Donuts, Delights & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 1
Page 7
“You were afraid we could,” said Heather. “That’s why you came out here to check. You needed to make sure that the tool you used didn’t leave a mark that could be tied back to you. You weren’t sure quite what Percy Covens did to fix the unit, and you had to be certain you couldn’t be implicated.”
“And why would I want Percy to come back?”
“You were in love with him,” Heather said. “All those calls from the burner phone must have been to you. You two were trying to be discreet about your relationship.”
“I don’t have to stay here and listen to this,” Delilah said.
Heather was stalling now. She thought the police would have arrived on the scene by this point.
"You thought it was to avoid gossip on the street," she said. "However, for Percy, it must have been because he didn't think it was serious. It must have hurt you very much when you found out that he was engaged."
That caused Delilah to say, “How could he do that to me? I thought we were in love. Then he started ignoring me. And then, I find out that he went away with another woman. I needed him to come back. I was sure if he saw me again, he’d remember what we had.”
“But instead he told you he was getting married,” said Heather. “He wanted to end things permanently.”
“So you decided to end him permanently,” Amy chimed in.
“You visited him that morning,” said Heather. “No one noticed you going there because you were both used to sneaking around to meet each other without being noticed. The only one who was suspicious of your affair was Bernadette. Is that why you decided to frame her?”
“I wanted to implicate you with the donuts, but that didn’t work,” she said. “I thought the police would be suspicious of the new people like Mr. Rankle was. I didn’t know you were private detectives.”
"You took Percy's phone after you poisoned him so you could delete your conversations," said Heather. "And then you placed it in the bookshop so they would think Bernadette was the killer."
“How did you know it was me?” Delilah asked.
“The crumbs that you used to try and implicate us,” Heather said. “We handed out many donuts, but then I remembered that you took two. I started to wonder if you had taken two so you could give one to your lover. You were planning on seeing him because you knew he’d be back to fix what you had broken.”
“That’s not proof though,” said Delilah.
“That’s true,” said Heather. “But I realized that whoever broke the unit would most likely return if we started a rumor that the police were going to find evidence to catch the killer from it.”
“Well,” Delilah said. “I guess I’m going to have to make sure that you don’t get the chance to tell anyone about this.”
She quickly opened her duffle bag and revealed heavy bolt cutters. She moved towards them, ready to swing when someone else told her to freeze.
Detectives Smith and Peters were on the scene. They easily subdued Delilah, and Peters lead her away while reading her rights to her.
“Took you long enough,” Amy said.
“It figures she would arrive the moment we decided to check the unit on the inside,” Detective Smith said. “You did a good job keeping her talking though.”
“Thank you,” Heather said.
He nodded and went to join his partner.
“I’m glad this is over,” Amy said. “What do you want to do now?”
“Well,” Heather said. “First thing tomorrow…”
18
Sand Under Her Feet
Heather finally was able to set up her beach chair and enjoy some time in the sand. She was joined by all her friends and family, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“So you two finally get some time to relax?” Jamie asked them.
"Yes," Heather smiled. "The killer was caught, and justice was served. Even if she hadn't confessed and came after us."
“Which I’m not a fan of,” said Ryan. “I don’t like that I’m not there to keep an eye on you.”
“Maybe not with a badge, but I know that you’re always there to support me,” Heather said.
“The other evidence?” Amy prompted.
“Detective Smith looked into her alibi. Remember she said that she had been on the phone wilth a customer the morning that the victim was killed? It turns out the call was to the same burner phone. She had called herself and kept the line busy to give herself an alibi.”
“This killer did a lot with phones,” Amy said. “It’s just a shame it wasn’t the meanest neighbor who turned out to be worst.”
“I think Mr. Rankle might never warm up to us,” said Heather. “But I bet a lot of the others will. We found justice for Percy Covens, and we’ll be serving up delicious donuts.”
“Nobody can resist that,” Eva said.
"Especially the chocolate ones," Leila said. "Can you pass another one of those Chocolate Hazelnut ones my way?"
They obliged her. Heather watched Lilly splash in the shallow water and felt the warm sun on her skin. If she ignored what still had to be done to open up her shop, it was a peaceful and relaxing moment.
However, Amy wasn’t going to let her relax that easily. “There is one more thing I think we should settle.”
“And what’s that?”
"The shop is about to open soon. What are we going to call this Donut Delights? Is it my Donut Delights the Sequel? Is it Donut Delights II?"
“Good question,” Heather said. “But I think we should just call it its name and location: Donut Delights – Key West.”
“By only adding the location at the end, are you planning on opening more locations in the future?” Ryan asked.
"I can't even think of that now," Heather said. "At this moment, I just want to enjoy the sand, the surf and the—"
“So-nut?” Amy offered, making the donut dessert an alliteration.
Heather laughed and agreed. Surrounded by her family and friends and a few donuts, it would always seem like paradise.
Thanks For Reading
To each and every one of my Amazing readers,
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Let me know what you think by leaving a review!
Stay Curious,
Susan Gillard
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About the Author
Susan Gillard is a lover of all things mysterious. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where her love of murder mystery novels grew.
Now she travels the country in search of the best baked goods and engaging with the locals who often become the inspiration for her wacky characters.
Get in Touch with Susan
SusanGillard.com
susan@susangillard.com
Also by Susan Gillard
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Mint Creme Murder
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Funfetti Murder
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Murder
Vanilla Glazed Murder
Chocolate Chocolate Murder
Peach Cobbler Murder
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Boxed Sets
Culinary Cozy Murder Mystery Collection - Books 1-5
Culinary Cozy Murder Mystery Collection 2 - Books 6-10
Culinary Cozy
Murder Collection 4 - Books 16-20
Culinary Cozy Murder Collection 5 - Books 21-25