Cranberry Glazed & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 10

by Susan Gillard

  Chief Chet stood up and assumed his power position again. “This little lady is welcome to visit anytime.”

  “Thanks,” Amy said. “But we’re hoping to solve the case soon and find out who she belongs to now.”

  “The victim doesn’t have any family?” Chief Chet asked.

  “Not that we can find,” said Ryan.

  “But her background does seem odd,” Heather commented. “No one seems to know very much about her.”

  “And I’ve begun a background check on her,” Ryan said. “There’s very little about her before she came to Key West two years ago. There’s almost nothing on record.”

  “And we find this suspicious?” Chief Chet asked.

  “Because she was murdered, everything is suspicious,” said Ryan.

  “What about that resume that Junior Burdey gave us?” asked Heather. “He said that she worked in offices before so it should have information on it.”

  “I checked some of her listed past employment and the businesses either no longer exist or never existed,” Ryan said.

  “This definitely seems like she’s hiding something,” Heather said. “But what?”

  “And how does it relate to her death?” asked Peters.

  "What's the best lead you have so far?" Chief Chet asked as he began to pet Miss Marshmallow again.

  “The love note,” Amy said quickly.

  "There are no fingerprints on it, and it was written in block letters that are harder to trace to a certain writer," Ryan said.

  “But it does prove that someone asked her to meet at the place she was killed,” Heather said. “And because it was written on a heart, it looks like she had a romantic interest.”

  “Did anyone you spoke to mention a boyfriend?” Chief Chet asked, before saying to the dog. “You have the soft-iest woft-iest hair. Yes, you do.”

  Detective Peters bit his lip to keep from laughing.

  “Her coworkers didn’t mention a boyfriend, but they said that she was very private,” Heather said. “And we haven’t been able to track down many other people in her life.”

  “That’s unfortunate,” Chief Chet said to them, and then to Miss Marshmallow he said, “But what’s not unfortunate is what a sweetie-petey pie you are.”

  “Who could have written that note?” Ryan wondered aloud.

  “I’m pretty sure the answer is the killer,” said Amy. “But I’m guessing we want a name too.”

  “Any other clues?” Chief Chet asked.

  "The partial shoe prints," said Ryan. "And we found a hair, but it's not a match to anyone in the system."

  “And there’s the dog,” Amy said.

  “The dog,” Heather said, getting an idea.

  “The dog?” asked Detective Peters. “That was the only important thing in her life. Could Miss Marshmallow be valuable?”

  “As a clue,” said Heather. “It sounded as if Melanie Grayson had Miss Marshmallow since she moved here. Maybe if we can find out where Miss Marshmallow was adopted, it could tell us more about Melanie before she came here.”

  "That's a good idea," Ryan said. "Some rescue organizations and some breeders use tools that can help dogs be recognized if they are ever lost. Sometimes microchips are put on dogs or small tattoos.”

  “I don’t think we’d see any tattoos on her with all her hair,” said Amy.

  “We can take her to the vet,” Heather suggested. “And see if they can find anything to indicate where she came from.”

  “We’ll continue to do some digging on Melanie Grayson’s background here,” Ryan said. “And let us know if you find anything that could help.”

  “No problem,” Heather agreed.

  "Then we have a plan of action. Yes, we do. Yes, we do," Chief Chet said, slipping into his baby talk voice again. He cleared his throat. "Let's get to work."

  A Visit to the Vet

  “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Heather said to the vet.

  “I always take emergency calls when needed. And helping the police identify a dog for an investigation sounds important,” Dr. Fisher said.

  She was a middle-aged woman with her long hair in a braid down her back. She wore a white lab coat over her clothes but decorated it with buttons of dog treats.

  “Though I don’t think I’m going to need to do much work to recognize this dog,” Dr. Fisher said. “Isn’t that Miss Marshmallow?”

  “It is,” Heather agreed.

  “Then did something happen to her owner?” Dr. Fisher asked. She paused for a moment and then said, “Melanie, right? I’m always better with pet names than human ones. Sorry. Is she all right?”

  “I’m afraid that Melanie Grayson was murdered,” Heather said. “We’re trying to find out more about her background and thought that maybe Miss Marshmallow could lead us down the right track.”

  Miss Marshmallow greeted the vet with a formal sniff of her hand.

  “What can I do?” the vet asked.

  “We’d like to find out where Miss Marshmallow was adopted from,” said Heather. “Is there any way you can check?”

  Dr. Fisher nodded and checked her file on the dog. “She didn’t list where she adopted her from on her forms. Sometimes owners like to mention it in case any health problems could be related back to where they came from. Sometimes owners don’t like to think about where their pups came from, or they forget the name of the organization.”

  “Is there anything else you can do?” asked Heather.

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “We’d really like to be done with this case.”

  “I have a scanner,” Dr. Fisher said. “Let me see if Miss Marshmallow was ever given a microchip.”

  Dr. Fisher did as she said and checked the dog. She frowned as she saw something.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Heather.

  “Everything is okay with Miss Marshmallow, isn’t it?” asked Amy.

  "She's fine and healthy," Dr. Fisher reassured her. "And she does have a microchip. I checked in against a database, and it looks like it was given to her by the Helping Paws and Pads Organization in Atlanta."

  “That sounds like lead,” Heather said, cheerfully.

  “But there’s something funny about it,” Dr. Fisher said. “It also lists the name of the person who adopted her, and it’s not Melanie Grayson.”

  “So, Miss Marshmallow was stolen?” Amy asked.

  Miss Marshmallow barked indignantly.

  "Sorry," Amy said quickly as if she had offended the dog.

  “The name listed here is Mallory Gray,” said Dr. Fisher. “I don’t know why it would be listed under another name. All I can tell you is that it was.”

  “Thank you for all your help,” Heather said.

  She and Amy collected Miss Marshmallow and walked away.

  “That wasn’t such a bad vet visit, was it?” Amy asked the dog. “No shots or anything.”

  “Careful,” Heather teased her friend. “Once you start talking to the dog, it won’t be long until you start sounding like Chief Chet.”

  Amy groaned. “If I start doing that, you can push me into the ocean.”

  Miss Marshmallow was looking at them curiously.

  "But I am starting to feel bad for her," Amy said. "I think her owner mom really loved her and took care of her. This must be a big change, and she must really miss her. I hope her new home will be just as loving."

  “I’m sure it will be,” Heather said, keeping any further comments or hunches to herself.

  “What do you think of this Mallory Gray business?” Amy asked.

  “Well,” Heather said. “I can’t help but notice that Mallory Gray and Melanie Grayson do sound very similar.”

  “So, you think that one of them is a fake name?” Amy asked. “And it’s not that Miss Marshmallow was stolen from someone else, but that Melanie and Mallory are the same person.”

  “I think Ryan should do a background check on both women and see what turns up,” Heather said.

  It seemed as if
Miss Marshmallow nodded at this idea.

  “You were on to something,” Ryan said. “I asked the Helping Paws and Pads Organization if they had any information about the people who adopted their pets.”

  “And?” Heather prompted. She and Amy had returned to the police station with Miss Marshmallow to hear if their tip developed into a helpful lead.

  “They take pictures of all their new adoptions,” Ryan said. “Look at this.”

  He brought the photo they had emailed him up on the computer. It showed Melanie Grayson smiling with a young Miss Marshmallow puppy.

  “That’s definitely her,” Heather said. “And the adoption was listed under Mallory Gray?”

  “That’s right,” said Ryan. “And I believe that’s the victim’s real name. She changed her identity when she came here to escape her past.”

  “What sort of past is it?” Amy asked, eager for details. “Is it dark and sordid?”

  “It seems Mallory Gray was arrested several times for petty theft,” said Ryan.

  “Wow,” Amy said. “I didn’t expect that.”

  “I guess as Melanie Grayson she was leading a clean life here,” said Heather. “No one we spoke to mentioned any problems with her.”

  “But would petty theft be cause for murder?” Amy asked.

  “Maybe someone here didn’t like that she kept a secret,” Heather said. “Or maybe someone from her past didn’t like that she was running away from it.”

  “Or,” Ryan said. “Maybe she was involved with something bigger right before she left. She would need money in order to reinvent herself and get a house in Key West.”

  “Were there any signs of other riches in her home?” asked Heather.

  “No,” Ryan admitted. “But it’s something I want to investigate further. I’m going to do some more digging on Mallory Gray.”

  “All right,” Heather said. “I have some more digging that I would like to do too. I had the feeling that Kim McConnell had something else that she wanted to tell us, but that she couldn’t in front of her boss.”

  “So, we’ll have to visit her during her off hours?” Amy asked.

  “And I think she’ll be off now,” Heather said with a smile.

  Coworker Gossip

  Heather and Amy knocked on Kim McConnell’s door. She seemed surprised to see them again.

  “Hello,” she said. “Do you have any new developments? Did you need to talk to me again? I thought Junior told you everything about Melanie at work.”

  “Not everything,” Heather said. “Would you mind answering a few more questions?”

  "I want to help, but I don't want to go against my bosses either. I'm sure they told you everything that’s important,” Kim said.

  She started to close the door.

  “Wait,” Amy said. “There’s something else. Miss Marshmallow has been so upset since she lost her owner. Maybe seeing a familiar face would help.”

  She held up the dog, and they both made their version of puppy dog eyes at her. Kim relented and opened the door.

  “Come on in,” Kim said.

  She led them into her living room, which was a splash of color and personality. She gestured for Heather and Amy to take seats on her couch, which they accepted. Then, Kim sat right down on the floor to play with Miss Marshmallow. The happy dog accepted her affection.

  “Thank you,” Amy said. “I think it’s really good for her to have some time with people she already knew.”

  “It must be so hard for her without Melanie,” Kim said.

  “I think so,” said Heather. “And that’s why we’re trying so hard to find out what happened to her.”

  “I can’t believe she was killed,” Kim said. “Who would do that?”

  “Do you have any idea who might have wanted to hurt her?” asked Heather.

  Kim shrugged. "As I said before, she was quiet about her life outside of work. She was little quiet about her life at work too. But I didn't think there was anything to it that would be dangerous."

  “So, she never spoke about a boyfriend?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Kim said. “She never spoke about one. I had a suspicion about something, but I ended up being wrong. Oh, my goodness!”

  Miss Marshmallow jumped away from her after her exclamation and hid under a chair. Kim tried to coax her out again, but Heather wanted to hear more.

  “What is it?” Heather asked.

  “I just remembered why I was wrong and it might actually be a lead. Maybe that guy was the one who killed her. He seemed kinda crazy and kinda scary,” Kim said.

  “You’re going to have to start at the beginning,” Amy said.

  “Sorry,” Kim said. “I’ll try and make more sense.”

  “That’s appreciated,” said Amy.

  “I had thought that there might be something between Melanie and Jason Burdey,” Kim explained. “It was just the way that they looked at each other. And a sense I got.”

  “Maybe he’s the guy who wrote the heart message?” Amy said to her friend.

  “What was that?” asked Kim.

  “Nothing,” Amy said quickly. She didn’t want to reveal any information early again.

  “So, you thought there was something between Melanie and Jason?” Heather prompted. “But they weren’t officially dating?”

  “They weren’t dating,” Kim said. “I had thought that but then I remembered why I was wrong.”

  “Which was?” asked Amy.

  “Because of the guy who visited at work. I think it was her ex-boyfriend,” Kim said. “Melanie tried not to make a big deal of it, but she did say that she was done with men. She only wanted her dog for company.”

  “When did this happen?” asked Heather.

  “A week or two ago,” Kim said. “We were at work, and this guy came in. He looked a little bit like a lowlife, but I thought he might be a customer so I was nice. He pushed by me and told Melanie that she couldn’t hide from him. She said it was over and she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. They went outside and talked for a while. She came back in all upset.”

  “Had you ever seen this man before?” Heather asked.

  “No,” said Kim. “And I got the sense that he wasn’t from the island. He seemed like he was from out of town.”

  “But he was definitely her ex-boyfriend?” Amy asked.

  “That’s what it seemed like,” said Kim.

  “Maybe it’s from before,” Amy said, trying to speak in code to her friend. She didn’t want to mention the past life and thefts in front of the witness.

  “Do you know his name or where we might find him?” asked Heather.

  “I think she might have called him Scratch,” Kim said. “But I’m not sure if that’s his name or an insult.”

  “Might be both,” said Amy.

  “I don’t know how to contact him or if he’s still in town. But he had longish dirty blond hair and a scar on his cheek. Is that helpful?”

  “Maybe,” said Heather. “Distinguishing markings are always useful to know about.”

  “Is there anything else you want to know?” Kim asked.

  “Just where you were on Monday between two and four,” said Heather.

  “I was still at work,” said Kim. “That’s not my short day, and I don’t get out until five.”

  “Who else was there with you?” asked Heather.

  “You want to check up on me?” Kim asked. “You think I’m a suspect?”

  “We just need to check out everything,” said Heather. “Can you please answer?”

  “Both of the Burdey Brothers were there,” said Kim. “And at the end of the day, Jason and I were working on a project together, so he knows I was there the whole time.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Heather said.

  Amy called to Miss Marshmallow who daintily followed them to the door.

  “Do you want me to take care of the dog?” Kim asked.

  “Huh?” Amy asked, surprised. “Why?”

&n
bsp; “Because you said it might be good for her to be with familiar people,” said Kim. “I could watch her for a few days until you get things figured out.”

  “That’s a great offer,” said Amy. “But I’m afraid she’s in police protection. We can’t let her go until we solve this case.”

  Kim nodded. She wished them luck and said goodbye to Miss Marshmallow.

  Heather gave her friend a look as they left.

  "This doesn't mean I like the dog more," said Amy. "I'm just accepting my responsibilities."

  “Sure,” said Heather.

  “Can we just focus on the case?” Amy asked.

  “All right,” said Heather. “Let’s focus on finding the ex-boyfriend.”

  Scratch

  Finding Scratch had been both easy and difficult depending on how you looked at it. The name Jordan “Scratch” Wilkerson had turned up in a search of Mallory Gray’s past. They had been convicted of shoplifting together. Once they found this out, they were able to get his mugshot and saw how it matched Kim’s description of the man who bothered Melanie at the office. The scar on his cheek was quite distinctive.

  They then began questioning local hotels about whether the man had been staying there. At one hotel, they didn’t need to question the concierge behind the desk because Scratch was heading to the vending machine as they approached. He didn’t like being questioned by the police and tried to run.

  Ryan and Peters had given chase, while Amy held on to Miss Marshmallow who was being rather unladylike and had begun snarling at Scratch.

  Heather saw the direction that Scratch was heading and had an idea. She had delivered donuts to this hotel before and knew where the local streets intersected. She raced down a side street, hoping that her hunch was right and that she wasn’t sprinting for no reason.

  Her gut proved her right, and she ended up in front of Scratch. She wanted to yell at him to stop but was too out of breath. She took her Taser out of her purse and held it out threateningly. Scratch took the hint and stopped running. Ryan and Peters were able to catch him and bring him back to the station.