M&M Surprise Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 17

by Susan Gillard

  “The other judge,” Amy said. “That’s Leticia Jackson, right? I knew I recognized her name when Lilly said it.”

  “Who is she?” Heather asked.

  “I know you don’t follow the sport, so I’ll let this faux pas slide.” The corners of Amy’s lips twitched upward. “Leticia Jackson was a gold medalist in the Beijing Olympics 2008. Women’s archery. I can’t believe she’s judging this one. She’s huge. She’s an Olympian.”

  Heather examined the picture and pinched her chin. “Interesting. I wonder if she knew Kyle? Maybe we should pay her a visit too. Find out what she knows, who she knows.”

  “Wow, she made it in 2008, the same year that Jinx’s scandal came to light. That’s a coincidence for the archery history books,” Amy said.

  “There aren’t any coincidence.” Heather leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. She crossed her ankles and rocked her legs from side-to-side. “No coincidences.”

  “Should we go speak to her?”

  “Not right now. There’s too much work to attend to here, and we’ve got Lilly coming over for another girl’s night tonight, remember?” Heather asked.

  Amy grinned. “Yeah, that’s going to be great. We need some time off from the donuts and the case.”

  Heather clicked her tongue. “Right. Yeah.” But she couldn’t help narrowing her eyes at the image on the screen. “Jinx. That’s a mean nickname.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why do you think they call her that? Because she’s jinxed, probably.” Heather sighed and rose from the table at last. “And I will be too if I don’t get some of these orders filled.”

  “On it!” Amy hopped up. They hurried to the kitchen.

  The door swung inward and bathed them in the sweet scents of donut-making delight.

  Chapter 10

  Heather’s doorbell trilled, and a knock rattled the wood.

  “Oh, that must be Lilly,” she said and patted Dave on the head.

  His soft ears popped up at the mention of her name, and he barked, then darted off the sofa and scrabbled for the door.

  “He’s eager,” Amy said and sat back against the cushions on her side of the room. She lifted an M&M Surprise donut to her lips, took a bite, then chased it with a sip of thick, malt choc shake.

  Heather rose and walked through to the entrance hall, heart light for the first time in a week. Life was stressful, complicated even, but nothing cheered her up like a good old-fashioned girl’s night.

  And they had Olympic Gymnastics to watch.

  Dave barked and turned in circles on the spot.

  “All right, all right, relax.” Heather drew back the bronze bolt, then opened up.

  Lilly stood on the welcome mat with her hands straight at her sides. Her lips trembled, and tears dripped from the sides of her jaw.

  “Lilly?” Heather asked. “What happened?”

  The girl rushed into the house and through her arms around Heather’s middle. She sobbed noisily into Heather’s shirt.

  “What’s going on?” Amy yelled from the lounge. Footsteps echoed through the living room, and Heather’s bestie appeared in the hall. “Oh my gosh, what happened?”

  Heather shut the front door, then grasped Lilly’s arms and detached her from the hug. She sank in front of the girl. “What’s going on, Lils?”

  Lilly sniffled and hiccupped. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I tried to stay out of her way, Au-Heather. I really did.”

  “Who?” Amy asked. Dave whined and licked Lilly’s ankles.

  Heather’s stomach sank. “What did she do?”

  “Who?”

  “Elizabeth.” Heather sighed. “She’s an archer living with Colleen and Bill for the competition, and she’s been mean to Lilly. What did she say this time?”

  “She told me,” Lilly said, then burst into a fresh stream of tears. “She told me that I’m a loser and good for nothing. And she said that no one likes me.”

  “What a piece of work,” Amy whispered. “Lilly, you know those things aren’t true, right?”

  “She said that Bill and Colleen don’t like being my foster parents and that they’re just waiting to dump me in someone else’s house,” Lilly continued.

  Anger emerged in Heather’s chest and streaked through her veins. “This is unacceptable.”

  “You said I should tell you,” Lilly replied, and hiccupped again.

  “Yeah, I did,” Heather said. “You did the right thing, Lils.” She hugged Lilly tight, and the girl rested her head on Heather’s shoulder. “Lilly, you’re everything to a lot of people. Everyone loves you. You know that right?”

  Lilly’s little body trembled. “They do?”

  “Of course,” Heather whispered. “Amy, Ryan and I love you. Dave too. And Eva. And everyone at Donut Delights. And I’m sure that Elizabeth is making up stories about Bill and Colleen. They love you too.”

  Lilly clung to Heather and sobbed some more.

  Heather looked up at her bestie, frozen between horror and rage. “Ames? Will you take Lilly into the living room and give her a donut or two? And a milkshake. I’ve got a call to make.”

  “You got it,” Ames replied. “Anything.”

  Heather pulled back from the hug, then wiped the tears from Lilly’s face with her thumbs. “You’re awesome. Now, you’d better get in there and eat some sweets before Dave steals them all.”

  Lilly coughed out a giggle. Amy offered her hand and Lilly took it. The two of them disappeared into the living room, closely tailed by an alarmed Dave.

  Heather rose from her crouch and took her cell out of her pocket. Somebody was about to get a stern reprimand.

  She dialed Bill and Colleen’s home number, then pressed the phone to her ear.

  “Yeah?” A woman answered, and her arrogance leaked down the line.

  “Is that Elizabeth?”

  “Yeah, who’s this?” Elizabeth asked, then yawned.

  “My name is Heather Shepherd, and I know you’ve been bullying Lilly Jones. You’d better back off.”

  “Whatever, that kid’s a useless little liar. I didn’t do anything wrong,” Elizabeth said. “And who are you to threaten me?”

  “I’m the wife of a Detective at Hillside PD, and if you don’t leave Lilly alone, I’ll report you for child abuse,” Heather thundered, losing her temper for the first time in years. She sucked in two deep breaths to calm herself. “Now, put Colleen on the phone, immediately.”

  Silence and then muffled voices, scraping and then Colleen’s voice. “Hello?”

  “Colleen,” Heather said, brusquely. “This is Heather. I’ve just finished consoling Lilly after your guest verbally abused her.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “You heard me correctly. Lilly arrived a few minutes ago for our girl’s night and burst into tears. Elizabeth has been bullying her.”

  “Are you serious?” Colleen asked, shock resonating in her tone. “I had no idea.”

  “I suggest you sort this issue out before I do,” Heather replied. “Lilly will be sleeping over here tonight. Is that clear?”

  Colleen cleared her throat. “Yes, Heather. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.”

  “That’s fine,” Heather replied. “That woman should be ashamed of herself, bullying a little girl.” Then she hung up. She grasped the phone in her hand and squeezed it.

  She had to calm down, or she’d upset Lilly all over again. Heather took a deep breath, held it in for three counts, then exhaled slowly. Everything would be fine. Lilly was safe, and that was all that mattered.

  If only the girl could stay with Heather and Ryan full time. Heather shook her head to clear it, then strode into the living room.

  Lilly shifted on the sofa, gripping a donut in one hand and a glass of milkshake in the other. “Is everything fine?”

  “Yeah, I spoke to Colleen. She’ll sort this out, Lils. And you get to spend the night here with us,” Heather said and grinned. “You can stay in the gue
st bedroom.”

  Lilly sagged against the cushions and let out a sigh. “Thanks, Heather.”

  “As long as you’re okay, now,” Heather said.

  “I’m fine. I guess this is all my fault.” Lilly pulled a face.

  “What? No way,” Amy said. “How could it be your fault?”

  Lilly bit her bottom lip and lowered her gaze. “I eavesdropped on her phone conversation.”

  “That’s no reason for her to –”

  Heather waved and cut Amy off mid-sentence. “What did she say?”

  “She was speaking to somebody about that judge guy that died. She said that she hoped Lori and Coach Hardy would get caught.”

  “Caught?” Heather asked, then touched her fingers to the wrinkles on her brow.

  Dave hopped onto the sofa, then wormed into Lilly’s lap and settled down.

  “Yeah, that was when she saw me and said all those things. I didn’t hear anything other than that.”

  “That’s okay, honey, you just relax and enjoy that donut, all right?” Amy said, and slipped an arm around Lilly’s shoulders.

  Heather paced back to her sofa and glared out of the window. Coach Hardy and Lori, eh? Another lead had just popped up.

  Chapter 11

  Heather sat on a cushy stool in front of the counter at the Burrito Barn and picked at the egg wrap on her plate. She couldn’t rid herself of the image of Lilly’s tear-streaked face. The poor girl had been through enough, already. She didn’t need pain or bullying in her life.

  “There you are,” Ryan said and placed his palm on her upper back. “What made you choose this place?”

  “Well, I figured we can’t go to Dos Chicos for every meal, especially, not a brunch,” Heather replied.

  Ryan kissed her on the forehead, then sat down on the stool beside hers. “What’s wrong?”

  “What? Nothing.”

  “My love, I can tell when something’s on your mind,” Ryan said, then shook his head. “Come on. Tell me.”

  “You didn’t come home in time to see it, but Lilly was super upset last night. The woman who’s staying with Colleen said a lot of mean stuff to her. She was in tears,” Heather replied. She picked up her diet soda, then sipped from the straw peeking out of the can.

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Not even a little bit. And there’s more. This woman, Elizabeth whatever, was on the phone talking about Lori and Coach Hardy a couple of minutes before she bullied her.” Heather shook her head. “That didn’t come out right.”

  “It came out just fine,” Ryan said, then waggled a finger at the waitress nearest to them.

  She hurried over, carrying a menu. “May I help you, officer?” She asked, plastering up a too-sweet smile.

  “Yeah, please bring me a cup of coffee and whatever my wife is having, thanks,” Ryan said, then turned back to Heather. He dusted off his smart, blue shirt, then placed his hands on top of the counter.

  “I was so furious, Ryan, I phone that woman and I, well, I’m not proud, but I yelled at her.” Heather trembled, then grabbed her soda can to calm herself. She drank deeply and inhaled through her nose.

  “I bet you were,” her husband replied. “I’m angry just hearing about it. But there’s not much we can do. We have to trust that Bill and Colleen will do the right thing and protect Lilly.”

  “I guess,” Heather said, and regret scoured her heart. Colleen and Bill’s stock had dropped in her books.

  “But, it’s interesting you should mention Lori,” Ryan said. He paused to accept the cup of coffee from the waiter. He picked up two sachets of sugar, flicked them against his palm, then tore them open and dumped them into the liquid.

  “Why? What did you find out?” Heather asked. She shoved the breakfast wrap away. She’d get it wrapped up for later.

  “Lori is the sole recipient of Kyle’s substantial life insurance policy. It’s going to pay out to her, pretty darn soon.” Ryan slurped on his coffee and sandwiched the cup between his palms.

  “So, she had a lot of motive. Too much motive.” Heather drummed her fingertips on the cream-colored countertop. “Having an affair, marriage going down the drain and now this.”

  “Precisely. We’re bringing her in for questioning, but we don’t have enough evidence placing her at the scene of the crime.”

  “No fingerprints on the murder weapon?” Heather asked.

  “No, the carbon splintered on impact, and what was left of the shaft had been wiped down,” Ryan replied.

  “Oh boy.” Heather sucked up the last of her soda and then rattled the empty can. She placed it down on the counter, and the hollow tin clicked on the surface. “That doesn’t help much.”

  “Why?” Ryan asked, gaze searching her for answers.

  “The last time an insurance policy paid out, it was to Jung who didn’t commit the crime, remember? Just because she’s benefitting from this, doesn’t mean she did it,” Heather said. “But what that horrible Elizabeth woman said about Lori and Coach Hardy interests me. A lot.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah, we saw Lori with someone the other day. What if it was him?” Heather asked. “What if Coach Hardy did it to help Lori get rid of her husband.”

  “Kind of like a Bonnie and Clyde affair?” Ryan asked. “That’s interesting. We should split into two fact-finding groups on this one.”

  Heather glanced around the bustling restaurant. A young family sat in one of the booths, eating and joking. The young boy leaned his head on his dad’s shoulder.

  “What do you mean?” She asked, switching her focus back to her husband.

  “I mean, I’ll question Lori at the station, and you find out what Coach Hardy’s been up to. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like you want me to be your consultant,” Heather replied.

  Ryan threw back his head and laughed. “Just another week and you will be. This is strictly off the record. Don’t mention my name.”

  “Thanks for trusting me with this, hon,” Heather replied, then leaned in and pecked him on the cheek.

  “You have a proven track record, Heather Shepherd. I’d trust you with my life.”

  Chapter 12

  “Here we go again,” Amy said.

  They strode down the track beside the stands at the Hillside High fields, and Dave trotted along next to them. His tongue lolled out of the corner of his mouth, and he glanced back at Heather.

  Happiness.

  The dog could smile to rival Heather and today that grin pulled at the corners of his furry mouth.

  “There they are,” Heather said, and pointed.

  The afternoon sun had passed its zenith in the sky, and short shadows stretched from the seats and the receptacles for arrows. It was a wonder they hadn’t taken the targets down, yet.

  Perhaps, the Olympic fever had struck Hillside in the jaw.

  “Yeah, that’s the guy. It’s the tanned, car freshener on the nose man,” Amy hissed. She didn’t point, to her credit. Dave yapped, though.

  Coach Hardy turned around and raised a hand to shield his eyes. “Who are you?” He yelled, from the other side of the field.

  Jinx loosed an arrow, and it hit the side of the target. “Ugh, did you have to scream right behind me, Coach?”

  “Quiet down,” he grumbled. He scraped his slicked-back hairdo, then narrowed his eyes at Heather. “Who are you? This is a private practice session.”

  “Super friendly, already,” Amy said, softly. “This is going to go so well. I can just tell.”

  “Your sarcasm knows no bounds,” Heather replied, in a similar tone.

  They trudged across the field and stopped a few paces short of the unfriendly coach.

  Coach Hardy adjusted the waistband on his shorts, then snapped it back into place. Two moist moons spread beneath his armpits, and his upper lip, shaded by that enormous nose, held a sea of sweat droplets.

  “Hi,” Heather said and didn’t extend a hand. Sweaty palms were a no go for her. “I’
m Heather Shepherd.”

  “Yeah,” he said, then shrugged. “The donut chick.”

  “Woman,” Amy said, and pursed her lips. “Do you need a towel?”

  Hardy’s expression darkened. “Excuse me?”

  Amy raised her palm. “Just trying to be helpful.”

  “You’re Jinx’s coach?” Heather asked.

  Jinx glanced up from her an examination of her arrow, then waved it at them. “Hiya,” she said.

  Amy grinned at her. Dave stood stock still, beady eyes flicking from Jinx to the coach and then the arrows.

  “Yeah, I am. What about it?” Hardy asked, and folded his arms. They slipped apart – all that perspiration, ew – and he shook them out.

  “Just making friendly conversation,” Heather replied.

  “Huh, so let me get this straight,” the coach said and scratched the back of his head. The helmet of slicked hair didn’t move. “You marched halfway across a field in the middle of the afternoon, under this sun, just to make cute conversation? I don’t buy it.”

  “You should buy a stick of deodorant, though. Or a bottle of cologne. Both? Soap, even,” Ames said. Dave barked at the coach, then sat on Amy’s closed pump. She didn’t complain, for once.

  “I came to ask you a few questions if that’s okay.”

  “No, that’s not okay,” Hardy replied. He faced the target again, then tapped Jinx on the shoulder. “Use my arrows this time. They’re carbon. Better than your graphite.”

  Heather and Amy exchanged a wide-eyed glance.

  “Coach Hardy,” Heather said.

  “Enough,” he snapped, then swiveled on the spot and glared at her. “I’ve had enough. You need to back up, right now.”

  Dave disintegrated into an enraged, furry mess. He barked and howled, then tugged on the end of the leash. Amy clung on for dear life and glared daggers at Hardy. “See what you’ve done, now? Ever heard of common decency?” She paused and sniffed. “Or a shower?”

  “Ames, take Dave back to the entrance of the field. I’ll be with you in a sec, okay?” Heather patted her bestie on the shoulder.

  Amy pursed her lips and glared at Hardy for a second longer, then turned on her heel and led Dave off. He barked into the distance, hopping back and forth.