Chocolate Cake with a Side of Murder

by Meredith Potts

  I had not done that investigative work for fame, or for glory. To me, it was all about justice being served. For that reason, I tried to throw this reporter off my scent.

  “Are you sure you’re talking to the right person—?”

  April folded her arms. “Sabrina, come on. I’m an investigative reporter. I know I’m talking to the right person.”

  “Why don’t you go speak with Detective David Carlson? He’s the one who put those killers behind bars.”

  She chuckled. “You know, I heard that you were humble, but I wasn’t expecting this level of humility.”

  “I just think you’d probably get more out of speaking with the detective.”

  “I disagree. I know about all the investigative work you’ve done.”

  “Okay, so I help the detective sometimes—”

  April threw out her arms. “Why don’t you take the credit that you deserve? You’ve certainly earned it.”

  I held my pointer finger up. “This story you’re doing. What’s it about?”

  “Your amazing exploits. How you’ve saved this town from over half a dozen killers.”

  I blushed. “Look. Don’t get me wrong. I’m really flattered, but aren’t there bigger stories that you could be telling right now?”

  She didn’t hesitate with her response. “No. This, to me, is the biggest story in town.”

  “So, what do you want from me exactly?”

  “I just want to ask you a few questions. Like, how does it feel to help put a killer behind bars? Things like that.”

  I bit the corner of my lip. “You know, I’m not really comfortable being the center of attention.”

  “Sabrina, I’m going to be honest with you. This story is going to run in the paper whether I have your input or not. Don’t you want the chance to tell your side of the story?”

  I took a deep breath. “When you put it that way, yes.”

  “Good,” April said. “So, do you have a few minutes to talk to me?”

  ***

  I walked behind the counter and fired up an espresso for both April and I. From there, I took a seat at a table and answered April’s questions for the better part of an hour. Thankfully, it was painless interview.

  Although, I was happy when it was over. Not only because I didn’t enjoy talking about myself, but also because my craving for truffles had increased exponentially.

  I got up from the table, intent on heading over to Mitchell’s Bakery.

  Unfortunately, before I got the chance to sink my teeth into a truffle, I received a phone call from David that changed the entire course of my day.

  Chapter Five

  “There has been a murder,” David said.

  So much for my pleasant morning. All my daydreams about chocolate instantly faded as David relayed the bad news over the phone.

  A shiver went down my spine as David’s words sunk in.

  Unfortunately, the chills kept coming when David opened his mouth again. It turned out the victim wasn’t just some random stranger.

  Instead, the deceased was Valerie Olson. As in, the wedding planner from Kelly’s nuptials. I couldn’t believe it.

  Shock waves reverberated through my body, causing me to lose my breath for a moment.

  When I was finally able to restore my breathing to normal, I hopped into my car and drove over to the Olson residence.

  I made a right turn onto Sycamore Street and saw half a dozen squad cars parked in front of the Olson’s light-blue Victorian-style house. The medical examiner’s van was parked in the driveway. The area had been cordoned off with yellow police tape.

  I called David and he came out of the house to meet up with me. From there, he led me into the Olson’s living room where Valerie’s dead body was on the ground. All I had to do was take one look at the stab wound in her back to know her cause of death. I immediately turned away as the sight of her body was just too much for me to stomach. What a heartbreaking scene.

  ***

  After speaking with the medical examiner, David and I interviewed Valerie’s husband, Rick Olson.

  Rick was a hazel-eyed, trim-figured, square-faced, clean shaven forty-one-year-old who was wearing a fishing vest and a floppy hat.

  “Mr. Olson, will you please walk us through what happened?” David asked.

  Rick grimaced. “I have no clue how this occurred.”

  David held his hand up. “I meant, can you detail the events leading up to you finding your wife’s body?”

  “Oh. Right,” Rick said. “There isn’t really much to tell you. When I got home this morning, she was already dead.” He got choked up. “This is so awful.”

  David’s nose crinkled. “Wait a minute. Take a step back. What do you mean, when you got home? Where were you before you found the body?”

  “I have been out of town the last few days,” Rick said. “I just returned to Treasure Cove this morning.”

  “From where?” David asked.

  “Watson Lake.”

  David pulled a pad and a pen from his pocket and scribbled a note down. “What were you doing there?”

  Rick pointed to his vest. “Can’t you tell? I was fishing.”

  “Did you go on this fishing trip alone?”

  Rick shook his head. “No. Three of my good friends came with me.” His forehead wrinkled. “Why are you even asking me this? Shouldn’t you be focusing on Valerie right now?”

  “Mr. Olson, when investigating a case like this, it is important to be thorough,” David said. “Now, when you came home, you found your wife’s body on the ground, correct?”

  Rick nodded. “I walked in, saw that the place was trashed, ran into the living room, and spotted Valerie’s body on the ground. I rushed over to see if she was still breathing, but she wasn’t.”

  “When you arrived home, did you happen to see anyone else around?” David asked.

  Rick shook his head.

  “Did you hear anything suspicious?”

  “No,” Rick said. “The burglar who did this was clearly long gone by the time I got home.”

  “What makes you so sure that a burglar did this?” David asked.

  Rick threw his arms out as he scanned the room. “Look around. The place is completely trashed.”

  “That doesn’t mean that a burglar was responsible for this,” David said.

  “Who else would have done this?” Rick asked.

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out,” I said.

  “You’ve had a chance to look around. To your knowledge, has anything important been stolen?” David asked.

  “Well, Valerie’s purse is gone,” Rick said.

  David wrote another note on his pad of paper. “Anything else missing?”

  “Other than that, no,” Rick said.

  “Did your wife keep anything valuable in her purse—?”

  Rick cut David off. “Her wallet, phone, and credit cards. Plus, some cash.”

  “I meant, other than those obvious things?” David asked.

  “Not that I know of,” Rick said.

  David looked around the room. “You don’t have a security system here, do you?”

  Rick shook his head.

  David groaned. “That’s unfortunate.”

  “Look. I didn’t think we needed one. This is a good neighborhood,” Rick said.

  “Most people don’t think they need a security system until it’s too late,” David said.

  “Are you trying to make me feel even worse? I already feel bad enough about my wife being murdered without you piling on me,” Rick snapped.

  “You’re right. My apologies. I’m just very frustrated,” David said.

  “How do you think I feel?” Rick asked.

  “Awful,” I said. “Which is why we are determined not to stop until we find out who did this.”

  “Good,” Rick said.

  “To that point, I can’t help but notice something very odd about this living room,” I said.

  Rick squinted. “W
hat are you talking about?”

  “The number of antiques in this room really stand out to me,” I said. “Not to mention that big-screen TV over there.”

  Rick shrugged. “What do they have to do with anything?”

  “Burglars don’t often pass up taking big-ticket items like these. So, the fact that the only thing missing is your wife’s purse makes me question whether this was the work of a random thief,” I said.

  “But wait. If you don’t think a burglar did this, then who do you think is responsible for my wife’s murder?” Rick asked.

  “Was Valerie having problems with anyone?” David asked.

  “No,” Rick said.

  “So, she wasn’t having difficulties with anyone from work or in her personal life?” David asked.

  Rick shook his head. “No. Everyone loved her.”

  “How about you two? Was everything going well in your marriage?” David said.

  “Absolutely. And I’m offended that you would even suggest otherwise,” Rick said.

  “I know these are uncomfortable questions but I need to ask them,” David said.

  Rick scoffed. “Come on. You don’t really think I could have done this, do you?”

  “I didn’t say that. All I know is that someone killed her and I have to cover all the bases,” David said.

  “I had nothing to do with Valerie’s death,” Rick barked.

  “Did your wife have a life insurance policy?” David asked.

  “No.”

  “That’s rather odd, isn’t it?”

  “Not really. We were both in our early forties and completely healthy,” Rick said.

  “No security system, no life insurance policy—”

  Rick cut David off. “Clearly, we both thought we were much safer than we really were. Obviously, I was wrong. But I didn’t kill Valerie. I loved her with all my heart. So much so that I want you to find out who did this and make them pay.”

  “In that case, can you think of a single person who wanted her dead?” David asked. “Anyone at all?”

  Rick shook his head.

  David grimaced. “That doesn’t really help us.”

  “Maybe not, but it’s the truth.” Rick got choked up again. “Now, are we done here? I would really like to be able to grieve.”

  “Before we let you go, I’m going to need the names and phone numbers of the friends you went on that fishing trip with,” David said.

  Chapter Six

  David stepped off to the side and gave Rick’s fishing buddies a call to see if his alibi checked out. Normally, I would have waited patiently in the living room until David was done, but I just couldn’t stomach being around Valerie’s body for even one second longer.

  I headed outside to get some fresh air. Despite all the investigations that I had taken part in, I was just as uncomfortable as ever around dead bodies. Especially when the deceased happened to be someone that I knew. Granted, Valerie and I had only spoken a few times, but she had been very kind to me. By all accounts, she was a good person and a loving wife. She deserved a much better fate than this. So why did her life come to such a tragic end? I didn’t have an answer to that. At least, not yet.

  Thankfully, being outside and away from the crime scene for a few moments was enough to make the queasy feeling in my stomach go away. Instead of turning around and going back inside, I stood on the Olson’s front lawn and stared off into the distance. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to clear my head.

  A few minutes later, David came outside and joined me on the lawn.

  “Rick’s story checks out,” David said.

  I exhaled. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “You sound disappointed.”

  “Frustrated is more like it,” I said. “I mean, aren’t you?”

  “Rick did give me three different names of people who could verify his alibi. If they weren’t going to check out, I doubt he would have been so eager to share them with me.”

  “You’re probably right. Although, sometimes people have flimsier alibis than they seem to think.”

  “True. After all, if there is one thing I’ve learned during my time as a detective, it is that you never know what might happen.”

  “Especially when talking to potential suspects.”

  “Or when trying to confirm an alibi. Sometimes, all it takes is the slightest deviation in a person’s story to blow a case wide open.”

  “And other times, you end up back at square one. Is it any surprise why I’m frustrated?” I asked.

  “I guess not,” David said.

  I squinted. “When you say that you were able to verify Rick’s alibi, did the stories of each of his fishing buddies completely match up?”

  David nodded. “They all told me the same thing.”

  My eyebrows rose. “Wait. Using the exact wording?”

  “Sabrina, I know what you’re getting at—”

  “If they all used the same wording, it’s not crazy to assume that they were reciting a staged alibi.”

  “True, but they didn’t use exactly the same wording. They all just said they were on a fishing trip together. I didn’t even get the slightest sense that I was being fed a pre-planned alibi,” he said.

  I became deflated. “Oh.”

  “Look. I know that with a case like this, it’s easy to suspect the husband, but all signs are pointing to Rick being innocent,” David said.

  “I understand.”

  “Then why do I get the sense that you believe something different?”

  I bit the corner of my lip. “My instincts are telling me that there is something strange going on with him.”

  “Such as?” David asked.

  My face strained. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I have a very strong feeling in my gut about him.”

  “What about him, exactly?”

  “I wish I could give you details, but I can’t.”

  “You know I need more to go on than that, right?”

  “David, my instincts are rarely wrong.”

  “On a personal level, I don’t disagree. But on a professional level, I require some evidence to work with.”

  “How about you?” I asked. “Don’t you feel like there’s something suspicious about Rick?”

  “I admit—I have my doubts about Rick. But it’s hard to argue with an ironclad alibi,” he said.

  “I’m not talking about what we can prove. I’m asking you if you think he is completely clean.”

  David took a deep breath. “It is rather curious that he couldn’t name a single person who might have wanted his wife dead.”

  “I thought that, too. I mean, when was the last time we investigated a murder and the victim didn’t have any enemies?”

  “To the best of my recollection, that’s never happened.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Maybe Valerie was really as well-liked as Rick said she was,” David replied.

  “You say that, but clearly someone didn’t want her around anymore.”

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, but the fact that Valerie didn’t seem to have any enemy’s plays into the burglar-turned-deadly theory.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Come on. Do you really think that was the work of a burglar?”

  He shook his head.

  “Neither do I. Thieves don’t leave that many valuables around,” I said.

  “There were a lot of antiques in there.”

  “Besides, if this was the work of a burglar, wouldn’t they have just shot Valerie instead of stabbing her?”

  “I can’t argue with that either.”

  “Good. Arguing is overrated.”

  “You know what’s underrated? Being handed a nice, simple, open and shut investigation,” David said.

  I laughed. “Now you’re just dreaming. That never happens.”

  David exhaled. “You’re right. That sort of thing only happens in the movies.”

  I gritted my teeth. “This is definitely not the movies.�
�

  “You don’t have to remind me of that. If this was a film, we’d get this whole case solved in ninety minutes.”

  “And don’t forget the guaranteed happy ending.”

  “Right. How could I forget that?”

  “Unfortunately, I get the feeling that this case is going to take a lot longer than ninety minutes.”

  “Especially since we don’t have any suspects.”

  “At least, not at the moment.”

  David stared deep into my eyes. “Sabrina, what’s on your mind?”

  “Rick couldn’t think of anyone who was having problems with his wife, but maybe Valerie’s best friend will be able to provide us with a little different perspective on the matter,” I said.

  Chapter Seven

  Linda Wentz’s blue eyes filled with tears as David revealed the news of Valerie’s death to her. I had difficulty looking at Linda’s square face without getting worked up myself. It was a good thing Linda was already sitting down when David told her the news. Otherwise, her lean body might have collapsed right in front of us.

  I had been incorrect in reading people’s emotions before, but in this case, I was certain that Linda’s tears were real. She wasn’t just putting on an act. She was genuinely heartbroken. That made the conversation even harder. David and I needed information from her. That would not be an easy task with her in such emotional disarray.

  David and I gave her some time to process the news. When Linda stopped crying, David got down to investigative matters.

  “I’m really sorry for your loss. I know this is a very tough time for you,” David said.

  “Devastating is more like it,” Linda said.

  “I understand,” David said. “And while I’d like to be able to just let you grieve, there are a few things I would like to ask you first.”

  “Oh. Okay. Like what?”

  “Valerie did not die of natural causes. Someone killed her. And whoever is responsible for her death is still out there.”

  “Right. Do you have any idea who might have done this to Val?”