“Weird how?”
“Weird as in abusive. I don’t know. She says he has a disability, but he doesn’t seem to have one to me.” Heather shrugged. “Ugh, that sounded mean. I’m trying to say that he’s abusive toward her and I don’t believe she’s telling me the truth about him. It worries me.”
“I see,” Ryan replied, and picked up a napkin. He dabbed at his lips. “And the case?”
“I need more information, Ryan. I don’t have enough to go on. Sara Hines is suspicious. The medication bottles are suspicious. But Doctor Williams told me that painkillers couldn't kill a person overnight.”
Ryan nodded. “Speaking of information. I have some for you.”
“What is it?”
“The tox report came back,” he replied. He ate another nacho, painfully slow. It was his way of building anticipation. And of annoying her.
“Come on,” Heather said and pursed her lips.
He swallowed and grinned at her. “Elevated levels of hydrocodone and paracetamol. Like through the roof levels. He died of an overdose.”
“Hydrocodone,” Heather said. That didn’t match the doc’s prescription for Sara Hines, but it also didn’t rule her out.
“That’s correct. The combination is commonly found in Vicodin. A painkiller and an opiate.”
“Opiate!” Heather exclaimed, and the people at the table across from there’s turned around and stared at her. “Are you serious?” She lowered her tone.
“Yep. And opiate. Which is definitely a prescription drug. I’ve already called the hospital and Doctor Williams. They were super cooperative, but it didn’t lead anywhere. No one has prescribed any form of opiate in several months. And none for Boddington or his wife.”
Heather ran a hand across her forehead. Then where had the drugs come from? And who had fed them to curator Boddington?
“You don’t think –?”
“Suicide?” Ryan whispered. “No. All the reports we have say he was a happy man. He’d just moved to Hillside, though, so we can’t say for certain, though.”
The waitress arrived and placed Ryan’s refill in front of him. “Another two minutes for the enchiladas,” she said and flashed a winning smile.
“Thank you,” Heather replied, but her heart wasn’t in it.
So, Boddington had overdosed, after all. “Any fingerprints on the scene?”
“Nothing. A few partials but no leads from that either. Our best bet is to look for someone carrying around a gold nugget,” Ryan replied, then chuckled. “We’ve set up roadblocks at either end of the town, but the thief could’ve already escaped.”
Heather sighed and leaned back against the cushy seat. None of it helped. The information conflicted, and Sara Hines looked like the most likely suspect. The only suspect, in fact.
But there had to be more to this. Heather’s sleuth senses told her so.
“Come on, babe. Let’s relax and enjoy our evening. This is our night,” Ryan replied, and patted her on the arm.
“You’re right,” Heather replied, but she couldn’t shake the unease which settled in the pit of her stomach.
Chapter 10
“What about a spooky donut?” Amy asked.
Heather adjusted herself on the sofa, then stroked Dave’s furry head. “That’s a good idea. I’d like to do some kind of Halloween special, this year. It is the spookiest time of the year, after all.”
“Speaking of delicious treats,” Amy replied. “Hey, Lils, what’s happening with that popcorn?”
“Coming, coming,” the young girl yelled from the kitchen.
Dave barked and hopped off the sofa, then padded out of the room and down the hall. Ever the Lilly supporter.
They’d set aside tonight as a girl’s night. Jurassic Park on DVD, a marathon of them actually, and a whole list of sweet treats to see them through until morning.
There wasn’t a better way to spend a Friday night.
“How are you feeling, by the way?” Ames asked. “A lot has changed lately.”
“Honestly? I feel conflicted. But not about Lilly. We fit together perfectly. Our family is complete, and I love every minute of it.” Heather dragged a blanket across her lap and bunched it in her fists.
“Then about what?” Amy asked.
“Emily and the case. I’ve got this scratching worry in the back of my mind about her, and I don’t like it,” Heather replied.
Lilly waltzed into the room and held out the bowl of popcorn. “The sustenance has arrived!” She said, then placed it on the coffee table. She frowned at the Jurassic Park logo on the screen. “Do we have to watch this?”
“What’s wrong with Jurassic Park?” Amy asked.
“It’s almost Halloween,” Lilly replied. “Jurassic Park isn’t that scary.”
“You’re kidding, right? It’s got disembodied arms and flesh-eating dinosaurs,” Amy said.
“And the kitchen scene,” Heather replied.
“Oh, that scene still gives me the squeals.” Amy rubbed her forearms.
Lilly rammed her fists onto her hips and shook her head. “Fine. But you’ve got to let me watch real scary movies some time. I can handle it.”
“You can’t even handle PG 13, Lils.” Heather patted the seat beside her, and Lilly hurried over and lowered herself into it.
Dave hopped onto her lap, turned in a circle, then settled down.
“I can too. I’m not afraid,” Lilly replied, and lifted her chin.
“Oh but you should be,” Amy replied. “It’s the spookiest time of the year when the ghosts and goblins come out to eat little girls.” She twiddled her fingers and made a nasty face.
“Ames,” Heather said. “I’d like my child to sleep tonight if you don’t mind.”
Lilly folded her arms, but she cast glances at Amy every other second.
“Everybody ready?” Amy lifted the remote and pointed it at the TV screen.
“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Heather replied.
A scraping noise ran along the side of the house. Dave barked and sat bolt upright in Lilly’s lap. Amy’s finger froze on the remote.
“Okay, ha ha, very funny. I’m not scared, Amy. Keep trying.” Lilly chuckled.
Amy shook her head, and her face went pale as fondant.
The scratching continued, closer than before.
“It’s coming from outside the kitchen window,” Heather said. The doors were all locked. She’d double and triple checked every night since Lilly had moved in. Doors and windows.
“This is a joke,” Lilly said. “Isn’t it, Au-Heather?”
“Both of you, wait here.” Heather rose from her seat, but Lilly grabbed her hand.
“Don’t leave, please,” she whispered.
Heather looked down into Lilly’s panic-stricken eyes. “Lilly, I’ve got to find out what’s going on, so I can alert Ryan. You stay here with Amy and Dave. You’ll be fine, I promise.”
“But what if –”
“I’ll be fine, Lils, I promise,” Heather said, then stroked Lilly’s hair. “Just stay in here.”
Amy scooted off her sofa and hurried to Lilly’s side. “Don’t you worry,” she said. “I’m right here. Hey, we could play dominoes or something.”
“Dominoes?” Lilly frowned at her. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Sheesh, tough crowd.”
Heather walked to the doorway and paused for a second. The scratching resumed. Yeah, whatever made that noise was definitely outside the kitchen.
She strode down the hall and wormed her cellphone out of her front pocket, just in case.
Heather had made a habit of keeping it on her at all times. And it’d paid off in most cases. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need it this time around.
She walked into the kitchen and didn’t turn on the light.
Scrapes and scratches rattled the back door.
Heather clutched her phone and tiptoed to the sink, then paused and peered out of the back window toward the door.
A figure c
rouched behind the door. Something glinted in the half-light. A piece of metal?
Heather’s heart skipped a beat. Anger rushed through her muscles and nerves and raged into her brain. How dare someone come to her home? How dare they endanger her family?
Heather cocked back her leg and rammed it into the door. “Get out of here!” She yelled.
A shriek sounded from the living room – Amy.
Heather peered out of the window again, but the figure had disappeared. Movement at the end of the garden caught her focus, and Heather swiped her thumb across the screen of her phone and dialed Ryan’s number.
She pressed the phone to her ear.
“Shepherd, speaking.”
“Hon, you need to come home right now. I just caught an intruder trying to break in through the back door.”
“I’m on my way.” He hung up, and the dial tone greeted her.
She could always rely on her husband to act fast and ask questions only when needed.
“Heather?” Amy called out.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “Just stay there. Ryan’s on his way over.”
“Oh, thank goodness. See, Lils?” Amy said. “I told you there was nothing to be afraid of.”
“Hey,” Lilly said, “I’m not the one who screamed.”
Heather giggled in spite of the situation, but she didn’t move from her position beside the door.
If the intruder came back, she wanted to see their face. She had to know who wanted to get into her house and why.
Chapter 11
Ryan Shepherd strode into the entrance hall in his police uniform, and Heather’s anxiety disappeared.
Her husband had arrived. They were safe, at last.
Lilly launched herself around the corner and barreled into Ryan. She wrapped her arms around his waist, then looked up at him. “Are we okay?” She asked.
“We’ve got a squad car outside and several officers moving around the perimeter of the house, as we speak.” Ryan hugged Lilly back, then stepped back. “We’re okay.”
Heather hid her relief behind a quick smile. “Ames, will you take Lilly up to her bedroom and get her settled for bed?”
“Bed?” Lilly groaned. “I thought we were going to have a movie night. What about all the treats?”
Heather chuckled, then pursed her lips. “Fine, take Lilly upstairs until the officers are gone, and this is all cleared up. Then we can get back to watching Jurassic Park and snacking on popcorn.”
“Yes!” Lilly hissed and fisted the air. “Let’s go, Amy.”
Ames shrugged and followed the young girl down the hall. Somehow, Lilly seemed more of an adult than Heather’s bestie did. Though, they had a similar sense of humor.
Ryan stepped up beside his wife. “Your call near gave me a heart attack, woman.”
“I couldn’t say much else. I just wanted you to get here,” Heather replied, out of the corner of her mouth.
“You saw who it was?”
“No. I saw that there was someone there, but not their face,” Heather replied, and faced the strapping officer. “The intruder, for lack of a better word, tried to get in through the kitchen door.”
Chills run up and down Heather’s spine. What if he’d succeeded? She’d had some pretty strange break-in’s and run-in’s during her ‘tenure’ as a private investigator and amateur sleuth, but this one took the cake.
The intruder had to have known they were home. So, what had they wanted?
“I bet this has something to do with the case,” Heather said.
“We don’t know that yet.”
“What other motivation could there be?” Heather asked. “I mean. I’m probably public enemy number one for Hillside criminals.”
“Honey, not every criminal is motivated in the way you think. This could have been an unrelated attempt at a burglary.” Ryan slung his arm around her shoulder, then kissed her on the temple. “Just keep an open and calm mind.”
“Pfft.” Heather slipped out of his grasp. “That’s too coincidental. Trust me, this is –”
“Detective Shepherd?” A young man strode into their entrance hall.
“Yeah, Rory?”
“We’ve found something outside,” the cop said, then held up his gloved hand. He pinched a small, chipped glass orb between his fingers. “Does your daughter play with these?”
“I don’t think so,” Ryan said.
“Jabby Joe,” Heather whispered. “It was Jabby Joe. That’s his marble!”
“Pardon, ma’am?” Rory asked, and raised an eyebrow.
Obviously, screaming ‘Jabby Joe’ didn’t lend her much credibility with him.
“Who’s Jabby Joe?” Ryan asked. “Wait a second, is that the brother? His name is Jabby?”
“Nickname,” Heather replied. “Though, I’ve never thought to ask why Emily calls him that. Hindsight is a kicker.”
“So, uh, this Jabby Joe had a marble?” Ryan asked.
Rory snorted, then pursed his lips. “Sorry, Detective, it just sounds strange.”
“That’s because I’m on the case,” Heather replied. “Weird things happen to me. It’s like they’re drawn to me. Regardless, that is Jabby Joe Potts’ marble. I saw him the other day, rolling it around between his fingers.”
“Is that some kind of nervous tick?” Rory asked.
“I don’t know,” Heather replied. “What I’d like to know is why he tried to break into my house. Break into –” Heather trailed off, and her eyes went round as jumbo-sized donut holes.
“What?” Ryan asked. “What is it?”
“I bet it was him. He stole the egg and murdered the curator.”
“That’s quite an accusation,” Rory mumbled. He held the marble aloft, as he had for the past three minutes.
“Heather, we don’t know that for certain.” Ryan folded his arms. He hated it when she jumped to conclusions.
Perhaps, he was right, but it was a lead worth checking out.
“What are the chances?” Heather asked. “I saw him earlier this week. He freaked out about Emily working at my store. He doesn’t like me for whatever reason.”
“That could mean anything,” Ryan said.
Heather folded her arms too and stared her husband down. “I’m not saying we should arrest him on the spot. I’m saying we should check this out.”
Ryan sighed, then scratched the back of his neck. “Rory, could you give us a minute?”
“Of course,” the young cop replied. He turned and hurried out of the house, the marble still wedged between his latex-covered fingers.
“Ryan, I –”
“Stop. Listen to me, my love. You are a consultant on this case, but that doesn’t mean you can run off and arrest people, or even demand I arrest people without evidence,” Ryan said.
She pressed her lips into a tight thin line and glared at him. “I wasn’t saying that.”
“You’re getting desperate. Why?”
“Because I haven’t found any real leads since the start of this thing. And because Lilly’s living with us now. The stakes are higher. And things at Donut Delights are crazy, I –”
“Do you need me to take you off the case?” Ryan asked.
“What?! No.”
“Clearly, this is stressing you out,” her husband replied. “I don’t want it to affect the other areas of your life that you care about.”
“It’s not,” Heather replied, and gritted her teeth.
Ryan studied her expression for a long time, then finally, nodded. “All right, Mrs. Shepherd. Just don’t do anything hasty. Please.”
Hasty? The last time she’d checked, hasty one the day. “Fine,” she replied. “But you have to trust my judgment too, Shepherd. It’s the reason you hired me as a consultant.”
“Yeah, that and I couldn’t stop you from investigating all my cases,” Ryan replied, then chuckled.
Heather cracked a smile at that, but concern drifted through her mind. Why had Jabby Joe tried to get into her house? She had
to know. Tomorrow, she’d find out.
Chapter 12
Heather halted on the front porch and chewed the inside of her cheek. “It’s a Saturday. It’s her day off.”
“Crime doesn’t sleep,” Amy replied. She stifled a yawn and closed one eye in the process. “Look, are we doing this or not? Lilly’s movie fest last night exhausted me. There’s a king-sized bed at home calling my name.”
Heather exhaled through her nose. “I suppose we should. I mean, I have to know the truth about Joe.”
“Just don’t tell her that,” Amy replied.
“I can’t lie. If I lie, then that makes me –”
The front door swung inward, and Emily Potts peered out at them from the safety of her short front hall. “Heather? Amy?”
“These are not the droids you’re looking for,” Amy said and waved her hand through the air.
“Pardon?”
Amy shook her head. “Does no one watch the classics anymore?”
Emily’s pale brow creased. Lines spread across her youthful skin. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Emily, we need to –”
“We came to talk to you about an upcoming Halloween event at the store,” Amy said, swiftly. She nudged Heather forward.
Apparently, she didn’t trust the new assistant not to freak out upon finding out that her brother had snooped around Heather’s back door in the middle of the night.
“Are you free?” Amy asked. “For a discussion?”
“Oh, sure,” Emily said, and stepped back to admit them. “Come on in.”
Heather walked into the entrance hall, then paused. “I had no idea you stayed this close to Donut Delights,” she said.
“Oh yeah. We’re just around the corner. And from the museum too,” Emily replied, and her cheeks colored pink. “Not that that matters or anything.”
“Lead the way,” Amy said and fixed up a broad grin.
Emily hurried down the short hall and into a small living room. Drawn blinds allowed sunlight into the space. Rays fell across pale brown sofas and cream-colored cushions.
“Please, have a seat. I don’t have any coffee here, unfortunately. I’ve just run out.”
Oreo Sprinkled Murder: A Donut Hole Cozy Mystery - Book 22 Page 4
