Caramel Apple & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 6

by Susan Gillard

  “What a terrible thought,” said Janae. “No. I can’t think of any reason why. I don’t make waves here.”

  “Does the Pedal the Island Tours have any enemies?” Heather asked.

  “Not that I know of,” said Janae.

  “As tired as I got, I didn’t become an enemy,” Amy said.

  “I think everyone likes the bike tours. And we’ve been getting a lot of recommendations recently. Especially from, well, Detective Peters.”

  “Did you notice anything else unusual on the path that day?” asked Heather. “Besides the body?”

  Janae shook her head.

  “Did you know Walker Collins or Karen Kass?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Janae said. “I never met either of them. Do you think that I’m a suspect?”

  “We’re just covering every angle,” Heather said. “Thank you for your help.”

  “No problem. I’ll just go make some more donuts then?”

  Heather nodded, and Janae left them.

  “She didn’t do it,” Peters said.

  “Unfortunately, that’s also lost us our one potential lead about why the body was left there,” Heather sighed.

  A Hospital Visit

  "I know I feel like we're going in circles in this case," said Amy. "But does it make sense to talk to Dr. Whissey again?"

  “I think it might,” said Heather. “We talked to Janae like a suspect instead of a witness. I think we should speak to Dr. Whissey like a witness instead of a suspect. He has an alibi for the second murder, so for the time being let’s assume he’s not the killer. If he was Karen Kass’s ex-boyfriend and coworker, he might have some insight into her life.”

  “It’s worth a try,” Amy said. “Doctors don’t usually like to answer our questions when we visit them at work, but maybe we can convince him that finding the killer is an emergency worthy of being in the emergency room.”

  They took a moment to say hello to the daughter of a new friend, Dr. Leticia Turner, who was just starting at the hospital and was able to point them in the right direction.

  They reached Dr. Whissey on his break and discovered that Amy was right. After they introduced themselves, he was less than pleased to see them.

  “I don’t want to be harassed about this case anymore,” he said. “I’m not a murderer.”

  “We believe you,” said Heather. “But we still think you might be able to help us with the case.”

  “How so?” Dr. Whissey asked, suspecting a trap.

  “You knew Karen,” Heather said. “Maybe you have an idea of who would want to hurt her.”

  Dr. Whissey sighed. “I’ll answer your questions as best I can because you two actually seem interested in solving this case and not trying to railroad me on a crime I didn’t commit. But I’m not sure how helpful I will be. I can’t think if anyone who would have wanted to hurt Karen.”

  “No angry exes?” Heather asked.

  Dr. Whissey shook his head. “Nothing like that. I was her most recent one, and I can tell you from experience that it amicable.”

  “And nobody else wanted to hurt her?”

  “Karen was loved here at the hospital,” said Dr. Whissey. “We were devastated by what happened to her. The staff held a memorial for her.”

  “What about the patients?” Amy asked. “People don’t like being sick. And if a diagnosis was bad, they might misdirect their anger.”

  “That’s a pretty extreme example of shooting the messenger,” Dr. Whissey said.

  “But could it have happened?” asked Heather.

  The doctor thought about it. “I suppose it’s possible that a patient could have done it. Depending on what was wrong with them, or how far after they were released it was. I wouldn’t have thought that a patient could have done that to her. But it makes just as much sense as anything else that could have happened.”

  “Do you remember any angry patients?” Heather asked.

  "Not specifically," Dr. Whissey said. "There was a woman whose nose had to reset who gave Karen some trouble. She had to tell a man that he would never be able to return to his job that became upset. And some parents were angry when she wouldn't reveal their adult son's medical history without his consent."

  “Do you have any names or dates?” Heather asked.

  “This was two years ago,” said Dr. Whissey. “No. You’d have to check the records at the hospital. But I’m afraid you’ll need a warrant to get the information. It’s for the protection of patient’s confidentiality.”

  “We can speak to Detective Smith about getting one,” Heather said.

  “I bet he’ll love that,” Dr. Whissey grumbled.

  “I have one more question,” Heather said. “The area where Karen Kass was found. Do you know any significance to it? Was it a place that Karen visited?”

  “She never went there with me,” he replied. “And I don’t know of any significance. Not that there might not be some. But I don’t know what it is.”

  “Thank you for your time,” Heather said.

  “I’ve been bothered by what happened to Karen for a long time,” said Dr. Whissey. “If you could finally figure out who did it and why… Well, it would sure mean a lot to me.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Heather said.

  He left them, and Heather turned to her bestie.

  “Right now, our best doesn’t seem like good enough,” she lamented.

  "All of our bests," said Amy. "There are six of us working the case, and we don't know who did it yet."

  Heather shrugged. “Maybe the partial tire print will lead to something.”

  “Maybe we’ll suddenly figure out why the killer broke their fingers as well as murdered them,” Amy said.

  “That is an unusual detail,” Heather said. “Do you think it has a practical reason? Or it’s for an emotional or subconscious reason?”

  “What practical reason could it have?” Amy asked. “Even if it distorted finger or handprints, the bodies were still easily identifiable. And it was done after they were killed, so it wasn’t to stop them from fighting back.”

  “Then it probably is a symbolic gesture,” said Heather.

  “The killer is stopping them from holding something,” Amy said. “Figuratively.”

  “Nurses and bartenders both use their hands,” Heather said. “By breaking them, it’s stopping them from doing their jobs in death.”

  “It’s weird to consider killer’s motives like this,” Amy said. “It’s like dream interpretation. But much, much darker.”

  They made their way out of the hospital, hoping that their dreams wouldn’t be too dark to interpret that night.

  Walking Closer to Home

  Dave was taking his time with his walk, but Heather didn’t really mind. She didn’t feel like rushing blindly ahead with her dog when she already felt like she was searching in the dark for clues to her case.

  She was happy that Ryan and Lilly were there with her. Lilly was walking Cupcake on a leash, and the kitten was enjoying sniffing everything as much as Dave did.

  Lilly was telling her parents about how Nicolas was thinking of joining the soccer team at school, and how she was trying to figure out what clubs she should join too. Heather told her that with her pink typewriter, she would be all set for the newspaper club.

  “Anything you choose should be fun,” Heather said. “Because you’ll be making new friends and participating in something new and exciting.”

  They chatted some about the pros and cons of different activities, and then Cupcake saw a squirrel and had to attempt to chase after it.

  "Is everything all right?" Ryan asked his wife when they were alone.

  “Admittedly, part of me is afraid of walking like this,” said Heather. “I don’t want to come across another dead body with Lilly here. But I hate to think that fear would stop us from doing something that we love. And we do love these walks together.”

  Dave barked and wagged his tail to show his appreciation.

 
“We won’t let it stop us,” Ryan said. “We’ll just be careful. But I don’t think we really have to worry about that happening again.”

  “I hope not,” Heather said. “I wish I could figure out this case.”

  “I can say that as much as I miss being an official detective, I don’t miss the feeling of being stumped on a case,” Ryan said.

  They walked along quietly together until the came across a large rock that Dave just had to sniff. She was glad that there was nothing sinister hiding behind this rock.

  “I can’t believe the body was just left out like that for anyone to find,” Heather said.

  “The first one was too,” Ryan said. “Remember how Detective Smith said his partner found the body while jogging.”

  “Right,” Heather said. “That would have been even more upsetting because he didn’t have a group to give him support about his terrifying discovery. He was just jogging along down his normal route when he suddenly saw the body.”

  Heather frowned. Some of the pieces were starting to click into place now.

  “What did you think of?” Ryan asked.

  “Something about the placement of the victims,” she said. “Detective Smith had mentioned that his partner Wheels felt like the killer was taunting him because the body was on his jogging path. I think he was right. That might have been the reason why.”

  “The killer wanted Wheels specifically to find it?”

  “He wanted him to find it when he was doing something unrelated to work. When he was on his free time and feeling relatively safe. He wanted to unnerve him,” said Heather.

  “I could see it as a motivation for the first murder,” said Ryan. “But how does that relate to the second?”

  “Janae,” Heather said, as it dawned on her. “I almost realized it before when I briefly suspected her.”

  “The killer wanted to taunt Janae this time? But then what do Janae and Wheels have in common?” Ryan asked.

  “It did bother her. She’s taking a break from biking and changed jobs by coming to work for me,” Heather continued. “But it wasn’t about Janae, so much as it was about the person who likes Janae. And now that I think about it, he did mention that he took some Saturday tours with her.”

  “Detective Peters?” asked Ryan.

  “Yes,” said Heather. “I think this was all about the partners.”

  Heather gestured to Lilly that they should start walking home, and a reluctant Dave allowed the direction to change.

  “The killer wanted to mess with the police. But specifically, Detective Smith’s partners,” Heather continued. “That’s why there was a two-year gap. The first murder was because there was one partner, Wheels, and the second one was after the partner switched to Peters.”

  “But who would want to mess with the detectives so badly?” Ryan asked.

  “Right,” Heather said, thinking. “Who would want to mess with them like that?”

  This time Detective Smith was seated at the Shepherd's dining table. Heather, Ryan, and Amy were gathered around him as he scratched his head.

  “You’re right,” Detective Smith said. “There is a connection. But it’s so tenuous. Both of the murders occurred seven months after my new partner and I started working together. It can’t be a coincidence, but I don’t know what the meaning is either.”

  “Seven months is an unusual anniversary to celebrate,” Amy agreed.

  “Is there anyone who would hold a grudge against you or your department?” Ryan asked.

  "I'm sure there are so people who don't look fondly upon the police," Detective Smith said. "But this isn't a crime-ridden place usually. I can't think of anyone who would kill just to harass us. Especially so effectively that we had no idea who did it."

  “What if it wasn’t to harass all of the police?” Heather said. “What if there was another motive?”

  “The killer wanted to harass only my partners?” Detective Smith said. “And not as a statement against the police.”

  Heather bit her lip, knowing that she was edging towards awkward territory. “I think we need more information about William Verlander.”

  “Chess?” Detective Smith asked. “It couldn’t have been him. He was my mentor.”

  “Tell us more about his accident,” Heather said.

  Detective Smith wasn't buying this theory but began answering her request anyway. “Detective Verlander was hit by a drunk driver when he was off duty. The driver was killed in the accident, but Verlander was in the hospital. He was badly injured. That’s how he gained his limp. He suffered some brain damage as well, but this didn’t stop him from being able to give good advice. However, both of these things forced him to retire early against his wishes.”

  “How long was he in and out of the hospital?” Heather asked.

  Detective Smith froze. “Seven months.”

  “And then he was replaced by Wheels?” Heather prompted. “And then Peters?”

  “He’s always said how he wished he was still my partner,” Detective Smith said, uneasily. “Oh no. It’s starting to add up. And that’s why I could never solve the case. I was blinded by my friendship with my old partner."

  “Please don’t ever become a killer,” Amy said to Heather. “I’d never solve that one either.”

  Detective Smith jumped up suddenly. “By not suspecting him as the murderer, I might have done something else dangerous.”

  “What?”

  “I just told him about my retirement. He seems agitated, but I thought it was because he was my friend and didn’t want me to move to Pennsylvania.”

  “Nothing against the place,” Amy said. “But do you really want to move further away from warmth and beach after you retire?”

  “I said at the time that it was good for the younger generation. That Peters and Shepherd would take over,” Detective Smith continued. “What if this sets him off? I better call Peters.”

  “I’ll double-check our security system,” Ryan said. Heather knew that he was always on top of the security at their home because of some past incidents with criminals, but didn’t mind him checking it out anyway.

  Detective Smith looked worried as he was unable to contact Peters.

  “He’s on duty,” he said. “There’s no way that he wouldn’t answer me. Unless.”

  “Unless he wasn’t able to,” Heather finished.

  Partner Hostage

  “There he is,” Heather pointed.

  “Heather and Ryan, I'll never be able to repay you for figuring out where Verlander was taking him. The water source closest to the police station where he could kidnap him was a genius deduction."

  “Let’s focus on saving Peters instead of thanking us,” Heather said quickly.

  Detective Smith nodded. He wanted to save Peters more than anything but had difficulty facing Verlander like this.

  Detective Smith approached them. Peters had been forced to kneel by the water, and Verlander was standing behind him with a knife. Verlander stopped his angry rambling when he saw his former partner.

  “Kid, what are you doing here?”

  Heather, Amy, and Ryan watched from their hiding place, waiting for the proper moment to emerge.

  “I hope he can diffuse the situation,” Amy said.

  “Please don’t do,” Detective Smith said. “We wanted to catch killers. Not become them.”

  “I have to do it,” Verlander said. “It’s because of him that you’re going to retire. I can’t let that happen to you. Partners look out for each other.”

  “I’m sorry he got the jump on me,” Peters said. “I let him lead me over here when he said he found a clue. I didn’t suspect him until the moment he brought out the knife.”

  “Quiet,” Verlander said. “This isn’t about you.”

  “Let him go,” Detective Smith said. “And then we can figure out how we can be partners again.”

  “I don’t think you mean that,” Verlander said, sadly. “I think you’re just trying to stop me. I’m so di
sappointed, Kid. I thought you felt the same way I did. That we needed this partnership.”

  “I do feel that way,” Detective Smith said.

  Verlander shook his head as if he still didn’t believe it and moved the knife closer to Peters’s throat. Heather was on her feet in an instant.

  “He does mean it,” Heather said. “He brought me as a hostage too to impress you. I didn’t want to come, and it was so hard to stay hidden instead of running away. But he threatened to hurt my family if I didn’t cooperate.”

  She moved to Detective Smith’s side with her hands raised.

  “Did you really do that?” Verlander asked.

  “You were my mentor,” Detective Smith said.

  Verlander smiled. "Oh, Kid, you do get it."

  “But I don’t,” said Heather. “You left the bodies where the new partners or their loved ones would find them.”

  “He did that to hurt Janae?” Peters asked angrily.

  "But why did you choose those victims?" Heather asked. "Was Walker Collins the bartender who served the drunk driver that hit you?"

  “It took a while to track him down,” Verlander said. “But don’t you see why he deserved to die? He was a public menace. He let that man drive away and hurt people. The driver killed himself too. So, Collins was a murderer. And he ruined my life. He also took a good detective out of the line of duty. He had to be killed for the public good.”

  “And Karen Kass?” Heather asked. “Did you kill the nice nurse for the public good too?”

  "She was the first one to tell me that I wouldn't be able to go back to work," he said. "She squeezed my hand for support and I remember thinking how I wished I could break all her fingers. Eventually, I thought: why couldn't I? Why not stomp on each and every one of them. If her bedside manner hurt me so badly, a hardened cop, then surely it was devastating to others."

  “It wasn’t her that hurt you,” Heather said. “It wasn’t her bedside manner. It was the news that you didn’t want to hear. And that wasn’t her fault.”

  "Kid, can we get rid of them now?" Verlander asked. "I can see why you chose her. She talks to much. And she thinks she's a cop."