Champagne Cream & Murder

by Susan Gillard

  "You could have made him sorry in a different way,” Heather said.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t,” Sabrina said.

  “Since you dated him so long, you must have known about his allergies,” said Heather.

  “Everyone knew about them,” Sabrina said. “But that doesn’t make everyone a killer.”

  Heather thanked her for talking to them.

  “I just can’t believe I’ll never have a chance to get back into his life,” Sabrina said. “We would have had such a lovely home together. I know the perfect decorator.”

  Checking Coat Check

  “Do you think Sabrina Winkle could have done it?” Amy asked. “She was mad at Ben.”

  "She wanted his money more than anything, and she wouldn't have an opportunity to get it with him dead,” Heather said. “But it’s possible that she was so angry at Ben and Kelly that she wanted to get rid of them.”

  “That sounds a lot like what Mr. Shellingsworth was saying was Kelly’s motive,” Amy said.

  “That’s true,” Heather said, frowning. “And we thought that it was off base then.”

  “But that’s also because Kelly seemed so in love with Ben, and we think he was too,” said Amy. “He bought an engagement ring.”

  "Nothing is fitting quite right," Heather said. "There are lots of possible suspects, but no one stands out right now."

  “I like Sabrina as a suspect,” Amy said. “She was mad at both people in the couple. Maybe she wanted to kill Ben and blame Kelly.”

  “Lester Wilton claims that he would never hurt B.W. Shellingsworth or his son,” Heather said. “But he’s the only person that Mr. Shellingsworth could come up with as a potential other suspect.”

  “And there is still a chance that it was Kelly who did it,” Amy said. “Maybe she was hoping that we would consider the death an accident. Maybe she’s been playing us all along.”

  “I think we should stop focusing on motive,” Heather said. “There are a few people with a motive to kill, but right it’s not helping us figure out who the killer is. I think we should focus on the lipstick.”

  “Murder makeup,” Amy agreed.

  “We need to figure out who had access to it. Who could have tampered with it?”

  “Kelly Catrin said nobody touched her purse at the party, and we didn’t see anyone being sneaky in Hope’s pictures of the night,” Amy said.

  “That’s right, but we haven’t investigated the coat check angle yet,” said Heather.

  “You think someone poisoned the lipstick when her bag was at the coat check?”

  “I think it’s worth looking into,” said Heather.

  "Please, call me Sally," the coat check girl said. "No one calls me by my name when I'm working, but when I'm answering questions about a murder, you should know my name."

  “Thank you for talking to us,” Heather said.

  “No problem,” Sally said. “I’m happy to do what I can. I’m guessing you want to talk to me because I saw people coming and going all night. You want to know if I saw anything suspicious.”

  “Did you?” Heather asked.

  “Mostly, it seemed like a regular party,” Sally said. “There were some people who had had too much champagne and couples giggling. There were some people who were difficult about checking their bags.”

  “I think we saw one of them,” Amy said. “Mrs. Shellingsworth was worried about her purse being stolen.”

  “Yes. I remember her. She was difficult. And there were a few other ladies too,” said Sally. “Part of me just wants to tell them – if you don’t trust me and the safe, don’t check your bag and get out of my face. But I just smile and try to be polite.”

  “But the suspicious thing?” asked Heather.

  “Oh. I saw this one woman with dark hair leaving. She looked furious and was muttering to herself about how pretty someone was and lipstick or something,” said Sally.

  "Sounds like the ex-girlfriend Sabrina,” said Amy.

  “What time did she leave?” asked Heather.

  “It was before midnight,” said Sally. “I remember thinking that it was funny that she wasn’t staying for the countdown. But she looked really upset too, so I figured maybe she felt she had to leave.”

  "Did that woman come up to the coat check at all?” Heather asked.

  “No,” said Sally. “I only saw her walking by.”

  Heather nodded. She needed to focus on who could have gotten to Kelly’s purse and lipstick now. “We’d like to know more about the safe and who could have gotten access to it.”

  “Nobody,” Sally said. “I’m the only one who can open the safe.”

  "No one else could have opened it?” asked Heather.

  “Now you sound like the ladies who didn’t believe they should check their bags,” Sally said. “I hang the coats over here and hand over tickets. I put any expensive items or purses in the safe. Myself and the mayor are the only ones who know the code. And he wouldn’t be breaking in to steal purses.”

  “It’s not theft we’re concerned about,” said Heather. “We want to know if anyone could have either tampered with or exchanged a lipstick tube from someone’s purse.”

  “Not once it was handed over to me,” Sally said. “I put it right in the safe. And I’m here working the whole night.”

  “What about if you need a break?” asked Heather.

  “If I have to leave for any reason, I lock the door too,” said Sally. “Nobody could get in here and mess with the items entrusted to me.”

  “So, you’re certain that no one could have gotten to someone’s purse here?” Heather asked one more time.

  “I’m positive,” Sally said. “I’m sorry if that blows a hole in one of your crime theories.”

  “It’s all right,” Heather said. “But I suppose that means that Kelly Catrin might have really done it. If no one else could have touched her lipstick that night, then she had to have done it.”

  "But why tell us that no one touched her purse?" asked Amy. "It's hurting her story by telling us no one else could have touched it. She should only have told us that if it's true."

  “I do remember having her purse here,” Sally said. “She and Mrs. Shellingsworth left their purses here together, and they picked them up together before midnight, and then Kelly brought them both back. Then Kelly ran back for her purse when everything went crazy. She said there was an EpiPen in there that she needed. I guess she didn’t get it in time.”

  “No, she didn’t,” Heather said.

  She wondered if this had all been an elaborate charade that Kelly Catrin had put on to get them to look for others suspects.

  Champagne Cream Questions

  “Lilly and Nicolas said that they had a wonderful New Year’s Eve with you as their babysitter,” Heather told Nina.

  “I think Dave and Nicolas had a good time too,” Nina said. “I’m really sorry. I couldn’t resist their adorable begging. I hope you’re not mad that I gave them some donuts.”

  “I can’t resist them myself,” Heather said. “And I think a donut sounds like a good idea.”

  Heather selected a Champagne Cream Donut and chatted with her assistants. Reaching what felt like a dead end in her investigation, she had come to Donut Delights to make sure that the New Year was starting off right.

  Luz reported that it had been slow in the morning, probably because so many people had been out late the night before, but that business had picked up during the day and it was doing splendidly now. She also reported that her family had great fun together and were looking forward to her bringing donuts home with her.

  Amy picked up a donut as well. “The only problem Champagne Cream Donuts is that they seem like a celebratory donut, and we haven’t reached the point in the case where we should be celebrating.”

  “You don’t have to eat it.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  They heard the door open and saw Bernadette.

  “Bernadette, come have a donut with us,” Amy cal
led.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Bernadette said. “I might take a page out of Oliver Twist, and after this one and ask for more.”

  Heather took preemptive measures and handed her fried two donuts.

  “How has your new year started off?” Bernadette asked. “Is what happened that night a murder? Are you investigating it?”

  “We are,” Heather said. “And I have to admit I’m feeling a little down about it. I had hoped that we’d be able to figure things out today. I know that’s ambitious, but tomorrow the victim’s father will make things more difficult for the current prime suspect. If she’s not guilty, then I want to clear her name.”

  “Do you think she is innocent?” Bernadette asked.

  “We thought so,” Heather said. “But now we’re not sure how anyone else could have tampered with the murder weapon. Someone put peanuts into her lipstick so that when she kissed him, he would have an allergic reaction. The question is whether she did it herself.”

  “Could someone have switched the lipstick tubes at the party or injected it with something then?” asked Bernadette.

  “That’s the trouble. No,” said Heather. “Her purse was locked up for most of the night.”

  “And we think the security was indeed secure,” Amy seconded.

  “And Kelly said nobody touched her purse when she did have it on her. We also went through pictures of the night’s event and didn’t see anyone near her bag,” said Heather. “But she put the same specialty shade lipstick on before she left for the party. She said she kissed her date earlier in the night and he had no reaction.”

  “So, you think that the lipstick had to be poisoned during the party?” Bernadette said.

  “Yes,” said Heather. “And that seems why it can’t be anyone else besides Kelly who is the killer.”

  "I see how this situation can be frustrating," Bernadette said.

  “Enough about us,” Heather said. “How did things go with Emmitt Woolsey? He looked like he was eager to dance with you.”

  Bernadette shrugged. “I’m not sure we have that much in common. I was hoping the midnight kiss might tell me if there were any potential sparks between us, but he got called away before the countdown.”

  “For what?” asked Heather.

  “To be an EMT,” said Bernadette. “This rich woman, actually it was Mrs. Shellingsworth, thought that she was having a heart attack. It turned out to be gas or something like that.”

  “Mrs. Shellingsworth was with the EMT right before Ben died?” Heather asked. “This seems like it’s important somehow.”

  “But how?” asked Amy.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Heather answered.

  She was still thinking about it when Eva and Leila entered, followed by Wally the Wonderful.

  "Heather, if you're willing, we've come to make some donuts disappear," Leila said.

  “Abracadabra,” Wally the Wonderful said.

  Heather invited them to sit down at her table. She went to the counter to pick up some more donuts, and Leila followed her.

  “I didn’t expect to see you with Wally the Wonderful anymore,” Heather remarked.

  “I know,” Leila said. “He's more wacky than wonderful, but he is a sweet man. I think he's lonely. I've decided to be his friend until I can find somebody who truly appreciates him.”

  Heather and Leila brought the donuts to the table and handed them out. Wally the Wonderful waved his hands over a donut and not-so-subtlety made it disappear by dropping it into his lap and yelling "tada!"

  The others focused on their donut snacks.

  A thought occurred to Heather. “Wally the Wonderful? You know about sleight of hand, don’t you?”

  “You did just see a donut disappear before your very eyes, didn’t you?” Wally asked.

  “But I do that every day,” Amy pointed out.

  “We have a problem,” Heather said. “Maybe as a magician, you could help us out. Suppose someone had an item like a lipstick tube.”

  “Or a watch,” Wally the Wonderful suggested.

  “I guess so,” Heather said.

  “I like watches,” Wally said.

  "Okay. So, suppose somebody had a watch. And a magician wanted it to say a certain wrong time. The watch owner saw the right time on their watch before they left for a party. While the owner was wearing the watch at the party, no one took the watch off her wrist at any point. And the owner of the watch had it locked in a safe a good portion of the night too. The magician doesn't have the code to the safe. How could the magician have changed the time?”

  Wally thought about it and then proved his adjective correct. “It was changed before the party then.”

  “But how could it…?” Heather trailed off. “You’re right. Thank you, Wally the Wonderful. You just helped lead us to the killer!”

  “Huh?” said Wally. “I mean, yes. Just like magic.”

  Throw the Book at Her!

  True to his word, Mr. Shellingsworth arrived at the police station early in the morning on January 2nd. He was accompanied by his wife and was looking just as livid and determined as he was during his first visit.

  Heather and Amy stood with Chief Chet.

  “I sure hope you’re right about this,” Chief Chet said.

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s just a matter of proving it,” Heather replied. “I think this is the way to do it though.”

  “Besides,” Amy said with a smile. “When have we ever let you down before?”

  Chief Chet nodded reluctantly and greeted the Shellingsworth couple.

  “It’s good to see, sir,” The chief said. “Regrettably, of course, that it is under these circumstances, but we always love seeing prominent members of the community.”

  “I don’t have time for chitchat,” B.W. Shellingsworth said. “I want to see my son’s killer locked away forever. I want her to waste away in misery. I want the gold digger to suffer.”

  “We prefer to think of things as seeing justice served,” Chief Chet said.

  “It will be when Kelly Catrin is found guilty,” Meg Shellingsworth said.

  “Let’s stop talking and move toward getting her bail denied,” B.W. Shellingsworth said.

  “Wait just a minute,” Heather said. “My partner and I still have a few questions for the suspect.”

  “I don’t want any more talking,” the grieving father said. “I want action.”

  “If you feel the same way about Kelly Catrin after we talk to her, I promise you that we will take action,” Heather said.

  Heather and Amy joined Detective Peters by the interrogation room. Chief Chet ushered Mr. and Mrs. Shellingsworth to the two-way mirror to watch the questioning.

  “This is very unorthodox, isn’t it?” Meg Shellingsworth asked.

  "These are unorthodox circumstances,” Chief Chet said. “And an unorthodox crime.”

  “It’s shaping up to be an unorthodox year,” Amy muttered.

  Detective Peters led the other two investigators into the interrogation room. Kelly was seated at the table again.

  “Miss Catrin, we have a few more questions for you,” Detective Peters said.

  “I don’t know what else I can tell you. I wish I knew who killed Ben,” she said. “I’ve been wracking my brain about it, but I can’t figure it out. This nightmare never ends.”

  “We’d like to ask a few more questions about your lipstick,” Heather said.

  “I didn’t know there was anything wrong with it,” Kelly said. “I would never have done anything to hurt Ben.”

  “You said that you were wearing lipstick earlier and kissed your date with no reaction. You say that no one touched your bag or lipstick at the party while you were holding it, and the rest of the time it was locked in a safe. A safe that guests would not be able to break into.”

  “That’s true,” Kelly said. “But I didn’t add the peanuts to it. It wasn’t me.”

  “Miss Catrin, can you take us through what you
did before arriving at the party?” asked Heather.

  “Well, it was a short day at work because of the holiday. Then I went home and got dressed for the party.”

  “You put your lipstick on then?” Heather asked.

  “Yes. All my makeup,” Kelly said. “Then Ben came over to pick me up. He brought me to his father’s so that we could all take a limo to the party. That way we wouldn’t have to drive home if we had too much champagne.”

  “Did you reapply your lipstick at the Shellingsworth house?”

  “I suppose I did once.”

  “And the next time you reapplied it?”

  “Right before midnight,” said Kelly. “In the ladies’ room when I saw you both.”

  “Was your purse ever unattended while you were at the Shellingsworth house?” Heather asked.

  “I guess I put it down,” Kelly said. “I didn’t think it was in any danger of getting stolen there. I wasn’t paying much attention to it until the party when Mrs. Shellingsworth said there were thieves.”

  “And how many people knew the color of your lipstick before the night of the party?” Heather asked. “You were going to have it specially ordered.”

  “I wasn’t keeping the color a secret,” Kelly said. “Both Ben and his parents knew what color I was going to wear. Mrs. Shellingsworth wanted to make sure that we wouldn’t clash when we arrived together at the party.”

  “Did she always take an interest in everyone’s clothes?” asked Heather.

  “I think so,” Kelly said. “She even suggested that Ben wear the suit he did. She wanted everyone to look nice for the party.”

  “Thank you very much, Kelly,” Heather said, rising from her chair. “I think we’re going to have this sorted out very soon.”

  Peters led the investigators out of the interrogation room, and they joined the people watching the conversation.

  “What’s going on here?” Mr. Shellingsworth asked. “Why aren’t we throwing the book at her?”