“Do we have to?” Ryan asked quietly back. “I know it’s not the company we expected, but the heater isn’t pumping hot air into the rooms here.”
“That’s enough,” Mr. Ridgefield said, making Marigold jump aside.
Marigold and Cara finally began their meals as Gideon Ridgefield took his first bite.
“I’m not sure about this,” he said. “I’ve always loved elderberry jelly. It was what I’ve always preferred on my vacations. But I’m afraid this tastes off somehow. Is it fresh?”
"Yes," Bea assured him. "I bought it yesterday, and you can see the expiration date on it somewhere. It is fine. I tasted a spoonful yesterday."
“Well, that’s if I am to believe your taste buds,” he said. He continued eating, but also continued looking grumpy.
Bea returned to the kitchen, and the others kept eating. Travis offered to pour some more coffee, but Mike grabbed the pitcher and started pouring instead.
“Cara, try this jelly,” Gideon Ridgefield said. “I think it tastes strange.”
“What a wonderful reason for her to try it,” Amy said.
“I don’t want any,” Cara said.
“Try it,” he demanded again.
“I don’t like elderberries,” Cara said. “I’ve told you this a hundred times before. It seems you never do listen to me. It will taste strange to me regardless because I don’t like it.”
“Fine,” Mr. Ridgefield said in a huff. He turned to Marigold. “You try this.”
Marigold took a bite, but then shrugged. “I’m not sure what it’s supposed to taste like. It is a little bitter.”
“No help at all,” Mr. Ridgefield grumbled. However, he continued to eat his meal.
“It’s Trish, isn’t it?” Mike asked.
“That’s my name.”
“What is it you see in this guy?” Mike asked.
Travis stepped in. “Is this your idea of friendly breakfast table conversation?”
“No disrespect meant,” Mike said. “Just since we’re all so in love, I thought I’d ask.”
“Travis is a great guy,” Trish started.
However, she didn't get to finish her reasons for being with Travis. Mr. Ridgefield beat his fist on the table, and they all turned to face him.
He fell out of his chair and onto the floor, flailing around.
“Jamie, go call 911,” Heather said. She and Ryan ran towards Gideon Ridgefield.
“I’m a police officer,” Ryan told him. “Someone is calling for help now.”
Gideon kept flailing and moaning.
Ryan stood up. “This is clearly a medical emergency. Bea, lead everyone into the other room.”
“An ambulance is on its way,” Jamie reported.
“Go outside and direct the EMTs where to go when they arrive,” said Ryan. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jamie ran outside.
“I’m not leaving my husband,” Cara said.
“Then you can stay, but to the side,” Ryan said. “We need to give him space.”
“What can I do?” Heather asked.
“Keep an eye on everything on the table and make sure no one takes anything,” Ryan said. “Because you know what this looks like?”
Heather nodded. “Poison.”
Breakfast Table Crime Scene
The EMTs had done their best, but they were unable to combat the fast-acting poison. Gideon Ridgefield was dead.
Detective Smith arrived on the scene with his partner Detective Peters. He paused when he saw Heather.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was hoping to have a quiet breakfast, but it wasn’t meant to be,” said Heather.
“Our being here did mean that we were able to secure the scene for you,” Ryan said. “Heather and Amy made sure that nothing from the table was removed by any of the guests. There’s a good chance that whatever killed him is on the table.”
“Our forensic team will run the necessary tests,” Detective Smith said. He was a meticulous man and a good detective, except when it came to announcing his official date of retirement. Ryan was waiting for him to retire so he could take over the position.
“I’d start with the elderberry jelly,” said Heather.
“Why is that?” Detective Peters asked, taking out his notebook. He was a young detective who was eager to solve cases, but still occasionally felt unsure about the best way to do so.
“That’s the one thing that Gideon Ridgefield definitely ate,” Heather said.
“He made a big stink about it,” Amy agreed.
“And it was something that wasn’t being eaten by everyone at the table,” Ryan agreed.
“Except for the secretary, Marigold,” Heather said suddenly. “She had a bite of it too. We should have a doctor look at her.”
“Don’t worry,” Detective Smith said. “She’s already being examined. She told the EMTs she wasn’t feeling well. We assumed it was because of the shock, but now there might be another reason. Peters, will you tell them to check for signs of poisoning?”
Peters nodded and left.
“She should be all right,” Detective Smith said. “A small bite shouldn’t be lethal.”
“I hope you’re right,” Heather said.
“I’m glad we don’t like elderberries,” Amy said.
“Now, why don’t you take me through what happened?” Detective Smith asked.
“Everyone was at the table for breakfast,” Heather said. “Well, except for one guest. Apparently, Agnes has been ill the entire trip. She isn’t leaving her room much, though I did see her last night. We had both heard a commotion in the hall.”
“And what commotion was that?” asked Detective Smith.
“The guest Mike was having an argument with a woman. I thought it was his girlfriend Kylie at the time, but I’m not positive. I only saw his face,” Heather replied.
Detective Smith nodded. “I suppose we’ll have to make sure we know what exactly was poisoned. If it was the elderberry jelly like you suspect, then would that have been the best murder weapon to kill Gideon Ridgefield? Or was the intended victim someone else?”
“If it was the elderberry jelly, then I believe the killer succeeded in killing the man he wanted. The jelly was a special request for Gideon Ridgefield,” said Heather.
“And others knew this?”
“Apparently, he made a scene about it at breakfast yesterday,” said Heather.
“And if we saw him when he got what he wanted, I’d hate to see what it was like when he didn’t get it,” said Amy.
"We can check with the owner Bea, but I believe the other guests were there for it or heard about it during the day. The only ones who checked in after the incident were Mike and Kylie," said Ryan.
Heather nodded. “They checked in after we were offered rooms. It looked like they didn’t have any reservations.”
“If the killer came here to kill Gideon Ridgefield,” Detective Smith said. “Then we will have to look at who decided to come here after Mr. Ridgefield already made his reservation.”
Ryan nodded. “Because they would have to know that the victim would be here in order to murder him.”
“You said we,” Heather noted. “Does this mean that you don’t mind our help in this investigation?”
"I suppose this time I can allow the help," Detective Smith said. "You're already guests here. And you might be able to pick up on things we might miss because you know how the other guests were acting before the murder took place."
Heather smiled. “We won’t check out until the case is solved.”
“So first we want to figure out when people planned to come here?” Amy asked. “To see if they were planning the murder.”
“I think that’s a good starting place,” said Heather. “But there is also the chance that this location wasn’t vitally important for where it happened.”
“You mean that the killer could have had access to the victim regularly, but just chose this place in the hopes of casting some doub
t on what happened?” Detective Smith asked for clarification.
“You mean it could have been the wife?” said Amy.
“She did refuse to try the jelly,” Heather answered. “But there are many suspects in this case.”
“That’s true,” said Ryan. “There were many people under this roof last night. They all might have had access to the jelly.”
“We’ll have to find out where the jelly was kept,” Heather said. “And if there was any security that could have prevented the murderer from completing their plan. For example, if Bea locked the fridge overnight, then there would only be a small window of time where the killer could have added the poison.”
“There is another possibility,” Detective Smith said. “You said that this man was a tough customer?”
“That’s one way to put it,” Amy said.
“Could the cook have gotten so frustrated that she wanted to get rid of him?” Detective Smith asked.
“I think either way,” said Heather. “We should go talk to Bea.”
A, Bea, See
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Bea said as they entered her office.
Bea sat in her usual spot at her desk. Heather, Amy, and Ryan stood to the side as Detective Smith took out his notebook to begin his questioning. Detective Peters was keeping an eye on the other suspects.
“How could he just keel over like that?” Bea asked. “Is there a chance it was a medical condition and not something that went wrong in my kitchen?”
“Right now we’re treating this as a murder investigation,” Detective Smith said.
“Murder?” Bea asked. “How can that be?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Heather said.
"And you here," Bea said turning to her. "I invited you to show off my business, and this happens. You'll never want to provide donuts now. I'll be back to square one with my brunch spread. Then again, I might not have any customers."
“Don’t worry about us,” Heather said. “This isn’t going to scare us away from a business deal. But the important thing right now is figuring out what happened this morning.”
“Plus, we’re kind of used to this sort of thing,” Amy admitted.
“Had you ever met Gideon Ridgefield before he stayed here this weekend?” Detective Smith asked.
“No,” Bea said. “It was his first time staying here. And I didn’t know him before his visit.”
“I understand he was a difficult guest,” Detective Smith said.
“That’s an understatement,” Bea said. “He was picky about everything. How he wanted his room. And how he wanted his secretary’s room. And especially about his breakfast.”
"I could see how that could be frustrating," Detective Smith said. "I could see how someone could be driven to deal with a difficult person in a drastic manner."
“You can’t think that I had something to do with this, can you?” Bea asked. “This is going to be terrible for my business. Who will want to eat a place where a man died eating? And who will want to sleep under the same roof that a killer did?”
“Calm down,” Heather said, gently. “We’ll catch whoever did this, and that will help business go back to normal.”
“Yes,” Detective Smith said seriously. “We’ll catch whoever did this.”
“We have a few questions we need to ask you,” Heather said. “Who has access to your kitchen?”
“Technically, anyone in the building,” Bea said. “There is the screen to discourage guests from bothering me while I am cooking, but it doesn’t stop them from entering. And it doesn’t have a lock. I never thought it was necessary until now.”
“So, anyone here could have poisoned the ingredients last night,” Amy said.
“I suppose so,” Bea said turning pale. “I do have precautions to keep people from entering if they’re not a guest and don’t have a key. But any of the guests could have committed the murder. Oh. I knew some of them were troublesome with their orders and the last-minute couple was a bit obnoxious. But I didn’t think anyone was dangerous.”
“Could you tell us more about the elderberry jelly?” Heather asked.
"Yes," said Detective Smith. "This was a special request from the victim?"
“He was very specific about it,” Bea said. “And it was hard to find.”
“Where did it come from?” Ryan asked.
"I had to special order it to get it in time. There was a place that sold unique preserves about an hour away, and I had it brought down. A delivery boy brought me the jar. I can find the name of the place," Bea said. She looked on her desk and found a business card. "Here it is."
“When did the jelly arrive?” Heather asked.
“It was around eight p.m. last night,” Bea said. “It arrived sealed. I tried a spoonful of it last night, and it tasted fine to me.”
“And it was in the kitchen all last night?” Heather asked.
“Yes,” said Bea. “I went to my room around ten o’clock, so I wasn’t watching the kitchen after that. I fell right asleep.”
“When did the Ridgefields make their reservation?” Detective Smith asked.
Bea consulted a document on her computer. “Marigold Fanning made the reservation for her room and the Ridgefields two months ago. They said he had some business meetings this weekend.”
“And what reservation were made after theirs?” Ryan asked.
“Besides ours,” Amy joked. “I think we can be eliminated as suspects.”
Bea clicked a few more buttons on the computer and then said, “All the other reservations were made after his.”
“All of them?” Heather asked.
Bea printed out the list of reservations and handed it to the investigators.
“Trish Hathaway booked the room a month ago for two people,” she said. “That poor sick woman Agnes booked two weeks ago. And then that other couple arrived last night looking for a vacancy.”
“We saw them as they came in,” Heather agreed. “Based on their baggage and look of preparation, it certainly looked like a last-minute trip.”
“What does that mean about the booking dates?” Bea asked.
“Sadly, nothing helpful,” Heather said. “We can’t rule anyone else based on it.”
“I really can’t believe that one of my guests would kill someone,” Bea said. “And at my breakfast table. With my jelly.”
“We’ll have to confirm it is the jelly,” Detective Smith said. “But it is a good starting point.”
"You know, now that this all happened and I think about," Bea said, remembering. "I did hear someone walking about last night. I checked to make sure no one needed help, but all I saw was an outline. I think it was one of the female guests. I thought maybe she wanted a midnight snack, but she was moving away from me."
“Could she have been in the kitchen?” Heather asked.
Bea nodded. “I didn’t think so then, but she could have been.”
“But you’re not sure which of the female guests it was?” Ryan asked.
Bea shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I did.” She turned to Heather. “Could I ask you something?”
“Sure,” said Heather, thinking it would be related to the case.
“Could I have another of your donuts?” asked Bea. “They were very tasty. And I can’t see myself cooking anytime soon. I think I could really use one.”
“I’ll get us some more Blackberry Cream Donuts,” said Heather. “And then I’d like to get some more clues.”
Clues to Feast On
"No offense. You look terrible," Amy told Jamie.
He had returned to his room after the chaos but had invited doggy Dave to join him so he wouldn't be alone. The two of them had been staring at the ceiling forlornly until the others joined them.
Dave jumped up to greet Heather and Ryan while Amy sat next to Jamie.
“I feel a little terrible,” Jamie sighed. “But it’s my fault too. After everything that happened, I came up here. But then
I’ve just been thinking about death and permits. Not very happy thoughts.”
“Next time think about me,” Amy joked.
“I’ll try that,” he said, returning the smile. “How is the investigation going?”
“Maybe you can help us,” Heather said.
“How?” he asked, sitting up.
“We’ve been trying to remember everything that happened at breakfast,” Heather said. “Maybe one of us noticed details that another didn’t. What exactly did Gideon Ridgefield eat?”
“Obviously, he had the pancakes and elderberry jelly,” Jamie said. “There was no way we could have missed that.”
“Could the pancakes have been poisoned?” Amy asked.
They all thought about it.
“I think the pancake plates for the latecomers were brought out around the same time. It didn’t look like a specific plate was delivered to Mr. Ridgefield,” Heather said. “But maybe the killer was sneaky.”
"If it were the pancakes, it would have had to be Bea who poisoned them," Ryan said.
"You're right," Heather said. "Because it would have had to be specially added to the batter. And it would have to be done carefully, so no one else was poisoned. But I don't think Bea did it. This is going to hurt her business. She would need a better motive than being annoyed by a customer."
"And if she talked to Bernadette before she invited us to stay then she would know that we were private investigators," said Amy. "Why would she invite us to the beds if she were going to poison the breakfasts?"
“Did Gideon Ridgefield drink anything?” Heather asked.
"No," Jamie said, proud that he remembered. "He had coffee in his cup but didn't drink it. I remember thinking that maybe he would be in a better mood if he had a sip. I feel bad about thinking that now."
“But it’s very helpful that you did,” said Heather. “I’m pretty sure it was the elderberry jelly that was poisoned.”
"Which means Gideon Ridgefield was indeed the target," said Ryan.
“And now we need to figure out who wanted him dead,” said Heather. “But first I want to check on Lilly.”
Heather and Ryan called Eva to see how the sleepover had gone. Everyone had a good time, and they loved Lilly’s new dinosaur story. Heather said she couldn’t wait to read it.
Blackberry Cream & Murder Page 3
