspects – an entire cast of them.

  She had hoped that taking a morning off from the case might result in an epiphany. However, so far, all she had gotten lots of compliments on her donuts but no ideas.

  Amy joined her and asked, “Did we solve the case yet? Or are we still missing the center like a classic donut?”

  “We’re donuts all right,” Heather said. “I guess that description is one way to cheer me up when I’m feeling down about not having all the answers.”

  “Who do you think did it?” Amy asked.

  “It had to be somebody in the cast. They had access to the knife and knew that Vinny would be in the parking lot.”

  “But it’s a big cast.”

  “And that means too many suspects,” Heather said. “It could have been any of the scorned ladies that we spoke to.”

  “Or an actor Ryan questioned,” Amy added.

  “There’s no one that had a clear disappearance that the other actors noticed. But any of them probably could have sneaked out briefly to make the kill,” Heather said.

  They thought about it for a while.

  Then Heather shrugged. “I don’t know who did it. But maybe a donut refreshment would help me focus.”

  “I’m fine with any justification for a donut,” Amy said.

  They left Angelica at the counter to look after the customers and took a donut and crime solving break. They enjoyed their Wild Raspberry Donut pick-me-up but still weren’t any closer to catching their killer.

  “I wonder if Tracy Trigger is having any more luck than we are,” Heather chuckled.

  “Don’t mention her,” Amy said. “I feel like every time we turn around, there she is.”

  Heather was about to tease her about that assessment, but unfortunately realized she was right. Tracy Trigger was making a grand entrance into Donut Delights.

  “Aha!” she said. “I tracked you down.”

  “Good detective work,” Amy grumbled.

  “Why did you need to see us?” Heather asked.

  “I wanted to see if you found any leads,” Tracy asked.

  “I’m not sure that we should share information,” Heather said. “You could still be a suspect.”

  “Me? A suspect?” Tracy asked. “But I’m the one who’s going to solve the case.”

  “What did you uncover?” Heather asked.

  “Well,” Tracy said. “I uncovered several unusual rocks at the crime scene. Maybe the killer brought them with him to confuse the crime scene.”

  She showed them some rocks that she carried in a handkerchief. Heather nodded politely, but apart from one rock in the shape of a seahorse, there was nothing to distinguish them from the other rock in the parking lot.

  “Well, we can certainly turn those into the police department,
” Heather said.

  “And I questioned all the suspects,” Tracy said. “I discovered that Edna Waterbaulm had a deep, dark secret.”