Chocolate Cake with a Side of Murder

by Meredith Potts

  “I was watching TV,” Mark said.

  “Was anyone with you?” David asked.

  “That part isn’t important,” Mark said.

  “It is to me,” David said.

  “Hey, you asked me the question and I replied. It’s not my fault if you don’t like the answer,” Mark said.

  “My personal feelings have nothing to do with this. The only thing I care about is the truth,” David said.

  “I just told you—”

  David cut Mark off. “Unfortunately, your story is only as believable as my ability to verify it. Which I can’t.”

  “Just because you can’t verify it doesn’t mean I’m not telling you the truth,” Mark said.

  “I understand that, but given your history with Rick, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t have my suspicions.”

  Mark snarled. “See. This is why people hate cops. You tell them the truth and they don’t believe you. This is crazy.”

  “Are you going to pretend that you don’t have a motive for killing Rick?”

  Mark shook his head. “What I’m telling you is that I didn’t kill Rick.”

  “Mark, we know about the car accident that you got into with him,” David said.

  Mark replied dismissively, “That was a few years ago.”

  “We also know about the lawsuit that Rick filed against you after the accident. And the settlement that he won.”

  “Why are you bringing all this up?”

  “Don’t play dumb. We are fully aware of how your wages are being garnished. That a portion of every dollar you make goes to Rick—until either you die, or he does,” David said. “So, with Rick dead, how could we not have suspicions about you?”

  Mark folded his arms. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I didn’t do it. You can either believe me or not. But my story isn’t changing.”

  ***

  Mark was true to his word. We lobbed a few more questions his way, but he didn’t budge. When it became clear that we were wasting our time interviewing him any further, we moved on.

  As David and I drove to the Southside of town to speak with the next suspect on our list, we blew off some steam by ranting about Mark.

  “For a guy who watches a lot of TV, he doesn’t seem to know the first rule of being interviewed by a police detective,” David said.

  “Yeah. It turns out that the more belligerent you become, the guiltier you look,” I said.

  “Exactly. If you want to come across as innocent, stay calm.”

  “I don’t think calm is a word in his vocabulary.”

  “No, but irate definitely is.”

  “I’ll say this. He sure had plenty of outrage for a man with no alibi.”

  “The question is, was Mark so angry because he’s guilty or because we wrongfully suspected him?” David asked.

  “That, I don’t have an answer to.”

  “All I know is that he didn’t do himself any favors back there.”

  “He sure didn’t. Although, after a tense interview like that, this is starting to feel more and more like the kind of murder case that we have investigated in the past.”

  “You mean, because it’s so infuriating that it makes you want to grab a dozen donuts at once?”

  “Exactly.” I looked around the car. “Speaking of, you don’t happen to have any donuts in here, do you?”

  He shook his head.

  I groaned.

  “Trust me. I share your frustration,” he said.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Nick Madsen was a brawny square-faced, brown-haired, blue-eyed, thirty-nine-year-old. His forehead wrinkled as he stared at David standing on the porch of his red-brick rental townhome.

  “I have to admit, I’m confused,” Nick said.

  “About what?” David asked.

  “What you’re doing here,” Nick said.

  “I just told you. Valerie and Rick Olson are dead.”

  “I’m very sorry about that,” Nick said. “But it doesn’t explain why you’re talking to me.”

  David’s eyes widened. “Really? You need me to explain that to you?”

  “What are you looking at me like that for? I didn’t know that Rick was dead until you just told me,” Nick said.

  “Mr. Madsen, please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”

  “I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m honestly stumped as to why you’re here.”

  I folded my arms. “I find that hard to believe. Especially since you’re out of a job because of Rick.”

  “Wait a minute. You don’t think I might have had anything to do with their deaths, do you?” Nick asked.

  “We’re here because we need to explore every possibility,” David said.

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “That wasn’t a no.”

  David kept an even keel as he replied, “There are certain protocols with my job. I need to ask you some questions. Depending on your answers, we could be out of your hair in no time.”

  Nick gave David a wary look. “What sort of questions?”

  “For example, where you were the last two evenings,” David said.

  “Let’s see. Last night I was watching the Marauders game,” Nick said.

  “And the night before?”

  “I went out for a run, then shot some pool.”

  “Can you provide me the names and phone numbers of anyone who can corroborate that?” David asked.

  Nick’s eyebrows rose. “Wait. You don’t believe me?”

  “I didn’t say that,” David replied.

  “No, but it was implied. I mean, unless you had your doubts, why else would you ask if I had someone who can verify my whereabouts the last two evenings?” Nick said.

  “This is just part of my job. If you don’t like my questions, you’re welcome to go to the station and lodge a complaint with the police chief. Although, I have a feeling that you’d rather conduct this interview right here,” David said.

  “Hey, don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with you asking me questions. I just think you’re wasting your time.”

  “You’d be surprised how often we hear that.”

  “I can’t speak for everyone else. What I can say is that there’s someone else you should really be talking to right now. Her name is Erin McDowell,” Nick said.

  “Mr. Madsen, why are you trying to change the subject on us?” David asked.

  “I’m not.”

  David folded his arms. “Come on. We’re not stupid.”

  “I never said you were,” Nick replied.

  “True. Instead, you’re just treating us like we’re morons.”

  Nick shook his head. “No. I’m just trying to point you in the right direction. Besides, if anyone should be bent out of shape, it’s me. You’re treating me like a criminal.”

  “Those are your words, not mine. We’re just trying to get some answers,” David said.

  “Then Erin is the person you should be talking to,” Nick said.

  “Fine. If you’re so insistent about throwing Erin under the bus, I’ll hear you out. Why should we speak with her?” David asked.

  “Because she’s in love with Rick,” Nick said.

  “How do you know that?”

  “She didn’t exactly hide it. Besides, anyone who saw the way she looked at him would know exactly how she felt.”

  David’s nose scrunched. “By that logic, if she cared so much about him then why would she kill him?”

  “Because she couldn’t have him all to herself. She kept trying to get him to leave his wife for her, but he turned her down.”

  “Wait a minute. Are you saying that Erin and Rick were having an affair?”

  Nick shook his head. “No. But they used to date.”

  David squinted. “How long ago was this?”

  “A few years back. Right before Rick got together with Valerie,” Nick said.

  “Interesting,” David said.

  “That’s not all. Rick actually broke u
p with Erin to start dating Valerie,” Nick said.

  “And after all this time, Erin was still into Rick?” David asked.

  “Oh yeah. She never truly got over Rick dumping her,” Nick said.

  “Thank you for that insight. We will pay Erin a visit,” David said. “Now, back to you.”

  Nick’s eyes widened. “Why? There’s no reason to go back to me.”

  “I disagree,” David said. “You’re not exactly absent of motive.”

  “I think it’s an exaggeration to say that I had a reason to commit murder.”

  “I don’t. Rick fired you from the tour company. That sounds like a solid motive to me.”

  “That was six months ago.”

  David shrugged. “Why does it matter how long ago it took place?”

  “Because if Rick firing me really made me angry enough to want to kill him, why wouldn’t I have done it right after he let me go? Why wait six months?” Nick asked.

  “Maybe it took you that long to come up with a plan that you were satisfied with,” David said.

  Nick scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I could ask the same thing of you.”

  “Hey, I’m the only one being rational here.”

  “By the way, what are you doing for work right now?” David asked.

  Nick looked away. “I’m between jobs.”

  “After all this time?” David said.

  “I just haven’t found the right position.”

  “That’s a long time to be unemployed. And a lot of bills piling up. That’s not even counting all the resentment you must feel,” David said.

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “Those are your words, not mine.”

  “If I spent eight years of my life giving sightseeing tours of the area and my boss fired me, I’d have plenty of resentment,” David said. “Especially if six months later, I was still out of a job.”

  “This is crazy,” Nick said. “I didn’t kill Rick.”

  “It’s a shame you have no way of proving your innocence,” David said.

  “Yeah? Well you don’t have any way of proving that I’m guilty either,” Nick said.

  We kept speaking with Nick a little while longer, but we didn’t get anywhere.

  ***

  On the drive over to Erin’s place, the interview that David and I had just finished with Nick was still very much on our minds.

  “He was sure quick to point the finger of blame at Erin, wasn’t he?” I said.

  “Yeah. It kind of makes you curious as to why,” David said.

  “I can think of two possible reasons. Either he really believes that Erin is guilty—”

  “Or he was afraid of us finding out that he isn’t as innocent as he led on.”

  “Exactly.”

  “From what Nick told us, Erin certainly has a motive,” David said.

  “Except, how much can we really trust what Nick said?” I asked.

  “That is yet to be determined,” David said.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I just hope that our interview with Erin will be more productive than the one we just finished.”

  “I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

  “Trust me, I won’t.”

  “Good. Because I have a feeling that you’d end up blue in the face.”

  “You’re probably right,” I said. “So, what do you think the chances are of Erin throwing Nick under the bus?”

  David didn’t hesitate to reply, “Ninety-nine percent.”

  My eyebrows raised. “Wow.”

  “I’m just being honest.”

  “I know that. I was just surprised that you didn’t say a hundred percent.”

  “At this stage of the investigation, I am only completely sure of two things. First, that the killer is still out there. And second, that I can’t rest until I find them.”

  “Fair enough. Although, there’s one more thing that I’m certain of.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “That now would be a good time to have a box of donuts around.”

  He shook his head. “You just had to bring up donuts, didn’t you?”

  “Don’t blame me. You’re the one who got me craving them in the first place.”

  “Guilty as charged.” He groaned. “Unfortunately, we’re nowhere near a donut shop.”

  “Maybe if this next interview goes well, we can pick up some celebratory custard creams.”

  David’s eyes lit up. “It’s time to cross your fingers.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Erin McDowell was a wavy-haired forty-seven-year-old with a square face and a full figure. David and I spoke with her in front of the entrance to the tour company she worked at.

  “What an awful time,” Erin said. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “It has certainly been a difficult few days,” David said.

  “I imagine. I don’t envy the position you’re in, having to figure out whoever was behind this.”

  “You seem really broken up by the news.”

  “Of course, I am. Valerie was a doll. Everyone loved her,” Erin said.

  “How about Rick?” David asked.

  “It’s heartbreaking what happened to him too.”

  “I agree. They deserved better. But we are determined to get justice for them,” David said.

  “I’m sure you are,” Erin replied.

  “Speaking of, I was hoping you could help with that,” David said.

  “Sure. Anything you need. What can I do to assist you?” Erin asked.

  “You can start by telling us where you were the last two nights,” David said.

  “Okay. Last night I came home from work, heated up some dinner in the microwave, and then spent the rest of the evening reading before heading off to bed.”

  “And the night before?”

  “I did some yoga, took a bath, and watched some TV.”

  “Was anyone with you on either of those nights?”

  “No,” Erin said. “Why do you ask?”

  David held out pad of paper. “I need that information for my official report.”

  “Oh. How is the investigation going, by the way?” Erin said.

  “It’s coming along,” David said.

  “Do you think you’ll have whoever is responsible for this in custody soon?”

  “That depends.”

  Erin scrunched her nose. “On what?”

  “How cooperative everyone is,” David said.

  “Well, like I told you, I’ll give you all the help I can.”

  “If that’s true then there’s something else I’d like to ask you,” David said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Do you have any idea who might be behind these murders?”

  Erin shrugged. “I have no clue.”

  David’s eyebrows arched. “Really?”

  Erin squinted. “You looked surprised by my answer.”

  “I am.”

  “Why?”

  “Because other people we have spoken to have not been so shy about pointing fingers,” David said.

  “They must know more than I do, then,” Erin said.

  “Actually, one person in particular seems to think that you’re the key to all of this.”

  Erin scoffed. “I don’t know where they are getting their information from, but they are mistaken.”

  “That’s not what they said,” I replied. “They were actually really adamant about us coming to talk to you.”

  Erin remained calm. “I’d like to say I’m surprised.”

  “But you’re not?” I asked.

  Erin shook her head. “No. Let me guess. Nick Madsen was the one who pointed the finger of blame at me.”

  David nodded. “As a matter of fact, he did.”

  Erin shook her head. “It figures.”

  “Why?” David asked.

  “Nick has had it out for me ever since I rejected him,” Erin said.

  “Wait. Nick was interested in you romantically?”

/>   “Oh yeah. He has a huge crush on me.”

  I laughed.

  Erin’s nose crinkled. “What’s so funny?”

  “Just that Nick told us we needed to speak to you because you’re in love with Rick, and now you’re telling us that Nick’s opinion is biased based on the unrequited crush that he has on you,” I said.

  “Look. I know it just seems like we’re pointing fingers at each other—” Erin started to say.

  I interrupted her. “Let me guess. Here comes the part where you tell us that you’re trustworthy and Nick is not.”

  “I’m telling you the truth. Nick hasn’t been able to get over the fact that I’m not interested in him,” Erin said.

  “How about you? Are you going to tell us that you weren’t romantically interested in Rick?” I asked.

  “I wasn’t. We broke up years ago,” Erin said.

  “And you’re completely over him?” I asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Why should we believe you?”

  “Because I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Say you are,” David replied. “There’s another reason to be suspicious of you.”

  Erin’s eyebrows knitted. “What are you talking about?”

  “The promotion that you were after. That you believed you deserved. That ended up going to Rick instead,” David said.

  Erin scoffed. “Come on. I wouldn’t kill Rick over a promotion.”

  “I’ve seen people killed over less,” David said. “After all, you’ve been working at the tour company four years longer than Rick. Why wouldn’t you be upset over him getting the promotion?”

  “I already told you, I had nothing to do with Rick’s death—”

  David interrupted her. “Yes. We heard you before. The question is, why should we believe you?”

  Erin opened her mouth to reply, but David kept speaking.

  “You don’t have an alibi for either of the last two nights. And, after being passed up for a promotion, there is a cloud of suspicion hanging over you.”

  “I understand why you’d have a difficult time believing me. All I can say in my defense is that I’m innocent,” Erin replied.

  “You don’t have any more to give us than that?” David asked.