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

by Lorrie Bannett

  And just like that, some of the journalists started coming up with discussion panels while others took the opportunity to cash in on the opportunity and embark on some serious campaigns on polls where the public could vote if the government was doing such a fine job as far as keeping the country safe or not.

  But either way, one thing couldn’t be taken away from the matters at hand and that had everything to do with how much of a coincidence the explosion was.

  Just when the police officers were about to make a breakthrough in a very sensitive case that had the possibility of revealing way too many players in the murder case of a high profile citizen. Eventually, the only thing that would have made so much sense at that moment would have been to sit tight and ensure that they were doing all in their power to get rid of the case, as well as those who were working so hard on it.

  Agent Morris was still in hospital to have her minor cuts taken care of but still, she was restless. She wanted to get out there and gather the evidence and get the killer. She was pretty sure that the explosion and the case that she was dealing with were pretty much well connected and getting to the bottom of it would have been the best thing to do.

  “But you are under medication. You have a very serious concoction and I suggest that you let the forensics people handle it.”

  “No, you don’t understand. The more we wait, the less evidence we are going to get on this case. You just don’t understand, you just don’t…”

  And just like that, the sedation kicked in and she dozed off. The commander was finally feeing as though he was going to have a heart attack and he was grateful that everything seemed to be going on according to plans which was more or less amazing. He had been lucky enough to get out of the place just in time before the explosion and so he came out unscathed.

  But now that everything seemed to be under control, he opted to get back to the station and see to it that everything was ok. That was the good thing about being a good police officer, you always took care of your own no matter what the cost and at that moment, that was exactly what the commander was doing.

  All the other agents had been injured and that made sure that nothing was going on as far as the case was concerned. It was such a bad day for the police, one that they wanted to see avenged.

  As soon as the commander had made sure that everything was under control, the next thing that he did was making a point of going back to the station just to make sure that the files were intact. But even before he did that, the commander made a couple of calls to the people who had been cleaning up the place.

  Those files as well as other files belonging to the other cases were very important and that said, the commander didn’t want to have them lost. And that explained why he was so engrossed in trying to find something to sort it out in the end.

  Eventually, he got to the police station and took a moment to digest everything. The place had been charred to the point that it looked like a chimney. Most of the furniture had been blowing into bits and most of the files, quite unfortunately, had been destroyed. That could be detrimental as far as some of the cases were concerned. But eventually, the most important thing was that they were in a position to stay focused at all times.

  So the commander decided to give the forensics people a call, just to see if they were in a position to keep the copies of all the files.

  “Yes sir, you know we always do that for safe keeping purposes. As a matter of fact, I think the person was not only trying to blow us all up to smithereens but also the case files.”

  The commander closed his eyes for a moment and waited. It had been such a relief that the case files were safely secured. For a long time, he never thought that it was a good idea to stuff those copies down there, but now he had learnt his lesson, the hard way. But thankfully, the case was still on and that was all that mattered in the end.

  ***

  It had been a month after the unfortunate explosion and the police were still licking their wounds. From the look of things, it seemed as though the only thing that would make any more sense at the time would have been something to do with them doubling up security right before they could continue with the case. And just like that, it seemed as though everything was coming to work out just fine. Indeed, they were in a position to stay focused and it went without saying that they were now starting to make some progress.

  But still, despite the fact that the team was intact and back to work, the thing was that they weren’t one hundred percent. They were still very angry due to the fact that they had lost their colleagues and that made them not focus as effectively as they were supposed to.

  The commander was the one who saw it because his experience in the force had him all above the emotions and so he was the only one who could see clearly. And so that first morning a couple of minutes into the discussion, he decided to interrupt Agent Morris and took matters into his own hands. Things just had to be sorted out as quickly as possible or else they were going to lose all the progress that they had made all along.

  “I am sorry that I have to interrupt but we need to get back to the drawing board with a clear head. And that said, it simply means that we will be expected to do all in our power to ensure that we aren’t getting all emotionally entangled up in this. Yes, it is very painful to lose people you have known for a long time. But then again, it wouldn’t do them any good if we let our love and attachments get in the way of finding them justice.”

  The commander paused, taking into consideration that he needed to show some empathy if at all he wanted for his team to take him with a pinch of salt. And once he was sure that everything was cool, he continued.

  “We have an old lady who was killed by the same monster who is trying to kill us. And you know what that means? It means that for this to happen, we are on to something. They can’t just risk showing up at a police station and try to blow us up.

  “I know I got lucky, but most of you have the scars. Look into those scars and channel that anger into finding the bastard. And when we do, we will hurt them so bad they wouldn’t want to get out of jail for parole after their two life times worth of a sentence is done. Now, lets get back to work.”

  The commander wasn’t that much of a public speaker. But his words really cheered the police officers up, including agent Morris. And that said, she continued with her plan with a hell lot more enthusiasm.

  “Oh, and so you know, all of your files are safe and sound. Please forgive me for leaving but I don’t think I can stand the smell of fresh paint that long. But I hope you guys have gotten my point. The last thing I need is for us to lose a case that we were winning. Let’s catch the bastard that almost killed us.”

  And with that, the commander left, trying as much as possible not to sneeze. The place had been painted and some new furniture replaced. And even as the meeting was continuing in the addressing room, a major part of the police lobby was still under construction and there were some constructors working on it.

  Another thing that was being revisited very seriously was none other than the security detail. Since the first time proved to be a fail, the police officers wanted to make sure that the second one was so secure to the point that even if they tried to blow them up a second time, then they were going to fail without a doubt.

  “You all heard the commander. We are all still in pain, both physically and psychologically. And that said, we will be required to pay those bastards back for what they did to us as well as our friends.

  “The good news is that our case files are still intact. The bad news is that we aren’t up to the task. But that shouldn’t scare anyone. We will get over this and solve the case. The commander also was right on yet another thing – we are on to something.

  “These bastards wouldn’t dare come to our territory and try to disrupt the peace. And that said, we are going to do all in our power to ensure that we have them caught. And when we do, that is when we will get their assess kicked properly. But as for now, all we can do is keep our cool. We
will take a short break to go be with our families and friends. But we will come back and make sure we hit the last nail on this coffin once and for all. You are dismissed.”

  Chapter 6:

  -The queer discovery-

  Mrs. Moss and ten other potential suspects had been removed from the case. And the commander was more than glad since if the poor vice president could have pressed charges, the police force could have been in some deep shit. It was just an incredible thing that Agent Morris had followed her instinct and did what she had to do.

  All she wanted to do at the time was to make people talk. And when people start gossiping, Agent Morris was sure that the killer would get to hear something about it. So far, they were making so much progress with the case and all of the agents were sure that they were on the brink of catching the real killer at the end of the day.

  As a matter of fact, it seemed as though they were so close to the point that they were starting to get a little bit relaxed as far as solving the case was concerned. And at that moment, Agent Morris felt that she needed to address the issue.

  “I understand that we are closing in on this one. But I must assure you, the killer out there is still at large and it goes without saying that he is still a pro. For that matter, you all will be required to stay focused at all times. Do you understand me?”

  The agents nodded and that was the cue that she was expecting right before continuing with her briefing.

  “Ok, I am being told that the forensics people are still working on something interesting. And as soon as I get a page from them, I will give you an opportunity to hear what it is. But as far as I am concerned, we will be making about three arrests very soon and bring these people to questioning. I know that you already know whom those people are. At the end of the day, I will require for you all to make a point preparing yourselves psychologically.

  “We will also have to give the police spokesperson something since we have a television interview on the lemon pie mystery case, as they call it nowadays. Agent Obrien, I think you are the one who should be doing this at the end of the day.”

  “Also try as much as possible to ensure that you are in a position to rest, Agent Morris.”

  Everyone turned to see the commander smiling from the door. It had been a while before he attended the briefings since he had to deal with a hell lot of issues ever since the blast. And needless to say, the commander was having to take a hell lot of work on his shoulders so that Agent Morris and her team could have an ample time to deal with the case.

  “Well commander, I thank you for your concern but I think I got this.”

  “I am sure you have. But I also think that you guys are working way too much. That is why I took the initiative of getting you all some beer. And please, don’t tell the other cops that I did this. I will swear over my mother’s grave that I didn’t do it.”

  The announcement attracted a hell lot of claps as a crate of beer was pushed through the door which was almost shut immediately as the agents stood up to help themselves. At first, Agent Morris wasn’t for the idea. But after a minute worth of thinking, she realized that her colleagues had worked way too hard and lost too much.

  Getting a couple of beers knocked back to ease up their pain and straight really wasn’t such a bad idea. And so without further ado, she decided to help herself to some as well. And just like that, the briefing had been killed, but for a very good reason. Sometimes the commander seemed as though he was the strictest human being alive. But after some time, it was as though a switch had been flipped.

  But at that moment, she didn’t want to burden herself with thinking way too much. There was free beer. And as soon as she was done with the beer, the next thing that she ought to have done would be to ensure that she was in a position to get back to working. For all of them, the case was being taken as personally as possible and that meant that there was no room for playing and that was final.

  And as the agents were enjoying the beer and talking about something else that didn’t have a damn thing to do with the case, Agent Morris made a point of checking on her pager just to see if something from the forensics team had come through. But unfortunately, there was nothing and that made her put the pager away and continued with the fun.

  “Hey, I just want you to know that you are the bravest team leader ever and it’s an honor to have you.” Agent Morris heard someone say and when she turned to see who it was, everyone was clapping and nodding their heads away.

  She just smiled and nodded back at them.

  ***

  Agent Morris got back to her office after what seemed like an eternity of slumber at home. It seemed as though the ringing in her ear after the blast just couldn’t go away despite the fact that the doctor promised that it would. But that said, she seemed to be having way too many things to focus on rather than worry about her health.

  As far as she was concerned, all that she needed to do was making sure that the case had been solved and that her colleagues as well as poor Mrs. Jones to have their justice. That was all. Everything else didn’t really bother her, including how she felt. And so without further ado, she made a point of taking the remaining files and started checking them out one by one.

  She was sure that the other police officers were doing the same and that said, something good was most definitely going to come out of it in the end. And that said, what actually seemed to be an amazing thing at the end of the day was the fact that the other agents who had been also signed to this case were doing all in their power to ensure that everything was under control. If anything, the only thing that would have made any sense would be to work longer hours so as to solve the case much faster.

  Agent Morris had also received a page from the forensics team telling her that they were working on the murder weapon so as to see if they could pick up other prints that could help. But Agent Morris knew that the killer was way too smart to leave his prints all over the murder weapon.

  If anything, the only thing that would have seemed to matter the most would have been just ensuring that they were focusing on something else.

  An hour went by and from the look of things, it seemed as though everything she had was already figured out already. The only suspect who had been shifting a hell lot of money from his account to some Swiss Bank account was none other than Mr. Brown, who was also another one of Mrs. Jones’ bitter rivals in the lemon pie business.

  And that said, the only thing that would have made any sense at the time would have been to kick back and try figuring things out without having to attract much attention.

  Her idea was to sneak in as quietly as possible and making an arrest of Mr. Brown then bring him in for an interrogation. Once it had been done, the next thing to happen would have been to stay focused as possible and to make sure that she was getting the suspect to break in a way that she knew best. And if Mr. Brown was going to crack and make a confession, the case would have been closed.

  Agent Morris smiled, trying as much as possible to ignore the ringing that was still persistent in her left ear. But at that moment, it was the last thing that she cared about. As a matter of fact, the only thing that she seemed to care about was how she was going to convince the others that this case was as good as closed.

  Her stomach rumbled as loud as possible, even to the point of startling her secretary. And that was her alarm clock to show that she was done working for the day and needed to go grab something to eat. And so without wasting any more time, Agent Morris stood up from her chair, picked up her coat and then started walking towards the door, but that was the point where Agent McCartney came busting through the door.

  “I need for you to see this.”

  “Talk to me Agent McCartney. Tell me what you have. I am sure that we can get to use it at the end of the day.”

  Agent McCartney made sure that he was getting to peruse a couple of photos for a while. But thankfully, agent Morris was always very patient with him and so as he was doing so, all she did was wait. Age
nt McCartney was a genius. And when he gave you a courtesy call, you needed to pay all the attention in the world or else it was going to be your loss for sure.

  “Ok, so here are the two photos, one from the surveillance that picked up the murderer and the person who stole your knife. Look at the closely.”

  Agent Morris looked a little closer. At first glance, it seemed as though they were identical since they were all wearing the same outfits and looked built. But when Agent Morris took a much closer look, it seemed as though there was something different and that led to her asking.

  “I never thought you would ask, but here goes. Look at the shoulder of the first photo and the one on the second. See the difference?” agent McCartney said, pointing at their shoulders.

  “My gosh, it seems as though one is a regular guy and the other one is a gym addict. You know what that means?”

  “We have two suspects on the prowl.”

  << The End >>

  Lemon Pie Murder (Book 3)