by Jessica Beck
After she was gone, I collected a few plates and mugs from the empty tables and put them into the sink, and as I walked back to the front, my foot hit a caramel candy wrapper on the floor by the register. I reached down to pick it up, and then—before I touched it—I realized it was the same brand that was discovered near Peg’s body. Since I’d done a good job sweeping the floor the afternoon before, I realized that one of my visitors this morning had most likely been the same person who’d been near Peg when she’d been murdered. My list of suspects was now firm, and it was down to Janice, Heather, Burt, and Marge. Unfortunately, I couldn’t eliminate any of them yet. But I knew in my heart that Peg’s killer had been in my donut shop that morning.
Now I just had to narrow the list down to one.
I wished Jake was still in town so we could discuss this latest development, not that I was a hundred percent sure he’d talk to me about the case even if he was here. Still, it would have been good having him around. I knew Emma would love to talk about it, but so far, I’d done my best to keep her out of my investigations, and if I could help it, I’d keep shielding her from the ugly side of life in our little North Carolina town.
By eight, George still hadn’t shown up, and that was beginning to worry me a little. I knew that George had a life of his own, but I still liked to see him spend part of his day with me at Donut Hearts.
I wondered where Grace was today, or where she was scheduled to be, at any rate. On a whim, I finally broke down and called her to see what she was doing.
Her phone went straight to voice mail, something odd for a woman who worked in sales and had to be accessible to her customers all the time.
It appeared that I was all alone in my sleuthing, at least for the moment.
Since business was slow half an hour before we were due to close, I grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil and started a list of my suspects, and why any one of them in particular would kill Peg. I had Janice and Heather down for money as a motive, Burt was listed for love, and Marge qualified for both motives. There weren’t many reasons anyone could justify killing someone else, in my opinion, but love and money were certainly at the top of the list.
I was doodling my thoughts on the page when the front door chimed and I looked up to see Chief Martin approaching. Before he could get to the counter, I flipped the pad over and hoped he hadn’t spotted my musings.
“Good morning, Chief. Did you come by for a donut?”
“No, but it’s not a bad idea. What’s good today?”
I couldn’t help myself as I said, “The lemon-filled ones are particularly nice.”
He frowned as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. How about a cinnamon cake donut and a small coffee instead?”
I nodded. “To go?”
“No, I’ll sit right here while I eat it,” he said.
In all the time I’d run Donut Hearts, the chief had never eaten a donut there on the premises. Something was going on.
As I delivered his coffee and donut, I asked casually, “How’s the investigation coming?”
He nearly choked on his donut, but somehow managed to swallow. “Do you really think I’m going to answer that?”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“Why ask, then?”
“It’s odd to have you eat here, not that all customers aren’t welcome at Donut Hearts.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes I like to shake things up.” After taking a bite of his donut and washing it down with coffee, he added, “Since I’m here though, you might be interested to know that we just cleared Janice Deal of the murder.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Why did we clear her, or why am I telling you?”
“Take your pick. I’d love to know the answer to both questions.”
The chief finished his donut, then stood up. “We cleared her because she had a tight alibi. I’m telling you this as a favor to your friend.”
Neither one of us had to say Jake’s name to realize that was who he meant.
“What was her alibi?” I asked.
“Don’t push your luck, Suzanne,” he said. “I’ll see you around.”
“I’ll be here,” I said to him as he left.
I would have loved to know what Jake had said to him, but I doubted he would tell me. And what was Janice’s alibi that so convinced them she was innocent? Since I didn’t know, I couldn’t very well verify it myself. For now, I was going to trust Jake and the chief, though the former more than the latter, and mark her off my own list.
That left Burt, Marge, and Heather as my main suspects.
I wondered if the chief knew Burt and Marge had just gotten married.
He was still out in his cruiser, talking to someone on the radio, so I was going to return the information favor.
I called out to Emma, “Back in a few minutes,” then darted out the door.
I tapped on his window, and I didn’t realize that he hadn’t seen me until I noticed his startled look.
As he rolled his window down, he said, “You almost gave me a heart attack. What do you want?”
“Did you know that Burt Gentry and Marge Rankin got married at midnight last night?”
He nodded. “I heard about it over at the courthouse. Judge Hurley said he thought it was kind of rushed, but they wanted to get hitched, and evidently Burt had arranged for the license last week. Marge was surprised, but she was happy enough to do it.”
“Do you think they’re really in love?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I think. What business is it of yours? Do you have something against marriage all of a sudden?”
“No, and you know that’s not it. I’m just surprised you’re letting two of your suspects leave your jurisdiction without even a fight.”
He said, “Don’t be so sure. Burt told me they were staying in town for their honeymoon, so I’ll be able to keep a close eye on them both. I’m aware of their motives in wanting Peg dead.” I must have looked startled by the confession, because he laughed, and then added, “You’d be amazed what all I know.”
“Did you know they were on their way to Hawaii?” I asked. “I talked to them thirty minutes ago. When did you see him last?”
“It’s been about two hours,” the chief said. “Suzanne, are you sure about that?”
“They made the plans right in the donut shop,” I said.
“I’d better go see what’s going on,” he said.
As he pulled away, I wondered if maybe the chief wasn’t as dull as I’d thought. From the sound of it, most of his list matched mine.
But that still left Heather.
If I was going to talk to her, now was the time. Soon enough, she’d be gone for good, and if she’d killed her aunt, most likely she was going to get away with it.
Back inside, I said, “Emma, it’s nearly noon, so I’m taking off. Just lock up and I’ll clean everything up when I get back.”
“Can’t we just close now?” There was a plaintive note to her voice, and I could tell she was disappointed.
“What’s going on? Don’t tell me you’re going to try to get Paul back.”
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Suzanne. I think I always knew in my heart that was doomed from the start.”
Still, there was something about the way she looked. “There’s somebody you’re not telling me about, though, isn’t there?”
“While you were on your break, the nicest guy came in. His name is Patrick, and he wants to be a doctor. He’s so sweet, Suzanne, you just wouldn’t believe it. He’s meeting me after work so we can get to know each other better.”
I thought about warning her about moving too fast, of falling in love before she knew what she was getting herself into, but I was her boss and her friend, not her mother. “Go on, take off. I can hang around till noon myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’d better go before I change my mind.”
She was out the door before I even finished talking.
I might as well have shut down when I’d sent Emma on her way. No other customers came in, and the phone didn’t ring.
I boxed up the remainder of the donuts, rinsed off a few things, then collected the carafe of coffee and carried everything toward my Jeep.
David Shelby approached me as I neared my vehicle.
“Can I give you hand with those boxes?” he asked.
“No, but you can get the passenger-side door for me.”
As he opened the door, he said, “I can’t believe you don’t keep this thing locked.”
I put the boxes in the seat and said, “Yeah, I know, because vinyl windows are such a good security system on their own.”
“You’ve got a point,” he said.
I closed the door, then asked, “Was there something you needed?”
He frowned, then said, “No, it’s not important. I don’t want to keep you.”
“I just closed up the shop. I have time for you right now.” I’d been wondering about the man since he’d first walked into my shop, so I wasn’t about to pass up on the opportunity to talk to him when he was in the mood. Heather was just going to have to wait.
I leaned against the grill and said, “So talk.”
He ran a hand through his hair, then said, “I just wanted you to know I’m not always this way around people.”
I pretended to study him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, unless you mean you’re aloof, cryptic, and just a little acerbic at times.”
That made him smile. “Okay, you got me. Honestly though, deep down, I’m a pretty good guy.”
“Why is it so important to you that I believe that?”
He looked down at his hands, then into my eyes. “I’m not sure. I’ve got this feeling that we’ve met before, but I don’t believe in déjà vu, do you?”
I said, “You know, I’ve had the same feeling about you since the first time you walked into my shop.”
“Maybe there’s something to it after all,” he said.
“I don’t know about that. Did you ever go to school around here when you were a kid? Did you visit April Springs growing up?”
He shook his head. “No, the closest I ever came was Camp Camelot up in West Virginia. It was a summer camp for kids—”
“—of Union Carbide employees,” I finished for him. “I was at the girls’ camp, Carlyle. I can’t believe you spent your summers on Blue Creek, too.”
“Four in a row, until we moved away. How about you?”
I grinned. “My grandfather worked for Carbide, so I got to go, too.” I studied him another moment, then said, “I think I danced with you one summer.”
“You know what? I think you’re right. That explains a lot.”
“I feel better about it, too.”
David smiled at me, then said, “Since you’re off work, do you want to go grab something to eat? We can hash over old times around the campfire.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” I said.
“I understand,” he said. “There’s somebody else, isn’t there? Of course there is. Why wouldn’t there be?”
“There’s just somewhere else I need to be.”
“So then you’re saying that there’s not somebody?”
“No, you were right. There’s somebody in my life right now. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. That’s a good thing. See you later, Suzanne.”
“Good-bye, David.”
I hoped I still had time to catch Heather before she left. I doubted I could get her to confess if she did it, but maybe I could make her sweat a little before she took off.
“Hi, Suzanne. What a surprise,” Heather said as I walked into Peg’s house. “I was just getting ready to leave.”
I looked around the living room and saw a lot of things boxed up and ready to go. There was a lot left, though. “What happens to all of this?”
“The Girl Scouts are taking care of it for me. I’m giving them a pretty nice donation, and they’re having a yard sale with everything that’s left. I’ve taken a few things with me, mostly sentimental stuff.”
I nodded. “Peg would have approved.” I unscrewed the top of the coffee carafe and asked, “Would you like some for the road?”
“Sure, that would be great. Just let me grab my travel mug. It’s in the other room.”
She went into the back bedroom, and I decided a little coffee would be nice as well. As I moved to a box near the kitchen in search of a mug, I inadvertently hit Heather’s purse, spilling its contents to the floor.
“What happened?” Heather asked pointedly as she came back into the room.
“I’m so clumsy,” I said. “I didn’t mean to knock over your purse. Sorry, it was an accident.”
I started to gather her things together when Heather pushed me aside. “That’s all right. I’ll take care of it myself.” She must have seen the expression on my face, because she suddenly asked me, “Suzanne, what’s wrong?”
“What? Oh, nothing. I just feel a little faint. I think I stood up too fast.”
“Let me get you some water,” she said as she moved into the kitchen.
There was a clear path out, and I started for the door. “That’s all right. I just need a little fresh air.”
“I don’t think so,” Heather said behind me. Her voice was calm and clear, but I could tell that something was wrong.
When I turned back to look at her, she was holding a knife on me.
CHAPTER 14
Heather was moving closer toward me as she asked, “You saw something in my purse, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, doing my best to sound believable.
Heather laughed. “Suzanne, you’re not that good an actress. You might as well tell me what you saw. Lying isn’t going to do you any good at this point.”
I couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to be caught just as I’d figured it all out.
“It was the candy,” I admitted.
“You’re kidding me, right? I don’t know many women who don’t have some kind of candy in their purse.”
“Not that particular brand of caramel,” I said. “I checked, and they don’t sell it in April Springs. I’m willing to bet you got it while you were away at college.”
“So what?” she said. “It’s not illegal to eat candy.”
“No, but it is incriminating. I found a wrapper near Peg’s body, and everybody knew her weakness was my donuts. This morning I found one at the donut shop, but I never linked them to you until I saw them in your purse.”
She shook her head. “So, you figured it out because I’m addicted to caramel. I don’t believe it.”
“There was a lot more to it than that,” I said. “You dyed your hair at Peg’s after you realized I’d spotted you at Marge’s when you were waiting for your aunt to come outside. I’m willing to bet that a lab will confirm that your hair was dyed red before the recent change. When you weren’t arrested right after the murder, you must have realized that I hadn’t seen your face, but that I could have easily seen your hair. That was pretty clever of you to dye it before you came to see me at the donut shop. Grace even found the box you used in Peg’s trash can, but we both just assumed it had belonged to Peg and not you. I didn’t think a thing about it when I saw that your hair tint matched hers perfectly. I just assumed it was genetic, and not out of the same bottle of dye.”
“Nobody else will get it.”
I said, “Don’t kid yourself. If I put it all together, the police are sure to be able to as well.”
“I doubt it,” she said. “By the time they make the connection—if they ever do—I’ll be gone. There’s not nearly as much here as I’d hoped, but I did manage to find Peg’s hiding place, so I’m not leaving empty-handed.” She took a banded stack of money from a hidden section in her purse and fanned the money with her free hand. “I thought for sure you saw this, and it would be a little hard to explain, given how broke Peg and I apparently were.
”
“You’re not going to kill me, are you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “If I were going to do that, you’d already be dead.”
There was something in her eyes that made me realize she was lying to me. I was going to have to fight for my life, or I’d never make it until sunset.
“Why me? I didn’t do anything to cause you to come after me, yet you’ve been hounding my steps for days.”
She laughed. “If you can believe it, I thought you were on to me. That’s why I started watching your house, but you never put it together, did you?”
“You were on my list,” I said, defending myself.
“With Peg gone, now you’re at the top of mine.”
“Did you bring the poison with you from school? It must not have been that hard to steal one of my donuts the morning I wasn’t at the shop, but the poison has me puzzled.” I had to stall her. Maybe someone would come back before Heather stabbed me. If anyone did, I had to be ready to act. I’d only get one chance, and I had to make it good. As I talked to Heather, a plan started to formulate in my mind. It was a long shot, but it was the only chance I had of getting out of this alive.
Heather said, “It was in her shed out back. You know how she felt about your lemon-filled donuts. It was the one thing I knew she couldn’t turn down, so I took one from her stash.”
“I still can’t believe you killed your own aunt. She was family.”
“Some family. I don’t have to tell you that my aunt was no angel. When I needed help with tuition, she turned me down, even though I knew she had money. Look at the way she dressed. And she didn’t have to work. She had time to run all of those charities. It wasn’t fair. I figured I’d just speed up my inheritance a little when it could still do me some good. When I slept over here a few months ago, I found her ledger in her office after she was asleep. I still can’t believe she tricked me like that!”
“I think she was lying to herself more than anyone else. She bought most of her clothing used,” I said, “and she was skimming off charity proceeds to finance her standard of living.”
Heather bit her lip, then said, “You don’t think I found that out as soon as I started really looking at her bank accounts and her credit card statements? I realized I’d made a mistake pretty quickly after I killed her, but by then, it was too late. I had to salvage what I could, so I took the jewelry and some of her nicer things, but I knew she had money squirreled away somewhere around here, and I was right.”
