Eric’s face filled with outrage. “This is ridiculous.”
“I’m sorry, but the only one you have to blame is yourself,” David said.
Eric groaned. “I can’t believe this. What more do you want from me?”
“The truth,” David said.
“But I already told you—”
I cut in. “We took a trip over to Treasure Cove Cemetery.”
Eric shrugged. “So?”
“So we had a very interesting conversation with Willy Joplin. He told us you were obsessed with my sister,” I said.
Eric scoffed. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“Actually, he knows more than you seem to think,” I said. “He also told us you called in sick the morning Jessica disappeared.”
“That’s even more reason to let me go. If I called in sick, then I was probably in bed that morning,” Eric said.
I held my pointer finger up. “Willy also told us you came into work the next day looking a hundred percent healthy. Willy’s theory is that you just faked being sick that day to get out of work.”
“I probably just had a twenty-four-hour bug. It happens,” Eric replied.
“In the winter, yes. But in the dead of summer, those kinds of bugs are far less frequent,” I said.
“Look. You can’t prove I wasn’t sick,” Eric said. “As a matter of fact, you can’t prove anything.”
“Not yet at least,” David replied. “But your story keeps changing. Maybe a little time at the police station will help you remember where you really were the morning that Jessica went missing.”
Eric was quick with his retort. “I want a lawyer.”
***
David knew it would be a gamble to bring Eric into the police station. He only had enough to detain Eric for a short time. There wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge him with a crime, much less murder.
Even so, David thought it would be worth bringing Eric in. The police station was an intimidating place. The interrogation room was even more so. I knew what David was hoping. That dragging Eric into the police station might be just the catalyst to scare Eric into telling the whole truth. That perhaps spending some time in such an uncomfortable environment might break Eric.
Unfortunately, that ended up being a lot of wishful thinking on David’s part. Eric didn’t say another word until a lawyer from the public defender’s office arrived at the station. From there, David’s plan to get answers hit a serious snag.
The lawyer ripped into David, bringing up the lack of concrete evidence against his client. The public defender then demanded that Eric be set free. David was determined to hold his ground.
The problem was that the law was on Eric’s side. Mere suspicion was not enough to hold Eric for an extended period of time. Reluctantly, the police chief eventually stepped in and let Eric go.
While it was a discouraging setback for David, there was one small bright spot. David assigned a patrol car to follow Eric around town and keep tabs on his movements. That way, if Eric dared to try to skip town again, a police deputy would be right there to stop him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The investigation suddenly took a turn for the desperate. There were no more leads to chase down. My patience had hit a low point. Meanwhile, my frustration level was through the roof. It had been one of the longest days of my life. And what did I have to show for it? Just sheer exhaustion.
I turned to David, hoping for some good news. Even if it was just a sliver. But all I saw on his face was exasperation.
“So what now?” I asked.
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but we should stop for the night.”
I groaned. “You’re probably right.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m definitely right. That’s why you should listen to me and let me drive you home.”
“I am listening to you—”
David gazed deep into my eyes. “Sabrina, I know that look. Please don’t go off and do some more investigating of your own tonight.”
I grimaced. “It’s just that I feel like we’re on the cusp of discovering the truth. We’re so close.”
“You might be right,” he replied. “Do you have another lead for us to check out?”
I shook my head. “Unfortunately not.”
“Neither do I. That’s why I think we should each head home and regroup,” he said.
I sighed.
“Look. Getting a good night of rest after a long day of investigating has really helped us in the past. I imagine that this time will be no different,” he added.
“Except, this case isn’t like the others. We’re dealing with a killer who has gotten away with murder for eleven years. Who managed to conceal the location of the body for so long that the trail went ice cold. Now that things are heating up, I want to try to strike while the iron is hot.”
“The last thing I want to do right now is argue with you. But since we are dealing with someone who has managed to go this long without being found out, we need to be sharper than ever if we’re going to catch them,” David replied. “Now I don’t know about you, but I am completely spent here. My mind is like mush right now.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but David cut me off.
“Sabrina, I’m not telling you this as a detective. I’m saying it as a man who loves you. You need to take a break.”
I lowered my head.
He pulled me in close.
“We’ll figure this out. Just not tonight,” David said.
I bit the corner of my lip. “I really hope that you’re right.”
“Sabrina, keep your chin up. We’ve come this far. We’ll figure it out,” David said.
Chapter Twenty-Six
After a stressful day of investigating, I was in no mood to go home and cook dinner. At that point, even popping something into the microwave seemed like too much work. Besides, I was having the kind of craving that a frozen TV dinner couldn’t satisfy.
I had a yen for a bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich. There was one place in town that made that kind of sandwich better than anyone else. It just so happened that my dear friend, Shannon Smith, ran the place.
As I entered the sandwich shop, Shannon was in the middle of a kiss. My petite twenty-nine-year-old redheaded friend was locking lips with her muscular six-foot-two thirty-two-year-old boyfriend, Joe Marlowe.
“Working hard, I see,” I joked.
Shannon and Joe pulled back from their kiss.
When Shannon spotted me, she threw her arms out and fired off a joke of her own. “As you can see, business is just booming right now.”
Shannon had a much better sense of humor about her lack of business than I would have. The sandwich shop was completely dead at the moment.
Although, that wasn’t terribly surprising. It wasn’t quite tourist season in Treasure Cove yet. In addition, Shannon did most of her business at lunchtime. So since it was the early evening, it made sense that her shop would be light on customers. Even so, it was quite rare for her to be this lacking in business.
“Oh yeah. It looks like you’re having a record sales day,” I cracked.
Shannon chuckled. “Some days are busier than others. But when it is slow like this, there’s nothing wrong with taking a little break.”
“Especially a smooch break. Those are the best kinds,” I replied.
“I can’t disagree with that,” Shannon said.
“Neither can I.” Joe looked at the time on his smart phone. “But unfortunately, my break time is over. I need to be heading out.”
Shannon let out a sigh. “That’s a shame. How about one more for the road?”
Joe leaned in and kissed Shannon again.
“I’ll call you later,” Joe said.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Shannon replied.
Before Joe headed toward the exit, there was something that he wanted to say to me. “By the way, I’m very sorry about your sister.”
“Thanks for your sympathy,
” I replied.
“Of course,” Joe said. “I hope you and David catch Jessica’s killer.”
“That’s the plan,” I replied.
Joe made his way to the exit, leaving Shannon and me alone. Once Joe was gone, Shannon turned her focus back to me.
“By the way, how is the case going?” Shannon asked.
I completely ignored her question. “So, you and Joe seem to be doing really well.”
A concerned look came to Shannon’s face. “Is your investigation going that poorly?”
I made another attempt to avoid answering her question. “You know, you and Joe make a really good couple. I really think he might be ‘the one.’”
“So do I. He is just the man I have been looking for.” Shannon took a moment to bask in her happiness, then she abruptly steered the conversation back to less joyful subject matter. “Now, I want to talk about you. How is the case going?”
So much for avoiding the subject. It appeared that there was no escaping a discussion of this investigation.
I took a deep breath then replied, “It could be going better.”
Shannon reached out to me. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate all of your concern. But right now, what I really need is one of your delicious sandwiches,” I said.
Shannon went back behind the counter and began making a sandwich for me. “Your usual. Coming right up.”
“And a miracle,” I added.
Shannon grimaced. “That part I can’t help you with. Although, I can pray for you.”
“Please do.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
I shook my head. “Not unless you have some kind of amazing hunch about who killed my sister.”
“I don’t have a hunch of any kind. I leave that kind of stuff to you.”
“Unfortunately, I am fresh out of hunches.”
“How about David?”
“This case has him stumped too.”
“You two will figure it out,” Shannon said.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
Shannon didn’t hesitate with her response. “Because you always do.”
I stared at the ground. “But what if this time we don’t? What if, just when I need my instincts to come through the most, they fail me?”
“Don’t talk like that,” Shannon said.
I shrugged. “Why not? It could happen. I mean, when you look at the odds, it is bound to happen sometime. Just because I don’t want it to happen now, just because this is the most important case of my life, there’s no guarantee that I’ll find the answer that I have been looking for.”
Shannon stopped making the sandwich and put her hand on my shoulder. “Sabrina, do you know what you need?”
“I already told you. A miracle.”
She shook her head. “No. What you need is to believe in yourself. This isn’t your first case—”
I interrupted her. “No. But it is my hardest case.”
“I don’t disagree. That said, you can’t give up. You have to find a way. You have been stumped before, only to find a way to uncover the truth in the end. You can do it again. And you will. I just know it.”
“I wish I was as confident as you are about this.”
Shannon held her pointer finger up. “You know, a wise woman once told me that sometimes it only takes one break to be able to crack a case wide open.”
That saying was quite familiar to me. Mostly because I was the one who had said it to Shannon in the first place. I wasn’t about to let that fact slide.
“Shannon, are you quoting my own lines back to me?” I asked.
She nodded. “If that’s what it takes you pull you out of this funk. I mean, what better way to get your confidence back than to take your own advice?”
I laughed. “I can’t argue with that.”
“I hope not. It would be ridiculous to argue with yourself,” Shannon said.
I nodded. “It sure would.”
“You’re just one break away from solving this case.”
I looked off into the distance. “Yeah.”
“You’ll figure this out,” Shannon said.
I gazed into her eyes. “Thanks for being there for me.”
She smiled. “That’s what friends are for.”
“I thought free sandwiches were what friends were for,” I joked.
Shannon laughed. “Speaking of, your sandwich is coming right up.”
“Finally, some good news,” I said.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Bed sweet bed,” I said.
Rarely had my mattress ever looked so enticing. The stress from a day of investigating had drained almost every ounce of energy that I had. Even Snickerdoodle, who usually made a big fuss for food when I returned home, had abstained from begging for wet food. Instead, he settled for some dry food. When he was done eating, he curled up next to me on the bed and pressed up against me, as if he was trying to get as close to me as possible.
I gave him a few pats. “You’re so sweet, Doodle. It’s good to see you, too.”
Snickerdoodle gazed at me with the kind of unadulterated affection that dogs specialized in. At that moment, he made me feel like I was the center of his entire universe. It warmed my heart to be that adored.
Unlike humans, who were capable of all kinds of deceit, dogs were exactly as advertised. They were extremely loyal and fiercely protective of their loved ones.
That evening, Snickerdoodle’s defensive instinct was on full display when my doorbell rang unexpectedly a few minutes later.
I sat up in bed with a befuddled look on my face. “Who could that be?”
Snickerdoodle darted to the front door and barked like crazy to find out.
Don’t get me wrong. I was happy that Doodle played the part of a fierce protector, but it wasn’t like I owned an attack dog. Corgis were great for snuggling, but they didn’t have the bite of a pit bull or German shepherd.
I was startled by the sound of the doorbell, but I didn’t panic. After all, Snickerdoodle went a little nuts when anyone was at the door, whether it was someone friendly like David, or Doodle’s greatest nemesis, the mailman. The little fur ball was indiscriminant like that.
My nonchalance quickly faded when the doorbell rang a second time.
A shiver went down my spine as I continued to contemplate who was at the door. After all, I wasn’t expecting anyone. So who could it be? None of the usual names made sense. My friends and family would have all called before coming over. Especially when I was in the middle of investigating a case.
“Wait a minute. What if that’s one of the suspects?” I wondered aloud.
One of my ongoing fears was that an irate suspect would show up at my house one night, looking to retaliate against me. If that was the case here, I had to be prepared. Then again, if one of the suspects was at the door, why did they ring the bell? Wouldn’t they try to pick the lock or break one of the windows?
Ring.
I was so startled by my doorbell ringing again that my heart almost skipped a beat. I put my hand on my chest and took a few deep breaths.
“Whoever it is, they sure are persistent,” I said.
There was no avoiding the door now. Whoever was outside really wanted to talk to me about something.
I reached under my bed and grabbed the baseball bat that I always left there for my safety. If the person at the door was hostile, I would be prepared to defend myself.
I left my bedroom and headed out toward my front door, tiptoeing the whole way so that I wouldn’t make too much noise and draw attention to myself.
When I reached the door, I looked through the peephole.
My eyes widened as I identified the person who was standing outside.
I couldn’t believe it, but of all people, Melissa Wilcox was the person who had been ringing my bell.
I opened the door and greeted her. “Meli
ssa. What are you doing here?”
“Is this a bad time?” she replied.
It was safe to say that Melissa and I had a long, strange history. Although, things had started out just fine between us. When she had worked at Stewart’s Chocolates, we had gotten along well. But after Andrew Stewart was found murdered, Melissa had become a suspect in the case.
Eventually, when I uncovered the real killer, Melissa was proven innocent, but she continued to hold a grudge that I had ever put her on my suspect list in the first place.
Thankfully, her icy exterior toward me had recently started to thaw. She now waved at me when she saw me walking around the neighborhood. On rare occasions, she even made small talk with me. But make no mistake, we weren’t good friends. It wasn’t like she invited me over to her place for cocktails. And she certainly never came to my door.
Until now.
For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what she was doing here. Then again, as shocked as I was to see her at my door, I could also breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing Melissa on my doorstep was far preferable than staring down a murder suspect.
The tall, thin twenty-eight-year-old had a wary look on her angular face. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which made her green eyes stand out even more as she glanced at me. She held a round metal tin in her hands.
I gave her a quizzical look. “What do you need?”
“I don’t need anything.” She held the tin out. “I actually came here to bring you this.”
I crinkled my nose. “What is it?”
“Open it up and see for yourself,” Melissa said.
I grabbed the tin and popped the lid off. A batch of soft-baked chocolate chip cookies were inside.
I was speechless as I gazed at the cookies.
Melissa smiled. “They look delicious, don’t they?”
“My mouth is watering as I speak,” I said.
“Wait until you taste them. They’re like perfection.”
“After a claim that grand, I can’t resist trying one now.”
I reached into the tin, grabbed a cookie, and took a bite. Oh dear. It was sweet, doughy magic. It was the kind of scrumptious delight that put all other cookies to shame.
Daley Buzz Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 65
