Bad Bites: Donut Mystery #16 (The Donut Mysteries)

by Jessica Beck

  “This should do the trick, then.”

  I was glad we’d worked through the situation we’d had earlier. I hated being edgy around Emma. She was so much more than a part of my work family.

  During our break outside between making the cake donuts and letting the yeast donuts rise, I asked her, “How’s your mother doing?” Sharon had helped me out in the past, along with Emma, running the donut shop whenever I was away, and when Jake and I finally went to Paris, I planned on having them run Donut Hearts for a full week.

  “She keeps asking me when you’re going to take another trip,” Emma said a smile.

  “Is she trying to get rid of me?” I asked, laughing.

  “No, but her travel budget is just about shot, and she’s itching to take another trip. She says it’s in her blood, now.” Emma’s mother financed her vacations with money she earned from helping run the shop while I was away, and though her husband didn’t like to travel, Sharon’s best friend enjoyed it as much as she did. It kept everyone happy, and I certainly wasn’t about to judge them for it.

  “I’ll do my best to help her out as soon as I can,” I said with a smile.

  After our break, Emma and I got back into our routines, me making donuts while she fought valiantly to keep the dishes done right behind me. I’d been having her work the front more every week after we opened for business, something that she’d begun to warm up to lately. It gave me a nice respite at times, but generally, I loved interacting with all of the folks who came into Donut Hearts to enjoy a treat.

  “Good morning. I’m so sorry for your loss,” I said as I opened the doors to begin our retail day. Someone had been waiting for me, and I ushered Shelly Graham into Donut Hearts.

  “Thank you,” she said as she dabbed at her makeup. Shelly was a plump woman in her sixties, not hiding the streaks of gray in her hair, but embracing them. She wasn’t a particularly handsome woman, but her bright smile was enough to make most folks not notice that. I’d liked her from the first time we’d met, but this was a different woman in front of me now. “Suzanne, can we talk?”

  “Sure,” I said as a few other folks started filing in. The folks who knew Shelly and, more specifically, her relationship with Chester began to offer their sympathies, a disrupting but sweet thing to have to deal with while trying to hold a conversation.

  “Can we talk in private?” Shelly asked, clearly unhappy about the attention she was getting.

  “Let’s go back into the kitchen,” I said as I led her around the counter and into the back.

  Emma was listening to music on her iPod, but when she spotted us, she quickly pulled the buds from her ears. “What’s up?”

  “Do you mind covering the front?” I asked.

  “I’m happy to do it,” Emma said, pausing just long enough to smile sadly at Shelly. “Sorry about Chester. I always liked him.”

  “Thank you,” Shelly said almost automatically in response. “So did I.”

  Emma nodded, and then she left us alone.

  “Now, what can I do for you?” I asked her.

  “Suzanne, I need your help,” Shelly said.

  “Absolutely. You know that I’ll do whatever I can,” I told her.

  “Then find Chester’s killer,” she replied.

  “Shelly, the police are already working on it around the clock.”

  “I’ve heard all about your boyfriend, but we both know there are things you can do that he can’t. Are you trying to solve the murder, too?”

  Even though that was exactly what I was doing, I was reluctant to admit it. “What makes you ask me that?”

  Shelly frowned. “Suzanne, I’ve listened to Phillip Martin over the past few months enough to realize that you’re a pretty good investigator in your own right.”

  “What did he say about me?” I had to wonder what the chief said when he didn’t think that it would ever get back to me.

  “That despite his protests to the contrary, a lot of times he wasn’t all that upset when you and your friend Grace got involved in his cases. Those were compliments given grudgingly, believe me. He respects what you bring to the table.”

  “I should thank him for saying that.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Shelly said. “I doubt that he’d even admit saying it. You know how men can be sometimes.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” I said. She was right, too. I’d have to take the secondhand compliment and be satisfied with it.

  “So, you’ll look into it?” Shelly asked.

  “I’ll try, but honestly, I’m not sure what I can do that Jake isn’t already doing.”

  Shelly took a step closer to me, and I could feel her breath on my face as she said, “Jake may know the law, but you know people. I’m begging you to help out.”

  “There’s no need for that,” I said quickly. In all honesty, her intensity was making me a little uncomfortable.

  My response seemed to satisfy her. “Thanks. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to hear you say that.”

  “Don’t give me too much credit. I can’t promise results, just that I’ll do my best.”

  “It’s all that anyone can ask of you.”

  There was something in her voice, a catch of concern that worried me a little. “Shelly, is there something that you’re not telling me?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re holding something back, aren’t you?” The furtive look downward confirmed my suspicion. Over the years, I’d grown pretty adept at reading people’s body language, and Shelly was definitely trying to keep something from me. “What are you not telling me?”

  She looked as though she were about to cry, but after a few moments, she gathered herself back up. “Suzanne, I don’t like admitting this to anyone, but I’m afraid,” she finally said in a near whisper.

  “Afraid of what?”

  “What else? That I might be next.”

  Chapter 7

  Her answer completely caught me off guard. “What possible reason would the killer have to come after you?”

  “How should I know? Maybe whoever murdered Chester thinks I know something.”

  “Do you?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. That’s what is so frustrating,” Shelly said, the tears coming unbidden now. “Why do you think that I’m so worried about it? I have half a mind to go back to the lodge, throw everyone out, send the staff home, lock all the doors, then hole up there until someone catches the murderer. Not that it would be that hard to empty the place this time of year. For the next four days, we might as well close down, since we don’t have a single guest registered.” She paused and then nodded. “You know, that’s really not that bad an idea. I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “If it helps you feel safer, then you should,” I said, “but I think your worries are unfounded.”

  “Do you really think so?” she asked me, as though she was daring to let a little hope into her heart.

  “I do,” I said, but I must not have sounded all that convincing.

  “I hope you’re right,” she said, and then she took out a business card and jotted something down on the back of it. “This is the landline number to the lodge, since we don’t get cell phone service up there. If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, or if there’s a break in the case, don’t hesitate to call me. Will you do that?”

  “I promise,” I said as I tucked the card into the front pocket of my jeans.

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  As she started to go, I asked her, “Shelly, do you have one more second?”

  “Sure, what do you need?”

  There was no delicate way to ask her, so I decided to come right out and just do it. “Where were you when Chester was murdered?”

  If she was offended by the question, she didn’t show it. “As a matter of fact, I was on my way down the mountain for his party. One of my guests discovered when he was checking out that he’d lost a valuable set of cufflinks, and he a
ccused one of my maids of stealing them.”

  “What happened?”

  “I insisted that he check through his luggage again, with me watching him, and what do you know? They turned up after all.”

  “Was he trying to scam you into reimbursing him for them?” I asked.

  “Either that, or he’d just overlooked them somehow the first time he checked. I like to think the best of the folks who come to stay at Storm Cloud, but sometimes it’s hard to do. Anyway, I didn’t make it down the mountain until Chester was already gone. You know what? I’ll never forgive myself for not being there for him in the end. He asked me to come early, but I couldn’t seem to get away.”

  “That might have worked out in your favor. Showing up early just might have put you in harm’s way yourself,” I said, relieved that she had a solid alibi. Well, it would be solid after Jake or I got confirmation from the accusatory guest. I’d learned over the years to confirm everything that a murder suspect told me, no matter how mundane it might be. Whether I liked it or not, people lied sometimes, and as hard as it was for me to accept, sometimes they even lied to me.

  “Who knows? Maybe I could have prevented it if I’d been here,” Shelly said, bringing me back into the moment.

  “You’ll drive yourself crazy thinking like that,” I said. I’d wanted to ask her if she’d known about Chester’s affair with Maggie Hoff, but if her alibi checked out, there would be no reason to mention it now. On the off chance that she hadn’t known, I certainly didn’t want to be the one who spoiled the memory of her late love for her.

  “Yes, you’re probably right. Still, it was a terrible thing, what happened to my Chester.”

  “Nobody’s going to disagree with you there.”

  “I can think of one person who would.”

  “Who’s that?” I asked her.

  “Whoever killed him,” she said sadly. After a moment, Shelly shook herself a little, as if trying to wipe away the memory of what had happened to her late boyfriend. “Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. After discussing it with you, I’ve made up my mind for sure. I’m leaving town as soon as I can get out of here.”

  “Be sure to talk to Jake Bishop before you go,” I said before she could get away.

  “Why should I do that?” Shelly asked. “There’s nothing that I’ve told you that you can’t share with him yourself.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Shelly,” I explained. “Jake is running the official police investigation, whereas Grace and I are just snooping around the edges.”

  “I get that, but why do I need to speak to him before I go?”

  Did I really have to explain it to her? “Think about how it would look if you suddenly left town without explanation.”

  Shelly considered that possibility, and after a few moments, she said, “It would make me look as though I were guilty and running away from something.”

  “It just might,” I said, though I was positive that’s exactly what it would have done.

  “Okay, I can do that. I’ll find him first, and then I’ll head back to my lodge,” she said.

  As she started for the door, I said, “I’ll walk you out.”

  As we left the kitchen and walked back out front, I was surprised to see Jake standing at the counter speaking with Emma. “What do you know; you’re just the man we were looking for,” I said.

  “Is that a good thing or a bad one?” Jake asked as he nodded toward Shelly.

  “It’s always good. Jake, have you met Shelly Graham?”

  “We spoke briefly last night,” he said, and then he turned to her. “Are you feeling any better? Is there any chance that we could have that chat sometime today?”

  “We can do it right now, if you’d like,” Shelly said, and then she looked around the donut shop at the sets of inquisitive stares pointing straight at her. “Only, can we do it outside?”

  “Absolutely,” Jake said. As he led her out the door, he turned back to me and added, “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back.”

  “There’s nowhere else that I need to be,” I said with a helpful smile.

  He returned it briefly, and then told Shelly, “After you.”

  Once they were outside, I glanced at Emma, who was making it a point not to notice what had just happened. Well, if she wasn’t going to comment on it, then neither was I. After a moment, she asked me, “Suzanne, should I stay up here, or should I get back to those dishes now?”

  “You can dive back in, but I might need you to cover the front again this morning.”

  “All you have to do is call me,” Emma said as she departed.

  I tried to watch as Shelly and Jake spoke outside, but my pesky customers kept coming in and ordering things. I really didn’t mind the business, but it put my surveillance skills to the test.

  After a solid five minutes, Jake came back in alone, but he didn’t have a smile for me when he did.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked him.

  “To be honest with you, I have no idea at this point. She’s leaving town. Did she tell you that?”

  “She might have mentioned it,” I admitted, “but in my defense, I told her that she had to talk to you before she took off.”

  “Thanks for that much, anyway.”

  “Did she tell you her alibi?”

  Jake nodded. “If it sticks, then she’s in the clear. That’s a mighty big if, though.”

  “I wouldn’t think a guest would be that hard to track down.”

  “Ordinarily no, but Shelly told me that he paid cash, and he filled out the registration as Joe Jones.”

  “Do you suspect that might not be his real name?” I asked him.

  “It sounds pretty generic to me, but we’ll see. Anyway, she’s going to call me from the lodge with his contact information.”

  “Keep me posted. So, not that I’m complaining, but what brings you by the donut shop so early?” I asked him. “Did you miss me, or were you just having a donut craving? If you were, I’ve got a new one you’re going to love.”

  “None for me; thanks anyway,” Jake said, clearly distracted. “I just wanted to tell you that I might not be back for dinner tonight.”

  “Did you get a hot new lead?” I asked him.

  “No comment,” he said with a smile.

  “Not even for me?”

  “No comment,” he repeated.

  “I just have one more question,” I asked him.

  “Go ahead and ask, but we both already know what my answer is going to be.”

  “Do you think so?” Then I asked him softly, “Do you love me?”

  “You bet I do,” he replied with a big grin. “I’ll comment on that all day long. See you later.”

  “Bye,” I said.

  After Jake was gone, I was glad that he was still in town, even if he was there trying to track down a killer. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Chief Martin and his deputies to do it, but Jake brought a whole new level of detection to the table, and if Grace and I could somehow contribute to the capture, so much the better.

  “Good morning, you two. What brings you by Donut Hearts?” I asked as my ex-husband, Max, and his girlfriend, Emily Hargraves, walked into the shop. “Did you have a sudden yen for donuts?”

  “Always,” Emily said. “You go first, Max. I’m going to need a little time to figure out what I want today.”

  Max nodded and smiled at her as he said, “Take your time, Emily. I’ve got all day.” I didn’t know how he managed it; the man I’d once been married to was as handsome as ever. It may have been because he kept himself in shape or that he could thank his genes, but I suspected that the real reason may have been because of the woman he was with. Dating Emily had changed my ex in many ways, turning him into the man that I’d always hoped he’d be when the two of us had been married. It had taken me a while, but I was finally able to honestly say that I was happy that he’d finally found someone. It probably didn’t hurt that I’d found someone myself in Jake.

  As Emi
ly studied my offerings in the glass display cases, Max turned to me. “How are things with you, Suzanne? Can you believe that somebody killed Chester Martin in the library? I didn’t know him all that well, but he seemed like a good guy to me. The poor man didn’t even get to enjoy one day of retirement.”

  “It just goes to show you that you can’t ever take anything for granted,” I said.

  “Tell me about it,” he said as he looked lovingly at Emily again. “It’s hard to imagine that we both saw him yesterday morning, and now he’s gone.”

  “Where did you happen to see him, at the library?” I asked, curious about what the man had been up to the day of his death.

  “No, he was leaving Kevin Leeds’s place over on Oakmont. Emily and I were out jogging, and we saw Chester scowling at Kevin as we ran past them.”

  “What was he upset about?” I asked.

  “I’m not even sure that he was scowling myself,” Emily chimed in. “Neither one of them said a word to us as we passed them. They just waved, and then we were gone. It all happened in a split second.”

  “The man was angry. I’m sure of it,” Max said.

  “I’m sure that you are, but Max, we both know that you have an overactive imagination, especially when you’re not working. Am I wrong, Suzanne?” she asked me.

  “I’m sure that I couldn’t say one way or the other,” I told her, refusing to be drawn into that particular discussion.

  Emily laughed at my response. “Come on, be honest; you were married to the man. Back me up on this.”

  I joined her with a chuckle of my own. “Okay, it’s true.”

  “There, see? I told you. Max, you need to a new role to play.”

  “Hey, I keep auditioning, but no one seems to want me,” he said, clearly a little hurt to have to admit it, especially in front of me.

  “If there aren’t any roles for you, then stage another play yourself. You know you love directing your troupe of senior citizens.”

  Max shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll start digging through scripts this afternoon.”

  “Excellent,” she said as she touched his shoulder lightly and then she turned back to me. “Suzanne, I’ll have a hot chocolate donut, please, and make it to go. I have to get to work soon. My buddies Cow, Spots, and Moose will be waiting for me.” The three aforementioned friends were Emily’s childhood stuffed animals. Instead of storing them away in an attic somewhere, Emily had displayed them prominently on a shelf above the register of her little shop. In fact, she loved them so much that she’d named the place after them.