Sweet Suspects (The Donut Mysteries)

by Beck, Jessica

  “I told him that things could be worse. I’m taking classes at the community college, aren’t I? If he keeps pushing me, I might just move away from April Springs and never go back to college.”

  “Emma, you wouldn’t do that, would you?” I asked. I understood that someday Emma would leave Donut Hearts again and head back to school for good, but I hated the thought of her leaving me just to get away from her father’s nagging.

  “Of course I wouldn’t. I was only bluffing,” she said with a grin.

  “So did it work?”

  She shrugged. “Only time will tell, but don’t worry. Nobody’s getting rid of me that easily.”

  “I should hope not,” I said as I put an arm around her. “Truth be told, I’ve kind of gotten used to having you around.”

  “Thanks. I’m happy here, too. So what should we do next?”

  I pretended to consider it, and then I said, “It might be a good idea to get cracking on those yeast donuts.”

  “You’re such a slave driver,” Emma said with a smile.

  “You don’t have to tell me that. Nobody knows it better than I do. At least you’ve got the option to just walk away if things get too bad here. Me, I’m in it for the long haul.”

  “Don’t write me off just yet,” she said as we put our aprons back on. “I’ve got a lot of donutmaking still ahead of me.”

  “I certainly hope so,” I said as I approached the dough still resting in the floor mixer. It was time to get started again, and I was glad that I had the distraction of donutmaking to take my mind off what had happened to Zane Dunbar. I wondered how Janet was holding up, and I promised myself that I’d track her down and see if there was anything I could do to help her through her grief.

  In the meantime, it was time to make the donuts yet again.

  “You’re never going to believe who’s out front waiting to get in,” Emma said hours later when we were ten minutes from opening Donut Hearts for the day. She’d been in front getting ready for our day while I’d stayed in back, working until the last possible second. Once upon a time, we’d been open at five AM every day, but I’d decided to change it to six in order to come in an hour later so I could get a little more sleep. A few of our regulars had complained about it, but they’d quickly gotten used to the new hours. I’d also started shutting down at eleven instead of noon, and so far, I hadn’t had many complaints about that, either. It still made for a long day at the donut shop, but at least now it was more doable. It was amazing how much difference an hour here and there could mean, and I knew that unless I was in dire financial straits, I’d never go back to the old system.

  “Is it our fair mayor?” I asked as I finished the last-minute prep work in the kitchen. George had been known to visit us early, but it was still unusual enough to comment on.

  “No, it’s Grace,” Emma said.

  I dropped the pan I’d been taking to the sink and brushed past her. “And you didn’t let her in?”

  “No, why would I? It wasn’t time to open yet. Should I have?” Emma asked me.

  “I’ll take care of it,” I said. Had Grace already heard what had happened to Zane? Why else would she be here?

  “I’m really sorry. I didn’t even think about it,” Emma said.

  “It’s fine, but I’m going to go let her in. Would you mind finishing up those dishes?”

  “I’m on it,” she said. That would keep her in the kitchen until we were ready to open, giving her something to do and allowing Grace and me some privacy to talk.

  As I opened the door, I saw Grace rubbing her hands together. “It’s a little chilly out there this morning, isn’t it?” she asked me. “Is it six already?”

  “No, it’s ten ‘til,” I said. “Get in here. I’ve got coffee.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Grace,” I said as I motioned her inside, and she obeyed. I kept the CLOSED sign in the door, so if anyone else came early and saw us, I’d just point to it and then to the clock. It was capricious of me letting Grace in and no one else, but like Trish at the Boxcar, I was the ruler of my own dominion, and for once, I’d do what I wanted to and forget about what my customers might desire.

  “Coffee?” I asked her as I poured two cups without waiting for a response from her.

  “Yes, please,” she said.

  “I’m guessing you heard about Zane,” I said.

  After Grace took a long sip, she nodded. “I heard about it on the radio this morning.”

  “You’re usually not an early riser by choice,” I said as casually as I could muster.

  “To be honest with you, I had trouble sleeping last night,” Grace admitted, and then she looked back toward the kitchen. “Suzanne, can we talk?”

  “Relax. Emma’s doing dishes right now, and unless I miss my guess, she’s got her music cranked up too high to overhear us.”

  “Would you mind checking anyway?” Grace asked.

  I nodded as I turned and opened the kitchen door. As I suspected, Emma was buried in the sink up to her arms, and her earbuds were firmly in place. I ducked back out again before she could see me and told Grace, “We’re good. What do you want to talk about?”

  “I need to tell you what Zane said to me last night that shook me up so much,” Grace said.

  “Don’t feel like you have to, but if you’re sure you want to, then I’d be happy to listen.”

  “Before I get into all of that, there’s something else that you should know first.”

  “Go ahead,” I said as I took another sip of my coffee. We didn’t exactly have all morning, but I didn’t feel right about pushing Grace, either. If I had to delay opening to hear what she had to say, then so be it.

  “I went back to the reunion last night after you left,” she admitted a little guiltily.

  “Why would you do that?” I asked, forgetting myself for a second.

  “I couldn’t stand the thought of letting Zane think that he’d rattled me,” she said.

  “Even though it was clear that he did just that,” I replied.

  Grace shrugged. “Of course he did, but I didn’t want him to feel as though he had any power over me anymore.”

  I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by that, but I sensed that this wasn’t the time to question her. “What happened?”

  “When I got there, he was arguing with Mr. Davidson.”

  “Our old English teacher?” I asked.

  “One and the same. He told Zane that he would regret something, but when he saw me, he left without another word.”

  “I wonder what that was about?”

  “I didn’t have a clue, nor did I care at the time, either. I just wanted to talk to Zane.”

  “Grace, you’re going to have to tell me what happened so I’ll be able understand all of this.”

  She took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. “I know. The truth is, I’m embarrassed to tell you.”

  I stepped around the counter and took her hands in mine. “Grace, there’s nothing that you can say to me that will make me think any less of you.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that,” Grace said. She looked as though she were about to burst into tears. Whatever it was, it was clearly deeply troubling to her.

  “Go on. You can trust me,” I said.

  “Okay, here goes. When I was sixteen, I shoplifted a necklace from Dunbar’s Jewelers. It was just under a hundred dollars, and back then I never thought I’d ever have that much to my name, and I really wanted it. It was a stupid impulse, something I immediately regretted. I didn’t think anyone saw it, but evidently Zane did. I didn’t even remember him being in the store that day. Anyway, I put it away in one of my drawers and I never wore it. The only reason that I kept it was because I was too embarrassed to give it back. Besides, it helped me remember to ignore stupid ideas, so in a way, it helped me grow up.”

  “Grace, you shouldn’t keep beating yourself up over it. Everyone does things they’re ashamed of at one time or another in their lives.�
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  “Even you?” she asked me sincerely.

  “More than I can list,” I said.

  “I think you’re just trying to make me feel better, but there’s nothing that you can do to make that happen. I always felt bad about it, and I considered paying the Dunbars for it a hundred times over before they died in that car crash. Then I knew that I’d just have to live with what I’d done. Honestly, I’d almost forgotten about it until Zane brought it up again last night. He threatened to tell everyone in town what I’d done, and I froze, Suzanne. Knowing that he could hurt my reputation was almost more than I could take. Ever since I took that necklace, I’ve made it a point to be honest to the point of pain, you know? It’s not fair that he was about to ruin everything that I’d worked so hard for.”

  “So why did you go back last night?” I asked, not sure that I really wanted the answer anymore. I knew in my heart that Grace couldn’t kill anyone, but if she felt as though she needed to defend her honor and her good name, she might be pushed into doing something that she’d later regret.

  “I grabbed the necklace from the hiding place I’d been keeping it in and I went back to return it. I knew that it wouldn’t make up for what I’d done, but I couldn’t stand the thought of having it anymore. When I tried to give it back to Zane, he just laughed at me! He said that it would take more than the necklace’s return to buy his silence, but what he was demanding from me, I wasn’t willing to give.”

  “I can only guess what he wanted.”

  “You’re going to have to, because I’m not about to repeat it. When I said no, Zane threw the necklace at me and called me a liar and a thief.”

  “What did you do?” I asked her.

  “What could I do? I started to go, but then I heard shouting behind me. Evidently Mr. Davidson had found Zane again, and he still had his own bone to pick with the man. He kept shouting something about Helen Marston, and that he was going to defend her honor. I heard Zane say that he was much too late for that, and then Mr. Davidson attacked him! He tackled Zane right there in the parking lot, and it took three guys to pull him off. Zane was as mad as I’d ever seen him, and he started telling Mr. Davidson that he was a dead man. He was shouting it, actually.”

  “How did Mr. Davidson react to that?” I asked. It was hard to imagine our old English teacher in a brawl.

  “He tried to break free of the guys restraining him, and as he struggled, he kept saying, ‘This isn’t over, not by a long shot. I’ll bury you if I have to, Zane!’” Grace shivered a little as she retold it, and it felt as though I was there, myself. It must have been some kind of scene.

  “So then you went back home?”

  “I swear, I came straight back. I’ll admit that I didn’t get much sleep last night, but I felt as though I did what I had to do by giving that necklace back to him.”

  “Where is it now?” I asked her.

  “I have no idea. For all I know, it’s still lying there in the parking lot. Why?”

  “Think about it, Grace. It’s got your fingerprints on it, and Zane’s as well. Don’t you think Chief Martin might want to know what that’s all about?”

  Her face suddenly went white. “I hadn’t even thought about that. Suzanne, what am I going to do?”

  I thought about it for a few seconds, and then I said, “The chief’s still at the crime scene across the street, but I don’t know how much longer he’s going to be there. You and I need to go over there right now and tell him everything that happened last night.”

  “Everything?” Grace asked. “Suzanne, if I tell him the truth, he’s going to arrest me for stealing that necklace.”

  “Think about it, Grace. The statute of limitations has to have run out on that crime. If I remember correctly, they only have two years to arrest you after something like that. If it’s true, then he can’t arrest you for stealing that necklace.”

  “Even if you’re right, it’s not something I want to admit to the police chief.”

  “I understand that, but it’s going to be a lot worse if they find that necklace and he comes to you asking about it.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “Grace, the sooner you get this over with, the better. I’ll come with you, and I’ll be right by your side the entire time. What do you say?”

  Grace considered it for a few seconds, and then she nodded. “If you’ll go with me, I’ll do it. But what about the donut shop?”

  “Emma can handle the front,” I said. “Give me one second, and don’t go anywhere.”

  “I promise. Suzanne, thanks for standing by me.”

  “There was never any question of it,” I said, and then did my best to offer a comforting smile. “It’ll be okay, Grace. Trust me.”

  “I really hope you’re right,” she said.

  I went into the kitchen and tapped Emma on the shoulder. She turned off her music and asked, “Is it time to open yet?”

  “It is,” I said. “And I need a favor.”

  “You know that all you have to do is ask,” she said.

  “Run the front when we open. I’m going to do something with Grace, but I shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Okay, I can handle that,” she said. I knew that it wasn’t Emma’s favorite task around Donut Hearts, but she was always ready to step in when I needed her, and that meant even at the spur of the moment like right now.

  “Thanks. Good luck.”

  “You bet,” she said as she walked out front with me.

  “I’m so sorry I left you waiting outside earlier,” Emma said to Grace as we walked out together.

  “It was no problem, Emma. Honestly, I didn’t mind waiting,” she said.

  “Still, it won’t happen the next time.”

  “I hope there isn’t ever going to be a next time,” Grace said.

  “I totally get that,” Emma said.

  “Let’s go,” I said to Grace as I unlocked the door and switched the sign to OPEN. There were already a few folks waiting in line to get donuts, and I could see Emma take a deep breath.

  “Are you going to be okay?” I asked her.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. “Go.”

  “We will,” I said as Grace and I left Donut Hearts.

  “What did you say to her?” Grace asked me as we made our way through the waiting customers.

  “I just asked her to watch the front,” I explained.

  “You didn’t say why, did you?”

  “Grace, she works for me. I don’t have to justify every request I make of her. Emma doesn’t mind watching the front while we do this.”

  “Thanks for keeping my secret,” Grace said.

  “I was happy to do it, but you know that the chief isn’t going to make any promises, don’t you?” I hated saying it, but I didn’t want my friend blindsided when word got out, as no doubt it soon could.

  “I know, and I’m willing to accept the consequences,” Grace said.

  “Relax,” I said as I squeezed her shoulder. “Nobody’s going to jail, at least not for this.”

  “That helps a little, I guess,” she said, but as we approached the chief, who was standing near his squad car, I could feel her tense up beside me.

  “Grace, just tell him the story the exact same way that you told me and you’ll be fine.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Chief, do you have a second?” I asked as we reached him.

  “Sure, but not much more than that. Just because we’re finished up here doesn’t mean that there’s not a great deal of work still ahead of us. This investigation isn’t going to be easy; I can feel it in my bones.”

  “This involves what happened last night,” I said. “At least indirectly.”

  “Let’s hear it, then.”

  I turned to Grace and nodded, and she began to speak. After she was finished, I squeezed her hand, and then I turned back to the chief. “Have you found the necklace yet?”

  “As a matter of fact, we did,” he said. “Grace, don’t be so hard on yourself. Kids can do stupid t
hings sometimes. I’m not condoning shoplifting, but I know that’s not who you are.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, nearly in tears from the emotion of retelling her story. “If I could do it all over again, I would never go a hundred feet within that store, and that’s the truth.”

  “I believe you,” he said.

  “Chief, does everyone have to know about this?” I asked.

  He frowned for a moment, and then he shrugged. “At this point, I don’t see why they should. I won’t add it to my reports right away unless it becomes relevant later.”