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

by Cindy Bell

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Eddy, I just wanted to see how things were coming along. Did you find out any more information about Karl?”

  Eddy sighed. “Not yet. I’m trying to get some more information on him right now.”

  “Okay, well why don’t you meet me in an hour and we can go over anything new we’ve discovered?”

  “Sounds good,” Eddy agreed. He was in a hurry and trying to rush her off the phone, without being rude. He hung up the phone with Samantha and immediately dialed Chris’ number.

  “Eddy.” Chris answered on the first ring.

  “Hi, Chris. I need another favor, please,” Eddy said getting straight to the point.

  “What is it, Eddy?”

  “All I need are the telephone records for Karl Connell’s phone, the security guard that was at the bank robbery yesterday.”

  “Wait what? You mean his witness statement?”

  “No, I mean his telephone records. I know that you can get into them.”

  “Not legally I can’t. Not without a search warrant.”

  “Now now, Chris, if I had a search warrant, would I be calling you?”

  “You couldn’t have a search warrant, you’re not an active police officer.”

  “Exactly. All I need from you are the telephone records.”

  “What? That’s it?” He chuckled. “Well, let me get that right to you. Would you also like my job? Or perhaps my house?”

  Eddy rolled his eyes. “Let’s not be dramatic.”

  “Oh, I’m not. I’m telling you right now that getting you that information is not easy.”

  “So, when can I expect it?” Eddy braced himself. There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

  “A couple of hours.” The line disconnected and Eddy smiled. He knew he wouldn’t get nearly as far without his acquaintances in the police department. He also knew what a risk it really was for his friend to help him out. Eddy hated to ask so much of him, but he knew that he was one of his best contacts. There was very little that Chris couldn’t find out for him, and despite the fact that Chris took his orders from the police chief he always wanted to please Eddy. It might have had something to do with the fact that Eddy had taught him so much when he was first hired. No matter what the reason was their friendship had remained strong over the years.

  * * *

  Within a few hours Chris proved that he had come through, yet again. Eddy’s phone buzzed with a notification that he had a new message. He checked it to find that it was from Chris.

  I’ve dropped it in your mailbox.

  Eddy quickly walked out of his villa and down the path to his mailbox. He looked around to make sure no one was watching him and quickly unlocked it. As expected, inside was an envelope. He walked back to his villa and opened the envelope. Eddy shook his head with admiration as he pulled out the phone records. He tried not to think about the type of risk Chris was taking for him. He knew that Chris shared Eddy’s desire for justice that didn’t always follow the rules and regulations that police had to follow.

  As Eddy glanced over the records all he saw was a bunch of numbers. He knew that Walt would be able to quickly work out if there was a pattern, a certain number that was called often or around the time of the robbery. However, it was late and his friend went to bed at the exact same time each night. Eddy set the papers on his desk and stood up to stretch. He walked towards the living room where the television entertained empty space. He stared for a moment at the images that flickered across the screen. As he focused on the show there was a knock at the door. He looked up towards it. A quick glance at his watch informed him that it was after nine o’clock, rather late for any visitors. He walked over to the door and opened it.

  “Samantha, what are you doing here?”

  Samantha looked at him with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean what am I doing here? You were supposed to meet me to talk about the case.”

  “Oh right!” Eddy grimaced and stepped back from the door. “You can come in if you like.”

  Samantha stepped inside, but she did not smile. Since she was normally such a cheerful person, Eddy noticed that she did not offer him her usual greeting.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “I just don’t want to be left out of the loop,” Samantha pleaded. “It might not seem important to you, but I really want to get to the bottom of this crime. It’s important to me that our neighborhood bank is a safe place to go.”

  “Well, the robber is dead.” Eddy shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll be a repeat offender.”

  “Very funny.” Samantha smirked. “But what I’m saying is that if there is another person involved, they might very well try again. Once a town becomes an easy target it can turn into a crime spree.”

  “Samantha, I think you’re worrying just a little too much.” Eddy gestured to the couch. “Sit with me and I’ll update you on everything that is going on.”

  “Sure.” Samantha plonked herself down on the couch. She picked up the remote and turned off the television that Eddy had been using as background noise. Eddy sat down beside her.

  “I spoke to Walt about whether he could look into the guard’s financials. He said he would see what he can find out, but he wasn’t really willing to dig too deep. He also said that he would look into his phone records, but only if I could provide him with the information. So, I reached out to my contact in the police department and was able to get copies of the phone records.”

  “Oh, that’s great!” Samantha smiled then, finally. “Let’s take them over to Walt.”

  “No, we can’t do that, look at the time.” Eddy pointed to his watch. Samantha’s eyes widened.

  “Oh, yes you’re right. Walt is a creature of habit. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late.”

  “Hey, I’m the one who didn’t show up for our meeting.” Eddy smiled at her. “I’m glad you came by. I’m sorry that I forgot.”

  “It’s okay. I’ve been thinking about what you said about the security guard and how you suspect he might be involved. It occurred to me that if Karl had a spotless record in the prison system, what would drive him to change jobs? The benefits and pay are much higher in the prison system. I thought maybe the bank offered something better so I looked into it. Comparing everything from health insurance to paid vacation, Karl had a much better deal as a prison guard.” She shook her head. “I think you’re right, something does not add up here.”

  “It is possible the stress of working in the prison every day got to him. I’ve known guys that happened to. Working in a prison is like living in another world. It can feel like you’re in prison as well. Maybe he just got burnt out?” Eddy shrugged. “I don’t think that’s the case, but it’s something to consider.”

  “You’re absolutely right. I considered that. Then I considered what else could have happened and I remembered an article I wrote years ago about a murderer and prison guard getting married when the murderer was released. They had fallen in love. It made me wonder if perhaps Karl had gotten too close to one of the inmates. Not necessarily romantically.”

  Eddy’s eyes widened. “Oh wow. I hadn’t even thought about that. You mean, what if he became friendly with one of the inmates? Maybe they taught him the ins and outs of the robbery or hooked him up with someone on the outside?”

  “Exactly. I decided to do some research on prisoners with a history of bank robbery. Of course there were plenty of those. Then I cross checked that list with prisoners who were released or paroled around the same time that Karl left his job.”

  “Samantha, you are a genius!” Eddy could barely contain his excitement. “What did you find?”

  “Well, there were a few people that were released around the same time. Unfortunately, none of them had a history of bank robbery, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t potentially involved. So, right now I have someone with the parole department looking into those that were paroled within a couple of months of Karl’s transition to the bank. Sorry i
t’s not more conclusive, but it’s just a hunch I am following.”

  “It’s a great hunch, Samantha, I never would have thought of it. I guess by tomorrow we should have some more information to go on.”

  “I sure hope so,” Samantha said eagerly. “We’re not getting very far, so far.”

  “Hey, it’s farther than Detective Brunner, who isn’t even looking into the case properly.” Eddy rolled his eyes. “Politics apparently.”

  “All right, well call me in the morning and let me know if you find out anything.”

  “Same for you.” Eddy walked her to the door. “Samantha, it’s great that you’re helping with this. I just can’t rest until this is solved.”

  “Eddy, I have to admit, this is one of the best birthday gifts I have ever received.” Samantha laughed. “Good night.”

  “Good night.” Eddy watched as Samantha walked down the path towards her villa until he was sure that she was safe.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning Eddy went straight over to Walt’s. The one good thing about Walt’s early bedtime was that it meant he also woke up very early. Eddy found him drinking his tea on his porch as always.

  “Morning Walt.”

  Walt sipped his tea and watched Eddy over the brim of the mug. When he set the mug down he gestured for Eddy to join him. “I guess this early visit means that you’ve got something for me?”

  “Yes, I do. These are Karl’s phone records.” Eddy slid a folder towards him. “Also, you should know that Samantha thinks it is possible that he might have bonded with one of the inmates in the prison where he worked. That might be the reason why he quit his job at the prison and took the job at the bank. He might have planned the entire thing and positioned himself as the security guard to make sure that nothing went wrong.”

  “That’s a lot of ‘might haves’,” Walt said as he picked up the folder and began scanning the papers inside. “I did some initial research last night,” Walt explained without taking his eyes off the papers. “He would have taken a big pay cut when he left the prison and became a security guard.”

  “Exactly.” Eddy nodded. “I think that alone indicates something was off. There aren’t too many people that are going to willingly lose out on that much income.”

  “Yes, but it doesn’t prove anything,” Walt said.

  “Hopefully, you’ll find something in his phone records.”

  “Yes, yes. Hopefully.” Walt tapped the folder lightly against the table top. “However, it will take me some time to go through the phone numbers and see if there is a pattern.”

  “How long do you need?” Eddy met Walt’s eyes. “The longer we take to solve the case the less chance of finding any potential evidence.”

  “My work can’t be rushed, Eddy. You know that. However, I understand the urgency and I will keep you updated about whatever I find. All right?”

  “All right.” Eddy sighed. A part of him had hoped that Walt could simply look at the numbers and find Karl’s contact. Then he could go to Detective Brunner with his findings and the robber and murderer would be found. “I’m going to look into a few things while you work your magic. Expect a call from Samantha, as I’m sure she’ll want an update on your progress.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Walt chuckled. He picked up his mug of tea, and the folder. “I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  Eddy left Walt’s and headed back to his villa. He called Samantha along the way.

  “I didn’t hear anything back from the parole board yet, Eddy.”

  “I figured it was a bit early for the parole department.” Eddy chuckled. “That’s not the only reason I was calling.”

  “What’s up? Did Walt find something already?”

  “Not yet. I need some information from you actually. There’s a teller at the bank, her name is Terry. She is Paul Carlil’s granddaughter. Can you find her address for me?”

  “That depends, will this be a personal visit, or a work visit?” Eddy could hear the teasing in Samantha’s voice.

  “It’s a work visit, Samantha. I want to talk to her about what she saw at the bank that day, and whether she knows anything about Karl. I’m not convinced that she’s not somehow involved in all of this.”

  “Everyone’s a suspect, hmm? I’ll call you back.”

  “Thanks.”

  * * *

  Eddy headed for his car. He didn’t know how Terry would react to some customer hunting her down, but he was at the point of not caring. He knew that time was ticking and he hoped the fact that he lived in the same community as her grandfather would make her trust him more. Eddy couldn’t let a crime that had unfolded right in front of him go unsolved.

  He was already driving in the direction of the bank when his phone rang. Samantha had set up something in his car that allowed the phone to be projected through the speakers of his radio. He was jolted by the sound of her voice all around him.

  “Eddy, are you there?”

  “I’m here. Can you hear me?”

  “Yes, you don’t have to shout.”

  “Okay, sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Samantha said. “I haven’t spoken to the parole board yet, but I did speak to a friend at the bank Karl Connell uses, and apparently he recently paid off a large portion of his mortgage. Cash payment apparently.”

  “Wow,” Eddy said with surprise. “Good work. It could just be a coincidence. But it could also be related to the robbery.”

  “Seems like a big coincidence to me. I also have the address that you asked me for.”

  Eddy pulled the car over to the side of the road so that he could write down the address. He knew the street.

  “Thanks Samantha.”

  “No problem. Just don’t get yourself arrested, Eddy.”

  “I’ll try not to.” After a few tries Eddy figured out how to hang up the phone.

  He drove to the address. The closer he got the more apprehensive he became. When he had a badge questioning random people was not a problem, but now that he was retired he didn’t have that authority. With the way Detective Brunner acted, he doubted that the man would stand up for him if he got into trouble. He could only hope that the woman would be friendly enough to talk to him. He parked a few houses down from the address and got out to walk. He didn’t want to scare her off. As Eddy walked up to the driveway he noticed that she was outside unlocking the door of her car. Eddy cleared his throat.

  “Excuse me, miss?” She opened the door to her car. Eddy knew that if she got in, his chance to speak to her would vanish. “Terry?”

  She turned to look at him with a touch of recognition in her expression. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  Eddy’s ego was a little deflated. It wasn’t as if he had expected her to be in love with him, but at the very least she could remember his face. He had been going to the same bank at least once a week for years. Since she had started working there he always tried to make sure that he was in her line because she was friendly to him. He recovered from his injured pride as quickly as possible.

  “You probably don’t know who I am, but I was at the bank the day it was robbed.”

  “Oh.” She nodded. Then she smiled. “Oh, you must be one of the bank’s customers then.”

  “Yes.” Eddy cleared his throat. He found it a little strange that it appeared as if she didn’t know who he was. She had told her grandfather about him, so she must have had some idea, but maybe the stress from the robbery clouded her recollection. “You have helped me several times. I was wondering if you could give me a little information.”

  “Information about what?” She narrowed her eyes. Eddy was aware that she felt uncomfortable.

  “About the security guard, Karl?” He watched her reaction to the name. Her eyes widened just enough to show the whites of her eyes.

  “Oh, I don’t really know him very well.” She frowned and started to move to get into her car.

  “No?” Eddy decided not to mention that he had seen her
chasing after him. “How long have you two worked together?”

  “Well, we didn’t. I mean, I worked behind the counter and he worked security.” She seemed annoyed. “Like I said, we barely had a conversation.”

  “I understand that. But wasn’t he there with you at opening and closing?” Eddy found her evasiveness to be a little unsettling.

  “Sure he was, but he mainly worked with the manager. I didn’t really have anything to do with that.” Again she started to slide into the front seat of her car. Eddy stood back so that she could. He made it seem as if he was about to walk away, then caught the door before she could close it.

  “So, you don’t know anything about any other friends he might have had at the bank?”

  “I don’t understand why you are asking me all of these questions.” Terry seemed downright irritated. “Are you a police officer or something? Can’t you just ask Karl yourself?”

  “I’m just trying to find out why he acted so strangely at the robbery. You know, I thought he would try to stop the robbery, instead he seemed happy to let the robber go.” Eddy leaned in towards Terry. “Don’t you find that odd?”

  “Do I find it odd that he did what a crazy man with a gun told him to?” She glared at Eddy. “No I don’t. I did the same thing, didn’t I? I made sure he got everything from my drawer. If he had asked me to stand on my head and sing the alphabet I would have. What I do find odd is you showing up in my driveway to ask me questions about a bank robbery when you are not a police officer. In fact, I find it strange enough that I intend to report it to the actual police. If you don’t let go of my door I will be calling them right now.” She whipped out her cell phone.