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

by Cindy Bell

  “All right, well I think what you should do is lay low for tonight.” It went against every fiber of Eddy’s being to advise a confessed criminal not to turn himself in. But Eddy wanted to get inside Derek’s house first. He wanted to make sure that he had evidence that the man was involved in the robbery before Karl turned himself in. That way no one could dismiss the case without investigating Derek, which would hopefully lead to Charlie and then they could all be arrested. “In the morning, I’ll take you in to talk to a detective I know. Karl, you’ve gotten yourself into a bad situation, but you’re doing the right thing by telling the truth now. That should make you look good to the detective.”

  “I guess.” He nodded. “If I just keep my head down tonight, hopefully by the morning I’ll be on the road to being an honest person again.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Eddy eyed the man with what he hoped was sympathy. He didn’t actually feel much sympathy for him at all. He watched as Karl started to step around him towards the road. He paused at the last minute and turned back to Eddy.

  “Thank you.” He met Eddy’s eyes. “I mean that. I know it has to be a burden on you to know all of this.”

  Eddy’s cheeks flushed with heat. The hardness in Karl’s eyes was enough to make him wonder if Charlie was really the mastermind after all.

  “Anything I can do to help.” Eddy hoped that his words were convincing.

  Karl stared at him for a moment longer, then nodded. He continued down the path back towards the road. Eddy turned and watched as Karl disappeared into the darkness. Karl had sent a clear message. He knew who Eddy was, and he knew where he lived. Eddy suddenly had the unsettling thought that maybe he had gotten that information from Terry Carlil. But he knew that there were many sources that he could have got the information from. Eddy pulled out his cell phone and called Samantha. He wanted to make sure that she knew what they were up against.

  “Eddy, is it time already?” Samantha sounded sleepy. Eddy realized she must have been taking a nap in preparation for their covert adventure.

  “No, it’s not. But you won’t believe who I just had a visit from.”

  “Who?”

  “Karl.”

  “Karl Connell?” Samantha suddenly sounded wide awake. “What was he doing here?”

  “He came to me to confess that he was involved in the robbery, but he claimed that Derek and Charlie threatened him and his family if he didn’t help. He asked for help because he wants to turn himself in.”

  “Huh. Did you call Detective Brunner?”

  “Not yet. I told him to lay low until tomorrow.” Eddy didn’t mention that he didn’t trust Detective Brunner at this point to not interfere in the investigation. He didn’t trust him not to alert his superior to Eddy’s involvement either.

  “Eddy, I don’t think that was a good idea.”

  “Maybe not, but I want to get some solid proof that Derek was involved in this crime. If I don’t we might have a serious problem on our hands.”

  “As if we don’t already. I can’t believe he showed up there. Did he admit to knowing anything about the murder?” Samantha asked.

  “No, he said he had nothing to do with that and he knew nothing about it. He claimed that Charlie threatened his life and his family’s lives if he didn’t help with the robbery.”

  “Oh wow. So he’s trying to claim that he had no choice?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Hm. Well, I think the fact that a large chunk of his mortgage has been paid off recently indicates differently.”

  “I agree.” Eddy frowned. “I’m not sure what to think about Karl to be honest. What I do know is that we need to get this crime solved and fast, before it blows up in our faces.”

  Chapter 12

  Eddy was relieved when he met the others at Jo’s. He had been trying to think of a good angle to use on Karl ever since his visit, but he had yet to come up with one. He wanted Karl to admit that he was involved in the crime, not just because of force. If he did that and they could get the other two for the robbery as well and find out who the murderer was there would be a nice, neat case for Detective Brunner to solve. Presuming that Detective Brunner wanted to solve the case. He walked up to Samantha and Walt who stood outside Jo’s villa.

  “Where’s Jo?”

  “She’s on her way out.” Samantha tilted her head towards the door.

  “I heard you had a surprise visitor.” Walt squinted at Eddy. “Do you think he was telling the truth?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe a version of it.” Eddy shrugged. “He claimed that he had been injured by Derek. I don’t know though, something just feels very off.”

  “Well, I don’t see any evidence of him turning down those cash payments to pay off his mortgage, so I’d venture to say that he wasn’t just in fear of his life,” Walt said. “His pockets were being very well lined.”

  “Ready?” Jo stepped out of the front door. Eddy had to tighten his lips to keep from audibly gasping. It always shocked him a little when he saw Jo in her work clothes. Skin tight, and always black, the clothing left nothing to the imagination. Eddy had to remind himself that he had no business imagining anything to begin with.

  “Ready.” Eddy nodded.

  “How do you even carry any tools in that get up?” Walt openly surveyed Jo’s outfit.

  “Do you really want to know, Walt?” She smirked at him.

  “No, actually nope not at all.” Walt took a step back. Samantha covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter.

  “Let’s take Walt’s car.” Samantha glanced at her watch. “By the time we get there, Derek should have left. Hopefully we can get in and out without him ever being the wiser.”

  Eddy nodded. “That would be for the best.” He didn’t point out that so far nothing else had gone very smoothly in their investigation.

  The drive to Derek’s house was fairly short. Eddy did his best not to leave any evidence of his presence in Walt’s car. The man was very particular and would detect even a fingerprint with the naked eye, Eddy was sure of it. They parked a few houses down. Jo and Walt took a moment to review the plan that they had put together.

  “I’ll go in the window and let you in the back,” Jo explained the plan to Eddy as they climbed out of the car.

  “Remember, I’m going to text you if someone is approaching the house or if we see any lights turned on in the house.” Samantha frowned as she looked at the two. “Just make sure that you’re careful.”

  “Don’t worry.” Jo smiled at her. “We’ll be in and out before you know it.”

  “My phone is on.” Eddy patted his pocket. As they walked away from the car there was not much movement in the neighborhood. Everyone on the street slept peacefully with no idea that anyone was preparing to break into one of their homes, the home of a criminal. There was no car in the drive so they presumed that Derek was at work as expected. They walked around the side of the house to the window that Jo planned to make her entrance through.

  Jo checked the window thoroughly. Then she slid a thin, silver tool between the windowsill and the bottom of the window. Eddy watched with fascination as she slid the tool very carefully back and forth.

  “Why are you doing that?”

  “Sh.” She shot him a look of warning. “It’s to check for any alarm sensors.”

  “Oh.”

  Eddy watched as she slid the tool back out. She then reached up to the top of the window. She slid the tool between the glass and the frame of the window. With one swift movement she knocked the lock out of place. She placed her gloved hands on the glass surface of the window and eased it up. The window opened easily. Eddy was impressed. He had no idea it was so easy to break into a home. With the window open she gestured to him to be quiet. He nodded. She pointed to the back door, confirming that she would let him in the back door. He nodded again. There was no way he was climbing in the window.

  Jo swung her body right through the window. Eddy was impressed, again. She didn’t even fli
nch at the physical strain. He walked towards the back door. As he waited for her to open it he thought about what her life must have been like when she was an active thief. Sure it was wrong, but he could imagine the thrill. Being able to break into even the most secure buildings had to be a special kind of high for her. He was guilty of enjoying a few of his investigations a little too much because of the adrenaline that had pumped through his veins. He felt that again as he waited by the door. After another minute slid by he came to an unsettling realization. Jo was not going to the back door. She never had any intention of letting him into the house. She presumed that once she was inside Eddy wouldn’t risk going in after her and she was right, he wouldn’t risk it. He would certainly not be as discreet at entering the house as she was.

  Eddy moved back to the window and peered through it. He could see her shadow moving through the house. He was tempted to bang on the window to get her attention. But he didn’t want to risk alerting anyone to their presence. With each minute that passed by the more his fury built. He felt foolish for letting her get the upper hand. He was just about to find his own way in, when the back door swung open. Eddy braced himself for the risk that it might be Derek walking out the door. Instead, it was Jo. As soon as she was clear of the door, he confronted her.

  “What were you thinking?”

  “I told you I work alone.” Jo shrugged.

  “Jo, that’s too big a risk.” Eddy snarled at her. “Do you think that you don’t matter? Is that it? Do you not realize that if something had happened to you it would have been my fault?”

  Jo looked at him with wide eyes. “Eddy, just calm down, everything went fine.”

  “But it might not have.” He glared at her. “You shouldn’t be so reckless with your life, Jo. You have people who care about you, you know.”

  Jo blinked once as if she might not know what to say. Then she cleared her throat. “I’ll try to remember that.”

  “Good. And next time, I’ll be going in first.” Eddy sighed.

  “Sh!” She steered him further away from the house. As soon as they were far enough away she turned to face Eddy. “All that matters is the job was done.”

  “Was it? Did you find anything?”

  “Of course.” She held up a small camera to reveal a photo of what looked like a floorplan that had been crumpled up and then smoothed out. Eddy recognized it as a sketch of the layout of the bank and down the side it had opening and closing times. He was surprised that Derek had kept it. She scrolled to the next photo which was of black gloves that the robber most likely wore on the day of the robbery.

  “There’s no evidence from the murder?” Eddy asked.

  “Nothing that I could find.” Jo shook her head. “But hopefully these will make Detective Brunner investigate Derek’s involvement.”

  “I bet they will.” Eddy hoped that when he showed the photos to Detective Brunner it would convince him to investigate Derek, but he still didn’t know how he was going to explain to the detective how he got the photos. They made their way towards the car. Walt jumped out of the car and opened the door for Jo.

  “She got what we needed.” Eddy smiled with pride.

  “Great, now we can finally go to Detective Brunner, right?” Samantha met Eddy’s eyes.

  “Yes. Well, after one more thing.” Eddy cringed.

  “What?” Samantha and Walt both looked at Eddy with disbelief.

  “You wanted proof, now you have it. What more do you want?” Walt frowned.

  “I want the chance to find out where the rest of that money is. If we don’t figure out where the money is it might be gone forever,” he explained. “The moment we bring Detective Brunner into this, the moment that Derek is arrested, we lose all control. Derek and Karl could clam up and not give up Charlie. Or none of them may reveal where the rest of the money is.” He didn’t mention that he hoped in the process he might find evidence to prove who the murderer was.

  “Eddy, I admire your determination, especially when it comes to the money, but you may not be able to get proof of everything.” Walt started the engine of the car. “Is it really worth more risk for you to find it?”

  “Yes. I think it is.” Eddy paused a moment. “But we went into this as a team, so it’s not just my choice. If the three of you think we should go to Detective Brunner now, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “Listen, if this woman is as vicious as you describe, I think it’s worth going the extra mile to make sure she ends up behind bars.” Jo looked over at Eddy. “What’s the point of going to all of this trouble if we’re not going to get them all?”

  “She makes a good point.” Samantha nodded from the front seat. “I guess one more day won’t hurt anything.”

  “Keeping that money from making criminals rich is enough reason for me.” Walt smiled as he drove towards Sage Gardens.

  Chapter 13

  Eddy found it hard to sleep. His mind kept returning to those moments when he did not know what was happening inside the house. He had been so worried about Jo that it had been impossible for him to focus properly. As he lay awake in bed he struggled to piece together what he knew. After Karl visited him he was fairly sure that Charlie was in charge of everything. However, she had a few loose ends in Karl and Derek. Would she really leave them dangling? Eddy doubted it.

  He had the impression that Charlie was going to make short work of the men as soon as she felt safe enough to do so. If he didn’t intervene the only one that would end up alive and with all of the money would be Charlie and there would still be an unsolved murder. It was hard for him not to get up and call Detective Brunner as he hated the idea of withholding what he believed was actual proof. But he felt like he didn’t have much choice, waiting to try and bring them all down was really his only option. When the sun rose Eddy was still awake and restless. He decided it was time for him to speak to Derek about the robbery, maybe he would turn on Charlie. He called Samantha.

  “Eddy, are you awake already?” She yawned into the phone. “I feel like we just got back.”

  “If you want to sleep go right ahead, but I’m going over to Derek’s. Now that I know he is the bank robber I want to ask him a few questions.”

  “Do you really think that’s wise?” Samantha sounded nervous.

  “We’ll just have to be careful. That is if you decide to go with me.”

  “Of course I’m going with you!” Samantha insisted. “You’re not going alone. I need about twenty minutes.”

  “All right. I’ll pick you up.” Eddy was not as reluctant as he pretended to be. He enjoyed having Samantha along on the investigation. Eddy decided not to alert Walt or Jo. He would update them if they found anything.

  As he headed to Samantha’s to pick her up he recalled the way that Charlie had acted so confidently when she spoke to the two men she had worked with. The woman was not someone that would easily be caught. She was smart enough to pull off almost the perfect robbery and he suspected almost the perfect murder as well. He doubted that she was going to risk one of the two men working for her, turning on her. The chance for them to truly solve the crime was fading fast. Samantha seemed to understand the urgency as she hurried to the car. Once she was seated inside she barely had her seatbelt buckled before she started talking.

  “I did some more digging last night. I couldn’t sleep. I decided to try and find out if, and how, Charlie is tied to John Baker, the man who was killed. It turns out that they were a couple at one time.”

  “A couple?” Eddy glanced over at her.

  “And from what I found I don’t think he was involved in the robbery, I think he was their fall guy.”

  “I guess the relationship didn’t end well.” He drove out of Sage Gardens.

  “No, actually he had taken a restraining order out on her, and was filing a civil suit for harassment. Which is probably what made him the perfect target to take the fall for the bank robbery.”

  “Ouch, to think that she was once involved with someone a
nd now it looks like she murdered him. She has to be cruel.” Eddy steered the car down the street that led to Derek’s house. Since they had used Walt’s car the night before he hoped that they would not be noticed.

  “Well, it seems like there was a lot of bad blood between the two. I guess she figured that she could kill two birds with one stone.”

  “Hopefully, we can prevent that from happening and she’ll be punished. I think it’s clear that she orchestrated the murder. I would be very surprised if she didn’t pull the trigger herself.”

  “Clear to us, we just have to make sure that it’s clear to Brunner,” Samantha said. “Yes, I think we need proof.”

  Eddy parked the car a few houses away from Derek’s house. He gritted his teeth. “If he’s interested in proof that is.”

  “What are we going to do when he answers the door?”

  “We’re just going to knock and strike up a conversation. We’ll see what happens from there.”

  “Okay.” Samantha got out of her side of the car. She was already halfway up the walkway when Eddy caught up with her.

  “Remember, we need to be as casual as possible.” Eddy reached up and knocked firmly on the door. He waited a few moments. There was no sign of movement inside the house.

  “Maybe he’s not home?” Samantha raised an eyebrow.

  “Maybe.” Eddy knocked again. This time he hit the wood a little harder. When he did the door swung open about a foot.

  “Oops. It wasn’t locked?” Samantha took a slight step back.

  “Maybe Charlie already got to him.” Eddy frowned. “I better take a look. You wait here.”

  “Oh, no way, you’re not going in there without me.” Samantha stepped up beside him once more. Eddy frowned, but he didn’t want to take the time to argue. He knew that if there was any chance that Charlie had left Derek alive, he would need medical attention fast. Eddy pushed the door all of the way open and stepped cautiously inside. The interior of the house was dim as the curtains were drawn. Eddy moved slowly through the house with Samantha right behind him.