Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Series Box Set Volume 1 (Books 1 - 4)

by Cindy Bell

  “I knew it happened, I didn’t know you were there, so don’t try to twist things around, Eddy. We’re you’re friends, you shouldn’t be afraid to tell us the truth,” she said sternly.

  “I wasn’t afraid, I just didn’t think it was party conversation.”

  “You still should have told us.” Samantha frowned. “You weren’t hurt?”

  “No, I wasn’t hurt.” Eddy stared down at the table.

  “So, what happened?” Samantha’s tone was calmer.

  “What happened? I stood in line at a bank that was being robbed and the robber got away.”

  “You let him get away?” Jo’s eyes widened with surprise.

  “Jo!” Walt shot her a look. “He’s a retired detective not a superhero.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way, I just mean, with Eddy’s temper…”

  “I don’t have a temper,” Eddy barked. His heart raced. He felt cornered by the conversation. The anger in his voice created an awkward tension at the table. “I’m sorry.” He looked around at his friends. “Look, I didn’t tell anyone because I was embarrassed.”

  “Embarrassed about what?” Samantha raised an eyebrow.

  “I tried to stop him, but he got away. I was right there, I could have tackled him, and he got away.”

  “Eddy, I didn’t mean what I said that way.” Jo frowned. “I’m sorry. I’m sure there was nothing that you could have done.”

  “There were hostages.” Walt shook his head. “If you had done anything rash someone could have ended up dead.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe I could have stopped him.” Eddy sighed and picked up his drink. “I thought he wouldn’t be able to get out the door, but the security guard unlocked it for him. I chased him, but I wasn’t fast enough. Sometimes I hate this old body.”

  “You’re not old,” Samantha said with conviction. “Just because we’re not in our twenties, that doesn’t make us or our bodies old, we are only as old as we feel. You were brave enough to go after the robber, that takes the heart of an alert man.”

  “Well, I might have the heart of an alert man, but I have the hips of a ninety year old.”

  “Don’t joke about that.” Walt’s voice deepened with warning. “A broken hip is the last thing you want.”

  “He’s not going to break his hip!” Samantha sputtered.

  “You see, this is why I didn’t want to bring it up.” Eddy frowned. “Now everyone is upset and it’s supposed to be a celebration.”

  “It’s okay.” Samantha stood up from the table. “I was just surprised. I’m glad you’re all right.” She hugged Eddy around the shoulders and placed a light kiss on the top of his hat.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine.” Eddy adjusted his hat and hoped the shadow of the brim would hide the heat in his cheeks. “I just want to enjoy the party.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do.” Samantha nodded. “Welcome to the next year of my fabulous existence on this planet.”

  As the chatter returned to light conversation Eddy felt some relief. He was sure that Samantha was going to demand to know every detail. Instead, she poured everyone wine and they began discussing their favorite birthday experiences. Eddy relaxed and drank an extra glass of wine. By the time the party was wrapping up he had nearly forgotten about the robbery.

  “It’s getting late.” Walt looked at his watch. He had a very specific routine and did not like to stray from it. “I’m going to head home.”

  “I should go, too. I need to get up early and water my garden.” Jo yawned. “Not enough rain lately.”

  “I’ll walk with you,” Walt suggested.

  “Great.” Jo stood up and gave Samantha a hug. “Happy birthday, and many more to come.”

  “Thanks Jo.” Samantha hugged her back. Walt gave her a peck on the cheek.

  “I’ll help you clean up.” Eddy began to gather the plates. He waved to Walt and Jo as they left.

  “It was a nice party.” Samantha smiled as she took the plates from Eddy. “I didn’t expect it to be so much fun.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Eddy turned back to the table to clear the rest of the dishes.

  “And I’m looking forward to reading the book that you gave me.”

  Eddy handed her the last of the dishes. “Are you sure you should be washing those on your birthday?”

  “Oh Eddy, that’s so sweet of you. I don’t mind washing the dishes. I’d love to have some company while I work though.”

  “I can provide that.” Eddy leaned up against the counter. “Do you have a dish towel? I can dry.”

  “It’s so terrible to think of how wrong that robbery could have gone.” Samantha handed him a towel. “I mean, we all bank there. I just can’t imagine what I would have done if I had been there.”

  Eddy looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t do much you know.”

  “You were there!” Samantha nearly splashed him with bubbles as she enthusiastically scrubbed a plate. “You witnessed the crime and…”

  “And, I thought I was here to keep you company, not be interrogated.” Eddy laughed. Samantha frowned and eased up on the plate.

  “I’m not interrogating you, I’m just curious.”

  Eddy narrowed his eyes. He had spent so much time figuring out what to get Samantha for her birthday, and all along it had been right under his nose.

  “You want to investigate it, don’t you?”

  Samantha tried to hide a smile by tilting her head away from him. He still saw the corners of her lips perking up.

  “Are you going to help me?”

  “Well, it is your birthday.”

  “Great!” Samantha tossed the washcloth into the soapy water. This time she did splash Eddy.

  “Watch it!” Eddy drew back from the counter.

  “Oops sorry!” Samantha grabbed the towel he had abandoned and used it to mop up his arm and chest. Eddy stood perfectly still as she dried him off.

  “Oh, it’s all right.” He cleared his throat.

  “So, tell me everything.” She looked at him with hunger in her eyes.

  Eddy gestured to the table. “Can we sit?”

  Once they were seated Eddy filled Samantha in on every detail of the crime he could remember.

  “So far they haven’t identified him.”

  “No fingerprints?” Samantha frowned.

  “He was wearing gloves.” Eddy shrugged. “It’s strange, it was so well planned and the man seemed so relaxed. I’ve seen robbers before, and they’re always tense, sweaty, determined, expecting the worst. This guy, it was almost like he was checking things off on his shopping list.”

  “Must have been an experienced criminal then,” Samantha said. “That might make him easier to identify if he’s committed similar crimes in the past.”

  “Maybe. But would a professional really take such a big risk? I mean, he was letting people come and go out of the bank at first. Anyone, at any time could have noticed what he was up to and alerted the authorities.”

  “So, when did that change? What made him announce his presence?” Samantha looked at him with interest.

  “Detective Brunner told me that the manager of the bank refused to open the vault. He must have known how much money was there. When he did that, the robber made his presence known and threatened lives to get what he wanted.”

  “So, he had no real interest in violence, but he came prepared for it.”

  “Seems that way.” Eddy nodded. “Just about everything about the robbery was unusual. I would have expected to see it in a bad movie, not in real life.”

  “That’s something that I think everyone hopes that they won’t see in real life.” Samantha grimaced. “I can say I’ve never been involved in a situation like that. I don’t know how you kept your cool.”

  “I didn’t really.” Eddy sighed. “If I had my wits about me better I might have stopped the whole thing.”

  “You must have left your superhero cape at home.” Samantha looked at him with a teasin
g smile. “You weren’t in control, Eddy. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just hard to think of those poor people. They were so scared.”

  “Weren’t you, Eddy?” Samantha met his eyes.

  “I guess I was a little. It was just so unexpected.” He shook his head. “There were very few times that I stumbled upon a crime in progress. Usually I knew what I was walking into.”

  “It must have been pretty disturbing when you realized what was happening.”

  “It was.” Eddy nodded. “I just hope he gets caught.”

  “I think if we work together on it he won’t have a chance of getting away.” Samantha smiled.

  “I don’t doubt that for a second, Sam.” He chuckled.

  Chapter 4

  Eddy hung his hat on the rack beside his front door. He waited for a moment to be sure that it was settled correctly on the hook. There were very few things he valued in life, but his hat was one of them. It felt like it was a part of him. He turned the lock on the door and took a deep breath. It had been a long and strange day. It wasn’t until he was alone again that he realized he was a little spooked. He had witnessed a crime, and the robber had seen him as well. He was sure that the robber was not the least bit concerned about him, nor would he bother to hunt down his address, but Eddy checked all of the windows in his villa just the same.

  When he went to bed his mind was still cluttered with all of the small details of the crime. It bothered him that he couldn’t piece them together in a way that made sense. It felt as if he had just fallen asleep when his cell phone began to ring. He fumbled for it on his nightstand. When he opened his eyes he saw sunlight filtering in through his window. He didn’t think it was possible that he had slept all night, but apparently he had. He managed to grab hold of his phone then looked at the caller ID.

  When he saw who it was he answered right away.

  “Good mor- I mean hello, I mean-” He coughed to try to loosen up his voice.

  “I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Detective Brunner’s voice sounded rushed.

  “It’s okay, I must have overslept. What’s going on?”

  “Could you meet me for breakfast?”

  “Sure. Is it about the case?”

  “Yes. At ‘Pancakes on Main’ around eight.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Eddy hung up the phone and groaned. He had no interest in rushing out of bed, but his interest in the case was enough to drive him to his feet. He stumbled through getting dressed and didn’t even flip on the television for the morning news before heading out the door.

  When Eddy arrived at the restaurant it was pretty busy. It was early enough for the before work crowd and the truck drivers to be getting their breakfast. He spotted Detective Brunner towards the back of the restaurant. As he made his way over to him he noticed that quite a few of the people he passed were talking about the robbery.

  “It’s such a relief.”

  “I’m glad that we can feel safe again. He won’t be robbing any other banks, that’s for sure.”

  Eddy thought it was strange for people to be talking that way. He sat down across from Detective Brunner who looked up at him with a broad smile.

  “I just wanted to let you know that we found the bank robber.”

  “Oh really? Did you catch the guy?” Eddy grinned with anticipation. Detective Brunner waited long enough for Eddy to place his order before he began filling him in.

  “In a manner of speaking we caught him. We found him dead in his house,” he said. “We’re not sure who took him out yet, but we’re pretty positive that he is the man who robbed the bank.”

  “How do you know? Fingerprint ID?” Eddy leaned further across the table. He was completely drawn in as he tried to visualize the scene that Detective Brunner had walked into.

  “No, he had some of the cash in his possession. The serial numbers matched the money that had been stolen.” Detective Brunner smiled triumphantly.

  “Was it all there?” Eddy’s eyes narrowed.

  “Not all of it, no, but enough. We figure he stashed the rest somewhere. Whoever offed him did us a favor. It looks like I might be able to close the robbery case soon.”

  “Aren’t you going to look into who murdered him?” Eddy picked up his drink, but he didn’t take a sip. He wanted to figure out what the detective was thinking.

  “Yes, of course.” Detective Brunner nodded. “But I doubt that they’ll assign much manpower to it. It can be assumed that he was engaged in the criminal element, and that criminal element caused his death.”

  “Wow.” Eddy raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound very committed.”

  “Are you telling me that you really think we should waste a lot of police resources on investigating this murder? You were there, Eddy. There was a little boy there, do you think he wasn’t affected by this?” Detective Brunner shook his head. “I mean I’ll do my job, but I’m not going to bend over backwards seeking justice for a person like that.”

  “Justice doesn’t pick and choose, Detective. It is not something that can be bent or altered. It is what it is. Justice is for everyone, even the ones we don’t like.” He shook his head. “If you start buying into the idea that there are good people and bad people in the world you’re going to be driven crazy. At some point you have to realize, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you, that we are just people. As a detective you have an obligation to seek justice for everyone.”

  “I don’t know if I can see things like that.” Detective Brunner frowned. “What I see are average citizens going about their day, and a monster that feels he has the right to disrupt all of that.”

  “Now the monster’s dead. So, what kind of monster do you think kills a monster?” Eddy gazed across the table at the detective. Detective Brunner looked a little confused as he studied Eddy.

  “Another monster,” he said frowning.

  “Half right.” Eddy took a swig of his drink. “A bigger monster. If that’s how you want to see things fine. You don’t want to get justice for a monster, what about catching someone who is even worse?”

  “I didn’t really think about it that way.”

  “I know you didn’t. But you should. Because the more murders this monster gets away with, the bigger he gets. So, that’s why it matters, Brunner.”

  Detective Brunner nodded a little. He set his fork back down on his plate. “Well, the man’s name was John Baker. He has a history of breaking and entering, and assault.”

  “And how did you happen upon this John Baker?” Eddy raised an eyebrow.

  “It was a tip called into the tip line. We really didn’t have any specific direction we were going in, just sifting through the usual suspects. Someone called in and said they had overheard a man bragging about the heist and that they had seen him flashing a large amount of money. To be honest with you I thought it was just some kid playing a prank. When we found him and the money, it was a surprise.”

  Eddy nearly choked on his bite of pancake.

  “Are you kidding? He was practically gift wrapped.”

  “I know, lucky huh?” Detective Brunner smiled.

  “Lucky, or something else.” Eddy shook his head.

  “What do you mean?”

  “My best guess is a double-cross. If you’re sure he was the one to rob the bank. Someone made that call for a reason. Maybe he has a partner that didn’t want to share the money and didn’t want to be investigated. Maybe there was a getaway driver who called it in or maybe he is the getaway driver.” Eddy finished the last bite of his pancake and piled the silverware onto the plate.

  “But if that was the case, why would he leave a portion of the money?” Detective Brunner questioned. “Why go to all the trouble of murdering a man, and then leave the money?”

  “Why?” Eddy smiled as if the detective was finally catching onto something he had been wondering all along. “Why would anyone murder a man and walk away from the cash?”

  Brunner’s e
yes widened. “To make it obvious that he was the thief and to make us stop looking or look in the wrong direction.”

  “Exactly. I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, Detective, but details can be important.”

  “Sure, or they can muck up the system. I mean it’s entirely possible that what you’re saying has nothing to do with the crime. My method is to base my actions on the proof I have, not the theory I imagine.” He shrugged.

  “Well, if that’s what you think.” Eddy sighed and sat back in his chair. He tried to impart his wisdom, but it fell on deaf ears. Or maybe Brunner just wanted to move on from the case.

  “Thanks Eddy, I appreciate the talk.” Detective Brunner stood up from the table. “I’ll settle up on the way out.”

  “Thank you.” Eddy finished his drink. He sat at the table for a few minutes after Detective Brunner left.

  He ran through in his mind all of the details of the crime that he knew. He visualized walking into the scene and finding the body. It was the tip call that really set Eddy’s mind racing. Someone who was bold enough to not only kill a man, but then call the police in to flaunt the crime, was a very cunning person indeed.

  * * *

  As Eddy left the restaurant he felt the weight of Detective Brunner’s revelation. Now, not only was there a robbery to solve, but a murder as well. From the detective’s attitude it was clear that Eddy might be the only one that was interested in looking into it properly. Was the young man who was killed really even involved in the crime or had he just been a victim? If he was not involved in the crime that meant that the police still had zero leads on who the robber might have actually been.

  Eddy thought of Samantha and how she would salivate at the news of a double-cross or even a frame job. He smiled to himself at the thought. There was one thing he and Samantha certainly had in common. They both enjoyed a good crime. It was not as if they took pleasure in the crime occurring, it was more that they took pleasure in justice being served. Eddy was so involved in his own thoughts that when he walked through the parking lot he almost walked directly into someone who was approaching from his car.