by Jessica Beck
He laughed a little at that. “And you’re calling me complicated?”
“Hey, it’s just who I am. You knew that when you married me.”
“I wasn’t complaining,” he said as he took another sip of coffee. “That’s one of the things I find most attractive about you.”
“What are some of the others?” I asked coyly.
He swatted my behind. “It’s too early to be fishing for compliments, young lady.”
“It’s never too early, as far as I’m concerned,” I replied with a laugh of my own. “I’ll see you later.”
“Have a good day.”
“Hey, I’m spending the morning making donuts that just about the entire town will be enjoying later. What’s not to like about that?”
“If you say so. You don’t know how I do my job, but I’d go crazy in a week if I had to do yours.”
“More likely a day,” I said with a smile.
It was rare when Jake was awake when I left for work, and it always picked up my spirits. I loved him, but it was more than that. I genuinely liked the man, something that seemed to be in rare supply in too many married couples. Then again, though neither of us was exactly young anymore, our marriage still was, and we were in the honeymoon phase of our union.
May it last forever and a day, as far as I was concerned.
The Jeep was freezing when I got in, so I warmed it up for a few minutes as I scraped the frost off the windshield. I loved cold weather, but every now and then, I wouldn’t have minded having a garage.
The short drive to Donut Hearts was uneventful, and as I walked in, I felt embraced by the warmth of the place. We’d had our furnace repaired the winter before, so it was nice having convenient and consistent heat. Flipping on a few light switches and the coffee pot as I walked into the kitchen, I turned the fryer on to give it a chance to come to temperature as well. Taking out my trusty recipe book, I opened it to my basic cake donut recipe, though I knew it by heart. It was nice having it there as a reference, a comfort in its mere presence. Measuring out the flour and other ingredients, I found myself humming softly to myself as I worked. I loved having Emma around, but this was my favorite time of morning at the shop, when most of the world around me slept and I worked to brighten some of their days with what I offered. I never claimed that my donuts were nutritional, but then again, I didn’t advocate a steady diet of them, either. They were meant to be a treat, a present my customers could give themselves without any need for a reason, and that suited me just fine.
I was dropping the last of my new pumpkin apple spice donuts into the hot oil when Emma started to come in. She was a little late, but I was in such a good mood that I didn’t mind. “Oops. I’ll be out here setting up,” she said as she ducked back into the front area while I dropped the final few donuts.
Four minutes later, after I pulled the last of the donuts from the oil, I pushed the kitchen door aside. “All clear,” I said as I started icing them, getting the glaze on the donuts before they had a chance to cool.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said as she put her jacket on the coatrack and donned her apron. “My car wouldn’t start, so I had to get Dad to give me a ride.”
“I bet he loved getting out of a warm bed to do that,” I said.
“Are you kidding? He’s been up all night getting ready to put a special edition out. I’m not sure what he’s going to write, but I saw a glimpse of his headline.”
“What does it say?” I asked as I moved the donuts to a drip rack before I placed them on trays.
“Murder Hits Home Again.”
“That’s not bad,” I said.
“You should have seen some of the ones he crossed out. Councilman Killed in Mayor’s Chair, Harley’s Homicide, and my favorite, No One Is Safe From The April Springs Killer.”
“That’s a little long for a headline, isn’t it?” I asked as I shook my head. None of them had surprised me. Ray Blake’s little newspaper was mostly a flyer for store ads and classifieds, but he aspired to be an investigative reporter, and sometimes it showed a little too clearly in the issues he published.
“That’s the only reason he killed it,” she said. “Is the rumor I heard true?”
“Which rumor might that be?” I asked her, careful not to say too much.
“That George is on the run,” she said.
“Not as far as I know.”
“But he’s missing, right?”
“I don’t know if you could say that he’s missing,” I said carefully.
“But you don’t know where he is.”
“Who’s asking, my assistant or the newspaper publisher’s daughter?” Emma and I walked a fine line when we discussed my investigations, and we’d learned, through painful trial and error, when not to cross it.
“Suzanne, I promise you that this is all strictly off the record,” she said earnestly. “I never discuss our conversations with my father in any way, shape, or form anymore.”
“I know that,” I said. “George isn’t in town, but that doesn’t mean that he had anything to do with Harley’s murder, no matter how it might look.”
“I don’t think he did it, either,” she said. “Are you and Grace digging into Harley’s homicide, since it ties in so closely with the mayor? I know how close you all are.”
“We might be,” I said.
“Good,” Emma answered. “George Morris is a good guy in my book, and a great mayor. I’d hate to see this ruin him when it wasn’t his fault.”
“I would, too,” I said.
Emma sighed, and then she looked at the dishes I’d already piled up for her. “Well, those bowls aren’t going to wash themselves, are they? This morning, I’m kind of looking forward to burying my hands in some hot and soapy water.”
“See what you can do in twenty minutes,” I said. “By then I’ll have the yeast dough ready for its first raise and we can take our break outside, if it’s not too cold for you this morning.”
“I wouldn’t let a little chill in the air stop me,” she said, “and you know it.”
We enjoyed our break outside, but soon enough, it was time to go back in and continue the process of making our yeast donuts. I’d had my eye on a new cutter that cut out donuts in the shape of Christmas wreaths, but I’d lost the online auction for it. On a lark, I’d bid on one that made Santas, but they hadn’t turned out as well as I’d hoped. Maybe I’d try again in July, when the seasonal cutters weren’t such a hot item, if anyone had one for sale. Finally, two minutes before we were set to open shop for the day, I was adjusting the last tray in the display case, having just finished setting up the cash register, when there was a knock at our front door. Ever since I’d pushed my opening to seven, folks got impatient for me to let them in, and on cold mornings like we were experiencing now, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to refuse anyone’s plea for sanctuary from the chill.
I wasn’t expecting to see who was standing out there tapping, though.
Grinning as though he didn’t have a care in the world was our missing mayor himself, George Morris.
“Where on earth have you been?” I asked George as I opened the door to let him in.
“I was visiting a friend of mine at his lake cabin in the mountains. Moose and I have been buddies for a long time. He called me out of the blue yesterday to invite me up there, and since I didn’t have anything pressing, I joined him for some good food and even better lies.”
“Have you spoken to anyone in town since you got back?” I asked him.
“No, I drove straight here to get some donuts for breakfast. Moose is a fine short-order cook, but I knew if I had breakfast with him, I wouldn’t be able to move for a while.” He peered at the donuts behind me. “I see an old-fashioned donut that has my name on it.”
“There’s no time to eat,” I said. “George, you’re in trouble.”
“Why is that
?” he asked me as he kept looking longingly at the treats behind the counter.
“Somebody killed Harley Boggess yesterday morning in your chair in City Hall with your letter opener.”
“Not funny, Suzanne,” he said. “Should I serve myself, or are you going to get that donut for me? You know what? Why don’t you make it two? I’m feeling pretty great this morning.”
“Sorry to ruin your good mood, but I wasn’t kidding.”
George’s grin froze on his face for a moment before he spoke again. “Are you serious?”
“I wish I weren’t, but it’s true.”
“What happened?” he asked me.
“That’s what everyone wants to know. Should I call Jake, or do you want to?”
“I’ll do it,” George said. “I can’t believe this. I play hooky for one day, and look what happens.”
“Some folks are saying that you might have done it yourself,” I told him as he fumbled for his cellphone.
“Of course they are. You don’t think so, do you?”
“George, you are many things, but a killer isn’t one of them. Besides, if you had done it, you certainly wouldn’t have run away.”
“Who says I was running anywhere?”
“There was an anonymous tip,” I said.
“I’ll just bet there was, from the killer, more likely than not.” He dialed my husband’s number, and then he said, “Jake, it’s George. I’m at Donut Hearts. Suzanne just gave me the bare bones of what happened. Should I come over there, do you want to meet me here, or should I head straight to your office? Okay. Sure.” He stopped and glanced at me. “I can do that. I’ll tell her.” He hung up and turned to me. “He says that I should wait in back.”
“That might be a problem,” I said, thinking of Emma and her likely impulse to call her dad to tell him that the mayor was back.
“What’s the matter, are you afraid of harboring a fugitive?” George asked with a grin.
“It’s Emma. Give me one second.”
“Okay, but I don’t know how long I should stand here. Your customers will be coming in soon.”
“Just don’t go anywhere.”
I walked into the kitchen and approached Emma, who was still working on the latest batch of dishes. “I need you to do something for me and not tell anyone about it, most especially your father.”
“If there’s a body that needs burying, I’m your gal. Do you want me to hold the flashlight, or should I start shoveling?”
“Emma, this is serious. George Morris just showed up. He’s out front, and until I told him what happened, he had no idea that Harley had been murdered. I need you to cover the front and not tell anyone that he’s back here, most especially your father. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course I can,” she said, her expression suddenly solemn.
That was good enough for me.
“George, come on back,” I said.
He’d found the time to stop and grab a donut on the way.
“Seriously?”
“I’ll pay you for it, but I’m hungry,” he said. “Hi, Emma.”
“Hello, Mr. Mayor. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked her, genuinely surprised by her statement.
“Something happened to Harley Boggess yesterday. I just didn’t want it happening to you, too.”
“I appreciate that, young lady,” he said.
“Emma, when Jake gets here, send him straight back.”
“Will do,” she said.
“She’s a good girl,” George said after she was gone.
“Despite who her father is?”
“It’s not as bad as all that. Ray provides a service to the community, no matter whether I agree with his reporting or not.”
“Let’s hear you say that after you read today’s paper,” I said.
That brought a look of alarm to his face. “Why, what’s he going to say?”
“I have no clue, but given the circumstances, can you imagine any scenario where it’s good?”
“No, not really.”
“George, I have to ask. Did you see Harley yesterday before you left town?”
The mayor frowned as he nodded. “He’s about the only person I did speak to. He barged into my office spouting off about how he was going to bury me in the next election, and I told him he couldn’t get elected dogcatcher if only the cats were allowed to vote. He stormed out, Moose called me, and I decided that I’d had enough, so I took off. At that moment, Harley could have had my job wrapped in a ribbon, but I didn’t kill him.”
“So, who did?” I asked him.
“I have no idea,” George said. After a moment, he added, “Hang on. He’s been arguing with Nathaniel Bloom in our meetings lately, and by the way Harley’s been acting, there’s a woman making his life more difficult than it already was or I’ll eat my hat. I don’t have a clue who she might be, though.”
“It’s Amber North,” I said.
“No. Really? Amber? Why?”
“I’m sure that some men must see her charm,” I said.
“Well, I’m certainly not one of them. Wow. Harley and Amber. Go figure.” He frowned a moment as he looked at me. “You’re digging into this, aren’t you?”
“With a little help, yes, I am.”
“Suzanne, tell me it’s not because of me.”
“I can’t do that,” I said, meeting his steady gaze with one of my own.
“Your mother is going to kill me,” George said. “She’s been trying to get you to back off with your investigations for years.”
“Funny, she’s helping us out this time,” I said.
“Why on earth would she do that?”
“She cares for you, George, and she doesn’t want to see this undo your political career.”
“She just doesn’t want to have to step in and take the job over,” the mayor said after he bit his lower lip.
“We both know better than that. Before Jake gets here, is there anything else I need to know?”
“Not that I can think of,” he said. “How does Jake feel about you nosing around in his case?”
“As long as I stay out of his way, he’s okay with it,” I answered as the kitchen door opened suddenly.
It had better be Jake, or there was going to be a problem.
If Ray Blake came in, he and his daughter would be escorted off the premises immediately, and I’d be in the market for a new assistant. I couldn’t have loved Emma more if she’d been my own daughter, but divulging what I’d just told her not to would be grounds for immediate dismissal, no matter how much it would have broken my heart to do it.
Thankfully, it was my husband, and from the expression on his face, he wasn’t particularly happy about the situation at the moment.
I had a hunch that things were only about to get worse.
Chapter 13
“How long have you been here, George?” Jake asked him pointedly.
“I just got back into town not ten minutes ago.”
He glanced at me, and I nodded. “That’s true, as far as I know. I had to tell him about Harley.”
“I wish you’d have let me do that, Suzanne,” my husband said.
“He didn’t know before I told him, Jake. Trust me.”
“Let me get this straight. Do you actually think that I killed him?” George asked as he looked incredulously at my husband.
“George, you were a cop once yourself. Think about it, and then tell me how you’d look at the situation objectively.”
The mayor frowned for a moment, and then he nodded. “Truth be told, I’d probably lock me up.”
“That’s not going to happen though, not unless you did it.”
“Saying that I’m innocent is pretty worthless, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Not to me,” Jake said. “Let’s go somewhere and figure out how you fit into this.” He turned to me. “Nobody’s outside waiting to get in, but we can’t hang around much longer. Suzanne, we’ll talk later.”
“Sounds good. Now go.”
I walked out with them, and after the two of them made it safely outside without being seen, I turned to Emma. “Thanks for not calling your father.”
“Susanne, I would never betray your trust like that. You asked me to keep it quiet, and that’s what I’ll do.” She hesitated a second, and then she asked, “Exactly how long does that have to be?”
“I’d rather you didn’t say anything about this happening at all.”
Emma nodded. “Consider it done.”
Hillary Teal, the older woman who often made costumes for Max’s seniors’ theater group, came in. “Suzanne, did I just see your husband with the mayor?”
“I don’t know, did you?” I asked her, trying not to give anything away.
“I don’t honestly know myself. I really must go see Dr. Sedgewick. I believe my eyesight is getting worse by the minute.”
“What can I do for you, Hillary?”
“I’ll take a dozen of your most deadly donuts, dear,” she said with a grin. “The girls and I are having a little party, and they all so love your tasty treats.”
“I’m honored,” I said as I put together a nice selection. After I took her money and made change, I asked, “Are there any new plays on the horizon?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask Max that very question. He’s so in love these days that there’s not as much time for us anymore.” Her face reddened for a moment as she quickly added, “That was rather tacky of me, wasn’t it?”
“No worries on my account. I’m happy for Max. He found Emily, and what’s even better, she found him. It’s hard enough in this world to find someone you belong with, so I won’t begrudge either of them their happiness. After all, if Max hadn’t cheated on me, I never would have found Jake.”
“You are wise beyond your years, Suzanne Hart.” With a twinkle in her eye, she added, “But not beyond mine.”
“Well, I hope there will be time enough for me to get there, too.”
