COZY MYSTERY: Lemon Pie Murder Series (Lemon Mystery Murder)

by Lorrie Bannett

  Agent McCartney looked as though he wasn’t ready to say whatever he had been ordered to say. But still, the commander didn’t even budge a little bit. And that meant that if he wasn’t going to speak, then he was most definitely going to find himself in a shitload of trouble, one that he most definitely didn’t want to find himself in. And so without a moment’s hesitation, he cleared his throat and then made sure that he was getting to speak out.

  “I have checked the finger prints on the murder weapon and I am sorry to say that those fingerprints belong to agent Beth Morris.”

  Everyone in the room was shocked, including agent Morris herself.

  << The End >>

  Lemon Pie Murder (Book 2)

  Chapter 1:

  -The Outcome-

  For a moment, it seemed as though no one knew just how to react to the whole situation. Now they all understood the reason as to why the forensic scientist was having such a difficult time deliberating the information as required. But still, the most important thing as far as the case was concerned was for the police officers to calm down, just the same way that Agent Morris as well as the commander were calm.

  They wanted to say something, but for a moment, they waited for the mumbling to die down first. And as they were doing this, the end result was that something had to be done at the end of the day which was more or less an important thing for them to do. Agent Morris was still thinking about the new findings and according to how the forensic scientist looked at her, she knew that there was no way that he could have made that mistake no matter how hard she looked at him.

  “Are you sure about the findings?” the commander asked, his stern eyes transfixed on the lead forensic scientist.

  “Commander, asking me if I am sure is like insulting my intelligence. I have taken a hell lot of time to make sure that the findings are at par. So yes, I am one hundred percent sure that the results are right.”

  All this time, Agent Morris was just looking on with no facial expression on her face. And it wasn’t because she was worried or anything of that sort. All she needed to know was the reason why she had been taking the case for granted. From the start, Agent Morris saw the signs that the case had been carried out by a professional at first glance.

  But for some reason that she didn’t quite understand, it seemed as though she chose not to give it the necessary attention that it required. And now, she was paying for it.

  And as the commander and the chief forensic scientist were still having their horns locking, it seemed as though Agent Morris was trying to go over the facts in her head, making her look as though she was absent minded or something close to just that.

  “Sir, I already told you that I took the liberty of counterchecking all of the information that you sent me. And that said, the only thing that would make some sense would be to kick back and look for a way forward. I don’t think Agent Morris is responsible. But until we get to the bottom of this framing, we need to do the necessary.”

  Once again, everyone went quiet. It seemed as though it was finally starting to dawn to them that the case wasn’t going to be as easy as they had first presumed. And that alone was giving Agent Morris the goose bumps of the year. As a matter of fact, people were starting to look around for Agent Morris since she had been so quiet to the point that they assumed that she had left the building.

  “Agent Morris, what do you think about these new findings?” the commander finally asked, making sure that everyone was looking back at her, trying to understand what her game plan was going to be at the end of it all.

  At that point, it seemed as though Agent Morris was also having such a difficult time getting to stay focused at all times. But that said, it also seemed as though she had to come up with something to say or else she wasn’t going to survive that far in the end.

  “I had inkling that the case was going to take some form of twist. And this is the last thing that we need to be fighting each other. As a matter of fact, the only thing that would have made some sense at this time was to get to the bottom of this.”

  There was yet another stretch of silence in the address room, and this time round, it seemed as though the police officers were looking for a better way in which they could get to understand their way forward. But due to the rate at which everything was unfolding, it was seemingly very difficult for anyone to think straight at the time. Truth be told, no one saw this one coming and it was very difficult for them to process the whole thing at once.

  “And what if you aren’t in a position to come up with a solution to this? You realize that we will have to question you because it is part and parcel of the law.”

  “I do understand commander. You do not have to worry about a thing.”

  But deep down, Agent Morris was worried sick. What if she wasn’t going to have the smarts to get to the bottom of this? That was the exact thought that she was trying really hard to avoid thinking about.

  ***

  As soon as the commander had instructed everyone to go on with their duties to ensure that they were coming up with the necessary leads, he invited agent Morris into his office. He looked pale and the florescent lights in his office accentuated his wrinkles, making him look twenty years older.

  Agent Morris knew that look and needless to say, she knew that nothing good could ever come out of that look at all. And that said, the only important thing for her to do at that moment would have been to kick back and wait for his instruction.

  “Please, lock the door behind you and have a sit.” The commander instructed once again, without looking at Agent Morris – another one of the cues that showed that all was not well.

  Agent Morris did the same and sat down, facing the commander in a way to show him that everything was going to be sorted out without her pleading guilty. Of course the case had taken another twist that nobody had anticipated. But that said, Agent Morris was sure that she was being framed, meaning that the case was much more complicated than she first thought.

  “You realize that I am supposed to have you apprehended and then question you. But I am not that stupid. I think this case is more complicated that we all thought. And that said, we need all of you to work even harder to ensure that we are in a position to find the culprits and have them behind bars as soon as possible. Understood?”

  “Sir, I thought we already had this conversation a very long time ago and I don’t think its wise to always get back to it. As a matter of fact, we should be giving all our focus on finding a solution.”

  “I know. But what if we aren’t in a position to do this? We will have to arrest you and get you into questioning and…”

  “Yes, commander, I already know the consequences that come with doing just that. Can we please not talk about it for now?”

  “Ok, alright. We will not talk about it as per now. But remember, the law requires me to put you under arrest. But I am not sure that it would be appropriate for me to do that since you are leading the case.”

  “And you also wont do that because I am innocent. Isn’t it logical that someone is trying to frame me? Come on! I thought you were on my side.”

  “I am always on your side Rita, and you know it.

  “But your facial expression doesn’t agree with your sentiments.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe its because you are spending way too much time worrying about catching the person than the gravity of the shit they have put you into. You realize that if at all you aren’t going to prove yourself innocent. And that said, the only thing that ought to be concerning us at this moment in time is to make sure that everything is working our way. That is all at the moment.”

  Both the commander as well as Agent Morris just stood there, not knowing what they were going to do. The murderer was smarter and that meant using a totally different approach to tackle and get him down. And the latter was something that no agent had already figured out, yet another reason for them to get a little bit worried at the end of the day.

  It was at moments like th
ese that Agent Morris always looked up to the commander for some sort of advice. But judging from how things were coming out, it seemed as though it was going to be a little bit difficult for her to do so, considering the fact that the commander was looking as though he was more confused than she was.

  And Agent Morris couldn’t blame him at all. The only reason the old commander chose her was because she was the best chance of having this whole thing go away. And at that point, she decided to earn the faith that the commander had placed on her.

  “I think it will be a good idea if I got much more information from the report from the forensics team. Once I have done so, the next thing that I will do is making sure that I have come up with something.”

  “Ok, that seems like a good idea. If at all we are in a position to beat this and you manage to prove your innocence, then we will proceed with this case without throwing any caution to the wind. And speaking of proving your innocence, do you have any alibis?”

  “As a matter of fact I have them. But it all happened within a specific timeline that I was out of touch with people for about ten minutes. I guess it still can’t hold water since my prints were still on the murder weapon.”

  “I know, and that is why I am worried. Just get yourself off this one and get this professional before he ends up killing someone for no reason at all.”

  “I will.”

  Chapter 2:

  -Overcoming-

  The following day, Agent Morris and the commander called back the Special Forces back to the addressing room. At that time, all of the police officers in the special unit that had been selected to handle the case were all surprised to see that Agent Morris was still free. And even despite the fact that they were really trying their level best to not show off their wondering, it seemed as though the best thing that could have been done was to kick back and wait for an explanation to be given to them.

  Thankfully, it seemed as though Agent Morris as well as the commander were already equipped with all the answers. And they didn’t even wait for them to bring up the question. Agent Morris decided that maybe it was a good idea for her to just come clean and tackle the matter head on without any hesitation and that was what she did.

  “I know most of you are wondering why I am still a free woman when I am supposed to be in chains locked away or being interrogated. And I don’t blame you because it is the law. But if you have been paying attention, I think you already know that this murder was done by a professional. And that said, it wouldn’t really surprise me that we are bound to find some more twists down the line.”

  “And what if we don’t?”

  “Well, I am afraid you will have to detain me and question me without prejudice.” Agent Morris responded as confidently as possible.

  But from the look of things, it seemed as though her confidence wasn’t going to amount to any damn thing since she was only left with just over twelve hours before she got apprehended for something she didn’t do. And that said, the only thing that could have made some sense at that point was to work out some magic. Agent Morris had spent the better part of the previous day trying to make things make some sense.

  But despite doing just that, it still seemed as though they weren’t doing better enough. And that was starting to make her frustrated.

  She knew jolly too well that if the murderer had managed to put her behind bars, there was nothing that she could have done to fight the case since her alibi wasn’t going to hold against the fingerprints that were present on the murder weapon. And as if that wasn’t all, Agent Morris always found it difficult to just kick back and do absolutely nothing about deciding her fate.

  And now it seemed as though doing just that was the only option that she had. And the end result was that she started getting all stressed up. The other agents were also doing all in their power to ensure that they were coming up with something.

  “One thing is for sure though. As far as this crime is concerned, it seems as though it had been carefully planned and that explains why it has been very difficult for us to piece everything all together. And another thing that we have already agreed on is that the person behind it is a professional.”

  “… and if they are professional, then it also means that they have been doing this for quite a while. So if we are going to get a head start, then the best thing for us to do will be to get the previous cases that had been done in the same fashion because if I am right, then we are dealing with a professional hit man. Meeting adjourned. Let’s reconvene right here in an hour and see just how far we would have gone with this. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  At least that was the first very vital thing that agent Morris had suggested right before the new evidence about her sprung up. It was most definitely something that she wasn’t looking forward to but either way, she felt as though she didn’t have any other choice but to do it regardless.

  And as the special agents started leaving the place sluggishly, it seemed as though Agent Morris was on the brink of breaking down since she sat down immediately. She didn’t look so good and some of the agents who caught a glimpse of her finally realized that maybe all of the fracas were starting to get to her. That just motivated them to work extra hard to get their lead agent off the hook.

  The murderer was smart. Having done this to the lead of the case managed to cripple the case in some ways that they couldn’t explain. And if he or she were to escape or commit yet another related crime, chances were that they were to get away with them easily and without having to worry way too much.

  Agent Morris then stole another glance on her watch and let out a hopeless sigh. As true as the dictum ‘time waits for no man’ went, the clock was ticking with zero regard of her fears and she didn’t like the way time was elapsing. The only thing that Agent Morris could have hoped for was nothing other than getting something to free her.

  ***

  “Well, I don’t know how you did it, but congratulations. You could have been put behind bars the minute they realized that your fingerprints were on the murder weapon.” Agent Howard said with a smile on his face.

  Agent Morris knew that she was very lucky that things turned out the way that they did. But still, that didn’t mean that she was off the hook just yet. There were plenty of things to be done in order for her to go off the hook including coming up with a way that her fingerprints found their way to the murder weapon.

  “Everyone knows that I have been framed for that murder. But now, proving myself innocent is another uphill task. If anything, I think the killer took their time to plan the murder so perfectly and now I am sure he is seated somewhere drinking a cold beer just waiting to see how things were going to fall in place.”

  “And speaking of cold beers, let me get one.”

  “On a normal day, I would be looking at you funny just about to ask how on earth are you going to pop a bottle this early. But judging on the current circumstances, I think I can do a couple of beers.”

  “Beer is good for you. It opens up your mind.” Agent Howard laughed

  One thing about Agent Howard is that he would say just about anything to justify his drinking in odd hours. But that said, the next thing that would have made any sense at all would have been to just kick back and try figuring things out. Another good thing about Agent Howard, apart from being an amazing beer advocate, was that he knew how to play up possible case scenarios – one strong quality that prompted Agent Morris to call him out for a drink in the middle of the day.

  And as the beers were going to be brought, Agent Morris had the chance of glaring at her friend of many years’ face and to her shock, Agent Howard was normal, as though he wasn’t worried that her best friend was on the brink of being locked up for something she hadn’t done. And even though Agent Howard was entitled to feel whatever the heck he wanted, Agent Morris still felt as though she was very much betrayed by her friend.

  “I know its none of my business, but why does it look like you are having the time of
your life when I am almost being locked up for something I didn’t do?”

  “Ha-ha, come on now Rita. You think I will be here having a good time when you are on the brink of burning unless I have a hunch?”

  And just like that, it seemed as though something had sparked in her eyes and she looked up, not blinking at all. And it seemed as though Agent Morris was about to take that opportunity to go straight to the point when Agent Howard decided that it was such a nice time to start drinking up. And for the second time in under ten minutes, agent Morris felt like ripping her best friend’s throat.

  “You really know that it’s not a good time to slow down with any information that you have. I only have three flimsy hours before I get escorted in a jail cell, you know, that same place that I put some very bad people waiting to be arraigned in court.”

  “You think they will beat you up? Come on Rita! I thought you were much badass than all of this.”

  “I am not afraid of having my ass kicked, it’s the other way round. And I don’t want to be the bad corps who beats up suspects. You know these rumors can kill a career once and for all. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to keep playing games. Now pill the beans! How on earth am I going to free myself?”